hello again

oh little blog -
how i have missed you.
i have missed
writing,
doing art,
taking photos,
& taking peeks -
at other blogs,
i am way behind
on my sweet posts,
and a multitude of other things.
but,
it has been a good summer -
with lots of adventures,
and a little
back to school 'goodbye'.
september brought
work challenges,
and frustrations,
and disappointments.
but,
good always comes of it.
i am back in the saddle,
of helping to run
our construction business -
after 16 years of not.
it is all new,
and learning,
and dealing with people -
which is scary and challenging.
i am hoping though,
that it won't
mean less -
family time,
and art time,
and back here time.
i'll be into a regular routine,
next week -
so,
we'll see how it goes.
hello again
to all my blog friends.

to netherlands

i was really late
for my june
sweet post.
i ended up
sending both june & july -
on the same day.
both were going
to the netherlands.
one for karin,
and one for noelle.
i put them together
at the same time too -
so they are virtually
the same.
i had a lot of fun
decorating
the paper bag envelopes
i made.

gambier island

our very good friends
have some property
on gambier island.
we love to go there.
our kids love to go there.
they have it perfectly
set up
for tons of fun.
there's a tree house,
a fire pit,
a hot tub.
you can kayak,
tube,
sail,
swim,
hike,
practice archery,
or darts.
it is peaceful,
relaxing,
and mind clearing.
my favorite is to
look out the windows
of the cabin from my bed
in the morning -
and then kayak the bay
first thing -
when not many others
are up and about -
and it is quiet.
we are tempted
to buy a place there
ourselves.
these photos are from
several trips there.
last weekend,
they let us go by ourselves.
we took the girlfriends too.
made a quick trip
over to gibsons landing
for lunch -
and ice cream,
and a bit of browsing.
we bought a boat -
this year,
and i keep wondering why
we didn't do that
a long time ago.
we have had
some awesome adventures.

this one fell off the dock into the drink and needed rescuing

sleeping on the dock

street art

from stoika

june's sweet post
came from stoika.
there is a bag,
made from a
children's book page.
a postcard,
some birch bark,
some dutch trim,
a beautiful vintage bird cut out,
a daisy stamp
& little daisy cushions,
and some butterfly tissues.
i love getting these packages
in the mail.

malta gifts

i received an
unexpected surprise
in the mail.
from juniper -
in malta.
some paper scraps,
a handwritten letter,
some yummy chocolates,
hand printed fabric,
and a lovely,
little,
heart-shaped,
pot holder.
thank you so much juniper!

the chocolates never made it into the photo :)

porch flowers

so far -
so good.
i've managed
to keep my outdoor plants
alive.
mind you -
there certainly is
no shortage
of rain
& cool temperatures,
to help.
i am loving
this flower pot
combination.
i want to remember
for next year.

 

collages

i have been
having fun
with mixed media collage.
there is
just something about
mixing a bunch of
random items together
to make
something beautiful.
i love adding
the sketches on vellum
as the focal point.
i could do this forever.

wendy's mail

things sent 

to wendy

for may's sweet post.

scrap papers, washi bunting, tea, mini watercolor kit, ribbon, stamps, notepads, sticker, carved stamp

mixed media art

experimental tyvek pouch

from agus

i received mail
from agus -
all the way
from argentina.
her handwriting is lovely,
and her watercolored envelope
is beautiful.
she sent me
a postcard - with a
hand drawn map,
some stickers,
and blueberry tea -
which smells
and tastes
wonderful.
thank you agus.