This is the best I could do, I'm afraid... My camera was crying for new batteries, and of course I didn't have them with me.

The "SOIREE" at Recycled Rose was so much fun... All the artisans who make things for the shop were there with their "wares". We visited and talked to customers, and nibbled on homemade treats. Loads of people were there, and many did their Christmas shopping!

Lin had her wonderful boxes for Christmas, filled with decorated journals to keep track of all the Christmas happenings. Her wreaths were a real hit, made of recycled Christmas glass ornaments. They are stunning.

My niece, Carrie brought her beautiful "bling" -perfect for the holidays coming up ! Her children's clothes are precious, and soooo very unique. They range in size from 3-8. She also sells on Etsy, under the name Milly and Margo.... (Carrie Benkelman)

I painted on a portrait of Carries daughter, Margo, to show my process to those who wandered through the Christmas treasures. I also sell individual handmade vintage cards, and the altered mini-journals, as well as my decorative pillows.

Some of the wonderful items there are gorgeous jewelry by the "Con Artist", handmade sheep from felted wool, by Laurie, oh so sweet hand crocheted hats and things, womens very unique styled clothing, and all sorts of great vintage and handmade CHRISTMAS DECOR !!

Sorry, my camera was not ready to go with fresh batteries... I know the pictures would have been better to explain what fun we had !!

A Friday Thanksgiving ! Perfect !

What a fun time we had today ! Baby Madison, Jeff and Arica's 6 month old , Grace Ann, and Katie stole the show, of course...

We had a full-fledged Thanksgiving Meal - Lin, thanks for the wonderful mashed potatoes, by the way !!! It was a gorgeous day, and we all ate until we were almost comatose from the triptophan. We missed having our Tracey, and Carrie, Michael, Margo and Milly, also, Chris, Sheila, Chase and Hunter, who are still sick. We hope the boys are feeling better soon.

Family is the BEST !!! Can't beat it ! it's fun "MAKING MEMORIES" for everyone !

Cookie Day

Last Friday was our (my sister's and my) 3rd Annual Cookie Bake Day.
We got quite a lot done, and shared the morning with Milly, my sis's cute grand daughter. We managed to finish 4 types, with at least 2 more to go. If we make the double batch of rolled out sugar cookies that takes quite a long time, by the time they are all iced. We froze the finished ones, and after the next session we will put them on platters to give to our kids as early as early Christmas gift.... Hoorah !

Adam Lambert

Adam, Your performance on the American Music Awards was a disappointment. So many people that I know really thought you were great. We certainly were fine with your lifestyle preference, and loved to watch your performances on American Idol, waiting to see what you would come up with next... You have overstepped the line now though, I'm afraid. Most do not want to see sexual innuendo taken to this extreme, and certainly you did things that would never be considered acceptable, whether from the heterosexual or homosexual entertainer.

I guess you went overboard just to get talked about, and create a stir, as you always did on the Idol show. If that is the case then, that is what you did, and maybe this is the reaction you were trying for. I really would love to see you come back and tone it down some, so that we can the great singer develop into the true talent that I think you are ! Think About it !

MINI JOURNALS

Here are some of the new altered mini journals I've been working on for Recycled Rose in Glendale. They are little blank journals that I collage to sell as gifts or to use to jot reminders, or to do lists.....

I first sand and paint all four surfaces, and cover with background papers that I have selected. Each front, back and the inside covers becomes a small collage with mostly vintage images that go along with the theme of the book. I embellish the images and tie the idea together if I can to give it cohesiveness. These have been lots of fun to do, and they are selling quite well, earning me a bit of extra cash to put back for Christmas gifts !! ho ho ho ~~

SPAIN

Here are a few picture of our trip.... I was only allowed to download 5 of them, so I posted again. The picture of Bus and I , we took of each other at the airport, right before our flight to Dallas, where we boarded another for our 9 hour flight to Madrid !

GO TO THE NEXT POST<>

The rest of them are various scenes of our travels !

Spain- So Much Fun

We really didn't know exactly what to expect from our trip to Spain, but were pleasantly surprised at all the great things to see and do there. It was quite easy to get around, too.
We took all public transportation, and cabs, from time to time, and we navigated the cities with relative ease. First leg of the trip was 4 days in Madrid, then 3 in Barcelona, Valencia, for 4 more, and then back to Madrid for the final 3 !

We took in the major museums in Madrid, and saw the famous artwork, which is "my bag", but hubby, Bus, loves the museums and all the art, too !!

We walked the beach in Barcelona, and took the Metro to the beach (a five minute ride) in Valencia. That city was so fun, because the day manager at our hotel was so excited about his city, and shared that excitement with us.... So, we saw all of his recommendations, and then some !!! We stopped in all the beautiful squares, and parks for cerveza (beer) or wine, and they always serve you tapas (usually a free little appetizer) or we would eat a full-fledged meal. We both ate loads of seafood, since it is caught right there, and I, for one, had lots of calamari !

Guillermo, our hotel manager, had some great conversations with us, and promised to email me, I even took his picture, cause he for sure wanted me to paint him !!

The last 3 days in Madrid were in a completely different part of the city than where we were before. We stayed in a converted Palace, and had, what we figured, were 15 ft. ceilings in the rooms... we had a balcony which opened into the busy plaza, teeming with activities and people. We were within a block or two from the Plaza del Sol, with streets that have been closed to traffic, and loads of shops and restaurants, and mimes, of course.... I took a couple picture of them.

We had so much fun--- The combined 8 years of Spanish we had taken years ago was only a little bit helpful, but was enough of a help for Bus to pick up the newspaper, and read the articles on sports, getting the gist of the text..... I would recommend this trip and these cities to ALL of you-- if you are at all interested in Spain, DO IT ! You'll love it like we did !!

On our latest trip to Spain, I documented with pictures, but also, every night I journaled, and tried to use the scraps of this and that, as well as drawings of some of the memorable sights.... The finish of the book fell exactly in the right spot of the concertina fold reversible book I found at the thrift shop before I left. I first added a bit of watercolor, and used approximately one page per day...

I'll post photos later of our journey--- Buenas Dias !

More...

New (OLD) box with sectioned off treasures. This is for sale at Recycled Rose in Glendale.

NEW ARTWORK-

NEW Artwork... IMAGINE THAT !!!!

I know I've been bad about posting, and I promise to get back in the groove... It's just that we got a new computer, and I'll be darned, but I couldn't seem to get the hang of the picture processing thing, and so I got frustrated and let it slip.... I'M NOW DETERMINED TO FIGURE IT OUT-- even though it is still a bit confusing, and far as how to retrieve the pics....

Here are some of the newest cards I've been working on. Some are at Sue's shop in Glendale, on Sappington, "Recycled Rose" and there are a bunch more, too.... I've had a lot of fun with the old images and texts.... I love the old photos, too... I love to imagine the people in them and what their lives were like, and what they are thinking and doing.....

Here are a few pictures from the recent trip to visit Buff in San Francisco..... We had a great time, staying at the B and B which we have stayed at two other visits.. It's called the Grove, and is run by Claus, who is German, and very cordial.. We always have fun at his breakfast, where we meet people from around the globe... We met Russ, from Vienna, and Joel from Zurich, as well as a woman from Atlanta, and a nice couple from Michigan. We rented a car and went to some fun restaurants with Tracey. The first place she took us for lunch was so special. They are known for their Beignet (French doughnuts) and they were scrumptious. We went to the new San Francisco Science Center with a fabulous aquarium, and wonderful Earth Science displays and exhibits. We always have to have seafood at Alamo Square Grill one of the nights we are there. It's directly across the street from the Grove B and B, so that makes it so fun! Also, the highlight of our visit was going to Tracey's friends' house, Heidi and Jim, to listen to her cousin's wife serenade us with her classical guitar. She plays all around the world. She had just finished a concert in Los Angeles, and was on her way to Norway for a concert, so she was kind enough to stop by SF and entertain us. SHE WAS FABULOUS !!

A quilt for Madison

My nephew and his darling wife just had their first baby, a precious little girl... This is the quilt that I made for her. It's a bit larger than the others, which I think will come in handy when she gets a little older, and it's also a new pattern for me. I was pleased at the final result after Sally and quilter finished with it... the binding fabric was a lucky find- it matched well, I think.

Jimmy's birthday quilt

Our oldest son, Jimmy, had a birthday a few weeks ago. It was a gathering of family for the traditional crableg dinner, and 4 types of homemade cookies, rather than the birthday cake that most are accustomed to, but which were the request of the honoree.... We had a fun time, and I gave Jim the quilt that I had been making for him.
The quilt was made up of many Japanese style batik printed fabrics, in a masculine style of pattern and quilt stitching that will even stand up to the likes of Jim's dog, Castor, who has been known to lay himself down on the bed on occasion... I was happy with the results. It's a queen size, which is 90" x 108", and machine quilted.

Group pics @ Bella Vista

Fun time in Bella Vista

We had a fun time in Arkansas, with our old friend, Judi, and her new hubby Paul... We were privileged to meet new friends, Ellen and Gene, from North Carolina, and Bobbie and Mike, from California. We all had a week of golf, great food, great conversation, and a super get-together...
Thanks Judi and Paul, for including us--- we had a ball !


Ellen is very involved with a great organization called "Project Linus", which collects hand made blankets of all sorts (knitted, crocheted, quilted, etc.) to distribute to those in need... They do a great service, by giving a needy person a gift that shows that someone truly cares for them...
Ellen shared some very touching stories of the people she has met along her journey. We can all be inspired by her dedication and commitment.....