Where Bloggers Create - My Little Space

I wish this were a "before" picture with a beautiful "after" picture to go with it, but no such luck. But it is my space - all mine.  I have been gradually re-arranging things, but it is slow going. I mostly do altered books and altered art, although I also love scrapbooking, rubber stamping and sewing. All my sewing is done in my basement.

My room is 8 X 9 ft. Not a lot of room, but it is the only space that was amenable to taking over. I used to have my space in my dining room, but we reclaimed that last year and I have combined all my stuff into this room.

Here is the closet with my rubber stamps, inks and tools, and to the right is another set of shelves.

Here are a few examples of things I am working on right now.

                                       And here is my favorite beverage for when I am making art:

Be sure to go over to Karen Valentine's place over at My Desert Cottage and visit other bloggers at the Where Bloggers Create Party!

Where Bloggers Create II - Blog Party June 19th

I am so thrilled to be included in the second annual "Where Bloggers Create" party which is being hosted by Karen Valentine over at My Desert Cottage on June 19. I first met Karen through participating in Pink Saturday by Beverly over at How Sweet the Sound.  I am so excited to be able to participate this year. The magazine "Where Women Create" is one of my most favorite and inspirational magazines. So join us all on June 19 by heading over to My Desert Cottage and visiting all the lovely participants and their creative spaces. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  See you then.

Art Fair & Antique Festival - Pink Saturday!

Last Saturday was truly a Pink Saturday for me and my daughter. We spent the entire day together attending some of the exciting events around town - the Art Fair, Antique Festival and the Library Book Sale. I took some photos of some happy pink sights to share with everyone.

The day was very special since we had just returned from a 17 day trip to the UK and my other daughter is in Mexico & my husband and son were up North putting our boat in the water....so just a fun day for the two of us.

 Isn't this necklace awesome - and the hat is positively gorgeous!

I love pink Depression glass and this was such a pretty display. My family has collected Iris for years - not pink, but beautiful, just the same.

And now to pictures from the Art Fair...

Isn't this a great use of old pink dishes - to turn it into wall art!

And the perennial t-shirts that you find at art fairs - these are really cute.

Even some of the woodwork included pink.

 Even the advertisers got into the pink scene!

And I will end with some beautiful antique dolls - not pink, but lovely!

Take time to stop over at Beverly's place at How Sweet the Sound and visit some other awesome Pink  Saturday posts today. And say hello for me!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Pink Saturday!

Here are a few "pink" pictures from our day in Bath, England! (And one not so pink, but must get at least one picture of the baths.) I hope you enjoy a brief glimpse into our visit there. It is a wonderful city and we thoroughly enjoyed the Roman Baths - fabulous, and of course, our visit to The Jane Austen Centre.

I want to wish Beverly over at How Sweet the Sound a very lovely 2nd Birthday for Pink Saturday. It has been a wonderful way to meet new friends and enjoy the lighter, pink side of life. Hop on over for visit and take this opportunity to visit many other wonderful Pink Saturday posts.

Lovely, Aye.....

More to come on our holiday in Great Britain - stay tuned.....

Ambleside, Charlotte Mason's Grave & Beatrix Potter

Guess what! We stumbled onto Charlotte Mason's grave yesterday - just across the park from our hotel. It is in a cemetery behind a church - and we were walking through there on our way to the lake. I was wandering around taking photos of Celtic crosses and then Ron said - "Oh, here is Charlotte Mason's grave." There was a sign or we would've never seen it. I just about came out of my skin I was so excited. I don't think he really even knew who she was. I knew there was a curriculum online called Ambleside curriculum based on her principles, but I didn't put 2 & 2 together that she was from here. My heart was beating out of my chest for like almost an hour. Who knew I would get so excited. She is truly one of the foundational stones of my homeschooling philosophy and helped to shape my children's lives. What an unexpected treasure!
We also went to Beatrix Potter's house today - it was so cool. Many of her illustrations in her books were drawn directly from scenes in her house or around her gardens and the village there. We got to see lots of her original watercolors for her books. They were tiny, just like in the books. We were able to wander around the rooms that have been restored and furnished to look like it did when she lived there. It was just a joy to see all the places that she wrote about and to learn more about her life. She was truly an amazing woman. Oh, and I think I saw Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. I don't know where Peter had got off to.

Beatrix Potter's House

Lovely Wisteria just outside the Garden Gate

Gate into the Garden - Where's Peter?

Walk up to the House - lovely garden...

Flopsie, Mopsie, & Cottontail?

Give-Away over at SITS

Today if you have a chance, you might pop over to SITS and read about a delightful give-awy that is happening over at http://www.sheyb.com/. She makes these wonderful camera strap covers along with other beautiful products. I hope I win though! I have a camera-loving, photograph taking, 16 year old daughter who would love the black and white "The Ruche"!

Oh, and check back, because I will soon be posting more beautiful pictures from the UK!

Happy blogging!

Finally - Pink Saturday -and Aye from Scotland

It is great to be back for a post on Pink Saturday. I have been extremely busy with the end of the school year and all that entails. Today’s Pink Saturday post finds me in the happy land of Scotland. My dh and I have been here for a week, and it has been a wonderful experience. There have been some very trying times – like learning to drive a standard on the “wrong” side of the road through a very large town (Edinburgh) and out into the Highlands on very narrow roads! But other than that one thing, everything has been spectacular. We spent the first 4 nights in Edinburgh, and now are perched comfortably in Crianlarich, just north of Loch Lomond. The views are fabulous and the people friendly. We drove up today to Oban and had a wonderful seafood dinner, then went and climbed around a castle ruins – Castle Dunollie. I’d love to tell you all about my trip, but unfortunately our internet is quite sketchy here, so a short post might have to suffice for today. But I will be posting much more in the coming days about our trip.

We spent several hours at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh and I found lots of pink to share.

Hope on over to see Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to read other Pink Saturday posts.

Sorrow for Joy - Spiritual Sundays

"Maidens will dance and be glad."

http://www.vhdance.org/

“Then maidens will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.” Jeremiah 31:13

I want to have the freedom to record the realities of my life, to remove the mask and open myself up to at least myself and also to God. But that is a pretty scary proposition. People, even the church, can be so judgemental and unforgiving and eager to gossip, that it makes me want to just curl up into a ball and ignore the outside world. I need a safe place to be me and to share my struggles. I wonder if others feel the same way.

In many ways, because of all the hurt and dysfunction in my growing up years, and in my subsequent  adult life, I have a heart for the hurting and can be very accepting of the hurting and the downtrodden. This is a blessing. But the curse that often comes along with that is the propensity to be easily hurt by others. And I can often be quite judgmental of those who have, or pretend to have, it all together. I am also quite judgmental and harsh on myself, accepting too much responsibility for what happens and kicking myself when things don't turn out perfectly.

Ughhh....this is the "me" I have come to know. I am trying to learn to trust in God's love for me without condition or performance. I have it in my head - now to get it transferred to my brain.

Hopefully, someday I'll be able to take off the mask.......

I am linking up with Spiritual Sundays today. You can stop by the site and check out other posts for today. 

How to Combat Emotional Eating

I'm posting this, mostly for myself. It contains some tips I've gotten from Spark People. I'd love any other suggestions for this.  I am failing miserably at this.

Healthy Options to Eating When Stressed or Emotional:

• Get your trigger foods out of the house, get your crutch foods out of arms' reach
• Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.
• Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises
• Keep a reminder of your goal handy
• Talk to a friend
• Visit and post on the support message boards
• Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, like pictures and people
• Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments
• Track your eating patterns, including when and why you pick up food. 

Healthy Snack Alternatives

• Apple or orange slices
• Carrot sticks
• Banana
• Broccoli
• Whole wheat toast
• Bran muffin
• Fruit smoothie
• Applesauce