It's Almost Here!

Getting ready for next month's mailbox barrage (hee hee hee!!) has felt a little like leading up to Christmas for me. Who doesn't love getting mail?! I've been so super excited, I've had a hard time sitting on my cards and not mailing early (rules are rules, people!!) Finally on Thursday I caved and put out my first batch and then a second stack yesterday--all going to the far west coast so there was no chance of anything being delivered before our official starting date of Monday, the first. Of course, I've mailed things from here in MA to our next door neighbors in NH and it took forever and a day to make it there--go figure?? Our beloved postal service...Nevertheless--the time is finally upon us to mail like mad all month for April--hooray!! I can't wait to see what goodies this way come!

I did whip up two more postcards this week (and really need to get on the ball to keep up with my goal of four cards being mailed per day! Yipes!) But I've really been wanting to get back on track with Letter Love, which I kind of put on the back burner while I was so immersed in card making--then it hit me to incorporate the one into the other--shazah! I know, I'm a little slow sometimes--fortunately I got there before the month was over!



So, okay, there's no letter lovin' in the flower design (which I came across on Pinterest--such brilliant inspiration now that I have it geared only towards art interests!) But, the quote on the first one came from Dance Moms--apparently inspiration can come from just about anywhere! Haha! The choreographer Cathy had hired, shared this quote before their boys went out on stage and I absolutely loved it! I'm not necessarily in love with how my lettering turned out....but the flowers are cute. Must keep practicing...

And joining in a new blog challenge I stumbled across the other day, artist Diana Evans hosts Sweet Saturdays as a place to share something sweet in our lives, be it art, photos, food, recipes...and for me, looking forward to National Letter Writing Month is super sweet!!

 

Have a terrific Saturday and a super Happy Easter! Beachin' it tomorrow early, early for the sunrise service!! Thanks for stopping by!

 

Now may the God of grace and peace let His face shine upon you. Be aware of His relentless tenderness and devotion to you. Sense the power of His spirit. Be kind to others as He has been kind to you. Give grace as He has given grace to you. Grant the message of salvation to someone as He has granted it to you. Go in peace.

 

“This promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to Himself.” Acts 2:39

Cards Cards Cards

April is coming up right around the corner and, if you've been following along at all, you know I'm getting in gear for National Letter Writing Month! I have just over thirty cards done-about a third of the way if I'm going to mail to everyone who's participating...gotta keep on plugging to finish the next two-thirds! And that doesn't include thank you's for the cards I'll be receiving! April's gonna be one fun and busy month!

Lindsay, our wonderful orchestrator of this annual project, had made up the cutest postcards on chipboard and I fell in love with the look and warmth of the brown background. I went off on a mad mission to find chipboard so I could make some of my own, but to no avail. I couldn't find it anywhere! Then this weekend on an excursion to AC Moore, hoping to find some Uniball Signo white pens, (thanks to a tip off by the girls in Letter Love!) I did find a package of brown, almost craft paper-ish but heavier weight, notecards and envelopes (and my Signos! Hoorah!) Beauty! Home I ran with my toys in tow and quickly whipped up a few more notecards to include in my April stash:

At least I'm getting lots of good practice with lettering!

Did these three yesterday before I started addressing some of the cards...almost time to begin mailing!!

And on a completely unrelated note: I finally finished 11/22/63...wow...I've always loved Stephen King and I think this is the best thing he's ever written. Beautiful, beautiful story--make sure you have a box of tissues handy for the second half of the book...And now I'm back in my Happy Land of Westeros with George RR Martin's A Feast for Crows (Season Three starts SUNDAY on HBO!!!! So can't wait!!) Winter is coming...

And a completely unrelated photo:

My sweet Bugga being silly with Lenny and Loki--joys of my heart! Is this complete cuteness or what??

Well, a happy Wednesday to you all--thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you here again soon!

 

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.

~Lamentations 3:22-23

 

HelloMornings Mug Shot Contest and More NLWM Cards

I know I've been quiet this week but I've been working on an entry for the HelloMornings Mug Shot contest and wanted to get my entry submitted before I posted it on here. HelloMornings is an online community that encourages Christian women to wake up early to spend time in God's Word, plan their days, and get in a little exercise--before the rest of the day gets under way. I'm already an early riser, always have been, so HelloMornings fits perfectly into my routine and I really enjoy their devotional challenges that they host throughout the year. This week they posted a contest to design a HelloMornings coffee mug and the winning design will be produced for resale! So exciting!! I knew right off the bat what I wanted to do-a stylized doodle version of their sun logo:

Theirs  

Mine

 

With the HelloMornings lettering logo inside the back rim of the mug and their Scripture verse on the back:

Let me hear in the morning

of your steadfast love,

for in you I trust.

Make me know the way

I should go,

for to you I lift up my soul.

~Psalm 143:8

 

All the entries, I believe, will be posted on their blog next week and voting will begin! I'll be sure to give more details as soon as I have them for anyone who'd like to vote--yay!

 

I haven't gotten as many cards for National Letter Writing Month done this week as I'd hoped, but I did get a few more ready. I'd received the colored notecards from the Zia group's Secret Santa Swap for Christmas and they were perfect to tangle on:

 

Not likely to get much arting done over the weekend either, I'm afraid. I'm bowling with my Bugga this morning in the Mother/Son Tournament (oh boy), then I want to zip over to a Spring Open House at a recreation center in town and get McBugga signed up for their guitar lessons that start next month, and! Then our Ashlee is coming over to hang out and dye Easter eggs with Bug while hubby and I head off to celebrate our twelfth wedding anniversary! We have dinner reservations at Davy's Locker, a great seafood restaurant right on the beach! Hopefully we'll even get a little beach walk in if it's not too chilly...Yay! Tomorrow is another whirlwind with church and (hopefully) a haircut for Bug who's getting entirely too shaggy...and who knows what else once we're out and about...haha! Happy weekend all!

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

~Isaiah 9:6

 

The Weekend Update...on Monday

Hopefully everyone has fully recuperated from their St. Patty's Day shenanigans. We spent ours antiquing and arting, with a little yard work thrown in for good measure...This winter's really wreaked havoc on our trees and Tucker's inflicted his share of damage on the shrubs as well. Plenty of branches lay waiting for clean up. Ah, fun times...

I've been wanting to get a little lamp for the vanity in the downstairs bathroom, so Saturday afternoon we headed to my favorite antique store-New Bedford's Antiques on the Cove. They have aisles and aisles of treasures to explore AND they're right on the water--so you know I had to get a little beach walk in...

 

That's the hurricane wall behind the building-there's a development plan to turn it into a walking trail soon!

 

Found the perfect little lamp for our vanity!

Taken from atop the hurricane wall

I love New Bedford!!

 

Yesterday was also New Bedford's Half Marathon which I had hoped to run until I've had to nurse my foot all winter long. They had a beautiful morning for their run, and who knows, maybe next year I'll be out there with them! 

 

Finally after we got the yard all cleaned up yesterday morning, Bill decided to head over to his sister's then go visit their dad for a while. I took advantage of the free time to pull out my watercolor paper and whipped up a few more postcards for next month:

 

Finally! A chance to play with some color again and I am in love with my water brush!! I'd been afraid to use it--I know, I'm a little whackadoo...but until I really understand new things, I'm hesitant, afraid I'll 'screw it up', but this was so much fun!! It's like my favorite new toy now! These were mostly done with water soluble wax crayons and a little watercolor pencil, except for the middle one on the right--I used my watercolor set for that, wasn't happy with it, sprayed it with my ink spray, was even more unhappy, set it aside and did the rest and now that I look at it on here, it's not so bad...Love, love, love the little owl and sheepie!

So back to cleaning and grocery shopping and getting ready for Easter this week. We are celebrating our twelfth anniversary this weekend and have dinner reservations for Saturday night (on the beach! Can't wait!) I have no idea where twelve years went, but they've been the best twelve of my life!

Now it's time to hit the treadmill this morning. I'm restarting the Couch to 5K program from the very beginning, hoping to ease my foot back into running again. How I miss my eliptical these days...But, I can't take sitting on my butt anymore. Time to get back in shape! Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

Be a soldier of prayer. Seek the Father before, during, and after your time of struggle. May the Spirit constantly remind you of the need for prayer, and of the Father’s desire to hear your voice.

 

“Pray in the Spirit at all times with all kinds of prayer, asking for everything you need.

To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.”

Ephesians 6:18



Gettin' in Gear! NLWM 2013

I'm so excited! The final pen pal list went out last night for National Letter Writing Month...Ninety-eight people participating from all across the county, continent, and a couple from down under! I had to laugh a little when I saw my pen pal for the month lives about five minutes from me, right here in New Bedford...We could walk our mail to each other! That's okay--it's good to have friends close by and I am planning to TRY to mail to everyone on the list--I wasn't expecting so many participants, though...I don't know if that's a reasonable goal--four notes/letters/cards every day (not including Sundays, of course...) I may end up just doing a random pick from the list if that gets too overwhelming and try to get to as many as I can. Either way, I have no doubt that April is gonna be a whole lot of fun! I'll have to leave a little goodie for the mailman by the end of the month for all the extra effort I'm putting into his day. He's a sweetie, though-I'm sure he won't mind! Haha!

So I did get two more notecards finished yesterday, spray inked some envelopes with my handy dandy homemade inks from my stash of old acrylics--way super cool! I really need to step it up production wise, though! I think I have a dozen cards ready ? Eighty-four more to go....oh boy! Hahahaha! And that doesn't include any replies...feeling swamped, maybe?? No pressure...

Two 'Extreme' Doodle Flower cards--Love how they turned out but I really, really wanna play with some color now!!

Ooo, there's another card I haven't posted yet! Experimenting with the spray ink. Realized spraying envelopes is NOT a project for the kitchen counter...this stuff goes EVERYWHERE! Ooops...

My pretty homemade inks! Cheapy spray bottles from Target, a few dribbles of (seriously) old acrylic paints, water, a bit of Mod Podge and Perfect Pearls (gotsa be glittery, girl!) and Shazah!!! A lovely little rainbow to play with! Will definitely be making more as soon as I can pick up a few more spray bottles!!
 

Hope everybody has a fantastic weekend--you all know what I'll be doing! Yay! 

 

May God give you the confidence of Daniel to face any crisis. May you have the assurance of Moses and Abraham that God is on your side. May you be willing to let God work things out according to His plan and in His time. Never interpret God’s silence as God’s absence.

 

“Lord, even when I have trouble all around me, you will keep me alive. When my enemies are angry, you will reach down and save me by your power. Lord, you do everything for me. Lord, your love continues forever. Do not leave us, whom you made”

Psalm 138:7-8

More Catching Up and a Dick Blick Giveaway

Feeling a little yucky the past few days, not sure if it's a bug or a cold...just stuffy and fuzzy, a little stomach and headachey...I'm still trying to manage this heel spur that's kept me from running all winter, but after wearing my tennis shoes all day the last two days rather than going barefoot, that's seemed to help. I can walk on it better in the morning instead of hobbling painfully, gimping down the stairs. Maybe there's hope for me at last...fingers crossed! The weather is starting to warm up and I'm dying to get out and run again!! Not to mention I really need to get back in shape before beach weather and bathing suit season hits...Aaahh, beach!!!

After a quick bit of cleaning in the morning and a couple Aleve to stem off a threatening headache, I sat myself down to play for a while. I did another postcard for Mail Month and a couple pages in my Tangle a Day calendar:

Funky Town and a sample of Scales (originally created by Lyn Philips, I believe...)

 

I've been wanting to play with these three patterns for a while now--left to right: Puf by Carole Ohl, Cloves found on Pinterest, and Socc by Erin Olson

Still have quite a bit of catching up to do in the calendar, but it was really fun to tangle away the afternoon again, Order of the Phoenix keeping me company in the background...I do love Harry!

 

Today, more of the same after a trip to the grocery store. Ash is stopping by after work so we're having an early St Paddy's Day dinner, corned beef and cabbage--yum! That's about all the Irish I have in me...And I'm realizing I really need to get on the ball for Easter or a certain Mr. Bug will be without a basket this year--where is the time going?? 2013 needs to put on the brakes at least a little...it's all flashing by entirely too fast!

 

Oh! Before I forget--Dick Blick is giving away five $50 gift cards!! Click here to enter to win! Yay!

 

 

Because the Father never closes out His passion for reaching people, I pray that today you will pray for those in your world who have yet to meet Him. As you offer up the names of family members, friends, co-workers, may God see your heart for sharing the message with them. He will hear your earnest plea.

 

“God is fair; He will not forget the work you did

and the love you showed for Him by helping His people.”

Hebrews 6:10

 

 

A Couple Pics

It's been a sad, quiet weekend here with Bill's mom passing early Sunday morning. We will all greatly miss her smiles and laughter and just the joy she brought to everyone who knew her. I thank everyone who's said prayers for our family this week-always so very appreciated.

 

I did a couple more cards yesterday for National Letter Writing Month, coming up in just a short couple of weeks! The top one is all different ways to say "Hi" and the bottom is all how to say "Friend". So fun to do, great lettering practice, and I think they turned out cute:

 

 

And, as you can see, I am WAY behind on my Tangle a Day calendar...I've been so excited about snail mail month and getting in gear for that, I've kinda fallen off the zentangle wagon...though I'm sure I'll find my way back soon enough--love it too much to just let it all go. But these little houses just appeared and I think they're so cute I need to do a slate painting with them:

 

I think they need to be on a notecard for next month as well! There is still time to sign up if you wanna join in the fun! We're up to 75 pen pals so far--and don't think you have to write to each and every one! You will be assigned one pen pal and you're only required to send ONE piece of mail to that one person during April. Or you can send more, as much as you like. Some of the ladies send to everybody, and it is only polite to answer those who do write to you. It doesn't have to be anything artsy if you're not so inclined-just a quick simple note or postcard or greeting card with a little hello...There are some amazingly talented and sweet souls that participate every year and I'm so excited to be joining in--can't wait to see all the lovely goodies to fill my mailbox next month! Why not share in the fun--just jump on over to Lindsay's blog here and zip her off a quick email with your addy and you're in! Easy peasy!!

Have a wonderful Tuesday. I'm still knee deep in spring cleaning and it's supposed to be almost sixty here today and tomorrow--wow!! All my beautiful snow is melting, but it was such a wonderful winter, I couldn't have asked for more...

God has given you His Son. He has given you the Word. And He has given you His promise.

May all three enrich your life, strengthen your work, and bring you peace.

 

“As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so continue to live in Him.

Keep your roots deep in Him and have your lives built on Him.

Be strong in the faith, just as you were taught, and always be thankful.”

Colossians 2:6-7

The Latest

Well, it's finally stopped snowing here. It started early Thursday but didn't really begin to accumulate until later that night. Woke up yesterday morning to a gorgeous winter wonderland, an easy eight to ten inches of glorious sparkling white snow. Tucker and I were delirious. The others, not so much. I bundled up and headed out to shovel the driveway--it's fun while you're doing it but the back isn't very happy later in the day...Not likely to stop me, though. I love my snow!

Bill had taken the day off and we had plans to head to the RMV to bite the bullet and finally get our licenses, registrations, and titles all transferred ($450 later...ouch!! And we still have to pay the excise tax!!) Well, the driveway may have been clear but the snow plows had yet to make it through our neighborhood. My car got stuck in the snow about five feet out from our driveway and wasn't budging. Four guys pushing, two shovels digging, and a neighbor's snow blower later, we managed to get back into the driveway--and THEN! The snow plows came through...thanks guys...As they say in TN: 'preciate ya'!

We made it through the RMV fairly quickly, if not exactly painlessly. Most people opted to stay home and out of the weather, I guess. Wimps. Since we were in town and had finished up just in time for lunch, we headed to a little Mexican restaurant I've been wanting to try called No Problemo. Well, No Problemo if you carry cash (no checks or credit cards, please) and it isn't a bitter cold winter day! We had to trudge a few blocks in the blowing wind and wet to find an ATM, then upon arriving back at the restaurant learned they don't serve any hot beverages. What?? You're in New England! And it's winter! How could you not even have a coffee pot?? Fine. Whatever. Bill's Stinking Rose burrito was gianormous and delicious, Bug's  beef taco yummo, and I just had their chips (not made there and it looked like they dumped the last of the bag into the bowl--pretty much all crumbs...so much for presentation...) with salsa, guacamole, sour cream and a side of black beans. Hey, it all gets crumbled up when you eat it anyway, right? Just not gonna hurry back again.

Another quick stop at Walmart for a birthday present for one of Bug's buddy's whose party is on Sunday, a run through Dunkin to get me something warm to drink (no thanks to No Problemo...seriously, they need to change their name to Lotso Problemos...) and then we found our way back home. Bill wrestled with the rusted on screws to put on our new license plates then took both cars up for inspection stickers (Locals already probably know this, but Joe & Perky's on the Ave...definitely the place to go!! Great guys, super great prices, quick service--maybe they should be called No Problemo....just sayin'...) Bug parked on the computer with his Minecraft and I pulled out the arting supplies to whip up a few more cards for National Letter Writing Month (I'm so excited!!)

To credit original artists I've borrowed these cute ideas from: Lori Vleigen-Hello sunshine, Caroline Rose the flowers and stars, then Stephanie Ackerman for the bottom two.

I believe the birdie is also by Stephanie Ackerman but I couldn't find credit on Pinterest--it's totally her style, though...and another Caroline Rose on the bottom

It's officially official!!

I don't know what we'll be up to today...Bug has bowling this morning and I still have a few things left on my spring cleaning list for the kitchen. Other than that, hopefully arting and Downton Abbey and...??? Happy Weekend!

I pray that today you will realize the gift of God’s love—the incomparable love of the Father for His child. Such a love! A love that you sense with the passing of the breeze and coolness of the air. A love that comes not from one on earth , but the incredible love from One in heaven.

 

“God is love. ‘Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in Him. Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.”

1 John 4:16, NIV

Winter Having a Final Say

It's been quite a busy week, swamped with cleaning (and I'm only on the kitchen!) I've hardly had any time to sit and play (I know, poor me, right?) And I'm so utterly obsessed with Downton Abbey, I haven't even bothered to watch any of my other DVR'd shows-Greys, Project Runway, or Dance Moms (yes, intellectual programming, to say the least...) If only there were more hours in the day...

 

But I did get a chance to start my Sketchbook Journal, although that pretty, pretty handmade paper journal totally didn't work out...The fibers from the bark snag the pen and forget trying to draw in pencil then erase, pieces of the paper come away on the eraser. Quite heart breaking. But...I'll find another use for it. For now, I decided to just use a vellum mixed media journal instead and it'll work out much better. My first page:

 

 

Still getting the feel of the rubber stamp-either half the stamp wouldn't take or it'd stamp too heavy...Waiting for a little piece I need to paste in for Sunday and I did jot something in Wednesday's but got too busy playing with these:

 

A postcard and a notecard for National Letter Writing Month. The little heart flowers are a spin off of Stephanie Ackerman's design from Internet Cafe Devotions and the simple lines notecard below I found on Pinterest, but have lost who the original artist might be...oops...

 

And Spring is starting to make an appearance here in the north! I've noticed quite a few robins already and just yesterday while I was out cleaning up the yard before today's snow came, I happened to peep a couple tulip leaves poking up as well as loads of daylilies...

 

 And these little Snowdrop beauties are also popping up around the yard:

 

I love being surprised when we move to a new home and Spring rolls around with lots of wonderful treasures! We're supposed to get quite a bit of snow today and tomorrow, so hoping my little flowers survive the cold.

 

So that's what I've been up to this week....Lots more chores on the list for today but hoping for some time to play later on. Maybe the kiddos will have an early dismissal if the snow keeps coming down like it is now. Have a great day--stay warm!

 

Ponder the price God has paid to purchase you. Be aware of the blood that was shed to make you holy and righteous. Know the peace that only He can give and the grace that only He can offer. Reflect that love in every step you take today.

 

“You do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought by God for a price.

So honor God with your bodies.”

1Corinthians 6:19-20

 

Spring Cleaning Bug & a Cool Giveaway!

Well, March is here and I've gotten the Spring Cleaning Bug. I've been accumulating stacks and piles of arting stuff in little corners here and there around the house lately and it's starting to work on my nerves. I. Do. Not. Like. Clutter. At-all. If anyone else left something laying out of place I'd pitch a fit but somehow I've let myself get carried away and now enough is enough. All these little odds and ends need to find a home or find their way to the trash can. And then the deep clean begins.

I saved this handy dandy Spring Cleaning chart some time ago and have it lined up to print out later today, so thought I'd share it with you all in case you're ready to dig in and clear out as well:

Everyone loves a good checklist and this one's even pretty!
 

I got absolutely NOTHING done artistically all weekend, though I did gather up a bunch of goodie supplies: fixative for my pastels, gesso and Mod Podge, a few Sharpie glitter paint pens and the cutest box for stashing my pens and pencils on clearance at Office Max! I did get my date stamper and am all set to get my groovy journal going (today? Maybe? Diva challenge should be up, Chocolate Baroque has posted their March challenge and the Zia group's TOW is to play with Mooka...and my calendar sits listfully on one of those dreaded piles I've been meaning to clean up and tuck away...) And, yes, I do have quite a list of Monday cleaning and grocery shopping I must do as well....Not looking like there's much Downton Abbey time today...drat! Such is life...

But I also wanted to share a quick link to a wonderful giveaway on a favorite blog by Dion Dior. She is participating in what looks like an amazing workshop called 21 Secrets, along with a whole crew of incredibly talented artists and they are giving away one sweet course entrance to some lucky applicant--just sign up here!

All right, so happy Monday! Get that cleaning checklist printed out and start marking it off! Have a great week!!

Go today in the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the promise of your life and the promise of His return be the hope of your day.

 

“Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the Lord Jesus Christ

with His mercy to give you life forever.”

Jude 21

Art ADD-The Brain A-Boggles and Beach Time!

I love art. I especially love, and am so inspired by, other people's art, and I really, really love to make art. It's boundless-there's just so much to see and do and try and explore and create and learn...Love, love, love getting totally lost in art. And I am so thankful for my husband who always encourages and supports my ongoing endeavors and so patiently bears with me through scavaging excursions--like yesterday afternoon spent wandering through aisles and stores for the "perfect" date rubber stamp and "perfect" journal/sketchbook--both of which I ultimately gave up on and he still took me to the beach because I just needed to go in spite of the not quite as warm temperatures as I thought it would be, but it was still beautiful and soothing and just the break I had been longing for. He also (I think...) tries to understand, on some level, the insanity that is my brain. I don't think anyone will ever understand that mess--maybe he's simply amused by it--nevertheless, he's not given up on me and I love him all the more for being my anchor. I'd be utterly lost without him.

So this great search yesterday for the date stamp and journal was prompted by discovering a new blog by artist Jenny Frith, which I'm not even sure how I found other than blog hopping from blog roll to blog roll and then stop!! Fell head over heels for her sketchbook journal and I so absolutely NEED to do this! Of course, after coming home from our out and about-ness, I realized (lightbulb!) I already had the perfect journal stashed in my nightstand--shazah!! So now I need to go back and get the date stamper (oh heaven have mercy...Sometimes I think Bill should be prescribed Ativan rather than me just to help with putting up with me!! Bless his loving soul....) At least our adventures never end, right? That's what I'll keep telling him anyway...

I found this journal last spring in New Wilmington, PA on a much needed Girls Day Out with my Coffeez Girlz, whom I miss beyond words!! It's beautiful silky handmade paper made from Daphne Bark in Nepal. Not sure how it'll hold up to art journaling but there's always gesso and gluing in possibilities...and the bookmark was a happy matching coincidence! Shazah!! (My new word--yes, I really am completely retarded.)

On a completely unrelated note...just a few quick shots from yesterday as well:

 



Brian Rose of the Boston Red Sox talking to the kids at the baseball clinic yesterday--what a super nice guy!

My Bugga--what a super cute kid!

On the way to the beach (Fort Phoenix) just a super cool yard of rocks...and the house was pretty awesome, too. I get nervous photographing people's houses and yards, like they might think I'm casing the place to break in 'cuz I'm such a criminal like that...Seriously, what is wrong with my brain???

Beach boys! Fort Phoenix is such a great playground...there's these HUGE rocks to climb on right next to a stretch of sandy sea shell collecting beach...I love it there!

Lighthouse....I love lighthouses and plan (so many plans!) to start incorporating them into my artwork, especially the local ones (need some better close ups than this, though...you think??) Still...dreamy and romantic and wonderful...

I also love seagulls

This seaweed was so pretty swirling in the waves...

We wandered around and collected a few seashells to bring home. Just soaked up that salt air and listened to the waves rolling in...I love living here--what a gift!

One last note for my mail loving buddies!! Another stop I discovered on my blog bopping yesterday was Lindsay Ostrom's site taking sign ups for National Letter Writing Month (April!) Lindsay is accepting applicants through March 15th, then will assign pen pals to write to all month long, swapping postcards, notes, letters, photos, mail art, what have you...I think we're almost up to sixty participants, all here in the states but hoping for some overseas friends too? If anyone is interested, click on over to Lindsay's blog here and send her a quick email before sign ups are closed! Sounds like it's gonna be a super fun month of mail! And you can ask for more than one pen pal and let her know if you're okay with overseas postage or not...I can't wait--I am a mail addict!! Aside from the bills but the mailman won't keep them (and he seems so nice, otherwise!)

Happy Sunday! Happy New Week!

Marching On

Still floating in my little apathetic cloud this week and I'm not sure why, other than I need a good dose of the beach. Mayhaps I can convince the guys to let me soak up some soothing wave time later this afternoon, if just for a little while...At least it's supposed to be a bit warmer today and salty air and calming waves are good for the soul... 

 

But my Bug has a baseball clinic first this morning. One of the Red Sox pitchers has graciously offered to spend a couple hours with any interested kids here in New Bedford to show them a few things and encourage their enthusiasm for the game. Bug's been bowling for the past six years and only tried his hand at baseball for the very first time last summer with his buddy, Bryce, and he loved it. So, he's been thinking about signing up for a team this spring, and when the school sent home the paper regarding this free clinic, I knew we'd have to go. How many kids get to learn from a professional pitcher? Opportunity of a lifetime, I'd say! And it sounds like fun, so off we go!

 

I did at least accomplish finalizing Ashlee's tattoo this week. I played around with a couple elements that were bothering me and finally settled on this:

 

Rose Compass and Fleur de Lis

 

And, yes, I will post pics of the tattoo after Ash has it done...no doubt I'll cry to see my artwork displayed permanently on her skin. And now her boyfriend's sister has asked me to design a tattoo for her as well--could be on to something...

Somehow I've gotten on to a lucky streak lately after winning the pennant from an artist friend's blog giveaway, I also just won another giveaway hosted in our Yahoo Zia group this week! We have the sweetest people in this group, one of which is Anita Roby-Lavery, who kindly creates these beautiful Zia cards just to mail out and surprise group members. I received one of her lovely creations last month and wanted to draw up my own little Zia thank you card when Anita also posted her giveaway to the group! She posted a zendala challenge and three random entrants would receive prizes including a set of Sharpies, a set of notecards and envelopes, or Noah Scalin's Daily Creativity Journal (which I won!! And I love it! Can't wait to play in it!!!) So, below is the card I made for Anita--sending it off in the mail today:

 

 

 The journal I won:

 

And this is the sweet card Anita had previously sent me:

 

 

Hoping after a saunter through the sand this afternoon, I'll feel a little more like myself again and have a bit of renewed vigor. It also might help if I was able to run but my foot is still bothering me...this whole getting old thing is the pits!! Thanks, as always, for stopping by--have a fantastic weekend!

 

Today may you see Jesus and Him only. May the Father have mercy upon you. Hear His voice, see His hand, and be aware that He is calling each of us home in everything He does.

 

“The Lord your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in His love; He will sing and be joyful about you.”

Zephaniah 3:17