Off to Münster...

Photo: Presseamt Münster

This is where I'll be on Wednesday and I can hardly wait!

I am almost packed. Ok, that's not true, but I will be packed by the time I leave tomorrow. I am definitely prepared for the long flight, which I am actually looking forward to. I have a couple of books, several audio books on my MP3 player, a couple of small knitting projects and a notebook to jot down ideas that always come to me when I am traveling. What do you like to take on long trips?

Photo: Presseamt Münster

While I am gone, make sure you visit Daniel's blogs now and then to keep him company. Unfortunately he has to teach and can't come with me. He's so sweet to hold down the fort!!

I will visit your blogs if and when I can, but for now I wish you a most wonderful three weeks!!

Thank you!!!

There aren't words to adequately express how much you touched me yesterday with all your wishes for my birthday! Between my blog, Daniel's, Anne's and everyone's involved with my surprise blog party (and a total surprise it was!), Facebook, phone calls, cards and gift, I was buzzing with the joy of it all!!

Still today, I am floating on clouds of happiness and am sending some of those happy clouds around the globe to rain their joy on all of you!! You are the best! The most thoughtful! And I am forever grateful that we have met!

As I am getting ready for my trip to Germany (I leave Tuesday and there's sooooo much to do beforehand), I am not finding all that much time to blog and visit. But please know that you are on my mind and in my heart!!

Oh, Happy Day!

Today is Friday, the 13th and a very happy, lucky day for me, indeed!

If you want to find out exactly why, head on over to my honey Daniel's blog (click here) and then to sweet Anne's blog (click here). It seems they planned a little surprise blog party for me...

Thank you!!!

With Different Eyes...

Just now, I was walking by our table and saw these things laying on it and was struck by the colors. So, I quickly put them all together and took this photo. Before I started painting or blogging, I would not have seen the color connection so readily, nor grabbed the camera to share with others.

But now I find that I see and think "in blog." I constantly see things I want to share or file away interesting tidbits in my brain to write about later. I love it!

Does that happen to you as well?

While Watering this Morning...

It is summer in Georgia, which means that it is HOT and HUMID. This year more so than usual - in fact we are about to break some sort of record of consecutive days with temperatures over 90 degrees F (that's over 32 degrees C). Add to that the high humidity and it's pretty miserable. We are at day 37 and we are all feeling it.

Even the garden is looking tired and too hot. So, this morning, I decided to look for what is doing well in this heat right now. So, while I was watering the yard with the hose in my left hand, I snapped some photos with the camera in my right hand. How's that for multitasking?!

Wishing you a cool and refreshing day!!

Knitting News...

My friend Doris recently introduced me to Recycled Silk Sari yarn and I am so hooked! Apparently this yarn is hand spun from the silk threads left over after a sari has been woven. So, each skein is different and the colorways always a surprise.

I just finished knitting my first (long) silk scarf in this beautiful diagonal drop stitch pattern and just love it!! The colors are amazing and the scarf is oh so very soft! Have any of you worked with this yarn before?

Of course, the scarf is available in my Etsy shop!

Creamy Lime Pie

The other day we made this Creamy Lime Pie from a Rick Bayless cookbook and it was wonderful!! Daniel is usually not fond of Key Lime Pie and he loved it!

I found the recipe online for you - it's definitely worth making. Instead of serving it with a fruit sauce, we simply ate it with fresh blackberries. Also, I used Mexican Crema - which we can find in our grocery store - for the thick cream and the little key limes for the zest and juice. Definitely yum!! (Click here for the recipe.)

Over the weekend I started two new paintings, but there isn't enough yet for show & tell. I also finished a scarf that I have to block today and hope to show you tomorrow. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and wish you a great start into this week!!

"Echos from Times Past"

Echos from Times Past

14 x 18 inch mixed media painting on canvas

Another new favorite of mine! She turned out so differently from what I had originally planned, but I love all her layers - and there are many of them: molding paste, collage papers, acrylic paints, tissue paper, an image transfer of a graveyard photo Daniel took in Ireland, and pieces of a letter written by my favorite great uncle. He was a Franciscan priest and married Daniel and me in Germany 20 years ago this week.

As I get ready to visit my family in Germany later this month, I find myself thinking often about those "times past," and I am sure this painting was much influenced by that.

"Echos from Times Past" is available as a 5 x 7 inch print in my Etsy Shop.

So Happy!!

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to win a fantastic giveaway on my dear friend Kelly's blog.

If you haven't been to visit Kelly Berkey Designs, you must!! She makes the most beautiful jewelry (I own a few of them...) and also paints gorgeous mixed media pieces.

For the giveaway, I sent her two of my pieces of art and she made them into a beautifully soldered two-sided pendant for me. But imagine my surprise when I opened the gift box and saw not only an exquisite necklace, but an extra pendant to hang from my purse.

I am over the moon with these!!! It's so much fun to be able to wear my own art...

Thank you, Kelly!! 

"Fear No More"

Fear No More

6 x 8 inch mixed media painting on canvas

I really like my latest painting! It amazes me how I am returning to my old loves working in textures, layers, collage, image transfers - and how they have a totally different feel from my earlier work.

On this background, I transferred a beautiful photo Daniel and I had taken in Ireland a couple of years ago. I love how it ended up being very abstract, but you can see some of the branches at the top.

"Fear No More" is available as a 5 x 7 inch print in my Etsy Shop.

P.S. The crow is from Milliande's Printable Blog, and the butterfly the lovely Anne shared with me! Thank you!!

New Blog Love

I love being a witness to the very beginning of new blogs, especially creative blogs. I remember that moment when I posted my first post and revealed a little of my creative journey. A little bit scary and at the same time so freeing! And I remember the first comments that encouraged me on my way.

Today, I got to leave the first comments on two brand new creative blogs. Take a look:

Artsy Butterfly

Enchanting the Invisible...

What a great community this is!!

Sangria Mexicana Recipe

The other evening we made a delicious and refreshing Mexican Sangria with our Mexican dinner. Ramses was definitely intrigued and was wondering where his glass was. (How do you like the starry eyes the camera flash gave him?) I thought you might enjoy the recipe. Simply click here.

Thank you all for you very sweet comments on my latest painting. I am almost finished with another one and will post it tomorrow. In the meantime, I wish you a great day!

"New Beginnings"

New Beginnings

8 x 10 inch mixed media painting on canvas

Here my latest painting: "New Beginnings." This was the strangest process yet. Let me explain!

When I was visiting galleries last week with my friend, the paintings that truly made my heart skip a beat were all very layered and mostly abstract. It made me realize how much I love layered paintings, even if the layers are no longer visible at the end.

So, I sat down at this heavily textured 8 x 10 canvas intending to paint a very intense (think bright reds and blues), very abstract and layered painting.

I started and allowed myself to just go with the flow and this is the end result. Very tender colors, a very introspective and a little bit sad woman, collage elements, and a little stamping - not at all what I had had in mind. The handwriting is that of my sweet grandmother's and the flower in her hair is a dried hydrangea flower from our garden.

When I look at her, I can see not only the many layers of my painting (there is an entire finished portrait underneath this one), but also the layers in her personality ... and in my own.

She is available as a 5 x 7 inch print in my Etsy Shop.

Crocheting Baby Gifts

Do you remember the Germany magazine Landlust I've told you about before? Well, this last issue had some great baby crocheting projects, which coincided with a couple of gifts I had to make for two sweet babies recently born.

And after I was done with the gifts, I just kept going crocheting booties and rattles because they are so much fun to make.

So, some of these I am mailing out on Monday. The others I was going to sell in my Etsy shop, but my blogging friend from The Wug's Backyard BlogSpot made me aware of all the new laws and regulations regarding selling baby items and it's just not worth the giant hassle for these few things. (And if you want me to make one of these for you, just e-mail me directly.)

Thank you all so much for your recent comments on my posts. I haven't had much time to visit your blogs and I so appreciate that you still come visit mine!! I'll be catching up with you in the next couple of days!

P.S. For my German speaking friends, you can find the instructions for these little pretties and other fun projects on the Landlust website by clicking here.

P.P.S. Our Mexican feast on Friday was delicious and I'll share a couple of recipes with you soon...