Thanks

First thing in the morning when I open my eyes I say "Thanks".
I hope this quote expresses my deepest thanks to all friends everywhere.
The background is a piece of the paper I keep on my drawing table to wipe my pens , brushes and stamps on. The quote and flourished heart are heat embossed.
Thanks for all the wonderful cards, gifts and good wishes and songs I received on and around my birthday.

You can also express your thanks by adding your own entry into the Created Byhand Tuesday Challenge.
If you need any help send me an email or leave me a comment. It's easy and fun.
You have a friend in Montreat.

I Remember

This is the beginning of the new year in the Jewish calendar, a time of looking both forward and back, so i chose the theme, I remember for this weeks created byhand challenge.
Taken the week of Feb 11, 1952, I was 6 months old (almost)- no half birthday when you are born on August 31, I am pictured with my Mom Helen, Grandmother Pauline and Great Grandmothers Lena and Sarah.
All that I am I owe to the love and teachings of these wise women - including Grandmother Fanny- not pictured- and Aunt Gladys and so many others- never to be forgotten.
Mom died when my daughter was only 4 and I have tried to keep her memory alive so she will always be remembered.
Thursday, Faith(DD-23) goes off on an 8 month mission trip to Chile-working with orphaned girls and young women, victims of sexual abuse, in Santiago-"Entre Todas-among us all"- more on this in another post-
Remembrance of this lineage, with Divine assistance is my assurance of her safety.
We are called to remember- remember and honor our parents, remember the sabbath and keep it holy, remember and give thanks for all God has given to us through the way showers.
Remember, listen, be ready and willing....and creative and playful!
stamp

You say it's your Birthday!

I decided "Birthday" was an appropriate theme when the challenge fell on mine and somehow i messed up the dates and it is a week early. That gives everyone extra time to get my presents or you can wish me happy birthday twice!
this card is going out to my Godson Denis.
May the covenant of the rainbow be with him and I hope he enjoys his cupcakes!

I painted the rainbow with watercolors- if you are just getting started in watercolors you need good paper and you must spend money on good paint. My favorite is Daniel Smith. I ran it through the birthday cuttlebug folder when it was still slightly damp. When it was completely dry I heat embossed the quote and cupcakes . Then embellished with stickles and stardust pens.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to me
Everyday we are born, everyday we are free!
Jesse Palidofsky

Reward

Weeks of continuing to make- the process, the process-producing nothing that I like. Here is the reward. This weeks entry in Created Byhand Challenge- Take a Hike.

A simple watercolor and simple quote . I stamped the quote with perfect medium and tapped it with pan pastels. I wanted the stamp to look water colorey and not too glossy. I prayed a lot while doing it and it worked, thank you god(dess).

Yes, to mountains and hiking and gardens and books and painting.

Everywhere is within walking distance when you have time.

Please, if you haven't, look back at my previous post on Bansky

"All artists are prepared to suffer for their work, but why are so few prepared to learn to draw."

Every day, 15 minutes of drawing-just like brushing your teeth. No cavities and a healthy creative spirit.

More drawing less suffering.

Please leave a comment...and draw.

Bansky

"The people who run our cities don't understand graffiti because they think nothing has a right to exist unless it makes a profit."

I want to encourage y'all to take a look at the amazing -mostly stencil art by Bansky. If you click on photo at left it will get bigger. Click over to his site to see a lot more and check out his book Wall and Piece
aside from his use of profanity he is my urban art hero.

"The people who truly deface our neighborhoods are the companies that scrawl giant slogans across buildings and buses trying to make us feel inadequate unless we buy their stuff."

"All artists are prepared to suffer for their work, but why are so few prepared to learn to draw."

I couldn't say it better. check it out. Better yet- make art- public and private.

Welcome

The color yellow is added to the theme of Welcome of this weeks Created Byhand Tuesday Challenge. I love yellow and find it hard to use. distress ink is a big help.
Radical hospitality is very important to me. I want all my doors to be open-especially to my creative muse(s). You never know what might be behind a door and you cna't find out unless you open it.
Stamp and flourishes by Quietfire
backgound Ranger distress inks heat embossed message with Ranger superfine gold and glazed and glitter pened all around.
So come visit. You are welcome.

Fairy Romp/Beads,Pearls

This weeks card features stamps from Mary Lounsbury. If you love fairies, faces and folage, check out her stamps and her new book, Greenward Turn . The stamps are created from her digital photographic images. I'm looking forward to exploring using them in all kinds of work and play.
I've lost count and still this is in the series of cards I finally say, just scan it and post it and the next one will make you smile.
I used my stamp positioner a lot on this card and restamped the fairy image about 20 times.
I stamped and embossed the Leave room I'm getting into destress ink, even to i don't want to be destressed, and used a bunch for the background, inking up the foam applicator and moving the ink onto the card from the craft sheet. Added some stardust pen, spritzed with some water and ramdomly stamped fairy faces and foliage.
Many years ago I told my neighbor Melissa- she was about 3 years old at the time- it was important to leave wild places in the garden for the fairies. We went out looking for fairies and she was disappointed not to find any. Humans are loud and large to fairies, and i suggested they came out when we weren't around and we needed to be quiet and still to see them. Very early the next morning i found her crouching in the wild space, so still I thought she was sleeping, waiting to be with the fairies.She is a lovely young woman now, in college. I hope she still finds time to dance with the fairies.