Journey Cards

Since round 5 of our 4 x 6 exchange started shortly after I got home from Wisconsin......I decided to do what I'm calling "journey cards." 

This first one went to Brenda and most of the images are from Angie's stash...even the buttons came from a little box of sewing notions she gave me.  While I was there Becky delivered a care package from Brenda which included some fun art things and there's even a little of the packaging from a lovely art journal she gave me and the cancelled stamp from the 4 x 6 card she sent me that first week. It was all part of my journey. The unique thing about this new friendship with Brenda is that we've never met in person.  Someday our paths will cross....I'm sure of it.

When I first had this idea I imagined it as a timeline of sorts...but the card really wasn't big enough to just line up the snippets so it ended up being more of a collage. I made a little timeline thank you card to go along with it which was more of what I had in my head.

The snippets in the timeline are all from my stash.....as I've said I've got bins and bins of these things. I've been snipping and punching for years....and I save every scrap.

It's kind of addictive.

Becky got her journey card a on Saturday....and again everything is from Angie's stash except a few stickers from Brenda.  Becky is a big Wizard of Oz fan so I was excited to find that Angie was too. Although I didn't take a photo....there are several more of the characters on the back. 

I also made Becky a crazy little snippet timeline card. 

I'm having a lot of fun with these!

Becky is the one who initiated this exchange and connected me with Brenda and I'm grateful for that....it's a good excuse to be creative every week.

This week is the keeper card and I followed the same theme....mostly snippets from Angie. She continues to hold her own and enjoyed the virtual Thanksgiving celebration with LaVonn and Tim and their boys and grandchildren. I'm so grateful Angie is in such good hands.....and enjoying a little more of what life has to offer.

I'm not so sure about my card....but "it is what it is".....as the card says.  I had the free motion foot on my machine so I gave that a whirl....with mixed results. The three fall stickers came from Brenda's care package and the little "Welcome home" at the end is from a letter from Paul waiting for me on the counter when I got home. He's good about that. 

I didn't know at the time but the "Today is the Day to Start" quote is especially appropriate because....

I started a new journal project this evening that I'll be sharing at some point. It's a little out of my comfort zone but that where I need to go at the moment. I'm pretty excited about it....especially since the actual journal I'm using is also a hand-me-down from Angie.  

One might think I planned that quote on the card with the timing of starting a new project "journey" using one of Angie's journals all while writing about my journal cards from my time in Wisconsin.

I didn't. But is it a coincidence?  I think not. My mind is blown!

Advent Hope

"This is the moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities--what we value, what we want, what we seek--and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of."   Pope Francis

HOPE

Today is the first day of Advent....and the Sunday of Hope. This photo taken back in the day when Advent Sundays were in person.....we have to remain hopeful that they will return again.

And it's also Paul's birthday.....and I can't imagine being on this life journey with anyone else.  

It was another one of those warmish late fall days....perfect for a walk and a few outdoor chores. 

This leaf caught my attention....it was nice to still see a little bit of color here and there.

Doodle Circles

Brenda's round 5 card came yesterday and it's one of my favorite subjects: circles....doodle circles to be exact.

She used watercolor to paint the circles and doodled with black and metallic pen....so there's a nice shimmer.  Thank you Brenda! There is just something about a circle.

I photograph most of my cards on my cutting table because the Ott Light gives good light any time of day...but I always chuckle when I have to clear a little spot to take the photo. So I thought I would give you a wider view and a window into my mess. I don't think I'm going to change at this point in my life. There's lots of batik scraps laying around because I just finished adding the colors to my commission fabric stained glass piece.  Next week I'll start the trees and will be able to share it with you once it's done and delivered.

And....you can see a hint of my keeper 4 x 6 card for next week under the release paper.  I'll share this one and the other two I made once I know Becky has gotten hers...Brenda got hers last week. We keep cheering on the Post Office.

And since I had all the fused fabric out I started another full color spectrum piece that's been on my mind for months.  Here's a little peak at the corner with the reds and oranges....it's perfect way to use scraps. I have a very special spot in mind for it if it goes well.  There will be lots of top stitching and some overlay.  Stay tuned.

Dew Drops

It was a warmish morning for our walk....and with a combination of the fog and the rain and dew drops it was kind of magical.  It looked like fairy lights were hanging everywhere.  

This shift in seasons is always an adjustment. We go from the fabulous colors of fall to the stark browns and grays of winter. And once we settle in we start to notice things like the dew and nests in the trees you couldn't see with leaves on the trees.  Each season sings in its own way.  

Today....the dew drops were singing a lovely song.

With the sun breaking through the fog the woods was especially lovely.

Round 5

Last week was the start of round 5 of our 4 x 6 exchange and I got Becky's card on Monday. I can finally write about it because Brenda has also gotten hers. This delayed sharing is kind of tough for a blogger who celebrates the joy in her day....but we're trying to keep our themes and cards a surprise until everyone gets their cards.  I'm practicing patience.

Becky said she used a vase stamp and punch....I'm guessing they came as a set. She added some doodling with black markers and arranged them on a shelf. Pretty clever....and very striking!  Thanks Becky!

Some of the vases have a little dimension.

I had to smile when Paul came back from a walk in the rain (I opted out) with two more found objects....and as you can see they are trying to find their place into the color wheel.  He actually found the green dinosaur yesterday when we were walking together and I thought I put it in my pocket....but I must have missed and it never made it home.  Today he took the same route and actually found it again....I couldn't believe it.  So it's a twice found object.

Click this link to see how I spent a few minutes this afternoon....

the video quality is a bit off....but it's still kind of fun.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CIE84PcnVY1/

Abundance

Happy Thanksgiving....from our table to yours!  Paul and I cooked our turkey today....so we could have leftovers the rest of the week.....and this rainbow was at the end of the table.

Ever since I took Philippa Stanton's Consciously Creative class in 2017 I've been collecting found objects.....and Paul has been helping me all along. My jar is about full and I've been tempted to dump them out for quite some time.  Today was the day...and I'm celebrating my Joyful Abundance!

I didn't use many of the neutral colored objects....but I didn't want to leave these cute little guys out. They are some of my favorites finds.

The jar is about full....do I edit....or find a bigger jar? 

Becky's Snippets

Every time Paul and I drive to Maine we fill the car.  We make the big move in just a couple of months....and in the meantime we're slowly bringing all the small stuff to Portland.  So when I'm in Lexington I'm busy sorting, purging, and packing....and every once in a while I find something that makes me pause.

This little album was given to me years and years ago by my oldest sister Becky, who in many ways was a second mom to me.  Our mom was usually busy doing mom things like cooking and laundry and everything that goes along with raising 9 kids on a farm. So Becky is who I went to when I needed something...when mom was busy.  

Becky passed away 7 years ago from breast cancer....and I miss her.

Becky visited Maine just a few month before she died....she wasn't so sure about lobster.

Becky was a collector....and she used her creative energy displaying her collections in her home and yard which included lots of ladybugs.  She wasn't necessarily all that crafty....but she loved crafty things. And like Angie and me, she also collected quotes and snippets from magazines.....and she placed a bunch of them in this little photo album for one of my birthdays.  I'm so glad to have discovered it again.

"If we expect to enjoy our life, we will have to learn to be joyful in all of it."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

I sat there and read every page.  I got a little emotional because I miss her....and because she and I...and Angie... share the love of quotes and snippets.....and that brings me joy.

This particular quote is just perfect: "It's a simple formula: do your best and somebody will like it." Becky always did her best....and we all liked loved it!

Becky's style was often a little disheveled....in the best possible way. So I love the way these little snippets are just loosely placed in the sleeves of this book....it's so "Becky"....making it all the more special.  

Maybe some of them will show up in a collage or a card someday....but for now they're staying right here in this little album.

"There cannot be day without night, joy without sorrow 

nor spring without winter. "

Thanks Becky!

"Just a Card"

I recently became aware of the "Just a Card" campaign....."a grassroots campaign on a mission to encourage people to support, value and buy from artist, makers, independent shops and small businesses.  Every sale, even just a card, is vital to their prosperity and survival." 

The JUST A CARD campaign is about so much more than shopping. It’s about people - their imagination, creativity and sheer hard work. It’s about shops, markets, fairs, fetes, exhibitions - anywhere in happier times where people enjoy being part of a shared community.

https://www.justacard.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justacard/

I recently made purchases from artists I admire.....and encourage you do the same.

Someday I may sell cards....but for now I'm just making and sending them. 

When  I was working on the last round of 4x6 cards I got on a roll and made extras....so now I have a greeting card to send.  I embraced Lynne's loose curvy border lines I admired on a card she sent me....I like it and want to push it even more next time.  I wish I would have stitched the lines in a couple of colors...or some pretty variegated thread would have been fun!

The curvy lines makes for an interesting back too.....all ready for a note to a friend. 

Sending just a card...can make someone's day!

Manger Sunday

For 151 years Manger Sunday has been held at Hancock Church on the first Sunday in December. Donations of toys, clothes, gifts, and money are collected for City Mission of Boston and distributed to people in need at Christmas time. It's everyone's favorite service.

The first Sunday in December is two weeks from today....and as you well know we are in the middle of a raging pandemic and in person church is not happening.  So Hancock Church held outdoor manger Sunday today....it was filmed....and highlights of it will be part of the streamed service on December 6th.

People parked at a neighbor church and processed down the sidewalk with their gifts masked and in family units safely distanced from others.  I mostly watched from the Lexington Green right across the street....and it was a sight to behold. People also had the option of driving through and dropping off their donations. The organ was playing live from inside and amplified outside and the choir was singing safely distanced across the lawn.  Joy to the World....was the choral message of the day.

I Spy

I was quite taken with the morning light through the woods as Paul and I were heading out for a walk.  I thought I was just taking a photo of the beautiful scene through the trees...but Paul noticed something more.  Can you see it?

I spy a squirrel having breakfast on a branch.

Then there was this....a final mow for the season. How can this not make you smile!

Paul was patient with me while I photographed the morning sky as we walked....I couldn't stop looking. I knew everything was going to be OK when so much joy presented itself in the first hour of the day.  

The sky was pretty much the same thing of beauty all along......but it was the way it was framed by the rooflines and trees that captured my attention.

And Paul spied this little gem of a found object too.