seems to be baby season around here...

just the other day

a girlfriend,

my neighbor,

came by to talk.

she asked if I had heard the big news.

what news? 

there is so much of it these days

(most of which i would like to block out)

she told me she is pregnant.

today, i went to a baby shower where three ladies are pregnant!

(one with twins!)

there were only 8 of us there...

I stayed away

from whatever water they were drinking.

next week i am going to another.

babies, babies, babies

but...
i love that baby smell,

no, not THAT smell,

the smell that is right in the center

of that swirl of hair

on the crown

of that sweet little angel's head

while asleep in your arms.

such peace,

such trust,

such calm.

I digress...

I have never been a big registry person. 

i mean,

i want to get the mom

or bride

or whoever

what they want,

but I love to give them

something that no one else will.

something unexpected,

something homemade.

I know it may be quirky...

but there is a lot of love that goes into each one

and each one is different.

Here is the one I made today

(some of the adhesive is still wet in the photo

and looks yucky,

but it came out ok)

the proud momma is having twins! 

bless her!!!

as i left the party

one of the "mothers to be" stopped me

and said,

"I want you to know, I am expecting a handmade gift too."

I smiled and said "of course."

fortunately,

she is only six weeks along...

i have some time.

~hugs

Whoosh....

it is Monday

trash day

and for my 12 year old's birthday

(in addition to all of the other goodies, of course)

i gave him something that money cannot buy

(well, at least not his money)

I told him i would take out the trash

for an entire MONTH!!!

needless to say,

he loved that.

as i was lugging our one bag out the door,

headed for those

large,

germ riddled,

daunting containers,

a warm breeze whooshed across the yard,

through the beautiful blooming jasmine

and right into my nose.

all of the sudden

that trash bag

full of

well,

trash

became a beautiful blessing.

the day is warm,

the sun is out,

our orange tree is heavy with citrus,

and the jasmine, oh the jasmine

it is just exploding

on our back fence.

i don't think

i would have ventured out there

if

i didn't need to take out the trash.

and i thought to myself,

sometimes,

just sometimes,

the gnarly jobs are full of joy too.

I hope you all have a trash experience today.

(just be sure to wash your hands afterward)

~hugs

silver sunday #5... what is it with shoes lately???

In keeping with my quirky tradition,

I am posting silver, but not really silver...

my mercury silver glass cup where I keep my paint brushes

the only ring i wear almost as much as my wedding ring
(can you tell it is a tree?)

and the shoes calling to me telling me that my trip to the gym is WwaAaaAYyyy overdue.

off I go...

~hugs

silver sunday #4... already?

for this 4th silver sunday

I will make this one short and sweet,

one photo,

one quote.

One shoe can change your life.  ~Cinderella

~hugs

a girl and her silver

I bought this vase antiquing somewhere

(I really do forget where)

and it sat...

and sat...

and sat...

like most things that I buy

and have big plans for

but it had a certain charm

i just could not bring myself

to goodwill it,
send it off to another home

it was the charm.

one day, while looking for a home
for this little wooden doll bottle stopper

i put 2 and 2 together and found they made a nice pair.

now they sit happily on a shelf with other treasures in my studio.

the girl, and her silver

isn't that happy?

~hugs

no more... that’s it!!!

I have made a decision.

No more caffeine is allowed in my body.

I have no religious reasons,
no commitments,
no medical issues.


I just want to live healthier.



For the last 3 days I have gone without~


no Starbucks,

no Mountain Dew from my beloved taco bell

no Red Bull, sweet nectar of the gods…



nothIng!!!!


oh the headaches!


They follow me everywhere, haunting me, taunting me

I go to bed with them and wake up with them.

Do not pity me,
I brought this on myself,
WILLINGLY...


once it is out of my system that is it.

I will be healthier, or at least I hope to be!

~hugs

Sliver Sunday #2

When I signed up for this I thought:

"No problem, I love silver, it is everywhere in my home"

and

"How hard can it be, take a few shots, blog about it and be done, right?"

Wrong... I find myself wondering all week about what to photograph and how to post about it.

Well for this week, I went small

I found silver but it isn't all silver

the point is that there is silver on it so it has to count, right?

I have learned that too much on one thing isn't always good. 

Sometimes something (especially when we create from art to food) just a dash of something is all our work needs. 

Here is a snow girl, created by the ever so talented Colleen Moody. 

Her splashes of silver embellish her grace and beauty 

... they are the icing on the cake.

There isn't too much, but just enough to bring out her special charm. 

A vintage Christmas ornament the size of a peanut, and a vintage brooch with certain history behind it are all the bits of silver she used.  (the stories that brooch must have to tell while riding on the lapel of someone's coat or sweater all those years ago, how fun!)

And now the complete work, isn't she lovely with her fur trimmed collar and velvet bodice?

so sweet

AND for you straight silver lovers, my vintage mercury glass cup on my desk. 

I use it to hold vintage velvet leaves, paintbrushes and bits of sparkle for my work.

Finally, I wanted to link to a blog who is also doing Silver Sunday but even better, she is doing a giveaway... 

She has a really cool idea with a tutorial and you can WIN!  Good Luck!

Happy Sunday, may your week sparkle!

~hugs