Izabella's Blue

the last sunbeam

 
The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish'd Sabbath,
On the pavement here, and there beyond it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.
Lo, the moon ascending,
Up from the east the silvery round moon,
Beautiful over the house-tops, ghastly, phantom moon,
Immense and silent moon.
I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key'd bugles,
All the channels of the city streets they're flooding,
As with voices and with tears.
I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring,
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.
For the son is brought with the father,
(In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell,
Two veterans son and father dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.)
Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive,
And the daylight o'er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.
In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin'd,
('Tis some mother's large transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.)
O strong dead-march you please me!
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.
The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.

~walt whitman

just because

 

I have had this vintage image for a long while awaiting to be used & I think she looks happy here ....merrily mowing her fields
 

Good news for bad moods The Painters Keys

 
When I am feeling blue, I notice I am more intune with my work & feel more satisfied with the outcome of my art.   Do you relate to this article?! ;)

a letter from the Robert... The Painters Keys  

Dear Izabella,

You may have noticed the odd times when something is irking you, putting you into a bad mood, and you sit down at your easel and do good work. While it's not as pleasant as when you're in a good mood and everything is coming up peonies, it works to your benefit in another way. In my experience, a bad mood helps the attention span and the critical faculties--not necessarily to be more creative--but with a wider vision and a sharper focus.

Before you start to rub me out as a certified nutter, I have to tell you that Professor Joseph Forgas at the University of New South Wales in Australia has now produced research that shows people in a negative mood are more critical and more attentive than regular happy folks.

Sadness, he found, actually promotes information-processing strategies best suited to dealing with demanding situations. Other bad-mood benefits the professor found included less gullibility, improved assessment of others, and memory improvement.

In my case, as a kid I might have been "blessed with a sunny disposition," as my mom used to say, but it was in my quieter, reflective moods that I made my art. Darker moods came and went, and I remember doing the odd decent thing while in them. Fact is, I still do. I'm wildly curious to know if anyone else might have noticed something similar.

Perhaps the good-work-in-a-bad-mood syndrome has something to do with the simple realization that when all else fails one can still paint. It's as if art is a sanctuary and a safe haven from life's inevitable disappointments. All humans need some sort of escape from whatever irks them--drudgery, boredom, failure, penury, barking dogs, unpleasant companions--a mighty long list if you decide to think about it. Personal art-making, with its complex creative demands of audacity, application and focus, as well as its perceived nobility, fills the bill.

No human life is all joy, none is all pain. It may be necessary to have a bit of one to gain more of the other. Surely, all moods are worth exploring. While a good mood is way ahead of whatever comes next, this is where I tell you to joyfully jump into your bad moods, watch yourself, and see what happens.

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "Whereas positive moods seem to promote creativity, flexibility, cooperation, and reliance on mental shortcuts, negative moods trigger more attentive, careful thinking, paying greater attention to the external world." (Joseph Forgas)

Esoterica: Bad-mood guys like Beethoven are no shirkers when it comes to turning out the work. Whole schools of poetry, art and music have been founded on anger and misery. "Sunny dispositions" might be missing out on something. Bad moods are, on the other hand, bad moods. You don't want to stay in them too long--maybe just enough to be focused, attentive and a little extra critical. A bad mood could be good for you.

And ask ye why these sad tears stream

Te somnia nostra reducunt.’
  OVID.

And ask ye why these sad tears stream?
  Why these wan eyes are dim with weeping?
I had a dream–a lovely dream,
  Of her that in the grave is sleeping.

I saw her as ’twas yesterday,
  The bloom upon her cheek still glowing;
And round her play’d a golden ray,
  And on her brows were gay flowers blowing.

With angel-hand she swept a lyre,
  A garland red with roses bound it;
Its strings were wreath’d with lambent fire
  And amaranth was woven round it.

I saw her mid the realms of light,
  In everlasting radiance gleaming;
Co-equal with the seraphs bright,
  Mid thousand thousand angels beaming.

I strove to reach her, when, behold,
  Those fairy forms of bliss Elysian,
And all that rich scene wrapt in gold,
  Faded in air–a lovely vision!

And I awoke, but oh! to me
  That waking hour was doubly weary;
And yet I could not envy thee,
  Although so blest, and I so dreary.

~Lord Alfred Tennyson
 

free autumn collage sheet from moonlightjourney

I wanted to share this lovely gift from Becky & Lynne of Moonlight Journey . They put together this free offering, to get us in the creating spirit of the holidays !!   Be sure to check out their lovely website http://www.moonlightjourney.com/ for an array of fab collage sheets

Collage sheet by Becky Loyall

Please click on sheet and you will be taken to a 300 dpi page just right click and save to your computer. This collage sheet is for personal use only. You may sell the artwork you create but please do not sell the original pieces in the middle in a collage sheet or as a single.

The Falling of Leaves

Autumn is over the long leaves that love us,
And over the mice in the barley sheaves;
Yellow the leaves of the rowan above us,
And yellow the wet wild-strawberry leaves.

The hour of the waning of love has beset us,
And weary and worn are our sad souls now;
Let us patt, ere the season of passion forget us,
With a kiss and a tear on thy drooping brow.

william butler yeats

 

halloween

 

Halloween is a holiday that has always been soaked in myths, mystery, magic and urban legends. It's celebrated in several countries, but is most popular in the United States and Canada. And, it is probably one of the most misunderstood holidays that is celebrated today.

Over 2,000 years ago, the Celts lived in what is now Ireland, northern France and the United Kingdom. Their new year began on November 1, the day marked the start of the cold winter ahead which was associated with death. On October 31, they celebrated the new years eve with Samhain, which has evolved over the years.

Check out this kool place I found.... old time radio shows you can listen to, there is a special Halloween section! http://www.oldtimeradiofans.com/halloween-old-time-radio-shows.

Glitter Graphics

Susan Tuttle's newest book Digital Expressions

 
I am happy to announce Susan's 2nd book is up & coming & available for pre order.  I am thrilled that I was chosen as one of the artists' to be chosen in her book~  I am so new to digital & feel like such a baby artist next to these artists' so I am truly honored to be involved with this project.  Have you visited Susan's blog lately?!  oh my ...it is a feast for your senses!!  http://ilkasattic.blogspot.com/ 

Digital Expressions guides the mixed-media artist through 25 stepped-out digital projects created with Adobe Photoshop Elements. Projects like manipulating single photos, collage on a digital canvas, and digital illustration will inspire you to tackle all kinds of digital mixed-media projects using stock photography, custom brushes, textured backgrounds and your own digital photos. A team of talented contributing artists further illustrates the techniques in action. Plus, a bonus CD includes more than 20 digital design elements for you to use in your own projects!

Bella Swan

Myspace Glitter Graphics

new collage sheets

 

new digital collage sheets in my etsy shoppe~ http://izabellah.etsy.com

The Funky Junk Sisters' show was an amazing event!!

I am quite pleased with the outcome of the Funky Junk show!  It was a huge success in many ways!!  So many amazing things that happened under one roof, new friends made, many prizes given away, The Cancer awareness event & Christmas tree giveaway and future plans about the next upcoming event, what an amazing weekend!  I wish I had taken more photos, but my young son stepped up & took on that job for me as my sister & I were so busy!  Our booth was packed full of people the whole event... and I forgot to get pics of the pink Christmas tree with all the donated ornaments ;(  I will try to track some down from some of the other gals~here are a few photos that my son took...

**UPDATE**  here is a list of some of the gals who have blogged about the Funky Junk show,

Aurora Suzette

Shell in Snohomish

Retreat Design

Haley's Cottage

Poppyseeds

Retreat Design

Tippy Stockton

Today's Country Store

Luluz

Faded and Worn

Joyworks

Shabby Scraps

Retro Rose Designs

Faded and Worn

Garden Party

June Bug Furniture and Design

 

here is a photo of the beautiful pink Christmas tree that was raffled off, designed by the amazing Debi Kennedy.  The tree was full of handmade ornaments from the vendors of the show. Photo credit from the lovely Tippy Stockton

 

Funky Junk Sisters Antique show and flea market!!!

Come Junk With us October 23rd and 24th

My sister & I will be selling. Do say hello when you are perusing the halls of sparkly things ;)

 

What is the Funky Junk Sisters Show like? It is a gathering of ... hand-picked vendors selling their best junking goods... and ...this year is shaping up to be the best one yet. Lots of vendors, more junk, and more fun!!  There will plenty of new and old to feast your eyes upon.  All this takes place in a huge indoor space on Puyallup's South Hill campus. 

****NEWS FLASH***Please note the Venue for the Funky Junk Sisters Show has been changed the new location is ****South Hill Mall Campus******

For more info check their site www.funkyjunksisters.com

 
This is one show not to be missed!!! There will be an amazing list of vendors  and a fabulous array of antiques, handmade goods & vintage finds!!

There will also be something new...the JUNK BUS!!! ( not a junky bus at all, but a beautiful chartered carriage)  If you feel like catching the ride with other like minded souls visit this link to reserve your seat!! www.comejunkwithus.com  

Friday~October 23, 2009 (6-9)
Special Ticket Event~ Girls Night Out
A fundraising event to save the ta-ta's!




Saturday~ October 24, 2009
Early Bird Special (8-10)
Event (10-6)


For more info check their site www.funkyjunksisters.com

We are going to be located at the South Hill Mall Campus in the Old Bally's Building next to the movie theaters. Easy access from the Freeway!!! 3600 9th St SW, Puyallup, WA

 
This is one show not to be missed!!! There will be an amazing list of vendors  and a fabulous array of antiques, handmade goods & vintage finds!!

There will also be something new...the JUNK BUS!!! ( not a junky bus at all, but a beautiful chartered carriage)  If you feel like catching the ride with other like minded souls visit this link to reserve your seat!! www.comejunkwithus.com  

Friday~October 23, 2009 (6-9)
Special Ticket Event~ Girls Night Out
A fundraising event to save the ta-ta's!




Saturday~ October 24, 2009
Early Bird Special (8-10)
Event (10-6)


For more info check their site www.funkyjunksisters.com

eternal kiss

 
First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write,
And ever since it grew more clean and white, . .
Slow to world-greetings . . quick with its "Oh, list,"
When the angels speak. A ring of amethyst
I could not wear here plainer to my sight,
Than that first kiss. The second passed in height
The first, and sought the forehead, and half missed,
Half falling on the hair. O beyond meed!
That was the chrism of love, which love's own crown,
With sanctifying sweetness, did precede.
The third, upon my lips, was folded down
In perfect, purple state! since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, "My Love, my own."

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

she walks in beauty like the night

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent! 

~Lord Byron
 

vampire

 

 

 

 

Come, my love, and take the wings of night

To catch the sprinkled stars along thy flight.

The high road,

The blood road,

From the world's beginning.

Come ride the wind with me

Until the stars are dimming.

Come run with me along the edge of heaven's fire

From the dawning of the night until its funeral pyre.

The high road,

The blood road,

From the world's beginning.

The wild way, the wind's way

Come fly with me, my love, and never tire

When the juice of life meets heaven's ire.

Come taste of life!

Come fear no death

~Evaonne F. Hendricks

The Outsider Artists Tribute to Edward & Bella Twilight

 

A few of the Outsider Artist gals decided to create a few Twilight inspired art pieces & a giveaway!!

Be sure to leave a comment for the drawing, of a digital collage sheet created by Lynne of Moonlight Journey

 

Izabella created the piece, "Dammit Edward why aren't you real !!!"

 

closeup of beautiful Edward sparkling away.....

 

and here is Izabella with Edward Cullen!! .....

 

with a little help of her favorite editing program...photoshop!! 

 

 

Deborah has created several digital collages of Edward and Bella. She invites you to save all three of these images to your computer. The resolution of these images as posted is about 120 dpi. If you especially like one of her three Twilight collages and want to be able to make a high quality print of one of them, feel free to e-mail her at deborahbohm@embarqmail.com and she will e-mail you a high quality 300 dpi image of your favorite of the three displayed here! Additional collages are $3.00 for each 300 dpi image you want e-mailed to you. (Purchased collages will NOT have her name on the image.)

Twilight 1D

 

Twilight 2D

 Twilight 3D

Becky Loyall  created a giveaway also....Be sure to leave a comment for the giveaways.

and here is the original digital piece, by Becky...

 

the death of lovers

We shall have beds full of subtle perfumes,
Divans as deep as graves, and on the shelves
Will be strange flowers that blossomed for us
Under more beautiful heavens.

Using their dying flames emulously,
Our two hearts will be two immense torches
Which will reflect their double light
In our two souls, those twin mirrors.

Some evening made of rose and of mystical blue
A single flash will pass between us
Like a long sob, charged with farewells;

And later an Angel, setting the doors ajar,
Faithful and joyous, will come to revive
The tarnished mirrors, the extinguished flames.

~Charles Baudelaire

Grantville Haunted House

I wanted to share the news of a venture that I am assisting in.... My friend Andy is creating an amazing haunted house in his town, if you're in the area, be sure to check it out!!

Hope you can take a minute to check out our new blog Demented Indulgence 

Grantville's Little Haunted House
Opening Night Oct 17, 2009 thru Oct. 31, 2009
$5 Admission
Sunday thru Thursday 7:00pm to 10:00pm
Friday and Saturday 7:00pm to Midnight

Grantville, Georgia USA

website coming soon http://www.grantvillehauntedhouse.com/

walk through Dracula's castle...

slideshow of the Timberstead Gathering event

 

Here are some beautiful photos of the event's of the day, at the Enchantment in the Park, where my sister & I had a lovely relaxing & enchanting time.  I can't wait until next years show, I know it will be even better! ~ slideshow from the amazing Mary Wells of Simply Vintage 

Timberstead Outdoor Market * Enchantment in the Woods

 

This weekend my sister & I Michelle Renee will be selling at the Timberstead Outdoor Market~ Enchantment in the Woods~ Fri-Sunday September 25th - 27th  Hope to see you there!!!

immortal

 

dedicated to Andy~

 

When the music box,

stops its timely dance,

will I be able

to save her,

from myself?

~

Will lust for blood

domiate my thoughts?

making her pale, smooth skin,

so, so inviting.

~

Or will lust for love preveil.

against all the

dirty hands of the world,

trying to pull us apart?

~

When my mouth

dare not touch

her delicate body

for fear

that I may rip it asunder.

~

Oh the love of a vampire

is peril

in its truest form.

~

Oh the tears of a vampire

are pain

in deep, deep silence.

~

To see my true love,

but not daring to

touch her.

Is an agony I cannot express.

~

To see my true love

look out on the world

she cannot be a part of,

as long as she loves me.

~

To feel nothing but

lust and

agony and

anger and

hunger, always hunger

that never stops.

no peace, no rest,

love a dangling parody;

always out of reach.

~

And I tell my love,

goodbye.

And I go out,

her last kiss

lingering like

her tears.

poem by~ Keepers River

New Moon Trailer

you are beautiful

 

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

- Lord Byron 

Swanky Smoker Boudoir Doll

 

Have to share the newest listing in my sisters Etsy shoppe!!   Isn't she dreamy...a little on the wild side! Looks as though she is planning something devious, or the deed is already accomplished, what do you think?!  ;)

Michelle Renee Art http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29714590

Lost in You

 

A love song to God.......

Red~ Lost in You http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFsZp2UitiE

 

can i be dreaming once again?
i'm reaching helpless i descend
you're leading deeper through this maze
i'm not afraid

i'm lost in you everywhere i run
everywhere i turn i'm finding something new
i'm lost in you something i can't fight
i cannot escape
i can spend my life lost in you! lost in you!

your whispers fill these empty halls
i'm searching for you as you call
i'm bracing, chasing after you
i need you more

i'm lost in you everywhere i run
everywhere i turn i'm finding something new
i'm lost in you something i can't fight
i cannot escape
i can spend my life lost in you!

i could never be the same here
something that i could never arise
i could never look away
i lost myself in you!
it's all over now!

lost in you! everywhere i run
lost in you!

would you notice

"would you notice somebody like me?"

inspired by Kings of Leon~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCZfJ5ai07U

men of twilight

 

 

 

 

666 Photography & corsetry

 

Jillian Newman is the gorgeous model that purchased this corset from my sisters' etsy shop for her photoshoot with 666 Photography. And Gayla...GaYLA! What a photographer she is!  She has a BFA from the University of Texas in Austin and specializes in high concept photoshoots with a retro/vintage feel. She makes most of the costumes, creates and designs the sets and does most of the styling.
http://www.666photography.com

Featured Artist Lorraine Reynolds ~ The Glimmering Prize

The Glimmering Prize is a bounty of heartfelt treasures made from discarded trinkets and everyday items. Mixed media collage artist, Lorraine Reynolds, transforms the mundane into mystical, the everyday into extraordinary. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Lorraine is a costume and technical designer by trade. A Vermont transplant for almost 18 years, she takes found objects, such as broken dolls, rusty tins and discarded books and brings forth their unspoken stories, weaving tales of lost love, childhood memories and remembrance into each piece.

She is a self proclaimed junk collector, treasure hunter and junkyard gypsy. You can find her meandering about early on a summer’s morning with her two boys, Henry, 14 and Jack, 7; scouting flea markets and yard sales looking for that embellishments for one of her pieces. It’s the process of collecting, finding and discovering the components that inspires her to make her art. But, music and history are her two muses. She cannot create without her “soundtrack to art.” Playing her music in the studio; the lilting notes from her favorite movie scores carry her to a creative space that has no walls. Often, she will get stuck on a song and play it over and over again until the piece is finished and the bittersweet emotion is caught within her mixed media collages.
She loves to travel about the state of Vermont, admiring old mill towns and Main Streets: places off the beaten path that are permeated with mysteries, secrets and perhaps a ghost story or two. It is the mixing of the past lives with the present in the physical form of art as an offering to remembrance that is what she calls “the Church of the Ordinary.”

Her work has been shown throughout the state of Vermont, as well as in New York City. She is a proud member of the International Society of Alter Book Arts, the Vermont Book Arts Guild and ZNE. She has recently been published in Somerset Studio, the art of mixed media and paper, July/August edition, where two of her assemblage pieces were featured in this “sisterhood” edition.

You can find out more about her work at her blog: http://glimmeringprize.blogspot.com/

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Lorraine-Reynolds-Glimmering-Prize/55961283750

Etsy shoppe: http://www.glimmeringprize.etsy.com/

Published in Artful Blogging

 

a day to celebrate!!  My first time published in a Somerset Magazine~ Artful Blogging!!  I am quite thrilled with the rush of being published, to hold the magazine & to see your work in the pages of a magazine is a bit overwhelming & to know that hundreds of thousands of copies will be distributed about the world is even more indescribable, but thrilling all the same!!  There is is some wonderful pieces of art in this particular fall edition, from some amazing artists!!  Thank you Christine for this opportunity to share my work with the world ;)  xo!!

 

 

 

Outsider Artists

They started noticing each other’s art on Ebay and Etsy. Sensing a certain “something” they all seemed to share – an emotional and sometimes dark approach to altered art – a small group arose, dedicated to exchanging ideas about art. Here they asked each other questions and openly shared techniques, experiences, and images. They also shared their lives with one another as friends do. After these artists joined together in a couple of group art projects, it seemed like a natural next step to join together in another kind of group venture. Outsider Artists is a co-op of artists from this original group, selling original art pieces - ACEOs, mixed media assemblages, art tags, bookmarks, jewelry, journals, canvas pieces, boxes, dolls, corsets, hair accessories, and more –even an occasional jeweled crown! What you find at their site today might be totally different from what you find a week from now! They also offer a vast array of digital collage sheets including a beautiful antique style alphabet, tags, ACEO backgrounds, gorgeous vintage images, and edgy new images – many of which have been altered by the artist to enhance their appeal. These sheets are sent directly to your computer where you can print them as many times as you want to use in your own art projects. Each artist has her own catalog of art, listing the pieces that she currently has for sale. You will find that each artist has her own individual style. You can choose from art by Amy Flowe, Becky Loyall, Deborah Bohm, Jann Clark, Izabella, Judy Keefe, Lynne Tears, and Michelle McClinn, Jillian Schneider. Buy from one artist or buy from all of them. You will find that the artists welcome inquiries about custom pieces.

Outsider Artists is a treat to visit. In addition to the wonderful art pieces for sale, they offer free vintage images, articles on art-related topics, “how-to” instructions on various art projects and techniques, and links to other sites that you will want to visit. Via a comment section, they are able to have interaction with the people who visit their site. You can also see some of the prior art that each artist has created in their respective gallery sections. Whether it is your first visit or your twentieth, you will want to stop by today to see what is new! (P.S. I hear these artists are set to embark on another group project at the end of summer. Rumor has it that at the end of this project, a joint creation will be offered for sale to benefit a designated charity. You will surely want to stay tuned for more about that!)

Visit now! http://outsiderartists.typepad.com/

You can also visit the blogs of the individual artists:

Amy Flowe - http://www.alteredamy.blogspot.com/

Becky Loyall - http://whymsicalmusings.blogspot.com/

Deborah Bohm - http://deborahbohm.blogspot.com/

Jann Clark - http://www.foreverjann.blogspot.com/

Izabella - http://izabella.typepad.com/

Judy Keefe - http://jmkoriginals.typepad.com/

Lynne Tears - http://moonlightjourney.blogspot.com/

Michelle McClinn - http://michellerenee777.blogspot.com/

Jillian Schneider - http://bohemiart.typepad.com/

a whirlwind of a weekend

 

 

 

What a wild weekend~  I am still spinning! The French Market Days was a huge success!!  It was slow for shoppers but my sister & I made many new friends with all the vendors, and happened upon long lost beautiful friends!!   We had plenty of time to hang out & talk about our favorite love...vintage items, paper, art ...you know...all those girly things ;)  It was a wonderful and amazing experience to be "out there in the world" selling for the first time. 

I cannot put into words how many wonderful things came into play...it was pure destiny, the people we encountered, the stories that we shared, it was not by accident that we were there.  And the biggest news is...just like that...we are in a store!  The Exhibitors Mall~ thank you to Kim Marie for this opportunity & sharing our vision!! 

A precious new friend Lisa...be sure to take a visit to her blog Prim4Him

Also, Linda from Funky Junk Sisters~ did a lovely lovely write up about the whole event & was surprised to see a little blurb about me & my sis.  I am very excited about many more up & coming events that we will be selling at ...including the Funky Junk Sisters Antique & Flea Market Show in October! 

I have a gazillion things I need to write about, but need to get back to unpacking, need to find my camera cord to download my photos, and my art supplies...still debating on which room to use as my art studio!  Can't wait to share more fun news~ 

this is a photo from my cell, it's our new space at the Exibitors Mall~ xo!!

 

 

french market this weekend

 

My sister & I will be in the area of south hill Puyallup this weekend, Michelle~ and I will be vendors at the Exhibitor's Mall "French Market Days" selling antiques, paintings, ephemera, french boudoir dolls and handmade creations, altered journals & revamped jewelry~  This is my first ever, public event~ very nervous!!  xo!!

finally home again

 

it's been quite an exhausting 3 weeks, I thought I could sneak away for a few days without anyone noticing, but the one week, turned into 3~  For those of you who didn't know...we moved from Vegas to the amazing Pacific Northwest, near Gig Harbor...Water oh precious water, the smell of the sea puts my mind in a constant state of vacation mode!  Someone please pinch me... is this for real?! ;)  I am extreeemely thrilled to be back with family & friends, and to be able to plant again..I have missed my yearly hanging baskets, pots of herbs, berry picking & flea markets...ahhh home again at last.  xo!!

 

 

Anaïs Nin Ragtime 1944

Anaïs Nin (Ragtime, 1944)

I wanted to share with you.... Keith Lo Bue read this to his "precious little group" at Artfest.

The ragpicker worked in silence among the stains and smells. His bag was swelling.

The city turned slowly on its left side, but the eyes of the house remained closed, and the bridges unclasped. The ragpicker worked in silence and never looked at anything that was whole. His eyes sought the broken, the worn, the faded, the fragmented. A complete object made him sad. What could one do with a complete object? Put it in a museum. Not touch it. But a torn paper, a shoelace without its double, a cup without saucer, that was stirring. They could be transformed, melted into something else. A twisted piece of pipe. Wonderful, this basket without a handle. Wonderful, this bottle without a stopper. Wonderful, the box without a key. Wonderful, half a dress, the ribbon off a hat, a fan with a feather missing. Wonderful, the camera plate without the camera, the lone bicycle wheel, half a phonograph disk. Fragments, in complete worlds, rags, detritus, the end of objects, and the beginning of transmutations...inside the shack rags. Rags for beds. Rags for chairs. Rags for tables. On the rags men, women, brats. Inside the women more brats. Fleas. Elbows resting on an old shoe. Head resting on a stuffed deer whose eyes hung loose on a string...

The brats sitting in the mud are trying to make an old shoe float like a boat. The woman cuts her thread with half a scissor. The ragpicker reads the newspaper with broken specs. The children go to the fountain with leady pails. When they lime back the pails are empty. The ragpickers crouch around the contents of their bags. Nails fall out. A roof tile. A signpost with letters missing...

The ragpickers are sitting around a fire made of broken shutters, window frames, artificial beards, chestnuts, horses tails, last year’s holy palm leaves. The cripple sits on the stump of his torso, with his stilts beside him. Out of the shacks and the gypsy carts come the women and the brats.

Can’t one throw anything away forever? I asked.

The ragpicker laughs out of the corner of his mouth, half a laugh, a fragment of a laugh, and they all begin to sing.

First came the breath of garlic which they hang like little red chinese lanterns in their shacks, the breath of garlic followed by a serpentine song:

Nothing is lost but it changes
Into the new string old string
In the new bag old bag
In the new pan old tin
In the new shoe old leather
In the new silk old hair
In the new hat old straw
In the new man the child
And the new not new
The new not new
The new not new.

Anaïs Nin (Ragtime, 1944

tea party

The amazing Vanessa from A Fanciful Twist~ has started her 2nd annual mad tea party & this year is even better than last!!  It's a virtual overload of eyecandy!!  Be sure to take an hour or so to get lost in the inventive minds of our fellow bloggers~  You will find the links to all the particpating tea partiers in Vanessa's sidebar of her blog ~

do you like sugar? do you like cream? do you enjoy a twist of lemon? or just like it plain?  i love steaming rooibus with a hint of cream, pure heavenly bliss~ xo!!

Lemon~Ginger Iced Tea with Berry Cubes

• 1 cup raspberries
• Water for ice cube trays, plus 8 cups water, divided
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
• 6 white tea bags
• 3 lemons, juiced
• Lemon slices
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

Place about 4 raspberries in each compartment of an ice cube tray, 6 hours before serving iced tea. Fill with water and freeze.

Place honey, 2 cups water and ginger in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add tea bags. Let mixture steep for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, then strain.

In a pitcher combine strained liquid with 6 cups water and lemon juice. Chill in refrigerator.

To serve, place 3 ice cubes in a tall glass and pour iced tea over cubes. Garnish with lemon slices and mint sprigs.