Little Scraps of Magic

Scattered Thoughts

A journal page from about a month ago...maybe a bit more.

I had cropped and printed a photo I shot during one of our junking/antiquing walk abouts. I outlined with a finely tipped micron pen, and I fell in love with the effect.

I love bottles lined up along a windowsill, particularly those with a bit of a tint to them - pale blues and aquas, soft greens that call to mind the sea.

Light pouring through them fills a need inside me.

I journaled ideas as I sat and listened to a friend; my writing wanders up, down, and sideways, as I quickly sought space to jot down what she said, always being mindful that I still wanted to see those bottles!

I came home very cranky today; nothing major, just a ever growing heap of thinks to do, coupled with heat and humidity. I sat for a bit, catching up on a few blogs, but finding it hard to concentrate. But one message kept showing up - to find time to nurture myself.

So, the candle's burning, filling up the air with honeysuckle. A bubble bath ensued. I'm not touching the schoolwork; it will be forever there, no matter how much I tackle. I'm taking a bit of time to replenish the well, to just be, to relax, and to focus on what is good, and to figure out where I want to go with things and the steps to get there, to spend more time doing what I really really love. 

I'm claiming tonight for me.

She's a Cutie-Patootie!

She really lives up to being a cutie-patootie, doesn't she?

Wanderlust struck today, and off we went in search of adventure.

Discovered that Staunton, Va, being part of the "Bible Belt" closed up on Sundays. While we didn't get a chance to poke around in antique shops or funky one of a kind craft shops, we explored some very cool architecture, and wandered through an old cemetary.

A bit farther down the road, we discovered this antique mall, where the friendly folks didn't bat an eye at my request to take some pics. (Snobby antique places most certainly do...bat their eyes, that is!)

Stopped for dinner at a mom and pop sort of Italian place. I devoured lobster ravioli in some sort of to die for shrimp sauce.

Took the long way home, and I saw far too many mountains and cows. You would not believe the amount of cows between Staunton and Sprinfield!

Details to follow!

P.S. With very little to say about those cows, other than there were a LOT OF THEM!

Postcard Play

I love getting mail, especially "arty" mail, and the postman may keep the other stuff. As the saying goes, "The best way to get some mail is to send some," so when the opportunity occurs, I grab it.

One art goal this year is to use my own images, particularly the photos I shoot. They end up in journals, on journal covers, as greeting cards, and in this case, postcards. Aren't these gorgeous? I shot this photo after a trip to the farmers' market last August.

I printed it on some matte photo paper and then added some colored pencil here and there. Using a sharpie, I outlined various edges to make them "pop," and then added some embossed stamping. The embossing got a bit messier than I liked...the ink pad was so juicy, it ended up dripping a bit off the stamp and then catching embossing poweder that I wished it hadn't. I'll be working on perfecting that!

Tiny glass bottles always grab my attention, and one or more usually find their way home with me. I took this on VA's Eastern Shore in a favorite antique store.

I altered this photo as described above, and I reall like the looks of both of them. They'll be heading out in the mail tomorrow, along with some others I'll share in the next few days.

I enjoyed the process as much as the end product. I enjoyed pushing them to see what would happen, and I only ended up "ruining" one.

Happy Sunday!

Softly Glowing

Over here, you'll find many muses "glowing." I just spent several delightful minutes wandering through blogs, all "a glow." Just what my heart needed!

I had great fun wandering through past December photos, and have to admit that these few are favorites.

We'd found an old oblong sort of mirror in an antique shop and placed it along our table. We added our every growing collection of old blue Bell canning jars, some blue capacitators, some "snow," and some "crystals."

Filled with candles, they made magic!

I've learned a lot since I shot these, coming a long way. So, while not my "best," definitely some of my favorites!

Color, Color, Color...Part 2

 
He stood guard over a display of plates and glasses. I fell in love with the blues and greens...and touches of purple. Sadly, he was not for sale, or he may just have switched to guarding my art supplies.

 

August Break 2011

Day 24

Color, Color, Color !

 
Oh, my...love at first sight.

 

 
Color delicousness stacked and piled high.

 

 
They pretty much took my breath away.

What can I say? You know that some of them came home with me, don't you?

August Break 2011

Day 22

Insignificant

 
Choose any of the above.

By itself, it's pretty insignificant.

Together...what a statement!

 
I'm a firm believer in the power of numbers.

Please send your prayers for me and mine heavenward today.

It's very very tough here at the moment.

August Break 2011

Day 21

Self Portrait

 
Don't you love the "bow" in my hair? I love this place; it's like wandering through someone's attic! Very little gets tucked behind locked glass cabinets.

Blue Crow Antique Mall, VA

August Break 2011

Day 19

Frame Within A Frame

Over at "The Kat Eye View of the World," part of this summer's Exploring With A Camera, is "Frame Within A Frame." I had a great deal of fun going back through old photos, but I quit when I realized that I could just bore you silly with photo after photo. So, instead, I narrowed it down to these:

 
Alex's toys frame his cute little face...

 
...exploring an antique shop in Ellicott City. The arch serves as the frame here.

 
Our hotel window frames the view...

 
A statue in Saratoga Springs, framed courtesy of Mother Nature!

 
More framing courtesy of Mother Nature...

 
An outdoor walkway...

 
At the National Shrine in D.C.
The August Break 2011, Day 8

Rocking, Just Rocking

 
I am busily going through last year's photo folders, determined to wean down an overwhelming collection of shots. Many of them are just plain bad, and I don't hesitate to hit the delete button. Time and distance does a lot in that regard. Others, I tend to muse over, trying to figure out just which shot...out of 10 or so...is worth keeping of that flower.

I came across this one, shot just about a year ago. Not a great shot to be sure, but the image of these rocking chairs, and many more, swinging from the ceiling amuses me. It's a clever use of space to be sure. This particular antique dealer was making the most of what she had. So many children's rockers - all sorts, all styles, and various sizes. Shortly afterwards, we returned and chose one to bring home. I love the idea of my grandsons' fannies plopped where many a child's fanny has been plopped before! Dom has nearly outgrown the one we chose, but Alex's fanny is next, and I'm sure we'll pick another for Dom.

Sitting here, I'm realizing how many images of rocking chairs flit through my memory. I can still see the rockers lined up on my grandparents' porch. ( I can also see my head firmly stuck between two slats on that same porch, but that's another story for another time!) My mom and aunts occupied those chairs, whiling away the hours of a Sunday afternoon, gossiping away.

And, each and every time we visited my Aunt Mary, if the weather was at all decent, she and mom rocked away the hours on her porch...yup, gossiping away.

Nearly abandoned rocking chairs wait quietly on my dad's porch. Both mom and dad spent many an evening chatting quietly as they rocked. As my sisters and I grew, we did the same.

Fast forward a bit to the birth of my own babies, and the picture of my husband, headphones attached, rocking a sleeping baby. Should I tell you that my husband slept also? Somehow, he never dropped a baby.

Two years ago, my daughter gifted me with a rocking chair to rock Dom. Now, I sit and rock her Alex as well.

I wonder how many miles I've put on these chairs? I know there will be many more!