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Secret Treasure Box Gift and Giveaway Win

It is with pleasure that I want to show you this amazing matchbox I won on a giveaway from Studio Tau:

It's painted with bright colors and birds and the matchbox is filled with shells, rocks, leaves, and bordered with buttons- all those little keepsakes and treasures we pick up along the way and save because they remind us of something or someone or they feel good or just because.  

Tau also sent me the serene moon sticker and the generous sun brooch.

Plus, if that was not enough, she has been too good to me, she also sent me the print of her Heart and Dissonance painting!

Finally, she also sent several Moo cards with her paintings on one side with discount codes for printing at Moo and the reverse side has her contact list.



I took 9 photos (macro setting and regular setting) plus 5 scans of the matchbox and I can not come up with a crisp, detailed image.  Tau, I wish I could have made this matchbox look on the monitor as wonderful as it looks in person, but the camera just wouldn't oblige.   Thank you, Studio Tau for the fabulous gifts!

Giving a nod to the blog which hosted the giveaway, thanks  Giveaway Blogdom  it's written by three friends, moms, and busy ladies.  Take a moment to visit it.

Sunday Straphanger Wales

HAPPY EASTER!

This is the second in a series of, "Sunday Straphangers."  Sharing some photos of travels this week, Wales, South Wales, Great Britain. 

The view from my uncle's second floor bedroom I was staying in.  He was a gifted and industrious gardener.  He grew vegetables and kept a chicken or two to supply eggs, although I did have a little surprise when I discovered our dinner was the hen who no longer was laying eggs! 

In my uncle's big freezer he stored up some of his harvest as well as he donated some of the surplus or gave some just because.  Every bit of garden was used, no wasted space for him.  The yard on the right of the photo was the neighbor's yard, which my uncle lamented over since they did not use it to grow any vegetables or fruits and he would have loved to extend his crops to their yard!

I love the view of the hills and to the left, you could see the Bristol Channel shining in the sun (when it wasn't raining, lol.)


This photo was taken at the bus station.   If there was a double-decker available, I'd get on that and head upstairs.  Or, I'd wait for the next bus if it was going to be a double decker pulling in to the depot.  The white building is a pub, restaurant, and hotel.  Just above the emblem before the words, "National Welsh" on the bus, you can see the red shop sign for Woolworth, which, sadly is now closed.

There was something relaxing about riding the bus over leafy lanes, and holding my breath while the driver managed to turn tight corners and not take a piece of a stone cottage with him.

An old bridge with cut out windows for "dipping the sheep" into the river.  It wasn't done for fun or torture, it was part of the rhythm of a shepherd's job.












Won 11-7 !


Have a great Easter week!   Cadbury mini eggs here I come!

Happy Easter!

Wishing everyone a Blessed Easter season!

Happy and Healthy Springtime!

Renewed joys and grace!

Thanks be to God!

What's Doing Wednesday? Aceo

Completed ACEO in Shop
Was he dreaming of spots or was he showered with spots while napping?  Either way, he's my funny little dog in the scene of this Aceo for the challenge this month.  Please take a quick click over to   The Aceo Challenge  and vote for one of the Aceos as your favorite,  April 24th - April 30th only.    

This is the first time I've entered any challenges anywhere, I've also entered the Tax Showers Aceo and there are some Aceos in this challenge with lots of personality.  Vote for your favorite, could it be mine, if not, that's okay, just have a look for yourself.  Thanks!

Sunday Straphanger London

My intention is to start a regular Sunday post of travel photos, or photos of something that's caught my eye.  My boxes of photos are not in good order, so this feature will help me to organize, at least I hope it will.  Some advice, always write on the back where, when, and what the photo is about- I've got umpteen thatched cottages and castles, plus beaches and I am trying to label as I find them!    Hope you enjoy my little series.

Since the Royal Wedding is set for April 29, I thought I'd just show 3 photos from London.


Tower Bridge over the Thames River, taken from a bench on the grounds of the Tower of London.   I'm guessing that the view of the other side of the river has changed in the passing of years.
Two very amiable guards who gave us a bit of the history and myth of the Tower.   They pointed out the Executioner's stone, let us behind the ropes to get better photos where prisoners were kept, explained about the ravens and their clipped wings, and more.







This fat cat lived at Paddington Station, it was quite a while ago, and she had free run of the place.  Here she is in her place of repose, in the Ladies Room.   Her basket is all sparkly and garlanded, a crafty pink tissue paper and painted throne- and she seems to enjoy the attention.

April Fools Taxes Mixed Media Collage Aceo


 So much focus on the budget in Congress and April 18th this year the IRS is expecting taxes to rain down into the government coffers.

A little collage ACEO depicting some of the news of the day.  Money, Taxes, and Who's Watching the Pot!

April, you sweet month of soft rains after cold and icy winds- why do you have to harbor economic worries so?
Rain down cherry blossom petals and not 1040s on mailboxes nationwide!

The year is less than 4 months old and you curse us with burdens of non-interest bearing accounts and low savings rates.  Gasoline is doubled in price, grocery packages have shrunken and prices have soared. 

Dear April, our youth was wasted in March while waiting for your warmth and show of budding branches.  April, you deceived us.  We hold our breath till May...no longer will we be your April Fools.

For fun my little aceo is entered in the Aceo Challenge for April.  I'd be thrilled to get your vote, check out the blog and vote from April 24th to April 30th.   The Aceo Challenge  Thanks!

Third Time's the Charm Giveaway Win

There's something to be said in unexpected surprises, it's that you never know the when or the why- or maybe Roseanne Rosanna Danna said that; whatever!

I was the lucky recipient of the third time draw, (third time is the charm!) from Therese's One World One Heart giveaway draw.  She sent to me this pretty altered frame (I put some colored paper in the slots for now until I go through my photos.)



Thank you Teri!
Design 48 is her blog, please check it out, she's enthusiastic about her jewellery, scrapbooking, and more!  Teri's a lovely blogger with a big heart.

What's Doing Wednesday? Aceo




Completed ACEO in Shop
  Working on organizing more of the craft stuff.  I hate to part with things and hold on to lots of little items, "in case" I use them in the future.  I think it isn't hoarding, since I periodically do a "clean sweep" and throw out or donate lots of things.  Plus, having things in some kind of good "order" isn't hoarding- it's procrastinating!

Working on this aceo, the direction it's taking me is undecided at the moment.  Or, maybe I'm just procrastinating...

Have you a procrastinating problem, too?

Looking Out For Who on a Wednesday Doctor Who, Spring Snow and Colds

For the last few weeks I've been battling some kind of germ who knows where it came from- I blame it on my husband every time!  Anyway, I can't figure out what the germ's purpose is except to disrupt my momentum of doing things I've put off.

I had hoped that the Doctor was looking for me, only he wasn't here, but on the Oodsphere.  Who could tell the difference what with all the snow dumped in this state?! 

I don't believe his screwdriver would zap away my germs, so, getting back to my mini tale of woe...


It started with low back pain and dizziness, add a bad headache, tiredness, severe stiffness in my legs, then terrific soreness in my glands and lymph nodes.  The lymph node soreness was a new sensation, it was weird but painful and swollen.  Then the dreaded cold and shivering with a fever started.

The odd thing about the shivering is that no amount of extra clothes or blankets or tea would help warm me up.  Plus, it was on a cycle of about an hour and a half of shivering followed by the high fever and then hours later the shivering started up again.  My lungs aren't involved and there's no sneezing, either.  This is some weird germ.

So, as not to be numbing your eyes with my sick tales, but that's what I've been dealing with for the last week or so.  I have posts scheduled to publish and I am stopping in to see new comments and to respond.  Thanks for the new followers, too.

P.S.  I think we may finally be pulling out of winter, we so need a warm Spring break.



(This is the same tree from the Patriotic Sky post with the Spring sky and this photo was taken last week, can you see the snow blowing against the trunk?)


See you on the other side of this germfest, soon, I hope.

Covergirl Lucy An Adoption Story

What a face, she is almost impossible to photograph without getting a blurry image, and she actually kept still for more than a second.     Since I like black and white movies and photos, I played around with my very basic software photo editing and turned her yellow with red and cream highlighted fur into what you see.    
Lucy wants to say a few things about herself: 

Hi, I'm Lucy and I'll be ten years old in December.  I am young at heart and paws.  Most of my life I was alone in a crate in a small room from very early morning until hours after dark came.  I barked a lot because I wanted someone to find me and let me out to stretch my legs, and to say hello or give me some water, but no one came. 

When I was a puppy I thought there was going to be lots of interesting stuff to do, but my person was busy, day after day, for years.  She worked, went to college, had a boyfriend, and did stuff that kept her busy.  She had to do those things, I know, but I was alone most of the time.  

Something that's taken a couple of years for me to get over is that her boyfriend's father hurt me.  I started to act out and he even hurt me in front of her and that was the last straw for me.  If I didn't have a new home soon, I wasn't going to exist any more, you know what I mean?  I don't like to think of that, it's sad and scary.  

She tried to find me a new home, but no one wanted me and they kept giving me back to her.  They said I was big and loud and I am not THAT big, and I am very stealthlike.  I can jump on the bed and wouldn't even wake you up.  I catch a quick nap on the couch sometimes, but mostly I have to lay on my pillow or my bed.  It's all good, I can sleep anywhere.  My new lady two legger can't believe how delicate my sleeping sounds are.  Sometimes I know when she is watching me to see if I am really breathing, I never snore, I am a very quiet sleeper.  Very serene and ladylike, I am. 

Getting back to how I got to be on this blog...

Holly and Andee Eve, You Are Next! Blog Award



A few days ago I received this award from a terrific lady, "Thank you, Connie!"  Please check out her blog if you haven't already.  Dressedtothe9s  She has Beautiful Photos, Tutorials, Excellent Taste and Style, plus Great Enthusiasm for her Family and Home!

Requirements of the award are to list 7 Random Facts about myself and give the award to two bloggers.  Here goes:  

1.  I've been blessed/cursed with "Wanderlust."  Plane, Train, Auto, Ship- I'm on it!

2.  Have green eyes. 

3.  Pierced my own ears, twice!  The store-made piercings were infected and wouldn't heal.  So, I had to start again and  I re-pierced the first holes myself.  The following year I pierced the second set of holes.  It hurt, a lot!  Glad I did it, though. 

4.  Chocolate, can live without it, but I don't want to!  Like it with tea, wine, champagne, and by itself.

(5, 6, and 7-  I am breaking the rules and leaving them out.) I am amending this-

5.  I think raisins look like squished flies.  I don't like raisins, but will eat a few, sometimes.

6.  I'm a procrastinator and a dreamer.

7.  Will sing in the car, or to my dog, or at home- with the windows closed, usually.


Awarding two awesome and versatile bloggers with the Versatile Blogger Award:


Holly's blog started in January and she is a jewelery maker, sewer, wife, and mother.  Her blog is positive and she shares good advice and tutorials, too.     


Andee Eve's blog is another positive one.  She shares paintings, sewing projects, photos out and about in sunny California, she has a deep faith, and is a wife who is also into upcycling and restyling. 

Whoever started these blog awards ought to get their own!  Congratulations to Holly and Andee Eve!