Oh my, Oh me, blue moons in the breeze!

Tonight we will have a blue moon. As defined, a blue moon is the second full moon in the calendar month, and usually occurs every 2 1/2 years.

A blue moon happening on December 31 - unique, to say the least. Last time it happened was December 31, 1990.

The next time it happens will be December 31, 2028! WOW.....

Happy New Year, boys and girls, and to all a safe night if I don't come back before 2010! LOL, giggle, giggle......

PaperWhimsy Dreams one more time

Girls and Boys........ We have the final four in the Hilda Conkling Poetry Challenge sponsored by paperwhimsy. So the count down begins. I started this challenge last March and have grown to love not only Hilda's poetry but the incredible images over at paperwhismy. I do have a lot of them now. Here is # 1 in the final four....... "About my Dreams."

For those who know me, I don't do anything a "little." Either jump in or just go chill. I don't chill. I couldn't let Hildy go into the night without a peacock feather. Nope, haven't used one in any of the poems. This is one of my favorite images and I use her face as my avatar over at the whimsy...... So I am partial to her.

The poem's words that inspired me were: "...Before I came through the cloud. They remember the sky? my little dreams / They have wings / they are quick ? they are sweet." The wings triggered the "feathers" = peacock. I also used some of the plucked feathers on the poem side and held down them down with a "jewel."

For once -- on the image side of the page, I tried to keep it simple. . . which is hard for me since I gravitate toward chaos which I don't consider "bad." I do love the Nietzsche quote: "You need Chaos in your soul to give birth to a dancing star."


You can see the difference between this piece and the one posted on Sunday - both have their positives - today if was just preference .....

have a comfy eve and stay warm.... I'm headed to fix dinner which will be baked salmon and roasted veggies. Hmmmmmmm. I might also bake the mince meat pie in the freezer.... I have until Jan. 4 to eat myself silly before the dreaded D I E T takes over my life...... Yup, LOL all the way to the candy isle....

Waxing once again in the Honeysuckles

And all I had was just one more Christmas present to create. Just one. The lovely friend - I still had yet to find a present for - prefers creations not "store-bought" and I was up a proverbial creek this year, yes I was. I usually make her Asian cross-stitch pillows - very Feng Shui, I think.... I have some more to make but this year got away from me... These are from a few years back:



So, nope, didn't do it this year. Hmmmmmmm - OK, let's get started.... killed time by fixing a drawer in my craft cabinet - I really had to do it before I could do anything.

I had to get in that specific drawer which was "stuck" as if something was blocking the drawer as you pull it out - but it couldn't be that easy - it was a screw in the runner that was loose and blocking everything. I will not share the gory details of how I got that baby to come out. Ugly, simply ugly, didn't know I had it in me. I got it fixed and retrieved the charms to use in the belated Christmas gift. Retrieved the tools of the trade - waxing wanly.....

And more tools......The piece I created is called, "Heritage." Pulled out some Asian papers I had and just started layering the paper, the wax, the paper, the wax.....

I love waxing on canvas (not my brows or upper lips - that is an ouchy) since it can be so forgiving. If you don't like it, just heat and pull up! I literally pulled out the "gold" leaves (from my stash of stuff) which were in the packet in a circle, waxed them down, waxed some ribbon and then waxed a flat key on top.


My feeling is the key to the past, present, and future is all wrapped in our heritage and we need to honor those who have gone before in order to live fully in the present...

This is my friend's granddaughter and mother and the photo was taken on a trip the child did to Taiwan several years ago. The image of the boy was found in some "free" clip art in my Somerset Studio magazine....

The finished product:

Autumn Blue Mist in the Honeysuckles?

Only in the Honeysuckles would you have Autumn Blue Mist in December. Okay, I admit it. I really do - I am only 2 1/2 months late with the October Hilda Conkling Challenge over at PaperWhimsy.... (I am hanging my head in shame right now).

I love this image which you can purchase at the PaperWhimsy. In fact, I love all of the images over there..... For this challenge I had to "color" the butterfly, the leaves, and the acorns. Yes, this time it was called color in the lines...... and I think that might be one reason I left this one go so long besides getting busy at the office and tennis and then Thanksgiving and then (yes, boys and girls, an excuse for every day...)

The final four poems were posted in December and also will be "color" them.... my style. And, after getting over the shock of coloring, I had a lot of fun pulling out all of my color pencils. I discovered early that felt tips would not work on an ink jet heavy stock copy.

The poem is called Autumn Blue Mist:

"This is night's own trailing wind
That goes by in blue mist
When morning wakes.
No fire breathes and puffs it out
Across the sun.
This is autumn on an October morning...
Early hills
Fields in a veil."

I decided to stick with the blue instead of autumn colors. Yes, I did use those colors first but didn't get that gut creative feeling to go with it.

After looking at the butterfly - hmm - or is she a moth....in her blue, I knew she needed what every girl needs -- glitter! I whipped those stickles out so fast made the wings flutter....



Once I settled on the blue, the piece flowed. Hope you enjoy my girl and her poem.

The day after in the Honeysuckles......

Had the fireplace going last night. I do love my gas fireplace - so easy to care for...LOL. It was a wonderful Christmas day - dinner with my friend who happens to be my neighbor. I did manage to get one gift made to give away tonight - have some friends coming over for some chili and wii tennis. I am finally starting to work on all the food boxes saved this past year to be used for notebooks. I have to either do them or throw them away. It is also called, fish or cut bait..... whatever that means, sounds good at the moment.


As a matter of fact this is the second "Mrs. Smith" I have made this year. Must have had a few peach cobblers, huh? I added various papers and also did some stamping... I love the paper bags at the Paper Source and just cut them up and used in this note book...


Also tore a page out of an old book and put in.....

Made a few pockets and used a very old cow envelope I bought in the 90s or early 2000s - i think!


Today I used the Hard Times Chili mix box and whipped this one out fairly quick.... surprised myself... will probably add a few ribbons in a second (and maybe some paint!)

Once again used various papers through out the little memo book...

Loved the french bread bag I do believe Carmen (and if it wasn't Carmen it had to be Korie) gave me during a "Summer in Paris" workshop we did a year or so ago.....

Okay - still have two more boxes to work on...... and now the question is, "What do I do with them?" - OK, I can put them up use them when I need a quick gift.... Running back downstairs to check the chili in the slow cooker. The menu will also call for cornbread, chips, apple cider, and dessert...

Merry Christmas from the Honeysuckle Breeze

May your Christmas be bright and merry. May your dreams come true. May you be happy and warm this Christmas day. Love to you all,

A wonderful day in the neighborhood......

Just finished some pumpkin spice Chai tea and a couple of loverly cookies with that wonderful soft white icing and green and red sprinkles.... they were bought but some one's Mom baked them.... you know.... I did manage to get some baking done. Three small cranberry loaves and two big loaves of Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Needed to take them to tennis......

Played cardio tennis today and I swear I have put on 15 pounds since Friday with my snacking and the candy JUMPING into my grocery cart today after tennis at the store. I lumbered on the tennis court, yes lumbered. I swear I don't know where the candy came from in the photo below, I really don't know where the stuff came from....

However, I will direct your attention to the orange tag - "Beyond Repair" - found it on the sidewalk by the grocery store and all of a sudden chuckled and thought of myself..... Can you imagine waking up one morning with this tag hanging around your neck saying you are beyond repair. Yup, I can - or my tacky brother would hang it on my toe for the heck of it..... (he told me the other day they needed to update the meaning for "stupid" in the dictionary after I stapled my fatty thigh with my trusty staple gun.) Brothers! Hmmm, maybe I dropped him too many times on his head when he was little and I was 13 months older than him? You think....

Now, back to the real reason I am posting....... in keeping with the Christmas spirit, here is the "red" tree. This is where I channel Martha Stewart when putting all those itsy bitsy ribbons on it. I really love this tree and have had it for many years.

Hello Martha (Stewart) - Love you!

The dining room table is all done.....

My bedroom is taken care of this year............

And Grandma's sewing machine always has the "A Cup of Christmas Tea" teapot and cup....

If you are not familiar with that story - google it. It is a favorite of mine every year... I love rereading it and will even have a cup of Christmas tea .....I bought the Tea Set a few months before my mother died. I was going to travel to Oklahoma City with it and have Christmas tea with her in her room in the nursing home. But it was not to be, she died in October 1998..... I kept the set and celebrate her life when I bring it out at Christmas time. I know she enjoys the tea with me - I feel her presence.

AND, I was so excited to get a Santa Dollar in change last week. I didn't realize I had received it until I was straightening out my dollar bills in my purse and there it was. I consider it my lucky dollar and am keeping it! Enjoy your evening tonight.... My sugarplums dance where they want to as long as they leave my chocolate alone! Ho Ho Ho.....

Vignettes amongst the Honeysuckles

vignette\vin'yet - 3 : a brief word picture: SKETCH
Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I have a problem with "brief" - so let's experiment here just for the heck of it...... Welcome to the corners of my world this holiday season:

in the beauty of the season

Always listen for the angels on high,

Oh come all ye faithful,

joyful.....

Away in the manger.....

Home for the Holidays,

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring,

and to all a good night....
Let the season dwell in your heart and soul......