I won...I won $200...what I am calling the ZNE -Convenzione Economic Stimulus package!! I posted to http://blog.couragetocreate.com/ , Michele Beschen's Blog, the wonderful crafter from the DIY network. I'm off to spend the money at the zne vendor fare!!!! (Don't tell my husband, he'll want me to invest it in a long term CD.)

Gridlocked - ZNE Convenzione Workshop

Here it is! My first art retreat project...ever in my entire life! Wheww.....I took a wonderful class with Lisa Kaus and we learned to use her style of "grid" collage..which I'm loving more and more. The finish is beeswax. So....what did I learn. A little structure in layout'design, use and techniques of fluid acrylics...(yes, more supplies needed now) and graphite pencils/crayons, how to attach 3-d embellishments, and beeswax techniques using a heat tool and mini iron. Lisa was delightful, very calming, gracious, generous, encouraging. I loved how she walked around the room offering praise, encouragement and and suggestions. She would "ask" if she could show you something on your art...and then would demonstrate, without intruding on your work. An excellent example of teaching!!!! If you are related to me or among my close friends in St. Louis ( or around the world). Plan on being tormented with a new style of art!!!

Photo Fun in Half Moon Bay California

Thursday I drove over to Half Moon Bay, California, it is soooo much better navigating in the day light. Actually didn't get lost, more on that later. I spent some time just enjoying the beach and reading. It was overcast but beautiful. These fun little girls were having the best time.

Still my birthday!

It's my birthdcay! A quiet day, walking doggies, my brother in law worked on my computer, we went to Steak n Shake, a church dinner and a movie....we saw HOOT, hadn't seen that yet, and home again. Tommorrow is dinner with my brother and his lovely family.












Played with PhotoShop Elements on some of the photos!

it's my birthday....guess how old.....more to follow

More To Love

I love Peace Signs and rainbow roses,









Blue, purple and red and yellow.
Raspberry pick-up trucks and political bumper stickers.
Refigerator magnets that say "From the Kitchen of..."
Free stickers in my junk mail
Doggie photos and my grandma's kitty cat cookie jar











Birthday parties and Ice Cream Punch

























Magnetic daisys for your school locker, cardinals at the birdfeeder, chipmunks with chubby cheeks.

Charm bracelets from my teenage years, yearbooks, and vacation postcards.

Leather jackets, new mittens and wooly scarves.











and a few good snow days.

My love list!

What do you love?

I love black eyed susan’s in the sun
Bowling balls in my flower bed




I love dogs and their laughing faces
Vintage bikes with street numbers




I love pretty boxes of homemade cookies
Desk drawers filled with summer plans

I love rubber stamps
Stuffing as many as I can in a clear container



I love wild things growing by the garage
And grass growing between the patio bricks
I love ribbon , fiber and fabric
Paper, photos and ephemera




I love the sound of a window fan, cooling the room
A steady humming comfort noise
I love new pencils, crayons and dolls
Fresh bread , jumbo shrimp and French fries

I love the sunrise outside the kitchen window
And the shade trees sheltering our home.

I love searching for sea shells, rocks and leaf skeletons
Sharks teeth and fossils
I love lavender and cone flowers in bloom in summer
And monarch butterflies heading south each August
I love rainbows in the mist of crashing waves



Babbling streams on mountain trails, neon signs in the French Quarter
And museums of art in my home town.

I love the rolling plains of Kansas with sunflowers all in a row
And the most incredible green on the planet
I love stacks of vintage linens, old quilts and blankets
I love rummage sales, thrift stores, and stuffed boxes of treasures
I love crispy pizza, chili mac, and guacamole with chips
Strawberry shakes, cherries and whipped cream.



I love digital photography, blogging and eye candy websites
I love tote bags filled with books, folders and umbrellas
I love Volkswagens , old and new
I love historic houses, presidential libraries, and national cemeteries
I love dinner coupons, buy one get one, and discount movies
I love popcorn, diet coke with lots of ice and cherry vanilla Dr. pepper
I love a good glass of wine,…..on the rocks
Chai-tea latte from the 7 -11

http://chrysti.wordpress.com/2008/08/03/cover-girl-contest-cherished-surroundings/

Check out Chrysti's fabulous blog and see her beautiful artwork, and enter this fun contest, and tell about things that you love....the ordinary in your life, that is extraordinary

Help others!

Here's a great way to help out others. I work with a group called BRO-St. Louis. www.brostl.org
We provide toys during the holidays for families in need in the St. Louis area. We are also a recipent of books from First Book, check this out below. When you shake hands with the USCG, keep the men and women who serve, and protect our coast line and water ways in your thoughts and prayers. My dad, was a WWII era Coast Guardsman.



First Book & The USCG
Shake Hands with the U.S. Coast Guard starting July 5!As the signature charity of the U.S. Coast Guard, First Book announces the Summer Reading Handshake Tour kicking off July 5. This summer, the USCG Tall Ship Eagle sails to West Coast ports of call.Visitors to the ship who shake hands with the Coasties generate a brand new book for a child in need. The designated ports of call include:

• Tacoma, WA July 5-7 11,539 handshakes



• San Francisco, CA July 23-28 13,288 handshakes



• Los Angeles, CA August 1-4



• San Diego, CA August 8-11



• Los Angeles, CA August 15-18



• San Diego, CA August 20-25

Can't make one of the ports of call,

Help donate books to needy kids by clicking on the First Book Link below.http://www.firstbook.org/site/c.lwKYJ8NVJvF/b.4278527/

Learn about the United States Coast Guard Academy Training vessel,

The Eagle

http://www.cga.edu/display.aspx?id=2558