getting in the island mood

This island pace here on St Maarten may be slower, but our days have been full and I've barely had time for photos. So I snapped some quick ones just to get my photo finger going. Of course, I'm spending lots of time with this little lovely, my 5-month-old granddaughter Eliää, and her daddy.


Today was spa day for my daughter-in-law at the Christian Dior spa in the lobby of their apartment building. Afterwards, she enjoyed sunning with her spa partner Jackie while Eliää and I waved down at them from our balcony.


Some more views from the apartment's balcony overlooking the glorious ocean:








And here's the balcony chair where I'll sit doodling for my April class and other projects while listening to the waves tumbling in. Can I really call this a working vacation? Well, tomorrow morning at 6 am, Eliää and I will watch from the sidelines while her parents run, swim and bike in the island's triathlon. That's work, right?


.

back to st maarten + journal pages

Down to last-minute packing for my winter visit with my middle son's family in St Maarten. While there, I hope to share more photos of beautiful island scenery again this year. Meanwhile, we're having odd winter weather here in Virginia, with temperatures today in the 60's. But that can't last, can it?

Before heading off, I mailed both my book and my first guest pages for a round robin book swap that includes 11 talented ladies. Sherry, my super-organized first swap buddy, obligingly mailed me her book early so I could finish her pages in time.


My "Tales of a Creative Life" covers are made of fun upholstery fabric swatches picked up at JournalFest buddy Michelle Geller's favorite Good Will shop during my visit with her in Portland. I'm hoping the heavier brown textured leather, leftover from another book project, will help protect the softer fabric as my book travels the country. I think the book feels so nice to hold.

First of several sign-in pages, with doodles and watercolor.

My first guest pages were for Sherry's theme "Sisterhood".
Since she prefers a soft neutral palette,

I opted for a delicate sketch and watercolor approach,

using faces I found on Pinterest for reference.

Off to finish packing! Mustn't forget my camera and doodling supplies!
.

doodling class in april

.

I know, it's a tough life ...

lately I've been spending more and more time just doodling!

But really, I do have a good reason.

In April, Rachel Velder McGough will host her Second Semester of Handmade U near Omaha, and I'm so excited

to be teaching a fun doodling class during the weekend!

This intimate retreat held April 19-22 will take place

in Minglewood Lodge, where classes and meals will be held

and the majority of those attending will stay.

So cozy!

Registration for the event has just opened on

Rachel's blog.

On the Friday, my journaling buddy Michelle Geller will be teaching

a full-day bookmaking class called Stitched and Stashed.

In the morning we'll stitch our journals together,

using Michelle's fresh take on the Coptic binding technique.

During the afternoon, we'll add to our journals

with papers and ephemera from her wonderful stash and our own.

The next morning, in my doodling class called Doodle Ink,

we'll make a small sampler book and then practice the fine art of doodling!

More than just a mindless gesture, doodling in art journaling

can be a joyful form of stylistic drawing.

Starting with my tips about tools and process,

we'll approach doodling as a a serious but playful addition to one's pages,

including lettering, borders and frames, and stylized birds and flowers.

It will be all hands on!

In the afternoon, Rachel will teach her prize-ribbon class,

using her fantastic ribbons brought back from France!

I hope you're coming!

Please say yes!

p.s. By the way, I doodled this "Yes!" in response to another invitation

to participate in more doodle fun!

Hope to be able to tell you more soon.

happy thanksgiving to you

As I started setting the family table early this morning,

gathering pieces collected from making our home in so many previous places,

I was pleased to welcome a sunny day to celebrate this Thanksgiving.

Later, while I make the butternut squash soup to precede the turkey,

I'll add the place cards to the votive holders

filled with tiny cones from our hemlock tree.

And all day I'll be thankful for the blessings of a family that gathers,

some already here, some not yet here,

to give thanks together wherever we live.

I hope your day is shared with those you love!

time to get crafty for the holidays

After months of preparation, my sweet friend

Amy Powers' latest Inspired Ideas Christmas ezine

is now available, just in time to get crafty for the holidays.

With almost 2 dozen projects to choose from, there's certainly something new

and wonderful to add to your craft repertoire for this year's celebration.
And you can treat yourself to your own $3.99 copy right here.

Would you like a little preview of the contributors?
You'll find Tracey Fisher, Koralee Teichroeb, Mary Engelbreit, Matthew Mead,
Heidi Grace, Katie Runnels, Catherine Thursby, Sally Keller, Lynda Kanase,
Hope Ellington, Cherie Wilson, Molly Knox, Jone Hallmark,
Jerusalem Greer, Pat Wehmeier, and Rebecca Rehnquist.

And, as in Amy's previous Summer ezine, this Christmas ezine
also includes my doodled title frames and hand-scripted lettering.
Last spring, on the plane home from visiting Mary Englebreit in St Louis,
Amy and I were so excited over this idea
of adding a hand-drawn touch to her magazine.
Since then, we've been having lots of fun figuring out whom to "frame" and how.
I hope you enjoy this extra bit of craftiness meant to inspire you
as you decide which projects to tackle first.

rest, recover, resume

--Spanish proverb.

Do you, like me, occasionally need a reminder to sit still for a few minutes so you can settle your heart and appreciate the beauty around you?

harmony in autumn

--Percy Bysshe Shelley

a little penmanship practice on another cold and grey rainy day here in VA . . .

will the beautiful autumn colors still be there after these endless rainy days?

and if you're wanting to craft fall roses from some of those beautiful falling leaves,

go here for a photo tutorial.

the grandgirls' summer

Here's to the gift of remembering the pure joy of summer through one's granddaughters!

A few photos, from oldest to youngest (11 years, 9 years, and 6 weeks old).

our hearts are full

This weekend we remembered and repledged ourselves to live both with our history and for our future. Our hearts are full of sorrow and hope. At the top of my wish list is a visit to the beautiful memorial pools at the regenerated Twin Towers site, where state-of-the-art engineered waterfalls cry for us as we face our depths. And today we have the incredible gift of starting fresh, choosing again to build beauty.

These simple sketches were made using these magic tools here, which I just found this morning on a past post on Geninne's blog. With a little exploration, I quickly found the line options and color wheel but not yet the eraser. :) You, too, can take a moment to brighten your morning!


Note: The linked Mr. Doob tool page may look blank at first, but you'll see the short but sweet tool bar at the top. Just click on things and play around with it like I did. :)
.

shoring up for irene

We've been enjoying a concentration of family visits lately, with our beautiful new grand baby capturing everyone's heart. Wonderfully, our three sons and their families were all here with us in VA at the same time this week. Definitely a houseful. Then yesterday shimmered in the sun as we celebrated the passing of the last of our great-grands in a service at Gettysburg National Cemetery, followed by locally-made ice cream at Rakestraw's, our favorite for decades. So many family milestones have been accompanied by ice cream at Rakestraw's. Even our youngest's first "food" was their delicious strawberry ice cream; yesterday he enjoyed renewing the memory with a huge double-dipped nut-rimmed cone so generous that he could barely finish it. While our daughter, away on a month's assignment in Germany, missed both her 44th birthday and the service yesterday, her 12-year-old son became our photo journalist to record the event for her.

Today we're reining in the weekend festivities to accommodate hurricane Irene's arrival, grateful for all the good weather in recent weeks. The 5.8 earthquake briefly shook our afternoon plans on Wednesday, but now we're actually ready for a couple low-key days. Our oldest son's family has flown back to Martha's Vineyard to finish their summer; we hope they will be tucked in safely. Our middle son's return to St Maarten was delayed by the airlines from Monday to Tuesday, so we have him with us and his baby daughter for an extra day.

I'm posting this before our electricity goes out again and stays out. But as the weather and the visiting calm down, and we start trekking our grandson over to his school in MD for a couple more weeks, I hope to be back in my studio, zealously organizing. Many projects need doing, like sprucing up my latest finds (above): a library card catalog and a pair of large wood finials. Hope you are savoring your last lazy weeks of summer (if that is your climate) and energizing for fall.