~ Good Sunday afternoon to you ~

Happy Sunday! It is raining here in Massachusetts but we need it desperately. I feel bad for people (my mom, brother, Todd and my grandsons Sammy and Ben) who are at the beach for a week and NOW it is supposed to rain for four days in a row.

The vase of roses sit on the corner of my desk ... and help to keep me focused and inspired.

I am preparing items to put on my blog tomorrow but wanted to send you a couple of photos so you can see what it is I am doing. The angel greeting card is the 1st of many more to come.

Don't forget the next giveaway which will be featured Tuesday!!

Enjoy your day,
Marilyn

...and the winner is!

Congratulations to Stefanie from Rose Petals and Rust.

Stefanie ~ please send me your email address so I can put it in the mail for you tomorrow.

You can reach me at maranderson@aol.com.

Thank you all for participating and I will have another giveaway next Tuesday ~ August 24th.

Look what I found ...

I was cleaning out one of my closets and found my old sketch book, dating back to the mid-70's. I found one of John Denver (from the cover of one of his albums); a frog; some of Donald Duck (my kids were small back then) and this poor little sick mouse. I had actually scanned it in years ago and made a card out of it but never knew where the original was.

Yes, I am a pack-rat and save EVERYTHING. I have to admit I even have my kids baby teeth!!

Think I may do something with this on transfer cloth/paper!

Have a lovely weekend!
Marilyn

Places to Dream

Many an afternoon I sit in my living room working on different projects ~ and it has become a cheerful space to create and to dream.

There is only one window in the room but in Autumn I can see the leaves changing colors and in winter ... the snow falls softly (or heavily) on the church steeple that can be seen from my comfortable sofa. Early this summer there was a violent thunderstorm (with tornado warnings which is unusual for this area) and I have to say the show of lightning was spectacular.

I have only lived here a year but from the moment I moved in the corner next to that window belonged to an antique mahongony card table that I inherited from my grandparents. It is the "space" I have used to create vignettes for the different seasons. Now, as Mother Nature is bringing about its' subtle changes, the late afternoon sun sheds a faded glow in that corner of the room. Somehow the candles, lace, vintage books, different floral arrangements and antique bowls and vases have found a home there.

That quiet and cozy place is where I feel safe. It is warm and cozy and is a refuge from some of the harsh realities we all have to bear. We can all create our own beauty and I hope you have your own place to dream.

Enjoy your weekend.
Marilyn

This one was worth it!!!

...well, after threading my machine three times I finally managed to get it up and running. The thread broke when I was threading the bobbin so I took that apart and started all over again. I finished that feat and then threaded the needle which promptly got knotted up because I did it back to front instead of front to back. It is getting hot and humid here (again) and I was about ready to give up however ~ I had this gorgeous material I wanted to use to make another purse so I continued on. I layered the material when I noticed the darn thread came loose from the needle. Thankfully I had just begun to sew the first piece of fabric and quickly saw my mistake. Sometimes things go smoothly and other times ... it just goes. The finished piece came out much better than I had planned so perhaps there was a reason for all that madness.

The written word ....

I love to write letters. Yes, the computer does 'get there quicker' and in today's cyber world I guess that is important when you need to get a message off in a hurry; however (for me) there is nothing like going to the mailbox and receiving a card or letter with perhaps a photograph tucked inside; and then opening those folded papers to reveal the written word.

When scouring antique shops, flea~market malls and yes, even the local yard sale ~ I get so excited when I see a box of old letters. I can't get my hands on them fast enough. One time I was fortunate to find a small tattered box ~ with about a dozen letters tucked inside and a few photographs of 'unknown' people! What was even more thrilling was that about seven of those letters had been closed with sealing wax!

Their penmanship was elegant and the written words seemed to flourish with a style so personal that I almost felt as though I was invading their privacy. The handwriting was very expressive ~ the paper sensuous and you could be certain the person who wrote it ~ loved words!

Their desks were also a work of art. They were filled with beautiful handmade paper; jars of sepia ink; wooden letter boxes; leather bound dictionaries; pewter and rosewood letter openers; and numerous stamps to seal those envelopes.

Old letters not only tell the stories of past generations but the stamps and postmarks are just as revealing and intriguing.

Queen Victoria wrote to her beloved Albert; Colette (one of France's famous female writers); and of course the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen; and one of my favorite 20th century (true) letter writing story is by Helene Hanff in the books and movie '84 Charing Cross Road'.

What a legacy for your family. How beautiful to send and receive letters that pass along the day-to-day stories of our lives ... in the written word.

Have a lovely day!

The French Chateau Prayer Purse

Well, after finding some brocade fabric on sale at JoAnn's last evening ~ I hurried home to start my next Prayer Pouch. I finished up this morning and posted in my Etsy shop. The label was given to me by my friend Rhonda (thank you friend). (http://alittlebitfrench.blogspot.com)

Enjoy.

Cousins

Hello everyone and happy Monday to you all.

I'm in the studio working on some projects and then I will go to the sewing machine to see what I can create. It is a nice summer/dry day and I want to get some items finished before the 'muggies' come back to us on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Tracey sent me some photos she took on Saturday when Kris (my daughter-in-law) and she took the four boys to Salisbury State Reservation located in Massachusetts. The three cousins are Matthew (10), Sammy (7) and Tyler (7) and they really have a terrific time together. One photo shows them sitting next to each other at the ocean's edge looking out at the waves and all the people. The 2nd photo is them turned and looking at Tracey. I love it!!

Enjoy your day!
Marilyn

Happy August 1st

Happy August 1st ... it is beautiful day with little to no humidity and I've been uploading photographs, listing items in my Etsy shop and visiting other bloggers.

I was babysitting for my daughter on Friday and took some photographs (the Queen Anne's Lace) and another white wild flower but do not know the name of it ~ and I thought I would share them with you. Perhaps you know the name of the flower?

A new creation (Paris at Night) is in my Etsy shop and thought I would show it to you as well the Paris Vintage card.

Also, here is a photograph of my mom Ruth ~ who celebrated her 86th birthday last April.

Enjoy your day and visit again soon.