swappin with my swap sisters again!

the theme for this atc swap with my favorite art group is "winter wonderland". want to be a red lead swap sister? join the yahoo group today! right here!

so what's new?

I took a bit of a hiatus from Grace Filled Moments for the past month. It's been quite a month. We had a family emergency that turned our lives upside down for awhile... My brother-in-law had some surgery that ended up to be more than any of us bargained for, especially him. Thank you friends, for all of your prayers. He is still recuperating, and still has a ways to go.

As for me... art therapy has always been the best treatment for worry. I have had plenty of art to submerse myself in, as usual! The latest project I'm over-my-head-in is creating all things black and white for my annual craft show. Last year I had a "pink" theme, this year it's black & white. The show is right around the corner, and I have only just begun. I have pulled out of my stash every black and white do-dad that I could get my hands on and have been making braclets, pin cushions, tags, necklaces, pins, earrings and whatevers.

Some of these photos are of my bead table, some are pics from my jewelry cards. Batman & Robin I threw in there because it made me laugh! You gotta keep laughing... it's another one of the best treatments for worry...

swaps go out and swaps come in!

i recently participated in a "vintage circus swap". why? i have no idea! i'm not a "circus girl". but it was really fun! my partner Jules, is from australia, which made it really fun! look at the amazing lighted shadowbox she made for me! i wish you could see it in person, as the pic does it no justice. and all the other fun circus stuff too! i'll definately be wearing that clown nose!

i sent her the animal crackers tin with goodies and the "life is a circus" little hanging. i hope she likes it...it hasn't arrived yet...so no peeking, jules!

and then on my swap blog, we had an "altered tin swap". my partner leslie made this magnificent tin...it's even more lovely on the inside- check it out! she is really talented!

i sent her this "beach glass" themed tin because she loves the beach. i tried to fill it with some fun "beachy" stuff...i hope she likes it!

all done swapping for awhile... (but never for long!)

weekend finds

a few estate sales and a flea yielded a few retro keepers...my fav of course is the puppy dog planter! the magazines are from 1964!

silly

the atc challenge is: which Red Lead image are YOU? this is my favorite RL image, and i am quite short... so i decided to use it...and i think if i really was a fairy, i would for sure want to live in a button jar.

on the needles...

now that fall is nearing, i'm anxious to finish mary grace's orange sweater. it's been a work in progress for a long while and now i just have to finish the sleeves and it's ready to put together. she loves orange, and oh my goodness is it ever orange! ANOTHER reason i'll be glad when it's finished!

my favorite project right now, is this Noro cardigan i'm making for ME. yes, ME! i always make things to give away, so i'm really excited to be able to make and then (hopefully) wear this one! i love the colors!

...so anyway, that's what i've been up to. how about you? is anyone else working on anything fun? (not just knitting!)

busy busy busy

making atcs for a fun "artful holiday atc swap" with the red lead yahoo group

a sweet surprise in my mailbox!

look what my dear sweet sister sent me! what a surprise! i love the stacked button charm and the nurse's hat, and the adorable baby pic. i wore it the first day i got it. thanks, susie!

adding to the stash

yarn sale this past weekend here woo-hoo! mg & i met up with my friend heidi and waited in line with the other knitters for the noon door-opening frenzy. 75% off everything in the "bargain barn", 30% off everything else. from the bargain barn i got this funky chunky- enough for a scarf at least. then of course at 30% off, i couldn't resist a skein of the harry potter sock yarn in the lovely shade of "dumbledore" (God rest his soul). they also had "harry", "ron", "harry & ron", "tonks" & "lupin". (what about hermoine & molly i wonder?) my stash is beginning to take over my closet...may need to eliminate one of those pesky clothing rods and add a few more shelves...but i digress. heidi bought a few skeins of amazing noro sock yarn- she is sock-knitter extraordinaire btw... ahhh,a good time was had by all!

k3tog

oh how i love mondays! that's "knitting knight" for me. we knit. we eat cookies. we look at magazines. we gossip (just a bit) we laugh. alot. and we swap. this time we swapped knitting tschotske pins. look at these! first of all, the presentation always takes my breath away- they are ALWAYS too pretty to open.(that knitting print ribbon is a gift in itself!) OMG. i heart these pins and have already worn them. and i totally heart my knitting buddies. thanks, b & h!

A new swap!

visit my swap blog, A Swap For All Seasons for the details! I'm excited about this one- it's simple and sweet.

Remember These?

They were called "Liddle Kiddles" and they were tiny little dolls. Some came inside of a plastic locket, some in a perfume bottle. I remember wanting one for the longest time, and one day at "The Dime Store" (I think the name of the store was Kresge's) my mom must have had a little extra money and let me buy one. Gee I wish I still had it! They sell them on ebay now and I love to look through them to see if I can remember which one I had. Does anyone out there remember these??

tschotske swappin...

with the red lead yahoo group...must keep going and make a few more...

back to the trip pics...boys will be boys

One of the highlights of the vacation for Ed & the boys was our stop in Gettysburg. They are all Civil War buffs, and seeing the battle sights (the 3 hour car tour with audio cd commentary), getting out and exploring Little Round Top, Devils Den, and lots of other places they've read about and seen depicted in movies was thrilling for them. They walked around,talked, pointed, and climbed, and would get back into the car all excited, talking about the battle. (I got a whole lot of knitting done in the car that day!) But I thoroughly enjoyed experiencing this male bonding time that I know the 3 of them will never forget.

"antique ancestor" atcs

it's been awhile since i've made a set of atcs. i felt kind of rusty at it, actually. it was a good project for me- it really forced me to think outside of my usual "art box" since the guidelines for this particular swap were tight. this is a swap with the red lead yahoo group, and the quality of the atcs coming in really made me need to do my best work...not sure if this is it, but here is the finished set.

Abraham, Martin and John

"Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham? Can you tell me where he's gone? He freed alot of people, but it seems the good they die young... "

These pics are of the Lincoln Memorial, the Ford Theatre where President Lincoln was shot, the steps of the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the grand basin where Martin Luther King,Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, and the gravesite of John F. Kennedy and his immortal flame at Arlington National Cemetary.

what an incredible honor it was to stand in these sacred spaces.

heartwarming

the best thing about our vacation was having all the kids together. the boys enjoyed hanging out together in the evenings (until wee hours in the morning), and mary grace LOVED being with both brothers. i love this pic of her with justin on the metro- ed & I were sitting in the seat behind them. grace filled moments...

me & my kiddies

walking to the Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument...

trying to catch a glimpse...

we could only get close enough to see the back of the White House due to tight security, but it was still breathtaking! mary grace & I were hoping to see the faces of the girls looking out the window, but no such luck! this was taken at about 9pm as we were walking around dc... when all the buildings and monuments are lit up at night, it is just SO magnificant!

we're back...and look what we saw!

we just returned from vacation in washington dc. it was our first trip there (although the boys have been there before). what a site to behold! we were surrounded by the magnificance of our nation's history...what a vision of lovliness the capitol building is- both inside and out. it was an amazing trip...i'll share more pictures soon!

taking a little family roadtrip...

be back soon!

the birdcage

i have a few old birdcages that i've collected from estate sales...although i am afraid of real birds if they are up close and personal, i do love looking at them, and i love bird art. i also have this tendency toward "unique" collections. i love "kitschy" owls- you know, the ones from the 70's that were usually done in bad colors! many of my pals know of this collection, and always find just the perfect little owl to send me... as i was reorganizing my studio recently, i decided the owls needed a home...here are a few of them in their new digs.

more treasures

a few estate sales this morning...and a few fun finds! the dollie has a bit of a lazy eye and could use a fashion makeover...her name is mary...and of course i can't leave a pretty floral tin with a lid behind... the ornaments were too much kitschy fun to pass up...and then of course i hit the milinery motherload! my husband has long learned not to ask "what are you going to do with THAT?" i guess because he prefers i not ask HIM the same question!

more sweetness

mother's day sweetness from my sis- some pretty white hobnail glass, which i love! the perfume is called "flowers" and smells heavenly. aren't sisters great? they know just what you'll love!