Carve your own Stamp Class.

Come learn to carve your very own stamp!

Wednesday April 7th, 6-8pm.

At the Alberta Street Collage Store.

Call 503.249.2190 for more info and to register.

I will teach you all the tricks of the trade!

This picture is from the last class...FUN!

Lino Printmaking Class.

I just got home from teaching Lino Printmaking.

It was an awesome group of women.

It was a full class, and we all had a blast!

If you missed it, come join me May 5th from 6-8pm,

at the Alberta Street Collage store for another session of fun!

Carving...

and Printing!

New Stamps.

Home sick with a cold.

Watching British dramas and carving stamps.

Felted Furry Fun.

I sat in on Maggie Kearns' Needle Felting class

at Collage a few weeks ago.

I hadn't ever really felted...it was SO MUCH FUN!

I made this little guy...I think he needs a name,

any suggestions?

I am teaching two more classes this month,

Lino Printing is full,but there is still room in

Recycled Stationary on March 31st

from 6-8pm at the Alberta Street store.

Visit the Collage blog for more info and sign on up!

An Award!

Wow! Diane just gave me this Award for my blog.

Thanks Diane!

Here are the rules for receiving this award:

1. Post an image of the award.

2. Thank the person who gave it to me.

3. Link to the person who gave it to me.

4. Tell ya'll 7 things about myself that you wouldn't know

5. Chose 7 great bloggers to give this award to.

6. Link to their blogs.

7. Leave them a message on their blog.

Sooo...here we go!

#1: I love chickens. I love how they sound,

I love their feathers, I love how they walk...I love them.

I used to have chickens...and my Mom was known to have said,

"I have Grand-Chickens!" We don't have chickens now,

but in a few years on the Dream Farm, we will.

#2: I also love eggs. I love the shape, the idea that something

can grow in a little shell, and plus chicken eggs are yummy.

Note I am not an adventurous egg eater, I only eat chicken eggs,

get those enormous Ostrich eggs away from me.

#3. I am a reluctantly joyful hiker.

My partner is an outdoors person.

She is always running, farming, gardening, and hiking.

She always asks me to come, and I do out of this sense of

wanting to be outdoorsy, but with a shadow of laziness

covering the whole thing. But once I am in nature,

I feel more alive than anywhere else,

even more than being in my studio.

I am SO lucky to have a motivated partner.

I have reluctantly but joyfully climbed South Sister.

(Of course motivated by my partner.)

#4. I am either crazy messy, or insanely clean.

Sometimes I don't let people in my studio, because it looks

like a paper bomb went off. And other times EVERYthing

is put away, labeled, tagged, sorted (by color), and in it's place.

#5. My mom is fantastic.

She loves to camp. She loves to garden.

She loves roses and sweet peas.

She loves to read fiction, poetry, and the morning paper.

She is wise, beautiful and kind.

I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

#5. I love to swing, but I hate heights.

#6. I don't like snakes. I do like tulips.

I like to take walks at dusk and spy in lit windows.

#7. And I am a little addicted to Halva.

Seven blogs I adore and award...

Go visit: Rachel Austin, Golly Bard, Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy,

The lovely Maya at Maya Made,

Abby Try Again (for colorful inspiration),

The Design Alphabet, and last but not least, Stephanie Levy!

Thanks to all these folks for their Art, Craft,

and fantastic blogging inspiration!

This Year's Calendar.

I am a planning kind of gal.

I like to know what I am doing, and when I am doing it.

So, I have used a calendar forever, tracking my movements

and activities. Last year I was overwhelmed with inspiration

by Geninne's Calendar. I am a frequent checker of her blog,

I mean with all her beautiful birds I would be a fool not to,

but her Calendar...a true delight.

So this year I drew out all the weeks, hand stamped

each day, date and month, and tada!... I have my own Calendar.

At the end of each week, I do a little sketch over the

"to do's" and "have dones." So far I'm in love.

Day Runner, I'm sorry, but I'm never coming back.

Remembering him.

Today was my Dad's Birthday. I like to remember him on this day,

and think about all the happiness, joy, beauty, laughter,

and adventure he brought into my life.

I am so grateful to have had such a terrific father,

even if for too short a time.

My parents grew Zinnias each year in front of our

old dilapidated greenhouse.

It was something colorful and spectacular to watch.

This image of me was taken around the time my father died.

I hope where ever he is filled with Zinnias,

Cosmos and Rainbow Chard.

I hope there are tomatoes growing big and red in the warm sun,

I hope there are oceans to be found,

and the perfect golden light for pictures to be taken.

"Far in the plots, I see him dig,

Old and serious, brown and big."

-Robert Louis Stevenson

A Spring Walk.

Have you ever smelled one of these amazingly fragrant Magnolia Trees?

I went on a little spring walk this weekend and popped my nose into this bud.

I am pretty sure it is the best thing I have EVER smelled...

And all the cherry trees make my heart do cartwheels,

backflips and even the splits, because spring is here.

And spring means color against the grey sky,

shoes with no socks, and creeping minutes of more daylight!