inkybruSTUDIO

2012-01-19T19:57:00.000-06:00

Pat took this photo of us on the bridge and you can see all the locks that have been latched around the wire on the sides of the bridge. Lovers write their names on these locks and secure them to the sides of the bridge (supposedly for "everylasting love"). And once again we see Notre Dame in the background. :)

We were told that as the locks begin to completely coverthe wires, city workers cut them off of the wires and dispose of them. (so much for "everlasting")

Pat took a close up of these. (All these photos courtesy Pat Rogerson).

More Window Shopping

2012-01-19T18:33:00.000-06:00

Pat took this photo of these interesting teapots. They really have that Asian look. In fact, when I ordered tea in one of the tea shops, the teapot they brought out was similiar to these.

Pat also took this photo. These mannequins were in the souvenir shop we visited earlier in the day. Very interesting.

Here's some more of those adorable items. These are tart spatulas. Cute little doggies, huh? LOL

These are tweezers and a compact mirror. Just the cutest!

Window Shopping

2012-01-19T18:05:00.000-06:00

I thought these make-up brushes were adorable! We had so much fun window shopping......almost as much fun as actually buying things. (almost! LOL)

The cheese graters were just too cute, too. If I had one, I probably would not want to use it! ")

Wow! I can't image making this necklace! Look at all the cabachons!

The earrings to go with these necklaces looked like they weighed a pound apiece!

I don't know if these medallions were pins or just an ornament, but the colors were so very pretty.

Eating on the I'ile

2012-01-19T13:06:00.001-06:00

Judi is standing in the doorway of the most famous ice cream parlor in Paris. It is also on the ile Saint Louis. Right behind her you can see a large, magnificent bouquet of flowers on a stand as you enter the shop.

In this photo Pat took of me, you get a better view of the bouquet.

This is a triple dip ice cream. I chose almond, choc. chip, and tiramisu. A curved, thin almond wafer stands at the back of the bowl to showcase this delicious dessert. Well worth the visit! We did not have to stand in a line to get in as most guide books will tell you is often the case. In fact, the shop was not full at all and this was a Saturday afternoon.

The waitress graciously took this photo of us. We had such a wonderful time together.

This is such a beautiful restaurant on the ile, and no, we did not eat here. Photo courtesy of Pat Rogerson.

On Saint Louis L'ile

2012-01-19T12:10:00.001-06:00

(I meant for this to be the last photo on this post. Guess I'm going to have to contact Blogger to see what's going on) Here you see Judi and I emerging from the shop with our little sacks full. <**>

I love the street signs in Paris! This, of course, is in the 4th Arrondissement and on the ile of Saint Louis (San Louie).

This was a wonderful stationery/paper shop. We had not been in one up to this point. There were so many gorgeous things inside..............wish I had taken some photographs inside.

Out and About

2012-01-19T11:48:00.000-06:00

Pat, Judi and I went to the Arabic Institute after we left the group. These windows are made up of individual camera lenses to adjust the light coming into the building.

Pat took this photo of Judi and I as we were looking across the city. We were on the rooftop of the Arabic Institute. They have a restaurant with a terrace that overlooks the city. It has a nice view of the Seine River.

I love this photo of Judi and Pat! You can tell it was quite windy up there by looking at Pat's hair.

It seems that almost anywhere in our neighborhood, we were able to tak wonderful photos of Notre Dame. I really like this view of it.

Our Last Saturday in Paris

2012-01-19T10:54:00.002-06:00

This is the group going up the hill from the hotel to the Maubert flea market.............duckies in a row! LOL This will be our second Saturday to visit this flea market.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-19T10:10:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's already the middle of January 2012! Where does the time go? It seems that I have started the new year at a run. It's been three weeks since I've posted anything. I'm hoping to finish the Paris trip the next day or so. Look at these lovely tags! These are from Sandy Gordon. You must go to her site a see all the beautiful artwork she has. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that your new year is going great for you.

Saturday morning.............

2011-12-26T07:18:00.000-06:00

Wow! Pat and I look like we had a late night Friday! We were up and ready to go back to visit some of the flea markets close by our neighborhood.

Here we go.............duckies in a row! Pat would lead out and look back occasionally to see if all her duckies were following along. LOL

Just havin' some fun! We were in a typical touristy souvenir shop and Pat spied the purple beret that matched her scarf. I spotted the purple sunglasses and gave them to her for this fun photo!

Purchasing our supper

2011-11-29T19:26:00.003-06:00

Here is Judi coming out of the bakery with her goodies for supper in the garden. I am paying for mine at the cashier at the door. We usually bought a quiche, a sandwich, a salad or a piece of pizza when we were dining at "home". ")

These are French macaroons. ummmmmmmmmmmmmm! Not only pretty, but delicious. They are so chewy.

Look at all the sweets! We always had a hard time trying to decide what to sample next.

We thought we would try this beautiful strawberry cake the next night, but, alas, it was gone.

Famous Paintings in the Louvre

2011-11-29T18:11:00.001-06:00

How tiny she seems in this vast room! Also, the protective glass around her seems to add to her diminutive state. I always think of this painting as very large.....even though I have read how small it is (30in X 21in) compared to so many portraits of this era. But there she is in all her beauty..............and it was very difficult to get to the front of the crowd to get a phto without dozens of heads in my view finder. ")

Just the opposite of the previous painting, this one was so large (approx 22ft X 32ft/or 276in X 391in) and so full of activity. I had to really look for a spot to hold my camera above all the visitors to the masterpiece. I was so suprised that it turned out as well as it did. We were not allowed to use a flash on these two photos. I cannot imagine the time and patience it took to paint each individual at this wedding feast plus adding the details of the buildings and the utensils, and instruments......whether utilitarian or musical. A fasinating work.

The Louvre

2011-11-29T17:52:00.001-06:00

Judi walking past the street lights and that gorgeous fence.

Here you see the glass pyramid constructed by the famous I.M. Pei. It is so beautiful with the sunlight shining through it. We did not get to see it all lit up at night, but everyone said it truly is a beautiful piece of art when seen at night.

Here you see Judi at the bottom of the stairs that leads up past the Winged Victory of Samothrace and on to De Vinci's Mona Lisa and Veronese's The Wedding Feast at Cana.

2011-11-29T13:30:00.002-06:00

On to the Louvre

2011-11-29T12:41:00.002-06:00

I don't know why these photos posted out of order........oh, well, this is the Gate of the Lions entrance into the Louvre Museum. The Lion are quite regal.

This man was set up at the end of the bridge that crosses over just up from the Orsay Museum. He had quite a "band" at his disposable....and he sang! He was really good with all the instruments and had a really nice voice. Notice the top hat sitting in front of him for tips. ")

Here is a closer view of him as he plays the trumpet, drums and melody on the accordian.

This is the beautiful fence around the museum. As we walked through the park toward the museum, the fence and light posts were dazzling in the sunlight.

A Grand Time at the Orsay

2011-11-27T18:44:00.000-06:00

Catherine and Dale Moore.......what a great time we had with them as we dined in the restaurant in the Orsay Museum. Catherine was so encouraging to me as our group made plans to make the trip to Paris. She gave me many tips and links to help with our planning. How wonderful to meet her in person! (and a million thanks to Dale for our little transaction!)

A very cherished photo for me. ")

This is our art group....missing only Miss Minori who was not able to join us from Japan. (It was an emotional time for me when it was time to part from Sara and Kimberly.)

Miss Z.............I see such creativity here. I have been able to chat with her online and would like to get to know her better and see some more of her art. Great to meet you, Z!

Luscious food in the Orsay Restaurant....

2011-11-26T13:45:00.001-06:00

Cheesecake with strawberry sauce.

This was wonderful! The pasta salad with fried salami, cheese slices and basil topped off with a little pesto. ummmmm!

Scrumcious chocolate cake and sweet cream sauce.

Reunited with Friends at the Orsay...

2011-11-26T13:21:00.001-06:00

Here are Judi and Pat talking to Catherine. I wish I could remember the names of the other ladies in her group. (so sorry!) Kimberly Hanlon is at the far right across from Catherine and Jan.

Here I am with Susan and Sara. Sara and I had actually met in an art group that Susan and Judi were also in at Tejas Stamps in Collinsville in 1999.

Here is dear Kimberly. She and Sara feel like family to Sharla and I. Sharla and Kimberly had barely met when the Hanlons had to move to Minneapolis. Kimberly is a very creative young lady. She has a degree in fashion design and later went back to get her law degree. Her law firm is now in Minneapolis. I have a bear that Kimberly made while living here in Tulsa. ") (Mr. Sammy Bear)

Orsay Museum

2011-11-26T12:52:00.002-06:00

Our day at the Orsay Museum was to meet Catherine Moore and her group that were in Paris the same week as we were. In fact, Catherine is the reason for our smaller group to be there. I had seen her advertisement for her 2011 Artists' Workshop in Paris..........I had purchased the magazine in March of 2010. I immediately called my friend Sara and suggested that some of us sign up for it. She told me that she and her daughter Kimberly had already signed up and that I should call Catherine immediately. Sorry to say, her roster was already full. She had started a cancellation stand-by list and put me on it. In the meantime, I talked to Pat Rogerson in England and Susan Wilkin here in Oklahoma. Soon we were saying, "Why not form our own group to go?" and we ended up with our group of six. Here is Jan in the dining room of the Orsay. We had lunch with Catherine's group and were able to meet the women in her group......well, and two men.....two of the husbands came, one being Dale Moore....Catherine's husband.

Here is Susan sitting by Sara Hanlon at the other table. Sara and Kimberly had recently moved to Minneapolis due to Kimberly's acute broncchial asthma.

Susan, Jan and Barb waiting on the rest of us to leave for the Orsay Museum.

Sorry this is taking so long................

2011-11-26T11:31:00.000-06:00

I am having difficulty working with my hands.......I am afraid I have arthritis settling into them. I
can't seem to work very long without them hurting dreadfully. Some days I just can't type at all and
cutting and painting are becoming difficult. I take a daily glucosamine with chondroitin and it is helping. Lord willing, I will be able to work more the longer I am on this. Thanks for your patience and your comments to me about this adventure I was able to take. ")

La Labrouette

2011-11-14T10:45:00.001-06:00

Ahhhhhhh, creme broulee......we had it several times, but here it was the creamiest and most flavorful.

Judi really enjoyed it, too! ") We had also had a wonderful onion soup, which we had tried at other restaurants, but not as thick and tasty as here. I highly recommend this little spot to anyone visiting Paris in the Latin Quarter.

A pretty smile from Pat..............what a great help she was to us constantly on this trip. How nice to finally meet an "online" friend and find them to be exactly in person as they seem online. A great friend, indeed!

Pat took this photo of the Labrouette Cafe in the day time. How different it seems at night...... of course, it's very busy then. ")

(The end of our 6th day.......how, sad.....half our trip over and so much more we wanted to do and stretch out our time with one another.)

La Droguerie

2011-11-14T09:07:00.001-06:00

Talk about eye candy! This little shop in Les Halles was chocked full of sweets from wall to wall and end to end. ") Jan, Barb, Judi and I made the trek from the Eiffel Tower to Les Halles by Metro and were not disappointed. Pat and Susan had already been to the shop and clued us in on this little jewel. As you can see, I brought a sampling of things home with me.

The selection of velvet butterflies was scant.....the little bowl was nearly empty..... especially of the smaller ones. I sent some of the red rose ribbon to our friend Minori in Japan who did not get to join us on our trip.

Also sent to Minori were some of those darling buttons. The tiny-tucked salmon colored ribbon is one of my favorites.

The beautiful floral bias tape binding was made up in bracelets in the store. They would measure off a piece, slide a charm or two onto the piece and sew bracelet closures onto the ends. They were so unique. Guess what I'm going to be doing with it??? ") (Minori also received some of this from me.)

This photo is courtesy of Pat Rogerson who was smart enough to take a photo of the sign....... not so moi!

Coming down from the tower.............

2011-11-08T19:49:00.000-06:00

Here you see Judi, Barb and Jan as we are waiting for the next lift to go back down the tower.

We were packed into the lift like sardines. ") I could barely see Judi on the other side of the car.

The bus and cars look like toys below us as they go down the street.

The top of the ever present carousel. They really are pretty but give these historic sights such a "Disneyland look".

From the Air................

2011-11-08T19:34:00.000-06:00

I wish I could tell you the sections of the city that you will see in these photos, but my geographical knowledge of the city of Paris is almost nil. You can see how hazy it was that day. It was most likely a high ozone alert day as it got much worse as they day went on.

Above is a beautiful view of the River Seine. I think that may be the Academy below........

These gorgeous gardens are around the Eiffel Tower.

On the Ground at Eiffel Tower.....

2011-11-08T18:54:00.000-06:00

These soldiers were fully armed with automatic guns as they roamed the grounds and the crowds.There were several pairs of them around the Tower.

All of just had to capture this shadow with our cameras. It was almost noon and if we had waited about another 15 minutes, we most likely would have had a straighter shadow.

Ah, The Eiffel Tower................

2011-11-08T18:44:00.000-06:00

Hhmmmmm, these loaded backwards.......... I was standing directly under the tower as you can tell. What I really wanted to do was lie down directly in the center of the four legs of the tower and take the photo looking up..................just too many people in the way! LOL

My friends Judi, Jan and Barb.

See, just a few people out on this sunny day to go to the top of the tower and have a look around Paris. We were there fairly early and only had to stand in line close to an hour.........we had heard the horror stories of how people how stood in line 2-3hrs to get tickets. We considered ourselves very fortunate indeed. ")

This is the photo I took of the tower when we first arrived.
I uploaded it first and don't know why it loaded last. ??

River views......

2011-11-07T10:48:00.000-06:00

Troubled times..................

2011-11-07T10:28:00.000-06:00

These are the towers where Marie-Antoinette was kept until she was taken to the guillotine.

The towers are covered with a "screen" now as the outside is being cleaned.

This is now a hospital.

The tall obelisk behind the trees is a marker to show where the guillotine was placed and used during those dark days.

Here's lookin' at you, kid.................

2011-11-07T09:56:00.002-06:00

Isn't this fantastic! What a great advertisement.......for what?.............I don't know.....but I love it! As the boat goes by the eyes look as though they follow you.

See..............there she goes "lookin' at you"! LOL

Sights along the Seine

2011-11-07T09:45:00.000-06:00

Our closest view of the Eiffel Tower yet. Judi, Jan, Barb and I took a trip to the tower later in the week.

Another one of the carousels........evidently an attraction close to any of the major sights. I'm sure lots of locals go there just to give their children a day out and a ride on the double-decker amusement.

This is a broader view of the cityscape along the Seine.

Love the tops of these rotundas and those little teapot -like knobs on top. ")

Along the Seine...............

2011-11-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

What a varied skyline................I was so wowed by all the windows, roofs, turrets, etc. I probably missed a lot along the way, but this is what interested me.

Isn't this incredible?! Love those chimneys.....and those tiny round windows to the attic rooms. All that decorous trim makes it look more like a cake.

In between these two buildings sits the tiniest house in Paris......two rooms. ")

Marvelous structure! I especially like that the end building has a curved roof line. I really like the shorter building to the right, too.......more of the old-French architecture.

Crusin' down the Seine....

2011-11-04T13:05:00.000-05:00

Wed. evening Pat, Jan, Judi, Barb and I took the cruise down the Seine River. What a marvelous opportunity for taking some great pics of many of the sights around Paris.

There are many great styles of architecture in the buildings standing on both sides of this river. This same style is seen on the Ile de la Cite.

Bridges, bridges, bridges.............I couldn't believe all the various styles of bridges that cross this river in the city proper......crossing over to Ile de la Cite and Ile Sainte Louis, of course.

Scarves, scarves and more scarves....

2011-11-04T12:27:00.000-05:00

Susan and Pat found this beautiful shop in the neighborhood and we all just had to go shop there. On our day out, Judi and I each bought a scarf. The colorful array of scarves lined up on the walls was such great eye-candy. You can see some of the just beyond Judi and the cashier.

Look at this chandelier in their shop! It was so perfect for them. The colors really blended well with all their scarves and jewelry.

St. Etienne Church

2011-11-03T08:02:00.000-05:00

This church was a few block up the hill from our hotel and very near the Pantheon. The stained glass windows were magnificent. I was pleased that I was able to capture this one in such detail. (A full view of the church can be seen on Wikipedia: Saint-Etienne-du-Mont). This church actually started as a chapel around 1222 but was soon too small to hold all the worshippers and visitors due to all the surrounding colleges being built in that area.....the Sorbonne being one of them. An enlargement was done 1328 but still not large enough. The monks donated land for a new church in 1492. To read more of the history of this amazing building see the Wikipedia article.

I could find no documentation of these beautifully carved bannister walls and panels that led up the stairs.

What an amazing lectern! I have seen these in churches in Wales, but none so intricately done as this one. Such a masterpiece.....but, again, I could find no documentation on the artist(s).

The crypt of St. Genevieve...the patron saint of Paris. Also entombed here are: Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine.

A day out for Judi and Sharon

2011-10-29T19:58:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm afraid this is where it all started......the slowly unfolding revelation of Judi's addiction......this was just the first time I was to see it on this trip.

Yep, a shoe fetish........there's more to come!

We had more or less set Wednesday aside to rest or venture out.......each to chose for themselves. Judi and I decided we would get more acquainted with our neighborhood and do a little shopping.

Leaving Versailles..............

2011-10-29T19:46:00.001-05:00

Here's Jan at the foot of the stairs coming out of the apartments. The diamond shaped flooring (known as "Versailles pattern") was the waiting area for those wanting to see the king or queen. They could not go up the stairs until they were summonded.

Here is Pat, Barb and Jan as we are leaving the palace. The photo below shows one of the wings of the palace.

Ah, the golden gates. ") I'm sure at one time they really were covered with gold. Finally off those cobblestones......very easy to turn your ankle on those.....it felt like we were trying to cross a creek. Susan had to be especially careful of her ankle.

The Opera House and Chapel at Versailles

2011-10-29T19:28:00.000-05:00

I took several photos in the Opera House, but it was so dark they didn't take. Almost all the opera house has been reconstructed because it was so wrecked by the people during the revolution who came in and tore things out to take back to Paris with them.

I was barely able to snap this photo of the chapel as we left. It had been so crowded when we came in that it was impossible to get a good photograph. Now it was time for Versaille to close.

Windows, doors and art....

2011-10-29T19:03:00.000-05:00

This was the first round window to be put into any building in France. I love the work around the window.

These really tall windows are as big as doors. You know why? Because it's so hot in Paris in the summer (esp. August) and there's no air conditioning! It was the end of September when we were there and it was miserable. The humidity was as high as the temps. I'm telling you, it was a two-shower day every day. ")

There were portraits in almost every room and paintings on the ceilings. Everytime I tried to take a photo of the ceiling, someone would bump into me and knock me around and my picture would end up blurry. It was incredibly crowded. Pat has been several times and she said it didn't matter what day she's gone, it's always been that crowded. I'm sorry, but I can't remember who the ladies are in these portraits. I'll have to do some research and edit this post later.

This set of doors (sorry for the tilt :) was in Marie Antionette's room, but there were many sets of doors like this throught the apartment.

Gardens at Versailles

2011-10-29T18:27:00.000-05:00

I had really wanted to tour the gardens, but there were hardly any blooms left. So I just took photos from the windows of the palace as I toured it. ")
This small pond is part of the fountains when they are on...............only on weekends.......

This larger pool has numerous fountain spigots as you can easily see in the cernter of it.

I love the layout of this pool and the longer one further down in the garden. Louis XIII started the gardens about 1632 by appointing Claude Mollet and Hilaire Masson to work on the planning of these beautiful gardens. By the 1660's, Louis XIV had appointed Andre Le Notre to make additions. And then later, Louie Le Vau to plan the Orangerie, which allowed the palace to have oranges even in winter.

I love this heart-shaped bed. Too bad all the blooms were gone. I'm sure it is quite gorgeous when all the flowering plants are in high season.

These little cone shaped trees look like little soldiers standing in a row. Everything about these gardens are so symmetrical and so manicured.

Room at Versailles

2011-10-29T14:42:00.001-05:00

This is the state dining room. Kings and queens from around the world were invited here to dine with the kings Louis and their queens.

This is the bed where the kings slept. This one is in the bedroom. There was another bed closer to the chamber where important decisions were being made and the king could be summoned from his sleep if his signature was need immediately.

This is the bed of the queens. Chambers for her ladies-in-waiting were close by so they could be at her majesties bidding.

It was amazing how much gold and gold leafing was used throught the palace during the reigns of these kings.

This is the breakfast room for the king and queen. Naturally this room was close to their bed chambers. Only those closest to the king or queen were allowed to enter during their meal. The small red velvet covered seats lined up in the forefront were reserved for those invited into the breakfast room.

This is the famous Hall of Mirrors. The windows and the chandeliers reflecting in that wall of mirros really make for a room filled with light. The gardens seens from these floor-to-ceiling windows are beautiful to look at. The gardens had already finished with their beautiful array of blossoms by the time we visited.

Objects of interest...............

2011-10-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

The Bureau de Roi (the king's desk) was commissioned by Louis XV and started by Jean-Francois Oeben. He started constructing the desk in 1760. Oeben died before finishing the desk. Jean Henri Riesener married Oeben's widow and finished the desk in 1769. It is covered with intricate marquetry of various woods. Louis XV and XVI carried out their daily kingly duties at this desk. It was taken to the Louvre when Louis XVI and Marie Antionette when taken during the French Revolution and stayed there until the 20th century when the Louvre returned it to the Palace at Versailles.

Chandeliers such as these decorate the rooms and halls throughout the palace. These lead crystal chandeliers were made in the north Bohemic region, known today as the Czech Republic. Glassmaking in that area had been greatly treasured since the fourteenth century.

This is another of the scientific inventions that Louis XIV had brought to Versaille. It is one of the first to measure barometric pressure.

Versailles at last!

2011-10-29T13:29:00.000-05:00

We had tickets for a 2:00PM tour. When we finally reached Versailles, it was about 10 minutes before the hour. We tried to get a taxi to take us up to the palace, but he refused. Pat ran ahead (literally, and it was another of the UPHILL runs) to try to catch the tour for us and to see if they would wait for all of us to get there. When she got there, the tour had just left. Another guide ran ahead to stop the tour for us. After we all got there, this lady also brought all of us a drink of water. We must have looked like a ragged bunch!

Louis XIV was well known for his patronage of the arts and that especially included the sciences. There are many scientific examples in the palace at Versailles. This clock not only told the time but also the month, day of the week, and the year. The globe on top also showed the phases of the moon and the astrological signs.

this is a close up of the date mechanism. Notice all the gold? Wonder why there was a revolution?

Off to Versailles!

2011-10-29T12:48:00.001-05:00

We finally made it onto the RER (trains going out of Paris).....after many, many steps in the Metro to get to our designated platform. I've never seen so many stairways!

Susan and I were often behind.....the last little duckies in the line. ") She has had ankle surgery and I have COPD. Needless to say, some of the walking uphill and up and down so many stairs was exhausting for us.

Jan also looks very happy to have made it on the train! LOL These photos are courtesy of Barb Wenkel. Thanks, Barb!

Well, this ride only lasted about 15 minutes.......there was an accident and they shut down the RER for several hours. We had to backtrack to find a Metro line that would take us all the way out to Versailles.

AND THE WINNER IS................................

2011-10-29T12:29:00.000-05:00

..............Jan White!!! Jan has won the copy of Stampington's newest magazine: MINGLE! Congratulations, Jan! This magazine will be coming to you in the mail next week. Thanks so much to you and your friends that participated in this contest.

Street Artists in Monmarte

2011-10-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

The artist at this stand (in the grey striped shirt seated behind the display) did lovely pen and ink drawings and then watercolored on them. They were very pricey (100s of euros). So, I found some in a shop (copies of course) and bought them and will watercolor on them......eventually. :)

I was not particularly fond of this artist's mono colored cityscapes, but thought he had some nice store fronts canvases. But they were 300-400 euros. I may have to try to enlarge those and try my hand with some acrylics to see if I can come up with something similiar.

More at Sacre Couer...

2011-10-27T17:01:00.000-05:00

There were so many steps left to climb that we ended up taking the cable car to the top.

And the first thing we saw was this carousel...... and a double-decker at that. ") all the carousels we saw in Paris were two levels.

Going to Montmarte

2011-10-27T16:24:00.001-05:00

I didn't think we would ever reach Sacre Couer! We just kept climbing stairs! When we would get to the top of that set, another one awaited us!

As close as this looks, there are still hundreds of steps to climb.

A little fun at the flea market...

2011-10-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

Judi had seen this purse at one of the vendors just outside the Puces St. Ouen and the man tried to sell it to her for 15euros. She put it back and we went to mail our postcards. When we came back, she looked at it again. He was not at the table when we walked up, but saw her from another booth. He came running up and said, "Ah, you came back!" She began to haggle with him, trying to get him down to 10euros. Finally he said, "Oh, poor African man" and Judi said, "Oh, poor American woman"! He finally gave in and let her have it for 10euros. ")

Jan had been looking for a beret and found this at one of the vendors outside the market. She had fun trying on the hats.

Letters home.......................

2011-10-25T19:55:00.001-05:00

Judi and I mailed our postcards home on Monday before we left Clignancourt. I have a thing about postcards and gone a little crazy buying them..... some to send home and some to put in my collection. I think I ended up writing and sending about 40 postcards (2 to my honey "). That was a lot of writing! But I love to write and was writing in my travel journal every night, too.

Notice the graffiti on the post box.

More from Puces St. Ouen flea market (Clignancourt)

2011-10-25T19:43:00.001-05:00

We had lunch at the flea market. We had been told that there might be gypsies entertaining us at this cafe. (The guide book I used also had that bit of information.) Our floor show was this lady who crooned away while we ate our lunch and then tried to hawk her CDs while we were finishing up. ")

Clignancourt flea market..............

2011-10-25T19:18:00.000-05:00

Barb took this photo of Jan and I digging through these trays of brass charms. Our hands were black when we finished! We did learn very quickly though to read the difference in centimes and euros! We thought many of these were 50cents and they were 5euro apiece! So we had to go back through everything we thought we wanted and dwindle down our haul. We found some really nice bicycle and fan charms. I ended up with a beautiful clown face.....can't remember who found that one (Judi or Jan?). These were some of the greatest times we had......digging through boxes or piles of items to find things to add to our artwork. ")

Clignancourt......the largest flea market in Paris...............

2011-10-24T15:37:00.000-05:00

Jan, Judi, Barb and Pat at the stalls in the flea market. We actually walked past several vendors set up on the sidewalk outside the flea market. This is actually one row after another of storage units......some have even installed glass fronts to make their stall look like a little store. These rows are not in military order...........they are haphazard and the alley ways between them are numbers to keep you from getting lost. There is also a map for you to use. ")

Here Judi, Jan and Barb are searching the little boxes for any treasures they can find. Lots of goodies here, but most were very expensive.

I thought this little row of Donald Ducks was so colorful.........and the cycle bands were a perfect color to pair with them.

The Antique Books market

2011-10-24T13:56:00.000-05:00

This antique book market was held at a park (Brassens?).....it was under two separate covered areas with a space in between where people came to sit and watch their children play and ride bikes. This is another market that we visited twice. The first time I found two small books: Van Gogh (not too old....1950) and a postcard book of the art of Toulouse-Lautrec (C.1990).....not antique books, but little treasure for me. ")

The Flea Market at Vanves

2011-10-24T13:04:00.000-05:00

We rode the Metro and then walked several blocks to get to the Vanves flea market. It was basically up and down both sides of a sidewalk........a very long sidewalk. ") We saw everything there....and it is not nearly as large as Clignancourt. We visited this flea market twice and ended up with such a variety of goods. The first trip we found a lady selling really old postcards (and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE postcards......postcards were the bulk of my purchases in Paris.....old and new postcards). I passed up buyin an old book of poetry and some of the others passed up things that we all later wished we had bought. Thus, the second trip. ")

Here we are waiting at the corner for Jan and Barb who are taking our photo. (Fiddle! I thought you could see the street sign pointing to the Vanves flea market :( ). It was HOT standing out there in that sun! LOL The humidity was horrible while we were there......most days were "two-shower days". ")

The Metro.....

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On the Metro to the flea market! We had visited a flea market nearby the day before at Maubert. Sunday we took off on the Metro to Vanves. We also wanted to go to the old book market in that area. Pat looked like the mother duck getting us all through the metro station and gates. ") But, we all made it through.....some of us after two tries at the gate. ")

Dining out

2011-10-24T09:55:00.000-05:00

This was our first sidewalk cafe dining experience. Susan was the only one not present. We had done so much walking on our first day that her ankle was really giving her a lot of pain. She decided to stay in her room and rest it. (She has had surgery on it a few times and has to be very careful with it.)

Hotel Des Grande Ecoles From the Street

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This is the street in front of the Hotel Des Grande Ecoles........as you can see from the hotel sign. It is uphill all the way!

After entering the gates, a cobblestone drive leads you up to the top where you encounter the garden and to the left is the main hotel lobby and office. To the right is the Garden Bldg. (I never heard what they called the two buildings that flank the drive.)

This is one of the gates (doors) that are closed at night. To get back in one has to put the device attached to the room key up to the electronic reader next to the gate. When it buzzes you can open the door and get in. These doors are massive. Notice the keypad and key reader to the right of the door. Also the handle on the door.

Jan and Barb's room......

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Jan and Barb had a room on the top floor. It was a long narrow room and their window opened out over the garden. Their room came with a fan because there was definitely no "flow through" of a breeze up there. I show you their room because after the first day or two our maid did not put the bedspreads on again.......because we took them off every night and folded them up and placed them in our chairs. No sense in putting them on if we were only to take them off again, huh? ") The beds look very pretty with the spreads on, but they were crocheted and those little knots drove us nuts when we wanted to sit on our beds. Look how neat those girls were!

(Photos courtesy Barb Wenkel)

In the Garden..........

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This is another view of the garden at the hotel. This area is to the left of the door at the front of the hotel. I believe the hotel has 50 rooms, so you can see they have lots of seating outside. There is also a dining room inside. The weather was so nice in the mornings and the evenings that we always sat outside.....breakfast in the mornings, supper or just visiting in the evenings.

Here is Pat coming over from the Garden Bldg. Her room was on the top floor and Susan's room was down one floor directly under Pat's room. (Doesn't she look ready to lead her little duckies on a tour?! We threatened several times to make her a little flag to hold up as she led us around Paris. ") What would we have done without her?......not as well, I think! Thank you, Pat, for putting up with us! Love you!)

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The windows in our room (Judi and Sharon) were very tall skinny windows......OPEN all the time because there it was very hot and stuffy......no air conditioning. About 2AM it would cool down and we could sleep under a cover. ") Sometimes we even opened the door to our room to encourage a draft or draw of air through the windows and the room. It was such a surprise to some of neighbors in the adjoing room. LOL But, all in all, they would just smile and say good day or Bonjour. (We never left it open at night, of course!) The view from the window was across a private drive into the apartments you can see. We had some interesting views from this window. Every morning an old man would come out on his patio and draw or proof read a manuscript (well, that's our story, anyway! LOL). On school days the sounds of children skipping, laughing and talking would draw us to the window to see them being escorted by fathers/mothers down the drive and through the gate. The school was close by for we could hear the children in the day time playing on the grounds and also hear the school bell ring. Late at night we could hear the revelers from the local pubs/resteraunts as they laughed, talked and sometimes argued on the street just outside the drive gate.

Our room number was 106 and we had a very short hallway with a door to close it off......which we always left open. Occasionally one of our neighbors would close it, but not often.

This is the man on the patio to the left of our window. He was there every morning....very diligent on his work.

Hotel Des Grande Ecoles

2011-10-21T07:11:00.001-05:00

Susan, Jan and Barb waiting in the garden for everyone else to be ready to go out for another fabulous walk or adventure on the Metro. Below is a view of the front of the hotel. The office is just inside the door. Judi and I were on the second floor and Jan and Barb were on the top floor of this building. Susan and Pat were across the garden in the Garden Building. (The apartments you can see in the background just over Barb and Jan's heads were actually across a private drive that was under the window in our room (Judi and Sharon).

Looking at journals.............

2011-10-20T14:15:00.000-05:00

In the evenings, we would gather

in the garden at the hotel and look at journals, visit and sometimes eat. ") This night we were looking at the journals everyone made to bring with them. Some (like mine) were very simple with pockets for stashing little goodies (like used Metro tickets, receipts, business cards and tags from clothing, scarves, shoes, etc). I also had enough pages to write a little recap of our day before going to bed each night. Pat had a rather elegant one with a material covering. She was adding pictures and ephemera each day. It was great to sit and discuss the different styles we had used and also to discuss what projects we might launch into in the coming year.

Photographer at work.....

2011-10-20T10:09:00.001-05:00

Judi was trying to get a good shot of Notre Dame from this side of the river. We found that we could get a great picture of Notre Dame if we were standing near the bookstalls. You can see Barb's back as she searches the bookstalls for something to catch her eye........and not the pocket book! ")

Treasure found!

2011-10-20T10:03:00.000-05:00

Here is Pat showing off her treasure that she purchased at the bookstalls. She is the Queen of Unburied Treasures! (Of course, it might helps to know exactly what you're looking for!) I think I was so excited to actually be in Paris that I was trying to look at everything at once and not focusing on a particular item. It took me a few days to settle down to some idea of what I really wanted to find at bookstalls/flea markets. And, then, there were so many shops to look into! I was sad we were only going to have 9 days to wander through the streets to discover buried treasures.

Bookstalls on the Bridge

2011-10-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

These bookstalls have been on the bridge for centuries. Some families have been renting the same one for 100yrs or longer. There are some very pricey books, papers, prints, etc., but there are also bargains to be found. And, of course, there are the usual touristy trinkets among the treasures, too. You can see Jan's back as she looks over the wares of the sellers.

Notre Dame

2011-10-19T16:01:00.000-05:00

This reknowned church needs no introduction......and it was within blocks of our hotel. It was amazing how many times we viewed it from other locations. The architecture is mind boggling. I was fascinated by those flying buttresses and the beautiful rosette window. (You will see a better photo of the window when I post our photos from the River Seine boat trip.) This is another place that I saw only from the outside. I kept thinking I could return to places.....and this would have been the easiest to return to........but it just seemed as though our time in Paris passed much too quickly. (dreaming of a return trip ").

Shakespeare in Paris?

2011-10-19T15:44:00.001-05:00

Judi is standing in front of one of the first "sights" that we visited in Paris. There were so many people inside and I was so jet-lagged that I just could not make myself go inside. This English language bookstore was opened about 1937 in tribute to one in the 6th arrondissement. It is also a reading library. This location had an appearance in Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris" movie. I really thought I'd come back later in the week and take a peek.......but with so many other plans daily, it just didn't happen.

Arrived in Paris at last!

2011-10-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

At last we are in Paris! Our dear friend Susan Wilkin (in center) was also on our flight, but the customs and baggage situation separated us and we ended up taking separate taxis to the hotel. Waiting for us there was our "online" friend, Pat Rogerson (left) who is part of our art group. This was our first time to meet face to face! It felt as though she had been right next door all these years. (6yrs) ") We landed about 9:30AM and could not check into our rooms until after 1:00PM. So we hauled all our luggage into the office and hallway and took off on a tour of the neighborhood, led by our new friend, Pat. We were to be a part of this little neighborhood known as the Latin Quarter in the fifth arrondissement for the next nine days.

More travel companions.............

2011-10-17T16:16:00.000-05:00

Jan White (on the right) met us at the Tulsa airport and we flew to Chicago for our next connection. Barb Wenkel (2nd from the right) flew in from St. Louis to join us. We were awaiting the arrival of Susan Wilkin. Susan's plane from OkCity landed just minutes before we were to take off. She entered the plane, they shut the doors and we were ready to taxi down the runway for take-off! It was hard to believe we were actually on our way to Paris!.......and with our wonderful friends!

I have a copy of MINGLE.......

2011-10-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

......that I am dying to give away!!! I will be counting the

comments and whose friends have signed in on Oct. 28!

Contact those friends.......................

The Trip Begins!

2011-10-15T13:33:00.000-05:00

Judi and I awaiting our plane at the airport. This is the lady that introduced me to rubberstamping in 1994. At first I just used it with the PreK-4 class that I taught. In 1997 I decided to make my own Christmas cards and really became addicted to those little rubber creations. I left teaching in Dec. of 1998, and in Jan 1999, Judi and I joined a group of artists in Collinsville. We learned many techniques and styles of art as we collaborated with these ladies each month and worked on group projects. When our leader moved away, we tried to stay connected, but after several months it was obvious that we were going in different directions.
After a few years of belonging to other art groups, one of our original group who had become "StampDiva" with an online store, invited us to join her online group. The group going to Paris together is part of that group. Even though a few faces have changed over the past, the nucleus is still the same: Susan (StampDiva), Pat, Sara, Jan, Barb, Judi, Minori and myself. We had never met Pat face to face as she lives in England, nor Minori, who lives in Japan........that's the great thing about having an online group! ") There would be six of us together in Paris: Susan, Pat, Judi, Sharon, Jan and Barb (who lives in St. Louis).

I am seeing RED!.........

2011-10-12T11:38:00.001-05:00

.....a peek inside the new MINGLE magazine! I hope these fabulous photos entice you to get this magazine before you hostess another event! The tagline under the title of this newest publication from Stampington & Co. accurately describes this magazine: Creative ideas for unique gatherings!

Want a chance to win a copy of this new publication? Just have all your friends visit this blog...... remember to have the leave a comment and who invited them so I'll have your name when I count the visits. ")

THE CONTEST

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The person to have the most friends visit my blog will win a FREE copy of MINGLE! How will I know who had the most friends visit my blog? Each friend that visits my blog must enter a comment and state who has invited them to visit. I will be announce the winner at the end of October.

This magazine has some of most wonderful ideas for all those events that you want to celebrate. If you want your next celebration to be extra special, this magazine is a must read. Also, if you are that person that loves to plan and hostess special events: take photos, do a write-up of your event and send it in to Stampington......you just might get published. So, be one of the first to get this magazine and see what the guidelines are for submitting. I will highlight some of the articles later.

Get those friends visiting for a chance to win!

Home again, home again!

2011-10-10T07:30:00.000-05:00

Bonjour! It is good to be home. I had a marvelous time with friends in Paris. Notre Dame was the focal point of our neighborhood. We had many nights in the garden of our hotel to discuss art adventures for the coming year. It was great to see our friend from England, Pat Rogerson, face to face. We have traded art with her for 12 yrs, but had never had an actual meeting. Others in our group were Susan Wilkin (the StampDiva!), Judi Ringgold, Jan White, and Barb Wenkel.

(More postings on the trip and our MINGLE-time together later. Next post will be a reminder of the contest going on here for a free copy of Stamptington's newest publication: MINGLE.)

WIN A FREE COPY OF STAMPINGTON'S NEWEST MAGAZINE!

2011-09-21T13:19:00.001-05:00

HOW? you say........the person who invites the most friends to view my blog will win a free copy of Stampington's newest magazine: MINGLE. (I am leaving Friday for Paris for a little "mingle" myself!
What a great time for me to get to review this magazine. ) In case of a tie, I will have my four year old
grandson, Jacob, draw the winning name. OK...... email, tweet, twitter, facebook, text, ...................oh, yeah, or use a telephone and call your friends! Best of luck to everyone............

(I will post photos of my Paris trip some time in October. ").

Oh, yeah........................

2011-09-15T18:40:00.002-05:00

........and a contest for all my followers for a FREE copy of this new publication! Tell your friends they need to watch this site! ")

Have you heard??????!!!!!

2011-09-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

STAMPINTON & CO is publishing a new magazine entitled: MINGLE. Watch this site for a review of the new magazine from "moi"...........(just a little hint where I'm headed next week!) ") There will be many articles from artists MINGLE-ing with one another and being inspired by one another! Notice the new "badge" on the right......................more to come later......................

Statue of Liberty

2011-09-08T18:17:00.003-05:00

This is my 14yr old grandson, Dillon. I thought the Statue of Liberty I stenciled on boxes for our Vacation Bible School was a tall tower until my 6'1" grandson stood next to it! I made three of these statues: one for the art room, one for the stage, and small one for the preschool class to use as a puzzle. Great fun!

Back of Minori's page

2011-09-08T18:11:00.000-05:00

I covered the back of Minori's page with red cardstock. I stamped, colored and cut out Tweedledee and Tweedledum and the Mad Hatter and glued them to the lower part of the page. I cut out the Queen of Hearts from my TJDesigns clip art. The top sentiment is from Graphic45 and I used Microsoft Word to type and print out the other sentiment. I used the white/red ribbon for trim and added the star rhinestones. I hope Minori is happy with her Christmas pages. ")

BUSY SUMMER!

2011-09-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

Wow! Can't believe it has been so long since I have posted! What a busy summer.......grandchildren here most days. With working mothers, it's a necessity for us to have them here during that time. We have such adventures! and great memories! Hopefully, now that school is in full swing, I'll be able to post more of my work and other things going on in my life. (Like a trip to Paris!!! yes, leaving the in a few weeks with friends in my art group and meeting another group there.....will definitely post my journal when I get back and many, many photos). ")

Photo: Mason, Jake, and Emma headed to the river with Papaw.

My page for Minori

2011-09-08T17:56:00.000-05:00

This is the house that Jack built.....................ooops! wrong story! LOL Actually, this is the house that Sharon built for Minori. This is the continuing round robin of Alice in Wonderland books for our art group. Minori LOVES Christmas and asked for Alice in Wonderland at Christmas time. Therefore, the tag reads: Merry Christmas from Alice & Co. I free cut a Christmas tree with "Alice" peeking from behind and added a bow. I also tied a bow around the house to tie in the front. I have some Alice in Wonderland cards and cut the sentiment from one of those plus the numbers and suites that I added along the bottom. The December 25 square is from Graphic45. I added a star brad with red rhinestone to top of the chimney.

Final set

2011-06-23T08:15:00.000-05:00

Here's the final set with the "painters" group that helped me! :) The curtains behind the set were "cityscape" shower curtains that I found at Target. Not a Broadway stage set, but I thought we made a good try. The kids were so excited to see it put together and set up. After VBS we donated it to another church to use in their VBS.

Mason & Jacob painting

2011-06-18T14:06:00.000-05:00

Artwork is Artwork

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Pretty scarey, huh?! I had all this gear on and my windows and patio door open to give a nice flow of air through the room. I really had no idea that all my shortness of breath was going to end up being COPD. and, I guess I had never had a chest x-ray before this visit to the Dr. I remember having "walking pneumonia" about 20yrs ago, but the dr did not take a chest x-ray...........just listened to my lungs. Certainly has changed the way I'm living............where I go and how close I stand to anyone that has a cigarette in their hand.

Anyway, the boxes I am painting in this photo ended up being "marques" on buildings to represent Time Square. Lots of trial and error with all those markers...........not many proved to be all they were advertised to be............"bright" colors soon faded and "wide" tips fell short of the mark. ")

VBS..............a l-o-n-n-n-g journey!

2011-06-18T12:34:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's been so long since I was on my blog! Starting in March, we started preparing for our Vacation Bible School. I was asked to do the set for the worship rally center and to head up crafts. I'm so thankful for the three ladies that helped me with the crafts................Judi, Faye and Becky. What a marvelous time we had! (not only with one another, but with all those children............such diverse personalities and talents. "). I started collecting cardboard boxes...........from large (ones that had contained couches) to small (the ones that come in the mail and contain meds, etc.) Soon there was hardly room to move in my house! It began to rain and had eventually rained out every "work day" that I had planned at church.............you know, those days that you're hoping to have all that wonderful "child labor"?!!! LOL PLEASE DO NOT EMAIL ME AND LECTURE ME ON MY ARCHAIC PARENTING SKILLS..................THIS IS AN ATTEMPT AT HUMOR! I only say that because a friend of mine tried to add some humor to her blog and was inundated with emails raking her over the coals.............nope, not going to mention what that was all about! LOL OK, back to the topic at hand, VBS............after gathering cardboard for a month, I began to beg, borrow and buy paint. Our main decorating theme was a cityscape..............NYC Adventure (emphasis on inner-city missions). So, one.......and I do mean ONE, sunshiny day, I gathered my grandchildren out in the yard and handed each one a paint brush/roller. I had them to paint my background color on large sheets of cardboard for me. (I had just gone to my Dr to see if I had pneumonia and found out that I have COPD, and she did not think I needed to be painting anything...............but, hey, time was running out.........we were getting close to the end of May. I donned apron, gloves and mask and added detail to the "buildings" I cut out of the cardboard. I even had my dear husband to photograph me in my attire. ") (and I also submitted it for the slide show we had of our VBS............great opening picture!)

Alice Round Robin - book #1

2011-02-25T08:57:00.001-06:00

I received Judi's book first in our Alice in Wonder- land Round Robin 2011. Since I was first to work in her book, I wanted my pages to reflect the beginning of Alice's journey. I chose my background paper with "dreamy" colors and the words: imagine, dream, grow, create, become.
I constructed a small book at the top of the left page. I randomly cut text from the beginning of the story to adhere to the page in the book. Under each side of the little book are pictures....one of Alice and one of the White Rabbit. Tucked under the edge of the book is a picture of Alice following the White Rabbit down the hole. I added tea cups around this picture as she was seeing many such items on the shelves of cabinets as she fell. The tea cup on the right is dimensional and has a tea bag string hanging out of it with my favorite tea on it. ") At the bottom of the page I placed a stamped image of three watches and the sentiment says: Time just keeps ticking. I placed small round clear fragments over the faces of the watches (Tim Holtz). I tucked a butterfly image under the upper edge of this stamped image. I added three floral inchies around the page.

On the right-hand page I placed a sanded, distressed Alice in Wonderland playing card and surrounded it with several stamped posies. I then stamped a little book, cut it in half and added more text from the beginning of the story and made "bookends" around the playing card. Next I stamped the White Rabbit and colored him in with colored pencils, cut out the image and adhered it to the lower right corner of the page. Finally I cut out the stamped letteres that spell "DREAM" and added them to the page. I edged both pages with a brown inkpad before adhering them to the pages in Judi's book. Her book covers really give her book that "storybook" look. ")

Third Cowgirl Collage

2011-02-21T12:23:00.000-06:00

One sheet of paper in the packet was filled with text. I first stamped floral images in VersaMark Watermark and clear embossed. Then I inked across these designs with red/orange/blue inkpads and wiped the ink from the stamped images with a soft tissue leaving the text more visible. I used the tape measure paper on the right side of the collage. I tore out two of the cowgirl images and cut out one. I inked these images with a brown inkpad. I used my fence punch on the kraft paper and attached it across the bottom of the collage leaving an area in the center loose in order to place the image of the cowgirl behind the fench. I attached the cowgirls at the top of the collage and the Annie Oakley image to the right side over the tape measure paper. I used a label maker with red tape to print out "Don't Fence Me In" and cut the phrase part, adding the word helter-skelter on the collage. I punched a hole at the upper left corner of the collage to add the Tim Holtz charm holder and attached the metal "Believe" to the it. I looped the red leather strip and secured it with a brown brad and attached it above Miss Oakley. Finally I added the three gold stars diagonally between the ribbon and the photo of the group of cowgirls. (All materials used were in the packet.)

Cowgirl Center Collage

2011-02-21T11:09:00.002-06:00

I loved this piece of paper with jeans on it and used it as the main focus of this piece. I cut a slit at the top of the back pocket to slide the ticket into. The tag on the ticket says: "Ticket for One to Kansas City". I used the piece or corrugated cardboard on the right side of the piece. I tore it on the left side and swiped it with a turquoise inkpad. I glued the netted ribbon over the right side of the cardboard. I used the piece of paisley blue paper at the bottom of the piece. I tore it in a jagged line and attached it, leaving a piece "open" to slide in the photograph of the little cowgirl. She had a rope in her hands and I manufactured one out of twine and attached it to the photograph. I used a piece of the torn cardboard to attach along the top of the back pocket to reinforce it. I used the gold stars at the top of the waiste band and below the photograph. I made a looped ribbon secured with a brown brad and attached it to the lower left corner of the collage. Next I tore around the photo of Annie Oakley and edged it with a brown inkpad. I used a tiny clip to attach it to the right side of the collage over the corrugated cardboard strip. I tore out the "Cowgirl up" sentiment and the photo of the girls on the horses and edged both with the brown inkpad and attached them to the upper left corner of the collage over-lapping the sentiment slightly. Then I used a Tim Holtz charm pin to attach the metal disc "Journey" to the netted ribbon. Finally I udsed the metal corner guards on the left-hand corners of the collage. (All materials were in the swap packet.)

Cowgirl project

2011-02-19T09:35:00.001-06:00

I'm in a group of artists that have chosen to do a "packet" swap for the next few month. I received my first packet from Judi. She had lots of cowgirl pictures and western style embellishments included in the packet. I started a trio of collages with this brown leather-look paper. Next I cut a section from a retailer's sack that had advertisements on it. I sewed this section to the bottom of the collage and made pockets by sewing it into three sections. Also included in the packet was a selection of cowgirl playing cards. I chose Calamity Jane and Poker Alice for the two large pockets. The name "Deadwood" decorated the back of the cards, so I cut along each side of the word and made a tag from one of the other cards to place in the narrow center pocket. I had some beautiful yellow gold letters that I used to spell out COWGIRLS at the top of the collage. I attached a silver star in the upper right-hand corner. I used a brown strip of leather and made a ribbon secured in the center with a brown brad and attached it to the front of the center pocket. I tore out one of the cowgirl pictures and edged it with a brown inkpad and attached it to the left pocket front. Next I used red thread in four buttons and attached one next to the cowgirl picture and three to the top of the pocket on the right. I used some thin brown twine to sew the shell buttons to the bottom of the collage. Finally I attached the metal "Destiny" tag next to the brown leather ribbon. Everything in this collage was included in the packet except the red thread and the brown twine.

Lost in Wonderland!

2011-02-16T09:01:00.001-06:00

This little Alice card was originally made for a challenge and to be posted on the 14th. Alas! I tried all day to get it posted here, but Internet Explorer kept shutting down everytime I was posting..........so I didn't make it for the challenge.

The card actually does not say anything about Valentine's Day, so could be used for any other occasion. I was given an Alice in Wonderland deck of cards as a gift and have loved using them in my artwork. I edged the card with a brown inkpad. I also cut out the doilies from a doily placemat (from my friend Pat in England......thank you, Pat!). I used my sewing machine to sew on the doilies and the playing card. I hand cut the hearts and used my Pilot Parallel Pen to try my hand a calligraphy............and I say "try my hand" because I am a beginner calligrapher. I edged all the hearts with a red inkpad. To finish off the card, I added the gold trim (also a gift from Pat). I'm going to try to submit this to the blog: The Altered Alice. If you are a lover of all things "Alice", you must visit this blog. There are some wonderful pieces of art to behold on this blog...........go on! get over there and have a look. ")

Valentine #3

2011-02-08T07:20:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make a "Valentine" that could be sent anytime of the year. The additions of the youthful faces around this cute sentiment really made it an option to send anytime. The ticket with the heart and the "I love you" gives it a Valentine feel. This is another one that will go into the silent auction...... there will most likely be 6-12 in the packet. (I'm hoping to have time to make a packet with other occasion cards. ")

Valentine #2

2011-02-08T07:12:00.002-06:00

I especially liked this one. Lots of elements here that I love to use: stamping on text from old books, the new tapes everyone is so crazy about (including me!), coordinating papers top and bottom, lots of hearts, and using my own handwriting. I love the turquoise and pink together!

It's that time again..................

2011-02-08T07:04:00.000-06:00

............time to make Valentines.............this is one that I actually created for a challenge, but decided to put it in with some others I have made for a silent auction for the youth banquet at our church. I can remember when it was considered a great faux pas to put red and pink together...... I'm so glad we got past that! I love red and pink together!

YIKES!

2011-02-08T06:58:00.000-06:00

I'm just looking at my Alice book and it hits me: I didn't color in my Alice and the frame around her! LOL Oh, well, something for me to do when the book returns home. <**>

Final cover!

2011-01-24T17:30:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I think this is the final cover for my Alice book! LOL I've got to get this in the mail before I do anything else to it! Inside the keyhole is the tiniest Queen of Roses!.....but she looks very angry! I had some black book rings with jewels, but they would not fit through my 1/4" holes on this book. I finally dug some out of one of my drawers and tied on the ribbons. It'll have to do until I get it back in October!

Alice in Wonderland sign-in card

2011-01-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

This is the back of my Alice book. I used a library card pocket to hold my sign-in card for the artists that work in my book. I used an Alice in Wonderland playing card featuring the Cheshire cat as the Joker to decorate to pocket.

Alice card w/instructions for book

2011-01-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

I made this card to accompany my book throughout the round robin. Inside are the instructions for the artists that will work in my book.......not many instructions as I want the artists to have free reign with their creativity.....but I do have 4 cards included that I would like to have certain themes on them.

Alice in Wonderland round robin book

2011-01-22T09:14:00.000-06:00

This is the cover of my Alice in Wonderland book for the round robin my art club will be doing this year. I used Heidi Swapp's giant cards for my pages. I'm waiting for some book rings that I ordered to arrive so I can put my book together before I mail it out to the first person who will work in it.
I have wanted to use this "Dreams" key for quite a while and it just really fit the Alice theme. Tim Holtz's definition tape to the side of the key is the definition for "dream". How cool is that! You will have to wait until October to see the end result.

Graphic45 tag...........

2010-12-23T14:14:00.002-06:00

I used some more of the Graphic45 double-sided cardstock for this tag. It measures approx. 6"X3". I rounded the corners on this tag. First I painted this tag with Studio Landscape Green. When it dried, I painted over it with white gesso and added some clear Stickles before it dried. Next I painted over those layers with Ranger's antique Crackle. When it dried, I rubbed Ranger's photo Distress inkpad over the crackle effect until I had it down into the cracks. I tore a 1" strip of the same cardstock and edged it with brown ink before adhering it to the tag near the bottom. Next I used two Storybook labels cut with the Cricut and layered them together with tiny star brads. I wrote the "to/from" with a fine-point Sharpie; then, I glued them to the bottom of the tag as shown. I used some of the Graphic45 Christmas postalz cut from a sheet of their cardstock. I ran these through my small Xyron sticker-maker and stuck them on the tag. I used a strip of stick-on red star gems to the left side of the tag and randomly placed green gems around the tag. I tied a red ribbon on this tag.

Red Joy tag.....

2010-12-23T13:57:00.000-06:00

I love the texture on this red cardstock..........and it is such a pretty red. ") This tag measures approx. 2"X4". I stamped the "Joy" with gold ink and edged all around the tag with a gold-leafing pen. I used a fine-point Sharpie to write the "to/from". Next I wrapped a 1/2" piece of white twill around the tag below the writing and secured it with a gold enamel Bo Bunny brad. I also used a gold square brad at the top of the tag. I placed a Bo Bunny rubon below the white twill. I tied the top of the tag with white sheer ribbon.

Santa tag

2010-12-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

This tag measures aboout 3"X6". I love combining my rubberstamps in all my art. Here I have stamped a Santa face directly on the tag and colored them in with Copic markers. I have used a double-sided cardstock (which I use in most of my paper arts) on this tag. I tore a piece about 3"X3" and used the reverse side. Then I edged around the piece with brown ink. I angled this piece a little upwards and secured it to the tag, hiding a bit of Santa under it. Next I used some Bo Bunny rubons for the top and bottom of the tag. Then I stamped the sentiment in green ink at the bottom of the tag. I edged the tag all around with brown ink and added the gold paper trim to the right side of the tag. I tied a green ribbon through the top of the tag.