Just Add Color ~

What a wonderful day it is.

Everything is not perfect but that just adds color.

How would would I know what was good if I didn't 

have anything to compare it to?

I can be among the... 

happy people

 by changing my focus which

changes my perspective which in turn, 

changes my thinking.

Sometimes, it takes some creative doing but if it

changes the color of my world, it's worth it.

Oh, I love this!

Color in a picture is like enthusiasm in life.

Vincent Van Gogh

Color! 

What a deep and mysterious language. 

The color of dreams~

Paul Guaguin

  Since the patina that occurs in our life is from our own

handprints, we wouldn't want to alter it.

But everyone needs a little splash of color now and then.

It sometimes comes through change. 

From external circumstances or something

of our own choosing.

It charges us and can re-fire our creativity.

It can be subtle or like a huge watercolor painting

that takes up a lot of room in your heart or home.

 I add color to my life every day by listening to

and playing music. Music is full of color!

Every color that you could possibly imagine.

People experiences and gratitude can add such rich

color to our lives. 

Color evokes emotions that move us and touch

in so many ways. It can inspire and encourage

or take our breath away with it's beauty.

Yesterday, we visited our daughter that lives 

in a group home. We had a lovely, long visit with her. 

When we left, the blues of missing her were splashed

over with the cheery colors of bright pinks, yellows, and

oranges with a mix of white!

~HAPPINESS~

Soon, I'll be leaving to see some of our 

children and grandchildren. Being with them

will brush vibrant, magical colors 

onto the mural of my life, adding yet 

another layer to my story!

The beautiful greens of the east will

take me back to my childhood days 

and will warm my heart with the memories

of my past.

What will you be doing to add color to your life?

I wish you joyous times filled 

with rich, colorful memories.

Thank you for coming by~

Please let me know that you were here and I'll

come by and say hello!

Tamara

XO

Book Altering Fun...and Life Photos

Hello everyone..

What a lovely and festive autumn it's been so far!

I am still at our lovely Sugartree place and will be headed out on the road this Saturday and by Monday, if all goes well, we will

be back at our Arizona mountain home.

I'm at the laundromat and have only a few minutes to say hello

and then I will be going to visit my brother

in the nursing home. I'm so happy

that I'm able to see him several times while I'm here.

My time here has been most wonderful. I have photos to share when I return home. My editing and time is so limited.

The nights are cooling and the heat from the campfires in the gypsy

camp have felt very good and the draping twinkle lights

 warm my heart!

***************

I have altered and embellished

 some simple composition books and would like to share 

them with you!

They are the black and white, dollar type. 

This and the one below are mini comp books.

These pictures are from a walk that we took in the early fall. 

The wildflowers come late to the mountains.

There's a canyon that runs behind our house and we walk

there when we can..

It has beautiful rocks and cliffs and views of the

mountains that we're so blessed to live in!

I can just imagine how the water must rush through

this canyon when it rains! I've always wanted to watch it but 

never have ventured back that way. 

 And then there's Brutus..

being his charming, dramatic self! 

haha

This is the picture that I spoke of a few posts back.

What a ham!

And some of two-legged friends:)

And this ones on a mission!

I'm sorry if this seemed rushed.

I'm looking forward to having more time again soon.

In the meantime..

I remember the seasons and living in the present.

Embracing the moment and the special

things that it affords.

Such as visiting my brother

and a little less tech time.

Blessings to my friends.

Have a wonderful week and thank you

so much for coming by! 

I appreciate you so much.

Tamara XO

Mixed Felt Florals and Lovely Patina~

A wonderful Thursday to you...

I just wanted to pop in and say hello and share

my little flowers and this lovely patina-covered tray with you.

I hope they brighten your day!

Warm evenings with the distant sounds of a Whippoorwill...

Playing guitar by the fire...

Trees and bushes bursting with life..

Flowers coming on and mama birds "setting"

Planting ever so many plants and rolling rocks with Jeff.

(yes..we get on our hands and knees and roll large rocks to where ever we

need them.. I'm sure we're quite the silly sight!)

These are just a few of the simple pleasures that I've been enjoying.

What's been happening with you?

Wishing you warm breezes and the sweet flutterings of butterfly wings~

Thank you so much for coming by :)

Hugs,

Tamara

Denim Hair Flowers for Spring.. And a Little History

Hello.

I hope that you feel beautiful today because you are!

  One of a kind with special talents and an inner-beauty that is

unique to you.

Your story is special. 

I'm just learning this myself and learning how

 to really love myself.

It's slowly changing my life!

Not comparing.

Not doubting.

But just moving forward in the hope, 

inspiration and beauty of it all!

I used to think it was a little late.

But it's never too late to learn who you are, 

listen to your heart and follow those whispers.

*******

I have a bouquet of hair flowers to show you today. 

I was inspired to make them from my pile of worn, denim jeans. 

I love the look of anything made with denim. 

Dress is up or dress it down~

All of those different shades... 

And I love how denim is timeless!

 It's one of those styles that

crosses over into every generation

and has for decades.

To read some history about denim you can go here.

I find it fascinating!

Some materials that I used..

denim

old shirts

glitter 

beads

lace

yo-yo flowers

rhinestone cabachons

acrylic paint

buttons

flower dies from sissix

hot glue

craft glue

As you can see, I just layered co-ordinating pieces.

I did some edgings with glitter and dabbed a bit

of matching acrylic paint on some of the petals.

 I don't have a photo of the finished back.

I'm sorry.. I am a quirky blogger and sometimes forget to be thorough in my photo process :/ 

I'll try to do better!

To keep in the hair, 

I attached the double pronged alligator clip. 

Click here to watch a tutorial on how to line your clip.

This isn't a necessary step, however, it gives your

finished bow or flower a clean, professional appearance.

 I made these to sell and so I had to make a way to display them.

I used a piece of wired, burlap ribbon that you can find in

most craft stores. I attached it to this plastic ring that I had.

I glued some white ribbon on the sides to decorate it a bit

and it was finished! It was perfect for attaching my flowers to.

 The photos also show some little felt

hair-flowers. They are SO easy to make! 

Don't they look like mums? I'm sorry I don't have a

photo how-to for these but they are so super easy 

that I can explain the process.

Decide what size you would like to make. These are 

about 2 1/2 inches wide. Cut a felt rectangle about

3 inches wide and 7-8 inches long. 

Fold this in half length-wise and then cut small strips about 3/4

inch through on the fold. This makes the petals. Take care 

not to cut all the way through.

Then just roll this slowly while gluing it as you go.

It makes a lovely mum!

These were all fun to make. Sometimes I just get inspired to make something from my pile of jeans. I've given some to my

grand daughters at times.

Do you have spring plans?

To take a trip or work on a project? 

Maybe it's time to garden or do your spring cleaning.

We're preparing for a trip. I'll share 

more about that later this week.

I hope that your Monday is wonderful. 

Thank you so much for stopping in! I always

appreciate your visits and your comments so much.

Blessings,

Tamara xo

I'm linking up at:

Share Your Cup

Thrifted Lampshade: Reloved in Burlap

Hello and happy March!

This spring-like weather is really coming on fast here in

the AZ mountains.

Our Apricot tree is beginning to bloom

and this morning when I went out to water,

I heard the lovely sound of buzzing bees.

I'm normally excited about this but this year

it's too early and I'm a little concerned.

This morning I cut up a bag of crisp,

juicy apples and threw them in my

large crockpot on high.

I'm making applesauce and already the yummy 

aroma of roasted apples is floating through the house!

I do love the domestic life.

I've been working on my rosette project. 

Oh! It has been so fun and I'll be ready to share

it later this week. 

 I love it so far.

I have also begun the online course,

 Elements of Clay, with Alissa Millsap.

We will be working on some Bohemian- 

styled projects. I've never worked with

paper clay so I'm excited and thankful 

for the chance to learn.

I know me so I'm sure it will be slow going.

But that's ok :)

***********

 Today, I thought I'd 

share this little re-do project with you.

It was so easy and pretty quick!

I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I found a set of lamps at our local

pregnancy center, thrift store.

I really liked the pretty details and

thought maybe I could do something with the dirty shades.

If nothing else, they could be replaced.

I decided to give a try at re-covering them in burlap.

I didn't know how. I'd never 

done anything like this before. 

The shade has a bit of a curve to it and

I didn't really know how to measure the pieces.

So I just held the burlap up against the shade and judged

about how big the pieces needed to be.

I used hot glue to attach one edge and then 

pulled the remainder of the piece

as taut as I could...but also being careful at the same time

to not distort the weave and over all shape.

Keeping it as even as I could, it was glued in place.

I wanted to be sure that the lines were symmetrical.

I am not a fan of symmetry but in this case,

the lines needed to be close to perfect.

If you've never worked with burlap, it is easily pulled

out of shape.

 Once my pieces were secured, I trimmed the excess off

as closely as I could.

I then added the lace to cover the seams.

Again, being careful with the lines. 

A lamp with lovely details..

Embellished with a burlap rose.

 Here, you can see how I finished the underside.

Just trimming the burlap as evenly as possible.

I do enjoy the look of burlap. It's often used in a more

rustic manner. Here with the lace and burlap rose

do you think it has a bit of shabby country charm?
I enjoy beautifying my home and especially if I can 
re-love something that has had a previous history.

What's been happening with you? 

I hope that life is treating you well.

Thank you for stopping by!

Tamara xo

Partying at:
Wicked Awesome Wednesday

Share Your Cup Thursday

Vintage Charm