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

Harvested Herbs and An Herbal Wreathe~

Hello dear friends...

I'm just popping in at the library to 

make a few visits as time allows and to show you 

a little project that I made before leaving 

on our trip.

I've been having the most wonderful time

visiting family.

My time visiting our kids in Tulsa 

was much too short but my travel buddy

has limited time. But we are making the most of 

our time. 

The new grand baby stole my heart...

how is that we have one heart but that it

can be taken captive again and again

by these dreamy little people?

And of course her brother and sister

are as dear to me as ever.

The heart just stretches and grows

with each new addition to our family!

The autumn morning was cool and crisp.

Golden leaves floated to the ground and the red sumac leaves are

a brilliant scarlet. I keep hearing an owl across

the field at our cozy Sugartree cabin.

We listen to the rain hitting the roof while we sit all

snuggled in our blankets among the twinkle lights and

pumpkin scented candles..

(My daughter says she's never leaving.)

When the rain stops, I have some weed eating to do

so we can get into our mini-gypsy camp here,

share some hot drinks and

have some fire-side sing alongs. 

*********

Rinsing piles of herbal goodness 

to go on the wreathe~

About mid-summer, I decided to move my 

potting bench area.

This area is a under our front porch. 

It was closer to where I unload and water my new plants.

So I'm fixing it up a bit.

I have shared about my herbs before. 

I enjoy them so much. 

They add so much beauty to my garden.

They are a joy to cook with either fresh or dried and 

I also love to use them for wreaths and crafts.

Making a wreath is very simple.

I usually buy my grapevine wreaths

at thrift stores.

I cut the herbs that I want to use and leave a nice

long stem on them for wiring.

And then I rinse them and shake off the excess water.

A basketful of fresh Thyme...

Do you have a favorite herb?

Oooo... 

It would be hard for me to choose.

Rosemary...

Thyme..

Basil

But I think fresh Marjoram is 

my absolute favorite.

It's sweetness gets me every time.

Here is the finished wreathe.

All that green gorgeousness and scented deliciousness!

I hope you're enjoying these 

festive days of fall..

the colors 

the scents

the sights

festivals and

all the yummy things to eat!

I have run out of time to write.

We're meeting my niece and sister for

a snack at Theo's.

They have wonderful coney dogs

and the best Arnold Palmers there!

Thank you for coming by and I

hope your week is full of all

sorts of good things.

XO

Tamara

Salvaged Wood Signs, Romantic, Shabby Paper Collage and Travel Plans

 Hello Everyone..

We're oh so close to all that fall goodness!

Are you looking forward to it?

I think I finally am.

It's hard to say goodbye to the loveliness

that summer brings and I
 like to reflect on the time gone by.

It's been a wonderful summer with many
happy memories made and some work done
along with letting go of some things.

Doesn't each season hold a magic and

uniqueness all it's own?

I hope that your summer has been a 
peaceful and fulfilling time with many happy moments
and adventures along the way.

And....
 with open hearts shall we 
embrace the new season that's upon us?

 Here we come!

Pumpkin goodies...

cozy sweaters and warm, 

crackling, fireside gatherings with family and friends
or what ever delights each of your hearts!

And.... so begins my candle season and 
even MORE twinkle lights!

Don't you just love the warm glow of all those candles

and lights.. and the scents??

Oh MY! 

Farm Fresh Apple

Pecan Pie

Sunny Pumpkin Fields

I've been looking for a place to buy candles in bulk and
good prices in general.
I finally found one.
They also have dripless in many colors
Orange Black and Purple

~*~*~*~*~*~

 I recently enjoyed pulling out some of my

pieces of old wood.

Sign making is a lot fun

and one can be so creative.

I always enjoy seeing what designs people make.

 The first two are a combination 

of stenciled and free hand painting

I am always intimidated by hand painting as I'm just learning.

I drew the flowers on with a white Stabilo pencil. 

It worked very nicely and is easily erasable.

I'm always inspired by Miss Mustard Seed. 

Have you heard of her? 

She's very talented and so kind and helpful

 to share little tips!

Here's  a video that I watched awhile ago..

It was helpful and just fun :)

 Beads strung on a thin wire...

I use them whenever I can for a project.

They're one of my favorite ways to embellish something.

 This was an oak stool that I picked up.

The paper I used was Romance Novel by Prima.

Paper LOVE. 

I often find my papers at Hobby Lobby or

Scrapbook.com for a very good price.

Sometimes half off~

After the glue dried, I sealed it with several 

light coats of Krylon Crystal Clear.

~*~*~*~*~*~

With one of my many rounds of flowers that I planted this year,
(I think I am officially a crazy plant lady now)
came a beautiful rose bush that graces us
with PINK and WHITE roses
at the same time.
It was....
SO very Lovely.
And I finally figured out to care for them.
That's another story.Liberty wanted a drink..

I love how she looks like a giant dog. 
Silly~ 
But it made me think of fairy gardens.

And then I found this little friend on the bird bath.

I'm sure it thought she was a giant!

Do caterpillars have thoughts?

I guess they do in Alice in Wonderland ;)

We've had some beautiful clouds with our season of rain.

I really do enjoy a cloudy day. 

I'm preparing for a trip to our beloved

 Sugartree in Ohio. We leave Friday.

I'm preparing for that and getting a few things done

from my ongoing list. 

It will be wonderful to see my brothers and sisters,

some of our kids and grand kids as well 

as a new grand baby along the way!

Antique shopping

junking... good food and just getting away
and some 
JUST PLAIN ADVENTURE!
I do love hittin the road.

Willie Nelson CD singin..
On the Road Again

 It's been a great summer but one

of very hard work and I need some 

rest and inspiration.

I wish you the happiest first day of fall.

I will be gone until mid-Oct but will be coming 

and going online. 

Have a lovely week, thank you for coming

and I wish you joyous blessings.

Hugs,

Tamara

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

Oh... a little p.s.  here~ 
Do you like the Junk Gypsies?

They have a new book coming out.
You can watch a video about it here and you
can pre-order their book 
HERE.

I pre-ordered mine several weeks ago.
Can't wait to get it.
Love them girls spirits and the talents that they have.

bye for now..

Joining the lovely party at
Share Your Cup Thursday

Come make some new friends and 
enjoy all  the fun and inspiration~

Have Courage...Random Art Paint Collage

 How has your week been? 

I hope it's been a good one.

Mine has been a perfect kaleidoscope of 

 wondrous adventures~

A mix of work and play.

Music always...

Dinner with some of our girls

A movie with my Honey

And there's the floors...laundry.... watering

I'm so glad that I enjoy every aspect of  it.

I'm also still working on projects.

I'm working on an angel made from an old spring

and angel wing ornaments.

Every border of the gypsy camp is overflowing with

spicy scented, yellow flowers...

Jeff and I sat there this morning

sharing our hearts, 

having a little prayer time together and enjoying a cup of tea.

One of the things that we talked about was achieving our dreams.

And we concluded that we have, to some degree, done that or at least begun to.

The realization has begun in a small way and we will enjoy the journey.

What are your thoughts?

It's so easy to feel like things are never enough or just beyond our reach.

I believe that we rob ourselves of the joy of the hard work realized

when we set our sights too high and don't believe in ourselves or our dreams

when they are in their small beginnings.

The mornings there in camp are a perfect blend of sunshine

 and splashes of shade.

All the while as we sit taking in the beauty, tiny hummingbirds 

come and lite on the branches

and little Pine Siskins visit the seed feeders in the trees.

There's a happy chirping that fills the air around us.

(Remember the little area that I made for the birds and critters in the pines?

You can read the post here. Well, I found some very large footprints near the food and 

decided that it would be better to hang the seed in the trees if I wanted the birds to get any ;)

Below is an acrylic painting that I did awhile ago.

Do you have favorite words that find their way into your thoughts..

journals, doodlings or art?

Words that inspire or challenge you or that you might want to share with

others through letters or special little notes.

Aren't words powerful?

Here's a couple that I would like to share with you today.

 Life can hold some pretty hard things for us to go through.

But there's always a way to get to the other side.

Courage doesn't mean that you don't get afraid,

it means that you don't let the fear stop you.

Bethany Hamilton

Only those who will risk going too far, 

can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot

Success is not measured by what you 

accomplish

but by the opposition that you have encountered 

and the courage with which you have 

maintained 

the struggle against overwhelming odds.

Orison Swett Marden

Courage, dear heart~

C. S. Lewis

I hope that whatever you face that you can find the courage within 

you to press on and come to your place of triumph!

Remember, He is always near. 

 Volunteer Marigolds..

Who's that hiding in the beddy by basket? 

Who wanted to snuggle with the lamb and the bunny?

None other than BRUTUS~

He's such a character!

I have a really cute picture of hm that 

I'll share soon.

A sweet little one just crawled into my lap and it's time to start 

making popcorn for our traditional

MOVIE NIGHT.

Do you have Friday night traditions?

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends...

Many blessings to you!

Thank you for your visit.

Tamara XO

A few candle lit moments ~

Happy Tuesday..   

Friday or Saturday

Oh my..

did I lose the week! 

Are you glad that it's it was a short work week?

What did you do over the holiday weekend?

I hope you were able to take a rest from your labors and enjoy whatever

refreshes your mind and body.

What a beautiful weekend it was here in the mountains.

We spent much of it out in the woods with three of our daughters and many of our

grandkids. We hiked among the most gorgeous wildflowers. And the kids all played in the

south fork of the Little Colorado River.

I am here to confess that I am behind in comments and emails.

Last week was very overwhelming. 

Watching girlies and keeping up with our big family.

And I didn't feel well most of the week. Allergies.

I'm sorry I have not responded. 

Sometimes I just can't seem to think through the details..

But! I will come and visit those of you who have stopped by to say hello!

It's kind of a sacred thing to me to make sure that I

remember those who have visited.

Thank you!

We helped with a concert at The Outfoxed.

It's always such a pleasure. Our youngest daughter

plays many instruments and sings. She came along to play the fiddle and guitar

and sing a few duets with me. There are no words to describe the joy that I get from 

sharing these special times with her. 

I only know that when we sing together, time stands still.

I'M SO GRATEFUL~

She's almost 20 and I know it can't last forever.

We were so busy this past week trying to hold on to and make 

the most of the last days of summer. But sometimes I have to take some time to

rest my mind and enjoy the quiet and some of my special things. 

With the glow of candles or twinkle lights to cast their 

magical light and a cup of my favorite chamomile tea in hand, 

 my anxieties away slowly melt away.

I found these crystal candle holders at a thrift store..

I love the way they reflect the light and when you gently touch them together,

they ring out with a sweet little chiming sound.

I never have enough. Candles are a favorite of mine inside and out.

I also enjoy a stroll around the yard. 

 Brutus loves rolling around in the thyme.

Our work is slowing down outside as the nights have cooled quite a bit and 

the sun is shifting in the sky. 

So I've been able to work on some projects.

I have so many started

I've been working with air dry and paper clay, playing with acrylic paints

and planning some Christmas projects for some sales coming up.

I'm not really making a lot of progress but it's ok.

There are always so many ideas swirling around in my head! Sometimes

I would like to work late into the late but kowing that the next days work is waiting

to greet me early in the morning, I try to behave myself and go to bed.

Do you ever experience that?

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

I have been hoping to add more to this all week.

But it was like my week just went spinning out of control.

Mostly because of responsibilities and not feeling well.

I was all fuzzle headed and didn't accomplish much.

I'm thankful to be feeling much more myself today.

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

We received some sad news.

We lost a friend at the Foxfire.

He took us under his wing just two short months ago.

He was diagnosed with leukemia six weeks ago. And now, this man that was so 

talented and gracious, is gone. 

And it happened so fast.

We are in shock and so very saddened.  

I know I talk about it all of the time.

I hope I don't bore you and sound like a broken record.

But once again, I've been impressed to live like we're celebrating every day.

The people... all the blessings.. using our talents

to make ourselves and others happy.

Do MORE of what you love, dear friends..

Hug more ..laugh more...

I want to sparkle with love and shine with generosity.

Fill my space with light and life and sweet inspiration.

Anyway..

I decided to post this as is to say hello

and wish you all a wonderful weekend.

Love and hugs to you all.

Tamara