A Spring, Collage Tag With A Love Message ~

I hope that your weekend 

is going well. 

And for those who are 

facing a kind of 

hardship in your life, 

I wish you

Peace 

Rest 

and 

Love.

 This project was 
inspired by a

 Tim Holtz  video. 

I tried for an 

hour to find it in my history..

but to no avail. 

If you like paper crafting
or mixed media,
he is a wealth of information,
is such a talented
designer and is so
kind to share.
Thank you, Tim!

I am always learning so

many new, useful and fun

 techniques.

I like to give 

credit where I've gleaned 

information.

Anyway,

 this is a simple collage 

technique that could be 

found among 

many paper crafters.

The design is my own.

I always enjoy working 

with paper and the collage is 

a fun way to add  a lot of interest

to your first layer.

I also enjoy the 
"building and blending."

I have to learn to

photograph the steps!
**********

I'm working on posting more
but have to admit that sometimes
I just stare at that blank post
screen with no where to go!
I'm learning to just 
"do something."
Share something.

Am I the only one who over 
thinks and makes it more complicated
than it is? 

I'd love to hear about what 
you do for inspiration! 

I hope you enjoyed your visit and 
found a little bit of
encouragement or inspiration.

Thank you so 
much for stopping by and 
have a weekend filled with love.

Tamara
xo

“Love recognizes no barriers. 

It jumps hurdles, 

leaps fences, 

penetrates walls to 

arrive at its destination 

full of hope.”

Maya Angelou 

My Travels... Snow-tipped Pines and Capturing the Sunset

I hope that you're having a wonderful week so far. 

I have been getting back on track with life at home.

Sometimes I'm called down the road.

 While this gypsy heart does love the open highway, 

I also long for the warm, resting 

place by the fireside.

I have a daughter who has really been 

going through some very difficult trials and so 

I go to be with her and her sweet little ones.

We really have such a wonderful time.

When the morning comes, the little girlies

come and snuggle under my blankets.

We do nails, read books and draw.

And Grandma always has

"special vitamins" for them.

Dark chocolate. 

All in our jammies!

They are 3 and 5 and what a joy they are.

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

At times, I feel very neglectful of my writing

but for my sake, I have had to let go of that and

embrace what my life brings.

 However, that doesn't keep me from missing 

my sweet blog friends and your wonderful

posts and creativity! I look forward to 

visiting again soon. 

I try to take pictures when I travel. Since I

am here and there so often, I hope to add 

a page where I can open the door to any 

unique and fun experiences..

Shopping..

vacations

family visits

and whatever other gypsy

ramblings occur! I will try to keep

it interesting.   

Anyway..I thought I'd share some photos of my trek 

 from Phoenix back to the mountains.

It really is a beautiful drive and I was

able to capture a rare photo of

 some snow in the mountains

near the desert. And the sunset was beautifu as I drew

nearer to my home in the mountains.

Most of the photos were taken while I was driving. 

Some are not the best quality.

I do love the ease of

 my little point and shoot Canon!

The Saguaro cacti are so amazing to see.

 The Four Peaks in all of their rugged glory~

The clouds casting their perfect shadows

I was struck by the beauty of these snow-tipped trees. 

And later, I noticed the two birds in the photo.

This part of the journey was working my way 

up to the top

of the Mogollon Rim. 

Such loveliness.

Beautiful ...Wild 

And there is the moon~

I've always been amazed at how the

trees can hold onto the side of the mountains.

Isn't the flowing ice lovely? 

And, Oh the deep blue of that sky.. 

This is on top of the rim. 

Not a very nice shot of the guard rail 

but in the distance, isn't the skyline amazing?

The following photos are all of the sunset behind
me as I was driving. There was such an illumination of the clouds.

Here is beautiful song to listen to while you watch the sunset. 
It's by Dustin O' Halloran. It's called We Move Lightly
and it seemed to fit the beauty of the moment.

What beauty there is in the everyday.

I just have to be looking for it. 

I hope you enjoyed this little 

"mini journey" with me.

I would love to hear about your travels

or wherever you are..

and is there something 

beautiful or wonderful that you

would like to share?

Thank you for coming by and visiting! 

!t feels good to be back! 

Coming soon are some projects that I've been

working on and my first 

Give away!

Have a wonderful weekend and 

to all of my friends back east.

Please stay safe and warm!

Blessings,

Tamara xo

Vintage Finds and Peaceful Words For A Winter's Day

A friendly welcome to my 

friends and new followers.

I'm so glad that you're all here.

Thank you for coming by.

I hope your week has been filled

with wonder and delight.

New experiences and a quiet

contentment with the familiar.

I do enjoy winter very much.

********

 Walks in the chilly air.

A good game of Fox and Geese

Campfires in the cold

Snow

Steaming cups of tea

 Neatly stacked fire wood

What good is the warmth of summer

without the cold of winter

to give it sweetness.

~Author Unknown

``````````````````````````

And another thing

that I enjoy is thrift store shopping. 

It's one of my favorite 

things to do.

Do you find it relaxing or exciting to look?

It can be both for me! 

A few months back,

I found these old hymnals. I like most old books

 and music is such a big part of my life. 

I am a gatherer..

  Sheet music or any kind of 

book that is related. 

I love the look of aged paper... 

especially with notes. 

I have seen crafters and artists 

   use it for creating many different projects. 

I enjoy using it for that as well and 

some I just collect.

These two are too special to take apart.

(I find it really hard pulling books apart anyway.

They just seem sacred to me...

 or something like that...am I strange? )

I have never seen a Psalter Hymnal..

I was very excited o find it.

The gilding and details on both of these

books are so special.

The edges and corners are so tattered  

and torn from hands taking them from

their place in the back of the pew. 

And possibly from falling to the floor from

the hands of little ones that are so

eager to read and sing along...

When I thought of these photos, 

 the colors of winter came to mind...

gray

blue

creamy white

brown... 

 and 

even green.

 The words still read the same.

Bringing peace and hope.

And the old scratched teapot. 

It's lid wouldn't stay on but it really

was a beauty to me with all of it's

scrolling details...

the pretty botanical handle and tarnished finish.

Winter days just seem to call 

to my heart to be still.

 Here's a handmade, cotton apron with it's 

corn flower-hued roses and 

vintage green leaves. I knew it was very old when 

I saw it and I couldn't resist bringing it home.

The cotton fabric is so soft 

and the added ribbons are so nice.

(The apron is tied on my thrifted wedding

dress that I found for a dollar. 

But she deserves a post

all her own and so that will come later!)

Hydrangeas from a family picnic last fall.

******

Winter is a time for comfort,

For good food and warmth,

For the touch of a friendly hand

and for a talk beside the fire:

It is the time for home.

It is no season in which to

Wander the world as if one 

Were the wind blowing aimlessly

Along the streets without a place to rest

Without food and without 

meaning anything to one.

Just as time means nothing to the wind.

Edith Sitwell

How many lessons of faith and

beauty we should lose,

if there were no winter in our year!

~

Thomas Wentworth Higginson

April Days, 1861

I hope you've enjoyed your visit.
Stay warm and be safe.

Blessings,
Tamara xo

Joining the party at:

Shabbalicious Friday Link Party

Vintage Inspiration Party

Sundays At Home

Grow Your Blog 2015

Hi.. My name is Tamara.

Welcome to my blog and thank you for 

stopping by.

I've never done anything like this before so I'm

a little unsure of how...

but I'm looking forward to being a part and

excited to make some new

"blogger friends" and share the goodness.

Thank you to Vicki and her helpers

  for giving me the opportunity.

*******

My blogging journey has been rather

slow-paced. I have a very large family. A mix of 

wonderful, adopted children and 

wonderful, birth children! And

though I love the connections I have made
through blogging, 
most of my time

has been happily immersed in family

life and church ministry.

We're a home-schooling family and 

the youngest will graduate this spring.

And with this exciting event,

there opens a door 

into a new season in my life.

It's very bittersweet.

(We do still have precious, little ones 

running about.. 8 grand children

and another coming in April!)

Just mentioning the blogging friend 
connections that 

I've made isn't enough.

I am very grateful to all of those in the

blogger world that have 

been so kind, 

and are so talented 

and inspiring. 

It's been so fun, encouraging,
educational...and well... just
 a real pleasure to get to know some 
 other creative souls to share interests
and passions and friendships with!

(I have spent so much time reading 
and watching artist/craft videos that I feel
that I've taken at LEAST a 101 course! :)

I 

HAVE

LEARNED SO MUCH

 from these wonderful, 

 gracious folks!

It really has taken me a long time to 
"find my style" and get to know myself.
I have learned so much and I'm
still learning to follow my heart
and listen to the little whispers
that lead me. This journey of crafting
has truly opened up my life in so many ways.

(I have an ongoing series called "Art Inspiration" where I share
more of my thoughts about my journey.)

It's been discouraging at times
and the encouragement that I have found from 
other bloggers..artists.. God and my family 
has been priceless.


I'm so thankful that I have a supportive husband
 that sees the beauty in what I do.  What I make
and the entire journey itself. He's so sweet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've always enjoyed writing and

 the name of my blog reflects my belief

that there are beauty and blessings everywhere.

 And as I try to focus on the

 positive things, I hope to encourage people

and bring inspiration to others,

if even in some small way.

What do I like to write about?

There are many things that I 

find inspiration in..

Music

Nature

Handmade treasures

Art

Photography

People
Faith 

Books or 

just words..

(my list could go on and so I'll

 say "just life in general")

I love life ...even in the hard things,

inspiration can be found..if I'm willing

 "There is such 
beauty and inspiration in 

the every day." 

I have to work each day at making choices
that allow me to take them in.

{The tricky part is having enough time to write 

about all of the things that i find 

interesting and inspiring!}

And one of my 

blog goals for 2015 is to...

add pages...

and write more..

(I guess that's two)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There's another part to my blog....

and that's about 

making beautiful 

and inspiring things.

My main thing seems to be 

shabby and vintage.

But I love paper...string..rust..

chippy wood.. wire..

fabric, glitter... and more.

 Up-cycling or re-purposing.
However one wants to say it. 
It's a fun and satisfying way to create.

I love to thrift store shop and once found a 

beautiful wedding dress 

with a gorgeous hat...

for... a dollar..

I am learning to make all sorts of things..

weathered wood signs..

jewelry... paper crafts, 

 altered things..
 bottles..books..clothes 

and sticks.

Furniture re-dos 

and so much more.

I really love the neutral colors 

and very soft pinks

but there's 

somewhat of a gypsy in me also.. 

I love traveling and those beautiful,

vibrant, flowing, Bohemian colors!

(This will shed some light on my 
"venture" name.) 

I have been selling a few things here and there,

and now that I have more time,

I have given my venture a name.

The Shabby Gypsy

Here are some photos of some of 
the things that I have made ..
I apologize for the quality of some of the 
photos.. I am still learning.

 An altered matchbox. 
(a not so good photo)

 An altered antique bottle.
Another not-so-good photo

An altered book.

 My first attempt at a mixed-media journal.
It was a lot of fun but I was advised by a very sweet,
licensed artist friend of mine that it's 
too busy. There is too much to focus on! 
Very true.

I find myself very 
drawn to nature.

the quiet..

the beauty..

 and all the little
lessons of life.

The following are some photos of 
some of my wanderings.. 
and findings..

I live in the beautiful White Mountains of AZ.
It's not always this green. These were taken
after the summer rains.

And then..here are a few of my other projects.

My husband is excited to retire 

so we can do this full time.

But that won't be for several years yet!

So.. for the time being,

 I will be working on my projects

 as much as I possibly can.
Enjoying my family and life while

 learning more and being open to the

opportunities that I have.

 My creative space is a work in progress
and I hope to have it 

ready for Karen Valentine's next

"Where Bloggers Create" party in July.

Here is the link to last year's party.

Well, thank you so very much for stopping by.
I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

(I hope I did ok and that it's not too long.)

Blessings to you,

and I look forward to our "meeting!"

Tamara xo