A Little Bird Art....

I wanted to share with you an art piece I am proud of.  It is not often that I am really happy with what I create.  I always feel like it needs something when I finish...except this time.  With input from my dear friend Kerry, I was able to make something very special for our friend Diann.  It was a swap in the ARTHaven group, but I was struggling and not happy with the fabric hangie I was creating.   It just wasn't speaking to me.  One day while visiting Kerry, I wandered into Joann's and this fabric jumped up and shouted at me - and I knew it was just perfect for Diann with her love of birds and flowers.   And so I started over... and I am so glad I did. 

The background is natural canvas and the bird piece is layered on top of that with frayed edges.  The berries are all French Knots.  There are paint accents on the bird and branches to highlight them, and a bit of sparkle was added to his beautiful beak.  The lace was hand dyed with Tim Holtz Distress Reinkers, and couldn't have turned out more perfectly.  A raid of Kerry's incredible stash of flowers provided the perfect branch and a flower that was made just for this piece.  The orange of the flower is the perfect accent for the birds beautiful colors.

The best part of the whole project was Diann's excitement and enthusiasm over this.  It made my day knowing she liked it and thought it was worth the wait. 

Thanks for visiting and letting me share with you.  

Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

Have you thanked a veteran yet today?  If not, please think of the meaning of the day, the history, and do so.  I would like to share with you the following from William J. Federer's American Minute:

American Minute for November 11th:

The 11th hour of the 11TH DAY OF THE 11TH MONTH of 1918, World War I ended. Though the Armistice was signed at 5:00 AM, fighting continued till 11:00 AM, killing nearly 11,000 more men.

In 1921, President Warren Harding had the remains of an unknown soldier killed in France buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington Cemetery. Inscribed on the Tomb are the words: "Here lies in honored glory an American soldier know but to God."

Armistice Day was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all U.S. Veterans. In 1958, President Eisenhower placed soldiers in the tomb from WWII and the Korean War. The soldier from Vietnam, buried by President Reagan in 1984, was identified by DNA tests as pilot Michael Blassie and was reburied in 1998 at Jefferson Memorial Cemetery, St. Louis, Missouri.

On NOVEMBER 11, 1921, President Harding stated: "On the threshold of eternity, many a soldier, I can well believe, wondered how his ebbing blood would color the stream of human life, flowing on after his sacrifice...I can sense the prayers of our people...Let me join in that prayer. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come..."

I am proud to come from a long history of service to our country and our people.  While I myself did not join the military, my grandfather, my father and my brother-in-law were all career soldiers, as were several dear friends.  I am so very proud of them, and thankful for the sacrifices they made for our proud nation.  We are truly the land of the free, because of the brave - men and women who have fought so hard to protect the rights we have been given.  We should never take that freedom for granted, or forget those who died to preserve that freedom. 

Operation Write Home ~~ Cards for our Troops

Operation Write Home is a special group that ArtHaven is supporting by making cards.  I managed to get a lot of time to create some while I was in South Carolina, but I never got them posted.  These will be heading out of here Monday to Celeste, a great friend who supports this wonderful cause and helped make it possible for the rest of the group to do so too. 

Christmas Cards are next on the list!

A Beautiful Fall Day At The Shore

Saturday was a beautiful day.  Much too nice to spend inside.  We decided to take a ride to the beach and spend the afternoon chasing waves, looking for shells and enjoying the beauty and peace of the shore.  Assateauge National Seashore is a wonderful escape close to home.  In less than 45 minutes we can be in a raw, natural seashore, undeveloped and teaming with natural beauty.  There are wild horses roaming the park, free to come and go as they please - it is the humans that have boundries here. 

Here are just a few pictures from our day.  Katherine is still shining in her makeup from a community festival we attended earlier in the day.  The sparkle suits her i think.  There is also a rarity for you - a picture of me. Not only am I always behind the camera, I run from it when it is pointed my direction. I am trying NOT to do that quite so often. Sometimes it is nice to have evidience that I was enjoying the day just as much as everyone else. 

There were magnificent butterflies everywhere Saturday. Some larger than my hand floating around the shore, along the breaking waves and over the dunes. It was amazing to see so many, and some so large. Nature at her finest.

Also enjoying the day with us were Rodney and one of his students from last year. Johnnie is a great young man, a very talented musician who never ceases to amaze me with how quickly he learns. With his talent and desires he will go far. We have been fortunate over the last year to get to know him, encourage him and watch him grow. His future is definitely bright.

Johnnie found another example of the wonders of nature in the tiniest of crabs running along the sand. It would pop up its little eyes and look at us with just as much curiosity as we were showing towards it. While it might have been tiny, it was a fiesty little thing and fast as lightning.

One last look at the pristine beauty of Assateague. 

Thank you for taking the time to visit and share with me the beauty that is around us.   I have a beautiful life - I need to remember that and take time to recognize it much more often. 

The Art of Wendy Vecchi

During my recent trip to South Carolina, I was lucky enough to find and attend an art class led by Wendy Vecchi, an amzingly talented ARTist.  The wall hanging below was from the second class.  The first class was an Ink Technique class where we learned diffferent ways to use distress, pigment and archival inks.  It was a great day!  I was so pleased with how this turned out, and was given high praise by Wendy for my first attempt at a grunge project.  Made me feel really good about my ability.

This second picture is of the next class she will be teaching here in Maryland in October.  This is only one of the four classes, but it is the one I am wanting to take the most - I will have to work on the budget to be sure I can manage it - Katherine will be taking it with me so there will much art flowing in our family. 

Wendy and I

This picture just struck me as one I had to take.  A little bit of country in the middle of the city - how wonderful it was to find.

Creative Memories and Cricut - A New Partnership

Creative Memories and Cricut have recently formed a new partnership.  Cricut will be developing cartridges that will go along with the Creative  Memories Collections.  The first two are fabulous cartridges, crammed full of content.  Recently, I became a Creative Memories Consultant and I am so pleased to be able to offer you these cartridges through my own Creative Memories web site.  Please click on the link below for more information.  Contact me directly if this is your first order with me - I would love to offer you a "New Customer" discount!

My Creative Memories Site:

http://www.mycmsite.com/sites/sherriauld/

Today's View Through My Lens

We decided to go for a ride today, just to get out and wander. We headed over to Cambridge MD and the Blackwater Nature Preserve. Of course Sadie went along for the ride.

One of my hobbies over the last year has been photography, and while I am far from great, I do like a lot of what I have taken. I did develop a serious case of Lens Envy today - there was a group of Japanese tourists at the Nature Preserve who were loaded down with cameras and some of the nicest lens I have seen in a while. Guess I better start a special savings account. :-)

Hope you enjoy seeing what appeared thru my lens today.