Here's a little peek...

Some of you might be wondering what I've been doing since May. Yes, I just noticed I haven't added a new blog post since then. Well, here's a sneak peek of what we've been up to.

Starting with the new kitchen design as you can see below required not only cabinets but counters, flooring, sink, and appliances. This was quite a large project for me since I've never done anything like it before. There were many delays and obstacles throughout but I'm happy to say...this job is finished! Yay! Oh, and I absolutely love the finished product!

Here is a look at what the upper cabinets look like. They are constructed of maple and stain finished in hazelnut. They really are beautiful cabinets. I had no idea that there would be crown molding at the top until they were installed. What a lovely added feature, don't you think?

Almost everything under the counter top is drawers. These drawers are solid, dove-tailed, and have a self glide system. The drawer pulls are brushed nickle with a slim rope edge...just enough to give a very slight Southwest charm. You can also see some of the counter top and flooring in this image. Since the cabinets are light, we decided on a darker stone finished tile and counter.

Here you can see the earth-tone carpet which ties in with the masculine earth-tones of the kitchen. There are flecks of burgundy, dark green, and dark brown to spice it up just a bit. And...our new reclining sofa which my grandson told me to purchase. Little to say, he didn't have to tell me that twice although it took me two trips to the furniture store to decide for sure. It really does look great on the new carpet. Can you tell I'm trying to ward off others from enjoying the comfort of the sofa? Or did you just miss that snake curled up on the corner? Oh, don't worry! It's not real! LOL

Ok, so now it's time to go outdoors, don't ya know? It's mid summer and the garden isn't finished yet. It was about time we did something about that so first we found some lovely hanging baskets. My daughter actually found these for under six dollars and believe me...they are huge! What a deal! I found one for under six dollars too but she beat my deal by 49 cents.

It was also time to start filling some of the deck planters. We found a few unusual plants at the nursery and added them to our better deals from the local stores that were closing out their garden centers. I just can't pass up the few plants that need a bit of TLC...ever. I think everything deserves a home, don't you? So here are a few of the many planters we filled.

Now then...it was time to clean up and fill the largest garden, which I call my kitchen garden, since I can view it from the kitchen. The first pic shows the placement of the plants while the second shows them all planted. I can hardly wait to see how they will all merge together in time.

From back to front there are hydrangeas, asters, zinnias, Martha Washington's, and geraniums. On the right, there are two wooden planters housing miniature dahlias. The large blueish green plant on the right is a well established sedum. Not sure if the birds like the bird bath or not. There haven't been many around due to my lack of feeding them. Perhaps the flowers and the new bird seed will coax some of them back.

The large projects are finished. It's summer and it's time to have a little fun. Although we always ask for warm and sunny for an outdoor party, you never know what you might get so we set up our mosquito-proof gazebo just in case it should rain. It also provides a great place for all the food. Well, it can't be a fiesta without food, right? And there will be plenty of table space for the enchiladas, chimichangas, taquitos, chili, chips and dips (SW, of course) And the margaritas! Ole'! So now all that's left to do is decorate for the Fiesta! We have red hot chili lights, a glittery red chili to cover the outdoor light, some umbrella lighting, sombreros to wear for fun, and some decorations for inside the house.

Here are some of the decorations set up in the house. Beautiful flowers from my son-in-law, a miniature pinata, some maracas, and the ceramic sombrero to hold the salt for the margaritas.
It getting closer to Fiesta day. Now it's time to start cooking.

Unfortunately, this image did not turn out well. The dancers didn't have time to flatten completely by the time I took this picture...but I'm sure you get the idea, si?

I do hope you enjoyed this little sneak peek into the festivities going on here. It has been quite a journey for us and I am ever so thankful this part is finished. I will be even more thankful when the remaining rooms are done and I can return to my art therapy. I sure miss that as well as all of you amazing creators out there. Hope you all had a terrific weekend!

We Love Digital Art June Challenge

At We_Love_Digital_Art it's all about digital, baby, and oh how I love my digital programs! Here are my recent creations for the June Homepage Art Challenge. I really had fun with Birdtime...although I cannot take the credit for the text...Thanks Mike for the great idea! I originally had Summertime Bird Watching but this gave me such a smile and giggle when he suggested it so I just had to use it! : )

Lovely Summer actually started out as an ATC background painting. I then decided to make a collage over it but only got as far as the paper cuts for the top and bottom. I then scanned it to photoshop where I used custom shapes, filters, and a fun font to embellish into a digital collage. I used the original prints for a swap but of course, I always save my creations for a make-over later. So...here is the new version in pink! This was a fun one to make-over using a new pattern for the flowers, adding an additional butterfly, and changing the color tones.

If you are interested in digital art, you can find the group by clicking on the image from my blog sidebar. Doesn't matter if you're a beginner or a pro...there's something for everyone there.

Hope you all have a wonderfully creative week!

Bears...Oh my!

Bear Tragedy
This is a very sad story about a bear. Everybody should heed the warning to not feed wildlife because they become dependent and cannot forage for themselves anymore.
This is such a tragedy to see what they have done to our country's wildlife!
The photo below captures a disturbing trend that is beginning to affect all US wildlife.

Ok, wait for it

~~~

Wait for it

~~~

Here it comes

~~~

I just couldn't resist adding this to my blog in response to my friend Jude who recently had a bear encounter in good ole PA...right at the edge of her driveway! She was lucky to have a camera close by and snapped a quick pic...from the safety of her home...thank goodness! I don't think she'll mind if I send you to her blog to see her bear so here's the link:

http://strawmountainblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/bearoh-my.html

AND you just might want to take a look around her blog. She is a very talented artist in too many ways to count! I'm always amazed at her creations - she has an abundant of talent!

Yay! It's Pink Saturday!

Welcome to my Pink Saturday collection starting with these lovely watered ivy geraniums! I think the ruffles on the blooms are so inviting. And the glistening water drops give such a refreshing look, don't you think? I do believe this is one of my favorite photos captured over Mother's Day weekend. I must say - I do love my digital camera!

I found this to be quite unusual in a collection of pinks at the florist and just couldn't resist taking a photo. Can anyone tell me what the large flowers are?

Oh, these I know very well. Kalanchoe and Calla Lillies! In some areas, the Kalanchoe can grow outside as well as inside. For us, we keep them indoors. I read that many of these are thrown away once the blooms leave as the owner thinks the plant has died. So sad because the blooms can return so if you ever own one...don't throw it away! Give it time to bloom again.
As far as the Calla Lilly - I do plant them outside and they do return year after year.

Now for some fun! Just a few of my favorite things! Really...who doesn't love frosted animal crackers? AND Almond Roca? Even if they are with cashews instead of almonds...they are simply delicious! And the three little mice just added to the fun!

"Three Mice Snackin"

Finally, I am ending my Pink Saturday with these very large hydrangeas. I hope to plant some of these this year when my large garden is ready. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Pink Saturday and if you would like to see more, all you have to do is go to:

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

More Pink for another Pink Saturday

Hi Everyone and welcome to another Pink Saturday! This Sunday is Mother's Day and what better way to celebrate than by creating a special Mother's Day card for your best Mom? I had a great time taking photos of beautiful pink flowers plus a bit more. I hope you enjoy all the pink for this special holiday.

A loving sentiment straight from the heart
I just may have to go back to purchase this whimsical cat planter! It's so cute!
Can you find all the other animal friends? I had no idea when I snapped this
picture that they where peeking out here and there!
Same image as below with a few enhancements. Which do you like better?

I just couldn't resist snapping a pic of these pink, glass vases.

Aren't these azaleas beautiful? You probably can't tell - but they are in a basket with the handle providing the most lovely flower arch! I may have to go back and purchase one of these too!

And with that...I wish you all a Merry Pink Saturday and a Happy Mother's Day to each and every Mom (Mum, Mam, Nana, Grandma, Aunt, etc.) My grandson calls me Nana Joan but perhaps it should be Noni Joanie! LOL

Oh...and I had to post early this week since my Saturday is totally booked solid. AND I do have some new flowers to plant! I'll snap some pics when the garden is finished. : )

It's Pink Saturday!

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!

I thought it would be nice to focus on Spring with a short tour of my last day out.

I figured I might as well take some photos while I was out and about and I really

thought I would find lots of pink but I guess I was just a bit too early for the

flowers that will probably be in bloom next week. Luckily, my daughter and

I finally found the most beautiful rhododendrons in hot pink! Absolutely perfect for Pink Saturday and May Day! So, I hope you enjoy the short tour.

A Sure Sign that Spring has Arrived!

The barn has a new coat of paint this year. It looks like a dark carnation color. And there are always hanging plants just in time for Mother's Day! Doesn't that look wonderful?

Here are some local flowers to add color to your garden.

My daughter and I spotted these beautiful rhododendrons while we were running errands and we just had to stop and take some pictures!

I wonder what color the rhody will be that hasn't bloomed yet?

Now wouldn't these flowers make the perfect Hawaiian Lei?

I wish you could really see how bright of pink these were. This pic is close to the real color. I hope you enjoyed the tour and the flowers on this lovely Pink Saturday!

In closing, I wish you a Happy Birthday Pink Saturday and a Happy May Day to everyone else!

View more of Pink Saturday's Celebration at:

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Theme Thursday Challenge - Black & White

Zentangle - Emotion, Happy
My imaginary Aztec animal friend

Zentangle - Emotion, Frustrated

Here are my original entries for the Black and White challenge at Theme Thursday. I learned about zentangles from a group I was once in and fell in love with the concept. I've been doing them ever since. It's a great form of art therapy and helps to release the emotions from within.

As far as my made up Aztec friend - well, I've been drawing imaginary animals since I was a little girl and when my kids were old enough to draw, I taught them how to draw those too. My son asked me to morph a hippo with a bear once. I have to say it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Bears and hippos are both large bodied animals so it took a bit of drawing and erasing before I got it pretty close to where you could actually see the two animals merged into one. For Christmas I bought a Morph program and Spore. I still haven't downloaded either one but I do keep sketching my imaginary friends.

Now here is the fun part of this blog post. As I have never had the opportunity to do a give-away, I thought this would be a good time to do one. I think of it as a really belated anniversary to my one year of blogging. So what will you receive? Hmmmm...I think I'll keep that as a surprise for now. Oh, I'm such a tease! Heh heh

So, you know what you have to do if you're interested in winning, right? Yep, just leave a comment here and then check back on May 21st (Endangered Species Day) to see if you're the lucky winner. Ooooh, what an appropriate day for a good win, don't you think?

Oh, and don't forget to check out the Theme Thursdays challenges at:

http://themethursday.wordpress.com/

Mandala Swap

Ok, this is my final set of ATC's that I recently mailed out for the current mandala swap going on over at the artists trading cards group. I've been fascinated with mandalas for years and own several books and a kit purchased from Amazon. Although I love the traditional mandalas I wanted to go outside the box into the more modern mandalas and the above is what I came up with. I hope you like them! Thanks for taking the time to take a look! Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think. Comments are always appreciated.

A Case of the Blues Swap

Here are some of my blue ATC's - four of which were recently mailed for an ATC swap. Or was that six for this swap and four to the other swap. Or was that five to this swap, six to another, and four to the last swap? Oh me, Oh my! I'm sure I mailed the appropriate amount for each of the three swaps! And I know I have enough started for the next digital swap. At least I think I do. LOL Well, considering that my house is half way through it's renovation, I'm surprised I even know where my head is at lately. : ) Actually, all kidding aside now... I've really had fun working on new swaps. I really needed this "art fix" to get me through the second half of the renovation. Wish me luck?

PURPLE - my favorite color!

ATC's for a Purple Swap

I'm going to try like heck to get these all finished for an upcoming swap in the Artist Trading card group. It's been quite a while since I've been able to participate so I'm really looking forward to it. I have all the cards ready for two other swaps as well but like the above, I still need to finish the backs for them all. I guess time will tell if I can complete them all. If not...I can still swap them out through Elinor's digital swap from the same group.

Theme Thursday Challenge - Red and Black

Here I have three new images for the challenge at Theme Thursday. My favorite is the one with the birds. You can view more images at: http://themethursday.wordpress.com/

Hammy Potato Soup

Sometimes I just can't find the recipe I'm looking for so I "wing-it"! Yesterday was one of those days. So...here's what I did.

In a dutch oven or stock pot:

2 T. Olive oil
1 Med minced onion
1 Minced jalapeno
A few minced mini carrots
4 Minced garlic cloves
1/8 t. chili pepper flakes

Saute until tender then add:

6-8 Peeled and cubed potatoes
Enough water to cover the potatoes
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
Dash of cayenne
3 Bay leaves

Boil for 15-20 minutes

Add:

1-2 C. minced baked ham
3 T. Ham stock from the ham
2 Cans of cream corn
1 Can of drained sweet corn
3/4 C. Milk

Heat thoroughly but DON'T boil and serve.

My next recipe creation will include chicken, pasta, onions, garlic, and herbs in a wine base reduction. I'll need some luck with this one since I've never tried to create anything like this before! Perhaps I'll split the chicken in half so I can try creating a fiesta chicken dish as well. That would include chicken with jalapeno, onion, lime juice, tequila, cilantro, and chili pepper flakes served over seasoned rice. And with that...I'll just say...To be continued! ; )

Mind Wide Open Challenge - Magical

"A Magical Imagination"

Here it is April already and time for another challenge from Mind Wide Open. This one is especially for Birgit as she worked her magic on me to enter! Oh yes you did Birgit! So...here's my creation and I hope you all like it. : )

You will be able to view the challenge entries and vote on which one you love most on or around April 10th at http://www.mind-wideopen.blogspot.com/

Easter is my Favorite Holiday

"Easter Twins"

Since Easter is my favorite holiday I sure wish I had more time to create but it looks like I've run out of time once again. I always have a ton of ideas and I suppose that is good so I can work on them all at a later date. With the time constraint for an Easter completion I decided to finish this cute little bunny card that I started last month for a challenge themed twins. I was trying to get a head-start on Easter and that theme just fit the bill. Yep, you guessed it! I ran out of time and didn't get this finished by that deadline but at least I managed to complete it before Easter!

AND with Easter in mind and with a thankful heart, I would like to say Thank You to my friends, family, and followers! AND an extra thank you to all who leave comments! They are much appreciated - more than you know!

I wish you all a spectacular weekend and a wondrous Easter! : )

Sharing some Dover Publications Samples

Here it is just days before Easter so I thought I would share a few images I’ve saved from Dover Publications Samples. You can receive free samples too!

Just go to: http://doverpublications.com

Happy Easter Everyone!

It's Pink Saturday with a Twist of Yellow!

Hello to all Pink Saturday Fans! Now who couldn't be that? This week we are using pink and yellow together. I think the yellow really helps to remind of us of warm sunny days to come. The wind chill today made it brrrrrrrrrrr crazy so I'm really looking forward to warmer days...and a little less mess to clean up from storms!
I was hoping to be able to take a few shots of my pink tulips for this week - unfortunately they just didn't want to open yet and it seems that everything else that has managed to bloom so far has been white or purple. I guess I'll just have that to share at a later Pink Saturday. Oh, did you catch that? I've finally learned how to use my digital camera! Yay! I know...it's about time! So here are my contributions this week for a Bloomin Pink Saturday...

"Chives in full Bloom"

(An oldie but goodie)

Just a few flowers I painted a while back using aquarelle's. Hmmmm...perhaps there was a challenge theme at one time using pink and yellow. I do so many challenges, I can't remember which creations were for what. However, I can tell you the two single flowers were done in a pen and ink style and I used watercolors for the two tulips. : )

Enjoy your Pink Saturday and thanks for looking!

You can view more at: http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/