december pages

Happy New Year

dear readers..

we had a lovely holiday

peaceful..

and sweet..

and I managed to finish my 

journal pages..

as I begin to gesso the

new pages for 

january

I buried my journal writing...

but you can still see it

lurking

ever so slightly

beneath the layers...

I used two of my favorite personal photographs 

the one on the right is a fence

and the one on the left is a park bench covered in snow..

they just

seemed to 

attract each other..

the feather is collaged and stitched to

black lace...

I was taken with idea of

words frozen in the snow incubating

and 

ingredients: transfers on paper, wrapping papers, tissue paper, acrylic paint colored pencils, paper ephemera, feather, thread, lace. 

thawing in the coming spring..

 taking flight...

I want to take this opportunity to

thank you for hanging out with me...

here at

 The 

Sweet Life..

all you followers and lurkers,

dear friends and family...

I so appreciate your

kind remarks, your interest and support...

I wish you all the happiest of New Year's

filled with peace

and great love...

xo

november pages

I had a terrible time shooting

this spread

dear reader..

it was almost as if it did not want to be

seen..

it came up shiny...

so I gave it a coat of matte gel medium...

then the rain came 

and I was forced to use the flash...

which made it shinier!

and now with the sun shining

the glare is worse...

I finally took out my phone, shot it

and sent them to iphoto...

to understand this spread I have a little story for you...

I was asked to write a little something that I was grateful for

for Thanksgiving...

This is what I wrote and this is what my pages are about..

Last year on the 4^th of July, we hosted a BBQ for my husband’s brother and wife. They wanted to pick up a load of gravel that we had left over from our garden project. I remember watching the brothers sweating, working to load it up into the pickup truck. It was a hard job but they were both healthy and strong. They were laughing, talking, teasing the way brothers do. It was a joyous day… good food, love and warm weather. But by November, a week after Thanksgiving, my brother in law was dead. Lung cancer had carved his name on his head stone. My thanks and overwhelming gratitude is for our health, for the aliveness that flows through me,  my husband, and is never taken for granted. I give thanks for the contrast, which makes my life sweeter and richer every day, and I know that my brother in law would be glad in it.  

ingredients: collage papers, acrylic paint, Prismacolors, 

the cross, was an important symbol for my BIL, Terry...

for me.. I see it as a plus or a positive 

I cannot believe that it is almost time for

my annual

Buon Natale post...

I will make sure I leave that with you

before I take some

time off for the Holidays...

I am grateful too

for 

YOU!

C4N!

holiday break

just a quick love note

to 

remind everyone to have a safe holiday...

we are headed for the beach...

and I will be taking the long weekend off...

and hope to be back on Monday with

June art journal pages...

Quintessential Americana photo by Mr. LDV 

but I will bring my camera...

and to remind you that google reader may be dead, but you can 

follow me on bloglovin'

just click on the button in my side bar and get an account, it is pretty simple and easy...

ciao, ciao!

a happy weekend

spring finally arrived in 

Michigan...

dear readers...

the blooms are pretty spectacular...

the lilacs are just now waning...

and our family is safe in Moore

it was a bit scary for a while...

but they are fine and all is well... Whew!

"what good is the warmth of summer without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?"

John Steinbeck

but life in the forest is good...

although a little chilly this weekend, we are still

planning on sunshine...

and I am dividing my time between garden and studio...

as I do every year...

I am working on May pages and Italian collage and some

new pieces in my French Paper series..

I should have some WIPS to show you soon...

I wanted to wish you all a great weekend...

a safe and beautiful Memorial weekend

as always I am so grateful to your readership and your kind remarks,

I will be back next week...

C4N!

march pages

what a difference  a year makes...

this time last year, I had sprouts in the garden...

cut flowers on my table...

and tulips lining the drive...

and nowhere is it more evident than in my art...

I am certainly affected by my environment...

to see march pages from last year

go here... 

not that I don't love the color brown...

you all know that it is my favorite color...

but I am ready for green

and color, and flowers...

and bird nests...

can it really be easter... ?

soooo...

I guess I don't really have to explain these pages...

do I?

I mean... x marks the garden plot above in my head because the garden is covered in snow...

sigh...

I know it is happening everywhere... so you all understand...

at least in Colorado, we were prepared for wet and snow

since March and April typically are the heaviest snow months...

but we had BIG SUN TOO...

but here...

the deer should not be eating all of my evergreen bushes...

ingredients: gesso, book pages, paper ephemera, acrylic paint, ink, twinkling h20's, molding paste, colored pencil thread, ink resist, pen.

my spring giveaway ends

on 

March 29

so scroll down to the last post

to 

decide which piece of art you want...

hoping everything is in bloom in your world!

C4N!