Day after the Wedding

I wanted to show you this dinosaur hugging the giraffe! Bryan is pretty thrilled with the new shirt he bought in Victoria! Isn't it adorable....he's quite fun that way!

A favorite quote came up today on the daily quotes! " Those who stand for nothing fall for anything." As many of my friends already know I stand for children and teens! Their right to grow up in a peaceful environment, free to develop their own natural spirit, and follow their bliss without criticism! All children need guidance, boundaries and some direction, but ultimately my job was to produce a independent adult who can function well with others making her own way in the world. I think I have been able to do that with only a few corrections and lots of encouragement! I have also done the same for other children who have lived temporarily under my roof! I feel very passionate about children and their right to emotional well being!

Beautiful Sunflowers on Jon's moms property. His sister drove my car home Saturday night after the wedding. It was nice to let my hair down and have an extra drink. It was A treat to have those few extra drinks without worry!

The majesty of a weighty sunflower is quite an impressive sight!

We all met up at Jon's parents house on Sunday. I made a double Thai salad that was scoffed up in ten minutes! Bryan's and his young brothers joined Pepper on the trampoline, left over from Jon's moms days of taking in foster children. The huge property with berry bushes, vegetable gardens and fruit trees is a child's haven! Peppers been there a few times and loved eating fresh raspberries straight off the bushes!

Nothing more thrilling for me than watching children giggling with glee!

Mitch flying through the air has wrecked many a bike with his thrill seeking nature! Their mom has taken them almost daily this summer to the skate park to practice jumps. At sixty she is quite a spitfire watching her twelve year old adrenaline junkie maneuver those daring bike tricks!

Pill Box Hat also called Fascinator

Anita and Pepper very drenched from the monsoon rains! My pictures don't do the hat justice, although the girls do look beautiful here!

Bryan and I crafted this pill box hat on a real time crunch. We pulled together to make it happen for the wedding. Wednesday Pepper wearily trounced along Vancouver streets in search of material to make the 1950's pill box hat! After many phone calls and google searches, she found what she needed at Dressew. One hat store was charging two hundred and forty five dollars for a pill box hat!! My, my, slightly over budget compared with our mere fifteen dollars!
Bryan cut two pieces and pinned them around the hat! Then I hand sewed the black satin, and found some red nineteen eighties earring and bend them into the amalgamated red and black tulle!
This is the original hat form, very uninteresting as formed netting, at just over five dollars.

Here is how Bryan pinned it. First I attached the material with a few baste stitches and then I trimmed the excess material! The hat was a definite hit as everyone asked where she got it! Many assumed Pepper was a fashion designer. Funny how vintage styles and an artist flair provoke those automatic thoughts! Geo called her a Diva all night! She did have a ball!

The Wedding

Bryan with his mother and sister (the bride) Ava! Groom Jon is at the end is now an in-law to the nine siblings! The outdoor wedding was emotional, there was a confetti of raindrops immediately after the nuptials. We did sneak home just before the reception to redo our hair in hot rollers. The down pour played havoc with our curls!

Pepper after her hair was retouched!

Anita, Bryan's other sister, with six foot seven fiance Jason are getting married next summer! What a man! I adore Anita, Jason is such a character too!
This is Ava's maid of honor! Take a good look at this award winning stylist, and makeup artist, attending design school in the fall! Geo WILL be famous one day in Holland maybe world wide! This flamboyant young gay man has the " IT" factor and is instantly lovable. Geo the jester, was the belle of the ball and you just couldn't get enough of his antics. He made a phenomenal speech, I laughed a belly laugh and cried like a baby! He is so special he deserves a post all of his own. I'd heard so much about him before the wedding, and I now I understand the allure, I fell so in love with this adorable soul! He goes back to Holland on Thursday, he'll be missed!

Barbershop Quartet at the wedding

There was a Barbershop Quartet at the wedding we attended yesterday, Pepper just happened to match them, in color and era! They took a picture of her with their camera too! More wedding celebrations still lots to do. I’m tired…but there will be lots to follow in coming days! Hope everyone is well!

Pepper decked in her red dress and pill box hat. More about that later!

Nuts for the Day!

This is how I feel right now! Eeeeeks will I get it all done?

My Thursday started with a brand new roll of toilet paper falling in the toilet….shall I continue? Then I went to Liquidation world to check out their VIP sale on Kitchen Aid small appliances for less than half price. It was nuts...there were very expensive cars in the parking lot, people had six and seven boxes of product. This was ten minutes after the store opened! It was insane, there was nothing left. I wanted to buy a wood box to alter while I was there. The cashier lines were crazy so I left.

Later in the day after a full day of running around doing errands trying to be serious with people I realized I had two completely different earrings on! I asked Pepper to grab them off the counter, and then I quickly put them on in the car during a red light. I giggled , reminded of the time I wore two completely different flip flops to dinner! When I looked down I had a pink one and a black one on. Absolutely different styles too! We all howled….that night my cousin ordered a Grand prick burger….the people started laughing hysterically. All the staff came out to point and stare at the woman who ordered the Grand Prick burger. It was actually a Grand prix burger! Who was the biggest dummy that night I wonder?

This is a just a quick post we are run ragged here, making art for a wedding, a pill box hat, going to staggette and concert. Doing laundry in between. I will have lots to talk about and show next week for sure! Have a great weekend!

Alphabet Meme

Something I love with passion and verve!

These two!

I found this fantastic Alphabet Meme on Maryellens blog. It's eye opening, forcing us to think about what and who we are! Rule # 1 Using the first word of my sentence as a prompt, write your own sentence that captures you/your essence!

Accept that people aren’t perfect and make mistakes!

Break away from toxic people

Create constantly, everyday in all I do!

Decide to live in love, without fear!

Explore more art forms and my artistic abilities

Forgive myself for imperfections; I rarely have trouble forgiving others

Give graciously what I can!

Hope to achieve my dreams and fiscal abundance

Ignore the angry mean people!

Journey through life peacefully, with solace in art

Know that thoughts become things

Love with passion and verve, including differences!

Manage to manifest money

Notice good rather than evil

Open minded

Play as much as I can with joy, and humor

Questions my self often, especially when I feel disdain

Relax harmoniously, free of ire and contempt

Share my experience, art, wisdom and intimate nature

Try to make a difference

Use my best skills of compassion, and love to share with those in need

Value my family and relationships

Work on abundance of joy, happiness, kindness, harmony, and things I love!

X-ray my intention in all that I do, making sure it is of the highest caliber.

Yield to traffic always, and to life, no matter what it brings.

Zoom to success

Rule #2 Tag as many as you want but at least one person!

Rule #3 List who you tag! Here they are! Seems like there is a bloggers funk going around lately, I hope this meme may be inspiring!

Lucy

Lisa

Pam

Gemma

Kai

It was a Beauty! The cake and the Celebration!

Gypsy goddess Laura made the most beautiful and scrumptious cake ever!! Only wish I wasn’t so full I could have had another TASTE!!!….that’s what the goddesses call seconds!!!

Laura ( here in the green) also crafted that beautiful single strand necklace (below) for Chris, with the reversible rectangular red and orange glass bead! The black necklace beneath is separate from the one Laura made. It's an interesting necklace too. Made with clear beads and black string.

Life is Art and I am always amazed at what a good haircut can do for a person. My mom was a hairdresser for over forty years; I spent countless hours watching her cut, perm and color hair. Mom also sewed, altered furniture and lamps to match rooms, and even made me a pair of shorts out of an old coat. Then; you altered thing out of fiscal necessity and because less material items were available. Now we do it for pleasure, to recycle and also to practice restraint!

This is the great haircut my friend the fairy goddess received yesterday! Last night we celebrated her birthday at our favorite Chili Pepper House restaurant. Where the food was exceptionally delicious!

Good Haircuts always leave me in awe!

Goddess Birthday Celebration, we had such a lovely time!
Our Earth goddess an avid hiker just came back from a hike in Peru; where a protest by the locals that became heated. The hikers and tourists were forced to escape. They were up all night on the bus ride to Lima. Connie said it was scary, every time the bus door opened they feared bandits would confiscate all their items of value including their passports! To read more about this dangerous incident read here!

Something old, made something new!

This is an altered Vase, I changed to match my newly painted kitchen. It may look brown in the photo but it's actually egg plant like the curtains in the picture below. I gessoed it, then painted it with acrylics paints, outlined it with a black sharpie. Lastly coated it with two coats of modge podge, and two of varnish!

I also changed the candle holders, they now have a more folk-art flavor to them. I painted them similar to the vase but didn't match them exactly. Let me tell you how hard that was, being a matching sort of girl! I am so tempted to change that bluey purple to match the maroon or eggplant purple like the vase. Since it has the final coats on it, that may be difficult.

This is another view of the candle holders, which is a very orange shade of red. It looks really red in the photo. It may be more apparent once you see the before and after pictures of my kitchen. Soon to come!
Before pattern of the above pieces!
Here is the plant pot, which was a part of the above set. It was hand painted by the same artist, and yes, every piece matched this one! Quite a difference wouldn't you say! I noticed some initials on the bottom of all the pieces, but I have no idea who the artist was. I usually initial my art, I'm thinking maybe I should put my full art name on them. What do you do?

Happy Birthday Chris and Lucy!

Click picture to enlarge

Lucy, Sherrie, Chris aren't we svelte? We've been working out! I mean I have been working out my paint program!!! Oh yeah and I paid for the new hairdo's too! Or should I say I MAY be paying for them....PLEASE NO RETRIBUTION!!!! If you'd like to change the color again girls, it's on my dime!

I altered an old piece of art…..wow it took way longer than I expected….I’m praying no one is insulted with their wigs…..or boobs!!! Or Faces! Oh yeah I didn’t draw those!

Happy Birthday Chris and Lucy....hope you celebrate all weekend long!Two dear women deserve all the best, today and everyday. They are both loving passionate women, who work hard and adore their families! I wish you only JOY!!! Love Sherrie

Poetry Thursday " Between the Lines"

click on pictures to enlarge

Nicci, and two fellow artist completed this beautiful Mermaid mural to enhance the White Rock beach! What joy this painting brings to the beach!





Pepper and Bryan visited Nicci’s mermaid Mural on Tuesday. I joined them for a dinner of fish and chips and a
game of crib!


Often times many things just aren't said.....it's what's between the lines that really count!
Poetry Thursday

Between the Lines

Bewitching beauty, her laminated smile shimmers with allure
Between the lines envy stains her attire, contorting reality
He bellows melodies of life, loss and longing
Between the lines a silenced voice, reverently waiting to be heard
Fleshy foreigner invades her vigor, apathy appears apparent
Between the lines the ceaseless malaise conceals disability
Constant commotion, wields weariness and unbearable pain
Between the lines she’s cloaked in guilt, clinging to choked creativity and ire
Earthly companion virtuously responsible, fulfilling her duties diligently
Between the lines sleeping in blanketed passion of deafening regret and defeat
Chasing perfection, he shrewdly sculpts every aspect of his moment
Between the lines the chaos baton follows in the shadows of his insecurities
Frivolously she spends, factiously layering the lies with baubles and new adventures
Between the lines she’s detached from consequences held by the anvils thread of the past
Unreadable pages of a well honed façade of confidence and style
Between the lines the oxymoron lives a secret fear of abandon symbiotically
What appears is an illusion of presentation, a veneer of soul, safety, and pride
Between the lines lives clichés, metaphors, intimacy and truth

I'm A Winner!!!!

Sunday I managed two posts, dinner on the beach with a friend, a visit to Nicci’s mermaid’s mural; watch the sunset then have a game of bingo! Yes you read that correctly, a game of bingo, something I haven’t done in thirty four years! It was a comedy of errors as I dabbed the wrong card and had to change colors and re dab it for the big money! Pepper called a false bingo! She’d dabbed a five which is the date of Bryans Birthday before it was called! Numbers are not my forte, I could feel an underlying headache, as I stressed to dab all the digits! We giggled through the whole two hours. I won enough to pay my entrance fee!
At the end of July Gemma sent me a Schmooze award with this sweet acknowledgement! Thank you so much Gemma for the love and support. You have no idea how much that means!

Giggles
Congratulations!!!!
You have received the Schmooze Award from Gemma!
Your art and poetry knock my socks off!
xo

Gemma

Monday I was calling myself a winner all day long!! Riding in the car singing, “I’m a winner, I’m a winner.” Yes I can be rather kooky at times. I was informed in a phone call that the drug store that made all the mistakes on my bill last week put 10, 000 points on my card probably, worth about fifteen dollars!

Friday Bryan stopped into a dollar store, a woman in a wheelchair unable to reach the top greeting cards asked him for help. Mentioning how they always put the ones she needs on the top. Being six three Bryan is always doing those short lady reaches for me! He politely pulled some down, and then asked if she wanted more, because he’d be leaving soon. He was on a bit of a time crunch; otherwise he would have stood there as long as she needed him! That’s just how he is! She thanked him, expressing that he’d done his good deed for the day. He assured her that humans should be nice to others all the time!! And that is why this young man lives with me! Because he is simply a kind person to all people, and very humble too!

Last week Gemma sent a Nice Matters award, before I could pass one on to Maryellen which I intended….she tagged me with one first!! Thank you so much ladies…Nice really does matter! As far as I’m concerned all the bloggers I visit deserve these lovely awards or I simply wouldn’t visit them! I prefer to be around a balance of nice people. I think for the most part that’s what I have in my circle, kind loving, giving woman of substance! I am so grateful for that, and now I have a blogger family of lovely people! Am I blessed of what? Yes I truly am a WINNER!

Sunday Scribbling "Goosebumps"

Click picture to enlarge
A couple of bracelets I recently made for friends

Sunday Scribbling Prompt " Goosebumps"

A great piece of writing, a potential hit song, a profound sermon, or spiritual awakening, can alert my soul to excellence with a shrill of Goosebumps! The strange energy of an abandoned building, an untimely waft of cold air brushing against my legs, thunderous bursts of ire, can alert me of danger, with staccato style Goosebumps.

The other day I drove by a high-rise in the process of being constructed. Goosebumps rolled down my back. It was an eerie feeling, alerting me to bad energy. Later I discovered a few men have lost their lives during the construction of that building!

I can generally gage my emotions by my Goosebumps.I’ve found them to be a very good indicator of astute feelings, so I heed them with respect!

Goosebumps

Heavenly honed harmonies
Philosophical prolific prose
Strange Spirits skulking
Tumultuous Trepidations
Garner Goosebumps

Glitter Power Sisters Unite!

Friday night was my first meeting with a fellow blogger or should I say Glitter Power Sister Sioux (far left) from Mineral Well Texas. Sioux's bubbly personality entertained us with stories of travel and home.
My friend Violette in the colorful green and orange, a well known local folk artist from White Rock lives in a magic Cottage, has been on a few television programs including Weird Homes! Violette is a wonderful mentor to many Glitter Power sisters! A group of bloggers and artists who meet on the message board of her blog to connect and do art swaps. I am so grateful to Violette for inspiring me to start drawing and tap into my artful heart! After visiting my home and seeing my love of color, Violette was first to label me an Artist and encourage me to start blogging! There really is no monetary equivalent to that gift, which I will be eternally thankful.

Nicci, a friend who I met through Violette is another local artist from White Rock who has been busy painting a mural on a building at the beach in White Rock. Becoming rather well known Nicci was recently on the American television show "That's Clever" which featured her painting her goddess's on material! You can read about this Funky Artist on her Brushed with Magic website!

Pepper and Bryan came along to meet Sioux and Raf! Pepper was so impressed that during their trip Raf and Sioux were listening to Harry Potter on duel headphones together! Isn’t that romantic? Sioux was adorably emphatic that no one tells her how it ends because they aren’t finished it yet!

Bryan loved connecting with Raf, an astute musician! He was mesmerized while listening to Raf's adventures belonging to a large acoustic guitar group similar to the Glitter Power Sisters! Bryan baked a loaf of banana bread for them to have on their trip. Such an adorable couple, Bryan and Pepper aspire to be a couple as close, loving and supportive to each other as they are!

Sioux and Raf were such a joy to meet! After a bit of running around we settled on what seemed to be an intimate Russian Café in Vancouver a few blocks from the hotel. There was a diverse menu; Sioux tried Borscht for the first time while Raf and I had Perogies!

Conversation flowed, we played a bit of musical chairs so everyone got a chance to connect with our visitors. Sioux said she was really happy I brought the kids along because she'd read so much about them.We compared lifestyles, explained where we lived, which isn't as frenetic as Vancouver on a friday night!

Violette was stunningly lovely in her flowing green and orange attire topped off with adorable glitzy espadrilles. Wish I’d taken a full picture of her….she looked like a bohemian goddess! I was sorry I hadn't more time to get acquainted with G, Violette's suitor.

Sioux and Raf were exausted, with their early morning stint at the airport, two A.M. our time. It was such a pleasure to meet them, time together seemed too short! I hope they take me up on my offer to stay with us on their next trip here.Sounds like Bryan and Pepper may one day attend a few acoustic guitar festivals with them too!

Blood

Can you believe this guy is 556 month old? This is the affects of good nutrition and routine weight lifting since the age of 12!

Yes hard to believe my brother is 46 years old!
Check out some of that Canadian good nutrition!!!
I still remember back forty years when he was 6 and stood in front of me to protect me from some evil neighbor boys trying to whip his sister with a switch from our apple tree!
He took it bare-chested like a little man, against my many protests! My dad later dealt with the bullies!


My daughter is so much like my mother!


I love the comparison!