A "Trick" from Mother Nature

The pictures say it all....the snow is really coming down....the trees are sagging under the weight.  Boomer was just groomed this morning...there was no snow when I dropped him off!  It was white knuckle driving when I went to pick him up.  I never expected the storm to be as bad as it is this early in the day.  My lights have flickered once, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed....this is really an early "trick" from Mother Nature on this Halloween weekend....

Here Comes The Groom....

Home & Garden Journal

Mirabeau Bonaparte & Virginia Swanson

c. 1920

When I was looking for things for my "pear" pages, I came across the wedding photo of my maternal grandparents.  And it is so lovely, I had to journal it.  I never knew my grandmother... as she had passed before I arrived on the planet.  I don't know the wedding date either...still searching for that, but I've left room under their photo to add it.  And I don't know what I want to put inside the metal heart either....I do love that I found the music "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh!"   The lace is from an old mantilla from my Catholic days... And on the opposite page, I found the wonderful drawing of the man...it was part of an old advertisement...but he's dressed just like my grandfather....serendipity.  So I just embellished him a bit with a little white paint on his bow tie and flower and I painted the candlesticks silver and I "upholstered" the chair....I just altered the page a bit here and there. The clocks on the left of the groom...just to indicate the passage of time....once upon a time....

"In The Pursuit of Happiness"

Rhinebeck, NY

My friend, Jan and I, took a beautiful day yesterday to visit the town of Rhinebeck, NY in the Hudson River Valley area...a little over an hour from our homes.  We wandered the streets, visited the local shops and had lunch at a very old inn, catching up on our daily lives which we have so little time to share...Now...you may be wondering what is the story behind the above photos...as always, sorry the quality isn't better...but Rhinebeck has some really beautiful architecture which we were admiring on our stroll.  We stopped in front of a building that had a very interesting front door, and a young woman came out and asked if we'd like to see the inside....of course we would!!!  As it turns out, it's a restaurant that has just barely opened it's doors...I felt like I was walking back in time as I stepped into the dining room with all of the American flags, the red banquettes, the pewter ware on the rustic, old tables.   It felt like the kind of place you might celebrate after an important treaty was signed... I could imagine soldiers here catching a brew and sharing a hot meal; the room on the opposite side of the entrance is the bar.  I didn't take a photo of it...but it is indescribable, the attention to details that make this room so amazing...you would just have to visit.  AND...of course I loved the whole place because of the use of our American flag....so if you ever get to Rhinebeck, you'll have to stop at this place, aptly named, "In The Pursuit of Happiness."

The Little Book of Pears

These are the next two pages in my Home & Garden altered book.  I painted, used napkins, stamps, different papers and created a pocket for the "Little Pears" book.  There are 16 pears in the accordion book, each one is different.  I even painted one to look like a nun from my youth...and named her... Sr. Poire!

The Colors of Autumn

This is how Autumn looks in my Red, White & Blue Journal.....

WITCHY WOMAN-altered book, Femme

 

Having an altered book to work on that is all about females....is so much fun.  It's October, Halloween, etc. etc.  So I had to have a "Witchy Woman", Eagles lyrics on left side.  Her face is from a Vogue magazine....

 "Raven hair and ruby lips ...sparks fly from her finger tips...echoed voices in the night....she's a restless spirit on an endless flight...wooo hooo witchy woman....".   We've all got a little bit of "witchy woman" in us....