Great Ideas and Blessings

Happy Monday, friends and fellow bloggers!  I've enjoyed viewing so many of your blogs this morning, being inspired with such lovely ideas, and reading about your latest happenings.  Thank you for sharing your lives, inspiration and fabulous ideas; through you and blogland, I am completed!

The above photo is my first attempt at making book text rosettes, something I recently discovered on the blog of Stephanie Lynn.  She has several great ideas for using these pretty poses, and I LOVE the wreath she made.  However, if you click on the link to her tutorial for making these beauties, you'll see that she's also previously used them to embellish packages ~~ what a great idea!  Admittedly, my first one unrolled itself after I glued it to its base paper, but I wasn't willing to trash it, and went back to rolling from the center, and used glue to hold the "petals" in a couple of places along the spiral.  Hopefully my next attempts will go better!  If you decide to make some of these pretties, I'd love to hear of your experience, and see what you accomplish with them!

Next, I want to share a gift received from a Kindred Spirit this weekend ~~ I love this framed print!  It speaks to my heart, was created by a dear friend, and was a gift from a very Special Soul Sista ... whom doesn't blog often enough.  However she can be found on Facebook is you search for "The Art of Chandra T," and her blog is found here.  She just recently previewed her new art originals and prints in a local art show, and this was one of my favorites of her latest creations.  The words say, "it's so exhausting maintaining this wall around my heart," words my 'heart' can intimately related to.  Chandra is a very unique artsy chic, whom has learned to express her personal feelings and thoughts through her art, and thus found her own unique style of art.  Needless to say I think alot of her, and am thrilled to see her succeed with her latest art showing!  Her work is currently displayed within a local gallery ~~ go GIRL!  Not only do we have so much in common within our pasts, that draws us near to each other and helps us understand each other, but we also have our artsy endeavors to draw us nearer to each other, too!  I admire her bravery in stepping out to show her work, and work through the past also.

On Saturday, while I was at work, Chandra attended Art of the Carolinas at Jerry's Artarama in Raleigh, NC.  Chandra is SUCH an open and inspiring soul, and thus I enjoy spending time with her, not to mention that I love art supplies, so I wanted to attend this event with her.  However, I also need a paycheck in order to buy art supplies, so work had to take precedence.  But, while at this show, she called to say they had a great deal on some gallery wrapped canvases, ... and I could NOT resist the temptation, needing a couple of canvases to experiment with anyway!  So she was so nice to bring me a box of new canvases to play with, along with the following treasure also!

A Strathmore Visual Journal filled with fabulous watercolor paper!!!  I've seen Pam Carriker endorse and use these beauties, and I've admired them with intent ... but now I have one ~~ thank you, C!!!  I look forward to filling this journal in the days ahead!

I'm not sure I can show a photo of my last great treasure from this weekend, but will leave by saying I cannot WAIT to find a handyman to incorporate it into a furniture piece within my imagination!

Wishing each of you a week filled with joy, peace, love, thankfulness, and all the things you enjoy most!  Thank you for visiting me, and please feel free to leave me a note ~~ I love to hear from you!