Happy New Year

Biltmore House

Hubby and I went to Biltmore House in Asheville the day after Christmas.  We had a wonderful trip and the House was gorgeous.  I've wanted to go there at Christmas for years so this trip was very special to me.  Here are a couple of pictures of this American castle.  If you love everything decorated for Christmas, I'd highly recommend taking a trip to see the House all decorated for the holidays.  It is beautiful and very festive.

Here's the forty foot tree in the Banquet Hall. The tree was cut from a tree farm in Newland in Avery County.  The ornaments on this tree are huge.  Now that's what I call a Christmas tree and by far the largest I've ever seen.

Angel Shell Ornament

I made this ornament from shells collected on the beach this summer.  This one went to the winner of a metals lottery challenge I was in.  Think I'll have to make one for myself.  She's so cute!

12 Tags displayed

                                These are the 12 tags I posted earlier this week, all displayed together. 

My Christmas Angel

                    Merry Christmas!  

Quote on the canvas: "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord".

My version of Tim Holtz tag #10

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My Pumpkin Snowman

I had two very large and beautiful pumpkins left from the Fall and didn't want to throw them away so I decided to make a snowman (girl) for Christmas.  I think she turned out so cute and hope the grandchildren will enjoy her.

My version of Tim Holtz tag #5

My version of Tim Holtz tag #1

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My version of Tim Holtz tag #2

Christmas Movie

I've been feeling pretty awful the last few days from a wicked cold/virus so I've been watching a lot of the Christmas movies on TV, especially the Hallmark movies.  The Christmas Card is one of my favorites and I usually watch it every year, sometimes even several times a year.  If you haven't seen  it yet do yourself a favor and watch it for a special treat.  Hoping to feel better and get some holiday crafting done but in the meantime, I'm enjoying just resting and watching the tube.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain

Travel

My granddaughter made this canvas.  She had a blast making this great mixed media piece of art for her room.

Guitar Rocks

My grandson created this fantastic canvas tonight.  Thought he did a great job and he had a blast.

O Christmas Tree

I decided I wanted to do an art canvas for Christmas.  I did this Christmas tree using rolled paper, paint, spray mists, snowflake stencils with molding paste and sparkly paste.  The words are "Meet me under the mistletoe" and "Noel".

Rippled Fun

Fall Beauty

I'm just loving riding around the area and looking at the beautiful trees.  I know that within about a week or so the trees will have all lost their leaves.  It's kind of sad to see the trees stripped bare of their leaves and know that winter will soon be upon us.  Winter bring its own beauty but I'm not quite ready to let go of Fall.

Fall Trees

The trees are still so beautiful in our area.  Just wanted to share some of God's beauty.

Photo Play

Photo play

This is the original photo of some Iris plants from my garden this past spring.  I cropped the Iris on the right side and created the rest of the photos.

This is the cropped version with only a few changes to enhance the photo.  Then I took the cropped version and just began to play.  It's fun to just play with all the different effects and come up with a completely new photo. I love to PLAY!!!!!!!!

Lovely Lady

Here's some more of my wax play.  The ribbon is a vintage piece from 1933.  I found it in some old pictures from my great aunt's pictures.  I thought that it would be a great way to preserve the ribbon.  The picture of the lady is a vintage piece probably from a postcard.  It is all mounted on a piece of wood and then coated in layers with wax.

Summer Day on the Lake

I found this old vintage photo of my grandmother and great aunt rowing on the lake on a summer day.  I mounted the items on a board and collaged with wax.  I love the result and it's a great reminder of two of my favorite women.  Both of these ladies had a profound influence on my life and helped shape the woman I am today.

Remembering Summer

"the tide recedes, but leaves behind bright seashells on the sand.

the sun goes down, but gentle warmth still lingers on the land.

the music stops, yet echoes on in sweet, soulful refrains.

for every joy that passes, something beautiful remains."

author unknown

With Fall in full swing I'm taking a few minutes to remember what a wonderful summer I had this year.  Walks on the beach with family and friends.  Enjoying the walks and the fun of the hunt for beautiful shells.

Fun

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This was a fun time in editing.  Have no idea what I used to get this effect, I just played until I got something I liked.  Mindless playing!

Fall

                   pure eye candy, mother-nature-style