Some Drawing...

I got a whole set (many many) of gel pens from my Hubby for Christmas.  I was not sure what I thought of gel pens...can you draw very tiny? Are the colours nice?  Will they smear?

They sure look like fun!

One morning last week Madison and I decided to have a cup of tea and do some drawing.

Since we had to do some sketching before we could dive in to the gel pens, and we needed some sharp pencils, we broke out Madison's new camera pencil sharpener and it is great! This is such a fun product...first of all it is cute...then it is very clever...it is set up just right to hold the pencil in while your sharpen...and it sharpens fast and really pointy - just the way I like!

I have been enjoying drawing tattoo art and someone special gave me a tattoo magazine to draw from. I love the look of the old style tattoos...the last ones I did were with coloured pencil and I wasn't sure if I could get the look I wanted with gel pens.

The colours of the gel pens are very BRIGHT and some of them are sparkly so it takes a little thought to get what you want in your pic.  I found that they don't smear too much (they dry pretty fast)...but if you work fast you can smear them with your finger to get a softer effect. Detailed drawing works very well with the gel pens and I like drawing tiny so that works for me!

I don't think I am ready to give up my sharpies and there are certainly things you need a coloured pencil or paint for, but these were very fun to work with.

What art did you do today?


xoxo      Elizabeth

Just When Is Christmas Over???

Around our house the question always is...when do the Christmas decorations come down?

Our tree is still up...and Lane made a comment last night that I liked...she said that the tree was a happy thing and it seemed like winter not just Christmas. That's the girl Lane! Your Mama couldn't have said it better herself! After all I am still pretty far away from my personal best - leaving Christmas up til February!

So, we had lots of gifts this year (as always!). Everyone around here just loves gifts...the giving almost more than the getting!

Here are some givens and gottens!

I made a fox pillow for a special little someone...

Madison got a souvenir for her Chinese performance in Nutcracker...

I got two new flamingo items!!!! A fun ornament (Thanks Brenda and Brianna!) and a Flamingo book! Madison gifted me the adorable book...partly because I love flamingos and partly because the little girl in the book wears a bathing cap. One year I insisted that I was going to wear a bathing cap at the pool. Not just any bathing cap one of those with all of the flowers plastered all over it! Well needless to say the family vetoed my bathing cap idea...but I do still love them.  This is the sweetest little book...no words just the most wonderful illustrations.

My sweet sister made me these amazing matryoshka dolls...I think that one is winking at me!

So all in all the giving and the getting was very good.  But, the jury is still out on the question....

Just when do you take the decorations down!?

I will do it in time....my time that is!


xoxo     Elizabeth

Christmas Mischief

Usually I have a tree full of vintage ornaments for Christmas...But with the addition of our own little Saint Nicholas...

We found him late last November so we named him Nick

I decided that I didn't want to hate him for breaking all of my special ornaments.

with some fancy paper and special photographs...

We created a kitty-proof tree!

With Lane's help I added a gorgeous star to the top and now no worries.

* Just a little aside...the tree wasn't in the house for 20 minutes before Nicholas leaped in and climbed to the top!

These decorations proved not to be very kitty proof however...some of the little girls were strewn about the house before I could get them sewn on to their garland and one of the bluebirds (the official bird of Christmas, right?) disappeared completely for several hours!

From our crazy house to yours,

Merry Merry Christmas!

xoxo      Elizabeth

How It Went...

For some reason this year felt like my first Adult-in-charge Thanksgiving...the sis was in Chicago, the cooking daughter, Lane, was not feeling well and that left Brian and Madison and I.  I was past 50 before I ever even attempted cooking a turkey, so you can see why Thanksgiving might feel like a stretch for me. But. We. Did. It.

My girlie, Madison, who is usually the cookie maker stepped up and cooked all kinds of things! She and I and her Dad worked it all out (what we were cooking anyway...we had some help - Thanks Geneva!)

The ingredients came out and all kinds of things were made!

The turkey was moist, the mashed potatoes were tasty, the rolls came out perfect, the cauliflower roasted up yummy....

and the pies were pretty and delicious!

We managed to pull it off!

Then that weekend I did something I have been wanting to do for years...

I (with Brian and Madison's help, Lane was still under the weather) attended a craft faire in Modesto!

I would say it was a great success! We met lovely people, we sold stuff and my friend Kay was there to visit with!

Kay makes wonderful creatures and garden art...just look at all of their little personalities!

Some cooking, some eating, some crafting, some selling....quite the Thanksgiving Holiday!


xoxo     Elizabeth

Thankful

So much to be thankful for...

These two girlies of course...

and there is this guy that I kind of like...

We are so fortunate to have each other and to be surrounded by loving family and friends who add so much to our lives (you know who you are!).

We are lucky to be able to do things that we love...

and to live in this wonderful valley full of nature's beauty.

I am thankful that within a few hours we will be at my dad's cooking a feast and welcoming people to join us!

I hope your feast is fabulous and that you are surrounded by the love of family and friends.

Happy happy Thanksgiving,

xoxo      Elizabeth