Off and running today!

I'm off and running today ~ first to yoga class, then to sit and sew with my group.  Then to my pay-job.  A neighbor goes out of town a lot....and she pays me to have fun in her beautiful garden watering her hanging baskets and patio planters.  Oh, yes, it's a hard job, but someone has to do it! 

Three Signature Book - handmade part 2

I finished more pages today.  Making  mini pictures of some of my favs out of Italy to add to each page in my handmade memory book.  For the best view, just click each picture to enlarge.  Enjoy!

Signature Wraps



Three Coins For The Fountain
I brought home 1 cent Euros specifically to add to this page!




Sheep ~ Wool ~ Yarn
One of my prize purchases - 3 skiens of Italian yarn




Wine Country




Expresso!




Nun in White




Walled Courtyard




At the Cemetery




Night Life ~ it's a good life!




Street Art



Mirror, Mirror

It was just my lucky day to see this little guy flirting with the guy in the mirror!  

A three-signature book - fresh off the handmade press!



Journal Cover  ~ Front




Journal Cover ~  back




And pages in between ~



It was a most delightful, fun filled workshop - led by a very talented mixed media artist, DJ Pettitt.  Thank you DJ.....my book is finished!   We painted and papered, stitched, glued and hummed happy tunes during the workshop.   So here is my front and back cover with a couple of pages in between.  Fabric scraps and ribbon make sleeves to hold some of my mementos.  I left plenty of space on each page to stitch and glue my memories of this, the dream vacation!

A side note:  The art of book-binding is not  one of my natural instincts....nor is following written instructions.
So what if there are a few too many holes in each of my three signatures!  I'll get over it and just draw happy faces around each one.  It must have had something to do with getting my newest tool in the mail yesterday! 
A month ago I had never heard of a Japanese Screw Punch....now I own one...and what a happy trooper am I!  Ah! the art of book-binding - I'm sure to figure it out!

Walking My People!

Italian dogs walking their people!

Watching all the girls go by.....

My mission:  walk my man!

Just a little break for my man!

Hey!  You forgot me ~

I'm lost in Italy and I don't even know my name!

How we survived, I'll never know!  Even though she wasn't always successful, Ann worked really hard to keep us out of the Lost and Found Column!  I think I will never tire of looking at the thousand + pictures I took. 

Life is a Lark ~

I call these my "Swan Lake" photos

My happiness is my responsibility ~

And food in Italy certainly made me happy.....as did that 20-something grill chef as he grilled my lamb chops to perfection!

 

 and a little red Fiat paired with the blue hub of a street bike.

I smiled when I saw a real whisk broom left for my use (should I choose!)

yellow always makes me happy!

but, so does  lavender, red and orange. 

happy is playing in photoshop with the pottery image from San Lodovico's dining room.

A fresh modern quilt from Rossie's Blog

It was an up close and personal moment this morning when I found Rossie's DoublePlusGood quilt. 

This one is now filed in my "favorites from friends" photo album!

Intrigued by Portals in Italy ~

In the Tombs

In The Garden

Quilts - Quilts - Quilts



Opposites



Jailhouse Rock

Lattice



In Private Collection



Picture of the Day ~

Flora

Photography by ~ Marty Mason

Textures by ~ DJ Pettitt and Kim Klassen