In My Studio

I have great morning light that streams through the drapes and casts light and shadows on my desk top. Oh wait...is that my desk top?


When I am working, I seem to have lots of stuff around me that I just might use - then I give my self this tiny little realestate to actually make art.

I think if I had a larger desk, I'd have more stuff on top of it!

1948 Singer Featherweight

I bought this Singer machine yesterday. I was on my way to Oklahoma City for a short shopping trip when my husband Bill called to tell me that he found this machine at an Estate Sale. I had been looking for one for a few years.

This is the cabinet that holds such a tiny little treasure called the Featherweight. The name fits as I can hardly believe that such a small beautiful machine does such unbelieveable stitching. This machine can make 30 stitches to the inch if selected!


This is the inside drawer. I was so lucky to have the instruction booklet and so many attachments. Included was also the two keys for the cabinet!

Isn't she awesome! This Singer just hums - it's music to my ears! Oh I am going to have so much fun sewing, but before I get started....I am taking it to an authorized dealer for service.

Summer Scenery

I so enjoy seeing the Red, White, and Blue....that I have our country's flag on display year round. The light over the garage illuminates it at night, so we don't take it down.

When the flag becomes frayed, then a new one is replaced and the old one is gently folded and presented to the local fire department for the proper disposing.

The Japanese maple in front of the flag turns a deep rich purple in the fall, and the view is never boring. I can sit on our porch and this is one of my sights.

Donation Pile

Since I spend most of my spare time in my art studio, needless to say, housework is so down on my list....wait - is it even on my list?

Kimberly who has been studying for the Bar Exam and right now who is not working, hence...no income.....asked if I would pay her to clean my house! Eureka!

I received a call when I was having a holiday in Iowa if I minded if she went through my house and made "suggestive" donations! Oh, I was so excited because it is easy to collect which can turn so quickly into clutter.

When we returned home....the house was shinning clean. But there is no amount of money on this planet to bribe her to clean my house again! It was way, way really bad! (Is that even a sentence....but you get the idea!)

New Treasures

These are some of the new treasures I found at the Grapevine, Texas convention. I traveled with two awesome art friends, Jan and Barb!




I debated for a long time whether to purchase Teesha's journals. The pages have never been published before and I found them to be very inspirational for my own journal pages! I am thrilled that I decided to buy!



I love "Lost Coast Designs" and I purchased the coolest images. The embellishments were purchased from "A Stamp in the Hand".



Susan from Stamp Diva made a maze book recently with the cowboy/cowgirl theme. I am hooked. I purchased some stamps from her and I found some (above) at the convention. You can view Susan's wonderful Cowgirl maze book using the link on the left "Diva & Friends". Then you can start your own collection!



I love these moulds. I use them using polymer clay...but could also be used with the hot wax. There was such a huge selection that it was difficult to decide!



These clear stamps look like antique lace! I can wait to use them. Won't they be perfect for the paper doll projects... and all the other stuff I make!



These stamps probably have been out there for awhile, but they are new to me. They were purchased from "A Stamp in the Hand". Sets 1 and 2 can be inter-changed with each other.



I love stencils, too. The snowman is for Kimberly!

Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things to see in my yard during the summer.

The glass garden bulb was purchased from a shop in St. Charles, Missouri a few years ago. I love how is fits into the azaleas.

The White Rabbit from an Alice in Wonderland collection was purchased with my late brother-in-law Bob in mind. He was always running late....and we have a reminder of "Uncle Bob" as we all called him each time we pass going and coming from our home.
He is snuggled in among the greenery checking the time.

Summer in Tulsa

My neighbor Holly has a great gardening thumb and these are the photos of the beautiful landscape that I get to enjoy all year long!

This is the view of our side yard looking into her yard. The very dear neighbors we had before only had a beautiful green lawn. Bernie always wanted to plant flowers but her extremely frugal husband Eli was against such a frivolous expense. They were the original owners to the property and raised their family there for forty-five years.

The new owners were so excited to have this "blank" canvas in which to paint with flowers. Holly has done an incredible transformation. Bernie has passed on and it gives me great pleasure to know that her property is brimming with luscious plants!

Brillante WeBLOG Award!

Thank you Catherine Moore for nominating my blog! She is the creator of Character Constructions and most recently hosted the Theatre des Modes. You can view the slide show at both her blog and website. Catherine's artwork is also been featured on the cover of The Artful Storybook by Terry Taylor.

In accepting this award, I agree to:
1. Display logo and link to who gave it.
2. Nominate at least 7 blogs.
3. Add links to those 7 blogs.
4. Leave the nominees a message that they received the award.

I would like to share this award with the following BLOGS:


Vintage Moon Studio
Farmgirl Fare
Faerie * Dust * Dreams
The Paris Apartment
A Bird in the Hand
Tongue in Cheek
On A Wing & A Prayer

Thanks Joe for helping me with this post!

Door to Adventure

This is a page from my very large journal where I found different photos of doors. I am very enchanted by doors! When I am the passenger in the car, I can not help but look at each of the doors on the houses in a neighborhood.

To me, the door is the portal for adventure. You don't know what is on the other side, but you want to open it to find out. And what's waiting for you most of the time is a "good thing".

I've opened the door for my own opportunities in jobs, friends, art....even this blog!

I purchased a stain glass door at an auction that originally came from England. My husband took out the mail slot and we added an antique escutcheon with wonderful detailed scroll work and an antique brass door knob to match. It is now the entry door between the sun room and garage. Each time I open the door going into the garage, I just know someday I am going to be so surprised to find the garage clean. What I do find is my awesome car to take me to the next adventure!

The Other Paris

Okay, so Charles City, Iowa is not the same as visiting Paris. One of these days soon....I'll have an opportunity to visit Paris. In the meantime, it's off to Iowa to spend July 4th with my sister Annie and her family. We've been getting together over this holiday for about twenty years now. Sometimes we meet around Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas, too.

The best thing about traveling to Iowa is the very nice and welcoming cool weather compared to the ovens of Oklahoma! It's so refreshing. And the second great thing is that we travel through Kansas City and I get a chance to see one of my favorite brothers, Paul and his amazing wife and family. The visit will be too short!

One of the big attractions that my husband and I always look forward to is the small town parade. It is an absolutely "must" see experience. It always makes me cry because everyone knows everyone and the whole spirit is terrific. Charles City is known as American's hometown. There will be antique tractors, new farm equipment, the local fire department, and the local horse club. Then there are many surprises of floats and advertising of small businesses.

I also want to mention that the fireworks display is beyond Tulsa. First, everyone all year long donate to the fireworks in the donation jars set in all the businesses for the whole year. They raise a ton of money.....so look north...you'll see incredible fireworks!

So I am off to see I O W A ! ! !

(The recent floods have really created hardships for the farmers and city folks. I pray their recovery from this disaster is speedy!)