Where Did May Go??

This month has flown by!

I have been meaning to blog every week but just haven't gotten to it.

Busy month! 

Good news...I'm finally feeling better.  More energy and my voice seems back to normal.  Now if I can just keep healthy.

Mother's Day was sweet this year.  Church with the family, dinner with Mom and a surprise from the Grands!

These adorable silhouettes for their Mom and myself!  LOVE!

They also brought flowers for me and BB(my Mom).  It was a lovely day.

Then I got so busy working on a rummage sale by the UMW(United Methodist Women) at my church.  A week long set up and pricing, then sale on Fri/Sat and this old lady was tired! 

This was early in the week, we had lots and lots more come in to sell.

One of our church members donated over 100 Santa's she had collected for 40 years.  We sold many and are trying to sell the rest online.  I bought one for myself...

I love his kind face.

and a cowboy Santa for Tiger

He will get it at Christmas!

I donated lots of my vintage things and many of them sold.  It was a good way for me to downsize and contribute to missions.  

I was very good and as I was 'unpacking' I only brought back home two things I thought I would sell.  A cat box and a pink ceramic ring box.  So for me, that is really good!  

Of course a week of looking at 'stuff' for sale and you know I brought home some things.  All of us who worked the sale bought things...of course we did!

Here is my haul!

A wine rack and a corkscrew!

I'm not as strong as I once was so the electric corkscrew is pretty awesome!

Books of course!  I also bought 7 books in a series for my Mom.

Bright Pink Bucket for $1!!!

This is for a fairy garden if I ever decide to make one, only .25

This adorable little jewelry box for Scout.  I'll keep it here for her to play with.  I just got her a wooden box but at 2 she isn't quite ready for this more 'delicate' box. 

This little girl stuffy just said 

"take me to Scout" so I did!

All in all a pretty good sale.  I found a few things I could use and sold a lot and we made money for missions!  Most of us who did all the hard work were over 65 and we all said this was our last rummage sale.  If there is another one, some of the young people will have to organize it.   Our aches and pains made us laugh but we did realize it was time to pass on this event to younger bodies!

We have had lots and lots of rain but I have done a bit of yard work!

I put this photo on social media asking if anyone else saw a face in the stump! The answers were so funny. 

Do you see a face? 

I showed you the tomato plant in my last post

All the rain and sun and a few weeks later it looks like this!

Now if we can just get some tomatoes!

Flowers, my funky fountain and more flowers!  I'm enjoying the yard this year!

Because of how busy I've been there hasn't been much watercolor painting this month.  I tried to do one for my Mom on Mother's Day but I didn't like how it turned out so I'm still working on it!  I got nervous trying to make something for someone instead of just 'painting for fun'.

Tomorrow is June 1st and that means

Birthday Month!

Yes I said month!

 I know you can't wait to see what fun I have in June!

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

Friday Finds!

It has been awhile since I did a Friday finds.  Since I'm not thrifting very much these days I don't have a lot to share.  I do wander through the thrifts but have cut my buying down to almost nothing!

This cute cat earring holder was found at GW and I just had to have it!  It is on my dresser and holding some of my favorite earrings!

I had butterflies on my mind when I bought this .99 plastic bin.  Not sure what to do with it but it's mine now! 

I love vintage table cloths and this Christmas one is round and makes a great tree skirt for $1

These footed glasses were hard to photograph, but the dragonfly on them had me smiling!  Only .75 for three!

(I looked for that 4th glass but guess that's why they were at the thrift, only 3 of them)

Three Lefton Lambs for $1

So cute!

This Hall restaurant ketchup container was .99 at Habitat for Humanity!

I could not pass this cutie up! 

I've been doing a little planting as Spring has sprung!

A tomato plant

and some Herbs for my Mom

These are outside our mutual front doors.  I got this little fountain as a surprise for Mom.

It is solar powered but with the wind blowing it blows the water everywhere and empties the bird bath or bucket pretty fast!  So maybe in summer with less wind it will work better, but it's cute!

We have bird feeders and flowers and hope to plant a few more things.

In front of Mom's window and both our front doors!  

In front of my window so Annie Belle and I can watch the birds from inside.

We have a young pair of Cardinals we are watching grow!

We have such a deer problem here in our neighborhood but they don't like these flowers very much so they might last!

It's cold and rainy today but hopefully I'll get a bit more outdoor planting done this weekend. 

Annie says this is not her 'best' side but as you can tell from this view she has gained a lot of weight.  I bought her 'diet' food and now if I can just get her to play a bit more and lose some weight.  I am careful about the amount of food I give her but she has 'fluffed' right up! 

Still a sweetie and loves her Mama...even if I do have her on a diet!   

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

Watercolor Wednesday #4

I have a few new projects to share.

I didn't paint much for a week or so.

I've been sick again.  I really am thinking I need to work on my immune system.  This time it went to my chest and I saw the Dr.  Several meds later I'm better but still not well.  I've been resting, sleeping, reading and watching TV.  Trying not to do much of anything and give my body a chance to heal.  

A class on wreaths with flowers

I did two and like them fairly well.

Then I decided to add 'Choose Joy' to the center of this wreath.  Disaster! 

So I kept adding and adding until I ended up with this mess!

So less is more and I also find I'm not good with painting words.  Still I learned from it and that is the whole point in it!

I shared these pages from my workbook last time.  I decided to just keep playing with the page on the left and this is how it turned out.  I used a cheap $4 set of pan paints from Michael's as the teacher did.  So you can use inexpensive paints to start and get fair results.

It really was a lot of fun!  I'm feeling more confident in my color mixing.  I'm trying to loosen up and just have fun.  Where I made muddy flowers I added some ink pen to it and saved it I think.

Another class on loose painting with a large round #12 brush.

This was good for me. I find that I like smaller brushes because I have better control but the large brushes can make such pretty blends.  So trying to push myself out of my comfort zone.

More large brush work trying to make Roses at the top from a tutorial.  I think it's a fail.  Then I just played with colors.

Trying some new techniques using different brushes.

More color and this feel like a success to me.  Not complete but a good practice piece.

So that's the watercolor fun from the last couple of weeks.  

Wishing you JOY,

Linda

Scout Turns Two!

Scout's birthday arrived on Easter this year.  So what better way to celebrate then church and a family meal!

This little dress was so cute on her.  A Birthday/Easter dress from Grandma and BB!  She loves bright colors.

A simple table setting.

This little girl is so sweet and enjoyed her birthday very much! 

I got her this adorable little doll house!

It is just right for a little two year old!

I can't imagine life without sweet 

Rosemary Scout!

Of course being Easter there were baskets of fun for both Grands!

And a special gift for Tiger

A storybook Bible

He can't wait to have us read him stories.

No family photos this year.

It was a wild and crazy day, 

but so much fun! 

I am blessed! 

Linda

Watercolor Wednesday #3

April is such a busy month around here but so much fun!  So I haven't had as much time to watercolor as I hoped but have managed a few lessons and practice here and there! 

I finished the Sweets class with

Various fruits...

and Ice Cream Cones

I really messed up the top left cone but after it dried I added some ink pen and it really helped.  Teaching me to keep trying!

I took a class on painting a butterfly

screen shot of the butterfly we are going to paint...let's see if mine looks anything like this.

I started with a pencil sketch.  I really hate sketching because I think I'm horrible at it, but following the lesson I gave it a try.  

Not bad.

I mixed paint to get a color close to the teachers.  It was fun and I'll try to do more color mixing soon.

I'm still having trouble getting the right mix of paint and water, but it will just take more practice.

As you can see I got mine way darker then the example but I like it.  I added the wreath around it just because! 

I decided to make some bookmarks for my Methodist women's circle.  I had the program for April again and last year I made butterfly bookmarks for them.  My daughter Sara really liked the daffodils I
painted a few weeks ago, so I decided it was simple and I could make 15 of them! 

I did!  I think they came out pretty well.

Close up of a couple of them.  Everyone loved getting them and I have some to share with the ladies in my Bible Study group also.  I left them blank so they could add a favorite Bible verse of their own. 

I'm just starting a new lesson on flowers again.  Trying to be 'loose' with the brush and let the color 'flow'

I'll keep practicing and maybe do a bouquet on a good sheet of paper and see if it's frameable!

I do love the new watercolors I told you about last time.  I need to learn much more about mixing colors for sure.  I found a fabulous deal on some porcelain pallets with free shipping so purchased a couple.  

I like mixing on the porcelain since the paint doesn't bead up like it does on plastic or metal pallets.  

I'm hoping to have a thrifty finds post up on Friday!  See you then!

Wishing you JOY,

Linda