FRIENDS!
~
I think that Helen Hancock is one of the
best photographers
I know.
Not only is her photography fantastic but
she is the Queen of Word Art.
Her layouts are simple yet powerful.
~
Helen had a link on her blog for a site about Word Art.
The gal's name is Bethany and she has
great quotes and thoughts to share with you.
~
I had to give it a try.
~
The picture I chose is very special to me and to the
girls in the photo. The photo was taken
about 1980 or so. These are 5 friends who were always
together. Now, in 2008... 28 years later,
they are still very good friends
despite distance.
~
When my daughter Wendy (2nd from left)
gets married in June, one of her showers is going
to be at a roller skating rink... how perfect for this group
with their little roller skates on in the photo.
Ah... memories!

My oldest daughter Kristin is 2nd from the right.

I predict their friendship will last a lifetime.

~

Have a wonderful weekend!

I can't wait to show you my new bedroom look

on Monday. Time for a change.

Hugs,

Joni

P.S. I didn't mention the other girls names as I didn't ask for

their permission.

SPRING/EASTER INSPIRATION

I curled up with all of the catalogs that have

arrived in the past week. I felt like a 'kid in

a candy store'... well they are EYE CANDY!!

I felt so inspired after browsing the pages and

full of ideas... and an occasional 'must have' to

order.

This quilt is so clean-looking in it's simplicity.

I love the appliqued floral vines.

This is from www.potterybarnkids.com.

Look at the wonderful stenciled walls!!

Bunny place mats, table runner, etc.

A bunny and flower Easter basket.

I had to share this quilt with the yummy colors and

the use of rick rack on some of the squares.

From www.landofnod.com I found these

lovely flowers made from felted wool.

The felted balls can be found at knitting

stores.

My felted wool stash has grown to

over-flowing.

I have to give these flowers a try today.

An appliqued place mat... cute.
I loooove polka dots... and in spring colors.

A must-have!!!

www.potterybarn.com.

At www.companystore.com I found this

delightful beach quilt.

The individual pillows are inspiring, too! Another Company Store quilt.

It makes me think of Koolade or Popsicles.

This lovely bird's nest filled with candy eggs
would make a lovely spring centerpiece.
This is another item I may order or try to make.
I found this at www.williams-sinoma.com.
These towels are also from Williams Sinoma.
The bunnies are from 1920 postcards.Another Williams Sinoma creation...
bunny and chick baskets. Adorable!!
Easy to make or easy to buy.


I'm going to try making some felted wool flowers
this morning. I'll share the results when
they are finished.

I hope your inspiration was sparked...
I know mine was!

Enjoy and create!!

Joni

I am always reading and always looking for a bookmark.

They seem to mysteriously disappear in our house.

I thought I'd just cut some scrapbook paper strips...

but the UPS man brought a package of hand-dyed

wool felt to add to my growing stash.

It has the greatest feel to it and I love the colors.

Ahhhhh... it will make great bookmarks!!!

~

Such fun to play with and sew on.

The machine sewing really flattens out the felt

and makes it quite thin for marking your place in a book.

I created these four quite quickly and am anxious

to make more. But I'll share these first.

~

1.) Little Blue House.

My machine sewed through the plastic letters

without any problem. But they are quite thin.
2.) The Carrot

I just bought some adorable ceramic carrots

for the kitchen window ledge. They make

me think of Spring and rabbits.

3.) The Heart Message
I love hearts and had to make one with the
gorgeous burgundy dyed felt.
I added 'a thought'... rubber stamped on
cardstock. 4.) A Definition
Just playing... felt, cardstock, and ribbon.
I bought the felt on http://www.etsy.com/.
But I can't remember the seller's name
I found the ribbon it was tied with and it said
"Marcus Brothers Textiles" on it.
Hope that helps if anyone is looking for more like this.
~

Happy creating!!
~

Off to watch 'Michael Clayton' before the Oscars.
It has 8 nominations and is on Pay-per-view.
Missed it at the theater.

Hugs,
Joni

Sometimes I need a break from the books I'm reading

and read something light and fun.

Something cozy.

~

This is the perfect time to pick up a delicious

CULINARY MYSTERY (a genre in itself).

There are many series available but I wanted to try a few

of the following because a friend of mine

enjoyed them... and the recipes

sounded yummy.

~
Hannah Swensen Mystery series
By
Joanne Fluke

~
A dollop of suspense
A spoonful of romance
A sprinkling of laughs

~
Hannah Swensen lives in Lake Eden, Minnesota
Where she opened her own shop
‘The Cookie Jar’
In this tasty shop "...much of the town's gossip

perculates along with the strong coffee."

I'm reading the first in the series:

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

~

I laughed out loud when the heroine

was crawling around in a dumpster

looking for a lipstick stained cup.

~

I love reading about her cat, Moishe,

who stalks through the book.

~

It's a fast and fun read and has my mouth watering

for every batch of cookies that come out of her oven.

Joanne Fluke's next book is:

Cream Puff Murders

You can find lots of interesting info about the

author, her books, the translated versions, and recipes

on her website:

www.MurderSheBaked.com

~
This is a fast read and then I'm off to India through

The Song of the Cuckoo Bird.

But Hannah... I shall return soon!

ENJOY!!!

Joni

RESPONDING TO A BOOK

We all respond to reading a book in different ways.

Sometimes we read another book by the same author.

Sometimes we journal about the book.

Sometimes we talk about it with a fellow reader or book group.

I felt the need to do something visual with this nonfiction novel about

WWII in Warsaw, Poland.

A mixed media picture was my response choice as I have been

working with this medium lately.

I created this on a stretched canvas

I wanted you to see this from an angle to share the Polish trim

I bought several years ago at a Folk Faire.

This is the quote from the book that sparked my response.
It describes one of the many people who helped to hide
the Jews and help them to survive.
She hid them in her store, fed them, and got them new
documents.
She was one of many, many people who helped others survive,
knowing their own horrible fate if they were discovered aiding them.

This is a close-up of Ewa as I percieved her.

She's standing in front of a map of the ghetto

were the Jews were confined.

I put a smile on her face as she was so kind and positive which

gave others strength.

The two small photos of the doll and the weaving were taken at the

Folk Faire. They are from Poland.

The photo of the houses and shops are from old town in Warsaw.

I found this photo of some of the Jewish community in Warsaw.

It was from a travel brochure.

I plan on hanging this picture above one of our book shelves.

I'm anxious to respond to other books in different

media.

Enjoy what you're reading!

For book ideas go to Mel at Lit Chick.

She reads many, many books and has book

groups going on her blog.

My next book is taking me to India.

Where are you going?

Love you,

Joni

I HEART ETSY.COM

I have become addicted to etsy.com.

I have bought things now-and-then, but now it's an

everyday trip.

I don't always buy something, but I get inspired

and admire the work of others.

I found Pippi at The fairies Nest a bit ago. She is only 4.25"

tall and is wired and posable.

She has moved into my dollhouse and is the perfect

size .

Note: the darling clogs on her feet

This morning I visited The Fairies Nest and found this adorable

Mrs. Rabbit. I found her a good home... MINE!

She's built like Pippi (wired & posable) and carries an

adorable wee basket.
Here's a picture of her sitting on a large spool.

She wanted to show off her feminine petticoat to you.

Pippi has a lace petticoat too.

Yesterday was our anniversary, but we were

snowed and iced in.

So we're off to have a special lunch and spend lots & lots

of time at Barnes & Noble.

Books, magazines, lattes and tea, and a treat.

I'm craving their warm pretzels filled with spinach &

feta cheese. Yummy!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

A virtual tour of Valentine's Day decorations at our house...

A new purchase... just couldn't resist.

The icecream table and chair set is very small.

Perfect for displaying items at the end of the hall.

A message for Boyd!


The following pictures are from the guest bathroom.

There are tall, narrow shelves in one corner of the bathroom.

Fun to decorate.

The ceramic ladies are part of a collection.

Here is another ceramic lady, a cupcake picture,

and a pink cookie cutter heart.

A stack of heart stamps, a felt cupcake, and the cupcake

picture that you've seen before.

We're still in the bathroom.

This picture is 3 framed vintage Valentines.

The little red shoes are on a shelf too.

But I already had a pic of them...

so they're shelf-less in this photo.

Our bedroom is my favorite room in the house so the

Valentine tree is in here.

I love to take an afternoon nap or just a rest with a book

on our bed with a cup of tea. And I read every night all curled up under our

down comforter and on our feather bed beneath me.

Make this a great day!

Joni

~A BOOK MEME~

I was tagged by Angie for a Book Meme.

It sounds like fun as I love anything to do with books.

Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).

2. Open the book to page 123.

3. Find the fifth sentence.

4. Post the next three sentences.

5. Tag five people & post a comment here once you

post it to your blog, so I can come see.

I grabbed The Zookeeper's Wife: A war Story as I had

just set it down next to the computer. I'm on my way to bed

to read, for an hour or so.

"(1)What a heavy burden for a small child!
(2)Full of intrigue and exciting as his world had become,
with a hodgepodge of eccentric people and dramas,
he dared not tell a soul. (3)Small wonder he grew
more anxious and worried each day,
a fate Antonina lamented in her memoirs,
but what could she do when all the adults were anxious
and worried, too?

And I'm tagging Mel from Lit Chick
and anyone else who reads books other than children's lit.
Just copy the 5 rules and go to it!!

See you tomorrow to show you my latest fun
purchase.

Joni