Happy May Day

For today’s post, I am sharing a couple of Pink Saturday special pictures for May Day…first, only in Texas and parts out West…Cactus Flowers.

I waited until too late in the day to snap their pictures and most of them had closed for the night, but aren’t they pretty? and  a more traditionally May Day flower…

Deep pink shrub roses…I have no idea what kind they are…I dug the plant at my Great-aunt Tanta Frieda’s house after she had passed away. I made cuttings and now have about three dozen of these beauties. They bloom all summer and last until the dead of winter. But they are most prolific in early spring and late fall. And now the perfect little pink sweetheart rose, also a cutting. This one came from Mother’s garden…she called it China Doll…cute, but full of thorns. Keep her in your prayers as she struggles back from a stroke earlier this week. She is making remarkable progress at regaining skills, but still has a way to go. She is a remarkable woman and until her early 80’s was a great gardener.

I have about a dozen of these little cuties that came from cuttings. Well, Happy May Day…Have a Pink Week. Stop in to say “Hi” to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound. She has today’s list of Pink Saturday participants.

Memory Keeper Pocket Books

Today I sold another special altered book that I call  Pockets Full of Memories because they are perfect for storing all sorts of tags and cards and pictures.

The cover is a collage of toile tissue and a few scraps of vintage sheet music. Every imaginable sort of tissue came into use to decorate the pockets.

   Here are bits of Blue Delft tissue from a birthday gift… and some wonderful butterfly and dragonfly paper.

The tags are quotes and affirmations that have been collected over the years.

Who would have thought an old discarded book still had so much to offer. I’m already working on another…also with shades of blue…

But this one will use vintage sheet music…probably from someone’s piano lesson days…

It will have the folded pockets that are decorated with sheets of music that have been stamped with my favorite Anna Griffin stamps. I’ll be teaching the “how-to’s” for this book at Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat in June  so I’m making several different versions as instruction samples…I’ll post them as they are completed…I think my next one should be shades of green since it’s such a “green” project. If you like paper arts, you should check it out. http://www.papercowgirl.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturday Prayers for Children

A couple of years ago I found a Little Golden Book that had been illustrated by Eloise Wilkin…The bright redish pink cover made a perfect little altered birdhouse for a child’s room. Usually I remove the pages and use them to decorate the sides of the birdhouse. For this special book, however, I kept the book intact so that the book could still open…

And the prayers are ready for bedtime reading and the

birdhouse is ready to decorate a shelf or desk…I had no sooner finished this project when I came across the old hymn, His Eye Is On The Sparrow which would have been perfect on this one…Oh, well, that’s how it goes when you are recycling and reclaiming…I used the music on the very next birdhouse.

And these sweet pink children remind us to give thanks for all our Blessings…

Now check in with Beverly for the list of participating Pink Saturday blogs… Until next week, hope your week is Pink in every way.

Pink Saturday… Pink is an Attutude

My sweet twin nieces were busy a  couple of months ago getting ready for the Guadalupe County 4-H Youth Show…they entered the Arts and Crafts division and both wanted unique projects…I think you’ll agree that they came up with one-of-a-kind  creations that are PINK to the core…Look at their amazing work…First Kate (“Baby A” we call her cuz she was born first) decided on an altered book…a memory keeper pocket book with 12 pockets- one for each month… 

She started with a Readers’ Digest Condensed Book that was in the “Free” box at our library’s annual sale.  Then she went to work creating pockets…

She painted some pages and decoupaged others…using recycled and reclaimed bits and pieces…and, of course, lots of pink…

She filled each month with tags of quotations from famous people born that month…along with holidays, and birthstones, and flower of the month notes. It was quite an accomplishment for an 8th grader, don’t you think? Such confidence  and daring with just the right touch of sweetness and femininity…just like our favorite color!!!

Of course, she won a Blue ribbon and it sold right away! Kinda sad to see it go, but she’s so creative that she can do another…

Not to be outdone, Kendra (aka “Baby B” of our Non-twins…we call them that since they look nothing alike) decided on an art apron…she had never sewed in her life, but that didn’t deter her!  She was eligible to start with a plain cook’s apron for her project which she titled   so perfectly  “CREATE”…

she added flowers and letters and ladybugs…

Then she made it “Girly” to the max  by sewing on a feminine flounce of ballerina net and flowers…

Now just look at her “Create Art Apron “ with  the perfect final touches…Art tools!

And of course, she also brought home a Blue ribbon and she also sold her apron right away! Now be honest, could you have done something so amazing when you were in the 8th grade?  I know I could not have even come close!What Pink Attitudes these girls have and what amazing women they will become!!!

Now scoot over to Beverly’s house to see who is posting even more PINK this Saturday!!!http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Thank you Beverly for all the fun.

And then check out Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat where we’ll be making art of every sort this June…I’ll be teaching my own version of a Pocket Full of Memories Book…It will be such fun, you should come. http://www.papercowgirl.blogspot.com/

Last week I offered Bluebonnet seeds to Pink Saturday visitors…I have decided not to draw “winner” but to share Nature’s bounty to all who replied…I’ll be harvesting and contacting everyone later. Have a Pink Week…

May All Your Weeds Be Wildflowers…

Here in Central Texas that’s not just an expression…it’s a fact of life during the spring and into the summer…See what I mean…

You might think that this is an Impressionist painting, but the pick up truck in the background would give it away…for today’s Pink Saturday post I’m sharing a few pink touches from my yard…

The pink salvia was planted last year, but the bluebonnets and verbena are a gift from our Maker and Mother Nature. Look at the little bonnets that make up each stalk of our lovely Bluebonnet…

Can you see the bonnet?…Look closer…notice that touch of pink…

Of course, there are any number of stories and folk tales describing how they got their name, but one thing is certain, their beauty is legendary and a hillside field  covered with  them can move you to tears. These are “volunteers” that reseed themselves and burst into bloom when spring returns each year. Look at the pods of seeds that are already starting to form…

They will ripen, dry, and POP open scattering seeds all around.  And next spring, the miracle  will repeat itself.         To celebrate this ritual of spring and to share the wealth, I’ll be harvesting seeds this summer. When they are ready , I’ll send a couple of packets out to three of today’s visitors. So leave a note if you would like seeds for your own patch of Texas blue for next spring. If that little touch of pink makes you long for even more, stop by Beverly’s house today to see who is posting for Pink Saturday. She has your invitation ready…ttp://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Beverly encourages us to introduce new people we have visited and today I’m thinking of Necel, a Lone Star girl, who lives out west and I’ll bet she is missing the spring wildflowers something fierce. Stop in to say Howdy to her…I think I’ll  celebrate Pink Saturday by saving an extra  packet of seeds  for her just cuz…I know I’d be homesick if I lived somewhere without bluebonnets.

 http://www.theoldhouseintexas.blogspot.com/.

And while we’re on the subject of celebrating all things pink and Texan, be sure to stop in to visit the Paper Cowgirl Art Retreat blog. http://www.papercowgirl.blogspot.com/

We’re a group of adventurous artists and artisans who gather every June in Waxahachie, Texas to teach, and inspire, and create, and have a hooting good time! You should check out the classes and vendors . Better yet, you should join us!