Patty Rose Design

A Creative Moment or Two

There hasn't been much time for creativity the last few weeks.  Since it is my strongest addiction, I have to get my fix somehow.  I have managed to squeeze in a few projects, mostly due to last minute, must dos, but creativity nonetheless...  It decompresses me, so does sharing it.  Thank you for looking.

A birthday card for our granddaughter...has she really turned 19?  It seems like just yesterday that she was still chasing butterflies...

A little detail on the inside...I just love the stamp...  

Wishing you a day bright with sunshine warm with love

Isn't that the perfect birthday sentiment?

And a card for one of my sweet little co-workers who thinks she is "over the hill" at the ripe old age of 26...Happy Birthday, Tori.  Wishing you a year filled with joy and discovery.

And for another co-worker who is moving away to new adventures...Good Luck, Jamila.  We will miss your shining example of courage and grace.

And for another co-worker nearing delivery of her first baby...shhh, she hasn't seen the card yet. ;)

I am so blessed to be surrounded with an abundance of wonderful friends and family that I enjoy creating for and who appreciate being on the receiving end of my creations.  So many happy events, so much living... 

Now only about 14 more cards to go...

 

12 More Days

My, how time has flown by.  In twelve days I'll be boarding British Airways for my trip to Europe.  I am still pinching myself.  I have been running around literally like a headless chicken (do they really do that?) trying to get everything done.  Work has been madness with 5 days of training in addition to making preparations to leave my post for three weeks.  Mr. Rose had a trip to the hospital for two days (all is well now).  Plus, I have had numerous orders for cards, journals and jewelry.  All good stuff, but maybe just a touch much.  I'm not a fan of flying, but I really believe this is one flight I will be looking forward to.  When I board that plane, all the responsibility, deadlines, and preparations will be behind me. It will be time for long, overdue decompression.

The checklists are done...

The bags are packed...(yes Kate, I found a knock-off like yours, hope it passes your inspection!).  What is that Bedazzled green thing you ask?  More on that in just a moment!

The travel journal is made and packed with a few little art tools and materials. 

The maps, atlases and itineraries are complete...

Okay, now for the Bedazzled, green thingy.  My dear, sweet friend, Jessica decided that it would be hilarious to get me a "fanny pack." I think anyone who is reading this and knows me, would agree with her.  And Jessica thinks that the "crafting bar" is set a little high in my world so of course, a plain green fanny pack would never do.  Hence, Bedazzledness.  And how awesome is that "P"?  Now, I am giving her extra brownie points for the package/presentation...a shoe box.  God, I love that girl!  We laughed until we both had tears in our eyes.  We also coined a new phrase, the Patty Pack.  Look for my new line on Etsy.  You can also expect to see a photo of me wearing this green, blingy loveliness in front of the Eiffel Tower, just for you Jessica!  And, most likely, just long enough to get the shot.  Look for it on Facebook.  Maybe it will be the Patty Pack Flat Stanley, who knows where it will show up?  Be on the lookout.

The packing/taking part is done.  Now I'm thinking about what I hope to bring back.  I want to find a few treasures I can use in my art, of course, but I also hope to find a few other things that have been missing for awhile.  A few months ago, I chose my word for the year, verve.  I definitely want to bring some verve back.  I'd also like to find a paradigm shift and lots of inspiration.  Maybe a little fresh perspective and a couple of new dreams.  I know I'll have three new friends and lots of warm memories.  I'll return with appreciation for other cultures and probably a little more for my little spot on the globe.  Gratitude for such a wonderful blessing, yes, lots of that.  The suitcase will be full I'm sure, but these things can easily fit in my heart.  There's lots of room there.

Kentucky Visit

I've been extremely busy with preparing to leave for Europe, both at home and at work.  There hasn't been much time for creative endeavors.  Last weekend I did manage to squeeze in a trip to Kentucky to see my mom who I haven't seen since Thanksgiving.  I also had the wonderful pleasure of visiting with my best friend from high school who I haven't seen in over 23 years.  True friendships are amazing.  We sat down to a 3+ hour lunch and caught up like it had only been a few months since we last saw each other.  So much life has happened since high school.  Three hours felt like 20 minutes, not near enough time.  Just the first visit of many more to come!

While visiting with my mom, we always make our normal rounds about town.  Zappo's Shoe Outlet is usually the first stop.  My success there always dictates the remainder of the budget for the visit.  Poor mom has to suffer through my hour plus of perusing every pair of shoes in my size.  She loves me, so she just accepts it.  I lucked out with a score of three pairs of great shoes for what I might have paid for just one.  Love me some Zappo's. I treated mom to a nice sit down dinner afterwards, she deserved it after all that time waiting.

On Saturday we headed out to the indoor flea markets which abound around Louisville.  My mom calls it  "junking," my husband would probably agree to that term.  We spent most of the day walking the isles looking for treasures.  It's easy to walk, look and casually catch up at the same time.   With mom's keen eye, we found some great stuff during this visit. 

My favorites are old books.  I love old books from the late 1800's through 1950 that contain illustrations.  I also love anything Better Homes and Gardens, especially the instructional books they did in the 40"s and 50's.  I have several old garden and decorating books and found a handyman's book this visit.  I'll make copies of the pages and use them in my art works. Sometimes if the books are not in good shape, I'll tear them apart and use the covers and pages in my handmade journals.

Mom's eagle eye spotted this treasure under a pile of books.  The illustrations are wonderful and it is full of page after page of music.  I can't wait to use this in my papercrafting.

I also found a catalogue of antique advertisements.

And the grand-daddy of all books, this very large 1957 dictionary.  The cover is embossed and is in excellent condition.  It's about 8" thick and weighs a ton.  It's so beautiful, I most likely won't have the heart to tear it apart.  I have it sitting on the bookshelf in the living room.



And the coolest thing of all, not even really sure what is.  I have a feeling it may have come over from Europe.  The inside is made of paper, cut out and dimensional.  I think it is so lovely and have it on the side table in the "blue room". It is in almost perfect condition.  There is one small piece of trim missing around the edge but not a single spot or discoloration on the inside.

As always, it was a visit full of Kentucky love, dear old friends and time enjoyed with my family.

 

 

 

A Few Little Things

The Trip - Planning for the trip is in full swing.  I can't believe it is only 27 days away.  Lots of preparations required.  Pack this, buy that, copy these.  I'm beyond excited, however.  It has been three years since I took a real vacation and this trip should make up for that.  It sounds like a relaxed (otherwise described as a "loose itinerary" by my co-travelers who have ASSURED me that this is the best way) pace is planned.  I am going with it.  There will be plenty of time for reflection, relaxation, perusing and just plain decompression.  Long overdue...some of this ought to do it...

And a drive through here might do it...

Or maybe a ride on one of these will do it....


It's gonna be good no matter what!

The Art - I am so excited!!  I have finally starting building out my Etsy shop.  Please see the new sidebar at the top left of the blog.  Many more items to come.  Don't be afraid to contact me about making something custom.  Anything that you see in my Etsy shop can be recreated in a color or theme of your preference.  If not shown, my standards items are handmade journals made from recycled paper goods, 5 x 7 card sets (set of 6 or 12), 3 x 3 card sets (set of 4 or 12), necklaces, bracelets, earrings, handmade chintz ribbon and fabric flowers that can be used to embellish packages, clothing or paper arts.  Each item will be unique and one of a kind.  Everything will be beautifully packaged and shipped to your door.  Easy peasy.  I'm hoping I will find some wonderful things in Europe that I can use to make more beautiful items for the shop!  Making these things makes me happy!

A Special Present -   I received this very special gift from a friend.  I love it!  Dragonflies are my fetish.  I think it is so wonderful when someone remembers something special and presents you with something so meaningful.  AND, she ordered it from Etsy, so I also get to appreciate that it is handmade by someone somewhere, and by her purchasing it, another artist type like myself gets to do something that they love.  Thank you Aubra.  I know I've told you already but this is something that will hold a special place in my heart.

Wish me luck on my Etsy adventure!  Much more to come soon!

Kitchen Zen

Sometimes on the weekends, I love to spend a few hours in the kitchen making things for the upcoming week.  I'll make a pot of soup, roast some vegetables, or grill a few chicken breasts.  It makes dinner so much easier after a long day at work.  Some people think it's crazy, but I actually find it relaxing.  It gives me a sense of control over at least one small corner of my life.  It's extra nice to pull out a container of already prepared food only in need of heating and adding a little extra something to make a hearty meal.

I roasted some vegetables tossed with olive oil, a few herbs and sea salt...aren't they beautiful?

And this was delicious...cut a fresh head of cabbage into wedges, careful to slice so that the core keeps the leaves connected,  Brush with olive oil, then sprinkle lightly with a bit of sugar, sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it is fabulous.  The sugar carmelizes the edges of the cabbage and the sugar and salt combination is a wonderful contrast for the taste buds.  I put it in a container and then re-heated as a side dish.  I think it actually gets even better over a couple of days.

After a recent visit to my friends, Kate and Chris, I have now become obsessed with apple tarts.  I have never been much of a cooked apple fan, but Chris' apple tart made me a believer. I used Ina Garten's recipe from Food Network (Apple Tart).  I've made three now and each was fabulous. Don't be intimidated, it is easier than it looks and the ingredients are simple.  I hunted down the apple brandy called for in the recipe, but I'm sure it would still be good without it.  It's a bit expensive and you only need a few tablespoons, so skip it if you wish to.

And lastly, homemade croutons.  They're the easiest thing to make and taste wonderful.  Plus, they feel "green" because you are using up stale bread that might overwise just end up thrown away.  I gather up and save stale bread in a ziplock bag for weeks until I have enough to make a big batch of croutons.  Here's an official recipe from King Arthur Flour (Herbes de Provence Croutons).  Once made, I store them in a ziplock bag in the frigerator, they'll stay nice for a couple of weeks.  They are so delicious, you can eat them as a snack!  You can also use stale bread cubes to make stuffing. 

I'm hungry all of a sudden, off to the kitchen! Enjoy!

 

Just a Few Things...

Life has been full lately with such little time for relaxing and writing...but I am not complaining!  It is good!  I feel like I have been holding to my One Little Word, "Verve" so far.  I'm been squeezing crafting in wherever possible and have been dreaming up many new projects and ideas.  I sense that all of this is conjealing into something wonderful!

Here's a little Valentine box I created for someone...

A little closer detail for the paper flowers...

And the heart banner...

And a few thank you packages containing a small notecard, a couple of pieces of chocolate and a spot of tea...

A custom made card...

And another handmade journal (I am smitten with these journals and have gathered boxes of unused miscellaneous paper to create more!)...

Have a lovely week!