Hello sweet friends...

a new year,

&

a new home,

&,

a new adventure awaits

Eight months have flown by as my life changed in ways I could not have forseen.  Wonderful much was, but challenges were faced as well.  Tis not always easy to "let go" and embrace  new adventures.

 it is time, a little voice whispers, it is time

And so I begin today...

Have you choosen "Your One Little" for 2012?

My word actually choose me this year...

fly

fly. 

v.i. to move through, or rise in the air with wings, move rapidly, float in the air, flutter, soar, take wing, take off.

I would love for you to share your word with me.  Such fun it would be to go on the journey together.

One more little note for today, you can now find me in Virginia, yes the west coast girl moved east!

Today's {View}

Happy New Year and I look forward to sharing my new adventures with you and hearing all about yours...

xoxo

Catherine

She brings her camera...

Unbeknownst to me,

while I was totally absorbed taking pictures

my sweet friends 

were

quietly taking photos of me.

The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking.

                                                                                                  - Brooks Atkinson - 1951, Once Around the Sun

xoxo

Catherine

Photos taken by Vicki Brazil and Andrea Colacchia

Tiptoe Through The Tulips With Me...

One little word:  Snapshot

A few months ago I had never taken my DSLR camera off of AUTO and it seemed so very scary to think in terms of F-stops and Shutter Speeds and exposure compensations, oh my...

Well, happy to say camera is no longer on AUTO and is most often on Aperture Priority these days with a fixed lens, 50mm.

Lots and lots of awful photos, failures and throwaways...

But every once in awhile a tiny little miracle occurs and I am able to capture a small slice of life, which gives me hope and encourages me to continue this quest. My constant "mantra" is progress not perfection.

Yes, my word for 2011 is Snapshot and my exciting journey of change and growth continues.



Happy Easter dear blongland friends

And may your view include beautiful spring flowers

xoxo

Catherine



How to celebrate a birthday...



Pick up your iPhone, call sweet daughter, and invite her out to play.

Sign up for, The Heirloom Collection, Series VII..."Bon Voyage", so graciously offered by Carol Wingert

Carol is the most amazing, creative hostess and offered an event unlike any other I have attended.

Arrive Phoenix International Airport, rent car, and hit the road, it's time to "power shop"

Oh the treasures to be found...

Presents for Mama, handmade by daughter, sigh

A lovely day indeed, time for sleep, yawn

Part deux, soon to come, our wonderful day at Carol's home

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white

The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night

And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

Catherine



Spring skiing....

Packing check list,

The perfect outfit, check

Car's tuned up and  road trip ready, check

The perfect ski outfit, oh did I mention that already?

Back soon,

Catherine

The finale...

And so we come to the end of our Flea Market adventure.  The third and final Match Box was created for my sweet daughter, Cristina...

I used a vintage patter instruction sheet to cover the outside of the box and applied some glitter for pop.

Vintage pattern tissue was used to create the rosette, with a vintage flower placed atop the tissue.

Three little pink buttons adorn the end of the box.

And finally, I stamped an old Tim Holtz design onto tissue paper and afixed it to the inside of the box

Thanks for spending some time with me today, hope you enjoyed, My {View}

Catherine

Petite Inspiration Box Swap continues...

Flea Market Edition, part deux



Sweet Jennie, The Pretty Pekingese, was my second swap partner. She likes anything miniature, lace and ribbon, odd labels, bits of china and her favorite colors are blue, green and brown.

I enjoy vintage wallpaper and was so pleased when I was looking through my stash and found this "old" brown paper with green and white flowers.  Perfect.

Afixed a vintage velvet blossom and wrapped  baker's twine to finish.

Vintage "Flea Market" lovlies tucked carefully inside.

The inside is lined with vintage magazine and newspaper ads with a Hambly transparency over this layer.

Stay tuned...

XOXO

Catherine