Mo'a Romig-Boyles

The Magic Feather Project

Feathers and leaves have revealed their magic to me in the last few weeks.  Jude Hill of Spirit Cloth has been gathering feathers...she has the goal of a 1000 feathers.  After a month and a half of gathering feathers from around the world, the number is 282.   Jude has a tutorial here on how to make her Magic Feather...and how to send them on to her.

I made and sent two pieces to her with the total of five feathers. The first photo shows one that I sewed free hand...no pattern, straight from my head.  I am unabashedly proud of that one.

Jude's magic feather made it to, two pieces of cloth that I saved for many years.  You can read about them here.

"So, what do leaves have to do with this story?" You might ask.  Don't they look a little like feathers?

But, that is not all.  All will be revealed in my next post.  Here is a little hint.  And one more.

There is so much to tell you and to show you.  Please come back and take a look.  See you in a few days.

 

Karen Cole at Snyderman Works Gallery in Philadelphia

We had the pleasure of going to the opening of the Found Objects Show in Philadelphia at the Snyderman Works Gallery, on Friday night.
Our own Karen Cole had three pieces in this show.  The show will be open until the middle of November...if you are in the Philadelphia area make sure you don't miss it...it is well worth the trip.

I had always wanted to see her art in person...it did not disappoint.

We also had the pleasure of meeting her Husband, Son and Daughter-in-law...a lovely family.

There were some VIP's at the show. This one by Jolino Beserra from LA.

There was also an amazing quilter represented there, Jane Burch Cochran. This one was my particular favorite.

Another artist, whose work I admired, was Cathy Rose. One of her pieces was next to Karen's art...holding it's hand out as is if saying Ta Dah!!!...see the third image above.

After the show, my  Husband and I enjoyed the festivities of First Friday in Philadelphia. 

We went to a lovely spot for dinner .  We sat  outside  in their garden space, where the only sound we heard was the water fountain and a helicopter that flew over.

All in all it was a perfect evening.  We loved that we had such a good time just 45 minutes from home.

My photos from the show do not give full justice to the art.  It is hard to photograph art, in a gallery, on opening night.  To see better photos click on the artist links I gave you.  You will be glad you did.

Tea Party

Hello !!! There you are, Welcome.  You are just in time for our Mad Tea Party hosted my the Fanciful Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist, she has a list in her side bar of all the party givers.

The Hatter himself is here.Would you like to meet him? 
Here he is wearing his 1890's suit and his top hat, looking ever so dapper.  Mr. Hatter aka my Dad.

Mrs. Hatter wore her Teapot Earrings, that I bought for her when I was in college in London.

The other guests I would like to introduce you to, are, my Mother...Mrs. Hatter, my Husband and that is me pouring the tea...one lump or two?

Where are my manners?  Do come in and have some goodies...we have sandwiches, cucumber, blue cheese and marmalade ( a family favorite), herb cheese and some rye bread with smoked salmon and sweet mustard ( we are a Scandinavian family...and that should explain that :)
We also have fruit tarts...I hope we have enough of those,  one does not want  to hear  "Off  with their heads"   And for those  of you that are health conscious, we have some fresh New Jersey blue berries and whipped cream.
Please help yourself :)

And there is cake...chocolate cake...don't you just love chocolate?

I am using my blue Wedgewood Jasperware tea set that I inherited from my American Grandmother. My Dad had given it to her fifty five years ago.

I also have a very special treat for you, that I made just this morning...Icelandic Pancakes.
They have strawberry jam and whipped cream (we Icelanders do love our whipped cream...hope you do also) If you prefer we also have Icelandic Pancakes sprinkled with sugar and rolled up.
Icelandic Pancakes are Iceland's National Desert.
I think of my Grandmother and my Aunts when I make pancakes in a special pan, using my Mother's recipe and my Grandmother's secret ingredient. I love the smell and the rhythm of pouring the batter, turning them over and stacking them up. I also remember to make them very thin and they must have a beautiful even color, not too dark and not too light...my Mother taught me that, as those are the  signs of a good Icelandic Pancake maker.
Most Icelandic families have their own favorite recipe, but in essence they are all the same...delicious.

I used my favorite blue and white china dishes.  Here are some that I bought from Constance of Rochambeau , on her yard sale, just before she left for Texas, from New Jersey. They are French Limoges and the pattern is called  Jouy ...I adore them and think of Constance every time I use them.
The other pieces are Royal Copenhagen, Blue Fluted , which is part of my wedding china and the dish that the blueberries are in is Blue Fluted Mega...my new passion. I do love beautiful china.
Help yourself to some of the rolled up Icelandic Pancakes :)
I made the table cloth from an Indian Sari.  I love Saris and often use them for table cloths and curtains. One day I would like to learn how to wear one.

Mr. Hatter picket up his silver tipped walking stick and top hat and left with Mrs. Hatter.  They called and told me what a good time they had and they did not think that they will have Dinner tonight...well perhaps just a little cake. 

Solange had a wonderful time. She had tea and lots of sweets...I noticed that she has quite the sweet tooth and was very charming.
We talked after The Hatters left...we are good friends now, all is forgiven.

There is still plenty of cake and goodies left for you. Are you having a good time?  Did you have enough to eat? 
Thank you for coming.

There is more fun and many more participants...Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist will guide you to the other parties. Have fun, but save some cake for me :)

You Are Invited

You are invited to a Mad Hatter Tea Party, hosted by our own Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist.

It was not enough for me that there will be 254 and counting, people at The Mad Hatter Tea Party...and giving Tea Parties...I thought I would invite some locals. 
So, I put on my best smile and asked the Teddy Bears...I hear Teddy Bears love a party.

They declined and said the were Stuffed.  Raggedy Ann and Andy said, "We can come"  the bears shouted in unison "You are Stuffed also"  So that was the end of that. 
I went to the basement and took Solange out of her storage bin, and asked her if she would like to come.

She said "No, No, No"  then she continued "You have kept me in a storage bin all these years and now you expect me to come to a party, will there be cake?" 
I said "Yes there will be cake.
Solange clapped her hands and said "Tres bien, perhaps I will come, we will see"  she continued "Will you put me in that storage bin again?"
I promised her, that she could be in the Family Room for a while, she was happy about that...I don't know if she will be at The Tea Party, even though she is sitting in the Family Room now...she is still sulking.
Solange was created by me in 1990...Oh, my!!!

I do hope that you will come...there will be lovely people at my party...and there will be cake.

Go to A Fanciful Twist for the list of all the other fun Mad Hatter Tea Parties.

The Winners of my One World-One Heart Giveaway

What a great time we had.  Connecting with fellow bloggers from around the world and making new friends.
Thank you Lisa for your wonderful idea and all your hard work in connecting us...you are the best.

Jean of Bluebirds Living In The Meadow, won this painting (mixed media) that with tongue in cheek I named ""Ten of Two" or a "Good Hair Day".

Caren of k. dotties  won the "Butterfly Lady".

They will be in the post as soon as you send me you addresses.

Thank you to all of you and for all the wonderful comments...I just found out that comments can become quite addictive, so when you come and visit... won't you please leave me a comment and feed my addiction.

Artful Blogging and six random things.

I have been tagged by Dorte of Den Lille Lade to write six random things about myself.
It always feels strange to me to talk about myself.  What????? you say to yourself, she has a blog.

1. Truthfully it is easy for me to talk about things I love and like.  To talk about my family is not a problem for me...only good things of course :)
To toot my own horn is hard for me...this is why I have a blog.  Here I can show my art and you can look at it on your own terms...and if you are so moved write a comment.

Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian contacted me a few months back and told me that my favorite magazine, Artful Blogging, would like to use a couple of my images in a Question and Answer article on Project Blogway that  Lisa and Terisa of Running With  Scissors  co-hosted back in September of 2008.

Much to my delight I received my copy of the winter issue of Artful Blogging and there on page 95 were my images and a few words that I said about my participation in Project Blogway.

2.  I have a Pollyanna personality.  By that I mean, that I always try to find the best in people and not to dwell on their  negatives.
My thoughts are, that no one is perfect and that everyone has something special about them...I look for that.
I am often accused of being naive and Hey!!! I am a blond...so perhaps they  also doubt my intellect.
We cannot control other peoples thoughts or what they think about you...I always assume they are thinking good thoughts.
When I find out that they have not been thinking good thoughts about me ...I am always surprised and  often  disappointed and hurt.

Vanessa of A Fanciful Twist, in her post "Little bits of Frivolity...(& 2 new prints)"  talks about negative thoughts so beautifully...go over and read what she had to say.  But ,  first  read  on here...or come back, I  am  going on to number three.

3.  My husband and I share a passion...watching the birds at our feeder.  When special birds like these Blue Birds make a visit we are delighted.  Ken took the photos from our doorway so as not to scare them away.

4.  I always love the season we in and wish for it to be all it promises to be.  Cold and snowy in the winter, tender and new in the spring, sunny, hot and humid in the summer and colorful and crisp in the autumn.  I warned you...Pollyanna :)

I have been whining about the fact that the last couple of winters were not snowy enough...well this winter gave me the picture perfect snow that I was longing for.

My Mother called me later than usual the morning after our snow storm, because she knew I would be outside taking pictures...she was right. I was outside taking photos.

 

I was delighted to see the blue shadows on the new fallen snow.

5.  I am good at looking and seeing.  I noticed this snowman under the bird feeder made by a very artistic squirrel.

6.  When I get too serious...I add a little humor.  Perhaps you noticed that?

According to the rules below, I am supposed to tag six people and link to them. I am braking that rule...if you have read this far and would like to do this Meme, let me know and I will link back to you in a future post.

THE RULES (for this game of tag)

1. LINK TO THE PERSON WHO TAGGED YOU

2. POST THE RULES ON YOUR BLOG

3. WRITE SIX RANDOM THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF

4. TAG SIX  PEOPLE AT THE END OF YOUR POST AND LINK TO THEM

5. LET EACH PERSON KNOW THEY ARE TAGGED

6. LEAVE A COMMENT ON THEIR BLOG. LET THE TAGGER KNOW WHEN YOUR ENTRY IS UP

7. DON'T BREAK THE CHAIN 9not actually a rule)

 

One World-One Heart Giveaway

Thank you all for your visit and for entering your name for my giveaways.  I have enjoyed reading your comments and look forward to seeing many of you here again...you are always welcome. 

There are some amazing blogs out there and I have bookmarked a number of blogs that I look forward to visiting in the near future

It has been a wonderful One World-One Heart giveaway, with 911 participants. Thank you dear Lisa for bringing us all together...you are amazing.

I will be picking the winners by  Random Number Generator.  Comments will be closed 11:00PM Eastern Standard time.
Mo'a February 11, 2009

Time has come for the annual One World-One Heart giveaway
This is what our lovely hostess  Lisa of A Whimsical Bohemian said about the event:

In the first 2 years of hosting OWOH I came away with an amazing sense of how genuinely good people are and how open their hearts are.  I've read blogs where since they participated as a fairly new blogger made connections that stuck.....art swaps began, shared stories and so on built to a genuine friendship.  That makes my heart sing as that is precisely the goal here.
The giveaway portion is like hosting an open house......as if we were all living in this gigantic neighborhood where once a year we visit homes to meet, reacquaint and get to know one another. At each home there are samplings of goodies that you have a chance to take home like a door prize. You leave your name and at some point each home choses a winner or winners......and now you not only have met a new "neighbor" and you've seen where they live.....you have something that someone lovingly chose to give..... AND visa versa.

I am giving away two pieces this year.  This is the first one, an original 8x10 painting on canvas.

The second giveaway is another original painting on a 5x7 canvas board.

My giveaway is open to everyone who has an active blog worldwide, whether you are a participant in One World-One Heart or not.

Please leave a comment on this post only for a chance to win. Make sure I have a way to reach you should you be a winner.

The Winner will be announced on February 12th, 2009.

For more information about this event click one the One World-One Heart logo above.  Good luck!!!

Comments are closed...I will be picking the winners, that will be announced tomorrow February 12, 2009.  Thank you for your visit.  Stay awhile and leave me a comment on my Artful Blogging and six random things post.

Come back often, I will have a giveaway each month.

Let It Snow Please and OneWorld-OneHeart

So far this year we have not had any snow in my corner of the world.  Last year was also a disappointment.
I know that many of you would love to have the same complaint as I do...too much of a good thing is too much.
In a perfect world it would snow just enough to be photogenic and be just wet enough to make a snowman.
I adore the feeling of coziness that comes with snow...hot chocolate, a good opera on the radio, a warm blanket and a good book...wait I can do all this without snow...then again snow would add coziness.

I am preparing to take part in the OneWorld-OneHeart giveaway that our dear Lisa is hosting.  Click on the links to read more about  this great event.

I Have Been Bopped

I got the following message from the fabulous Gail Lackey a few days ago.
"Prang! you've just been bopped by Miss Pennythistles "seal of Dastardly Delight" an award for you Fantastic Fabulously fun site!"

I felt a pang in my head, but it comes to light that I cannot blame the cute little Miss Pennythistle...I got a headache from a dreadful cold that I have been nursing.
Now it seems that my trusty and much loved computer is having memory problems. Tomorrow more memory will be arriving and then, well then we shall see, whether I can install it by myself.
I was unable to upload the "I've been bopped banner" but you can see it in the right hand side bar on Gail's blog.
As a matter of fact I cannot upload any photos into my TypePad blog.....Arrrrrrrg!!!!!  Now what?????!!!
Don't even get me started on Google Reader problems :(

Don't worry Miss Pennythistle I am not blaming you...at least I don't think I am ;>

Update: I was having some of these problems since Firefox updated me...I looked for a  solution and found it...and now I can upload the Seal of Dastardly Delight. Now I have to look at how I can stop automatic updates.  Fun, fun, fun!!!

Dia de Bloglandia and Doll Artist Gail Lackey

Welcome to Dia de Bloglandia. That  Stephanie of  Rodrigvits Style and Susanna of Susanna's Sketchbook are hosting.

I knew you were coming so I have a cake.  Would you prefer tea or coffee?
Now make yourself comfortable and I will tell you a story. 
Actually Gail  Lackey is going to tell you the stories. Gail a friend of  mine through the Hawaii Retreats that she and Marilyn Radzat give in Hawaii. I was lucky enough to go to two of their retreats. 
Gail is an amazing NIADA Doll Artist.
Click on the titles of the stories...they are links that will lead you to Gail's stories. 

The first story is about "Things That Go Bump"

The second story is about "Drucilla and Tiny Tim, Ellie Jane, Violet Lark and Lucy Mcbee"

The last story for right now is about "Melancolia McKnight, Ophelia Bedilia and her sister Meg, Sophie and Sweet Little  Mary and her perplexed little Dog"

Did you love those stories?  Well if you would like to read more you are in luck because Gail has a Book and a Blog.
 
A visit to Gail's blog is well worth it as you can see by the sample of stories that I lead you to today.
When you go over there won't you be so kind and leave a comment and tell Gail that Mo'a sent you.

Next time you come and visit me,  I will tell you about another amazing friend of mine, Marilyn, who is also a NIADA Doll Artist.  I know :) I am incredibly lucky to have incredibly artistic friends like Gail, Marilyn and you. 
Now I am coming over to see what you have up your sleve.