almost time for tulips!

O! it's a bright shiny sunny day in bohemia!! it's so beautiful today! there was frost this morning, so the whole scene outside her window is sparkling in the sunlight! the bohemian is so thankful  to live in this gorgeous place...

***ART PROJECTS:  she has been working in a friends altered book themed "tulips"...

*first page:

she's been saving this picture of these two little darling girls in their bright pink dresses with those gorgeous orangey-pink tulips with shockingly yellow centers... PERFECT!
*page 2:

she's been saving this adorable but slightly bemused cherub in denim with her purple tulips... these were so perfect for her friend's tulip book! and so, now the bohemian feels justified over her office-sized file cabinet stuffed to over-flowing with collected images.... her powers of justification are immense!

*page 3:  images of beautiful little girls blissfully enjoying the tulip fields which grow in the nearby valley...

the background on this page, with which the bohemian wasn't entirely happy, was first embossed in clear embossing powder to create a mask, then inked with lime green... came out kinda messy rather than popping the pattern out.  sigh.

ALSO outside her window today, she spied a fuzzy brown squirrel playing in the cedar tree. as she was watching and laughing at his antics, she noticed a shock of cobalt blue on the feathers of a stellar jay among the green boughs of the tree.  and then, just beyond the tree, she caught a glimpse of  the startling white of a pair of trumpeter swans flying over the field below the cottage. and again, she thanked God for letting her live in such a gorgeous place with such beauty and vivid colors surrounding her. she hopes you find gorgeous beauty surrounding you today.  and wishes you the loveliest day, with sunlight sparkling like diamonds in every one of your mudpuddles... don't forget to PLAY!!

a flurry of january...

here in bohemia, january is rushing by in a flurry, very few of which are actually snow flurries.

there is a flurry of birthdays... a mother's, a daughter's, a daughter-in-law's, an adopted mother's, a father's, a sister-in-laws. there's a flurry of activity... helping the royal sister get her house in order in preparation of a back surgery, the stamping exchange group, the once-a-month stamping group (and their crafting retreat coming in just a few weeks!!! woo hoo!), a baby shower for a coming grandchild, a tea party for the royal daughter turning 30 (she's aghast!).

there's a flurry of activity in preparing for their annual crafter's retreat that comes along every february. it starts at the end of january this year. that's only a few weeks away! eek! there's so much to be done!

the bohemian is supposed to have 2 shadow boxes, 2 sets of cards, and a box of tags made for the silent auction.  2 shadow boxes are done. she will post pics soon when she reveals the theme for this years weekend by the ocean...crafting for 4 days...all day and into the night...with costumes and prizes... and lovely handmade items to purchase from the silent auction... and deer grazing right outside the door...  but for now, fuzzy warm winter wishes to all!

what snowmen know...

a little wisdom from the bohemian's flaky friends:

*it's okay if you're a little bottom-heavy.
*hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
*wearing white is always appropriate.
*winter is the best of the four seasons.
*it takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.

*there's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
*the key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
*it's not the size of the carrot,  but the placement that counts.
*we're all made up of mostly water.
*you know you've made it when they write a song about you.

*accessorize! accessorize! accessorize!
*avoid yellow snow.
*don't get too much sun.
*don't put someone else's corncob pipe in your mouth - you don't know where it's been.
*it's fun to hang out in your front yard.
*there's no stopping you once you're on a roll.

and now the bohemian hopes we are all wiser than we were before.  and from her cold and dark corner of the world, she reminds you: TURN ON THOSE PARTY LIGHTS! wishing you all everything good there is about snow: sparkles, the lightness of floating, the peace in the silence of softly falling snow, the fun of building snow people and making snow angels and throwing snowballs and going on sleigh rides... it's really all about playing, isn't it?  go play...

a few flaky friends...

bohemia is full to the brim of snow people!!  these are a few of the people you might meet in bohemia today:

these three amigos are lanterns, if their fairy godmother remembers to put votives in their backsides... the light glows from their little star cutouts... sweet.

and this special guy got to take over the wreath hanger because he welcomes everyone with his saucy little smile...

and these two little chubby white twins are charming mugs for drinking chocolate or hot toddies... their hats are lids to keep your hot drink hot whilst you are having senior moment and forget where you left your mug last...
just a few bohemian people wishing you a pleasant and cozy warm day full of blissed out pleasure....

day 4 of december...

day 4 square of advent calendar

one of the things the bohemian likes to collect are nativities. small to large. primitive to elegant. from all around the world. just to remind her what christmas is all about. what an amazing thing happened when God came to earth as a tiny baby...

Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
The child that you delivered will soon deliver you.

Mary did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod?
When you kiss your little baby, you've kissed the face of God.

The blind will see,
The deaf will hear,
The dead will rise again.
The lame will leap,
The dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb.

Mary did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is Heaven's perfect Lamb?
The sleeping child you're holding is The Great I Am.

words and music by Mark Lowry and Buddy Greene

artist trading cards

this is a set...

of Artist Trading Cards...

made for an exchange group put together by lovely mermaid Carmen...

Crafters' Retreat: A Tale of Hats Galore...

At the Mad Hatter party, there were hats galore! Tall hats, such as this one belonging to the Mad Hatter himself... small paper hats, (this one made by the bohemian) with magic numbers hidden underneath; magic numbers which allowed the recipient to win wonderful, lovely prizes from the Wonderland Garden... the bohemian's favorite one was this orange one she had made from the quilty ladies' scrap bags. but, alas, it went home with someone else... (another paper hat made by the bohemian) There was the White Queen's Hat, which fell into the auction. There was the Red Queen's Hat, which also fell into the auction ( and went home with Yours Truly, the bohemian!!) There was this lovely, feathery hat...complete with optional mask. There was a velour and lace hat with buttons stolen from the Hatter and glued around the rim. This hatter stole hearts from the decorations in the windows of the dining room to use as earrings...OFF WITH HER HEAD!!! There was a wonderful, wacky Dr.-Suess-like hat of fuzzy lime green and gauzy purple... and a red heart tea party hat... with red roses profusely blooming around the front... and even some dangly jangly Alice jewelry. There was Alice her own self... and Mad Hatter socks... belonging to a Mad Hatter (don't worry...only the bohemian in disguise). Party-goers galore wore their best ever Wonderland dresses... ...as did this particular Alice and Mad Hatter. There, in the orange team row...there was an orange-flavored Mad Hatter! and orange-flavored Tweedledee and Tweedledum. They promptly got up into the Garden and played a rousing game of croquet! There were clever little pink hats on the heads of the pink team. which matched wonderfully with their pink-striped socks. The red team had their very own Red Queen! Oh my! There were TWO Red Queens!! It's a wonder anyone got out of there with their heads still attached!! And the Red Queen's Knave of Hearts with her pink flamingo croquet mallet. In marched the Red Queen's minions to do her evil bidding...OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!!! And the blue team became a whole gang of Tweedles! and played a very MEAN game of croquet in the Wonderland Garden. This was only one night of the festivities taking place during the bohemian's Crafters' Retreat. A smattering more will be shown, so as to let you experience vicariously the rambunctious fun that was had by all. Stay tuned for the Mad Hatter's tea party. And don't be late!! feathery hat wishes and mad, mad love to you all....