Patriotic Ornaments in Create & Decorate August 2011

~image used with permission of Create & Decorate, August 2011 

and Sean O'Brien Photography~

If you haven't already seen the latest issue of Create & Decorate, be sure to check out page 78, which features my grand old flag star ornaments.

For this project, I used Celluclay from Activa Products. I also used Americana acrylic paints by DecoArt, American Painter brushes by Loew-Cornell, and Aleene's® Original Tacky Glue®.

If you love making primitive crafts, give this project a try.

Bazaar Season

It's that time of year when bazaars are in full swing in northeast Pennsylvania. I opted for a dozen of clams tonight in lieu of potato pancakes and pierogies.  Somebody better check my temperature. How did I pass up that traditional Polish/Lithuanian fare? Although, this bazaar wasn't serving Babushka Betty's pierogies, so that's probably why I passed on them tonight.

Every year, St. Nick's parish draws a great crowd because the food is always delicious.

An old water tower stands in the distance. You'd think the city of Wilkes-Barre would rip this eyesore down already.

St. Nick's parish has one of the best flea markets. The doors were wide open, and the flea market was calling my name.

All the Christmas items were 50% off today.

I was in heaven when I spotted a grammar book. I don't collect things, but I do acquire well-written grammar books. I'm always on the lookout for vintage books on sentence diagramming.

I fondly recall my fifth-grade teacher, Sister Carmelita, teaching me how to diagram sentences. Since then, I've always loved grammar. Thanks to her, I've had the opportunity to use my writing skills in a variety of different ways throughout my career.

When was the last time you saw sentence diagramming in a grammar text book? Forgive me, but they no longer call the subject grammar. I believe it's referred to as language arts or some other watered-down version of grammar. No wonder why Suzie and Johnny can't write coherent sentences.

Look! It's a chapter on dangling modifiers. I can't wait to start reading.

Art of the Doodle

My Art of the Doodle workshop at King's College was lots of fun. The kids created wonderful works of art, and I had the pleasure of teaching a great group of kids. Following are some pictures of what the students created this week.

Third Cover for Country Flag Artwork

 

Wow! This is the third time that my artwork titled Country Flag has landed the cover of The Country Register. I'm thrilled that the editor for the Maryland edition of The Country Register chose my artwork for the cover of their July - August 2011 edition.

To learn more about this fabulous publication, click here.

Haddonfield Art Festival 2011

Welcome to historic Haddonfield, New Jersey. It's a quaint, little town that plays host to an annual art festival each July.

The charming storefronts make a great backdrop for all the activity that takes place during the art show.

Vendors lined the streets while patrons browsed and shopped for those special purchases.

Even the local church got in on the action by catering to the thrifty shoppers in the crowd. The church had a lot of hidden gems in the basement. 

By looking at this cloudless sky, you can get an idea of how hot it was this weekend.

After leaving the festival, I had the chance to cool off in the train station. While sitting there, I was intrigued by the design that the elongated gates created.

The train tracks provide an excellent example of a vanishing point. It's a great study in perspective.

Now I'll leave you with some colorful pictures of a New Jersey garden. John's aunt knows how to make a garden an inviting experience.

One can never have too many kitties in a garden. Even those made of concrete add flair.

This guy's coming in for a landing.

~ Orbs of blue ~

~ You're a grand old flag. ~

Lucite Grapes

The weekends are fun, but they're even more fun when you've scored some fantastic finds at an estate sale.

Here we have what looks to be a tangled mess of colored orbs, wire, and wood. If you scroll down, you'll see what these lovely things really are.

~ Vintage Lucite grapes ~

~ They're so 70s. ~

What a catch; green and blue grapes on the same vine!

According to dictionary.com, Lucite is a trademark name. Lucite is a "transparent or translucent plastic, any of a class of methyl methacrylate ester polymers."

Call it what you will. I think it's fabulous. Look at those colors!

These grapes are going to provide some great inspiration for future artwork and designs.

So, what did you find in your travels this weekend? Stay tuned. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be even better!

Art in The Park

Lackawanna County's Art in the Park festivities at McDade Park in Scranton was a huge success. Today's turnout was great.

Afterward, I had the chance to get a few snapshots of these lovely birds.

Here's to another fabulous, hot, and sunny day in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Happy Birthday, America!

Here are some sights that we took in this evening as John and I waited to see the fireworks in Kirby Park. The music was divine. There's nothing like a good dose of patriotic music on this 4th of July.

This is something to think about as we enjoy our freedom in this great country. 

God bless those who have lost their lives fighting for our country.

I couldn't resist this T-shirt that one of the vendors was selling.

You're a Grand Old Flag

by George M. Cohan

 

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.

Happy birthday, America!