Everything Victorian with Sandy (Rosebud)

The November Arty Tea Party was something else...out of this world! WOW! Took us all away from the everyday norm, to a fantasy world. A work of art encompassing your entire being as you enter. So much to see at Sandy's humble abode. A textured treasure of a home that you must touch the walls as you walk through. The paintings make you want to just keep walking into the field, or the forest, or climb up the castle wall and let down your hair...eat the peaches right out of the picture frame. The birdy nest coming out of the wall in the "Love Nest" gave us all something to talk about. (Enough said about that...)

The food was fab and abundant; the company was grand; and the ornament painting lesson was hysterical! Mine is still hanging on the hook in the back seat of "Putt Putt". Thank you, Sandy for a wonderful day...thanks to Maureen for the "unusual" gourds...don't forget to clean them up if you want to decorate them at the next Arty Tea Party...to Michelle for sharing her ornaments...to Alicia for the gi-normous bag of neverending ribbons/fibers...and to Nina for the Amber Soaps to paint on.

Hope you all had as fine a time as I did!
TTFN
See you all very soon!
Vicki

Mushrooms and Paper Tea Party

Hello Friends,

It's another beautiful day in the neighborhood. And HAPPY AUTUMN to all! Upcoming Tea Party is at Nina's, Thursday Oct. 1, around 10ish. Please bring something yummy to share. We will have a fire in the fireplace to keep anything warm, if necessary.

We will finally be making those "Naughty Concrete Mushrooms". So bring your small dishpan for that. We will be working in groups. So, if you have any extra dishpans, that would be great because we can use those for the "Papermaking" pulp. Yes, we will also be making paper. If you have some pretty colored paper ready for recycling bring it along. We won't be using shiny magazines, however. We will have fibers, and seeds, to embed if you'd like.

Any questions, please email Nina or myself...Vicki

ALSO, DON'T FORGET YOUR GARDEN ATC IF YOU WANT TO TRADE!

Pine Bush Art Tour

While I do not have any photos to display, the Arty Tea Party was out in full force at the 2nd Art Tour in Pine Bush. With our new banner on display, created just for us by Michelle Filer of Crans Mill Studio, along with her beautiful miniature paintings, we gathered together between RJ Smith and the Clever Caterpillar to share a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Nina of Happy Herbs Soap @ Two Crows Cottage displayed her "Conjured Clay" incense burners and Soap Dishes to go with her all natural Magickal Botanikals Ritual Incense, and her lovely Hand Painted Soaps. She also had her very special Pulse Point roll-on scented oils. (If you haven't tried the Amber scents...get to it...fascinating, as in intrigue, is my description:)

Denise Aumick of Wild Thread Studio proudly hung her one of a kind Fiber Art ATC's and Postcards while working on yet another miniature layered quilt. We were also treated to all of the fabulous magazine spreads that she has been chosen for to present her great art form to the world. Glad you could join us!

Renee presented her very unique Scrying Mirrors with crystals and gems, and charmed us with her "chimes". I believe the vibes from that are still traveling to some far-off land of enchantment inviting everyone who happens to hear it to smile right along with her at an exact moment in time. She had a very cool place set up under the big tree for Tarot Readings, too.

Alicia had our space dazzling bright with all her beautiful jewels that captured every bit of the bright sun we had for the day. Sparkle and bling is always good! She still has "punk" available, too, for those pesky bugs.

And Sweet Rosebud, Sandy Scarano, filled the door to our welcoming mat with her lovely barnwood paintings. Her table full of those very pretty Victorian Creations was a great addition to the Tea Party Fun. And she had much less to pack up at the end of the day! Hooray for Sandy!

As for me, I was pleased to display a couple of my ATC's and Altered Books for the day!

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR AN ARTY TEA PARTY!!!

Affectionately posted by: Vicki

Bentwood Charm

It's tall and skinny but it looks just fine with my rose bush. Hopefully the roses will bloom bright soon to make it prettier! Thank you Andrea and Joe!

Days like this past Tuesday make me feel warm and fuzzy. I had a lot of fun doing the bentwood with everyone. Thank goodness the rain let up a little. Good company, good food and good times. Thank you to everyone who brought tea, and food and more tea, and OMG yummy guacamole, and egg pie(of course it's quiche) & cookies. Now that I am finally getting my hands dirty with this bentwood stuff, I can't wait to do more. I am thinking big here (I'll need to enlist Joe and his chainsaw again, hehehe). I really will try to post pictures soon (Vicki HELP!?)

Thank you, Nina for the hand bee balms (is that what they are called?). She brought samples for everyone. They really do soothe your hands after bending wire and working with wood. I forgot to hand them out to the early departing women, so I will bring them to the next tea. Everyone deserves a sample of your awesome new product. I'm happy that most of you left here with a completed bentwood project. I hope if you got to take supplies home, that you are creating something wonderful.

I have put the cathedral inspired trellis (which was intended to be a gate & had a mind of it's own) in my back yard above the patio up on the high side of my rock garden. Soon the yellow coreopsis and the blue "New Salvia" will be in bloom below it. I can't wait for the color explosion. The morning glory that I started from seed is blue and white and will hopefully grow up the trellis. They are so tiny and only now just poking through the soil. I love Spring! Can't wait to gather at Nina's. (No pressure) Your friend, Andrea :)

Willow Whacking Women Unite

Oh Yes it was another fun, productive Arty tea pArtY! Too much fun. Our many Thanks to Andrea and Mr. Joe for hosting this month's tea at their incredible home and gardens. Nina was completely right, it is definately something out of a magazine.

Andrea taught us how to make incredible trellises and fairy chairs with the pussy willow that she and her husband harvested just for this party. We women did not let the spring showers stop us, (only one of us melted). It was a truly great and inspiring day where we bonded and built and inspired each other then way we always do. I LOVE our teas! I soared all night and this time I

actually got to make something! Hooray!!! I will post mine after I put it in the ground...but for a teaser ;)... here's a picture of Miss Vicki's awesome creation. Love it!

Coming Next Month is...

Nina's Naughty Mushrooms

It should be an exciting summer with all these lovely ornaments popping up in our garden's.

Ladies please add on to this post especially with your picture's!

Upcoming Bentwood Event

Well, all of you talented chics...you are all in for a terrific surprise when we head to Andrea's for the special Arty Tea Party workshop! I was treated to a preview of the beautiful bentwood creations by Miss Andrea. And boy was I inspired! So, gather your tools, clippers, pruners, twine, and whatever and be ready for a real treat! Also, don't forget your Music ATC for the exchange! HAPPY MAY TO ALL! And uh, get bloggin' ladies...

Tea Party Fun

OK, talented chics... Hope you all have your MUSIC ATC ready to go for the next Tea Party Exchange... Also, Renee (and of course, Michelle) are the only ones who even posted to this new blog. I know you are all up to something! Let's have it!

I'm new to blogging... so i thought i would just post one or two of my already created vignettes, poetry, etc. the following was written last summer. (i will post new stuff as inspiration hits me!)


In Praise of the Goddess

Tonight is full moon. This will be the “Moon of the Forest Dance.”

Reflecting on this event, it occurs to me that my life, today, is a forest dance. You see... I have no curtains on the windows in my home. Because no matter which one I choose to gaze out of.. the view is of trees, or the hills in the distance. From my kitchen table, I can watch the sun rise or the hummingbirds feed or the red tailed hawks hunting. The altar room inside my home has a triangular window through which, by happy coincidence, the winter full moon can be seen clearly. The window nearest me as I type this looks out upon the large, round and sacred spaces my daughter and I have carved out for ourselves in the yard. My circle includes a pine tree, an oak tree and a great, granite boulder which serves as a perfect altar. The property surrounding our house is home to a great horned owl, a nesting pair of red tailed hawks, a pileated woodpecker, what seem like hundreds of hummingbirds (perhaps because they move so fast, they seem to be in more than one place at one time!) , coyotes, squirrels, chipmunks, possum, deer, bears, foxes, porcupines, snakes, the occasional red eft or elder newt in the stream, and countless others.

It sounds like I'm bragging... but they were here first, the trees, hills, moon, boulder, critters. These are gifts given freely by the Mother Goddess, by our wonderful earth. According to some legal document, somewhere, I own this property... but I know the truth. I have temporary stewardship over this land, and a responsibility to treat it with respect, and love and care.

All this abundance has come to me, it seems, in spite of my shortcomings. Even though I go through my days, sometimes, without noticing the beautiful shape of the oak leaves or the sound of the hummingbirds as they buzz past me. Still… the Mother gives her gifts freely. And what better way to celebrate, appreciate and praise, than to dance in the very forest that holds all these gifts. Tonight, I shall be spiraling through the trees, twirling, rejoicing and giving thanks for all these Bright Blessings.

Snapshots of Spring



Awaken today, to the cheerful sounds
Birds’ chirp and whistle, “Joy Abounds!”

Through the doorway, an upturned face
Captures the warmth of the sun’s rays;

Earth’s fragrances arise again;
Promising colors that fill the glen;

The Pond’s rock has a green sundial;
Emerged from his shell to warm awhile;

Last melting crystals of snow;
Making way for the crocus to grow;

At water’s edge the peepers sing;
Their pipings herald the arrival of spring!

---- by: Renee D'Amoiselle (newbie crafty lady)
Thanks to Vicki for creating the blog! Words are my best medium!

Vicki Is a total genius. I am here and loving it!!!!!!!! whoo hoo whoo hoo


This is so cool, Thank you Vicki for your amazing work!





So I am posting the pics from the last tea party, but these do not count towards the bonus atc. The atc goes to the first who posts new work so get to work ladies.

Here's our little Sandy, teaching us the proper way to blow an egg. Gosh that sounds so wrong but it is what it is. Thank you to her for teaching us all about the joys of decorating eggs.

These are the Atc's from the swap... theme: chocolate

Alicia's

Vicki's

Michelle's

Alicia's sister in Texas

Sandy's



Andrea's


If the ladies would kindly post their egg pictures I would love to see what they've done.

Up and Running...Watch Out - Talented Chics on the Loose!

OK Ladies...we are off and running! Let's get this ArTy TeA PaRty gig out there for the world to see and be jealous of! Perhaps we can inspire talented chics to start tea parties of their own!

And since, I have no pictures to put up yet, somebody, better get to it! Hint...hint...

First one to post a picture gets an extra ATC at the next ArTy TeA ParTy...and remember the theme for the next ATC exchange is "MUSIC"... La la la!

HAPPY SPRING - BLOG ON!

Vicki, who is outofhand (as usual)