Birthday Treasures

We still have about 1/3 of this lucious and oh-so chocolately chocolate cake left. It is SPECTACULAR with a hot cup of coffee, and DEEEEVINE with raspberry sauce!!! I will definately be using this recipe again- perhaps for Matthew's upcoming Graduation Celebration. If you are interested in the recipe, just give me a holler!! Perhaps the best part of this cake was creating it with Becca. She is becoming quite the dessert specialist!!
I had a wonderful birthday that extended from May 19th with the start of my advnetures at Art and Soul and culminated yesterday with a surprise in the mail from my dear friend Robin! It is a wonderful gift to have a family who is supportive of my artistic journey and takes joy from my love of this special retreat that I so enjoy.
After all, if Momma's not happy, NO ONE is happy!!!!! Right??!?!?!This wonderful piece was created by Julie Haymaker, the wonderful artist who I met at Art and Soul and who taught the first class taht I attended. You can see more of her art here. As we were all setting up for Vendor Night at Art and Soul, I cruised by Julie's table and this piece literally lept inot my hands. (Ok, a bit of artistic license taken!) But I could not take my eyes off of this piece. Brown is not usually a color that I often consider at all, yet this piece was screamng at me!! My Mom had given me a bit of 'Mad Money '
for an early birthday gift, hoping that I would find something specail at the retreat. Well, this was the piece. It occured to me as I looked at this piece that it was speaking of the changes that are fast approaching in the life of our family. We are all growing and coming and going and taking flight and hopefully returning home for visits. With Matthew's upcoming graduation, we are going to embatking on a new journey, so this piece was the perfect momento of this years Art Retreat.

I had spotted this glorious sterling and turquoise cuff bracelet at an Antique store in Fredericksburg, back in April. I came home and drop one or two, maybe ten, rather heavy hints about the location and availability of this glorious piece. Along comes Mother's Day and there it was!!! I was shocked and delighted. Apparently, my hints ahd been noted and acted upon and the kid's ahd gotten quite impatient. So I was gifted with this wonderful bauble for Mother's Day, so I could wear it at Art and Soul. After recieving such a gift I made them all promise that this would also count as a Birthday gift!

Look at this glorious card!! This arrived in the mail yesterday!! What an amazing work of Stamp art, I am going to frame it!!! Robin has outdone herself. Robin and her daughter Laurel attended a Rubber Stamp Convention in California several weekends ago. I have always wanted to see what such a gathering was like and they seem to still be going strong in California. They sent me these two wonderful stamps by involk Arts- one of my favorite stamp companies and Robin didn't know that. She knows me pretty well though!! Robin is a very talented graphic artist who always puts all of her creative energy and attention to every detail into everything that she does. She introduced me to Rubber Stamps when she discovered the Inka -Dink-A- Doo rubber stamp store near South Station in downtown Boston, when we were living in Boston back in the early 80's. SOOOO, Robin is partly responsible for the rubber stamp collection that lives in my studio!!!! Thank you so very much for thinking of me Robin and Laurel!!!!!!

All of my relationships and adventures have played a huge part in my artistic journey and I would not have it any other way!!!!