Monday 4 February 2019

T sTands for LoTs of This, ThaT and some caTs:

Hi Everybody!

Hope you all enjoyed your weekend. Mine was quiet and restful. I stayed home, played in my journal, did lots of reading and binged on murder-and-mayhem . And I am feeling a bit better, my coughs and sneezes are subsiding! Yesterday my friend N came. I cooked us dinner, and we spent the afternoon eating cookies, drinking coffee and just chatting, which was fun.

 I am still using up all the UFOs from my desk - which filled 2 large shoe-boxes, and this time I used family and time themed pieces to make a vintage journal spread. The background was painted with gesso mixed with some of the antique brown ink I made nearly 2 years back, and then given some splashes and splodges with a quill pen. On the right side there is Erika as a child and later in Uruguay with her husband. She was forced to flee Germany with her family to escape the Nazis. There are lots of pieces of clocks in the background, too and cogs which keep time and the world turning. I am linking to TIOT, time flies:


The tag was recycled and glittered before I glued on the photos, and then sewed it to a piece of brown hessian (burlap) before fixing it to the journal page:







Tuesday is also Elizabeth's T stands for Tuesday, so here a hearty welcome to all of the lovely ladies of the T Gang. I have some cups just like this, and I do use them occasionally:


I got a parcel in the post this week with this handbag sent by a friend. It is lovely, but I'm not sure I will be using it to go out, I just thought the cat-lovers would enjoy seeing it!



On Saturday we had rain:




One of the flower heads on my blue hyacinths was too heavy, so I cut it off and put it into a matching vase. It's a heart-shaped double head:


Sunday was a sunny day:



And these photos were taken on this date last year, when it was much warmer and already feeling a bit like spring:








Have a great day, take care,
and thanks a lot for coming by!




37 comments:

  1. Hi Valerie wow loving your tags ,very clever my friend and wow that bag is awesome,lovely gift,thankyou for sharing your lovely pics also my friend xx

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  2. Beautiful tags, Valerie. They're so evocative. Lovely photos, too. That bag really is something else... so cute!

    So pleased you joined us for our Time Flies challenge at Try it on Tuesday.

    Cath x

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  3. Wonderful journal spread, love how you re-used things to make it. Great and authentic vintage look with photos and history of real people, and that makes it special. You will look GREAT with that bag when the sun is shining, enjoy it! Wonderful photos, as always, and love your heart-shaped hyacinth. I bought some daffodils for the vase today! Enjoy your afternoon, good luck at the dentist's! Hugs, Sarah

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    1. I just bought daffodils, too, they look good in my cobalt-blue vases!

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  4. Fantastic vintage pages! Thank you for joining Try It On Tuesday!

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  5. Lovely vintage page. Poignant and timeless. Pretty china cup. So nice to use to make tea with friends special. The purse is adorable, but it needs a black cat =^,.^= Your hyacinths must love that window to get so big. We're unusually warm today. Still too early to see any flowers. Enjoy your day.

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  6. Glad to hear you are on the improve and getting back into life again. Those are gorgeous vintage pages Valerie. I love the gear frame. It is really cool. And wow, spring has come so early to your world. That is amazing. I love the coffee tag too. And thanks so much for linking up with us on TIOT. Those pages are perfect! Happy new week my friend. Hugs-Erika

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  7. For a minute there I thought you were having a very early spring. I haven’t seen snowdrops where I am.

    Cute handbag and lovely tags. So glad you are getting better and that you had a fun time with N.

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  8. Fantastic vintage projects Valerie it is good to see how you use the family photos.
    I love the bright happy T day tag and all the springtime photos you shared
    I'm so pleased to read that you are feeling a little better, take care of yourself.
    Yvonne xx
    p.s. forgot to say thank you for your link to our theme and the support you give us at TioT's.

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  9. I love how you incorporated the photos in these pieces. That cup is elegant. I'd feel special drinking out of it :) Spring! You have it now, I see, with all those lovely early blooms. Happy T Day!

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  10. Your vintage tags are gorgeous Valerie and even more special when you have used family photographs x gorgeous cats and as always I love your photos x take care and look after yourself xx
    Annie x

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  11. Glad you're feeling better Valerie! Beautiful vintage pages, lovely photographs, and the bag is cute!
    Alison xx

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  12. Ach wie schön sind deine nostalgischen Seiten mit den schönen alten Fotos, diese Brauntöne passen perfekt dazu. Dein Tag dagegen ist sehr fröhlich und farbenfroh, auch sehr schön gestaltet. Wie man sieht, trauen sich bei dir schon die ersten frühen Blüten heraus, super Fotos. Hier ist es noch kalt und der Schnee noch nicht ganz getaut, aber ich habe Heute die ersten Schneeglöckchen im Garten entdeckt, werden wohl Morgen aufblühen. Diese Katzentasche ist so süss, also ich würde damit schon ausgehen, ist doch richtig schick. Man muß auch mal das Ungewöhnliche wagen, das Normale ist langweilig! Weiterhin gute Besserung.
    Liebe Grüße
    Sabine

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement! When you come to visit I'll use the bag!

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  13. Truly amazing tags with more memories for you. The beautiful bright and cheerful tag definitely says happy T day

    How lovely to share your day N chatting and enjoy homemade goodies

    The plants are doing so well they must be happy

    A fun looking bag

    Have a great T Day Valerie and thankyou

    Love Chrissie xx



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  14. Great mix of artwork and photos. I like the vintage look to your artwork. And your Spring photos from last year were lovely to see. Soon... soon... Happy T-Day!

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  15. Reading, Journaling and relaxing sounds like the perfect way to spend the weekend.
    Your journal pages are gorgeous!! I love the tags that you put on there with the sewing and photos. Together it makes a stunning page.
    Last years photos are lovely! I just love seeing signs of spring. Hopefully, it is just around the corner.
    Happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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  16. Awesome mix up of art and your work!

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  17. Those signs of spring make me feel hopeful. :) So many pretty photos!

    Love your artwork. The vintage pieces have such a wonderful texture to them.

    Have a great week!
    ~Jess

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  18. gorgeous vintage inspired artwork Valerie! Nothing like a visit and meal with a good friend to lift the spirits after not feeling well. Lovely T Day art, and the photos of the flowers and greenery make me hopeful that Spring is not so far behind here in my parts either:) Happy T day!

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  19. Your cat bag is awfully cute, Valerie! And as always, your family pieces strike a very warm and agreeable note with me. They really resonate. All those flowers -- oh, it's lovely to see the start of your spring, even if it is last years. Ours is still a long time coming. Hopefully yours will catch up to this soon!

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  20. I always love seeing Erika in your journal pages. The tags were fabulous and so detailed, too. I'm really impressed (as usual).

    It's good you had a chance to rest and relax. It's also good to read you are starting to feel better, too.

    I love the TSFT tag, but of course, I know you were drinking coffee. So good your friend came, but I am not sure you sounded like you had the strength to cook a meal.

    Cute cat purse. It will be a good conversation starter, at least.

    Thanks for sharing your beautiful flowers, your awesome art, and your coffee with us for T this Tuesday, dear friend.

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  21. I'm glad you are feeling better And it's nice your friend came visiting.
    I love the artwork with the vintage photos. Is the family still living in Uruguay?
    Yes, the season is exceptionally cold this year, but it is nice to see last year's snodrops and all sorts of buds,
    Happy T-Day,
    Lisca

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    1. Erika moved here to Germany, where she died at 93, and the rest of the family is long dead, too.

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  22. Beautiful pages Valerie, but you know I always love seing your family photos. I hope you're feeling a little better now, and hopefully it's stopped raining! Take care xx

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  23. Fabulous pages and tag! I love the vintage feel and design of your stunning time flies pages, they look amazing 😁. Your colourful tag is gorgeous too, it's so bright and cheery! Glad to hear that you are feeling a little better and it sounds like you had a lovely time with your friend 😀. Take care and wishing you a very Happy T Day!

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  24. Beautiful and poignant spread, Valerie. I felt like I was looking in a mirror when I saw young Erika's photo. I looked very much like her as a child. Your hyacinths are gorgeous. Happy T-day! Eileen xx

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  25. Happy T-day, thanks for the heads up on the TSFT link, I did get it adjusted. One of those things that slipped through the cracks this week.
    Hope you are beginning to feel better!

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  26. Love your tags today and those flower photos are so refreshing ♥♥♥ We are still in a deep freeze here :( We had a couple of days of Springlike weather and then it plunged again.
    The cat purse is a cutey but not everyone's style for a purse.
    Happy T Day!
    CArol

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    1. The weather is very changeable here, but I'm always grateful for some sunshine in winter!

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  27. What a fantastic way to commemorate and record the stories of your family - the vintage colours and gorgeous textures all add to the special look. It's a wonderful spread. Lovely to see all those buds ready to burst forth too.
    Alison x

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  28. Glad you're feeling a bit better Valerie. Time spent with your friend would have been delightful as you describe.
    Both of your tags are gorgeous and a wonderful honour to members of your family. You've done a most beautiful job in how you made them.
    Lovely spring photos... even if a year ago,. always a delight. I hope you can see similar very soon :D) xx

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  29. I'm glad you were well enough to spend some time with your friend - I hope it helps with your recovery! Your journal pages are wonderful (pleased you linked to TIOT too!) you certainly are using these photos in such a lovely way - this is a super vintage look. My hyacinths are weedy compared to yours! Your photos are fabulous - I am looking forward to getting out and about at the weekend, although rain is forecast!! Belated Happy T Day! Chrisx

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  30. I'm glad you're feeling better! That was so nice for your friend to come over and cook you dinner! Love your art! I love the vintage feel of the first piece and your second one is so much fun! Your heart flowers are so pretty! Big Hugs!

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