~ FLOWERS, FRIENDS, FABULOUS! ~

Yesterday, my daughter surprised me with

these flowers, which are just so colorful!

With Friday's Flowers, hosted by

Alisa, of Life is a Beautiful Place to Be,

so close, I had two reasons to photograph

these beauties ~ one ~ the beauty of the gift and

reason number two being the fun of

photo editing their abundant color!

Photo editing produces some surprising

and artistic images.

One image of intense floral color.

Texturized by overlays.

Hue and saturation tweaked to produce a

vintage effect.

~*~

Friendship ~ a group of likeminded gals

gathering to create for a common cause.

Cindy Mayfield (above left) is the cofounder of

Paper Cowgirl Altered Art Retreat,

and she is carrying on the tradition of this

art event for the first time this year without

her dear friend, Tina Wright, who we lost

just a few months back, and miss terribly.

These two ladies created a wonderful Texas style

retreat, which will carry on this June,

as Tina would have it.

Also photographed above are Jennifer and her mother.

Photo below shows Sandra and our hostess, Ann-Denise.

Ann-Denise offered to host an evening of

creating name badges at her lovely home.

This dear can really throw a party!

Every detail was beautiful!

Fancy beverages.

Chicken salad croissant sandwiches.

Summery salads.

And desserts aplenty!

Even personalized party favors with Ann-Denise's

signature touches of  finesse.

A gathering of ladies by a wonderful

hostess and a fabulous cofounder of a retreat that will

surely inspire many to revel in the sharing of the

~ dream of  two lovely ladies ~

Paper Cowgirl.

Please visit the

Paper Cowgirl website for

class and registration information.

~ Show What You Create Blog Party and Friday's Flowers Too! ~

Today, I join Andrea, of

Vintage Bella Studio

for her

 "Show What You Create Blog Party",
and  Alisa, of
Life is a Beautiful Place to Be
for
"Friday's Flowers".

This bracelet was the catalyst to teaching jewelry classes

at a local store ~ my challenge was to create a

bracelet from their pattern.

I truly enjoy the smiles of students who have

learned a new skill.

Before jewelry, I dabbled in a multitude of

different crafty media.  Crochet pansies

satisfied my urge to learn crochet.

Each of these pansy images sits upon another

artistic endeavor ~ quilting.  Not full

sized quilts, though.  Just small pillow covers

and doll coverlets, etc.

The fabrics used on this lined pillow cover were

designed by Susan Branch, and include various

floral images and tiny bees.

I also created clothing items for my girls.

The dress below is itty bitty,

all white, and very simple, yet full skirted.

I also created a dress with little

 hand sewn pearl details on lace trim.

I also tried embroidery. 

Mr. Bunny was one of my

first embroidery subjects.

This freshwater pearl and sterling silver necklace

was created for my youngest one this week.

A soldered "Faith" charm is for my eldest.

~ * ~

This fabulous St. Joseph lily was planted in my

parents' garden by a lovely friend,

whose faith and sharing are

appreciated and everlasting.

(Thank you Roswita!)

For more Friday's Flowers, please visit

Alisa, at Life is a Beautiful Place to Be.

For more Show What You Create Party players

please visit Andrea, at Vintage Bella Studio.

Thank you to both of these dear hostesses!

And thank you, dear readers, for indulging my

sharing of scenes from my creative adventures.

Have a lovely weekend!

~ ...AND THE WINNER IS... ~

In between the "dailies",

you know,

the things that have to be done,

I try to find time for creating jewels, especially with

Paper Cowgirl

altered art retreat getting closer!

Some of these images depict works in progress,

such as the Czech glass links above.

This aquamarine necklace includes a vintage buckle

and vintage rhinestone dangle.

Aquamarine in the form of

 rugged nuggets and polished ovals.

The colorways are delightful!

My light source was not ideal, so the image below

reminds me of a messy Monet painting.  Maybe.

Moonstone is also a favorite, and even with my dim

light source, the blue essence within the moonstone

is evident, and magical when paired with aquamarine.

Why so much aquamarine? 

 Ahhh, aquamarine is resplendent

with the colors of the sea.

Which leads me to the winning name drawn for the 

Mermaid's Dowry Giveaway!

Anne, of Fiona and Twig,

is the winning name drawn

from the "namefetti" I created from all the

names of the contest entrants,

all of whom I adore,

along with all who read the

adventures of Filigree Moon,

and to whom

I offer my sincerest gratitude.

The greatest treasure of all is the friendship

and support of all the dears in blogland!

~ Giveaway Time! ~

It's time for a giveaway at Filigree Moon!

A Mermaid's Dowry, to be exact.

A clamshell basket filled with

 sea treasures and earthly treasures.

Handmade collaged single bannerette and tag.

Collection of seashells, a giant abalone button and

 mother of pearl buttons.

A handmade mermaid charm.

A rugged watch case with face.

Two watch crystals in original teal packages.

Chandelier crystal prism.

A strand of peacock blue dancing freshwater pearls,

for your own creations.

Vintage lace.  Blue real silk ribbon.

A trove of treasures for the winning entry!

Just comment below this post to be entered to win.

Many thanks to all who follow the adventures of

Filigree Moon.

Best wishes! 

Contest ends May 17 at midnight.

~ Seeing Friday's Flowers ~

After receiving a mixed bouquet of flowers today,

I proceeded to snip, arrange and photograph them.

In so doing, I was amazed at the many angles

of light and shadow that came into play.

As I manipulated the images in Paint Shop,

I pondered the possible interpretations of 

perception by the observer.

I believe we all see things differently.

Even the same thing.

For some, there is the absence of eyesight.

For others ~ the absence of color.

Some see color, with

perception dictated by visual acuity.

Interpretation influenced by mood.

By illness.

Through tears.

Through a sea of confusion.

For some, beauty and vision of nature is

explored by sense of touch, smell, hearing, taste,

 in addition to...or in lieu of... eyesight.

Wishing you all the wondrous and

beautiful views that nature provides.

Happy Mother's Day!

For more fabulous Friday's Flowers

and to join the flower fesitivities

visit Alisa's beautiful blog.

Please join me early next week for the

Mermaid's Dowry

giveaway!