Saturday -- in the wee hours of the morn!

Hello Everyone!

Don't ask what I'm doing up this late. Actually, I'm a night owl, which is really quite inconvenient now, because both of my girls are in school. Fortunately, I'm able to go back to bed after I get them both off.

I've been finishing up the Gleaner zine swap... I should have all the boxes out the door by this time next week! At least, I hope so! I have really loved hosting this swap, but, wow, so many awesome 'zines... and it takes up SO MUCH space... of which I really don't have a lot to spare to begin with.

It's really forced me to become a little more organized, and I'm hoping that those new found habits will carry over into my life after the swap is over and done with! *keeping fingers crossed!*

I've also been working busily on my Paris chunky book pages for a swap with another group. Fortunately I'm not hosting that one!

This past week, I did receive some really amazing mail --besides the amazing zines I've been getting -- I recieved my recipe chunky book that was part of a swap for my tea group, Brunch_Scones_Tea -- this is a group I co-own with a fabulous lady named Valerie. We 'inherited' the group from the group's founder, who decided she needed to break away from a few of her groups a couple of years ago.

Anyway, this group had a recipe chunky book swap, and I recently got my book back, and it's simply gorgeous! I was really very pleasantly surprised, for a group that isn't 'art' based, there are some very talented folks in the group!

And here's a pic of my latest deco spread, for Linda's "It's My Year" deco.

This one was a lot of fun... I really enjoyed working with the vivid psychedelic colors for this one, it was almost like I needed an excuse to break away from my tendency to work with muted, vintage-like colors! Not that I dislike working with those colors either. But it was fun to change it up.

Hmmm... wanna see the cover of my zine for the Gleaner 'zine swap?

The spine is covered with a strip of fabric that I tore. I basically did this to cover up the stitching (and also to ensure it will stay in place!). My stitching isn't the greatest on here, but I guess that should come as no surprise, since I'm hardly a seamstress. I was going to make the cover a color copied cover, but, I decided to save the color for some of the pages inside. (Too expensive to color copy these days! Ack!)

Anyway, the 'zine is basically about... err...um tea! Which... kind of leads me to my tea updates. I don't really have a lot of new news about tea... just kind of a reminder that my tea of the month this month is my Masterpiece Chai. There was a little bit of confusion with that, because I had originally thought I'd do my Caramel tea this month... so... if you're a tea of the month customer and would rather have the caramel, I'll do that too!

In addition, since my Almond Mocha Mate took so long to be made available, I am also extending the special pricing of this tea for the full month of October.

OK... so that will about do it for me this evening... thanks for reading along!

~Anne

Just a quick art update!

Hello Everyone!

I just want to take a minute to post a couple of pictures... I've been working on decos lately (in addition to the 'zines!) and I have one spread to share with you... this spread is from the Merry Mermaid's deco (Betsey's deco). The top is the left side, and the bottom is the right side. The shiny thing in the upper right corner of the top picture is a shell with a mermaid charm... it looks a lot better in person than the scan shows because of the reflection...

This was a really fun deco to work in.

thanks for checking it out!

~Anne

Friday, September 22

Hello Everyone!

Let's start out with a tea update! Well, without further delay, my Breakfast Blend will be ready for shipment on Monday! Sorry for the many delays on this one, but unfortunately, the estate Yunnans I obtain for this blend were on backorder, so I had to wait. . . I'm glad to have it back in stock though... I've missed it! If you've been meaning to get yourself some of this blend, I recommend ordering right away, because it sells out quick!

Secondly, my Almond Mocha Mate is ready for shipment! This is my tea of the month for September. Although it's a little late ... it's well worth the wait! I'm sure you'll agree when you try it!

Next, my Honeybush with Vanilla is back in stock! This is my absolute favorite way to enjoy honeybush, with just a gentle touch of vanilla. It's smooth, slightly sweet, and oh-so-good! Plus, it's so good for you!

Finally, my Shangri-La is back! It was sold out for a brief time, but I'm happy to report that it's back in stock. This is a delicious blend of high quality Assam Black tea & Green teas from China, flavored with exotic tropical flavors! A uniquely delightful flavor that will excite your tastebuds!

And now for my sold-out list... I'm currently sold out of:

Chocolate Rose Romance -- I hope to have this one back in stock by November, as it's one of my favorite cooler weather teas. When it is back in stock, it will be a whole new sensation, as the flavor is even richer and more delicious than before!

Momoko Melon -- This one went fast! I will have it back by early spring to enjoy for iced tea season!

Now, how about an ART update? I haven't been as productive as I'd like to have been over the past few days, I've been working a lot on the 'zines but not much on anything else. I have, however, completed a monthly challenge for a yahoo group in which I'm a member. This month's challenge: we were sent small drawstring bags made of muslin (these are the same bags that I sold at one time -- they're reusable tea bags made from unbleached cotton), and we were to do something with it!

Every member of the group did something a little different with their tiny bag... one person used it as a binding for a journal, one used their bag as an embellishment for an altered bottle... these are just two of the many examples! I love these kinds of challenges because everyone starts out with the same thing but each interprets it in their own way and makes something unique! Here's what I made:






A mini-purse/tote bag. I used alcohol inks, fabric paints, india inks, and a couple of different fibers on the bag, then I strung beads onto a small gauge wire and attached it to the bag.











Here's the other side of the bag:








I have a few projects on the 'to do' list... including several decos that are waiting for my attention, and I need to finish up my altered rolodex cards for this month's swap.

Hey, speaking of yahoo groups, have you joined mine? Here's the link.

It's a fun, art-filled, tea-inspired group with a relaxed atmosphere -- the objective of our group is to help foster and nurture the creative spirit! If you're an artist looking for a home, consider joining us!

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Hello Everyone!

First, let's start with an art update... I've been busy at work on my 'zine... a one-shot, swapper mini-zine for the Gleaner zine swap that's due at the beginning of October, as well as issue #2 (at long last!) A lot of exciting new developments have occurred on that front, but I'm not going to reveal all just yet.

Aside from my 'zine, I've also recently worked on a canvas, this one is a mini-canvas, just 4" x 5", and I call it Tea and Roses.

This one was a lot of fun, and I haven't worked on a canvas in some time, so it really felt good, kind of like an escape!

Now, how about a tea update?

My tea of the month for September is my Almond Mocha Mate. It will be available by Monday, September 25th. Sorry about the delays on this one, they were unavoidable.

My Breakfast blend will also be ready for shipments on that date.

Well, that's all for now, I'll update you more later! Thanks for catching up with me.

~Anne

September 8, 2006

Hello Everyone!

Just a quick update... here's a deco layout I made for Catherine. Her deco theme was "I'm Getting Married in the Morning."

I was really unsure what I was going to do with this theme, I mean, yeah, I had lots of really wonderful vintage & antique lace, and even the beaded rose from some wedding dress fabric, and the neat "cherish" ephemera. But, I didn't really have a 'subject' for the deco... until I found this great image on a greeting card that I had in my stash! I love the 'art deco' style of it, and it played nicely with the embossed texture of the background paper I chose. Although it doesn't show up here, I painted the embossed paper with pink twinkling H20, so it has a nice shimmer to it. The background on the other page is made with tissue paper that I painted with the same twinkling H20 paint. The tissue paper absorbs a lot more of the pigment of the paint, so it gives the paper a whole new texture... something I'm going to have to explore with more!

I hope Catherine likes it!

~Anne

September 4, 2006: 2:43 pm

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is doing well. Me... well, I've been caring for a young one who has a touch of the flu... so that hasn't been a lot of fun. As a mother, I always tend to 'over worry' about my little ones, even when they get bigger... but especially when they're young. My youngest (the sick one) is 5 years old, and she has been so very healthy over the past couple of years that it really throws me for a loop when she comes down with something.

Anyway, I think I shall start with an artistic update since most of my 'spare' time has been devoted to some artistic endeavors. I've been working on decos mostly, I've signed up for quite a few, and it would seem that no sooner do I finish a deco that I get a envie in the mail that has another deco in it (or 2 or 3 more decos!)... so I do have a bit of catching up to do as far as decos go... so I've been trying to do that.

Recently, I've sent off 2 decos, one that was called "Land of Make Believe." I really enjoyed working in this deco, because it allowed me to go back in time a little bit and reminisce about my childhood. I was pretty much a loner while growing up -- in the words of my father "I was a very unhappy child." -- I think it had less to do with unhappiness and more about my mood disorders, but, that's a different story all together. But one of the things that my father based that synopsis upon was the fact that I had very few friends growing up. I preferred to be alone... I would spend countless hours playing alone and would grow impatient when I was cast into a situation where I would need to play with someone else. I guess I just felt like nobody really 'got' me... I felt alone, even when I was with others.

I don't have a picture of this deco to show you, because it was in a round accordian style deco, and I felt it would be difficult to scan. Basically, though, I explained a story about one of my favorite childhood past-times -- I pretended to be "mother nature". Remember those old margarine commercials that would say "It's not nice to fool mother nature?" -- well, that was me. However, in my gameplay, I didn't eat margarine, instead, I would play in a woodsy kind of area (when I was staying with my mother at this time, she lived in a very rural community, and it was easy to find a place to be mother nature. Later, when living with my father in an apartment complex, it was more difficult, so I would pretend to be mother nature behind a flowered bush!) and pretend to be mother nature, waving a magic wand and casting spells onto bugs, leaves, trees, whatever. It was silly, but then, most child-play is, isn't it?

The second deco that I recently sent out was a deco that celebrated the artwork of John William Waterhouse. Here is the layout that I worked on:

It was a beautiful and fun little deco made of dark red paper bags. I used dyed and painted napkins to accent the background, which allowed me to utilize the beauty of the burgandy color already present on the bags. Because it was made of a bag, I also made a little tag to slip inside of the bag opening. Here is side one of the tag:

Here is side 2:

The next deco I've worked on is one for me... my Paris deco. I have always been intrigued by the beauty of Paris...

The above pic is the cover of my Paris deco.... below is my spread for the deco...

Now, how about some tea updates? My breakfast blend should be ready to go around the 20th of this month. Same for my tea of the month... this month will be my Yerba Mate Blend called Almond Mocha Mate. I look forward to being able to enjoy both of these again!!!

Thanks for reading along!

~Anne

August 16, 2006; 8:42pm

Hi Everyone!

I've been busy! I've been working on zines mostly, so I don't have a lot to show you, but I did manage to squeeze some time in for a deco!

This deco spread was for Melinda, her deco theme is "mama always said." Since I was never really close to my mother, or my step-mother, I decided to do this spread as a tribute to my beloved Gramma who died in November 2000. I still miss her so much. Here is the spread I did for her:

the right page includes a poem that I wrote called my Gramma. Here it is:

my Gramma

my Gramma always believed in me
even when nobody else did

even when the rest of my family
thought I was a waste

because I didn’t have ambitious
career goals

because I’d find fellowship with a tree
rather than with ‘my own kind’

because I’d rather paint by myself
than be with the family

my Gramma understood this
she understood me
my Gramma loved me
even when I didn’t love myself

a downen
2006

<><><>

that's all for now!

~Anne

August 13, 2006: 3:53pm

Hi Everyone! It's been a couple weeks since I've added to my journal, I've been kind of busy with things, and haven't had the time to update as I'd like to.

Tea Updates: First, my LiberTEAS Breakfast Blend (I've been having several requests for it!) will be ready to go by the end of August. Watch the website and this blog for more details as they become available.

My Chocolate Rose Romance will be ready right about the same time.

August Tea of the Month is: Summer's Harvest, and it's almost sold out! Hurry and get yours at this exceptional price now!

September Tea of the Month isn't really a tea at all! It's a Yerba Mate! A very special Yerba Mate! My Almond Mocha Mate will be up on the website when it becomes available at the beginning of September.

I debated with myself for quite some time about carrying Mate because it's not actually a tea (but then, neither are rooibos, honeybush or fruit/herbal tisanes!), but once I concocted this blend I knew I had to! CAUTION: This flavor is highly addicting!

The inspiration behind my Almond Mocha Mate was my favorite Mocha drink that I used to indulge in. Unfortunately, coffee doesn't agree with my system, and I always end up jittery and even nauseous! So I had to stop drinking my favorite mocha... a delightfully delicious coffee drink with a delicate flavoring of Almond Roca, my favorite candy! So good!

When I first tried roasted Mate, I was intrigued. While the flavor of plain Mate leaves a bit to be desired (at least by me!) I recognized a certain roasty flavor to it that was somewhat reminiscent of the roasted coffee drinks I used to enjoy! So I started playing, first adding chocolate (Hey... if all else fails, add chocolate!), and then a little touch of toffee flavoring. I was pleasantly surprised with this flavor combination but felt that it could be enhanced just a little bit with the addition of a vanilla cream and almond flavoring... and what resulted was this unique flavor combination! A rebirth of my favorite Almond Mocha, but without the jitters, and without the nausea!

Yay!

Now... on to some art updates!

I've been busy at my art table... here are some Cabinet cards I altered recently... The top one is the cabinet card before I altered it, and the bottom one is after... of course, you probably could have figured that out for yourself, huh?

I call this one "Ain't Life Grand." This little boy looked so irritated about having to have his picture taken, and in that fancy frilly dress, no less! My mind started thinking... a trans-diva in the making, for sure!

Here's the next set...


I call this one "A Long Time Ago"

I've been having a lot of fun altering the cab cards! If only I had enough time in one day to do all these things I love to do! :)

Thanks for reading along!
~Anne

Not much to say today...

Hi Everyone:

I don't have a lot to say today, but I figured I'd go ahead and update my blog with some of my latest art while I have a chance, since hubby has a day off today and I won't have much time on the comp.


This first piece (to the left) is a piece I made for Flory's puzzle, she chose a 1960s theme. I am not sure why I find certain themes more challenging than others, but for whatever reason, I found this theme challenging for me. I do like how it came out though.

The last puzzle piece for the set of 7 that I created is Crystal's. She chose a 'fantasy' theme -- think dragons, fairies, and other cool, mystical & magical stuff.


It's a little difficult to see this piece, because it's a dimensional piece so I had to take a pic of it rather than a scan. And because there are a lot of sparkly, shiny embellishments on there, they reflected in the picture.... so like I said, it's hard to see... but the piece is nicer than the picture reveals. At least, I think so!

Also, Crystal is a jewelry artist, and makes some really fabulous pieces (my daughter loves her site!) ... you can check out some of her creations here.

Hmmm... some other things I've been working on.... I've been working on my Accidental Artist Zine... just a few final copies that I need to finish. So I have 2 new centerfolds for those....



As you can see, I've been kind of going through my Asian inspired funk... not a bad thing... it just seems like whenever I go through these "funks" that everything has a touch of Asian influence in it. The above centerfold is for issue #9.


Yep, another Asian collage! LOL The above image is of the centerfold for issue #10. These issues will be finished by today, and I hope to get a couple more finished, so that I can close the chapter on this zine.

Speaking of zines... I'm going to republish my first issue! For those of you who are familiar, my first issue of EccentricPastiche is a tribute to Vincent Van Gogh. I have had a demand for more copies, and one of the copies that was mailed in February got lost in the mail... I think I've allowed for sufficient time for it to arrive, I guess it's safe to assume that someone else is enjoying my 'zine! The saddest part of this, is that I also included a gift along with that issue, so, the gift has also gone missing.

OH well... for the most part, USPS is reliable, right?

Anyway, I'm printing a very, very limited run of 10 copies of the 'zine... and selling the remaining 9 copies to the first people who speak up and want it! Email me if you're interested!

~Anne

Another Break for Art!

Hi Everyone:

Our weather lately has been weird! Earlier this week, we had some heat waves, and today, it's overcast and even a bit chilly! Like I said, weird.

Anyway, I've been working on quite a few things... since I'll be heading to the printers within the next day or two (I hope!), I've been hard at work on a zine that I'll be contributing to a swap I'm hosting and is due early October for the Gleaner Group. I've also been finishing up the puzzle pieces (which I did finally finish) so that I could send out the puzzle swap packages to my group.

Here are a few more puzzle pieces that I've worked on:


This first one (to the left) is for Nancy's "Sweets" puzzle.














The piece to the right is for Teresa's "Wine" puzzle.

I really enjoy doing puzzle pieces... each has a unique shape so it's fun to play around with the images to get them just right.

Um... ok, so I guess I should have a tea update or two, huh? Well, my breakfast blend has been delayed, unfortunately, due to backorders from my vendors. I hope to have the blend back in stock by mid July, and I'll keep ya posted on that!

Have you signed up for my newsletter? I try to keep my newsletters limited to once a month... sometimes I get excited about something and make it more than one a month, and sometimes, well... I forget to make one at all (which reminds me, I do need to get started on a newsletter within the next day or two!) Every newsletter contains a special DEAL on my teas that's not available elsewhere, so it's definitely worth the subscription price! (FREE!)

I've also been working on DECOS! If I let too much time slip by I am soon BURIED with decos... so I try to keep on a timely schedule with them. Also, I know how exciting it is for me to get one of my decos BACK... so, I can only imagine that it's that same kind of excitement for the other people in my deco group when they get theirs back. If you're interested in decos or possibly joining a deco group, click here for info on my favorite.

The most recent deco that I've worked on was Marianne's "Old Movie Classics" (Below).

I am, by no means, an old movie buff, so I felt a little intimidated by this theme... to me, "Police Academy" is an old movie classic! ha! Well, one night I needed to sort through some of my miscellaneous images, and I came across some Charlie Chaplin images someone had sent me in a RAK package, so I chose to do a chaplin theme for this deco. I used an antique gold metallic tissue paper that I wadded up for texture and then used an inkpad to bring out the crinkly texture for the background, and I thought it kind of played nicely with the "silence is golden" layout.

I hope Marianne likes it!

Anyway, that's my update for now... I have a couple more puzzle pieces and a few other things to show you, but I'll save them for my next update or two! Thanks for reading along!

~Anne

Zines, Zines Everywhere!

Hi Everyone!

I just love 'zines. I can't explain why, exactly, I just do. Of course, I should probably explain a little bit about what a 'zine is... at least, my definition of a 'zine...

'Zine is a self-published magazine. There are many different kinds of 'zines out there, cartoon 'zines, 'zines with political agendas, personal 'zines, literary 'zines... but my favorite 'zines are "art" 'zines. These are 'zines that have some sort of artistic slant... some have 'how to' type of articles, some have interviews or articles about other artists, and some are pure eye candy, with a stunning array of artwork upon which to feast your eyes! Most art 'zines, though, are a montage of these different things: artwork, how-to's and interviews & articles. They aren't always just about art, they are about different aspects of life.

For example, one of my earliest zines is my popcorn issue. I listed my favorite movies and movie characters, talked about life in and out of the movies and even had a round robin story written by several artist friends. It was all wrapped up in a retro-style wax popcorn bag. It was a fun 'zine, it wasn't entirely about art, but it was something that I still considered an art 'zine.

One of my favorite things about 'zines is all the goodies that come with a 'zine! I have often described the opening of a zine like christmas morning... you remember... you wake up extra early, and the first thing you dig in to is your stocking filled with candies and small trinkets and toys. Well... a 'zine is a lot like that experience! Not only do most 'zines include little fun inclusions (usually, art zines have fun little goodies to use in art: fibers, beads, baubles, and other ephemera), but the articles and artwork inside is also a fun gift!

I also LOVE making 'zines. I tried to explain my love for making 'zines as sort of a completion for me... it's my way of expressing my art and my passion for art with words.

What started this gushing over 'zines was recieving two fabulous 'zines in the mail today! :)

Anyway... I have some new artwork to share! Here's are some puzzle pieces that I worked on recently for my yahoo group's puzzle swap:

the piece to the right is a piece for one of my group members, Carol, and her chosen theme was Tuscany and Provence.


















The piece above ^ is a piece I worked on for Brenda's puzzle. Brenda chose a vintage theme.



The piece to the left is a piece I worked on for Janice's puzzle. Janice chose "Purple" as her theme. It's a little hard to see all the detail in this picture. I'm a lot better at scanning than I am at photography... :) But I needed to photograph this puzzle piece because it's got a lot of dimension to it.

Now... for a quick tea update!

August's (Yikes! August already!) tea of the month is Summer's Harvest! This is a great blend of High Grown Ceylons with the delightful summer flavors of Sun-ripened Peaches and Apricots. It's one of my favorite teas to serve iced!

So that's all for now, thanks for reading along!
~Anne

A little early...

I'm posting 'tomorrow's' blog entry a little early, because I just have this feeling that tomorrow, I'll forget! And since I'm here and trying to procrastinate doing the dishes, I figured I'd go ahead and add to my blog.

Tea of the Month Club members:

If you haven't received this month's tea shipment, it will be arriving soon. All orders will be shipped by Thursday.

I wasn't sure which tea I'd make my tea of the month for August. But I let a few of my tea club members decide for me, I received quite a few emails from my members requesting that I make Summer's Harvest the tea of the month for August... and so Summer's Harvest it is!

I've also had a few requests from customers that used to be tea of the month club members but have had to drop the membership... to bring the membership back! So I will be working on that, and look for it in the coming weeks on the website! In the meantime, if you just can't wait, please email me and I'll set something up for you!

Last... but not least.... time for an artsy update!

I finished 2 more altered Carte De Vistes. Here's a before & after of the first one, I call the finished piece "Key to the Castle"...
















Next, this one is called "birdman" -- the original photo was kind of "creepy" -- he kind of looked like he belonged on the addam's family or the munsters! So, I kind of went with this idea, and turned him in to a guy who turns in to a bird monster at night.
















So that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed catching up with me!
~Anne

July 18, 2006: Winners of the Contest!

Hi Everyone!

Well, for those of you who frequent my tea website, you know that I ran a grand opening contest to celebrate the unveiling of my whole new site! Well, I've finally had a moment to sit down and collect myself... so I am ready to announce the winners of the contest!

The winner of a full-sized tin of tea *Winner's Choice!* and an Empress Style Tea Strainer is:

Tamma W.

The 3 runners-up, each winning a $5.00 gift certificate are:

Doris P.
Thomas F.
John R.

I have emailed the 4 winners, and they have 1 week to respond to my email. If I don't hear from them, then I will hold an alternate drawing and award their prize to someone else.

NOTE: The $5.00 gift certificate must be used at http://www.liber-teas.com and can not be redeemed for cash.

Anyway, I hope to hear from my winners soon!

That's all for now. Tomorrow, I'll have tea, tea of the month & art updates! yippee!!

~Anne

July 14, 2006: another quickie...

Hi Everyone: Just gonna take enough time here to post a new pic of a deco spread. This one was for Sharon's Ooolala! Deco......

There's a lot of sparkle on this deco, with rhinestone embellishments and stuff, which don't come out very clear on the scan.

I also finished a deco for Cheryl, called "children's literature" -- unfortunately, I forgot to scan it before I packaged it up... hopefully Cheryl will scan it for me!

~Anne

July 11, 2006: Just a quick post

Hi Everyone! *wondering if anyone actually reads this, or if I'm addressing everyone to no-one*

Anyway... I just have a quick update today, I have another altered CDV... this one I'm happier with than I was my first...

The left side is kind of blurry because the musical symbol is dimensional and lifted the card away from the glass of the scanner.

Thanks for checking in...

~Anne

July 9, 2006: More Art

Hi Everyone!

A real short update this time, more pics than words! This first one is my layout for Laurie's Belly Dancer Deco...

This next pic is my first attempt at altering a Carte de Viste. (A carte de viste is a smaller Cabinet Card)... I'm still a little unsure about this... since it's my first one... I'm not sure if I like it or not... What do you think?

So, that's it for now. Tomorrow, I will probably have a couple more Carte de Vistes... since I need to make 3 for an upcoming swap......

Thanks for checking in with me!

~Anne

July 8, 2006: Tea & Art

Hi Everyone!

I'll start with a quick tea update. For those of you who are awaiting your July tea of the month package, it will be shipped by Wednesday of next week! This month's tea is Strawberry... it's perfect for Iced Tea brewing! The strawberry flavor is subtle and sweet, and very refreshing! Just the ticket to quench your thirst on these hot summer days!

August's tea of the month will be Blue Eyes! (Another perfect choice for iced tea brewing, and a delicious treat for the kids! Shhh, Mom! don't tell them it's a healthy drink, they'll never know!)

Now... for more art updates. As I promised with last night's update, I bring you my Asian Deco. This is the cover of my deco, which I will send out on Monday to begin it's round robin journey:

This deco actually took me a long time to get started. A big part of the delay is due to the fact that I had a lot of 'zines to get finished, but another part was that ever lurking fear... I had something in my head of what I wanted, but I couldn't express it.

This deco doesn't quite match the original idea that I had in my head, but I actually like it better than my original plan... so, I guess that's a good thing!








I had some fun in my photo processing program this morning and tried a few effects. Here's the cover using the 'antique' effect... I think I actually like the pic better antiqued! It just sort of adds to the whole feel I was trying to convey with the deco.

I also did the first layout for the deco...

Thanks for checking out the blog!

~Anne

July 7, 2006: Decos!

Hi There!

I've been working on Decos today! It feels good to finally be working on something other than Zines. I love 'zines... but, sometimes, you need to do something else! :)

















The theme of this deco is "Mystic Mermaids" and it belongs to Sharon. This is side one to the layout I completed for her. It looks better in person! The scan kind of came out blurry.


Here's side two!



















This was a fun deco to work on.

I've also worked on the cover and first layout for an Asian Deco (my deco) and a Belly Dancer Deco that belongs to Laurie. I'll post pictures to those at a later time (the decos are still drying!)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Anne

July 6, 2006: More Art Updates

Hello Everyone!

Over the past weekend I've been finishing up the handmade 'zines I've been making for a swap. I've made a total of 8 so far (just enough for the swap) and I'll be making more over the next couple of weeks or so for the people who I'm doing private 1-1 swaps with, or am selling the 'zine to. So far, I've posted the first 3 centerfolds (each centerfold to the 8 zines is different), so, I think I'll go ahead and post the next 5 centerfolds today. The first three are 'zines 1, 2 & 3, consecutively... and here are the next 5:

The above centerfold is for issue #4.

The above artwork is the centerfold for issue #5 (LOL I just noticed that the corner was bent in the scan!)

The above artwork is the centerfold for issue #6

The above piece is the centerfold for issue #7

And finally, the above is for issue #8. I had a lot of fun exploring with different techniques on these centerfolds. I find that the more I create, the more freedom I begin to feel in my expressions, which is truly a joyful experience for me.

I hope you enjoy the artwork! Thanks for stopping by!

~Anne

July 3, 2006: 5:09 pm

Hello Everyone! Well it's a Monday evening, but it feels like a lazy Sunday to me. I think it's partially because hubby is off work today (and he's usually off on Sundays, but wasn't this week) and asleep at the moment, and partially because I want an extra day this week so that I can finish my project on time! Ha!

Anyways, I promised a few more tea updates the last time I posted (early yesterday morning, or perhaps LATE LATE Friday night?)... so here they are!

I don't remember if I *told* you about my current romance with Yerba Mate. See, once upon a time, I used to drink mochas quite frequently -- and I loved everything about them -- except how they made me feel shortly after drinking them. I'd feel nervous, jittery, and physically ill. Like I was about to hurl! So, I had to give them up, but it was a sad moment for me because I really did love them. I especially loved my favorite chocolate almond mocha... It was so delicious, decadent, creamy... just... YUM!

About a year ago, I tried Yerba Mate. I was less than impressed, to be quite honest. I didn't really enjoy it, and I didn't *get* why people were so excited by this drink. But, then, one of my vendors sent me a sample of flavored Mate... chocolate flavor, to be exact! And I was hooked! It tasted so similar to my dearly departed mochas, but I didn't have the jittery ill feeling that I'd get from them. So I decided I must try working with them more!

I think I've finally managed to perfect the flavor I was searching for... my chocolate almond mocha! I should have my first batch available for sale by mid to late month July! yes, this month! Woo hoo! Be watching my blog for the update on my Almond Mocha Mate!!!

Other Updates: I will have a batch of my allergy relief tisane in late this month. And... DO I EVER NEED IT! The allergies are hitting me hard this year, I'll attribute that to the wet winter and spring we had this year. So much green... so much pollen! If you also suffer from allergies, I recommend trying the allergy relief... it is very soothing and really does help with the symptoms (without the side affects of the OTC meds).

Now for some artistic updates... I've been really working hard to get my zine project done! Here's another centerfold....

Anyways... that's all for now... have a great Sunday... errrr... Monday evening!

~Anne

July 2, 2006: 1:22 am

Yep, a late night again.

I had actually typed out a long blog update earlier today (well, technically, yesterday) but I accidentally deleted it when I attempted to load a pic. Oh well.

So here I am again. I'm going to start with a tea update or two...

First, the tea of the month for July is *STRAWBERRY* ~ and is there really any more perfect tea for the middle of summer than my strawberry tea? In my opinion, no fruit represents the summer more than Strawberries. My tea has just a subtle strawberry flavor ~ a perfect choice for sun-tea brewing or perhaps you'd like to try my new iced tea recipe? It's the easiest way I've found to brew delicious iced tea every time.

Next... I'm sold out of my Liberteas Breakfast Blend, and I will have more in stock by the middle of the month. The same is true for my Chocolate Rose Romance -- although I didn't technically sell out of the Chocolate ~ I've blended a whole new batch because I've improved upon my recipe! A deeper, richer chocolate flavor -- more sinfully delightful goodness in every sip! This is truly a dessert tea worth trying... and with ZERO fat and calories, it's worth a second cup. (Note: the chocolate tea does taste better with just a dash of sugar and a splash of milk... but, even with these additions, the fat and calories are very low!)

I will be updating the blog this coming week with more exciting tea news.

Art updates!

I've been busy at the art table.

This is another centerfold to my upcoming 'zine ~ Discovering the Accidental Artist. As I may have mentioned previously, this is a zine unlike any other I've done, because each is handmade. I typed the text, printed it, and then cut and pasted it in to the pages of the 'zine. Every centerfold is different, making each 'zine a unique, one of a kind booklet.

This is the centerfold for copy #2.

I have really enjoyed working on this 'zine, because it's really challenged me, and also given me a chance to actually just... create art! After the crunch time of the projects that I've been working on, primarily the Sunergos zine, I felt exhausted. I mean, I did enjoy it immensely, however, there were times where I felt like I lost the artist inside me to a machine. So... this 'zine has really helped me get back to the artist within and has re-invigorated my muse!

So, that's all for now... thanks for reading along!
~Anne