Just B R E A T H E

Lately life has been coming at me hard and fast...and that is not necessarily a bad thing but it could be overwhelming at times.  I want a lot out of my life so I work hard, sometimes harder than I should perhaps but that's okay with me.  It's funny though how hard work may not seem to be paying off then wham!  Opportunities open up and you are swamped and even a little confused as to what direction to go in.  In times like that I am learning to B R E A T H E, and just take it all in before I make decisions...  

This weekend was really a blur of activity and decision making so I made myself slow down and create something, anything.  For me, creating is therapeutic, I think so much better/clearer when I am crafting...maybe because I am more relaxed and feeling zero pressure, who knows.  Whatever it is though, it works for me. 

 Here are two weekends worth of therapeutic crafting.  I hate to say it but "two birds with one stones comes to mind".  Have a fabulous day!

CHERIO!

Finders Keepers.....A Garage Sale Tale

If there is someone responsible for the yard sale diva skills I have acquired over the last year, it would be my sister Shanda.  Last year I had the good fortune of spending a considerable amount of time with her in North Carolina and in Spring she introduced me to the fine art of the yard sale.  Before then, I was a novice at this at best. Of course I didn't know that at the time, but I was.

Shan, as I affectionately call her, woke me up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings and we would hit the road.  The object there was to get "first dibs" on the merchandise before they were picked over.  It worked.  Most weekends we hit the jackpot.  We found brand new designer clothes, bags, house wares, decor items, vintage jewelry and the list goes on.  Shan even found a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag in mint condition for less than $30.00.  Every Saturday was totally different from the one prior, but, that was part of the intrigue of it all. The experience was very "Forest Gump like" in the sense that we really never knew what we were gonna get.

Would you believe I got this painting for $5.00.

Its an original 4 ft by 3 ft .oil painting on canvas signed and dated by the artist.  Am still pinching myself.

I got these on my second yard sale expedition.  

I really like the frames and though these are prints the 

subject matter is one of my favorites.

Repurposed flowers and an interesting little ceramic box I found. 

 I immediately knew where I would display it in my home. 

Before long, my sister and I were hooked. Just amount every saturday we were off, and if we missed a day we looked forward to the next weekend.... Our husbands didn't mind so much since we were spending significantly less than shopping at the mall.  And, it was soooooooo much fun.  We laughed, bargained shopped and of course as most sisters do, argued about who saw what first.  At the end of the day though, when were totally exhausted, and hungry, we returned home with our great finds, jubilant and really satisfied.


These are some of the precious memories I have of last year.  And you know what?  I have beautiful momentos to help me keep those memories alive.  Now how awesome is that!

Shan and I literally found this mirror, a neighbor was throwing it away.

 It was brown and scruffy looking so I painted it black. The rest is

decor history!

I absolutely love collecting vintage art, photography and prints, especially if they are in sets.

I don't remember the price of these but they were very reasonable.

Now these were pieces my sister bought but actually gave to me because I 

liked them so much. The combination of  the frosted glass and the black and white photography with the simple frame is very modern and makes a very striking addition to a space.

TIP:  If you go to a yard sale and find great picture frames you like, but decide to pass on it because you hate the Art work inside, buy it anyway! Quality frames could be pricey so buy the frames and give the Artwork away to someone who likes it or donate it to a thrift store. 

Finally my little angels.  I really enjoy painting and collecting angel memorabilia so I was really happy to find these.  They are perfect for display and they make me smile every time I look at them. 

Twas a white Christmas.....in Atlanta?

Well howdy, everyone!  I had a blast this Christmas and I sincerely hope that you enjoyed yourself as much as I did or more.....though am not sure if that is humanly possible.  Yep, it was that much fun!  Now I know you are curious as to what made this Christmas so special so, let me tell you.

 It snowed here in Atlanta on Christmas day for

 the first time in 128 years!

Need I say more?

  For someone like me who loves photography and just enjoying the beauty of it all, it was fantastic and the "icing on the cake" to the perfect day!  Here are some gorgeous photographs that I collected from 

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Enjoy!

And I say to myself....What A Wonderful world!!!

Picture This!

Some times its the simple things that makes us appreciate life most. Today I got out of bed after battling a cold for the last few days and I realized that I felt much better. No sneezing, coughing, aches or pains to speak of, its amazing how I appreciate feeling well again. Just yesterday I was lying down thinking of all the things I wanted to do once I felt a little better so here is one of them. Photography and digital collage! Yes, I said it, maybe not deserving the exclamation mark for some but for me its very exciting stuff. It sends shivers up my spine when I think of the fun I could have with a digital camera and my faithful Mac computer.

Last year I had challenged myself to create digital collages that expressed my faith in God and inspired people. As a result of this, I created what you see here and many other prints that you can find at: wandadmcphee.etsy.com

All of these prints started with a piece of photography that I shot while I was up and about or I set up the shoot based on a specific idea I had. Once I had the photo I took it into Photoshop and then added textures and filters. I also imposed and blending other images and colors into the original photo. Although some of these pieces I did are a bit advanced to someone who is new to this, you can get great results too by just taking a great photo and converting it to duotone. (two colors only in image) A lot of my prints are done this way and I just love the way this adds an element of mystery and interest to photographs. At the moment am working on a few ideas for new prints, I will post these as soon as I finish them. In the main time, get your feet wet, dust of your camera and take some photos. Not only do they make great Art framed on your wall but you can sell them as well to wholesale photography sites on the web.

Well, what else can I say but, lets do this!