Decorating

What is more fun than decorating? Today was a dreary, wet February day. To fight off the blahs I decided to get some projects done that had just been sitting for awhile.

The first thing I did was make the shadow box. I put in a picture that I took of the rose arches at Monet's Garden in Giverney. When I look at it I can still remember the thrill of visiting this famous garden in France. My sister Linda and I chose Monet's Garden to visit while Charlie and my neice, Becky, went to the Palace of Versailles. The trip was about an hour by bus and we delighted in our pixie tour guide as she told us what we would be seeing. When we got there in mid summer the flowers put on a display that would rival anywhere in the world. My eyes were so full...so many different kinds of flowers, but the rose arbor leading up to the house was my favorite. The pink stucco house with green shutters looked just as if Claude would come meandering out at any moment. Then we visited the pond and walked across the famous Japanese bridge looking the same as it had for decades. What a thrill!

Next I put in a pamphlet from Aix-en-Provence, a city that I visited when I took my trip with Yrsa. The other picture is of the restaurant where we sat at a small table outdoors and watched the people.

And of course, the Eiffel Tower both in the postcard and the small metal tower that I purchased in France. The Arch de Triomph was a gift from Linda. When I want to be happy, all I have to do is think of the trips I made to France.

My second project was to frame the Biltmore photographs that I took while visiting Ashville in the fall. I am trying to learn to be a better photographer and I not only took the photos but used a photo program to manipulate the colors and intensity to make a better photo. I bought the frames at TJ Maxx and hung them on an empty wall space that was just crying out for pictures.

Then I was on a roll and began making metal and glass charms. I did well with cutting the glass and putting decorated paper between the layers. But then I had a hard time with the copper foiling process. It just didn't want to stick. So I walked away for awhile. When I came back I used a different roll of foil which worked splendidly and I was able to create four charms. Next I will solder them, but first I need to go to the store and buy jump rings. Tomorrow is another day.