I love to Dream, live to Create and hope to Inspire!

Grab a cup of coffee ~ cause this is a long post!

I haven't posted since last Wednesday as you know so I have a lot to share. Thanks for the emails asking if all was well and concern for my absence - boils down to being just plain BUSY!

I LOVE to get MAIL ART and Sharon over at Norah's is the QUEEN of mail art and other creations! You have to go over and check out her gorgeous creations!
She sent me some strips of vintage wallpaper, tags, an ATC, Believe die cut - and it was all sent in this beautifully decorated envelope!
THANK YOU Sharon!






Sandi over at Holding Patterns gave me another award. This is one she came up with and with it she used a picture of this gorgeous moon flower that grows in her back yard. The award is called "You Lift Me Up Award" Thank you Sandi! I will get around to sharing all of these awards this week with my fellow blogging friends ~ I promise. I actually have 2 days this week that I have absolutely nothing planned! How sweet is that!
















Puppy Update ~
Posh & Becks are doing so well. They are 4 months old now and are the sweetest most energetic pups.
They love to sit in this chair - we have to pick them up & put them in the chair and usually they will wait for us to put them down but occassionally they will jump off so we put a pillow or two so that they can walk down it like a ramp - daschunds and their long backs ~ don't need to start paying for those bills yet.





In both of these pictures they were watching DH fold the laundry on our bed.

They had their final shots and weighed in at a whopping 8.2 lbs. each.







I've been painting like crazy and have started a new venture. A girlfriend and I are painting and possibly going to do some major shows around GA this Fall. We're also in the process of creating a website and other fun things. SO, with that said you can be the first to see the things that will be available and have the option of purchasing them if you'd like before they are listed. If you are interested in any of the items listed please email me at shaksm@aol.com. Some items can be reproduced like the tiles so even if it's sold and you like it let me know.



Silver Tray/Chalkboard


Brown & Pink Tile dry erase message board

Fuscia & Lime Green dry erase message board
















Wispy Rose dry erase message board
















Mixed flowers dry erase message board
(SOLD)
Thank you Terri!












18th McTier Family Reunion ~
Saturday was the 18th McTier Family Reunion and we had such a great time. So much work goes into this event and mother and father in law put long hard hours of research and preparation into it every year. This year there was a special guest from England that spoke about a book he's written about Blind Willie McTell (a relative of the McTier family) You can google his name and find out lots about him. BWM and my father in law have the same grandfather. The presentation was fantastic and I think intrigued everyone to read the book.

















John
















These boards are covered with family history, family trees, and other information that my mother in law has worked very hard on over the last 18 years to compile. What a blessing she is and all her hard work and I'm ever so grateful that my children will be able to pass on to their children the information that she's gathered.



Pictures of relatives and past reunions.














My handsome
father in law.


















The group 150 people attended which is great!














Michael Gray ~ our guest speaker for the day. He has done extensive research (about 8 years worth) on Blind Willie McTell and he's also an officianado on Bob Dylan has written books on him as well. That is where the interest of Blind Willie McTell came from ~ Bob Dylan sings of him in one of his songs.































My Sweet In Laws!
I absolutely ADORE my in laws.








Some treasured heirlooms on the McTier family ~ books, cartoons by the famous cartoonist "Wells" and other items that are all very important to the McTier family.







Don't you just love the way they wrote back then?























Our Scotland connection and the location of the family ruins.

Holland McTyere Smith - A marine WW General





In one of my earlier posts this spring I wrote about my visit to Nashville. We found McTyeire Hall and the monument marking the burial site of Bishop Holland McTyeire and his wife on the grounds of the campus.

















I painted this window for one of the door prizes. The lady that won it was so incredibly sweet and had won a handpainted pitcher that I had donated the year before. She told me she was thrilled to have another piece of my art!

















I also donated this
Palm Tree dry erase board













Then I had to take some pictures of some of the things in the foyer of this old methodist church.


The old built in bookshelves with the tin roof tiles on top.















I love the theatre seats and had the opportunity to purchase some similar to these in England and didn't - PHEWY!



















and my FAVORITE thing right before you walk in the gym is this victorian heater. HOW awesome would that be in the foyer of a grand house with a piece of thick glass on top and a huge flower arrangement?!?!
The detail didn't show up that well in the photo but it is simply spectacular!


Well, I'm off to teach a painting class this a.m. and have another one this evening. Will share those photos with you tomorrow.

Have a wonderful MONDAY and WEEK!

Blessings,
Sandy