Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover


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Sunday Joy

A long ago trunk split, and then a gradual reconnecting across empty space stitched together this tree to make it amazingly strong. Plus, that window looking out across the park! Fascinating.

Palouse Falls, Washington State


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Flower Hammering & Mixed Media

Here is what happened in round 2 of flower hammering. I tell you, pansies make great prints! I don’t have much else of substance blooming yet in the garden, but I’ll keep experimenting as the season goes along.

This is what the cover paper looks like after hammering.

I tried hammering this batch of flowers on paper I’d already added color to. It turned out very nice by the end, and the flower prints give great texture. But I was a bit disappointed that the prints did not turn out as well as I had hoped. At least the yellow/orange ones did not. You can barely see the stem I tried, and darker bits where I added leaves.

The poor smashed flowers.

Here is try number 2. You can see where the prints on the previous page soaked through, which is cool. There is some beneath my arranged flowers as well. The bleed through is at least 2 pages worth. This page is all white except for some bleed through. I crammed the flowers, leaves, and stem with the hope of getting plenty of color.

This is how the back of the cover sheet looks after hammering. Things tend to move around a bit. I start out with the cover paper straight, but by the end, it’s all twisted. It’s hard to hold it still and not hammer your fingers!

Oooooh, yes! This is where I’m getting results. Just look at those pretty pansy faces on the white background! You have to gently peel off the petals, or in some cases, just let them dry and rub them off. Bonus: The cover page also has wonderful colors! I’m saving that for another project.

I LOVE this! I haven’t done anything else with this flower hammering page, but the ideas are brewing. Growing? Smashing? ;0

I did go back to the green background page and finished that mixed media project. I LOVE how it turned out! This is one of my favorites so far. The smashed flowers really add texture and the greens tie in so nicely. I saw another creator (several actually) who added circles to their art. So I played with some gold glitter acrylic paint. Wow! Perfect touch. You can see the other materials I used on this page.

Et voila! Stamp pads, rubber stamps, hammered flowers, chalks, washi tape, acrylic paint, colored pencils. Plus a stick for painting and an empty tape-dispenser plastic disc for the circles.

Have you tried flower hammering? Or creating of any kind? What is your favorite trick?


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Haiku Moment: spring waltz

ruffles dance graceful

beneath bower and sunshine-

spring waltz and hurrah

pink snowfall gently

whirls, flutters, pirouettes, rests

ethereal gown

spring waltz by Angie Quantrell

Yakima Valley


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Haiku Moment: unfurl

unfurl fuzzy ears

listen, what says the forest?

breathe, exhale, relax

unfurl by Angie Quantrell

Saint Edward State Park, WA state


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Happy Earth Day!

It’s Earth Day 4 22 24! Earth Day with a palindrome!

Here are some pictures of a day trip we took yesterday to see Palouse Falls. These gorgeous falls are located in southwestern Washington state. Plenty of people had the same idea, but it did not feel crowded. The remote roads were not busy, the parking lot had room, and it was easy to wander off by yourself.

It was slightly windy, but that kept it from feeling too hot. Because the sun was on full blaze. The 2-mile dirt road drive from the paved road was dusty and had sections of solid washboard, but other than that, perfect conditions.

I recommend a spring trip. We loved seeing the green hillsides (soon to be brown, dry, and filled with wildfire potential) and wildflowers as we drove.

How many marmots can you see? There is quite a colony! See below for the answer. They are quite unafraid of people, and apparently used to being given treats. If you go, watch the bottom of the fence (to keep you from falling off) to see little entrances they’ve dug to access the grass of the picnic areas and the people. We did not feed them, but a few approached to see if we reached out their way. When we didn’t, they toddled back under the fence to their edge of the cliffs.

We also enjoyed watching the swifts who flew all about the waterfall, grabbing bugs and chattering to each other.

Looking south from Palouse Falls, where the Palouse River (a tributary of the Snake River) heads off into the distance.

Sadly, we were unable to take the trail down to the bottom of the waterfalls. Due to multiple tragic accidents, those trails are blocked off. That fall is a long way down!

What a beautiful way to celebrate the amazing earth our God made! I am in awe.

If you go, know that this is remote desert rattlesnake country. Several warnings are on display reminding people to be careful (and advising them that the nearest hospital is quite far). Be prepared for dry desert conditions and follow the rules to stay safe! This is a day use state park. Not too far to the east is Lyons Ferry State Park where you can access the river. There is also camping nearby.

Happy Earth Day!

Note: There are 4 marmots in the photo.


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Haiku Moment: secret roads

tiny lives scramble

tunnel secret roads beneath

mystery bark world

secret roads by Angie Quantrell

Cowiche Canyon Trail, Central Washington


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Book Share: Fussy Flamingo by Shelly Vaughan James and Matthew Rivera

Fussy Flamingo

Words by Shelly Vaughan James

Pictures by Matthew Rivera

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2020

Fussy Flamingo is a tasty, delightfully pink picture book just right for little flamingos. Thank you, Shelly Vaughan James for sending me a copy of your lovely book! It is so sweet!

I love Lola! Lola is a shrimp eating flamingo. Except she does not eat shrimp. So she is not pink. Lola eats other things and looks beautiful. But she is picky (quite like several young ones I know). Shrimp are not her thing, much to the dismay of her beautifully pink parents.

Fussy flamingo Lola is adorable and funny and perfectly like a picky eater. This picture book is a FUN read!

Why I like Fussy Flamingo:

~Adorable Lola

~Lola tries several ‘other’ foods, which make her turn different colors. But not pink.

~The simply shared facts about flamingos (eat shrimp and turn pink, wade in water, etc.)

~The humor

~The repeating refrain after each of Lola’s (not shrimp) meals

~The satisfying ending (which I will not spoil)

~The gorgeous illustrations

~The fantastic flamingo back matter

Thank you, Shelly and Matthew, for creating Fussy Flamingo.