creative spirit, leaves and wishes

Pinch me. Are those trees rustling in the wind I hear? Not just a light breeze but actual gusts coming through our riverside city. It's 63 degrees at 10 am. 63!! And the weather guy said there's a 20 to 30 percent chance of showers. That's not much but the sound of it alone is delicious.

I can't tell you how much the sound of the wind lifts my spirits. Yes it's been a mild summer. Well mild for us here in the California central valley. We did get a few 100 plus days last week but overall it's been unusually mild.

After I dropped off my son at school this morning I took a quick walk around the yard and found lots of these scattered about. Poor little guys are a little spotted. I think because it never stayed hot enough all summer. There was more humidity in the air than usual. But it's still glorious. Falling leaves. Pinch me.

I found a couple of bottles in my craft cupboard last night. Just the plain kind you get at the craft store. I've always wanted to alter a bottle. I've painted some before but I wanted to get the look of an antique without making it opaque.

I got the idea to cover it with Gesso and after it dried I used my Ranger Distress Ink pad in Vintage Photo. Then I covered it with an antique decoupage finish. I love the way it looks. It's not completely permanent like glass paint so I don't plan to get it wet or handle it a lot.

But it was a fun experiment and I got to use a ribbon rosette I made ages ago, bits of vintage paper, buttons, old lace and another coffee filter flower. I'm adding this project to my friend Cindy's monthly Creative Spirit Challenge. Make sure you stop by to see all the other great projects.

And speaking of dear Cindy. Look what came in the mail for me this weekend! Cindy made me these beautiful ATCs just because she's such a sweet person. I knew she was sending me the one with the adorable pink dress (in honor of the Dress Up challenge we do every month) but the second one was a lovely little surprise. Oh and I love the word WISH. It's magical and delightful and full of possibilities. I love them! Thank you Cindy.

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Today I'm grateful for...

The wonderful September WIND outside my window and for WISHES.

I wish all of you a magical pinch-me-it's-almost-autumn day.