Great Weekend and Giveaway Winners...

Printed autograph with a "smiley" face. Adorable!

The North Port Concert Band put together a great show yesterday.

Top of the bill was a thirteen year old lad named Geoff Gallante. He's

been playing music since he was SIX! He started with the cornet and has since mastered trumpet, flugal horn and piano.We enjoyed a rare  treat when he performed "Carnival of Venice", "My Cherie Amore" (a version arranged especially for him), and "Come Back To Sorrento". He also sang a sweet version of "Que Sera Sera" that left us all smiling.

He was more than happy to pose for pictures after the concert, too.

Geoff autographed my program, so I could say, "I knew him when".

If you look closely at the first picture, you'll see his signature up in the

top left corner. He was lying down on two chairs in the music suite

telling me that he'd love to live here in Florida while he signed it! (He

 lives in the northeast and told me it's cold up there right now.) All that

 talent makes one forget he's still a little boy until we had that exchange.

  He put on his "picture face" for his shot with Handsome. That's not  the shirt Handsome wore for the concert, but he's always a real quick-change  artist after they finish playing. Suits and ties get hot under the bright lights!    Geoff couldn't wait to head over to the  restaurant for something to  eat, so he just put on his jazz hat and smiled. He's an all-around, great kid. If you've never heard of Geoff Gallante before, head over to YouTube and type in his name. (This is a link to a version of "Carnival of Venice" he played three years ago. He's definitely better after three more years of practice!) What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon!   Are you ready for the Giveaway winners?

I went to Random Number Generator and here are the results:

 First winner is one of my very first blog friends:

#23

Twyla of Two Crazy Crafters

and

Second winner is one of my newest blog friends: #48 Sharon Hughson   Sharon: please contact me with your email address so I can get the information I need to transmit your prize to you. (I already  have contact information for Twyla and will contact her, too.)   Thanks to everyone who entered.  Don't be too disappointed. There's another celebration coming in  ten, short days. If anyone can guess what we might be celebrating,  leave a comment on this post and the first right answer will win  a little gift!  (I'll see who read this all the way to the end, right?)

Always Grateful...

 Aside from my family, nothing makes me more grateful than the beautiful

friendships that have been made through Brynwood and my blog. Last week, I

was again surprised to receive packages from two of them...TerriBoog and Twyla.

 Terri (and her little dog, Bitabit) sent a lovely package of goodies. I was

so surprised! She included a corgi t-shirt; a little, wooden corgi figure; a

great corgi magnet (that will go on the Explorer) and pen; a metal acorn 

adornment; and the most beautiful, heart-shaped dish! It has fused glass in 

the bottom that just glistens when the light hits it. I've put it right in my studio!

 Of course, I'm sending a proper thank you note, but I wanted to show you

the wonderful things that she sent to me. I love them all, Terri and Bitabit!

 Dear friend, Twyla, always seems to know just what I need and when to send it. 

She prayed that God "heal my socks off", so she sent me a really cute pair to 

wear! I'm already reading the "Angels on Earth" magazines. They're 

inspirational and comforting, and I love that she cared to send them to me.

Thank you, Twyla. You're one in a million!

 I consider this card a gift, too. It came from loved ones in England

and is so appreciated. Isn't it a pretty card? It made me feel great

before I ever opened it! I love all the layers and the sweet images.

 Gifts from the heart mean so much to me, and it wasn't hard to see the

affection that arrived in each card that was tucked inside these packages. 

The words that were written filled me up. The additional tokens were the icing on top.

I'm always so very grateful for this life and the good people with whom I share it.

At The Hop - Miss July...

I'm participating in a special blog hop today,
so there won't be a Silent Friday this week.

You're invited for some patriotic fun today as I join Twyla and Lindsey at Two Crazy Crafters for their Artist Trading Card Blog Hop! The girls chose the ever-so-appropriate-for-July theme, don't you think?

So I hung my flag in the front entry, poured a cool lemonade and got about creating my card with a patriotic flair.
Meet "Miss July". She's dressed in her finest navy blue dress with crocheted white collar and shiny red buttons. To complete her look, she's donned a sash with "America" as it's theme...flags, stars and all things red, white and blue. She even has a little rosette centered with a blue button.

Remember, she's a petite one. Artist trading cards measure a mere 2 1/2" x 3 1/2"! She'd love to visit and share a slice of apple pie, but she really must go. There are so many other artist trading cards to visit! Perhaps you'd like to come along? (Just click on the Blog Hop button at the top of this post to go and visit the rest of the participants!)

Happy July 1st, everyone!