For those of you who have never been to my condo…
a quick glimpse inside while celebrating NATIONAL TILE DAY with a few shots of a tiled wall I made several years ago! All handmade, textured & soda-fired tiles filling the wall from floor to ceiling… from bedroom to bathroom.

The holidays might be over… but it looks like Walt is still indulging in a bit holiday candy! Only a few more pieces… and then Maryann can put her new favorite stamped bowl away!

And the search continues… looks like Allison & friends were out looking around Illinois Beach State Park on a rainy & gloomy Tuesday morning. Guess their persistence paid off with three fortune cookie finds! Well done… and HAPPY NEW YEAR ALLISON. Hope these fortune cookies bring you good fortune in the New Year!

A little fortune cookie Scavenger Hunt at Illinois Beach State Park!
Handmade ceramic fortune cookies… textured, patterned, stained…
oh, and they rattle too!!!

So here we go… a few visual “clues” to help people find the hidden fortune cookies! Remember, there are twenty-three ceramic fortune cookies hidden throughout Illinois Beach State Park… both North & South Units. Kind of my way to share some “good fortune” for the New Year!

I hid them yesterday… so go get ’em!!!

Of course I’m not going to make it easy for you…
so these little “clues” may or may not help?! Plus, the photos are in no particular order! All part of the game… and FUN for me!!!

And a good thing I brought a couple extra fortune cookies with me…

I found this great piece of driftwood and thought that this would be a perfect place to stash a fortune cookie. When I set the fortune cookie into the hole on the top, it seemed a little wobbly. So I pushed it a bit further back… and it fell right in! ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE BOTTOM!!! I could hear it tumbling down inside… like through a “tube” down the center of the log! Never to be found until this piece of drift wood rots away! Whoops!

Continuing a new New Year’s tradition…

I started this little tradition of mine two years ago during the Covid-19 Lockdown. Remember when there were to parties, no get-togethers, no way to safely celebrate the New Year! During the lockdown, I started exploring some of the Illinois State Parks by myself… safely “quarantining” by myself enjoying the outdoor air. What could be safer?

And then to “celebrate” the 2021 New Year… after a long drawn-out, Covid-filled 2020… I decided to “celebrate” by hiding 21 handmade ceramic fortune cookies for people to find out in a State Park. Then I did it again… with 22 fortune cookies for 2022!

Well, today was the day… bringing in the New Year!!!
23 clay fortune cookies for 2023!!!
Hidden out in a state park for people to find!
Happy New Year… happy adventures… happy searching…

Celebrating 2023… with 23 handmade fortune cookies!
For those who know… YES!

For those who don’t know yet… more details tomorrow!!!

Nothing rings in the New Year like a chocolate layer cake… especially when it’s a carrot cake filled with raspberry preserves. So it has both vegetables AND fruit in it… making it a “healthy” way to start the New Year!!!

Huge thanks to everyone who has followed me over the past year… always encouraging, always supportive & always appreciating my Creative Life! Thanks for being part of my social media world. And here’s to another year and hopefully more creative adventures for all of us! Welcome to 2023!!!

Hard to believe another year has come to an end… one last night, one last holiday! Here’s hoping everyone has a fun New Year’s Eve tonight! Have fun & stay safe!!!

Another holiday get-together… and another opportunity for another cheesecake! You know I love making them, decorating them & sharing them… oh yeah, and eating them!!! Happy Holidays!!!