Currently, my bottom is sitting in Brooksville, Florida. After a one month stay tomorrow morning I’ll be on a plane heading back to New Hampshire. It’s nice to get away but deep in my heart there is really no place like home.
As I sit here at the kitchen table it’s a peaceful sunny morning, other than, a couple of squirrels playing tag up above on the aluminum roof. Earlier, I put the morning coffee on and was surprised when pulling the blinds up to let light in, right outside the window was a armadillo, which seems out of character for what I believe to be an nocturnal mammal. I had never seen one so closely before. Its banded hard shell was pretty captivating. Luckily my camera was in reach to capture a few shots. What a great start to my day!
The wild touch of thy dye-dusty wing
I found that wing broken today!
–Robert Frost
The Architect and I had lunch at Pine Island Park along the Gulf. Strangely at one point feeling the warm sunshine down on us when suddenly a gale of sea fog rushed in, and one could see only about 5 feet in front. Only lasting about 4 or 5 minutes, it was so wildly surreal!
So happy to be away from NH and here in Florida for the month of dismal February, when the month just drags on and on, physically and mentally dragging me down to one lazy spirit. I need the warm and I need the sun.
This time of year I think we all get antsy for spring. Every seasons change manipulates the senses of the brain in a way that guide us from gloomy to happy bright colored fragrant blossoms, the beach, the sound of breaking waves and the smell of the fresh salt air and back again, to our first fresh snow fall. Like when we shake a snow globe and say– oh, how pretty! It’s pretty until you can’t get out your front door. We just need to learn too accommodate a positive response to that change –that epithet that makes us human.
Wherever you are may the warm sun shine down on you and fill your heart and soul with creativity!
Stay well my friends.
I should have been on a flight to Florida at 6:30am yesterday morning, but Mother Nature didn’t want to play nice and blanketed the east coast in snow, so I had to reschedule for Monday morning. The crazy is there’s only about 2” lying outside the door as the sun warmly fills our studio. It is what it is, whether it is today, or Monday, so be it!
All of this is of no importance really, but it did make me lust for spring in a big way. So the creative muse gave me a challenge to make a garden journal to scratch all my gardening notes in. It wasn’t like playing in the dirt but it was a fun project.
This is my first handmade journal I’m still working on it here’s the front cover:
Words from a magazine “Create a haven of beauty peace nature,” and stamped off the bush growing out of the heart is happiness, family, love, health, hope and faith. Below the heart reads “as a way to save what is too often lost.”
Inside front and back covers is the art work of Georgia O’keeffe from a 2008 calendar. I found her provocative colors of nature inspire for a garden journal. Between the front and back cover are twenty-five sheets of 40lb water color paper all bound together with two eyelets threaded with Indian hemp strung with earthy colored beads.
I will be keeping this one for myself and plan to create a few more in the upcoming weeks.
Stay well my friend and Happy Valentines Day!
Just about sixteen years ago my neighbor came over with a zip lock bag of vintage post cards. She had wanted me to paint her a picture of the Burford Bridge Hotel in Dorking, a town in Surry, UK. So she left me the bag of post cards to use as reference. Shortly after she moved away and I haven’t seen or heard from her since.
Surprisingly, today in search of something I reached in a cabinet in the studio and there was the plastic bag holding the set of forty-three post cards of Inn’s, Cathedral’s, quaint little villages, and harbor edges of fishing village’s. Published by Raphael Tuck & Sons’ art publishers. Each picture is a facsimile of original watercolor drawings by English watercolor artist, Alfred Robert Quinton, and Henry B. Wimbush who was one of Tucks most prolific artists.
What a treasure! I hate to leave them in the bag, after all these years I’d say they live with me now. No? Unless one day she comes a knocking which I highly doubt.
Now I have to figure out what to do with them. Should I frame them, make a montage, or maybe a collage? Any idea? Here are 3 of the postcards with a few interesting scrawls. In the upcoming weeks I’ll post a few more. Enjoy!
Stay well my friend!
Picturesque Coaching Inns. The New Inn, Gloucester.
The Old Black Bull –York
The Lygon Arms Hotel.
beavers on the pond
flooding and tree destruction
water down dammed by
maintain natural banks
trapping catching destroying
beavers will appeal
My husband the Architect came home with a church pew he had purchased at an auction to raise money for a new church. It’s in excellent condition even equipped with burgundy color kneeler. The pew sits in front of a bay window in our living room where I’ll sit flipping through gardening books that line the windowsill. Hard and uncomfortable, I’ve wanted to upholster it with padding. One of those projects that is on your– to do list, one of many that never seems to get done.
A trip to the local Good Will store on a rainy Monday got the job done. I purchased these 6 pillows @ $3 a piece total score $18.00! They’re clean and spotless and I just love the natural color tones that fit right in with my earthy decorating style.
Next on the home to–do–list, a $7 Japanese decorative folding screen purchased at a flea market a couple years ago.
Stay well my friend and much creativity fun to you this week!
