About

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Online Friends


Lana and I met a few years ago in an Ebay group. It was my first experience of being in a selling group online, and Lana was my mentor, still is! We became friends and starting IMing online as well....and we still do.....just about everyday.

About a year and a half ago, I had the pleasure of meeting her in person. I flew to her home in Tennessee from my home in Idaho! She is such a sweet and dear person and staying with her family was like being at home.....or at least like visiting family. Since we are both "starving artist" that trip was a gift from my parents, but I hope someday she will come to visit me. Until then, we do have our daily IMing!

Lana has invited me to share on her blog as a guest this week. She is featuring guest bloggers as well as guest artist in weekly updates. Please visit her blog for my guest post about all the houses we've lived in, and check out her first guest artist too!



Have a great weekend~

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Give Away


Lana (Honeysuckle Lane) is having a giveaway on her blog:


She is giving away a $55 CSN Store gift certificate!!
Just in time for the holidays.

You have until Nov. 15th to visit and sign up....and there are several ways to enter and win!,
so be sure to visit!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Tea anyone??

(photo of tea plant from Julia's own garden)

Julia, my sister-in-law and the proprietor of Turner Hill Teas (formally Turner Hill Studios) is now offering a new line with a new website!

Turner Hill Teas is officially open online, as well as for scheduled cuppings. If you live in her area of the Northwest, you can contact her through her website.
Julia has a passion for tea and has dedicated herself to learning the art of tea making, blending ...and just about everything you might want to know about teas. She has become a Certified Tea Specialist and in her own words, "Her mission is to educate people on the wonders and complexities of tea, infusing their lives with one of the simplest and most beautiful pleasures in the world."

Please visit Julia on her new blog: Turner Hill Tea- Blog

And be sure to stop by for some tea at her new website: Turner Hill Tea- Website

I've already placed my order and am anxious to try her blends....the weather is perfect for a cup of tea!

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Colonial Christmas


Sorry for the blog absence. (Is that a phrase?!) :) Suffice it to say, it has been a crazy few weeks.....home school, (in particular Speech~ ugh!, I didn't like Speech in High School or college), teenagers, house cleaning, dishes (by hand....I'd really love a dishwasher some day), loads of laundry, bathroom cleaning/sanitization (believe me, it is a daily thing!), and well, the list could go on and on, but I won't bore you......you probably have a long one of your own.

However, I did manage to fit a little painting time in there...plus get some special orders finished and shipped. (I still have some to complete and continue to work on, so if you are waiting patiently and happen to read this, please know you are on the list!)

The talented group of artisans over on TDIPT (To Dwell in Primitive Thymes) is hosting a Christmas Open House for the month of November (starting Oct. 31st-Nov 20th). This is our 3rd Open House, and many artists have donated give away gifts for the drawing. Please check our blog to read how you can enter for your chance to win.

To Dwell in Primitive Thymes Blog



Along with the Christmas Open House, we are celebrating in the month of November with a Colonial Christmas theme.

I've painted a few offerings for the theme:


Colonial Christmas Morning~ an original painting I did for my submission into EAL's 2010 Holiday Directory.



Christmas Angel~ she is inspired by a vintage postcard. I've painted her on canvas a few times for customers, but I thought this year she should be a little more 3-D! :) This is in collaboration with my husband.....I drew her, he cut her out of sturdy oak plywood and then I painted her. Her wings are removable, so she can be "just a girl in a red caped robe" instead of an angel.



Victoria~ she is an original design and as I drew her, I wasn't sure if she just stepped out of a Dickens' novel, (I have Dickens on the brain lately....with the PPPP update of "The Old Curiosity Shop", and my son and I are reading another of his novels, "Hard Times", which, by the way, is really difficult to read aloud!) or, if she is just a Scottish lass with her tartan cape and tam. She is also hand cut by my husband and painted by me.



Christmas Candles~ another hand cut and hand painted offering. Candles that don't need to be attended, and won't burn the house down! :) There are four creamy white candles of varying lengths with glowing flames and holly leaves and berries are also part of the design.

Here is a link to my TDIPT page if you'd like to take a peek:

Pear Tree on TDIPT

Okay, now to finish those special orders....oh, and clean the bathroom.....again! :)

Have a safe Halloween~

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Poppets, Portraits and Playthings of the Past

UPDATE: 12 (EST): Poppets, Portraits and Playthings of the Past is now updated, and the Curiosity Shop is now open!

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Lana and I have updated our Poppets, Portraits and Playthings of the Past selling blog today. Our update will feature some curiosities,....

.................trinkets, treasures, baubles, and bits.....and even some oddities!
Well, that describes my offerings...Lana could never make anything "odd"!

Charles Dickens', The Old Curiosity Shop, is our inspiration for this update. So please visit to see what we've created.




One fun trinket you'll find is a thaumatrope. This was a 19th century toy that entertained children and adults alike. Here it is in "action": (Hopefully you can see the video of the thaumatrope I've painted.....please let me know if you have any trouble viewing it.)






Thanks for visiting~ Have a wonderful weekend~

Monday, October 11, 2010

Signs of Fall and other Curiosities


Wow, sorry for being absent for so long. October came and is now almost halfway over! Fall finally arrived here in our part of the Northwest. The leaves of the trees are just now starting to turn and the air is a little crisper...still warm for this time of the year, but maybe that means a milder winter?!

Signs of Fall at our home~


This past week an intrepid squirrel couldn't wait for us to refill the feeder. He saw the bag of squirrel food on our back porch table and decided to help himself! He didn't even run away when I stood at the back door to take his photo!


Hey, why don't these people put food in the feeder?


Trying to open the bag with his little paws and teeth.


Diving in!



This year's pumpkin patch in the garden. Just two this year......one for each son to carve.





Sniffle......doesn't the change of seasons always seem to bring on a cold? Ugh! We are all passing some sort of cold around, and like a hot potato no one wants it! :)



Oh, and we did put some food in the feeder AND in a pie tin. Here is one of them sitting in it!


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This Friday, October 15th, Poppets, Portraits, and Playthings of the Past will update at noon (EST). That means 10 my time, so I'd better get my things ready! :)

Lana and I have a "curious" theme prepared, so please join us to see some interesting, unusual, and beautiful! offerings. (I don't want you to be too concerned though. By the word "unusual", I just mean different than our "usual", and well, a little "unique"....hopefully, it just makes you CURIOUS!).

In the meantime...please click on over to join us in a game! (I hope this works out....I've never played an "online" game of hangman before, but we'll see how it goes!).

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Before and After

Paint doesn't always stay on paper or canvas here at our home. Before I stayed home with the boys, I painted on walls for a living. (You can read about that here:~My Past Life, and evidently, I didn't know how to post photos on blogger three years ago, lol, so you'll have to click to enlarge them!)

And I guess I still like doing that....just a little bit. But instead of stenciling, or murals or faux finishes, I like a more neutral palette in our small cottage. (Well, except when teens want certain colors in their rooms. You can read that post here~ Stripes)

This summer I decided our bedroom needed a little sprucing and some fresh paint. The color change wasn't dramatic. We had a color called "Antique White" on there originally. But after five years and several holes in the wall from "redecorating", it needed a fresh coat. So I went with a softer, lighter white called "Cottage White" by Behr.

(Thanks to June for recommending the color.....if you haven't visited June's beautiful blog, treat yourself to a lovely respite. And on the occasional Wednesday, she participates in "White Wednesday" by posting photos of "white" in her gorgeous home~Laughing With Angels).



(The 'make-do' vanity "Before)



(Dresser we found on Craig's List)



(Dresser drawers.....we are still searching for some Queen Anne- style pulls)



(Dresser in its new "spot")



After the paint was on the walls, the furniture looked too heavy and dark. So I mixed some paint~ (all the little sample jars of the whites I had purchased before I asked for June's recommendation!), and painted the wardrobe, and a few other pieces white.

When we moved into the house, there was an area by our closet that had a sink, which might have been a good idea, but I didn't really like it.
So, we took it out, plumbing and all, and put in a "make-d0" vanity, (ie, a piece of table top, a shelf and a mirror). I used it occasionally, but not enough to keep it (I'm not much of a "make-up" girl.) My husband came up with a great idea for the area.....it was the perfect spot for a dresser! Yeah, and that would mean extra storage too!

We shopped around and found a few we liked, but the prices were too high for our "budget".
So, I popped on Craig's List one day...and there it was! I didn't have to do anything to it, just a little cleaning.



The wardrobe "Before"....actually it is only about 2 years old. My husband made it and I painted it an antiqued red. I have a feeling that it will eventually be many other colors in years to come, lol!)


(The wardrobe "After", and the "new" mirror...my husband put trim around the old one)

After painting the walls and furniture, the "white" did take some getting used to, especially for my husband! When I was done and he looked around the room, all he could say was, "It's really white." :)

Well, after I put a few things back on the walls, (and by the way, silhouettes look very nice against the Cottage White!), it wasn't too white, and I think it makes everything fresh and clean, and restful...which is a good thing for a bedroom!

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Lana has a new website! Please visit by clicking this link: Simple Joys Paperie
You'll see some beautiful paper art as well as a beautiful website! Love the colors she has chosen.