Perennial Cleaning...

This morning the flower beds were
shouting for attention...
I needed a bit of break from painting~
So I gathered up the shears, small rake
and our sweet lab & began chopping.

I can always tell when the perennial beds
need to be replanted~
Our mums don't come back strong and
full...they tend to send a sprig up
here and there.
Cutting down the peonies, iris, ever-blooming
geraniums, black eyed susans &
purple coneflowers~ there popped out a
few sweet little mums!
I finished up one bed & then went back for
the mums...bringing them in for a
few sweet arrangements~

Thought I'd share this one with you~
Hope you have a great day!

Natural Landscapes...

This is one of my favorite birdhouses...
The moss growing in the corners makes
it look professionally landscaped~
All trim and lush!

Tyvek Owl Project...

This is the backside of a stain on Tyvek

Two examples of Tyvek with ink coloring..
I just love the feathery texture!

These are the Tyvek envelopes
that I cut apart~

I took a full semester of resists, paper making,
batiks, silk dyeing etc. in college.
I remember SOME of it~
We didn't experiment with Tyvek.
(I wonder if it existed BACK THEN)

Tonight I decided to do a little experiment
with resists & this cool material.

I painted this owl for a spec project...
To make my experimenting a little faster
I decided to use him~

On the light table...saving time!

With the white acrylic ink applied...

Base coat of blue dye...

Close-up...cool texture!

Adding some watercolors...they don't seem
to saturate the paper well enough...
The permanent inks work better~

The finished Tyvek Owl.

He looks a bit washed out...
We'll find some use for him!

Vintage & Blue...

If you could see my studio right now...
WHAT A MESS!
Yet more IDEAS jumping around...

When I was working as a
watercolor artist/crafter/momma of wee ones
(pre-licensing)
I made the cutest snowmen from
white boys socks turned inside out~
tea/coffee dyed.

I used the toes through arch area of
our worn colored socks for hats~

Cut a thin strip of the top elastic part,
stretched it out & they made scarves.

Button eyes, carrot noses made from
Sculpy bake hard clay, real twig arms.

Wouldn't those snowman look dear in these
vintage melamine cups?

Maybe pin cushions?

Or...perhaps I should put them in the
kitchen cupboard & use them
for what they're meant to be...
I seem to break the
ceramic ones we have!
Teehee....
The more I break, the less I wash!

New Christmas Card...

This is one of my Christmas images~

Creative Papers by C.R.Gibson
made these beautiful cards!
The "light" has gold foil ~
spreading out with tone on tone
blue glitter to make the stars sparkle.

The scan below is the inside of the card...

I doodled on everything growing up!
In high school it was my dream
to have greeting cards~
What a HUGE blessing...to be able to share
the talents I've been given~
In such a personal way...

Hope you like them!

Christmas Products...

Magnet Works, Ltd.
Such wonderful quality!
We have two other designs with them &
more coming soon!

5 lbs. Lighter...

Here's our girl!
(Hubby would call her Momma's girl!)
(He's a cat guy...even after all these years)

I have brushed & brushed for two weeks...
We might be getting past
the HORRIBLE fall shed!
I think we've taken 5lbs. off her!

Seems like I could weave SOMETHING
with all that hair!
I toss it outdoors & know the birds will
eventually discover bits of it for nests.

She's a love...we adopted her from a
seeing eye dog program. She has bad hips
plus she's tiny for a Lab~
Perfect for our lives, our home & our hearts!

Have a Heart...& Patience...

We are over run by chipmunks...

I've got stories on top of stories that would
keep the sternest of faces smiling for hours.
We purchased this Have-a-Heart cage
to safely capture and relocate them...
After 10 or so we stopped counting!
I think they find their way back home...
through the park, across the small creek,
up a very steep hill...to our back yard~
WITH NEW FRIENDS!

We think they're the dearest little critters~
HOWEVER!
They manage to clog EVERY air filter/intake
in our cars...until it smothers the engine...
Chew wires in the cars 'til they all
touch each other & light up the dashboard
idiot lights as though it were Christmas...
Get inside our cars and use the
glove box as a bathroom! (eeweee)
UN-wire the snowmobile trailer...
we only have some plastic remnants left~
Dig CITIES in our flower beds...
Tunnels that travel everywhere.
Not just an occasional hole~

They have gotten into the interior fan
of the car I'm driving while the tranny
is being replaced in my Jimmy...
I turned it on the other day~
to hear this horrible grinding sound~
pieces of chopped leaves blew into
our faces...out the vents!
I can't run it until hubby cleans it for
a second time~ for fear of fire.

Our friends have chipmunks around...
they don't do this to their cars...

****sigh****

We might have to stop feeding our birds~
;(
I think the chipmunks have life pretty
good around here...hourly nourishment,
warm cars to nest in...
bird baths for fresh water...

They have the dearest little faces...
They're "STARS" in my children's books!
I simply wish they would live
outside our cars...

Pastures & Fences...

When I was young I lived next door to a
small dairy farm.
The day time pasture bordered
our lawn on two sides.
Some mornings I would wake to the
sound of hoof beats as the "girls" were on their
way to pasture through the morning mist.
Now & again it was a treat to
look out & see "Daisy"~
my dear friends horse...grazing along side
the girls. She was a beautiful horse~
blond with burnt sienna patches.
She looked like a city chic hanging with
all of the milk cows on the hill...
They all wore black n' white fur~

I love this cow pictured...
It's Daisy & The Girls all mixed into one~

The First Treasure Box Started...

My sweet girl chose this fabric to cover a
lampshade in her room~
With the left overs we decided to start
a treasure box...
The cover is decoupaged with the fabric~
The rest of the box will be a surprise when
we finish it this weekend!

Pedestal Finds...

Some of my treasure boxes are very large...
These will work perfect!
Such deals!

Fun Projects...

What started the thrift boutique visits...
Christmas gifts!
I know everyone begins "the holiday season"
far too early...but when your making gifts...
It's never too soon!

This candle stick was $.29
The rest of the pieces have been collected
here and there~ little at a time.

Twins...

And then there were two!
Was out running errands today~
Stopped by one of my favorite thrift boutiques...
I had purchased the first one a few days ago~
Today...this coverless beauty!
Again...a treasure for $1.29~

Fall Nest...

I love this vintage little bowl...
It seems to be the perfect fit for
this mossy, twig-filled~ pine needle
and dried leaf NEST!

This gem was found on top of a bluebird
nest...I think three different birds
were trying to claim the space as their
own most of the summer...
It sat empty through August & September~
Now the bluebird house is all cleaned and
waiting for a new tenant!

Nests in a Row...

As my studio space becomes more
business-like~
these sweet little abandoned nests

soften the view & keep me inspired!

With our growing collection
a few had to put into clear containers...
Kept safe for a still life or
a quick study!

Quite the neighborhood!

Brown Mouse n' Friends...

I just adore owls!

Trying to organize the studio...

Taking a lunch break to share these
adorable cards my daughter found
at a tag sale when she was wee little.

Finding small things bring
back great memories & make
the job a bit more fun!

Vintage Sugar...

This was a treasure found...
hidden behind a bunch of mugs & other
general kitchen clutter...
Our $1.89 weekend buy!

Clean Vines...

This was "Homecoming Weekend"
While the games were on & the family
was off cheering on the red & white!
~I decided to do a little fall clean-up
around the gardens...and cook down
another HUGE harvest of tomatoes.

We had an excellent growing season
this year...perfect amount of rain & sun~
Our freezer is full of container
after container of home made chili and
Italian sauces thanks to 4 Roma
tomato plants! They were still full and
making more when I cleared the
veggie garden for the season~
I picked off most of them & they're on
our kitchen "surfaces"...
When they ripen a bit more~
they're off to a friends house!

Oh, how yummy the house smells
when home made sauce is simmering!

Michelle Palmer Fabric...

I LOVE to design for all ages~
This is one of our summer fabrics...
Springs Industries/Daisy Kingdom
does such a nice job!

It was fantastic to see our
fabric design printed on the pattern!

A friend sent me this image of a
completed dress...I think she found
it on eBay a little bit ago...
(I wish I could give credit to the person
who did such a beautiful job sewing it!)

She knows I don't sew! Teehee

What fun!

Hidden Friends...

Look who almost got a hair cut when
I was trimming back some perennials!
Silly little friend startled me
and I startled it right back~

"I survived the 1st frost!"

"So did I"

Had our first light frost Thursday night...
Most of the flowers are still standing!

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

Silverware Sisters...

Hi Diane~
The door handle in my studio!
Something about silverware...
;0)

Praying Mantis...

This is the largest Praying Mantis
I have seen in Upstate New York!
I'm sure there are larger ones
near wooded areas that wear jeans
and hiking boots~ tee hee...

I was cooking dinner & looked over...
There the little friend was!
(Perhaps it's one of those woodside
giant size ones~ it was looking for a
meat n' potatoes dinner!)

Now that the photo shoot is done~
I'll move PM to a safer location.
This is our Tippy-Boy's favorite window.
We wouldn't want his nail's ripping the
screen up any more than it already is!

Be happy!