Shoe Shine...

Several months ago I was in Seneca Falls visiting Sherry's Bear...a wonderful little frame shop~ filled with neat antique treasures and Sherry's hand made mohair teddy bears. (She has loads of Michelle Palmer framed prints~ does a gorgeous job!) After spending part of the day around the neat historic town, we took a skip over to Waterloo...where we had to stop at Nugent Hardware Store. Floor to ceiling finds! Tucked in a corner...covered with some antique crates...this shoe shine! It had a worn n' torn fabric covering...with a little bit of TLC~ some scraps n' polish, I thought this would make a great footstool in our living room. It was fun to reupholster...but is too tall for a footstool. When our "in-house" bass guitarist needs to keep a leg up~ it works perfect!
We're still on the search for the stylish...& ADORABLE...footstool.

Mr. Guss....

One of our dearest friends...
I have had a few pets that go down in history as the best on the planet.
Guss was our first child.
I'm sure he was part-dog. He had expression. He had personality...and one friend looked at him once, as he was "reaching to be picked up" (just like a toddler does...arms up!) and said, "he has a man-face." So from then on...his own little inside joke~
Sir Man Face
We did treat him like a little prince...in his own quirky way~ he'd find the "homeless cats" version of a bed...pile of newspapers...pile of dirty laundry...paper grocery bag...shoe box~~~
Most importantly, our laps.

Harvest Crimson & Gold...

They're just as yummy as they look!
They'll paint-up nice, too~

The wasps have begun to take over the humming bird feeders.
I want to keep the little friends nourished~
but the bees swarm the feeders in blankets!
If they were honey bees I'd let them be at home...
Yellow Jackets & Paper Wasps (same thing?) they are able to sting several times in a row...and I don't think they die! (That sounded harsh!) :) A wasp got behind my glasses~ stung me 3 times... I was looking quite lovely as the evening progressed...made me love Quasimodo even more!

Hope you're enjoying the orchard harvests...beezzz n' all!

Just Enough for Pie...

Zinnia Zone...

These are sweet little "smiles" that brighten up little nooks around the house~

Singing in the rain...

These have been my favorites!
I LOVE the magenta "freckles"~ something about freckles!

The yellow ones remind me of my sister's lemon meringue pie!
Mmmmmm! Just as sweet~

Little Pumpkin Blossoms...

These are so orange! All fancy with their cute little layers~ if they were white they would look like a frilly slip underneath a "poofie" Victorian gown...
I'd love to glue cheery little jack-o-lantern faces on each one!

Cut Flowers...

There are fewer & fewer butterflies each week...so I have started bringing in cut flower bouquets to enjoy before frost...especially Zinnias! The Monarch caterpillars are still munching on the milkweed. We took more photographs this weekend...they're ever so patient with us bending the stalks for lighting!
Hope you have a wonderful week!
Michelle

Side by Side...

O Sweet Pea...

The past week has been absolutely beautiful...sunny, warm~
I was able to get away from the studio for a bit to cut back flowers & begin getting the gardens ready for winter. Sweet Peas started from my moms fall seeds (that were from her mom's seeds) are near our studio entrance. They were gorgeous this year! I remember going to my grandma's house in the city. She had a chain link fence surrounding her yard. Mid summer~ the back fence was hot pink! There were so many blossoms on the climbing sweet peas it was a natural wall. Beautiful privacy...butterflies in the city!
I couldn't let these last few blossoms go to waste!

Orchard Apples Flag...

What fun!
One of our new flags to share~
I've written about how sweet smelling the orchard breezes are...
This was a perfect surprise!

Traces of Laces...

I pulled out some of my fancy lace today. My dear friend Diane Knott had shared a huge bag of gorgeous pieces with me...I don't want to use it up! (Pack Rat!) A few small projects are waiting for finishing touches~ lace will be the perfect detail! I've been working on some spec designs during the day...scooting outdoors on these warm, sunny days for a little fun in the gardens...and crafting somewhere in between. There seems to be so much time in the day with the kids back in school...(miss them so!)
The bird earrings will make sweet details on the craft projects, too~ Just have to figure out how to attach them! They were a "find" at $1.25 at an antique co-op! They remind me of birds that I loved as a child. They perched on the barbed wire fencing that bordered our yard along one side and the back. When they flew off they had the sweetest call. I can still hear it, however I can't identify it. Up until I was in college...a bird was a bird. I don't recognize that sweet "Litchfield bird" call from any of the birds around our home. I have a bird book with a disc that describes their calls...maybe I'll listen to it while I paint BIRDS tomorrow! I'll let'cha know if I fall asleep listening!
Michelle

Christmas Cards...

Yes! It's drawing close...
We love fall and all of the amazing things this season brings...but Christmas is one of our favorites! These are three of our cards available this year through Christian book stores or Dickson's Gifts. How fun!

Roadside Chicory...

So often~ the things I find most beautiful are part of our daily life.

Today the sky was the same color as the Wild Chicory lining the country roads.
Beautifully scented orchard breezes...
Gold Finch beginning to change from brilliant gold & yellow to muted greens.
And our daughter...walking through the door with a (rare) woodpecker feather in her hand...and her sweet, sweet smile!
"Mum! Look what I found for you~"

Wishing you treasures...
Michelle

Monarch Moments...

I wish I could figure out how to put my photos in order...but these show wee-little caterpillars all the way to chrysalis...
They are so much fun~ we RARELY know where they finish their life cycle. We enjoy them on the milkweeds! This sweet one was on an early mum!

Garden Places...

Our first garden house...it is very large~ but some of the ironwork details are perfect for hanging humming bird feeders in the summer & suet cakes in the winter! Gave nice height to the garden where the annuals are less than 2' tall. The birds love to perch on some of the funky decor.
I LOVED adding the copper details. Small brads and furniture tacks keep the edges down...copper wire for the branching. This is our favorite~ we built it from a large plank an old friend gave us. We named it Pauline's Place...