Back to School Clothes...

They're back to school!

They're off to college!

They're back to work after the long holiday weekend!

*enter crickets...

Fun to see back to school photos of friends & family~

The kids look so comfortable!

I remember dressing like my little bunny friend!

Itchy.

Stuffy.

Ruffly.

Stiff.

Hope our bunnies are all off to a great day...

Hope you're enjoying your day, too!

Photo Reference...

 My flow blue spot art  is from several years ago~

 

I enjoy working from photographs~

I tend to move around a lot, never getting the same perspective twice!

Saves me time when working on deadlines

by taking a lot of the guess-work out.

The light is perfect for calendar photo shoot #3!

Hope your week is off to a great start, Sweet Friends!

September...

Off to college... back to school & back to the studio!

Hubby keeps the same routine throughout the year~

His vacations from work are treasured times!

September brings routine back to our children and that means

I am less distracted by the pull to spend precious time with them~

Plop myself back in the studio for more daytime hours.

Daylight is changing... the plants are slowing down...

The studio is picking up!

Ooodles of interesting deadlines!

Like my bunny friend... I'll be a two-fisted illustrator for several weeks!

In the air...

On the ground...

Harvest time is near!

These treasures and more in my Etsy store later today~

Hope you're having a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Facebook page...

I have added a Facebook page!

Do hope you will "Like" it and follow along with even more

art fun, creative tips/links and peeks into my studio~

Hope your Friday is off to a great start!

American Goldfinch

Birds n' the bees~

View from my studio window!

Please click on the photos for close-ups

Sweet Goldfinch friends that are thrilled to munch on seed heads...

Four Goldfinch~ missing their bright yellow already...
Muted for winter~

nom... nom... nom...

I'm never in a hurry to take away garden treats...

No matter how messy~

My dining visitors bring beauty!

Hope your day is wonderful~

Giveaway Winners!

Thank you for so many sweet, sweet comments & playing along!

The winner of the main giveaway~ Pictured in previous post...

Kim~ Happy @ Home

Congratulations Kim!

I also promised a Surprise Giveaway from

the list of friends who have joined my blog site!

The surprise giveaway is one of my songbird flags &

six pack of birthday cards with the same songbird design!

Kathleen~ Yesteryear Embroideries

Thank you for following along this wonderful journey!

These bright & feathery friends help welcome friends at our front door~

I just love artist samples with my watercolor designs!

Even more fun to share them~

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Giveaway Time!

Honey brown buttons... crows perched... scarecrows ready for harvest~

All of these treasures, in one giveaway, to celebrate 800+ followers!

Thank you for so many wonderful comments~

I love that we can share each others journeys through blogging!

Please comment on this post to have your name

put in the basket for goodies in the photo above!

PLUS!

A SURPRISE GIVEAWAY will also be selected this Friday

from the list of followers. You must follow my blog for the 2nd giveaway...

The names will come from that list only.

I'll share a photo on Friday of the surprise treasures and

the sweetest friends who won them!

Thank you for sharing in my fun!

Hope your day is perfect~

Zinnias...

Early in the season we purchased the most beautiful yellow Zinnias!
They have been wonderful in our porch containers.

I have planted Zinnias for 21 years and have never seen this color!

A garden companion~

I have started harvesting the heads...

Allowing them to air dry for several days~

This is what the seeds look like~

I hope to plant a patch of these honey-yellow beauties Spring 2013.

A touch of sunshine~

For you!

Michelle Palmer Calendar!

Another artist samples to share with you!

My 2013 "Outside My Window" Calendar!

Legacy Publishing Group has a wonderful collection of artists~

I'm very grateful to be one of them!

I've been collecting treasures for my 2015 calendar!

Baskets of goodies... still life subjects set up for photographs...

Feathered friends have been happy to pose on the feeders and baths~

This summer has filled me up...

Restored my creative juices!

I miss talking to my mom each morning~ it has almost been one year.

Her four year battle with breast cancer was courageous.

I was blessed to be a caregiver... I was tired. I was empty.

I have started keeping a sketchbook while working in my gardens.

Wrinkled, muddy, messy pages... a fun look!

Drawn in pencil because pens junk up in the dirt spots...

Ideas come...

Sketches capture the thoughts and I work on them when it rains.

Thank you for your sweet comments about my fabric~

We have a giveaway coming in the next few days to celebrate!

Wishing you joy!

Michelle Palmer Fabric!

Look what arrived in the mail today!

A gorgeous portfolio with my NEW fabric line!!!

Postcard Garden

Red Rooster Fabrics

I've been waiting to share the GREAT news...

Red Rooster Fabrics has done an AMAZING job with my art!

I started collecting postcards when I was a teen~

My very first trip away from home...

First travels outside of New York State with my sister & her family.

With every gas fill-up I would look for post cards of that state~

I would draw sites, flowers, bug etc. & keep notes on the back of them.

As a college student I began collecting antique & vintage cards.

Postage stamps were my very first art collection.

I have always viewed them as mini masterpieces~

They go hand in hand.

 Kathy Brown introduced me & my art to Red Rooster Fabrics.

Kathy is a fabric designer & so much more!

Such beautiful quality!

Soft...

Beautiful colors...

Another collection is coming this fall...

I'll share the news about that collection soon!

I love to paint my favorite things~

When amazing companies use my art to design such quality products...

My grateful heart just wants to paint more & more!

Update: A sweet friend asked where you can purchase my fabric...
Red Rooster Fabrics has a link Type in your state and it will
list the stores that carry Red Rooster Fabrics in your area~ 
I think it will be available in October...
Call the location nearest you and ask if they'll have 
Postcard Garden by Michelle Palmer
(I just have goosebumps thinking about it!)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, Sweet Friends!

Canvas Journals...

The feeders were bustling with tweets n' chatter...
Storms were coming and our feathered friends were filling their tummies!

I purchased two little canvas books from

Jane Eileen's Etsy store  over one month ago~

I knew if I stared at them long enough... an idea would come!

I hand-stitched (my fancy talent) the bias ribbon along the cut edge.

The books are filled with vintage 'things' and feathers!

I drew sweet portraits of my feathered friends perched about~
They walk along our brick window ledges.
Peeking in~

It's getting to be acorn time...

One can never have too many shells, pebbles or acorns!

Each photograph shows the treasures that come with the book...

I wanted to start stitching buttons to every page...

Glue some stamps in...

Tack in a few antique tintypes...

Then I remembered~

I'm not keeping them for myself!

These two treasures will be in my Etsy store in a few minutes...

I hope someone will enjoy adding collections to the pages~

I almost gathered the courage to cross stitch little ribbon patterns

from one of my 1850's pattern books~
Perhaps next time!

I'm off to play with wool~

Two very special gifts for a super sweet friend!

Hope you have a fantastic evening!

Morning Dew...

Pup and I got our toes wet this morning...

We went nearly two months without rain in our backyard...

Thankful for our recent showers and cool nights~

Our lawn is all natural~

Meaning... it's all weeds~ with a little bit of grass!

This fuzzy-leafed weed holds the dew gracefully.

Please click on the images for close up views~

Soggy toes mean very happy lawns and gardens!

I LOVE finding things in pairs~

We are never alone... for He walks right beside us.

Hope your day is touched with goodness~