Color Explosion

Yesterday around noon my husband, who has been miserably sick with the flu, and I were sitting on the deck enjoying the warm October sun and we remarked that it just hadn't been cold enough to have much brilliant color in the landscape this year. But today, it seems that the color exploded overnight. Take a look.




This weekend I had dog-sitting duty for my friends just up the road. It's always a pleasure to stay at their house because while they are so close, they have a different view of the mountain than we do. Here's what I woke up to on Saturday morning.

And here's the meadow in the morning which is a part of my dog-walking route. The tall grass had recently been mowed.

Saturday afternoon when the sun was just beginning to set, the dogs and I went out for one more walk.


Sunday morning, Sophie-dog woke me up bright and early... I think she wanted me to see this.

So, I'll leave you with this photo of my garden as it prepares for the quiet season of winter... but the sign says it all and it's meant for any of you! (Of course you may want to wait until the flu germs have moved away!)

Treasuries and Gift-Giving

Believe it or not, we've found ourselves heading into the season of gift-giving. Yes, it's here already! Sellers on Etsy are gearing up and hoping for good holiday sales, and treasuries are popping up with wonderful gift ideas. Today's post showcases treasuries in which I've been featured, but I'll begin with one I curated with the idea of Christmas wishes in mind. Is it too early for Christmas Dreams showcases things I'd love to get in my stocking or under the tree!


Be sure to follow the links to see the treasuries and featured items up close.

Innovation Design's treasury is titled Favorites, and I'm thrilled she included me!

She has featured my October Fire painting, a 16 x 20 original oil created from a photo I'd taken in 2009 of our autumn trees.

Diramar of Innovation Design creates beautiful crocheted scarves, necklaces, arm warmers and more. Here's one of my favorites, Cotton Candy, a perfect gift!

Bright, hot, and vibrant, this Red treasury by ColettesBoutique features one of my new mini paintings.

My Cardinal painting is a little 5 x 5 acrylic on canvas.

ColettesBoutique has beautiful jewelry for sale, and here are some truly fabulous earrings, but be sure to visit her store for more beauties!

GreenPost's Ornament treasury is filled with wonderful holiday ideas, as you can guess from the title. Kendra has featured another of my new mini paintings.

My Itty Bitty Poppies painting is another 5 x 5, an oil on canvas.

Kendra at GreenPost makes wonderful eco-friendly paper goods filled with flower seeds that can be planted, so her products serve two purposes! Here are her Cardinal tags, but wouldn't they also look wonderful on a Christmas tree?

GinnyHuber's Mountain Morning is a delightful collection of autumnal colors! I just love it!

Ginny has featured my mini Mountain Morning painting, a 5 x 5 acrylic on canvas.

Ginny makes wonderful felted wool products, brooches, envelopes (one of which is my business card holder), scarves and more. Here's one of my favorites, her Changing Leaves Scarf... so perfect for this cooler weather that is moving in.

And finally, a Laid Back treasury by DreamVintage which features relaxing and peaceful finds in shades of gray. She has included one of my bird paintings.

Winter Song is a 12 x 12 oil on canvas which showcases a tufted titmouse in the heart of winter.

Didem of DreamyVintage creates lovely jewelry that is, yes, vintage and vintage-inspired. Here's one of my favorites necklaces in her shop, made of porcelain and lace... so pretty!

With holidays fast approaching, I hope you'll remember to buy handmade, perhaps from some of the featured artists here, and support artists, whether locally or online at Etsy or other web venues. Until the next post, enjoy your days, be thankful for your friends and families, and share a smile with a stranger!

Meet The Ramshackles!

So we finally got some band publicity photos taken! We have a couple gigs coming up in the next several weeks, one of which is fairly big, so we needed photos for advertising, but also for general marketing purposes. Our cello player is a graphic designer by day (and sometimes by night too!), so she'll get everything all prettied up for us. In fact, here's a flyer she's created for our next gig!

Here are a few shots that I've played around with.

And a couple of silly ones... where we were laughing about who knows what...

and where my mind has wandered off... probably looking at a bird, as usual!

You can find us on myspace by clicking here.

Remember to sing a little, dance a little, and love a lot!

True Joy in Life

All of us have experienced different moments of joy in our lives, different joyful events, some brief, some lasting. We could name so many of them and spend a few minutes smiling at those memories. But how does one make one's whole life joyful? How can we find joy in even the dreariest of days or the most mundane of chores?

Here's what George Bernard Shaw has to say about it.

The true joy in life is to be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, to be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community. And as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for that communiyt what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die. For the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is more like a splendid torch, which I've got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

No doubt we will each find our own "mighty purpose" in life, but we should remind ourselves of this purpose every so often, if not daily. We must remind ourselves that the world is much bigger than we are, lest we become complainers and whiners. We can easily take one look around us and see how blessed we are. This week I visited the East Stokes Outreach Ministry to learn a little bit about the way it operates, the way that its serves the less-fortunate, or the needy, if you will, in our community. And it didn't take long to remember how easy my life really is and how important it is to find ways to serve others who are traveling a hard road.

Take a few moments to reflect on what GBS has to say and see if you can promise yourself, and the community around you, to remember these sentiments and make them a part of your daily meditation. And remember to offer a smile to a stranger who may simply need a reminder that the world is not such a bad place.

A Successful Opening!

My art show opening at the Apple Gallery of the Stokes County Arts Council was Friday night, and it was wonderfully fun and successful! It was a beautiful evening, with a hint of the crisp air of fall, and I think that helped people want to get outside a bit and venture into downtown Danbury. I can't tell you how many people came out for it, but it seemed fairly busy throughout the evening in the gallery. I know I stayed in conversation with people for most of the night! Two paintings sold during the reception, so I'm thrilled about that!


And the crowd in the cafe was a good one too... enjoying dinner and great acoustic music by a good friend of mine. So all in all, it was a good time in our little town and a great way to kick off the month of October.

It was my husband who remembered that we were going to pull out the camera during the show for some photos! I'd completely forgotten; I think I was just too busy. So it wasn't until towards the end of the evening that pictures got taken, but here are a few...