Don't Get the Holiday Blues.... Give Them Instead

The wind is roaring, the skies are dark and ominously grey, leaves are fluttering and flying, and rain has been falling.... but the woodstove is warm and the dogs are great company! I'll be shutting down the computer soon, but I wanted to post this little treasury I created today. Just follow the link here for an up-close look! If you need some help with stocking stuffer and gift ideas, check out these wonderful items in shades of blue... all for under $25!! You can't hardly beat that!

Here are some other ideas as well that wouldn't fit in the treasury and some wouldn't fit in a stocking... these are a little larger so they'd be perfect for a wrapped gift.
Spread a little love with this sweet dog by DogBarks...

Alastair is dressed and ready for winter, by BlueberryFields...

Take a swim with this lab, a print by lkjohnston...

A very cool Tee by mediumcontrol...

And these really fab fingerless gloves by bysweetmom...

Treasury Features and Thanks

A blogger friend of mine (thanks, dear Nicole) regulary posts on treasuries in which she has been included and has showcased a few of my collections. I think that's a lovely idea, and I've decided to follow suit as a way to say thanks to those who take the time to curate lovely collections on Etsy and who have included me in their treasuries. To see the collection up close, follow the link by clicking on the title of the treasury.

Starting with Blackstar's collection... Autumn's Earth Tones

Katie has featured my Touch the Earth medicince bag, made for holding sacred treasures on life's journey. It's made from rusty-brown sueded leather. It measures approximately 3 x 3 1/2 inches and is stitched with strong, black waxed thread in an X pattern. It is handbeaded with jasper, jade, serpentine, green shell, and glass seed beads. It includes a sueded leather strap that allows the owner to hang it from a belt loop.

One of my favorite items in Katie's shop is this little lovely: a handknotted necklace featuring cubes of palmwood and horn and jet black beads. It's beautifully earthy and tribal, don't you think?

Next is another autumn beauty, this one by Gwen of dancingintherains, simply titled Autumn.

Gwen has featured my Le Chat painting, a little 6 x 12 oil on professional canvas with edges painted and wire on the back, ready to be hung.

Gwen makes some fabulous fabric items and she also has a thing for cats! One of my favorites in her shop is Mr. White with scarf... he's all ready for autumn! This cheerful cat shape plush is a great companion. He is made of cotton laine (cotton wool) with hand sewn face, his body stuffed with polyester fiber. He has a scarf which is removable. He is soft, 10 inches tall and 5.5 inches wide.

Mr. White leads nicely into this gorgeous collection, Off White is Just Right, by MazzyJewelryDesigns.

Erika has featured my Sing scrimshaw bookmark.
It's made from a recycled ivory piano key and is etched in the traditional scrimshaw method. It measures 4 x 1/2 inches and is adorned with leather and a turquoise and brown porcelain bead along with a river stone lampworked glass bead.

A favorite of mine in Erika's shop are these very romantic earrings... smoky quartz all wrapped up in sterling silver, perfectly titled Starlight. So pretty!

And one more treasury to showcase here today, a wintry collection by Poppyswickedgarden, aptly titled A Chill in the Air.

Poppy has featured my As the Crow Flies painting, an oil on professional 12 x 12 canvas. As always, the edges are painted and it's wired and ready for your wall!

Poppy has a few shops on Etsy, but in her poppywickedgarden shop, she has some really cool accessories and clothing. Here's one item I'd like to have in my closet... Timeless Love Arm Warmers. They are approximately 15" long and made from lovely white textured knit. She's finished them with elegant white lace trim and ruffle edging. I think they're gorgeous, don't you?

Thanks to these talented curators for sharing their collections on Etsy! There will be more posts like this one to come, as a way to share these beautiful treasuries and to show my appreciation. Until then, remember to buy handmade and remember to enjoy the beauty of life all around you!

Foxy Lady!!

Two new treasuries... one of cute, foxy critters and one of hot, foxy lady goodies, things my husband really likes! Follow the links to see them up close and check everything out. Enjoy!

Foxy Lady...

Foxy Lady Two...

Giveaway Winner, Treasuries, and More!

It's another busy week and this will be a full blog post! First I want to announce the winner of my Holiday Giveaway... it's Jill of GlazedOver on Etsy! Congrats, Jill... your Blue Moon jewelry set will be mailed out today! And thanks to everyone who entered!


This morning we woke up to another very foggy morning! All the fog we've seen lately has been so beautiful and inspired my newest treasury... click here to see it on Etsy.


Finally, I learned yesterday that I won the Etsyveg team November Challenge! I'd entered my Cinnamon Apple earrings for the theme of Autumn Harvest. So I will have a free ad on the Etsyveg Blog for one month. Here are the earrings I entered, and the ad I created.



And now I'm off to the post office to mail out a couple packages! Please check back tomorrow when I will post my Five Favorites Finds for the week!

Artists Supporting Cancer Research

Happy Friday everybody! I wanted to let you know about a wonderful group of artists who have gathered as a team on Etsy to support the American Cancer Society in its research to find a cure for cancer. So many of our lives have been affected by cancer, one way or another, through our own diagnosis, or that of a family member or friend, a neighbor, or even a stranger who has somehow touched us. Etsy Project Embrace, also known as TeamEPE, initially grouped together earlier this year as a way to love and show support of Laura Slocum who was diagnosed with cancer. From its small beginnings, the team has grown, and it is a wonderful mix of artists and sellers who are simply amazing in their support of Laura and each other, as well as ACS and other cancer victims. Many of us donate a portion of our sales on Etsy to the ACS; some even have shops where entire sales are donated to charity! There is a forum and discussion group where we have gotten to know and care for each other and also learn about others we know who are struggling with this dreadful disease. It is our way to share our lives and our hopes and our prayers with one another.

And this week, another Etsy artist who specializes in featuring other artists in her treasuries on Etsy, has featured Etsy Project Embrace... exposing 12 faces (a very small portion of our team!) to those who look through the treasuries as a way to find new items and even buy!! Thanks to VickiDiane for featuring us. She has a wonderful and sexy shop of her own, selling fabulous jewelry, so follow this link and check her out.

And follow this link to see the treasury and a few of TeamEPE's members up close and exposed!


And if you're looking for some great HANDMADE items for the holidays, check out what the Project Embrace team has for sale, following this link. Shopping handmade gets even better when you know that you will also be supporting cancer research when you buy from EPE shops!

The Art of Cutting Firewood

Yesterday evening I posted a treasury on Etsy with the title Knee Deep in a Simple Life, but living a simple life isn't always easy. We try to live as simply as we can here without giving up all our comforts. We have friends who live without electricity and indoor plumbing... that kind of lifestyle isn't for us, and our kind of lifestyle isn't for everyone. We must each choose our path and our lifestyle and make the best of it. And I hope that includes making as light a footprint on the earth as possible.

We made a conscious decision several years ago to move out of the city into a rural area, and we worked hard at making that happen by reducing expenses so that we could rebuild a small home that my father-in-law had built in the late 50s and so that we could be free of debt once we sold our home in the city. We now live in a small, 1200 square foot home designed by us to make the best use of the space and built with our own hands, and those of my father; we gave up our cell phone and satellite tv while of course continuing our satellite internet service; we travel into the "big city" as rarely as possible, always trying to combine a variety of errands into one trip; and for recreational activity, we enjoy our nearby state park, community events, and getting together to make music with our friends and neighbors. We've invested in land and acreage surrounding our home, and we try very, very hard to live within a small budget... which means, among other things, that we use a limited amount of electricity and lights. We live for the most part without air conditioning, acclimating ourselves to the heat of an NC summer except on the hottest and muggiest days when temps go above 100, and we heat with wood rather than spending money on natural gas or electric heating systems.

And that's where the "not so easy" comes in. Cutting firewood is not easy work. It's a definite form of exercise! But it's rewarding to know that you've spent your day working hard (my muscles are telling me that this morning!) and that you have something to show for it. This is how we spent our day yesterday...

On my dad's property, there were a couple trees down in the woods, so we started with those and got our first pile of wood for the season. We normally start in the summer, but somehow the summer got away from us this year.

Starting with the smaller tree, a maple, first cutting it in half...

Then tying a rope around the log and pulling it out with the tractor...


Moving on to a much larger oak which has been dead for two years and down for one...

Rolling the cut sections out of the woods into a pile where they could more easily be split...

The initial splits... by my dad, a miraculous 81 years old and still the hardest working man, and most stubborn too, I know...

John takes over and splits with a maul, no wedges for him...


One pile down... and that was enough for the day. There's still the other half of the oak tree in the woods which we'll get at a later date.

Truck loaded and ready to bring home the wood...


We'll need several more truck loads of wood, and the gas-fired woodsplitter, to get us through the winter, but this is a good start! I may go out today and split some of those quartered logs, but first, I'm going to do some painting!

Monday Musings... Grey Skies Turn Blue

Yesterday morning I woke up again to grey skies, but finally around mid-morning the beautiful autumn blue came 'round. It was a perfect day with a slight wind and temps in the low 70s! I hurried on down to the studio and availed myself of the gorgeous natural light that flooded through the windows and the open door! I relished the warm air, my busy hands, the scent of the oils, the bird song, my cat who came in to nap in the sun, even the insects who floated in and out, their little wings buzzing and echoing through the space. Everything seems better when the sun comes out after two weeks of rain and fog! Here is my latest painting in progress... Waxwing Memory...



Here's a couple other photos that I shot last Thursday during a very brief period of pale sunlight... This fence lizard was a tiny little guy... probably about 4 inches from top of head to tip of tail... so precious!



And this beauty is an okra blossom... simply exquisite!





There is so much beauty around us and sometimes we neglect to see it, or are simply too busy and rushed... all the intricate patterns of nature, the comings and goings of the seasons, and yes, even in the grey days there is beauty. Here's a link to a treasury I posted last night on Etsy... a tribute to the misty mornings...

Here are a couple others in which my work is featured...

by theBeadAerie... in the Pink WOO HOO... THIS ONE MADE FRONT PAGE ON MONDAY NIGHT!!



by cherrylippedroses... He loves me

by JulieWebb... Pretty Pinks for a Dreary Day

by monarchdancer... cream and cocoa

by ilashdesign... oh, baby, baby

Enjoy your Monday... and whatever weather you have where you live! Go share a smile, offer a hand, create something beautiful, sing a song, breathe deeply...

Treasury Monday

If you're not familiar with Etsy, you may not understand the concept of treasuries. There are many of us who are addicted to creating them. They are curated collections of the work of other Etsy artists, and they showcase fabulous talent and items! Treasuries typically are online for only two or three days, and I am thrilled to have jewelry and paintings currently included in a few. Just follow the links for a view of my work and that of other artists; if the link is broken, it means the treasury is no longer on line, so check soon!

by Monicaj...

by gayeertel...

by creativelytangled...

by barefootweaver...

by midnightcoiler...

and here's the link to the treasury I posted this morning...