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!