yes!

It’s been dreary and rainy here for what feels like weeks, and today is was finally sunny! But the rain makes me feel day-dreamy, and now I can stay locked up in my studio room all day with my paints. So I’m not complaining!

And I am back to blogging. In May my journal turned 4 years old, so happy birthday blog! Although things have changed a bit I enjoy reviewing the unfolding of projects and ideas.

So what have I been up to? Filling up my sketch book with ideas for the summer, taking rainy day umbrella-in-hand walks, and treasure hunting! I have sooo much to catch up with here, so many photos to post and art to show. But for now I’ll keep with the gray theme. Recent photos:

feather-finding

treasures next to the desk

ghost flowers

sketchbooking on a very gray day

a rediscovered scan of mine, lucky horse shoe, antique lace and rose charm

and catching a sun spot in the woods before all of this rain happened

I am going to try to catch up with all of you too, have wonderful nights!

Walking through the woods along a rambling brook and I spotted these terrific, vibrant yellow blooms growing amongst the composting autumn leaves of last year. They are so beautiful, so dainty with brown and green spotted-leaves. They are growing in clumps along a woodsy stream, in an almost swamp-like area. Do you you know what they are called? Oh please tell!

sketches, collaged snippets of inspirational fabric, notes in the watercolor album.

She has the sense that something is following her. Maybe feeling a bit vulnerable.

and this very sweet (and very tiny) gypsy cart (which I hope to see again tomorrow).

It’s used for story-telling at the Spoutwood Farm Faerie Festival.

Happy May Days to all!

Went to the beach for the weekend and what a blissed-out two days it has been! We walked a few miles barefoot (oh how good the warm sand felt!), collected heart-shaped pebbles and shiny shells, ate seaweed and basked in the sunshine. I love to sift through the sand while listening to the waves! Perfect for daydreaming…

unfurling…

I am so intensely amazed at the little beauties that wash up upon the shore.

sea glass, warm smooth stones, bits of pearlescent shells, little earthy treasures from the sea that are a joy to behold (and stash in pockets!)…

searching, wandering…

we are back from Delaware, sitting in my hot little studio now, shells and stones arranged on my shelf with nests, twigs and sea-pods.

A switch from the woods and meadow where I like to wander, I love the sea just as much. And speaking of forest floors and wildflower-laden fields (and foraging for yummy berries too) next weekend my buds and I travel down to the Fairy/ May day festival at a beautiful organic farm. I am so excited! I sit here cutting out calico hearts to patchwork onto a vintage dress for the festival.

Happy, sunny days to you all!

doing favorite things!
you see, for me yesterday was a monumental birthday-of-sorts.

?eating giant (and totally yum) red velvet cupcakes from Crumbs.

? sitting in trees in Central Park

?eating a scrumptious lunch at my favorite veg restaurant, Candle Cafe. I had a yummy pumpkin-encrusted tofu dish with kale. Everything I’ve ever had there is so good, completely veg and so creative. And the whole place smells like wheatgrass!

?shopping for teapots at Pearl River. I will forever love that store, although I miss the old version from my college days, down on Canal Street.

?and crazy color giant bead shopping! I ended up buying an earthy green necklace made of wooden beads.

So it was a beautiful day (although I had to substitute my tights for jeans…a bit gray and chilly). But left inspired by vivid, juicy color!
Happy Earth day too!!

First thing, here is the promised vintage locket, now in my shop.

Please see a previous post (or the link to the listing, above) for a peek at the inside!

And, a most perfect early spring swamp morning. It has been raining all day so I really appreciate the purple-hazed sunbeams from the other morning.

I am so excited about tomorrow, we both took off and have big plans to go into NYC for a day. Day-tripping plans include going to my favorite veggie restaurant for lunch, walking around the village, doing some browsing and hunting for pretty things (I have more than a few shops in mind), fancy tea, going to The MET or art galleries (still undecided) Central Park and then dinner. I hope to post lots of pictures, and hopefully the rain drops will stop falling. I love the city in the rain but I don’t get there often enough these days to experience it all dreary and gray.

I am so excited about this little vintage tin and cameo necklace set I just posted in the shop.

First, the inside (comes with the cameo necklace, such sweet and very dainty embroidery it has!)

And the outside features a round mini print from my sketchbook.

The necklace looks super with any type of spring-ish blouse.

Today was the perfect day for sitting outside.

The locket featured from my last post will be in the shop soon.

Thanks for all your comments on my last post! It’s nice to hear some feedback, and I hope to post more sketchings soon!

Two bits of good news. I am not mia or forgetting about this blog! I have some major time-consuming work obligations right now (which take up part of my weekend as well) but come the end of May it will end and I will be less busy! Also, I look forward to a relaxing, painting-filled and totally free summer in the coming months. I have been using this time to go back to the well, so to speak, and sketch, plan, journal. I hope to revamp this blog with more of my process, my inspirations, sketches. Would you like to see more of my sketchbooks? I’d like to know! The second bit of news is of a shop update, with a couple of lockets that feature my sketchings and bits from my oil paintings.
A preview of a vintage locket that will be in my shop within the next few days…

Close up, the blue bird is taken from Pulling on our Ribbons and Hair. I think I’m going to tie a piece of vintage fabric to the top of this one.

And the gal from the locket graces the inside of my giant sketching book/ journal.

I ventured to a swampy glen down the street to take some pics of my lockets. There are the most amazing flowers that carpet the entire woods floor, creating an almost day-glow effect. They are called Fig Buttercups, or Pilewort and they grow in moist areas (and often mix with the skunk cabbage, which is abundant here as well.)

A close-up of these sweet little perennial blooms.

I am so grateful for each and every one of your comments here! It keeps me going, inspires me to post more often… Thank you!!

Sketches are building up all over my floor! The lucky ones are neatly organized in a very big book. I try to do at least one a day, in the book or scribbled on scrap paper.

So now I need to post them more. It’s pretty much the only thing I do right now.
and…

A scene from a usual walk, above.

Lovely lush moss growing on a woodsy ledge in front of my parents little house.

Lots of new, busy things have been happening here (hence the temporary lack of postings). I am currently very occupied with my jobs and am looking forward to a blissful summer and being able to paint full time. A few more months, but for now, trying to squeeze in every bit of creativity, daydreaming and wandering that I can.

Soaking up flower goodness on a rocky, mossy ledge outside of my parents new home. Can you soak up the flowery goodness through osmosis? Actually you can eat pansies, they are quite yum!

My parents have sold our home in favor of a little cottage in the woods of PA, just across the river from our old home. So I can still visit the river and go for walks and wanderings in the area…thats good news!

But the bad news is that I am going to miss our beautiful old home very dearly.

This is the sweet colorful cranny in my teeny-tiny bedroom (which nookish disposition never fit the scale of the very large, victorian farmhouse.) It’s oddity was the reason why I loved it so (and it was just the sunniest room in the house!)

Now that I see our house, almost empty, I can understand that it’s size and age are really too much for my parents to deal with. The acres of property required mowing, gardens to be tended to, and too many bedrooms for two people. I am happy that they can relax now!

And there are little gardens around their new cottage…

a peek…

I have been sketching in my very large bound book, storing up ideas, taking notes and writing about concepts to use very soon.

Color and patterns rest on a tray in my studio and are being put to good use!

I can’t wait for spring proper so I can soak up some sunshine, lay in the grass and go barefoot. I am so sick of socks and sweaters.

Happy Spring all!!