Weekend

I have so many things to post I can’t decide on what to show first! Well, while I’m getting the post themes figured out I decided to post a little teaser here of things to come and my my weekend eye candy.
Ah, I have been painting! I decided to start teeny-tiny and paint little birds. I was inspired by a book I found in the library called “The English Miniature”. Mine will be fashioned into necklaces. For now, here’s me standing in the moss in our backyard. Yes, I had to brighten up the painting in my hand because it was falling in the shadows. I love the 2nd piece. It was painted on ramdom newspaper and the words read “collectors and keepers”, which is the theme of my new paintings. (The word “geek” also shows through the paint on the birds body. Totally unplanned)

Lots of pictures below of all sorts of enchanting weekend stuff!

All four mini paintings. They are really small- 1/2 inch tall and 2 inches across. The holes are for the ribbon. I was going to make these to tie around my neck. I hope to put these up on my site!?!? As many of you know, I have been struggling trying to find time and patience to redo my website. What has it been, a year now?

Pumpkins in the crate at the Apple Pit…

Beautiful Victorian doll. She’s not mine. She was lounging Saturday night in her stroller on display at a restaurant and I stole a snapshot of this beauty:

Antique vanity. I spent the later half of my childhood growing up in a beautiful Colonial/ Victorian farmhouse (it was a colonial converted to a victorian 100 years ago), circa 1850. My family still lives there.

Cottage in the kitchen…

These are the windows that I was so lucky to look out of everyday. I took this picture on Saturday and it wasn’t sunny. You could image how the light shines in through the stained glass in the sunshine! The colors reflect off the wide plank floors. There are 26 of these windows in the front of the house!!!

I often used to peek through the individual stained glass to see the world outside in a different color. I chose bright red here because its currently one of my favorite colors. There’s also yellow, blue and purple glass.

Half of the dining room, view from the staircase. The wall paper is so cool…it has GIANT birds on it! I love the furniture too. The antique glass chandelier is a recent addition. I hope to share more of the house soon, as it has shaped my art and style so much. I think the room looks like a dollhouse in the picture:

On my walk on Sunday I saw this beautiful twisty, viney (poison ivy perhaps?) tree with bright orange mushrooms growing under it! They were the color of pumpkins!

I love texture. Mossy log.

Finally, I’m on a roll! More coming soon!

My Skeleton Keys

I was inspired to put together my antique key collection for a photo…

Some are skeleton keys, some are keys for wind-up clocks. The giant one is not a real-working key, just a whimsical decoration.
And I have to admit, I inherited this collection. I hope to add to it though.
Last night when I was out and about I saw

and I had to take a picture
*swoon*
I love the shadow box frame.

autumn!

And so, today I finished my Autumn Table with blackbird feathers, twigs, moss and much other goodness…

Lots of findings from my woodsy walks.

Today I took the woodland path less traveled covered in leaves just so I can hear them crackle under my feet. Finally, fall is here! I’m going to savor every single second of it.
And speaking of the sounds of leaves crackling, here I am wearing my twirly leaf earcuff. I bought it last year from a vendor at the NY ren faire…

Sooo many more pictures below, click!

Been burning the proper oils for the season. This one I was lucky to find at Whole Foods. It contains pine, cedar, juniper, rosewood, etc. Smells pretty!

Essential oil burner. I love this one. Sits among stuff I found on the trail.

Fallen leaves and bumble bees

Golden potion. Actually, real gold flakes in oil. Believe it or not, this precious find was from a thrift shop! It’s actually bath oil.

My antique iron bird. I love him.

From afar. My studio. Really feeling the simplicity thing these days, with small areas of enchantment. I am a new fan of white walls and clutter free corners.

Table top.

This book was a Sal Army find a few years back. It is from the early 1900’s. The cover is so beautifully worn. It matched my table perfectly, so I thought I’d show it off!

Close up of girl on cover.

On the trail, feather and leaf. I am building quite a feather collection. My favorite ones are the blackbird feathers.

Take a look through the mossy peephole…

~Weekend musings…lots of photos of “stuff” outside and inside. click link below:

I love shelf mushrooms! When I was little I used to pick them off the tree, take them inside and paint scenes on them. So the theme of tonight’s entry is bringing the outside inside.

September berries.

Taken from my walk today. Mushrooms sprouting from the forest floor of moss and leaves:

From today- pretty leaves from the same berry bush.

When I got home I was inspired to pull out this AWESOME vintage mini dress I bought over the summer.

The mini dress has a high neck, empire waist and poofy princess sleeves. I cant wait to wear it with skinny jeans!

Moss detail from today…

Awaiting Autumn. I started to set up my Fall Table this afternoon. Sprinkled all kinds of foresty things on it. I’m saving the rest of the pictures to post the first day of fall!

I looooove funky knee socks with woolen skirts and boots. A true find this weekend. They were so cute all together I had to hang them up for a sock portrait!

Speaking of warm socks, I’ve been eyeing
these babies

Saturday’s neat yard sale find….an old wrought iron bird (it weighs A TON!) perfectly weathered and rusty. He had a friend but I didn’t swipe him up quick enough.

Goodnight!

new inspiration table, nature ramblings, ART!!!

Dedicated to late summer and early fallen leaves-

For lots and lots more photos, click below

My gigantic blackbird sits above it all. Things I’ve painted, stitched, found, was given, bought:

Another tiny poppy painting, by me. Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas, surrounded by leaves and cranapples, fallen.

My favorite velvet ribbon key. Star candle.

create ontop of nature items I found on the trail, star configuration:

blackbird and twigs:

Summers last bumble bee. Actually there’s lots of them buzzing in the branches I found fallen along woodland path.

Another tiny painting, textured with antique lace “tights” I found in a goody bin of vintage odds and ends. Acrylic on watercolor postcard.

Painted by me, acrylic on cotton fabric, small painting within a painting. Theres more…I just don’t know what to do with it.

Mushroom I found growing on a rich rotting log surrounded by the brightest golden leaves.

Mushroom sprouting from dense moss.

Pretty mushroom:

Cranapple configuration I left on along the woodland trail.

My easel top and a fabulous yard sale find

Sooooo….this is the current state of my easel-

Sketchbooks, cranapples and raven feathers collected from my walks, and wire basket with some awesome clear canisters found at Michael’s for mixing and saving paint. The torn-out magazine pages on the lower left hand corner feature an article about artists whose work I’ve been admiring:
http://www.woodlucker.com/
AND it just so happens that I was at a yard sale this weekend and stumbled across one of their “Dexterity Games”. I spotted it from afar and my heart went a-fluttering. I am so psyched! It’s a print of their art in a plexiglass box, sides covered in handmade rice paper, and it has little silver balls that roll over the print to get into peg holes.

The nature items are for my early fall inspiration table, which I am setting up today. I will post pictures of it in all its splendor soon!!!
~*~*~*~SpArKlEs~*~*~*~*

antique skeleton keys and moss

Been working on some “stuff” involving skeleton keys tied with red velvet ribbon, moss and poppies
For just one more teaser check out link below-
http://sarahblankstudios.com/

Theres a lot of lovely mounds of moss in the woods where I hike;)

Its so fun to get snail mail

Look at the trinkets that sent me!!! I especially love the little deer and the glass orb that reads “create”. It pretty much sums up my recent flow.

I finally made some stuff for me…

Falls wardrobe is coming out! After being much inspired by my walks and some sweet patterned vintage fabric finds, I finally decided to treat myself and make some cold weather textured bags for me. These bags arent for sale, I jsut wanted to show you what I’ve been up to.
Inspiration: found these in the park already! And look…a little yellow heart shaped leaf in the center!

I made some little bird pins from vintage fabric (I painted the 2nd one), which needed some bags to “perch” on.

This is the fabulous fabric! It was a 60’s skirt…but I loved it so much I wanted to use it daily. Just look at the little deer and birds!!

Very retro looking birds. I like.

My first bag is tiny made from soft, brushed gray fabric with the black bird pin. I always see these guys on my walks so I had to incorporate them into the design.

The 2nd bag is SO big. Its like a super big satchel. Super duper big. I put the patterened birdy on it.

I love this one. Its made from a textured grandma’s-couch-from-the-60’s type fabric with giant nerdy heart buttons.

A simple olive tote

…With a very intricate inside…a heart pocket! Yellow trim for a splash of color.

I just LOVE this layered outfit from Free People:

I have the store by me. They have the most unusual displays and an arty bike decorated with ribbons parked outside.
http://www.freepeople.com/
I just had to have a picture!

late summer inspiration

Almost as much as I love fall, I totally adore late summer. The cusp. Been taking long daily walks through a nearby meadow.

pics and story below…

Mucha-like in the meadow.

I waited for days to capture this guy on the thistle!

Dragonfly on reeds. Next to the meadow theres a serene bog-like pond with streams flowing from it.

The meadow path alongside the pond…

I love goldenrod.

This one was injured, laying upside down on the ground with a torn wing. I picked him up and he surprisingly flew away.

I wish people wouldn’t do this to beech trees…but this pretty much sums it up…I wish summer would last forever.

Time to go home- picking up my sketchbook and stuff from where I was sitting.

Snippets of wildflowers brought home so I can sketch them. Other stuff from my studio for my inspiration table.

My new “bulletin board” in my studio, inspired by my meanderings.