blue china studio

365 project: 31.12

2012-01-31T19:05:00.000-08:00

The hellebores are blooming!

We've been having ridiculously warm weather, only to get warmer this week.

I think mother nature is getting confused. Isn't it still winter?

365 project: 30.12

2012-01-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Naughty

but oh so yummy

blue butterfly boxes

2012-01-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Just added to the shop, blue butterfly boxes!

Conjuring up blue skies, warm and sunny days, flowers & butterflies.

Perfect for a special outdoor occassion. Fill it with a special goody or trinket and send home with your party guests.

Or use one to give someone something extra special.

365 project: 28.12 & 29.12

2012-01-29T17:58:00.000-08:00

Day 28: a shot of my bookcase full of my nature books and items from nature.

Day 29: shopping list for the craft store. I can always find an excuse to visit there!

How was your weekend friends?

365 project: 27.12

2012-01-28T08:48:00.000-08:00

The winter garden.

365 project: 26.12

2012-01-26T20:51:00.000-08:00

Ah Meryl.

Need I say more?

365 project: 25.12

2012-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find doing the dishes comforting.

There's something about sloshing around in soapy suds and warm water on a chilly day.

(note to self: must repaint kitchen soon, those ~~fake~~ faux bricks are tragic)

365 project: 24.12

2012-01-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

Sharing some peace with you on this Tuesday.

365 project: 23.12

2012-01-23T21:16:00.000-08:00

A little sunshine in the studio.

365 project: 22.12

2012-01-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

My new coconut bowls found at a thrift store with my sister L.

Did you all have a good weekend?

365 project: 21.12

2012-01-22T15:48:00.000-08:00

Hanging out with my nephew while he plays his computer game and my constant companion Lulu, my sister's Chihuahua.

365 project: 20.12

2012-01-20T19:50:00.000-08:00

misc

still raining

goodbye to Etta James - she was a favorite

tomorrow off to visit a sister and nephew

my newest read is The Friday Night Knitting Club

and

My blogger friend Jen has started a cute new blog and she has a great giveaway going on right now.

Head on over and check it out at

getyourmomon

365 project: 19.12

2012-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

Rain drops.

Can you see them?

LOVING the rain, my friends.

yippeeeeee

365 project: 18.12

2012-01-18T17:15:00.000-08:00

Waiting for the rain.

We have a big storm heading our way. The house is warm and cozy and conducive to snuggling on the sofa and reading.

I just finished Jane Eyre. Loved, loved it.

sigh

365 project: 17.12

2012-01-17T19:35:00.000-08:00

It is COLD here.

A perfect evening for homemade soup and corn muffins with honey.

my favorite color

2012-01-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

This is my absolute favorite color.

What's yours?

365 project: 16.12

2012-01-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Guess who's boss at our house.

Etsy Store Opening!

2012-01-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I'm so excited to tell you...

at long last I'm announcing the opening of my little Etsy shop.

I'm currently selling garlands, gift boxes and postcards

but stay tuned these coming weeks for additional items of papery goodness to be added to the store.

I hope you will pop over and take a look. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments.

Take care dear friends!

365 project: 15.12

2012-01-15T15:27:00.000-08:00

Roses in winter.

And the violets just started to bloom.

Hope your weekend is happy.

365 project: 14.12

2012-01-14T12:22:00.000-08:00

desk drawer in studio

(playing around with photo effects)

Have a happy Saturday everyone!

365 project: 13.12

2012-01-13T14:06:00.000-08:00

2nd round of my amaryllis

notes to self on my new chalkboard (so far I'm only the one using it but that's ok!)

365 project: 12.12

2012-01-12T22:10:00.000-08:00

tea break

The new Boden catalog came in the mail.

Taking a little break to do some "window" shopping.

I'll take this entire outfit...and the hair.

365 project: 11.12

2012-01-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

Some of you may remember my desk bulletin board.

Here is the current view.

I hadn't realized how much written encouragement I seem to need. It's posted everywhere!

geez louise

365 project: 10.12

2012-01-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

glitter beads

why?

because they make me happy!

chalkboard

2012-01-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

For a while I've wanted to make a message center for the 3 of us.

The boys are constantly in and out of the house and we needed an easy way to leave each other notes.

I thought a chalkboard might be just the thing.

We use our back door more often than our front since the garage is in the back and the gate into the yard. So I placed it on the chest we have there. Now everyone knows to look in one place for messages.

I bought a piece of plywood and painted it with chalkboard paint I already had.

Then I found these great stickers at Office Depot to make the "hello" at the top. They are 3" high which were the perfect size. (I love Office Depot!)

And tada! Our new message center.

365 project: 9.12

2012-01-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

a. new candle warmer - a way to use the last bit of scented candles after the wick no longer burns

b. the second round on my amaryllis, this was one of the best bulbs I've had in a long time!

365 project: 8.12

2012-01-08T20:16:00.000-08:00

Remember these?

I'm not sure if they will ever bloom but they do add a nice spot of green in the house.

365 project: 7.12

2012-01-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

The rising moon.

Such a beautiful and mild evening.

365 project: 6.12

2012-01-06T20:39:00.000-08:00

My onion plant.

Vibrant, green and healthy, with no water, soil or much sunlight.

I'll keep you posted if it does anything more interesting.

food for thought

2012-01-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

I came across this quote the other day.

Last year was a tough one for me but this quote captures exactly what I needed to hear for this new and fresh year.

It is time to shift gears and move towards blue skies and sunnier horizons.

Working on it.

365 project: 5.12

2012-01-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

Morning soy chai.

I pretty much roll out of bed and head straight to the tea kettle every morning.

365 project: 4.12

2012-01-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

Miss Lucy Girl

Enjoying some of that winter sunlight.

My girl has bad hips and lately she hasn't wanted to go on our daily walks.

I think the "cold" this year has really gotten to her.

We'll try again tomorrow.

day 3.12

2012-01-03T17:28:00.000-08:00

Winter sunlight.

day 2.12

2012-01-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

I decided that I'm going to do my own 365 Project this year.

My intention is to post a photo a day (although there might be some days when It will have to wait a day or so).

Today I had the house to myself as the boys had school and I actually had the day off. What an unusual turn of events!

At first I had every intention of having a busy project day but instead I decided why not just have a lazy day.

So I looked at recipes and read my new Jane Eyre. I created a new banner, watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory, ate a Christmas cookie (well two) and went to the grocery store.

A good day so far. And now I might just head over to Barnes and Noble and have a coffee and look at new magazines.

Did you have the day off too?

day 1 2012

2012-01-01T14:31:00.000-08:00

a quiet day

2011-12-29T18:05:00.000-08:00

Just a quiet day at home.

Perfect.

post christmas

2011-12-27T15:08:00.000-08:00

Hello All! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas (or other holidays).

My December was an absolute whirlwind, but this last week between Christmas and New Years is going to be all about relaxing.

Did you all have a good holiday?

I feel like I finally have time for my blog and also more importantly visiting all of your blogs.

Are you working on your New Year's resolutions? I'm creating my list and I'm determined to achieve them all this time.

What are you up to this week?

christmasy house snippets

2011-12-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Little snippets from around my house. I like keeping it simple.

The house is finally feeling cozy, it is cold outside and the Christmas tree with its' lights keeps it cheerful.

A few house notes:

In the door shot - yes, no baseboards, they are going in this weekend hopefully. I just need to get over my fear of the electric miter saw.

In the tree photo that is a fake fireplace in the background. NOT put there by me. If it didn't seem like so much work to remove it then, believe me, I would.

Is it cold in your neck of the woods?

bowls of bulbs

2011-12-10T20:41:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting to planting my indoor bulbs! Yay and happiness.

This year I decided on doing a few bowls of grape hyacinths. I can't wait to see how and if they grow and bloom. Of course I also had do a bunch of vases full of paperwhite bulbs, my favorite. Planting indoor bulbs is probably one of my most anticipated parts of Christmas.

How is everyone?

I'm sorry I've been gone again for a while. Life got a little crazy and rough but we are back on track again.

My little Christmas sale went well. I got some good feedback and sold a few things. I had a ton of fun getting ready for it. We will have glitter around the house for many a month but a little sparkle here and there really isn't all that bad, is it?

How is your Christmas prep going?

glitter glitter

2011-11-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

How was your Thanksgiving?

I'm sorry I haven't been around to post for a while.

I've been busy glittering things and making little trinkets for my Christmas sale this weekend (eek!).

What have you been up to?

filtered sunlight

2011-11-17T21:35:00.000-08:00

sunlight through yellow

swirling leaves

gently

falling

the

ground

slowly

2011-11-16T21:50:00.000-08:00

Slowly but surely I'm getting going on my Christmas sale items. I don't have that many days left, eek!

These cards are from Christmas a few years ago but thought I would put them out there anyway. And I'm working on photo postcards, one set you can see just a bit of it at the top of the photo. I'll show you more later.

And I love glitter! These are glittery goodness favor boxes. Some are adorned with paper roses with a vintage wallpaper center with a rhinestone. I think they would look cute at each place setting on a glittery Christmas table.

Tonight I'm trying to finalize some other postcard photos so I can get them ordered.

I better get back to work but I wanted to say a quick hello at least!

I haven't been able to post or visit blogs these last few days.

Hope all is well with you!

And thank you for all my birthday wishes! What great friends you are.

47

2011-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

This year,

I'm having my cake and eating it too.

collection: nostalgia

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000-08:00

I haven't opened this drawer in years.

It is what we call the "trinket" drawer, which has become the resting place for all the little trinkets from my son & nephew's childhood.

This was the drawer their friends would come over and open and dig through the treasures while they all sat around the computer and played games.

To me it represents a simpler age. A time when I knew exactly where they were and who they were with. It brings back memories of snuggling and reading Harry Potter out loud and making marble mazes and box forts.

A time when a set of magnets or toy binoculars would be played with non-stop and for days on end.

Can you tell I have teenagers now?

We've moved on to driving, girls, staying out late, iphones & gory X-box games.

I will leave this drawer alone and as is for now, comforted by the knowledge that there is physical evidence of a simpler and more innocent time, waiting to be opened now and again by a wistful mom.

arranging obsession

2011-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to update my little shelves but haven't quite gotten them to where I would like them. I have to play with them until they feel right or it really bugs me and every time I walk past them I have to stop and give it a tweak. OK, I realize this sounds as if I might have a condition of some sort, but believe me the rest of my house is happily mussed up.

And I've tried to photograph them over and over again and just can't get the lighting right or get the glare out of the pictures. (If anyone has tips on this please let me know!).

However, I thought I would go ahead and show you the work in progress despite the bad photo. I hope you don't mind. Maybe squint your eyes a bit...no, just tried it, doesn't help.

Anyway...

I like these little shelves because I can display all my small things I seem to collect. The shelves are only about 4" deep. And I say "seem" because I don't intend to collect all things small, I'm just drawn to them I suppose, not to mention that is what I can usually afford, the small things.

A few shelfy notes:

1. A bird print from the wonderfully talented Gennine Zlatkis. I love it.

2. A leaf I cut out of vintage wallpaper. You saw this in my November 1st post.

3. "Stones" from Otchipotchi. I find myself wanting to purchase everything she makes!

4. The discard pile that didn't make it to the shelves or were removed from the shelves.

And so there you have it. A small glimpse into my life as a crazed shelf organizer.

water

2011-11-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

A walk in the park after the rain.

Happy Monday, I hope you all had a great weekend.

And many thanks for all your kind and encouraging comments on my Friday post!

What would I do without you?

here we go

2011-11-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

I agreed to do a Christmas sale at my sister L's school.

Selling what you might ask?

And that is the question.

For a very long time I have started and stopped the shop of blue china studio.

Mostly stopped and not started again.

The idea at first was handmade cards, and I did sell a few but then life got in the way (or rather I let it get in the way) and the idea of blue china studio has sat and sat, sad and neglected.

When I started my blog it was my idea that this would go hand in hand with an Etsy shop but I discovered that I was a lost designer/crafter/artist who hadn't spent any time perfecting any one talent, or to make matters worse, hadn't even made much crafty goodness over the years. I don't know what I want to do but I do know that I do want to do SOMETHING.

And so here you find me dazed and confused.

I've been taking the Creative Courage class with Stephanie Levy at Artists Who Blog and it has been wonderfully inspiring. The biggest message I've gotten from it is simply to just START.

And so, I'm ready to jump off the cliff and hopefully I'll find out how to unfold my wings.

Here I go.

wish me luck

icy fresh

2011-11-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

For as much as I love the warmth of Fall colors there isn't anything this time of year quite as cheerful as the Iceland Poppy.

They are like a smile on a stem.

Have a good Thursday friends.

Hope the world is treating you well.

simply amazing

2011-11-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

Are you familiar with Dalton Ghetti?

All I can say is what he does is simply amazing.

The chain in the second photo is carved from pencil lead, as is the screw in the third photo and the alphabet in the first.

Check out his site here for more amazing goodness!

Photos from the Dalton Ghetti website, alphabet photo by Dalton Ghetti.

already?

2011-11-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it is already the first of November?

I'm very excited though, this is my favorite month!

Fall really sets in now, I have a birthday coming up, and then there is Thanksgiving.

What do you have planned for your November?

happy halloween

2011-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Have a fun Halloween!

Watch out for those M&M goblins.

do you need a little bit of this?

2011-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I can always use a little bit extra of this.

Have a good weekend friends.

TGIF

love

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ok friends.

Can I tell you about a serious love story?

A few summers ago I was helping my sister L set up her classroom and she had some dirty white shelves, all scuffed up and sad looking in desperate need of a cleaning. She said, "Try these."

And thus the love affair with Magic Erasers was born.

After the first swipe I was in love. It cleaned all the scuffs, dirt, smudges without any effort. The shelves twinkled in the sunlight they were so clean.

Can you see it?

Love.

Yes, I'll say it again.

Love.

(do you hear the birds singing, see that rainbow in the sky?)

And yes, I know they are rather expensive and they fall apart quickly but this love is a strong one, I cannot be swayed.

love

a fall walk

2011-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

A fall collection from my magical creek trail.

From me to you!

quotable monday: macbeth (halloween style)

2011-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Just giving you a little Macbeth with a Halloween twist.
Still spooky after 400 years.

You can read the entire excerpt
here.

Also I've created a blue china studio Facebook page. Just click on the Facebook link at the right and click on the "like" button if you would like to follow me there. I'm not very savvy with Facebook yet but I'm learning!

bat mobile

2011-10-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween is upon us!

Pumpkins are stacked in front of the grocery stores, mountains of candy can be found in every store.

I already have my pumpkins in place (oh I do adore pumpkins) but this year I also felt like making a few simple decorations.

Bats!

Here I've hung it low over a table like a mobile.

And for this one, I attached a piece of floral wire and wrapped it around the pumpkin stem to give the effect of a swooping bat flying around the pumpkin patch.

Simple, simple and they cost the price of a piece of black cardstock!

For those of you who might be in the mood for a simple Halloween craft this weekend, I've attached the template below. It includes three different sized bats. So get out your paper and scissors and go to town!

bat mobile template

Have a great weekend dear fiends.

quotable monday: you've got mail

2011-10-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

"Don't you love New York in the Fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."

Joe Fox to Kathleen Kelly

This might be my favorite line from this movie. I'm sending all of you a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils to celebrate Fall.

fall

2011-10-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

AAh Fall!

My favorite season.

The crispness in the air puts a skip in my step and smile on my face.

It makes me want to watch You've Got Mail, light candles, buy squash & pumpkins, clean my house from top to bottom.

It is the first season of cozy.

The colors of Fall are of warmth itself, contrasted against cooling days and nights cold enough to snuggle under the down comforter.

Yes, you are my favorite, dear Fall.

Personal note: It is so good to be back to the blogging world again. For those of you who don't know, there was a recent death in the family and I had to take a hiatus from blogging. Thanks for your patience while I found my way back here. I look forward to visiting my blog friends again and getting back into the creative swing of things.

wrapping it up

2011-09-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

It was my sister L's birthday this weekend and I needed to wrap her gifts.

I didn't want to spend the extra money on wrapping paper or a bag since I'm on a tight budget these days (ugh). And I thought I could come up with something at home that might end up looking cuter anyway.

I knew I wanted to use my washi tapes somehow. One gift was a subscription to a magazine so I bought her the current issue. I love the idea of glassine bags so I created my own large one using wax paper. I sealed the seam and the bottom with tape and then inserted a colored piece of paper on the inside so you couldn't see the cover. I left the top open like a bag so the magazine could easily be slipped out.

I then affixed a chipboard butterfly to it (I love my butterflies, ya know) to add another element. I have two boxes of stickers that I've collected over the years and I use them quite often when wrapping gifts.

Here is the other gift. I did two layers of strips of wax paper so there was a little layering to create some opaqueness to it, another strip of tape and yet another butterfly. Unfortunately when I took the photo I didn't see the rippled paper on the side. oopsy The light was fading fast and I couldn't take anymore photos. Try to avert your eyes from that little section if you will.

And that my friends, was my at home solution to wrapping.

messengers

2011-09-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

These guys dropped by to deliver the message that Fall is on its way.

Yippee!

My favorite season.

a little nature tidbit

2011-08-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

If you haven't caught on yet...I'm a big geek.

I love nature, learning about nature, I often consult my field guides. I think I might be a biologist at heart.

And so, here is something I learned yesterday.

I picked this little branch (a no no...sigh...I know) because I loved that little frilly cluster and I wasn't sure what kind of tree it was from. I thought it interesting that a tree was blooming in August.

Well, as it turns out that great pom pom type "bloom" on this branch is actually called a "tongue gall" and it not natural to the tree (which is a White Alder) but rather caused by a fungus. I'll spare you the latin name.

Interesting?

Like I said, I'm a big geek.

Also playing with Photoshop and came upon this lighting effect.

ramble, ramble

Have a good Wednesday friends.

middle of our house

2011-08-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

This room is in the middle of our house.

We use it for dining but you have to pass through here no matter where you are going in the house. It is a strange little area.

The vacuum cleaner pretty much lives right where you see it.

Something is usually tossed on the table as we pass by.

And for some reason this is one of my favorite rooms here.

2011-08-19T16:27:00.000-07:00

Have a good weekend friends!

On my list for the weekend:

finish studio!

see what Redbox has to offer and watch some movies

drink a glass of wine while watching movies

the color of august

2011-08-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

If I had to choose a color for the month of August it would have to be yellow.

As most other garden flowers are drying out and dying back the sunflowers are prolific and you see their bursts of yellow around the neighborhood.

So cheerful and sunny.

And as Lucy and I walk along the creek we often seeing floating bits of dreamy yellow that transform themselves into swallowtail butterflies.

This one was not shy and let me photograph it for nearly 10 minutes.

And as much as I try to ignore August and start daydreaming about Fall I have to remind myself that August has its own profound beauty and an abundance of one of my favorite colors

YELLOW.

eric carle happy

2011-08-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I've read an Eric Carle book but when my sister L was here she had a whole sheet of Eric Carle images for classroom bulletin boards.

This butterfly was one of them. The colors and textures are so vibrant

and

happy.

This image of his luna moth from The Very Quiet Cricket is one of my absolute favorites.

I think the world would be a happier place if every adult made a point of reading an Eric Carle book every so often.

Do you have a favorite Eric Carle?

Have a great weekend friends. Enjoy these last weeks of summer.

miscellany

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

I came across this fun little short film. It's rather magical I think.

Other great finds of late:

Amy Merrick's new website. Absolutely beautiful.

I've signed up for this class in September. I CANNOT wait!

This great Etsy shop. I adore this garland.

chief & warriors

2011-08-10T07:41:00.000-07:00

A bit of silliness to get you through your Wednesday.

I found these little feathery seed pods growing on a Mountain Mahogany tree.

Have a good day, dear friends.

It is the first day of school here!

car collection

2011-08-07T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm always finding little treasures on my everyday walks and they usually sit in the little compartment between the seats for months.

I like driving around with a little nature in my car.

But I thought I should finally bring them in as it was getting a little crowded.

Feathers and rocks. My favorites.

Do you have any treasures in your car?

august

2011-08-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

nasturtiums
lemonade
thoughts of Paris
lavender
walks on the beach
basil
dahlias
Harry Potter
cherry tomatoes
fresh fruit
a cold beer
sparklers
cupcakes
hydrangeas
a good book
aunties and nieces
Murphys
sea glass
laughing out loud
doodling

summer

a summer list by my sister S

***

And a special thanks to Creature Comforts for mentioning my

feather photo as a Pinterest Pick! Yay!

leaves

2011-08-01T09:13:00.000-07:00

August in Northern California is a dry and dusty month.

Even by the creek here, the lushness begins to fade and lots of plants actually start loosing their leaves.

This is when I have to search harder for the beauty, which is still around but isn't as abundant. So the plants and trees that do stay green and thrive start to really stand out.

Here are a few beauties I collected on my walk.

These inspired me to replicate them in paper adding a little twist with polka dots.

There is something about a paper leaf with a metal stem that kind of makes me happy.

***

And how was your weekend dear friends?

My son is a senior this year and he had his senior portraits taken on Saturday. It really hit home that this is his last year of school before college. small stomach lurch

We also did some back to school shopping. Super skinny jeans (how they get them on I don't know), Converse low tops and a few T's and they are set.

Have a good Monday!

paint chip bandits

2011-07-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I was a thief this weekend.

yep

sssshhhh

My sister and I snuck into the paint department of the hardware store and stole a pile of paint chips.

Why?

To make a garland of course.

This is my sister L's clever idea. She is teaching kindergarten this year and she wanted to make a cute and fun colored garland to use in her classroom.

And so we made one.

It was to match the colors of these adorable alphabet wall stickers that she is also going to use. I love the sheen and richness of the colors on paint chips. Too bad you can't get whole large sheets of a color.

I have to say it turned out pretty cheerful and cute. Ready for the pack of little kindergarteners on their first day.

care package

2011-07-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

The other day,
after a long day,
I received a package in the mail.

A care package from sister S & my 3 nieces.

And boy did they spoil me.

They know me so well.

This is what they sent.

My niece H. made this incredible bracelet which is made from nuts, you know, from the hardware store....I know, hard to believe. It is so beautiful. She also is made the amazing card.

They also gave me this little square dish, perfect for holding jewelry.
They know I adore little bowls and dishes.

And this too.

Gorgeous soap and another adorable bowl.

Didn't I say I was spoiled?

And not shown they also included a candle that transports one to a tropical island and also candy which has already been eaten and enjoyed.

Aren't sisters & nieces great?
I'm one lucky girl.

yes indeedy

pond

2011-07-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Views of a tranquil pond we passed by when visiting the sweet little town of Murphys.

I thought I would channel cool and refreshing vibes to everyone that is baking on this hot July day.

Can you imagine yourself sitting on a blanket in the shade with a favorite book and some lemonade next to this pond?

aaahhh

july

2011-07-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hello. I am back from my little hiatus.

I missed you all!

and

Happy 4th of July to my American friends!

Every year we go up to my parent's cabin in the mountains to watch the little local 4th of July parade . It is hokey to the extreme yet very small town charming as well. Old cars are decorated with flags, kids on scooters and red & white & blue hats and streamers wheel down the street, local businesses dress up any vehicle to parade (and advertise). There are floats commemorating generations of veterans which always amazes me how many there are from such a small area. There was even a 92 year old woman who was an actual Rosy the Riveter. She worked on bomber planes up in Washington state during World War II. Amazing.

What do you do to celebrate the 4th?

Stay safe and cool. We are up to 100 degrees here. Ugh.

a little summer break

2011-06-04T10:48:00.000-07:00

Hi All

I've decided to take a little summer break from blogging.

I've got quite a stack of things to do and I need to focus on them for a bit.

To Do:

1. Finish up yard work. Trim, plant, weed.

2. Focus on unfinished house projects.

3. Take better care of myself.

I will see you all back in about a month hopefully feeling a little more in control of my life.

Have a great June!

verdant

2011-05-24T17:51:00.000-07:00

We (Miss Lucy and myself) have been walking along the creek again. This is our summer park walk as our other park area is getting too dried out now. It was breathtakingly lush today. I think if you really stopped and listened you could probably hear the plants growing. I loved all the vines twining and forcing their way towards the sun, blossoms in various stages of reveal and the endless shades of green. The water is still too high and swift for walking in but that will come soon enough. We were both happy to stand at waters edge and dream of the hot summer days when we can't wait to get into the water.

Here is a little clip of what the water was like today. There isn't any sound but perhaps you can imagine that part yourself.

the winner is

2011-05-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

The winner for the garland giveaway is Alessandra!

Congratulations and thank you for participating.

hello monday

2011-05-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

This Week

finals

gardening

county fair

live music

sister visit

summer break

warm weather

grilling

What is on your calendar?

P.S. Today is the last day to enter the garland giveaway!

giveaway!

2011-05-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

My very first giveaway!

Yay!

I just couldn't resist using my yellow paper butterflies again so here they are clustered on a white ribbon as a garland.

Just leave a comment with your e-mail address if you are interested in entering.

I'll take entries until Monday pm California time so that gives some of you from faraway places some extra time. I'll announce the winner on Tuesday.

Tell your friends!

remember these?

2011-05-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Do you remember these?

It could just be me who doesn't get out to do much shoe shopping but I haven't seen or thought of these Dr. Scholl's sandals since 7th grade. They instantly brought back memories of spending summer by the poolside with my best friend Natalie. Then I think they only came in red, navy blue and beige with a blond wood platform. I had navy blue. Well, Dr. Scholl is one hip dude, they now come in dark wood bases with all sorts of top straps from metallic snake skin to these here suede forest green ones.

As you can see I couldn't resist.

And special thanks to all of you who left comments on yesterday's post. You are such wonderful friends!

don't worry

2011-05-17T08:20:00.000-07:00

My mantra.

Mom to two teenage boys and I find myself constantly worrying.

Working on changing that.

Or minimizing it.

deep breath

repeat three times

while clicking heels together

sigh

beachy

2011-05-13T11:12:00.000-07:00

The weather lately has had a coastal feel to it. Warm with cool soft breezes and I'm instantly drawn to thinking of visiting somewhere with a beach. (I know, I'm SUCH a dreamer.)

When we went to Maui as a family I bought everyone a box containing empty metal containers with glass tops. Each person was to collect mementos and then at the end of the vacation we would have a gallery showing. This was a very secret affair and nobody saw what the other put in their boxes. I loved the end results because everyone had such a different eye and style of collection. Mine is shown above. I found little shells, a heart shaped pumice type stone, rocks. I also scooped up two containers of different types sand too. The green sea turtle was an afterthought but it reminded me of the sea turtles we saw there. Every once in a while I take my collection out and it brings back such great memories.

Do you have some ideas for collecting and keeping trinkets? I would love to hear.

Have a great weekend friends.

beautiful sparkly morning

2011-05-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Last night we had an impromptu thunder shower. It poured down rain for a few hours

leaving us with the most gorgeous clear and sparkly morning. The air smells so fresh.

What a great way to start a new week.

How was your weekend? Your Mother's Day? We went to see Jane Eyre (yes, my two teenage boys graciously sat through it with me). The movie was wonderful I thought. We saw it at our little art film house which is so extremely charming in a kind of artsy dilapidated way. Sofas in the front, seats straight from the 40's, they don't accept credit/ATM cards but will happily accept a local check, the film melted in the middle of the movie and they had to stop and fix it, it was almost as if it was staged part of the show. And one of my favorite parts is they actually have an intermission. I'm going to make a point of going there more often.

And so, it was a good day yesterday.

Hope yours was too.

And now off to work I go.

for you

2011-05-07T22:12:00.000-07:00

To all you lovely mothers

Happy Mother's Day!

May your day be filled with love, laughter and hugs.

new things I like

2011-05-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that stays pretty loyal to my products. For instance I've used Oil of Olay since I was 16 years old. But every once in a while I feel the need to try something new. Here are some new favorites that were my sister L's finds.

1. Mountain Ocean Skin Trip - if you want to feel transported to the beach try this. It smells like coconuts!
2. Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm - you get just a tint of color and it feels so good on your lips.
3. Tom's of Maine Toothpaste - I've always liked the concept of Tom's of Maine but their toothpaste was never minty enough. Now their new Wicked Fresh has a lot of minty goodness. This will be used for as long as they make it.

I'm set for summer now.

Happy Friday friends, have a great weekend!

freshened

2011-05-05T09:42:00.000-07:00

I was in desperate need of fresh pillows for my sofa. All my furniture is in natural twill fabric and I add color with art and pillows. I like to mix and match patterns and prints as you can see. I made the top & bottom pillows myself (the extent of my sewing skills!) and the middle came from Target (what would I do without my Target, I hate to think).

And ta da!

A fresh new look.

What do you do to freshen up your home?

home

2011-05-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

Just a simple message today.

where I sit

2011-05-02T09:20:00.000-07:00

It is always rather alarming to me how many hours a day I sit in this one corner of my house. 8 hours a day Monday through Friday, sometimes more.

You would think that I would have it tidier, less dusty, perhaps more decked out for comfort and better ergonomics (after all I work with commercial furniture all day long). But I find that this little corner suits me just fine.

I have what I need; a large window, my music, computer, my little doodads, photos and notes on my bulletin board, a box of office supplies and sometimes Miss Lucy Girl curled up at my feet.

And it seems enough.

Happy new week to you all, and happy new month...are we really already starting May?

2011-04-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

Another Monday.

Always hard after being away to visit family, eat good food, chat and laugh.

It is stormy here today so thought I would share a sunnier look with a photo I took from my garden last week.

Hope you are having a good one.

happiness is a chocolate bunny

2011-04-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

Sometimes life doesn't get much happier than when eating a chocolate bunny whether you celebrate Easter or not.

Have a great weekend dear friends.

uh oh

2011-04-20T08:23:00.000-07:00

My computer has a virus.

Sometimes I can figure out how to fix it but not this time.

So I'm sending this via my "work" computer today.

sigh

onward

Here are a few things I'm liking these days and thought I would share them with you on this dreary Wednesday we are having here in Northern California. They have brightened my day, perhaps they will yours as well.

The new Upstairs Downstairs on Masterpiece Theater. The house is rather dreamy.
Mildred Pierce on HBO. It has come and gone but if you get a chance to watch it I would recommend it.
The new Jill Bliss book Drawing from Nature. I bought a copy and can't wait to get started!

What's new with you?

santa cruz day

2011-04-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

perfect weather

crazy rides

lots of laughing

people watching

visiting surf shops

watching sailboats

a dare devil motorcyle act

seagulls flying

ocean breezes

palm trees

a good day

collection: art postcards

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

My collection of art postcards is one of my favorite things I own.

They represent all the places I have traveled and remind me of the places I have yet to visit.

I have seen every painting in the stack in person as that is the rule of thumb for making it into the collection.

On those days when my travel dreams seem impossible, I look at my cards and I am reminded how lucky I've been just to have seen what I have.

But that doesn't stop me from getting out my notebook and adding another travel destination to my list.

Or two.

And dreaming of adding a few more postcards to my collection.

spring time

2011-04-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

a morning walk

crisp air

flowers dotting the fields

fresh

green

blue clear skies

bird song

floating butterflies

happy

shades of blue

2011-04-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

I thought I would make some stickers over at MOO. You can use up to 90 different images which inspired me to see how many different shades of blue photos I could take and collect from my archives. This is what I have so far.

Hope your weekend has been swell!

it has been awhile

2011-04-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hello friends.

It has been a while. Life got a little crazy here.
I've missed posting to my blog and I've missed visiting all of you.
How have you all been?

The climbing roses are starting to bloom and I couldn't resist picking a few for the house. They create a little spot of happiness on my tray of other bits of happiness (porcelain stones from Otchipotchi and buddha "stones" I made a while ago).

Have a good Monday and I hope to visit you all soon!

things that make me happy

2011-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

My new found love.

for japan

2011-03-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

I'll be observing this day of silence tomorrow.

oh that sweet girl of mine

2011-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Miss Lucy Girl

on the sofa, knowing she shouldn't be on the sofa

pouring on the charm

which we all fell for

My heart and thoughts go out to Japan. My stomach lurches every time I see the news.

on the work table

2011-03-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

On the work table today.

(a little sneak preview, ssshhh)

Stay tuned for a special announcement in a week or two.

And many thanks for your responses to my request for "how-to" help. I'll be trying some things out this weekend. We'll see how they go.

Have a good weekend friends.

Aren't you glad it is Friday?