beaUtiful things

My friend Julie was visiting from Colorado Springs and she brought some beautiful "show & tell"...in the form of amazing jewelry. I was drooling!

This one is crocheted flowers top (purple grapes) and bottom (brick colored blossoms)....and in between, the felted blossoms on felted stems to tie around one's neck - soooo lovely!

And here we have "bits" of several pieces, including a carved bracelet and ring and some cherries & blossoms on a brooch. All the colors are so beaUtiful!

Julie went back to Colorado today, but I have a feeling that we will stay in touch much more regularly now! She has infectious laughter and a delightful outlook on life. I love her dearly!

I love FALL!

I love the FALL! It is my absolute favorite time of year. The air has so much positive energy in it. The sun shines every day and the air is crisp like the best kind of apple. Looking up at the mountain, I can see that the aspens are golden. I need to get the dogs up there while it is still at "peak." There is not much that is more spectacular than the golden-aspen mountainside.

And the Farmer's Market. wow. Fall is the BEST time to be there - definitely!

We laughed soooo hard when we found this little "guy" in the eggplant pile! Isn't he cute?

These cosmos were just glorious! 
....and the SUNFLOWERS! Julie drives back to Colorado tomorrow and I will be getting back to work, though we have been "working" on some pretty wonderfully creative things. I am so glad that she has been here and we have gotten to know one another better. We have missed Sue, but know that she has things to "tie up" at home......she'll be back for her birthday in November.

fun stuff...

Last night, Sue and I went to a birthday party and this is the appetizer that Sue created! It is skewers of mozzarella balls, cherry tomatoes and basil....and it is soooo Dr Suess! It was fun to eat and could easily have been confused with a centerpiece, don't you think?

The birthday girl received this bracelet, which was a joint effort from Sue and me....the colors are super! Looks so "fall" ......great buttons.....
Speaking of buttons, here they are! ...... well, some of them.....the kitchen table is loaded!

Delilah.....and cosmos

Yesterday, we went to the art store and took a photo of Delilah, the Reticulated Python who lives there.....amazing, hunh? It is a great store with wonderful art supplies of all kinds....and a large snake!

(the photo was taken through glass, so it is not very clear...)

These are the flowers that Sue bought at the Farmer's Market....aren't they GoRgEoUs?!!! I think that cosmos are such bright, cheerful flowers....great colors!

(hmmmm, and you get a peek at my kitchen...)
More later on, ladies. We just started the new day...........

a "Santa Fe" Day

Today was a beautiful day in Santa Fe - just for Sue, who came all the way from Massachusetts to visit! We went to the Teahouse, of course, after a morning at the Farmer's Market. There was an Artists' Market going on as well, which made us extremely happy! I didn't get any photos, but Sue might have. We met some wonderful artists and bought a few lovely things.

Here are a couple of good photos of the Teahouse - quiet and serene. We had a terrific lunch and lots of chai - yum!

Absolutely love this garden - my second home!

...and here is the outside menu, which I wrote out a few months ago - for the summer. I think that the menu will change for the fall, so I'll be re-writing it. I was rather impressed to be able to write on such a large surface, seeing as how I usually work so small... not bad....

Chilly and Wet

It's raining in Santa Fe, which is unusual. Hopefully, it is a foreshadowing of a wet winter and lots of  *s*n*o*w*  on the mountain. Funny that only two days ago, I was sitting in the hot sun watching a soccer game. Today, the temperature has dropped considerably and it is chilly! Maybe we will be turning the heat on and lighting the fire soon.This photo is the back porch (and back yard) from the kitchen door. The glass is cracked,  but I love how it sparkles - can't think about replacing it yet. This is the door we call, "The Bird Channel" because the cats plant themselves here to watch the birds go about their business - in nests up in the porch lights, or hopping around the porch.....

A Great Find!

Last Saturday afternoon, I went to a book sale up at Museum Hill (where there are several museums all in the same place) I was lucky to find the most wonderful books that make me so happy!

This first one I got for the cover. It is like a beautiful carving. The images are so fantastic and such an inspiration to me...it was just $4.

...And these are really the best! I know that I had books illustrated by Virginia Kahl as a child, but I am thrilled that my friend, Anna and I found these! Lucky stars, for sure....hmmm, the "Rudolph" is really a find! "An authentic reproduction of the original edition of Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer" for just $2! And we were there the last half hour of the sale....wow....

Bunny Boxes

Today, I submitted these boxes to "the stampers' sampler" magazine for their "Easter Egg Hunt" challenge (March 2010 issue). I made the stamps of the bunnies out of craft foam.... and love the way they are sorta "imperfect"..... We'll see if they like 'em...

...broken heart...

My friend, Brantly called me tonight with news of her youngest daughter's death in a car accident last night. My heart is broken. Even having been through it myself, I cannot grasp the possibility that one can live through the loss of one's child. But, I am living proof that it is possible. And, knowing Brantly, she will make the choice to move through the difficult months ahead and find her way back to joy. And, Elena will live in her heart and the hearts of her father, David, her sister, Bibiana and her brother, Sam.

My love and prayers are for them tonight and for Elena, that she has found wings and will fly free and watch over her beloved family always......

Paper Pictures

I can't believe that I have gone almost a week without a post. Guess that shows how busy I have been with volunteering at school, which I am trying to cut back on....

This angel is cut freehand from paper. I did an entire series of these "paper pictures" after my knee surgery almost two years ago - birds, houses, 12 Days of Christmas! I still look at them and pat myself on the back. I think they are really wonderful. Sometimes I just need a boost - to get away from the insecurities that creep into my head as an artist. Still, the limited feedback I have received has not been overwhelming. I second-guess the necessity for simply doing what makes me happy.

I will show more of these, at some point, but had an "okay" photo of this one, so here it is. Have a good, creative weekend, my friends!

Up the Mountain

Today, Cullen took Jack (the "baby" lab) to the lake. So, Grayson, his pal, Willy and I took Kipper (my husky/shepherd) up to the mountain. What a day! My eight-year-old dog reverted back to puppyhood in a matter of moments. I haven't seen her that happy since we got the "puppy" (who is now a year and three months and weighs 90 pounds!) Here she is on the way up the trail, which did take a while due to all the squirrels and chipmunks that needed to be chased!

It is so nice to walk the ski area in the summer and see all it has to offer and the trails without with feet of snow piled on top. We are lucky to be just half an hour down the mountain from this paradise....

Today, I started to find "heart rocks" as I always do. But, after finding a couple and taking pictures, I thought, hmmmmm, I should take pictures of all the ones I find. Well, after thinking that, I did not see another one! I came across a dandelion and picked it. I closed my eyes and made a wish, which I cannot disclose or it will not come true. At any rate, after making the wish, I began to find the rocks again.... in abundance (No, that was NOT my wish...)

It dawned on me that really, one cannot demand that one will find a "heart". One must come across a "heart" in stride. We cannot expect that the wonders that intrigue us will be there for us on demand. We must keep an open mind and open heart to find the special things in life that delight us and make us complete.

Here are just a few of the hearts I found today.... on the mountain....



Love to all who find hearts wherever they look.... enjoy the moment!  xo

The Mushroom

Last night, I finished the mushroom. It looks pretty good, though I still have quite a bit to do for this project. I am pretty happy with it, though, and can't wait to finish the caterpillar so he can sit atop and view the world of Wonderland.

And, these are some little goodies I have been working on. I will show them in more detail on a later post. Right now, they are covering my kitchen table, along with the ribbons, buttons and beads that I am using to decorate them.....
...and I love this ribbon! I bought it once in a shop that my friend, Alison took me to in Salem, Massachusetts.. It reminds me of sherbet ice cream.

Wednesday.....

This morning, after getting my family out the door, I had several errands to do. After the mundane - bank, post, grocery store - I went by the Teahouse to pick up my "vice" - "Cowboy Chai"....YUM! My friend, Dionne, owns and runs the Teahouse and it is a favorite "hang" for locals, including me. I love to go in the morning and sit in the garden, sipping my chai. Now that the weather is getting cooler again, I will add a bowl of oatmeal (made with black rice and steel cut oats and a dollop of clotted cream on top - it is purple!) or some "Confetti Eggs," which are steam scrambled. You can also get a fantastic scone that it huge and out of this world delicious and could pretty much last you all day!

Here is a quick view of the garden, though it really doesn't quite capture how luscious it is.

Sitting in the garden one morning last week, I did these sketches for my "Alice in Wonderland" project. I am still working on the mushroom, so haven't yet gotten to these little guys yet, but I like the drawings. I don't quite know how to produce them. ....hmmmmmm... 3" tall ...... but am looking forward to the adventure...

In the same parking lot as the Teahouse is this artist's studio that is such a treat.  The folk art, made of wood and painted on wood, is by Ed Larson, whom I have never met, but have long admired his work. I hope you can "zoom in" on this photo to get the details of his work and some of the humor..... I have dreams about the big green fish.....

Farmer's Market

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and walked around with different eyes. After the markets in France, I now see that here in Santa Fe, we have equally as wonderful veggies and fruits, as well as live music and yummy snacks....(I had a veggie tamale and a chicken tamale) 

In the fall, everything is truly spectacular. I will go again on Saturday, which is a much bigger market, and take oodles of photos, since these really do not give you the full effect..

Aren't these plums (and peaches) luscious?

And, how 'bout this sunflower?! I guess it is hard to tell the scale from this photo. Take my word for it - it is HUGE!

....and I love mushrooms! These were particularly incredible looking...

...and last, but not least..... this little donkey is made from sage and then the red peppers and purple & yellow statice and juniper tips & berries were added. So cute! Around here, you always see "smudge" sticks, which are lit with fire and the smoke is then used to clear any bad spirits and negative energy from a space. This one has so much imagination going for it! It would be hard to burn the little guy.