Lazy Summer Day

Lazy day today, everybody's sleeping :)

Phantom and his favorite bone

Kiva likes the floor cause it's cool

Jorellis cat likes the refrigerator (and everything inside too)

Iko cat found a closet box to claim for his own

Time for Iko's bath from his doggy mother

 And then he's off to his new favorite place, playing in my studio

A sweet lazy day :)

Summer Harvest

How abundant everything is right now, such a delight! The garden is in full harvest, and things have grown huge. We have lettuces, large zucchinis, squash, peppers, carrots and cucumbers. I've given away many this week to friends, which is the best part :)

Unbelievable how high the tomatoes are

Harvest photos! How big everything is, I am so thankful :-)

The neighbor's garden is cute too!

In summer inspiration, I'm excited to have started a new piece, Sun Spirit.  The face is polymer clay with peyote beading. The sun will glow over a wildflower garden with stones and butterflies. It's a companion to my piece Moon Spirit. :)

 And I'm making bright summer flower pillow shams for a friend. I call these 'tropical flowers',  based on grandmother flower garden quilt pattern, but with a large floral center. The back side will be light green and the front white, with the flowers appliqued and white eyelet trim. It's so fun making the flowers using the paper piecing technique.

 And for more inspiration.... I went to the Portland Rose Garden recently. So beautiful. Is this not the most perfect rose?  I love summer.

Facebook Print Sale!

To celebrate reaching over 500 fans on Facebook, I'm offering a 30% off sale on art prints in the shop for the next 2 days (Sale goes through 5 PM Saturday). Join my FB page and get a coupon code for the sale.

Travel/Nature Inspirations: Western States

So, I'm back from my summer travels, and I have so much to share!
First, we traveled through Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming. So many rich landscapes. We went through the Rockies, near the Tetons, and through so many beautiful mountain towns.

Reminds me of this house in the evergreens table runner I made last year. The pattern is now available in my Craftsy shop!

New color palettes for the mountain afghan were inspired by the Rockies! Rich blues, browns, terra cotta reds and greens... I made about 15 more squares on the trip!

We saw beautiful Native American sculpture at the Denver Botanical Garden (an amazing place)

The dogs played in a mountain stream

And here are some of my sketches from the trip: Eternal Journey into Bliss and Light Beyond the Mountain. Perhaps these will turn into paintings :)

Then.... next, we were off to the Oregon Coast, for a relaxing weekend. Mist covered the hill slightly, while the sun was out. Magical.

The dogs chased frisbees on the beach.

I love all the little cottages on the coast

low tide!

And now the garden is really beginning it's harvest. We have zucchini, lettuces, herbs, and cherries on the tree. Soon I hope the tomatoes will get red :) It is such an abundant world. I hope everyone is having a beautiful summer!

Moon and Sun, Summer House

I'm excited to share a new piece, Moon Spirit. I finished it just after the full moon/lunar eclipse this week! The moon is beaded on leather with peyote stitch and then I sewed it onto the canvas. I sculpted the face in polymer clay, a few years ago and when I came across it again in my materials stash, I saw it was perfect for this piece.  I have a sun face too that will be soon become a Sun Spirit piece. - There are a lot of bits and pieces I've made or started or collected, that are just waiting to be used in something, I'm sure all artists/crafters out there can relate :) Would love to hear more about your creative or garden projects!

Moon Spirit ©2011

A fun collection of faces waiting to be used...

Recently I created two treasuries on Etsy artists that make garden art, moon art or gifts! There are so many amazing artists on Etsy. Check it out!

Etsy Moon Visions Treasury 
Etsy Garden Inspirations Treasury

I decorated the house for summer, with bright and sunny colors. Here's my sun patchwork pillow :)

And a summer table runner... I love these bright colors.

The garden has grown so much more!

We are off on a summer road trip soon to explore the West. I'll have pictures and inspiration to share when I get back!  Happy summer everyone!

Summer Visions

It's summer, such a joy! The garden is growing more and more every few days. Here it is now! We picked our first lettuces for the most delicious salad last night

I planted hanging baskets to decorate the front of the house too:

And in the studio,... my piece 'Soulmates' is emerging, with lush hills and bright sun inspired by summer. The two spirit forms are in a symbolic tree of life that connect from the roots of the earth to the heavens, a mandala may emerge in the sky. Yin yang in the center symbolizes balance. There will be double rainbows in the sky and magnolia flowers in the tree. :) 

Soulmates ©2011, In progress...

And the dogs take lazy summer naps around my studio.... :)))

The Garden Has Sprung!

It's so exciting to see things grow :) It's a beautiful sunny day today, summer is here at last. We planted many seeds and starts in the garden this year, this will be my biggest garden yet. There are lettuces/greens, carrots, beans, cucumbers, okra, artichokes, squashes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, soon to be tomatoes too. We planted an herb garden in boxes too, with lots of basil, oregano, dill, cilantro, thyme, italian parsley, chives and green onions.

Here are the first lettuces!

A week later, growing fast!

With planting and nurturing, all things grow... :)

Butterfly and Blossom ©2007