bitly breakfast

Have you heard of "bitly"

Well neither did I until about two weeks ago and then the very next minute I was invited to the "bitty breakfast" so I am up early and out the door to New York City to attend this event.

Do more with your links

The new way to bookmark, organize, and share the things you care about online.

Part of doing what I do is learning new things.  I promise I will share with you about bitly and the breakfast.  I am all for learning new ways to bookmark, organize and share things with you that I care about online.

striped awnings

There is a certain charm to that of an awning.

Striped awnings certainly are chic.

Twin striped awnings, twin lanterns and twin topiaries.

I love the storefront of Timothy Corrigan.

So elegant, classical and welcoming.

 A flat striped awning seems so modern to me.

 I would love to have a ladies lunch on this porch.

Is it me or do striped awnings just seem cool?

Winners of the "pet command" -Springer Spaniel pve note cards are;
Debbie Carr
Kelly B.
I decided to select two.
Both ladies have Springer Spaniels.
Congrats to you both.  Contact me where to send the notes to!

a lilac blossom

Artwork of Shanna Aitcheson - High school Senior and Grad 2013

I have been so fortunate to have a wonderful student intern with me.  This marks her third week and yesterday, Shanna completed this lilac blossom.  She will be attending Penn State at the end of the summer to study advertising.  How wonderful to have such a bright student so full of possibilities.

What blossom is your favorite?  Is there one item that you would suggest for Shanna to take to college?
Don't you think that this would be beautiful framed for her dorm room?

pet command

Sit.  Stay. Roll over.  Fetch. Down.

Now that I have your attention, I'd like to share some note cards just added to the etsy pve shop.

This set of 6 is today's give-away of this sweet English Springer Spaniel standing at attention.  I only have 6 of these left so chose to host a give-away.  Have you mastered any commands with your pet?  Do you give a reward for good behavior?

 Leave a comment and I shall select a winner to send the cards to (via random number generator.)
Winner announced thursday.

Memorial day Thanks

photo from Tim Lamorte - photojournalist

How will you give thanks on this Memorial Day?

Will you attend a parade.

Salute a hero.

Raise an American Flag?

 I am giving thanks today on this Memorial day and thinking of all those who have served and fought for freedom.  Thank a veteran today.

Memorial day may mean so many things to each of us.  I give thanks today to all the hero's.  Freedom means so much to each of us, it certainly deserves Thanks and praise.

Hello Darlin

Hello Darlin.

I decided to pop in and let you lovely people know that my daughter is doing fine.

I am on my way back to the hospital and in hopes she will be home today.

Everything went just dandy.  The Doctor told me so.

She is feeling fine.

The paintings of Fairfield Porter make me feel just fine too.

                                                       

 Painting life as it should be.  

People enjoying moments in time outdoors.
Dogs outside. 

Moments that mark the beginning of Summer in my mind.

Boats in the water.
Blue in the sky, where is was meant to be.

Everyone finding a sunny spot to warm up or a shady one to cool down,
or just to drift.

 Wishing a special friend a Happy Birthday and to each of you, Thanks for your kindness and for being such darlin fans and followers.

To me, this weekend always marks the beginning of Summer.
I can hardly wait.

mea culpa

I need to make an apology to you for my weakness of taking too much on and trying to be too perfect.

My Mistake, my fault, my bad, mea culpa.  I take things on, life happens and then I make mistakes and allow my own faults to mess with me.  I am sorry.

Confíteor Deo omnipoténti et vobis, fratres, quia peccávi nimis cogitatióne, verbo, ópere et omissióne: mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa. Ideo precor beátam Maríam semper vírginem, omnes angelos et sanctos, et vos, fratres, oráre pro me ad Dóminum Deum nostrum.

 It sounds better when I say it in latin.  mea culpa, mea culpa.  mea máxima culpa.

I am sorry. I mean it.

I am not going to let my mistakes define me but I am going to learn from them.  I need to know that I am human and in the future realize that things out of my control, do not determine the final outcome.

Will you grant me permission to make a mistake every now and then.  No, I am not talking mistakes on a regular basis, just once in a while.  I feel better putting this out here.

I also will be taking a blog break as my daughter will be having surgery to remove her appendix which yes, ruptured in February and required an emergency trip to the hospital and a 6 day stay and 3 weeks of school were missed.  Due to the appendix having ruptured, they must wait for the infection to clear before removing the appendix, hence the reason for this surgery.  My 13 year old girl has shown her tenacity, her bravery and her sense of humor and independence.  I her Mother feel so awful that I did not bring her to the Doctor earlier but again, I am not going to let that mistake define me.  It happened.

We are moving onwards.  

mea culpa.

I am sorry.

new koi-joy notes in my shop

Everyone loved this work of art that I created the day of the RiverArts studio tour. Due to the popularity I decided to add these 5x7 notes to my etsy pve shop.  Notes are packaged individually and come in a set of eight. This lovely koi pond was created by blogger Monkey Grass Hill. She's jumping the pond and moving to England.

monday motivation - be daring

Sure, there are many artists who inspire and motivate me to create, but one artist that I just adore is the artwork of Cecil Beaton. Perhaps it was his passion for capturing society in his artwork, his photography or just his innate sense of daring style.  I have looked at this so many times and I adore the reflection of the chandelier in the mirror and all the various vignettes in this room.   What an imagination.

Who motivates you to be daring and different?

sunday - hide and seek

 

Painting by William Merritt Chase - hide and seek

Yesterday we attended a special celebration, a Bat Mitzvah and the Rabbi spoke to us about the game of "hide and seek" and how it can correlate to one's life and living with honesty.  It's true that God watches our every move and we certainly cannot hide from him or ourselves. It is up to us to live our life by owning our actions and not hiding from God.

Take time today to hide and think about what you are seeking in your life?  What are you hoping to find?

eat your greens

I really love all shades of green but loving this new vibrant green that I will be using in my new web site.  I think I must have looked at a million shades of green.  There is something fresh about green and that it has a multitude of hues.  So much for eating my greens which I have been committed to doing and feel a huge difference in my focus and clarity.  Are you eating your greens?

parched

Feeling a little parched and ready for the weekend to begin.  Good thing I have lemons, mandarins and some Cointreau to make this sidecar cocktail.  What are you thirsty for?

springtime apprentice

 Last year was my first foray into having a student work as my springtime apprentice.  That student is now finishing her freshman year at Columbia.  I love sharing works that inspire me of other artists and take great delight in what the students share with me.  I thought this would be a fun test.  Can you guess who painted the above work of art?

Here's a hint.  Surely you know Mr. Jeremy Fisher.

Can you guess who created this work of art?

Our local Ardsley high school has a marvelous program for students and our community.  My twins participated in this when they had the option for an internship or externship.  Now every student is required to do an externship.  You have a student work with you for 4 weeks and let me tell you, it is a win win.  I learn something new every Spring.

Have you ever thought of having a student as an intern?  I truly believe that it is up to us to share with these seniors and to teach them what we know.

sweet treats

 A dear friend popped in today.  Not only did I flip, but my dog Bentley goes crazy when she  pays a sweet visit because he knows she is an animal lover and bearer of good treats.  She came bearing these sweet treats.

 I designed the card a few years ago for her to attach to her goodies.  On the back is space to write the recipe or at least a note.  My friend Taina has traveled all over and has an flair for baking and creating treats.

I've been really good about eating as much fresh and whole but I must admit, I had not one but two of these scrumptious scones.  I keep telling her to sell her wares.  It is an art to create such delicacies.
I ordered a dozen.  I'd love to give her some positivity.  Don't you agree she needs to sell her treats?

rockin my herb garden

Local rivertown artist Jennifer Orkin Lewis hand paints these hip rock herb garden markers which you can find over here in her etsy shop along with some great prints and colorful artwork.  Last weekend, we planted our herb garden and I have to tell you it is rockin.  One son is home from college.  He finished his sophomore year and rocked it with a 4.0.  We've been talking a lot about cook's ingredients since next year he will be living in a house and cooking.

Aromatic herbs and spices do infuse a lot of flavor even to the simplest salad, omelette, pasta or main dish.  It's fun to share knowledge with my son and try to give him some valuable advice so that he can get excited about preparing good flavorful cuisine.

Do you have a favorite herb that adds to creating a more flavorful life?  

vignettist

 It's true.  Call me a vignettist.  I love painting artfully created vignettes.  Little portraits that show an arrangement of a collected order.  The cards for the above are available in my etsy shop.  I have white, pale blue or hot pink envelopes to go with if you like.  If you order today, I will add a surprise to your order that will make you smile.

I painted these in gouache a few years ago when I was new to blog land and fell down the most "Absolutely Beautiful Things" blog.  I sent them to Anna to gift to her Mother.  I need to paint some of my own beautiful things arranged in vignettes.

no limits

I love knowing that there's a new kid in our town.  My Mother always told me "the skies the limit" and I'm betting that this artist's Mom told him the same thing.  I am literally blown away by his work.
Check out Alexandre Arrechia over here and here.

penthouse party

Trolling around on pinterest and came upon this spectacular penthouse party or it could be some private club.  (here it is 230-Fifth) I mean "wow."  How's that for a Tuesday.  Dreaming is fun.

monday motivation - creative courage

"put 'em up" painting the lion at pve design studio 2013

I am so delighted to share with you a new friendship and a little "put 'em up" monday motivation.

During Storm Sandy, we met each other while juicing up our electronic devices at a dear friend's home who had power and was kind enough to share with many who scrambled to stay connected, fed and in need of a warm shower or meal.  We were all feeling very vulnerable and incredibly sad for the devastation that Storm Sandy left behind and the courage to re-build and start moving ahead.

Yes, Matisse not only had a way with paint, but a way with words and indeed 

"Creativity takes courage."

My new friend shared an image of a colored pencil sketch study of a lion and the desire to paint the king of the jungle on a very large canvas.  I invited her to come to my studio and bring her fears.  The transformation of witnessing another individual face a blank canvas head on and pick up a rag or a big brush and just "start" does take amazing courage.

Perhaps you need a little "put 'em up" or a bit of creative motivation to take time for you, creative time to allow yourself to face your fears and find your creative courage.  I would be happy to help you.  By helping you, you in turn help me.  Creativity is an act of courage.  What is the one thing holding you back from starting to live your life more creatively?

Mother's love

As a Mom, I know that our love is not measured.  It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.

My parents remind me to spread love everywhere I go and then I find the words of Mother Teresa to be inspiring and motivating.  I wish all Mother's everywhere love today.  Happy Mother's day.  My Mom is 86 and I wish her love.

to inspire

mask and "doodles" by Ulina

It's so incredibly wonderful to meet other artists along the way and meet with them in hopes of inspiring them to create and live a more artful life.  This week, I feel that I have inspired two women who have already started plans to dedicate themselves more to their art.

I feel so full of joy to share what's worked for me and how I have been able to be here for my family while creating an artful life.  Do you need a little push or some direction to get yourself living an artful life?  I would love to inspire you.  Feel free to connect with me.  All it takes is passion and a plan to get started.

on the menu

I did say that I was going to challenge myself to paint each day but have been so caught up with work and life so I thought I would share some of my recently published work.

One of my boys will be coming home tonight from college for a 3 day weekend and I am thinking about my menu.  It dawned on me that I could turn to Sheridan Road "Good Eats" May issue.

I am eating as much whole and fresh as possible but I do love salmon and I know my son does too.
Dashing out to send off some artwork and then to the grocery.  It's pouring here so I better wear my rain boots~

monday motivation - ceremonies

I have a few wonderful events happening in my life, one was this past Saturday.  I witnessed my son carry the American Flag for the color guard which was very emotional for me.  He was awarded a Bronze Medal for Academic Excellence.

Today is our daughter's confirmation so I am busy gearing up for that.  Lots of ceremonies to celebrate~
I have such a grateful heart for all the hard work that goes into each ceremony.  I also feel so much pride and joy for all the students serving their country and in good faith.

Happy Derby Day

Wishing each of you a Happy Derby Day.  I created this work for J.McLaughlin on thursday and friday it was posted to the J.McLaughlin facebook, talk about fast!  Hope each of you enjoy the Derby in style and sip a mint julep in honor of My Old Kentucky Home.  Question, horse-shoe up or down?

avocado

Motivated to paint something fresh each day as part of my May challenge, I am also dedicated to eat more whole foods and eat fresh.  Avocado is one food that I love.

Have you ever heard that the avocado is referred to as God's butter?  

Well last summer, at the beach, I overheard a Mother giving a spoon full to her child and telling him it was 

"God's butter."

Avocado's are a "superfood" and so good for you.  

Great alone with a little salt and honey drizzled on top or added to salads or fresh smoothies.  

I love how they come packaged in a pretty green bowl.