citrusy

I adore pink grapefruit.

Seriously, I want to frame this image.

Is it not art?

What could be better than enjoying freshly squeezed citrus in the midst of Winter.  Well, maybe a citrusy sorbet during the heat of Summer.  I adore this image from Hungry Ghost.here

Do you ever add citrus to a salad or a squirt to a wintry dish?

up the street

This recent commission was done for a client to give to a friend up the street.  How nice to give a gift of art to cherish.  It was a bit tricky to piece several photos as this house is tucked in and has such charm.  I can imagine that outside area to be just delightful on a Summer night and those window boxes the envy of that neighborhood.

bowl someone over

My home phone rang last night.
It rarely rings.
It seems we all are connected via other devices these days.

An elderly neighbor down the street called.  We met last year while I was out walking our dog.
I could hear a sadness and a desire for company and I told her I would be right down just as soon as my husband was home from work to be with our daughter.

Literally, In ten minutes I walked down with a small plate of cookies and some fruit.

She told me she would be moving in a week, leaving her home where she had lived since 1960.
Her children worried about her being alone.
She shared stories of her family.
Surviving the concentration camp.
Losing her husband of 60 years of marriage.
Her arthritis and the pain.

I told her I loved her for sharing with me and for calling me.  Her eyes were bright and her spirit alive and full of grace and kindness.  While I was there her 92 year old sister called.  They speak everyday.

Today, I am sharing a sweet little "i love you" vessel from an etsy favorite. rou designs.
Spread the love and show you care for someone who might be in pain and in need of love.
It could be a visit, a call, a letter.
Bowl someone over with kindness.
Take the self-kindness challenge.
Do something nice for someone.

Thank-you so much for your kind comments yesterday.
I appreciate your visits, your e-mails and your support.

blog years

I never imagined that these blog years would be so amazing. 

 Are blog years like dog years?  Do we add some sort of number times the number of posts.  

Well, this is year 5 for me and somehow I let it slip by without any pomp and circumstance or celebratory event.  Four fantastic years of blogging, meeting other kindred souls all the while juggling a family, a renovation and my artwork.  

Thank-you for your support, your inspiring comments and your positivity!

Now pull up to the blog bar, be amazing and order yourself something wet, wonderful and extraordinary.

What will you have? 

Cheers, now go on, be amazing and leave me a comment.
Any requests?

infatuation

It is no secret, I do have a serious infatuation with houses.  

The illustration above is unfinished but lingers on the back of my mind like a teenage crush.

I just can't get this home of grandeur out of my head.

Who does not like to drive-by a home and fantasize about what one would do in order to give it your mark.  I have done this from the time I was a child.  This beauty is nearby and up for sale and I just cannot stop thinking about what a bit of tender loving care would do to transform this into a palace.

Tell me, what sort of thing are you keen on?  I find myself lingering over the real estate section or on line and thinking what I would do if it were mine.   I like to think of my infatuation as one part serious inspiration.

monday motivation - green monster

Why not start off your week today with what I call a fresh green monster drink.  

All you need;

2 cups washed and chopped kale ( take the leaves off the woody stalk)

3 cubes of pineapple

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 cup of water or green tea 

blend with a mixer

Serve in your favorite glass-

Add crushed ice and drink to your best health!

Cheers to a healthy Monday~

go into detail

This was a commissioned work of art for a client to give as a holiday gift and the timing was tight.  I completed the work, observing all the details of the original photo and it did cross my mind that I thought perhaps the house front hand rail at the steps was a bit odd but who am I to question.  When  I sent the image of the artwork to my client she e-mailed back that the railing had been removed by the owner and her client as this was for a gift.  I immediately re-did the artwork without the hand rail at the steps and in my holiday haste, I failed to get a scan without the railing.  

As an artist, I feel that it is part of my job to capture every detail that makes the difference and if something needs to be changed then that too is part of getting it right and keeping the client happy.  

Service matters to me and I understand that life is busy and we are humans.

Point blank, details really do matter.

Getting things right are important to me.

These are the images provided to work from. I love the top image, the roof line and the inviting angle, but the image below was better to work from since it is clearer and easier to garner the lanterns and the shutters.  I love the top image of the symmetrical trees flanking left and right.

Signing off as I have a long list of details that need my full attention. 

 Be back Monday.  

Happy weekend.

draw your mind

What sort of tools would you need to draw your mind?

 Have you ever seriously thought of your mind as a tool?

 Did you know that there is an app for mind tools and a site?

Several years ago, I had the great pleasure of working with a facilitator on several areas which helped me see my life on a wholesome path.  Through guided sessions and experiments, I discovered how to look at my life as a rainbow.  I was fascinated to find mind tools provided the above chart.  What sort of tools or charts do you find helpful in planning and achieving goals?

benchmark

How delighted was I to snap this lovely bench in the snow last weekend on my early morning walk in the midst of a snowfall.  I have always loved black and white.  I think this deserves to be framed which inspires me to take more of my own photographs of things that strike my fancy.  It will be a sort of "benchmark test" as I admire so many other photographers.  Would you like to see more of my photographs or shall I just stick to what I do best and draw or paint it?  I am on the bench.

she

 She who rocks the cradle rules the world.

 She dreamt of abstracts, monograms and dots.

 She is a night owl.

She began collecting art at the young age of 2.


Surely you will want to play along....
Now you try it, she___________________.  Leave a comment with she______________.
all images from interiormagasinet