My younger sister, Sue (who turned 50), and I ( who resisited turning 59) both have birthdays in the month of October. My daughter gave us a trip to Disneyland as a birthday gift. Yeah! Way Cool. We had a wonderful time.
I came down with a bad cold the last day and spent it in bed at the hotel. Bummer! There was so much to see and do. I was really disappointed that I had to waste the last day there with a box of kleenex ad a bottle of apirin.
However, I took over 500 pictures before I wore out; so look for a Disney tour in the near future.
You would never guess to look at her, but this sweet lady from Virgina has created some wonderfully errie Halloween goodies to share with all of us Halloween enthusiast. You can purchase these items if you hurry at her Etsy Shop: One little Candle. Doesn't She make Booo-ti-full things!
These Boots Were Made For Flying~~ Every fashion concious witch will be wearing these! I've even added a little BLING!
The Traditional Metaphor for Fall and a bevy of crows sends Autumn Greetings
My Heart Rejoices When Fall Arrives!
The Beauty is in the details! All cards can be found in my Etsy Shop. New ones being added often.
Today is Bragging Monday at Etsy Cottage Style. So here is my "Show and Tell".
I made this flower arrangement for my bedroom. It is made from a special collection of flowers that I brought with me from my old apartment in Pennsylvania to my new living space here at my daughter's. The room was lovely already, but I wanted to bring in the feeling of a lush English garden. I am pleased that it looks so real. Because the walls of the room were a peachy orange shade it was a paticular challenge to bring in the colors I love and still have a serene atmosphere. I believe I succeeded. I would send you all bouquets if I could! (clicking on the photo will give you a larger view)
It looks like Chrismas over at the French Bear.
Margaret Bouwmeester is playing Mrs. Santa. Go for a vist and leave a comment to be entered in her drawing Friday. She makes wonderful items that make you feel like like a kid again. Hurry because everyone is signing up!
Autumn has always been my favorite time of year. I am so energized by the change in weather, the glowing colorful leaves, and the wonderful fresh smell that is uniquely Fall. To celebrate this emotional high I always enjoy from late August until Thanksgiving I have created this card. It will be available for purchase in my Etsy Shop
Autumn always fills my heart with a song. How about you?
(This is an original surface design created in photoshop 4 using all digital resources.)
Debbie at Marionberry Cottage has created some of the loveliest cottage style accesories one could imagine. While she has designed items in many different color palettes I am showing you two of my favorite pieces which are decidedly PINK!
This talented woman also creates blog banners and is responsible for founding the social networking community of Etsy Cottage Style.
If you would like to get to know Debbie and discover more of this talented woman's exciting inventory of goodies you can also visit her at All In My Cottage.
Tell her I said Hi!
This week is a big week at my Etsy Shop.
Drop in and take a look at all the prints that are on sale. This is a great time to get matching prints. For example you can purchase Big Fish and get the matching print Small Fish Free! Or start your collection of topiary prints. Instructions for getting your free print is explained in the policies section.
I will be adding new prints all week (there are 21 prints in the shop now). This is a great time to shop if you are thinking about spicing up your decor or want to buy gifts early for the coming holidays. 
These are two of the Puppy Love cards I recently introduced into the shop at Etsy. My daughter's two little Malteese dogs have provided all the inspiration I could ever need. They are so much fun. Now I can share some of this fun with you and you can pass it on to those you care about.
Have a great week and come back soon!
I Love Topiaries!
I've designed four lovely Fantasy Topiary Prints.
You can find them in my Etsy Shop
Adam Lambert (in the video left) takes over the stage with this beautiful rendition of "Starlight". I am looking forward to watching his career grow.
Both he and Kris Allen lit up the stage last night at the American Idol concert. Aren't we lucky to have such talented young people whose gifts span the generational and genre divides. Way to go guys!.
In my mind Butterflies and humans have much in common. They both have humble beginnings, can be somewhat unattractive and destructive during the early stages, but almost always turn out to be beautiful.
At least Butterflies always do. Even the lowly moth has a quiet elegance.
I once was fortunate enough to observe a butterfly emerge from its cocoon. As I freed it from the jar which contained its chrysalis incubator it remained for a moment perched before my eyes on the tip of my forefinger. It was a lovely soft black with blue highlights.
I watched entranced as it slowly moved it’s tiny wings. It did not fly away. I fancied in my mind that it stayed perched on my finger in communion with me to say thank you for freeing it from the jar.
Latter, I learned it was just drying it’s wings before it flew away and disappeared.
Imagine being so small and creating so much wonder.
Because of my love and fascination for these amazingly beautiful creatures I feature them often in my art. I didn’t notice I was doing this at first, but after awhile it became obvious. ( See my Etsy Gallery)
Perhaps by including butterflies (and other lovely insects) in my designs I am affirming my belief that there is the opportunity in life for all of us to grow and redeem ourselves.
In this post I want to celebrate the technological advances and the diverse opportunities and freedoms which have become available because of TECHNOLOGY. Everyday I benefit from computers and the internet. My life as an artist has been greatly enhanced, and yet, I am still troubled.
I believe the general agreement is that the world has been made smaller by technology because it is so easy now to communicate across great distances in a short amount of time. For me, however, it has made the world so much larger and has given me a greater perspective of the scope of human effort to find significance.
The internet with all of its social networking sites, can be overwhelming to me at times. So many people, like myself, trying to get noticed. Each one looking for some degree of validation. I feel like I am wandering through a crowded mall or trying to make my way through a congested airport. I can’t help but feel more alone at these sites. Everyone is so busy trying to promote their own agenda it is difficult to make and sustain any real connection.
The freedom of expression being exercised through one forum or another further exposes the reality that dark and ugly emotions and crippling prejudices are running rampant in our cultures. It is my opinion that, as a race, we are still spiritually stunted.
That said, today, I will open my design software and get out my magic pad and pen and make something beautiful, all courtesy of technology.
Just wanted to let everyone know that the beautiful vintage photo in my banner/header above came from fairydavis.com where there are a lot of lovely, free images. Tammy Tutterow is an experienced designer who makes amazing ribbon flower creations for special ocassions and home decor. So, if you are someone who appreciates beautiful things stop by and treat yourself.
I have always had a fascination for pottery, especially teapots. My living arrangements no longer allow for large collections of anything, so I put my obsessions on paper as works of art. I have a "Thinking of You" card introduced into my Etsy Shop for which I created my first Little Green Teapot. 
This print is a work in progress. (I got carried away making cookies and cupcakes. No messy clean-up!) I am thinking about creating matching Tea Party invitations that could be purchased with place cards included. My girls loved to have a Tea Party to celebrate their birthdays when they were young. Everyone played "dress-up" with fancy hats and grown-up clothes. I am inclined to believe there are still many girls and women who are young at heart who would still love a Tea Party.
Tea Anyone?
June has traditionally been a favorite month for weddings. In honor of that tradition I am announcing the addition of a new greeting card in my Etsy Shop. So if you have a wedding or anniversary in your future, check this out!
Bits and Pieces of Things
I have boxes and envelopes and drawers full of inspiration. Not enough hours in the day to manifest all the creative ideas dancing around in my mind. From crayons to computers. Wow!
It is what makes my heart skip a beat. Its like magic! I hit these magic keys or push around a magic pen and voila! Something beautiful appears. . . And some how I still manage to make a mess of my studio.
Tonight I won't be doing artwork. I will be sitting in front of the television watching American Idol with my daughter. This is the first time this show has grabbed my attention. All of the young people singing on the show are talented and entertaining, but it is Adam Lambert who has caught the imaginations of people of all ages all over the world. In a world stressed nearly to death by all nature of "bad things", Adam Lambert is a breath of fresh air. Sing for us again Adam!
My personal history includes living through the era of SNAIL Mail. (and Air Mail as well) While I love the Internet and the convenience of "E Mail" I find this new form of communicating lacking in some fundamental elements. There is rarely any joy in holding an email. And while there may be a small amount of vibrational energy to be passed on in this electronic communication, it is transient and often forgotten moments after it is received and read.
I believe there is something to be said for traditional mail. A card or letter held in the hand is a link between the sender and the receiver that can be renewed over and over again. Emails are lost in cyberspace filing cabinets. Letters and cards are often held in the safety of dresser drawers, shoe boxes under the bed, and baskets on a shelf to be retrieved and lingered over again and again. Because I believe in the relevance of snail mail, I put great effort into creating the most beautiful, meaningful, and relevant greeting cards my imagination will allow. The next time you have a need to communicate in a very meaningful way please check out my Etsy Shop and see if there is a card there which will aid you in that endeavor. There is no greater compliment to a card artist than to discover someday that one of her creations was lovingly saved in some body's sock drawer for a very long time!
My first typing lessons were on an old black typewriter. You know the kind. It had high round metal buttons perched in such a way they it required brute force to push down and produce a letter on the paper in the carriage. I thought it was a thing of wonder. In my senior year of high school I was introduced to the "electric" typewriter and cautioned to keep my hands away from the speeding carriage or risk being maimed for life. We were not allowed to chew gum in class because the teacher swore that our chewing speeds match that of our typing and was objectionable to her.
Now I have this wonderful tool, the computer, to enhance my life in so many ways. And while I have been using computer software and "surfing the net" for some time now I am still amazed and delighted every day by the joy it brings to my life. Just the graphic software alone has given me so much creative freedom. And while it all is overhwhelming sometimes I continue to embrace the technology and get excited to learn something new every single day!
This week I got brave enough to re-open my Etsy Shop.
Moving from the East Coast to California has not been an easy adjustment for me. I tell myself that even taking baby steps is better than taking no steps. It is so much easier for me to design and create than it is for me to market. Slowly, I am learning,though, and I will succeed in understanding just what all these new words mean: web analytics, bounce rates, and filters. Some day I'll even be able to write html code!
