We made the Cover!

You know that we made the cover of Somerset Studio with out collaborative project don't you?! The photos that I am sharing aren't the most wonderful, it is dark again. . . {that's when I seem to have the time to sit down, sigh . . .} It doesn't appear that the next few days will give me any more time for this than I've had, so I decided to just go for it, and replace the photos later. You don't mind terribly, do you? {I have posted each artist's name and web link, if she has one, beneath the photograph of her work.}

Judy Bidwell

My Artistic Side

Milli Wagoner

sashagirl

Sue McPherson

Ada Pringle

&

Dede Warren

Dream, Create, Share

. . . the champion of our project . . . the one who conceived the idea, bound the finished projects, submitted it to Somerset . . . and generally acted as the catalyst to bring us all together . . . and . . . And . . . that is her work gracing the cover!

I still can't get a good photo of my page . . . glass, you know. . . glares something awful, and I . . . shooting directly under a bright lamp. Just sad results, really. But aren't the others lovely? Aren't the ladies terribly talented?
Each one of us has her own original copy.

Isn't this just the bestest!?

I promise. I promise! I will write this up properly, just the minute that I get a little rest. I promise!

Big Ol' Surprise on the Magazine Rack at Barnes and Noble

Do I ever have something to tell you!? So . . . there I was . . . wandering around Barnes and Noble . . . minding my very late Christmas shopping, and you know how it is . . . you'll see something kind of familiar out of the corner of your eye . . . and then you're drawn to it . . . and it's takes a moment before you're really aware that you're seeing what you're seeing? Okay . . . are you there? Do you feel it? So now, you let your mind wander over to . . . where you've seen that image before, and when you come to . . . you realize that you're looking at the new Somerset Studio and you're in it!

Sort of, anyway. {My blog address is.} Last Summer, Dede Warren invited me . . . and a few other women to work on a collaborative art project, which she ultimately submitted to Somerset Studio, and they picked it up! However; my submission ended up on the cutting room floor . . . so to speak. ah, well . . . ah, well.

Oh, wait! I didn't mention . . . that's our project . . . ON THE COVER!

The other talented ladies, though, are represented pretty well . . . and I, in my never ending public service mode, will share with you, my photos of the entire project.

Unfortunately, I have a new computer . . . that's not the unfortunate part . . . that's actually the good part . . . but unfortunately, the photos that I have taken of our project are on my old one, the one with the cracked mother board . . . let this be a lesson to you to back up your photos. {grin} I'll have to take new ones, and share them with you tomorrow! I hope you can contain your excitement! {Just kidding, you know} There isn't enough light tonight to photograph without flash . . . largely because it's dark. {smile} {It is almost 1:00 AM}

In the meantime, the beautiful and talented ladies involved in this project are:

Dede Warren ~ Dream Create Share

Judy Bidwell ~ My Artistic Side

Milli Wagoner ~ Sashagirl on flikr

Sue McPherson

Ada Pringle {sorry, these last two ladies aren't bloggers}

Now that I can talk about it . . .I would like to publicly thank all of the ladies involved. I LOVE my book. I will cherish the memories of the process forever! Thank you Dede, for inviting me. I promise, if you ever invite me again . . . I'll do a collage. {Grin}

Merry Christmas to All!

The Christmas Tree in our guestroom.

Our guest room has been named by our Grandsons. The proper name is "The Museum". When bedrooms started to empty out around here . . . I had a plan for the perfect room. It had to serve as a guest room, because occasionally the original occupants return. {Big Smile}

My vision was formed from childhood memories of wonderful literature. Didn't every child in every book have: 1) a window seat in which to curl up with a book? 2)a wealthy benefactor with a gorgeous and well stocked library? 3) an intensive education in all the things of nature?

The book shelves in our guestroom are filled with those things of nature and my favorite books, most of them written around the last turn of the century, almost all written before it was half over. There are bird nests, wasp nests, bird eggs, sea shells, preserved butterflies, petrified wood, a couple of rocks and a fossil. {You understand the name, now.}

There are precious toys, like a xylophone, jack in the box, teenie little tea sets, and other things that make it onto my "Special" meter. Nothing is off limits. It's a place for exploration, and understanding, and touching. And of course, there is a window seat. My goal was an idyllic setting for imagination, study and precious reading time. I think it is quite the happiest place in our home. I know three little boys who would agree.

The room is painted the loveliest Robin's Egg Blue. One day our daughter showed our little library to a girlfriend, and I thnk I will hold her reaction in my heart forever. She said, "I think it's even easier to breathe in here."

The original occupant will be making a return visit with his bride in a few days . . . I hope they approve.

Midnight Madness . . . the way I do it

If you've read my blog recently, you might recognize my new end table. Right. Over there. Next to the fireplace. I have owned the components forever, most of them anyway, and I have used them now as props for two recent boutiques. I love it. So why do I bring all of the pieces home and store them? I ask you? This time, I mustered the courage to actually put them in my living room.

What do you think of the result? I kinda like it. I would like to point out, and I may have written about this before, but it bears repeating . . . that was a plain old, tract house brick fireplace with a puny little, slightly raised, brick hearth I was worried about children falling on the bricks, and I really, really, really disliked the fireplace. Really. My wonderful husband built what you see today.
The travertine is just flat . . . you know, floor level. The pillars were once just one antique pillar {that we found at an architectural salvage place}. A cabinet maker friend helped my wonderful husband make it into two pieces, and the rest, as you see, is just gorgeous! It is my favorite part of the entire house.
{You're right. There is no wood in there. I live in a nanny state, and we weren't allowed to burn wood today, even though the temperature topped out at something like 38 degrees. Just too, too, cold. I burned the gas.}

So here it is, the middle of the night, and I was suddenly inspired to put my room together, you know play dress up, like trying new jewelry with an old dress.

We haven't decorated for Christmas yet. My husband's a firefighter. We have a tree for a two week maximum, before Christmas. And we select it together, the whole family, if possible . . . so it's good if we're both home on tree selection day. So far, within our two week window of opportunity, we have had either one of us, or neither at home. Tomorrow looks like it might be the day. {Unless, for some reason he has to work. Happens kind of a lot.}

So, until the red and green comes in, we're still nice, comfy, warm, winter colors . . . green, taupe {sepia, really} . . . . and I do so love it . . . for some reason . . . especially tonight.

{ This is what became of the table that I replaced.}

Artsy Girls Boutique

I promised to share photos of the boutique. The first photo shows a lot of the things that I made. In spite of myself, I don't have pictures of everything. Can't imagine how that happened.

This painting is the work of my very own lovely and talented daughter, Nevertheless, Elizabeth.

The vintage clocks and sign letters that didn't sell will be for sale on Daughter's Etsy page within a few days. You'll wanna snag those.

Love the Children's Table!

Do you love these scarves? The ones that didn't sell will be for sale in a chic little shop in San Francisco in a week or so.

Hand painted matryoshka dolls, also by Nevertheless, Elizabeth.

. . . actually, I bought this set. :)

But look at this set! Oh my goodness! Okay, I'm her Mom, but the girl knows what she's doing!

The adorable knitted baby accessories, were designed and hand knitted {naturally}, by my lovely daughter-in-law. {interestingly, also an Elizabeth, hence, my occasional use of the expression "the Elizabeths". Now, you know what it means}

Oh, my Goodness! The jewelry! Fully half of our sales were the handmade jewelry!

Oh, I do wish you could have been there!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . .

In varying stages of completion . . .

I offer you . . .


Proof!


{ That I'm working on goodies for the boutique this weekend!}