Merry Christmas!

Our tree is up, shopping done, gifts are wrapped.

Time to enjoy the Holidays.

Best wishes to all of you!

broken wing

This was the busiest autumn I have ever had.
My daughter and I booked into several art/craft fairs, meaning lots of painting, printing and framing.  I  helped her move into her dream house, a lovely Victorian built in 1891,
and helped pack up to move out of her former home.

My husband and I had a great trip to Maine with dear friends.
And, most wonderful of all, our son got married!

Everything was flying along right on a schedule when I slipped on my stairs while carrying boxes.  Down I went,THE WEEK OF THE WEDDING,and shattered my shoulder blade.

Yes, of course my right shoulder blade.

I made it through the Rehearsal Dinner and the beautiful wedding.

There I am with my trusty sling and my wonderfully helpful husband.

Surgery was the following week.  I now have a plate and screws holding me together.
While I can't paint for quite some time and have a lot of physical therapy ahead of me,
I am very grateful.
It could have been a lot worse.

One to Read

Heartbreaking...

Beautifully written.

I'm glad the house was quiet when I finished the book.

I needed time to let it all settle.

Humpback Whale

Humpback Whale Original Watercolor

 image size is 4" x 10.5

paper size is 11" x 15"

Something really different for me.  I suddenly had the urge to paint a whale.

I like to change what I do every so often.

Besides the subject matter, the paper is rough and the palette is minimal (only two colors).

The paper is a natural color, not the shadowy color in the photo.

In the middle of painting I thought "this is so enjoyable".

A few more will be joining this one.

my palettes

Laura posted her palettes last week.

I enjoy seeing watercolor artists' palettes and looking at their color choices.

These are my palettes, minus the mixing trays.

I have tried the big square palettes, but find I'm the most comfortable with these folding palettes.  

I used my label maker (with the plastic tape) to note the colors
 and then painted charts which I had laminated.

Click for a close-up.

We probably all use the same colors, but it's fun to take a look.

The Improbability of Love

Don't miss this one!

A woman suspects that the painting she purchased at a second hand store 

may be of importance.  The book is filled with art, intrigue, cooking and history.

I highly recommend!

new painting and Queen Victoria

in the shop

8" x 10"

Had a lovely workshop at the shore last week.

I misplaced the lighthouse photo I was going to work from so I looked at my Dropbox on the iPad. There was the winery in Chadd's Ford that I pass to go to Longwood Gardens.

My daughter has already beautifully painted this scene in pastels,

but I needed to get started in the class and my photo was there.

It was so much fun with all the greens!

So, another winery painting, different artist & different medium.

 

Just saw a preview for Victoria on Masterpiece PBS.

Looking forward to that one!

Call the Midwife

Call the Midwife is the one show that brings me to tears.

The season finale was another mix of joy and sorrow.

I love that show.

3 to go!

Our Etsy shop has 3 states to go!

Never did I imagine that our paintings, prints and photographs

would be in 47 states and on four continents!

We are patiently waiting for Delaware, Idaho and Wyoming to discover us ; )

Yesterday a dear person from South Carolina purchased a print

and the cheer sounded!

3 to go!

Have a wonderful Spring weekend!

listening to

The Marriage of Opposites

by Alice Hoffman.

I love listening to Alice Hoffman's books.

This was so interesting!

From St. Thomas to Paris, this book is about the life of the woman who was Camille Pissaro's mother.  Pissaro's work is among my favorites.  He is referred to as "The Father of Impressionism".

Etsy is unveiling a new look on April 5.

All shop owners were asked to update their banner and add a shop icon.

My new banner is above

 

 and I chose Amanda's portrait of Rocky for the shop icon.

I also tweaked the shop sections so everything we have is categorized.

Some prints can now be made into a 12" x 16" size.

Lots of work and organizing, but I'm proud of my little shop.

***From now through April 15, 2016 use the code newlook

for 20% off  any print or photo (originals excluded)***

Heartbroken

If you read my blog then you know I just adore my cats.

Buster was my very favorite of a long line of kitties in my life.

He was big, beautiful and the most gentle soul.

He passed away this week suddenly and I am just heartbroken.

It's so sad to lose a pet who is truly a member of the family.

I have been crying a lot and I am crying now.

Through the sadness though, there are wonderful things to remember.

He had the loudest purr of any cat I ever knew.

He was so sweet to people, even some strangers.

He liked our book club until we got noisy and then he would leave the room.

He loved to eat and sleep.

He shared his naps and meals with little Rocky.

He loved his big brother Jack.

He loved to go outside with Dad and Jack.
He liked to go "frogging" (he only watched, never hurt)

He liked to sit next to me on the sofa and did so on his last evening.

He loved to be brushed.

He loved his tummy rubbed.

He would carry a string in his mouth and sing loudly, often late at night.

He was silly and lovable.

He was our biggest cat ever.

He loved us for 8 short years and I told him I loved him every day.

We will miss him forever.

Sweet dreams Baby Buster.

I will hold you always in my heart.

read, read, watched

Still recuperating from foot surgery and getting a bit restless.

at least now I have a post-op shoe and can get around a little.

In the meantime, The Bee Cottage Story entertained me.

I love a peek into someone's home, really..who doesn't?

The Bee Cottage Story is just full of before and after pictures of

Francis Schultz's redo...of her life & cottage.

I saw this book mentioned in several recommendations on the web.

I will add mine, as well.  This is historical fiction, about two women and weaving two tragic events:

the fire of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 and the World Trade Center attacks. 
A beautiful scarf of marigolds floats through the story.  Clara is a nurse in the hospital on Ellis Island and Taryn works in a fabric store called the Heirloom Yard in Manhattan.

Loss, survivor's guilt and allowing happiness back into one's life are the themes.

I'm mentioning this one to my book club.

I missed this one in the theaters, but was happy to find it on HBO.

A British period piece, this film is set in the time of King Louis XIV.

Kate Winslet plays a landscape designer hired to work on one of the gardens at Versailles.

Hmmm.....really enjoying this leisure time!

A brief pause

Here I am...in bed for a week and another to go.

I needed foot surgery and what better time

to recuperate than winter!

The cats have been working in shifts to keep me company

and my husband has been waiting on me hand & foot 

(no pun intended!)

While I miss painting, dinners at a table and just being mobile,

I saw this as an opportunity for catching up on my

guilty pleasures and finding a few new ones.

Really enjoyed this one!  Very suspenseful right to the end. 

Mystery, Magic, Murder Plots & French Fans!

 I always love a new Ladies Detective Agency book! Just started this one.
Mma Precious Ramotswe is one of my favorite characters.  The books are gentle and charming.

I love Sherlock!  Where was I that I didn't follow this show from the beginning!?

Another one I missed!  Thank goodness for Netflix and lots of free time with an elevated foot!