the simple things

One of my favorite & most peaceful blogs to visit is Soul Aperture.
Christina writes the most beautiful words and just fills my heart
whenever I stop to visit.

Today, Christina is hosting "the simple things", inviting us to list
the little things we appreciate in our lives.
For every blog that participates, Christina & her family will generously
donate one dollar to Doctors Without Borders (max $250).

My Simple Things

looking at little cat faces
silky fur on my sweet Jack
pink toes on my sweet Buster
~
seeing the sunshine falling across my table
having a long quiet time with a cup of tea
watching birds at the feeder
~
reading a beautifully written book
reading a kind, thoughtful email
soaking in a warm bath
~
having a vase of flowers..real flowers
hearing the school bus go by (while I'm still in bed)
the quiet light early in the morning (when I get up before that bus rolls by)
~
peonies
irises
standing in a drizzly French garden with my daughter
~
opening a paintbox
dipping a brush into color
getting lost in a painting
~
movie popcorn
being with a good friend I've known forever
meeting new friends I'll never meet in person
~
talking about the day with my son
chocolate
blue and white anything
~
big snowflakes
soft rain
moonlight
~
seashells
sound of the waves
seahorses
~
the soft patina of vintage silver
hydrangeas
~
unexpected kindness
unexpected smiles


Wishing you a lovely day.

violets are blue

Roses are red
and violets are blue.
A happy Mosaic Monday
to you.
These are more violet,
rather than blue,
but hope for Blue Monday
that they will do.
Thanks for visiting today!

a book I love

This is my book club's selection for January.
It couldn't have been a better choice for curling up with a cup of tea.
My favorite quote from the book:
"Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books."

Don't miss this one!

Craft Hope for Haiti

I have donated my "Bluebird" print to the Etsy site
Craft Hope for Haiti.
All proceeds of the Craft Hope Etsy shop will benefit Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.
Please go shop for a good cause. You'll be getting a little bluebird of happiness
and helping a much needed cause.
update: my print has been sold, but there are many other
wonderful crafts for sale. The organizers have been working non-stop since
Friday and are nearing $10,000 in donations. Now, THAT'S inspiring!

Thanks, Mary for another wonderful Mosaic Monday &
thanks, Sally for Blue Monday.

Snowmen

I decorate my foyer table for holidays & seasons.
After packing away all the Christmas
boxes and cleaning my house, it's time for the snowmen.

I only have a small collection and plan on keeping it that way...
but some are hard to resist like these two.

...or these two. Look at the bird & nest on the little one's head!

I used to bring my collection to school when we made first grade snowmen.
Sometimes things happen...like a broken nose.

..and broken twig arms. Oh, dear.
They're just too cute to throw away, so noseless & armless they stay.

It's nice to see them out once a year.

but then I'm ready to pack them up as well.

Your days are numbered, happy snowman....

Valentine's Day is right around the corner.

Pink Tulips

Wow! I am really late on this one!
Happy Mosaic Monday on Tuesday.
I finished this painting last night, too late to take pictures.
Can you tell I want to fast forward to Spring?

I really love tulips & have so many photos to paint from.
These parrot tulips are painted in acrylics on a wrapped canvas.

Thank you for visiting today!
Now you can go to Mary's Little Red House to see many more mosaics.

a pink tulip

I'm posting today for Dee Dee's Art Work Friday.
Go visit Dee Dee to link up to more art posts.

I painted this little tulip awhile ago after seeing this photo on flickr:

I did get permission from the photographer. Since then,
I've tried to paint from my own pictures (of which I have hundreds!)
So many pictures to paint & time to do it! More of my paintings are here.
Thanks, Dee Dee!

Making a painting

Making a painting.....
a trip to a peony farm a few years ago..
a photograph..
time to draw all those petals..
a place to paint..
lovely quinacridone colors..
water that needs changing..
favorite brushes..
a long cold windy day.
Thank you for visiting.
Lovely mosaics to see at Mary's blog.

red parrot tulips

Something new... tulips in acrylic paints on wrapped canvas.
I've been having an urge to paint with acrylics for some time now.
So much fun to paint! The colors are rich & "sunny".
More acrylic paintings to come, I'm sure!