~ Green Glorious Green ~

I spent some time this week in the Great Northwest.Oregon, to be exact.

I fell in love with the landscape there.

I was facinated by the moss.  Moss is not shy about showing her colors.

The views were stunning.

The sky ... amazing.

I'm not gonna lie.  Blue may be my favorite color, but Green sure gives her a run for her money.

~ Ocean Inspiration ~

I am always on the lookout for inspiration for my Sea Quilts.  And I find it in some interesting places.  Just yesterday I was at my FedEx place and on my way to drop something off, saw this card for sale.  It very literally stopped me in my tracks.  It's a painting by Ching Walters.  It definitely inspires me.

These next two came from one of my very favorite inspiration blogs, Completely Coastal.  She often features the work of coastal artists. I pin off her frequently.

This one is 3-dimensional art from ... Home Goods.  It hangs in my studio, pretty much right above my head as I am typing this.

The translation from inspiration to product is not always straight across.  My crabby friend inspired me to make this crabby quilt.

All of these things make me happy.  Not Crabby.
How about you?

Linking to:
Common Ground
Open House Party
Potpourri Friday
Air Your Laundry Friday

~ Holiday Glass ~

I am very lucky to have some very thoughtful children who are also creative. 

For this past Christmas, they banded together and gave me a lovely gift card to ... you guessed it ... Anthropologie.

It was very important to me to really think it through and get the most bang for my buck.

First on the list ... perfume.  Or as we have always called it in our family ... "smelly stuff". The aquisition of my new collection of scents took a couple of months in two different cities.

A few months after that ... with springtime clearly in the air ... I set out to finish my "Christmas Shopping".

I picked out these three mercury glass jars.

I absolutely cherish them.

Not nearly as much as I cherish those children, however.

So let me be the last person to wish you a Merry Christmas ... from last year.

Does anyone else still have a gift card hanging around?

Linking to:
Creative Me!
Love Life & Hiccups
Boogie Board Cottage

~ St. Patty ~

This weekend we are celebrating all things Green.  And rainbows and leprechauns. And Lucky Charms cereal.  I have lots to celebrate on St. Patrick's Day every year, but I wanted to start out by celebrating a rainbow of colors ...

... in thread. 

I had purchased some bins to help to organize what can only be described as a chaotic web of color and string in my studio. 

I separated the shiny threads from the not-shiny's.
My camera was drawn toward the shiny's.

 

 

 

All right!  Here is a before picture of the chaos.  Let's just say that a year ago when I moved in there was some purpose here, but I can't exactly remember what it was. 

Here is the finished product with all the little soldiers in a row and ready for action.

Thirty (some-odd) years ago, I celebrated St. Patty's by giving birth to daughter #2. Let's just say I wasn't looking my best and I didn't think I cared. 

That is until the nurse shift changed and in walks my new friend ... a darling red-head sporting this button on her nurses uniform.

I gave my husband a look that said  ... uh, don't ... and he went back to coaching my breathing.

When our little "Irish" girl was born, we took turns kissing her.
Happy Birthday to Mrs. Gee!

I am honoring the day in rainbow colors!

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays
Open House Thursdays

~ She Sells 'Em ~

She frames 'em.

She sews 'em.

She displays 'em.

She collects 'em.

She photographs 'em.

She color-coordinates 'em.

She walks on 'em.

 

She reads about 'em.

She absolutely loves 'em.

Shells.  Coming to a seashore near you.

Linking to:
Creative Me!
Life, Love & Hiccups
Cowgirl Up!
Coastal Charm
Boogie Board Cottage

~ Coral Singing ~

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the last quilt blocks I have that were "born" in Arizona.  I basically started this hand-appliqued project as something to keep me busy while my house was for sale and I couldn't have any water spots on the faucets let alone a sewing room that dripped chaos.

My house sold in 5 short weeks ... but at the time those weeks seemed really long.

So now I have one last block to finish the hand work on and then I'll put them together.  As a hand-applique project, all the bumps, nooks and crannies of coral make it very forgiving.

Oddly enough ... I think I'll be sad when it's done.

Linking to:
Open House Thursdays
Common Ground
Freckled Laundry
Feathered Nest Friday

~ Polka Dots in Nature ~

I really do love polka-dots.

I see them everywhere!

Linking to:
Creative Me!
The Girl Creative
Coastal Charm