Create!

I'm having fun today playing with a site called Polyvore. I hope that you enjoy my whimsical piece of artwork. Have a great day.

Thrifting is Fun, and Smart

I have enjoyed perusing thrift stores wherever I am, and being a military wife, I've been able to check out quite a few. Part of the fun for me is finding a treasure - something special for my family or an object that has special significance in its uniqueness or charm. I proudly display several pieces of artwork that I have found thrifting. Thrift shops can be a great place to find frames. I will tape out the frame edge, gesso the painting surface, and voila! - a great new surface to play with.
Lately I have enjoyed following The Thrifty Chicks blog. It's such fun to see their finds and follow suggestions for reusing thrift shop treasures. If you are also a thrifting fan, go here to read about their idea for a USA Nation Thrift Store Month. Check out some of the other Month celebrations. Very interesting stuff.

Hope

Spring blossoms soon to come

Sweet fragrance in the air

Hope

The Lovely Daffodil

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850).

Butterflies Flutter By

I created this little mobile for one of the girls' bedrooms. It is very simple. It moves slowly with the any breeze. It's fun to lie underneath and watch it rotate.




Same butterflies, solarized. Cool effect.


If I had more time, I would love to try this. The bird mobile is AMAZING! Such talent.

Photo Day!

A beautiful canal in Brugges, Belgium. This is one of my favorite cities.




I took this photo in Speyer, Germany during a Weinachsfest (Christmas festival).



I enjoy decorating with birdhouses and birdcages. Twinkly lights also make me happy.




This little guy found the birdseed that I spilled from the feeder. He was kind enough to pose for a quick photo.

I was randomly scanning blogs and came across this cute questionnaire at Madrin Designs
and thought it would be fun to "reveal" a few fun things about myself.


1. What is my occupation right now? Stay at Home and Work Mom
2. What color are my socks right now? black
3. What am I listening to right now? Nothing - blissful silence
4. What was the last thing I ate? I AM eating Muesli as I type
5. Can I drive stick shift? Oh yeah! Fun, fun, fun
6. Last person I spoke to on the phone? My younger sister's answering machine
7. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Well, I "sent" this to myself, so, sure
8. How old are you today? Hmmm, to reveal or not? Let's say 40 something
9. What is your favorite sport to watch on tv? tennis
10. What is my fave drink? Fizzy Mineral water with tart bitter lemon - yummy
11. Have I ever colored my hair? Sure. It's fun to try different shades, but highlights look best
12. Favorite food? Just about anything Mexican, Italian, or Greek - oh, and ALL seafood
13. What was the last movie I watched? Bedtime Stories - super for adults and kids
14. Favorite day of the year? Christmas
15. How do I vent anger? deep breathing (and chocolate)
16. What was my favorite toy as a child? story books and crayons (not used together....)
17. What is my favorite season? at the end of the current season, it will always be the NEXT one
18. Cherries or blueberries? Blueberries
19. Living arrangements? Married with two wonderful daughters
20. When was the last time I cried? in the last two weeks
21. What is on the floor of my closet? Sweater boxes, shoes, carpeting
22. What did I do last night? House Hunters International, Larry King
23. What am I most afraid of? Something bad happening to my family
24. Plain,cheese,or spicy hamburgers? "I like mine w/lettuce and tomatoes, Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes..."
25. Favorite dog breed? We used to own a miniature dachsund
26. Favorite day of the week? Whichever is quiet and peaceful ( and somewhat productive)
27. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds
28. what is my fave flower? Daffodils - they smell heavenly

Have a great weekend!

Felted Wool Mittens

I have enjoyed making mittens this season from old wool sweaters. I came across the idea through some blogs. The feel and texture of working with felted wool is great! The process is fairly simple. One of my favorite pastimes is visiting thrift shops, so it is easy to find colorful and inexpensive wool sweaters. I wash them in warm soapy water and thenn put them in the dryer to felt. Afterward, I cut out the pattern that I want to use. The felted wool will not fray - so finished edges are optional. With mittens I generally just use a blanket stitch with some embroidery floss in a contrasting color. I like the homespun look this gives. If you want to try this, be sure and use sweaters that are 100% wool for the best results. Have fun!

Did Someone say SNOW?????

Hurray! We finally have a bit of snow in our forecast. It won't be much, but we are all excited. So, in honor of SNOW I will show you our little snowman "shrine." It's our last little bit of Christmas decor that stays through Winter.



Here are a few crayon-resist snowmen that Sarah did for me. I'm not the best photographer. My pictures really don't do her sweet paintings justice.
snow
snow
snow
snow
SNOW


snow

snow




snow


Time to whip up a few more pairs of mittens from recycled felted wool sweaters. I made several pairs for Christmas gifts. They are SOOOO warm and cozy. Hopefully I'll have some photos of them to share tomorrow.

Until then,
Shar

Look Out Below!

Hi! I completed a new post and it is showing up under 1/21 date. So, please go and see "An Interview - Trying Something New." Have a great day.

An Historic Day

Yesterday was a big day, for our nation and for our family. Our nation ushered in a new Presidency with Barack Obama's inauguration.
Eight years ago my little Sarah was born. We had such a wonderful day yesterday celebrating her. She is dear, special in so many ways, and such a character.
Happy Birthday, Sarah!

An Interview - Trying Something New

Hello, Friends. Relyn at Come Sit by My Fire was kind enough to send me some questions to answer about myself. I've never done this before, so I hope that you enjoy what I have to share. If you would like to be interviewed, then read the directions at the bottom of this post and attach a comment saying "Interview Me!"

1. You are new to blogging. Welcome. What was the final push that made you decide to join us in this wonderful blogiverse?

I have tried blogging before and was at a point in my life where I just didn't stick with it for very long. As much as I enjoyed reading others' blogs, I really had a hard time keeping up with my own. It was much more enjoyable for me to use my time reading about others and looking at all of the wonderful things being shared. So many inspiring ideas are always out there! Now, I am trying to open up and share. I'm finding that blogging is a great way to do that.

2. You and your family seem to have traveled with your daughters a lot. Please tell us the most challenging aspect of traveling with children. And, the most rewarding.

My husband is in the military which has given us the opportunity to travel - a lot! In the summer of '08, we returned to the States from two years in Germany. During that period we really did make the effort to travel as much as we could and show the girls Europe. My husband and I had lived in Europe for three years before, and now was the opportunity to revisit places and explore new scenes with the kids.
I would have to say the most challenging aspect of traveling with kids is making sure to weave in sights and experiences just for them. Some places just lend themselves to, say, visiting the cathedral or an art museum. Although my girls are wonderful travelers, they do have their limits of patience and attention span with the "adult" sights. My husband is especially good at researching places ahead of time and finding at least one or two things that will draw the children's interest. Flexiblity is also important. It's always a good idea to follow Plan A, but have Plans B and C just in case. Oh, for anyone planning a trip to a foreign museum, castle, or gallery, we hightly recommend spending the extra money to get the children their own audio self-guided tour handset. The kids get to push in #'s related to the exhibit they are looking at and can hear the information in their own language. That little bit of autonomy combined with busy-hands is amazing!
The most rewarding thing to me about traveling with children is seeing their reactions to new experiences. Seeing the world through my children's eyes refreshes the way I see things. I like that. I have also found that as we expose our children to more things, they in turn become more interested in the world around them. They want to get out and do more. They see and interact with people of other cultures. How great is that?


3. Speaking of traveling... What place is in first place on your "Gotta Get There" list? Why?

Wow, that's tough. Since we had lived in Europe before, I knew there were places that I wanted to get back to, and some that I had no interest in seeing again. We did get to some of the places that I wanted to visit, but not all. Right now, I would love to get to Maine. I have always wanted to visit the shore and woods there. For my entire life it has been South that we've traveled on family vacations, mainly to the Outer Banks of NC. I find the idea of visiting Maine with it's rockier coastline and trekking through the woods really exciting. Also, the Pacific Northwest is appealing.

4. You are an artist, a blogger, a wife, a mother, a world traveler, and the list goes on. How do you make time for painting among all your other commitments?

What a great question. Well, to be honest with you, I'm still working on that one! Besides painting, I love to do many other arts and crafts. The variety keeps me interested, but finding the time is always an issue. Really I don't do anything too complicated to make time. I try and keep a relatively simple schedule, logging on my calendar the "must-do's", and then work in some time for the artwork. That is not the most scientific of approaches, but then I'm a random kind of girl, so it works for me most of the time. I do some artwork for others and I try to keep that to a minimum. The artwork I enjoy the most is what I create because I desire to create it - for me.

5. You are an artist with an art teacher mother. How do you encourage artistic pursuits in your own daughters?

I think that it is important to be very open and accepting with kids and their creations. My girls see how I enjoy trying a wide variety of art styles and mediums. Often they want to help with my projects or make one of their own. I encourage this. Perfection is not the key here. The willingness to try, to explore, to create is most important. Often we find that our end product is not at all what we had set out to do, and sometimes that leads to frustration. This is when I try to be "open" with expectations and "accepting" that this is part of the creative process. Art (to me) is not about being exact. It's about enjoying the creating and being surprised at the outcome.
There are times when my children compare my work to their own. At times they might feel like what they have done is not good by comparison. This is when I point out that I have been doing artwork for a long time and that is not always to my advantage. Often the girls hear from me that I would LOVE to be able to create work like theirs - fresh, naive to some degree, uninhibited. Their interpretation of whatever we are working on is unique and special. It should NOT look like mine. :0)


Instructions

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).

3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Cinnamon Buns and Snowflakes

My oldest daughter got the "hankering" for baking cinnamon buns yesterday. We all got involved.


And, voila! Yummy cinnamon buns! They are sooooo good! Sticky and gooey - just right.

I saw some wonderful snowflakes at the tiny happy blog. They are so pretty in her windows. I wanted to share some that my girls and I did in December. We'll leave them up for awhile.

BRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, it's cold here today. I was bundled to take the kids to the bus this morning, and I now know that I must bundle more to go out and do errands. Really, when it's this cold there should be SNOW on the ground. I keep hoping for at least one good snow this season and so far - nothing. Well, as much as I would like snow (meaning - kids having a blast, sleds, hot cocoa, fire in the fireplace, friends tracking slush in the house, snowmen, cold fingers, red and runny noses, and did I mention kids having a blast?), I am beginnning to dream of warm weather again. I guess you could call me an all-season girl. I really enjoy the season that I'm in - for awhile, then I'm ready to move on. So, today I'm posting a painting I did of lovely fields of lavendar in warm and sunny Provence. One can dream!

Enjoy,
Shar

The Netherlands

I've been away for a few days from posting, and wasn't sure what to write about today. I've decided to share some photos from one of my favorite places in the Netherlands, Zaanse Schans. It is a wonderful museum that shows different periods of Dutch life along the Zaan. The Zaan is a small river not far from Amsterdam. There were once more than a thousand windmills situated alongside the Zaan, six of which can now be found at the Zaanse Schans: two oil mills, a mustard mill, a paint mill and two saw mills.





My family really enjoyed the windmills, especially the paint mill where the "ingredients" for paint color powders were milled. Another favorite was the clog factory. There was a fascinating demonstration of traditional clog-making, and then the craftsman whipped out a clog in a matter of minutes with modern machinery. We also saw cheese-making - both delicious smelling and tasting!




Okay, I personally found that my favorite experience at Zaanse Schans was early in the morning when we first arrived and parked. As we got out of the van I took a breath and decided immediately that I should live there! Do you know what I smelled?????
Chocolate! The breeze carried the smell from the cocoa factories in the area. This is what my heaven smells like. What a wonderful experience. Enjoy the photos.

Shar

Aaaarrrrgghhh there Matey!

I was just looking through some older photos and came across this one of my girls. Aren't they pirates to be reckoned with? This was a boat tour that we took in Salzburg, Austria.
Salzburg is a wonderful city to visit. You have Mozart's childhood home, the whole region is "The Sound of Music" land, the Salzburg castle is magnificent, and the oldest town area is so very picturesque. My husband and I had been there years ago with my oldest girl who was an infant at the time. It was really nice to go back with both girls. They really enjoyed all that Europe had to offer. I'll share more European photos another time. ****Shar****

Christmas is past, but.....

I haven't "de-decorated" my house from Christmas. The preparation takes so long, I want to enjoy it a little longer. Our wonderful tree has been a joy. It still is not dropping needles! I may have to leave it up until Spring. My girls decorated the door. It is a Winter scene with a snowman, a tiny sled with Santa being pulled by Rudolf, and a beautiful variety of snowflakes falling. I think they did a great job. Last, I want to share a little shot of the kitchen.

Have a great weekend.

Shar

Choices I've made

It is fun to create this new blog. I've made several choices about the layout that are special to me. I came across the gadget for the www.JustThinkArt.com site and had to add it. My mother, who passed away several years ago, was an art teacher. She always had around a lot of her students artwork. These pictures make me think of her and smile.

The visit counter at the bottom of my blog page makes me think of summer and catching fireflies. What wonderful memories. Also, my oldest daughter is fascinated with unicorns and I just look at the magical forest in the counter and the fireflies (or fairies?) drifting about and think that a unicorn is just about to walk through the trees. Dreamlike, I know, but fun nonetheless!

A short post, but I have to get the day going and kiddos up for school. Have a great day.

Shar

The first glimpse of me

Today was a beautiful day, but cold. I went for a wonderful walk and it felt good to get out. A week and a half with the kids home from school and I'm looking forward to some quiet time (i.e. - kids back to school).

I hope that you like the image I've chosen for my blog banner. It is a painting that I did from a photo. I don't even own a cat (but had one very similar to this when I was a child). The image just seems inviting to me - cozy, warm, peaceful. I will try and share some of my artwork periodically.

I hope that you take an opportunity to check out some of my favorite blogs. A few of them are from Scandinavia. Some of these have the text translated to English, but a few do not. I just love to look at the pictures. The Scandinavian interiors are so calm and warmly inviting. The photos of the outside are full of snow, woods, and a beautiful part of the world that I hope to visit one day. If you have a bit of time, check these out. I hope that you find them as remarkable as I do.

Bye for now,
Shar

New Year and a blog beginning

With this new year I want to try blogging. I really enjoy reading and looking at the wonderful photos on other blogs. I have no idea how often I will blog, but I hope to make this an interesting site for others to visit. With that, I will leave for now and attempt to add links to some of my favorite blogs.
Until later,
Shar