a local adventure

Have you ever realized that some of the greatest places to explore are right out your backdoor? Yesterday a friend and I ventured about 15 minutes north into Kentucky to visit a few really cute towns. Our first stop was Elkton, Kentucky, population 2,000,  where we discovered a real town square with some cute botiques and cafes. People instantly knew we weren't from around these parts with our Northern accents. We then grabbed a cheese burger at a local burger stand called the Dairy Mart. It was a good old fashioned greasy delicious meal. We both can't wait to bring our husbands there on Bike Night where all the bikers gather for a night of food and festivities. 

Next we ventured into Fairview where we saw the Jefferson Davis Monument. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jefferson Davis. He was the first and only "President" of the confederate states. Right next to the monument we visited a mennonite greenhouse and produce shop.  There were baskets and baskets of gorgeous flowers spilling over. The produce was fresh and bright and tastes wonderful as well! Here is a pic of the flower basket I purchased. 

I wish I had more photos to show you but I didn't remember my camera! Have a lovely Sunday!

flowers and no time

So sorry I've been absent from my blog lately!!

I have been "interning" at the flower shop. As the owner says she cannot afford to pay me or put me on the schedule yet until I am able to do more things on my own. She also has full time workers so for now I am just listening, learning, and smelling (the flowers that is). I think I am getting the hang of it. I saw one of the bouquets that I designed for the front case sell today and I was so excited! I can see myself owning my own shop someday. On the flip side, my artwork production has taken a slide. I have lots of ideas brewing in my head and no time to bring them to fruition. Sunday will be a day o' art-making. Alright off to sleep!

~me

i like projects

I'm a project person. It seems like I always have five things going on at one time! Although my husband is extremely handy and talented, he is gone a lot for work, so he is not always around to get things done that I would like done. I decided I wanted to get my deck stained. It had never been stained/sealed before and was starting to look grey. I chose a tinted stain called redwood and it looks really nice. On the first day I could only get half of it done and once the rain decides to stop I will be able to get the other half. 

I was able to go to the flower shop on Friday and Saturday for training. I never knew how much went into running a flower shop! So much to learn and do. I learned how to make corsages and boutonnieres for a wedding which was super fun. I also learned the art of bow making.  I just loved being there and can't wait to go back this week. 

Yesterday I painted the entryway in my house (I told you I have five things going on at once). I used the same grey blue color that is in my hallway and living room. It makes my whole home feel more finished. I would really love to find a black entryway bench with storage baskets underneath to put in there. I know I saw one at Hobby Lobby a while back. I wonder if they still have it? It also needs some artwork. I will show you a picture when I am finished. Today I hope to get the house clean so that the rest of the week I can make some artwork and relax.

Enjoy this memorial day. Thank you soldiers!

Updates

First Update: 

So the other day I was walking through my yard after mowing my lawn when all of a sudden I kicked something up from under my foot. It was the toad! The same toad from this post. I instantly stooped down to see if he was okay and he appeared to be alive and breathing. After all the trouble I had trying not to mow him over, he just had to be in the way! I was mad at him for not moving.  I mean seriously! I have saved him at least two other times so the least he could do is move to a lower traffic area. 

Second update: 

I recently wrote to Kohl's asking them if they recycled their hangers or not when a cashier told me that they just tossed them in a dumpster. I received a nice response saying that they do recycle them. I am very happy about this because I enjoy going to kohl's and now my mind can be at ease when I buy a new shirt. I have started recycling consistently about a year ago. It is great because I  only have one bag of actual trash (things I cannot recycle) to dispose of each week. Which makes me wonder if I should just get rid of my big garbage bin outside and just bring my trash to the recycling center with everything else? 

Third update: 

I may have a part time job working at a flower shop! This is really exciting for me because if you have seen my artwork  you will know I LOVE plants, flowers, and bright colors. I also love learning new things. I can imagine designing beautiful bouquets and arrangements for weddings and events. Sometimes I think I have too many interests and that I should just focus in on one thing, but life is too short not to try everything out. I just love being alive and I want to feel and do it all! Kind of like that song by Feist I Feel It All. 

Peace out and see ya tomorrow!

I feel light on my feet

Hi friends

Did you all have a good weekend? I really enjoyed mine! I did some bike riding, ate dinner with friends, saw a bluegrass band in downtown Clarksville, and started running again. I have been a runner all through high school through college and up to now. When I started experiencing allergy problems this spring I had to stop running for a while until I could figure out what kind of medicines/inhalers worked best. Now I am happy to say that I am back at it and it feels GOOD! Running gives me a kind of freedom in my spirit that makes me feel like I can do anything. It must be the release of endorphins and sweating out the toxins. 

I also made some new artwork just for myself. I might work on it some more but I wanted to share what I have so far. It's called Where I've Been and Where I'm Going. It is a mixed media piece that shows maps of the places I have lived: Minnesota, North Carolina, and TN. My feet, the tree, and the sky represent where I am going.  Here is a close up of the the quote in the middle of it which says:

"Far away in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them. But I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

-Louisa May Alcott

Now I'm off to run errands, feed the neighbor's dog, and pick up more canvases to paint paint paint! Hope Monday is a Funday for you!

Thursday Things: Hello Yellow

For those of you stopping by my blog for the first time I have a series I do every week called Thursday Things. I call it that because I like to feature "things" that either catch my eye, inspire me, that I would like to buy, that I admire...etc.  The majority of the time I like to feature Etsy sellers because their items seem to be the most unique and inspiring to me.  Plus I'm sure they appreciate a little advertising as well. But Thursday Things is not limited to Etsy items. I like to keep it broad just in case ;)

It has been raining here for like an entire month. I think that is why I am craving bright sunny yellow.

This dress by stephanieteague is super cute and would make me feel like a super hero if I could wear it. 

These small yellow fade bowls by upintheairsomewhere are made from paper mache. They look as if they are made of porcelain. So beautiful and delicate!

This lemon zest necklace by luxedeluxe would be a great accessory to add that pop of color to an outfit. 

I whole heartedly agree with this print by paperfunkpress.

Last but not least...I have created a set of cards based on my Yellow Bird print. Now available here.

in the fishbowl

I am so excited to announce that I will be taking part in an e-course called In the Fish Bowl: Life as an Artist Online through Creative Thursday's Marisa Haedike. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this artist. She is a source of inspiration for many artists starting out and also an inspiration to those who love and buy her creations. If you are an artist who sells your work online, I highly recommend that you sign up for her course. The price is reasonable and I think it is going to be an inspirational and informative journey. The course starts June 18 and lasts for six weeks. It will be a great way to learn how to market yourself and how to make your vision a reality. 

Leap after Leap

This is a note to myself and to you to remind us that it's ok to not know what the heck is going on. I have these days where I feel these bouts of inspiration and I like sharing them here. I hope you don't mind and that you don't think I am crazy.

 

I think the left part of our brains are so obsessed with timelines, answers, conclusions to the problem, creating problems, solving, solving, searching, re-evaluating, and controlling,  that it clouds our souls quite a bit! This part of our brain is necessary in order to survive and to live in this world but I favor the right side myself. To nurture the right side is to acknowledge the fun, spontaneous, creative side of yourself. It makes living a whole lot o' fun. I like saying that "lot o' fun. 

You have to make an effort to use this side of the brain. Your left brain may resist at first, but just ignore it. It is merely scared that you will now be able to control it. It also takes practice, so my suggestion is that you do one spontaneous or creative thing a day in order to build confidence. Here is a list of things I like to do to nurture this side of myself.

1. Get on your bike and go pick up a friend. Ride bikes through the neighborhood like you are kids again. Find a sweet jump. Jump it (only if you have a helmet on).

2. Collect treasures on a walk. This can be anything from rocks to bugs, to small forgotten plastic toys. Think about the life this treasure had before you found it. 

3. Have a fire in your backyard or a friend's. What could be more spontaneous than fire? Tell ghost stories.

4.  Go galavanting around town with no particular purpose. Buy a cream slush at sonic. Yum! or go to your craft store and buy a new art tool to play with. 

5. Make something. I don't care if you are not a so called "artist". Find some magazines, old photos, maps, and cut interesting shapes out. Make a postcard/collage out of it and send it to someone. If you are too embarrassed of how it looks, send it to me. I can appreciate it! 

6. Ok this is a sappy one but I really believe it: Continually notice the beauty around you (Note: ignore garbage in the street and mean people). Also remember that we are a part of this universe, not separate from it. 

7. Laugh. Laugh at yourself. Call up your funniest friend and laugh together. This is my favorite thing to do. 

8. Take lots of pictures. Of everything, anything. Don't ask me why. It is just a fun thing to do. 

Have a splendid Wednesday and don't forget to watch the season finale of LOST!

-me

Feeling Refreshed

~ cool sticks in colorado ~

Top of the morn' to you!

I had a much needed break from my computer and now I feel refreshed in my mind and heart. I am so happy to be here with you my blogging friends :)

Here is a snippet of my weekend: 

* went to a friend's house where we ate tacos and went through her box of old school cd's and had fun singing and dancing to nsync and the backstreet boys!

* Saved yet another frog mowing my lush green lawn. I swear it looked like the same one I saved a few weeks ago. 

* drank lots of dunkin' donuts coffee and made Special K bars

* Received a beautiful work of art from this artist. I entered a giveaway she had on her site a few weeks ago and won. She has a beautiful etsy shop and blog. Check it out! Thanks Sarah :)

* Went to Kohls and purchased a few shirts. The cashier told me they just throw their hangers away! I was so upset about this that I emailed the company. I found out that they have a green initiative and discovered that they do recycle some hangers, but I am unsure if this is happening in every store or all states. Here is the site. I will let you know what they say to me when they email back. 

* Watched Dancing with the Stars last night and I'm thinking that Melissa is the most talented of the dancers.  What do you think?

I hope you have a great Tuesday and remember that......

"Every morning when we wake up, we have twenty four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift!" 

-Thich Nhat Hanh

Dear Mom

I am thankful that god made you my mom because I couldn't imagine having anyone else as my mom.

I think you are one of the least judgmental person(s) I have ever known which is a quality I am always working on

You have a kind heart and everyone who meets you wants to be your friend.

You are always there to listen when I am upset, sad, mad, happy, and excited even though we live far away from each other.

When I was very little I always told my friends that I thought you were the most beautiful mom in the entire world. I still think so. I remember wishing I had blonde hair like yours. 

You had me at a very young age which must have been difficult. Thank you for taking care of me and helping me grow into such a cool person! 

Thanks for all the times you put up with me in the mornings when I wanted to pick out my own outfit and do my own hair for school. I know I must have looked really crazy some days going to kindergarten. 

Thanks for teaching me to appreciate nature and the little things.

Thanks for being understanding and supportive in every decision I have made so far.

Sending love from TN to MN  on this Mother's Day 

xoxoxox,

~me

Technology Break

the top of my little sugar maple tree

Rhododendron plant that I bought last year that had no flowers and this year much to my surprise it is blooming these gorgeous purple blossoms!

Dear friends from afar,

I am signing off for the weekend and taking a break from my computer. As much as I love the world wide web, I also enjoy being in the world of non-web. I have some household projects that need to be  finished and I also want to spend some time in nature. I might even go fishing tomorrow if it doesn't rain. It has been raining here in Tennessee for the last couple weeks and I am hopeful that it will be sunny at least one of the days this weekend.  On the bright side, I haven't had to water my garden or my flowers :)

I hope you find some time to do something you enjoy this weekend and I will be back on Monday energized and ready to blog to the best of my ability!

-me

Allergies

I have never been told by a doctor in my entire life that I am allergic to anything. After struggling the last couple months with breathing I was referred to an allergy/asthma specialist to get things checked out. 

So today I  had an allergy scratch test done on my back, where they scratch all sorts of allergens into your skin and watch for the reactions.  Out of the 48 different things that were pricked into my skin I am allergic to 40 of them.  At the top of the list: Dust Mites, Cats and Dogs, Various Trees, Weeds, and Grasses.  So basically everything. Oh, except horses (don't ask me why they tested that one on me!). 

So basically I need to sell my cats and get a horse, pour concrete over my grass, buy a hepa-filter, dust and vacuum constantly, and never go to anyone's house considering they will probably have a dog or cat. Or....the doc says I can kick the cats out of my bedroom and just take medicines and inhalers so I can go on with my life. I choose option two since I'm sure you all know I could never ever in a billion years get rid of my cats :)

Has anyone else developed allergies in adulthood? This is just too crazy for me to understand. I have a bunch of brochures that the doctor gave me which will probably help me gain a better understanding of it all. I know that the allergens in the air cause my airways to get inflamed making it hard to breathe and the sensors in my nose tell my lungs not to breathe in the invading particles. Craziness!

Tea Time

Here is a new painting I've been working on called Tea Time now available in my shop. I am discovering how much I love doing mixed media paintings. There is so much freedom and fun involved. One of the most rewarding parts of it is not knowing how the final product may turn out. Now I leave you with a quote that can be applied in most areas of life, not just art. I hope you have a non-manic Monday!

 "If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head almost nothing." 

- Marc Chagall

a little saturday night poem

A Poem About Laundry

the dryer

full of whites

tumbles soft

then hard as it rolls into one ball

I fear

a cat is inside

but no cat

just sheets and towels...

white

by: me