I love the color combo of green and pink. This rose bush is no exception. This is the very first rose bud of the year. I'm sharing this photo with you now, because in another week or so I'll take another picture to share, when the entire thing is filled with pink pretties so you can watch it grow right along with me!

This year I'm starting a garden journal to document all the trees, shrubs & flowers in the yard. I want the journal to be a combo of writing (inspirational quotes, notes on what perennials come up when and where, and misc. tips on pruning and care), along with photos taken throughout the year and some sketches of flowers. Carefree little watercolours and ink drawings mixed in. A creative garden journal.

A short list of things growing:
* Pink Peonies
* Japanese Spirea
* Lilac Bushes
* Walnut Tree
* Astible
* Hostas
* Jack in the Pulpit
* Columbine
* Lily of the Valley
* Lady's Mantle
* Allium
* Oriental Poppy
* Dahlias
* Arborvitae
* Blushing Bride Hydrangeas
* Lamium White Nancy
* Yews
* Moneywort
* Sweet Alyssum
* Dianthus Firewitch
* Red & Pink Geraniums
* Vinca Vine
* Lamb's Ear
* Silvermound
* Yellow Bearded Iris

... and many more. Whew, now to get them all into my journal...

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Right now...

* Feeling small in nature
* Not letting allergies get in the way of walking in the woods
* Flip flops everyday
* These creamy, yummy soaps
* Crawfish Etouffee in the middle of a cornfield
* Purple Columbine
* Napping in the backyard
* The art of Stas Orlovski
* The Riches on FX
* Doggie DNA Testing
* Avocados
* Getting my bicycle back from a tune-up

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Living in the "country" has its perks. Of course there is the minimal traffic congestion. The charm of having smiling shop owners who greet you by name. Then there are the sounds of nature. Granted we live in town, with neighbors all around, but the sounds of the birds and the frogs and the buggies make it feel like we are far away. Sitting outside in the grass as the sun is setting, hearing all the creatures around makes me feel like I am truly home.

What does home sound like to you?

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what tomorrow holds for me. Not tomorrow literally (I already know what I've got planned for Saturday - an awesome day out with my Mom), but more so what is in store in the near future. Where will I be? What kind of illustration jobs will I have? Will I have any illustration jobs? Will I be able to handle my work? Do I have the strength?

These questions, I'm not letting them take over, but every once in awhile they will pop into my head and then I find myself scrambling to find some sort of crystal ball that will hold the answers. So far the crystal ball has been very foggy and white. I try to squint to see past that, but it only hurts my eyes. That is when the realization hits, the answers I want are not somewhere out there to find, they are inside. I just need practice on how to dig deep and find them because we are in charge of creating our own future. Just need to dig a little deeper...

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Well it is a little too early for flowers around here. My yellow daffodils bloomed, but soon slumped over due to the drop in temperatures. And today I awoke to a winter wonderland.

The weather service calls this light snow but I beg to differ. This morning, driving in the dark to work, the roads were completely covered in a blanket of white and you could not tell the roads from the fields. The closer to town, the better the roads got as there is more traffic and congestion to wear away at the "light snow" that covers the road. But when I cannot drive over 40mph without sliding off the road, and when I can barely see several feet in front of my car and the wind is whipping white stuff around in the darkness, I don't call that light. It is really beautiful though, the way the flakes hit your windshield in the early morning darkness. When it is so black out and the flakes look so white, it feels like you are in outer space and those are little stars and your car is a spaceship flying through it all.

During my week off for our home project marathon, we found a little time to wander down to my favorite garden shop. While it has not been the kind of weather for flowering lovelies yet, there were quite a few other garden related treasures there.

Pretty soon, beautiful blooms will be mixed in with all these garden treasures and make everything come alive.

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

The last week has been spent getting propped up top of ladders, crouched down on the floor in tight spaces, hovering over saw horses & tripping on gallons of joint compound and power tools. From sun rise to (well past) sun set we worked diligently on our living room and surrounding areas.

I have to tell you, the feeling of working until the point of exhaustion, where you start to giggle and get dizzy and nearly fall over because you have stretched every fiber in your body to their max, is the best feeling ever. The feeling of stopping and taking a shower (feels like the best shower in your life!) and then collapsing under the clean sheets & soft down comforter with the love of your life and your furry companion... it feels like heaven.

Having my muscles ache, and my hands so cramped that it is impossible to hold a toothbrush makes me feel alive. It gives a sense of empowerment, a point of perspective and a great satisfaction of achievement. At the end of the day, I don't want to complain about sore shoulders and headaches from too many fumes. I want to celebrate it.

Lots got done during the week our house was turned upside down. Still lots to do but that leaves something to look forward to. The picture above is of a wallpaper pattern that was underneath a few layers of paint. It is one of my favorites that we've found so far. Even though a lot of the color has been lifted away, exposing the brown paper underneath, you can still tell that it was a lovely white and blue design at one time. I'm not the only one fascinated with photographing old wallpaper. A quick search on Flickr shows that there are 2,418 photos with tags matching "old" and "wallpaper". Lots of lovely patterns from the past, encapsulated in layers of paint. I'll post some photos of what I've been working on... soon...

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

The best thing about spring, is when you slowly wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside. We went to the home store and got a new copper bird feeder to hang for them, as a way to welcome them back.

It is very wet outside, the ground is like a sponge. My daffodils and lilies are already starting to pop up through the dirt. Last weekend I cut back some of the plants in the yard, getting ready for the new shoots to appear. We are finally able to open our windows after all those winter months. The air smells different. That distinct scent that I wish you could capture in a bottle and save. It is a calming feeling knowing that the weekend is here and that we can enjoy all of this. Hello spring.

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

When I logged into my shop the other day, I noticed something called "Etsy Mini" which is this little widget you can place on your website that displays the currrent inventory of your shop. Neat, huh?

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Imagini uses images to create a personality profile. You simply click on the images that you are drawn to, that most represent the question being asked. A fun little 5 minute break, different than your usual personality quiz!

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Week Two:
Cumin Spiked Hummus

4 garlic cloves
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons + 1 tsp olive oil
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans (drain and save liquid)
1/4 cup tahini
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
6 dashes hot pepper sauce

1. Saute garlic and onion in 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small saucepan, until translucent. Transfer to food processor and blend with remaining olive oil and additional ingredients.
2. If mixture is too dry, add liquid from garbanzo beans until consistency is creamy. Sample some, and add more hot sauce to taste.
3. Serve with warm pita bread or raw veggies.

My thoughts:
You can really taste the cumin above all other flavors. Good recipe, and I'd make again, but still not quite what I'm looking for. Next time I am going to try something with pinenuts or kalamata olives. Something to add some different flavors.

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Earthworms usually hide underground during the day time, while the hungry birds fly parallel to them, waiting for the next rain or night time when they come up. When I was little, I'd take earthworms and tie them around my wrists and pretend they were bracelets. Bug jewelry. Disclaimer: No earthworms were hurt during this (I hope). They would usually wiggle their way free, and I'd put them back into the dirt.

You know how during the summer rains, the worms come out of the ground and end up on the concrete sidewalks and driveways? And if it is a really hot day, too often the sun will quickly dry up the sidewalk and the worms will not make it back to the dirt. Sometimes I throw them back into the grass so that they have a better chance, that is if the birds don't get them.

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

Last month during our ski trip, we went here and they had the most amazing hummus. Being inspired by this, I've made it my month's mission to make a new hummus recipe every week for the month of March, and post the recipes & photos to share with you here every Friday. During the last week, I will take my knowledge from all the other recipes I've tried and create my own concoction. If you would like to play along, join me! You can make the same recipes that I'm making, or try and rate your own. These recipes take less than 10 minutes to make, only a few dollars worth of ingredients & will keep in the fridge all week to snack on!

Week One:
Green Chili Hummus Dip

1 (16 oz.) can chickpeas, washed and drained
1 (4 1/2 oz.) can of chopped green chiles
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lime, juice of
1 clove garlic
salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper

1. Put all ingredients in blender or processor and mix until smooth.
2. Serve with chips or toasted pita wedges.

My thoughts:
After I got over the fact that this recipe called for no tahini (gasp!), I enjoyed it. It had a little zippy-ness from the green chiles and the flavor of the chickpeas really came through. You could tell that there was no tahini in it, but was still pleasant and a bit different than your usual hummus.

I will post a photo of this week's hummus as soon as I find my memory card!

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]

My sketch, a work in process.

I don't post sketches enough. When looking at other artist sites, I love to see the different stages in their work. This is what I call a secondary sketch. Usually I start with a really rough (read: ugly) sketch in my big green sketchbook. Then if I like the general idea, I will go ahead and do a more refined one on nicer handmade paper. Usually my secondary sketches are what ends up in my finished illustrations.

I'll post the finished one soon! It is called "Listen to Nature". The finished illustration will most likely end up as a print in my shop... I am going to be adding new stuff all week as I've finally found a printer that I'm happy with that does good, small run canvas prints.

Happy March!

[ Posted by Beth ] [ ]