My (secret) Hermes Scarf

I received the Hermes Scarf as a present about 10 years ago. Yes, I've had it for 10 years and before this weekend I only wore it once. It was a Christmas present and I clearly remember how I felt about it - stunned! Of course I loved it, the orange box, the brown ribbon with Hermes woven into it and even the Christmas sleeve that covered the box and ribbon. It was like winning the lottery. But I only wore it once because it didn't go with anything that I owned and it's 100% silk. What if something happened to it? I couldn't take the chance that it might get wet, soiled, or snagged on something. So for 10 years it's been tucked safely in its box and protective sleeve. Occasionally I would take it out, look at it, and then carefully return it to the safety of its box.  I never told anybody about it, the secret scarf. We recently went to a birthday celebration in Westport. I noticed that there were a lot of women wearing big scarfs and I realized that my scarf would match my new jacket. After 10 years it finally went with something and now it's out of the box for good. I'm wondering about the folly of it all, having a secret scarf!

The New Light

The new light went up tonight. The bathroom isn't totally finished, but we just couldn't wait! You can't tell from the picture what it's made of - very thin wire that looks almost like a honeycomb and silk butterflies. I have to play with it a bit, to pull out the butterflies, to make them look like they're swarming around. It is totally awesome!!!





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Chandeliers

I love funky chandeliers. My favorite chandelier creator is Ingo Maurer and if money was no object, I would purchase his winged chandelier. It is made of twisted wire and bare lightbulbs and has feathery wings on the base of the bulbs. I tried to recreate this in my dining room with a chandelier that is made of bendable wire with milk glass orbs at the ends. I glued wings on it, but it didn't work. I like it anyway because it looks very cool. My next funky chandelier is a big crystal thing that's hanging in the hallway. It's really too big and grand but thats where it is. I bought it for Eugene. Let me explain. He was directing the play, "An Inspector Calls" and needed a big crystal chandelier. Unbelievably, I went to the flea market and found it for $20!! It was in a box in pieces, and had to be put back together. But it was all there. Wow! We put it in the hall after the play was over. It's crazy because I would never put it in my dining room! Now it's time to reveal the real reason for this post. We are redoing our downstairs bathroom and I needed a new light. The old one was a nice little antique chandelier, but I wanted something different. I could see it in my mind and I actually did see it in Ikea! It was this huge, dandelion like, ball. It was white, delicate and I think made of paper. That's what I wanted, but it was too big! I looked all over the internet but couldn't find anything like it. Finally I gave up and we bought a modern glass ceiling light. I didn't love it but Eugene really liked it. So that's what we had until today. Sometimes on Saturdays we go out to lunch at Salsa's in New Milford. After lunch we go to the library and then the health food store. We did that today but as we were walking past this neat store called Spruce, I had this urge to go in. Reluctantly, Eugene went in too. That's when I spotted it: a wire ball hanging on a branch. It was covered in white butterflies. This was it!! This was exactly what I had been searching for! Eugene smiled and said buy it if you want to, but you have to bring the other one back. I agreed. We are trying to figure out how to hang it. I will post a picture when it's up. It's awesome and somehow I can see a link to Ingo Maurer. I think he would approve.

Saratoga

This weekend was our "Saratoga weekend". We changed our routine this time and went to the town of "Ballston Spa" instead of Saratoga Springs. We (my sister Toni and sister-in-law Vicki) are trying desperately to hold on to the past. We can't. Nothing is the same. Over lunch we talked about starting fresh. It helped that we were in a new place but It just isn't the same. I don't know how to do it, how to start over. We are going through the motions but everything has changed. We've changed too. I'm not sure if we'll do Saratoga again. It hurts too much.



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The Girls

Last Friday afternoon I sat down for a little rest. It was hot and I was tired so I checked out what was on TV. Browsing the channels, I saw one of my movies listed. There it was, "Picnic at Hanging Rock", starting in 15 minutes. I've seen this movie many times and was excited to watch it again. But this time I felt like I was watching a new version of it because there were things that I didn't remember. Then there's the music! Haunting!! I can still hear it in my head. Fast forward to Saturday. My friend Deanne is back from Florida for a visit and we went out to some tag sales. It was at one of the sales that I found the picture. As soon as I saw it I thought of the girls at the Appleyard School. (If you're not familiar with the movie, the Appleyard School is in Australia and that's where the movie starts.) My imagination was running wild thinking about how I could use the picture for a card and somehow tie in the movie. But when I turned the picture over, I saw that the girls' names were listed on the back. Now there was a new meaning to the photo, something more personal, and I thought about them differently! This all happened because of the movie. If you haven't seen it, I would recommend it.  It's kind of creepy.....but in a beautiful way.

The Lion with Flare

I just purchased a new App called Flare. It's for my Mac and gives me the opportunity to edit my photos with a Hipstamatic feel. The above photo is my first attempt. I love Hipstamatic and thrilled with the new program. Speaking of my Mac, I'm in the process of downloading the big cat "Lion". I've done my homework and read a lot of reviews. I also checked the compatiblity of my printers and photoshop. Last night we went to the Apple store and I played with it. I'm a little nervous but ready! Nervous because I'm not sure I want the magic trackpad, but ready to do what I have to do to make it work. I'll let you know.....

Update: I loaded the Lion and all went well except ..... my printer didn't work after the update. I did fix it! (it only took about 2 hours) I'm having fun exploring the new features.

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The Locket

I've had the locket for a long time. The pictures are of my brother and me. It was my mother's and supposedly she gave it to my father. This I find hard to believe. I can't imagine him wearing a locket. He just wasn't that kind of guy. I remember when the picture of my brother was taken. One summer we lived at Rockaway Beach. My mother had a hamburger stand near the boardwalk and we lived in an old Victorian rooming house. I don't know how long we stayed, but to a child it seemed like forever. Oh, and I have to mention that my father wasn't with us. The picture of my brother was taken on the beach. I recently started wearing the locket again. When I open it it makes me stop and remember a time in my life that was kind of crazy. That's how it was with my mother. Kind of crazy!






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Shoes, again

We have a Good Will superstore in town. I have to confess that I go there about once a week and that's when I saw these shoes. They are beautifully made with genuine leather soles and brand new to boot!!! No, to shoe!!! Anyway I tried them on and they were a little too big. Oh well I thought, I won't buy them. I was quite pleased with myself for resisting them. Of course later on I was mad at myself for not buying them. Did I mention that they cost $6??? When I went back a few days later they were still there!! Well you know that this time there was no hesitation. I've been thinking of them as art. When I see something that's made as beautifully as these shoes are, what else can they be? As for them being a little big - I'm going to wear them with socks. I can't wait!

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In My Room

I am transitioning to summer. I put away the bright pillows and most of the nicknacks. My curtains are white linen. Since they've been up all year, I'm thinking about washing them. Looking at my Uncle's painting, I feel that I should move it. The oranges that I love seem out of place now that I'm in summer mode. It's interesting how I'm affected by color. In the winter, in the midst of all the snow, I relished my shocking pink Christmas tree. It warmed me and made me feel happy. Now I need the white to cool me. As I sit at my desk, I can see my new fountain. It's right outside my window. This is my space, the place where I create, the place where I am home. I suppose it would be nice to have my own separate room, but I can't imagine anything that would be better than "my room".




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Weeding

My friend Jean told me that she had some flowers for my garden. Jean and I work together decorating our church. She was thinning out her perennials and wanted to give some to me. She came over at about 11:30 am on Saturday and we talked about where to put the flowers. We started weeding my flowerbed. She stayed all day! Weeding!
We shared a pizza and she told me stories about her childhood. Most of her stories were about the flowers that her father grew. I added a couple stories of my own. As a child I lived in Brooklyn, NY and there weren't that many flowers around. We did have snowball bushes in the back yard. Jean left at 6:30 and we had weeded most of the garden. I bought a couple of plants today to add to my newly rejunivated garden. I'm looking forward to sitting out on my deck and having a glass of iced tea and I'll definitely invite Jean to visit with me. Thanks, Jean!





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Watering Can Study

I did a quick study for my next painting. I used a multicolor "confetti" pencil.

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Fountains

One of the assignments for my garden class was to paint a water feature. I went back to Shakespeare's Garden to take some pictures. There was this big, kind of industrial looking fountain right next to the door to the shop. Even though there were many beautiful, ornate fountains, this one captured my attention. It is big and plain, with a beautiful patina. I chose to paint it for my class. I've also decided to get a fountain for my Zen garden and maybe to do some planting. I am definitely looking forward to the summer.




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The Garden Room

My book by Timothy Mawson came today.  It transported me to another place - back in time. There's pictures of his bookstore in it and it is so familiar to me. I remember talking to him about his books. They were mostly old English gardening books. His shop was also filled with beautiful garden ornaments and paintings. The window boxes were overflowing with petunias and lavender. The rushing water of the river in back of the shop was cool and calming in the heat of the summer. In his book, he talks about Sissinghurst, a poem written by Vita Sackville West that was published by the Hogarth Press. This takes me back to the era of the Bloomsbury Group. For me, it is all connected, there is a thread. The book is also filled with little watercolor illustrations. I've decided that I need a garden room. My family room is the perfect place. It has a sliding door to the back yard and has windows all around. It is the gathering space, the heart of my home. I am inspired by the memory of Timothy Mawson and all this has happened because of the window box assignment for my watercolor class! Isn't life grand?

The Pansy

Here is my first painting for Laure's Garden Class. I bought the flower to paint and I'm happy with the result. I went back to Shakespeare's Garden today and took more photos. The next assignment is to paint a window box. I have pictures of window boxes from Saratoga, but the thing that is in my mind is a memory of a beautiful bookshop in New Preston, Ct. It was owned by a man named Timothy Mawson and it had the most beautiful window boxes. In my minds eye I can still see  the garden books and art that he had in his shop.  He died years ago and the memory of his store is, for me, another loss. He wrote a book called "The Garden Room" and this week I ordered it from Alibris. I also have a watercolor painting of his shop and it is very special to me.

Craving Beauty

I went to visit a beautiful garden today. It's a nursery called "Shakespeare's Garden" that's tucked away on a winding road in my town. The property has always been a nursery and was owned by the same family for many years. They sold it a couple of years ago, and I remember feeling a loss. (I have been feeling that way a lot lately). As much as I liked the original, nothing could have prepared me for Shakespeare's Garden. It is absolutely, unbelievably awesome! For the past couple of weeks I've been living in a state of hyperdrive. I took on so many projects, all of them important in their own way. I piled them on feeling that "I can do it all". I am happy to say that I did finish them all, but now I've crashed! I really don't want to do anything. I am taking a new class with Laure - a Trip to the Garden and I am behind 2 assignments and there will be a new one tomorrow. Yikes! So today, after work, for about 20 minutes I went around S.G. and took pictures. I was the only one there. It's hard to describe the energy that I felt, the renewal. I bought 2 plants to use for my class. They also had a rack of handmade paper and I bought a sheet. On the drive home I noticed so many things around me: the old fence lined with daffodils, the buds on the trees, the grass that is so lush, etc. It was just what I needed to get centered again. I'm still tired but I am ready to start painting. I might go back on Friday. I know that finding beauty is, for me, a necessity, like breathing!

Charm Bracelets

I think it all started when my sister-in-law Vicki received a Pandora bracelet for her birthday. It was very pretty - with the donut shaped "charms". It took me back to (for me) the real charm bracelets. The souvenir kind of bracelet. The one in the picture is mine. It's not really mine though, because I bought it at a tag sale. I've adopted it, refined it to make it my own. The little cake charm was actually given to me by my father. It opens up to reveal a candle. So that charm is officially mine! I can take you through the bracelet and tell you the story of my life. It's all there. At one time I had 3 or 4 different bracelets. I took the charms that I wanted and then gave the bracelets  away. Now I've decided that I really need an astronaut charm because I love, love, love anything about outer space and aliens. Maybe  I'll find an alien too. Isn't it fun to have a charm bracelet?

Strolling Along Bourbon St.

Here's another picture that I did for the New Orleans class. I found this location on Google Street view. I spent about an hour looking up and down streets for something that caught my eye. I think that I was in the wrong neighborhood. After I finished this I found some really pretty houses. Oh well! When I pick a subject to paint I'm usually looking for a challenge, something to get me out of my comfort zone. I liked this because of the doors, the shadow and the balconies. It was a challenge! My favorite thing in the painting is the window with the bars. I just painted the negative spaces and the bars magically appeared!

I'm in New Orleans (in my mind)

I just finished the second assignment for my class. This was about taking a pen and drawing. There's no correcting! It's like being a trapeze artist without a net! Scary and exhilarating at the same time. I loved doing it! I know that I've done this before. I've read Danny Gregory's books and thats his method. Just do it, and always with a pen. The funny thing is that a lot of the artists that I like paint like that. It's hard to find a happy medium because I know that it's important to know how to draw correctly. I struggle with it because I feel like I'm cheating if I don't have it that way. This painting is different, I really like it and I'm not bothered by the wonkyness. (is this a word?) Taking a trip to New Orleans is a good thing! Thanks, Laure.

Meet Marlin

Marlin is a trolley driver in New Orleans. I'm on another Imaginary Trip with Laure Ferlita. I've been painting him for several days and he seems very real to me. The Imaginary Trips are so much fun and challenging too. I really took my time with this and tried to get the correct depth and dark and light values.  My biggest struggle is with the colors. I have a hard time because I always want to paint the colors that I see.

Lineup

I took this picture in shoprite. I love the colors. I used the Halftone app for the effect.

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Neat Shoes

I found these beautiful shoes at the local Good Will Store. Size 5 1/2 Via Spiga. The only person I know who has that size foot is my daughter Valerie. I would have bought them in an instant, but alas I knew that she wouldn't like them. Isn't that always the way it goes? You find your dream shoe, and it's not your size. Calling Cinderella.....



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What I Did Today

I was off today and spent the day working on some of my jewelry. I've been inspired by Amy Hanna's book "Rejuvenated
Jewels". I have quite a collection and a lot of it is designer costume jewelry. That's not what I was working on. There's also a box of old medals, broken earrings, bracelets, and some fabulous buttons that I love and have been saving for years. I've had the book for a couple of months and today I went to Michaels to get some necessary supplies. It was fun rearranging the elements into new, one of a kind pieces. I'm done for now but I have a lot of ideas to save
for another day.





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Remember When....

Skylab was falling? I was in a panic and we all stayed in the house. I never thought about Skylab falling on our house!




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A Walk!

Today I finally went for a walk with Zelda. The snow is melting and it was a very mild afternoon. As we walked along there were familiar sights: the chickens, the yellow dog that always barks at us, the school bus etc. We went to the pond and could see the partially frozen water. At home the snow is giving birth to bushes. It is so joyful to see all the familiar pieces of my landscape uncovered.


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Parking Lot

I love taking pictures with my phone. It's always with me and available. I just sent away for a "how to" book about taking better pictures with the phone. The picture above was taken with the Hipstamatic app. It's fun and I'm always pleasantly surprised at the results. I've been thinking about doing a daily photo again. Maybe I'll start after I read the book!


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Longwood Gardens

We went to Philadelphia this weekend to visit my niece Amanda. It was refreshing to go visit a place that has less snow, and to see grass uncovered in spots. The Orchid show at Longwood Gardens was spectacular!!! We saw so many beautiful flowers and it was just what we needed. It reminded us that spring will soon be here.


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Sign of the times

I drove past this sign today. There it was, stuck in a snowbank. I have to agree with it, up to a point. Even though I love the summer, I need the winter because it's a time of renewal. With all the snow and ice everything is different. I can't go out for a walk with Zelda - there's nowhere to go. I just want to hibernate. Today I went to New Milford for a haircut. (that's when I passed the sign) There's a gazebo in the center of town and in the middle of the night someone festooned it with plastic flowers!


They also put flowers on the bridge. I was energized by the sign, the flowers and the whimsy of their creators. It made my day!

Going to the Beach

I'm starting a new class today with Laure Ferlita. It's A Visit to the Beach. I really need this class for 2 reasons:

I need to draw and paint and I need to escape the unbearable weather conditions. The first assignment was to paint a starfish and I just happen to have this awesome specimen. This is a lovely way to spend the time waiting for spring.

The Visit

Yesterday we went to visit my Aunt at her very posh retirement home. For the past 15 years she and my uncle went to Florida for the winter. This year there is a huge icicle hanging outside her window and everything is covered in snow. She has her apartment decorated for the season with snowmen, Santa and an assortment of paintings. Lunch was at the "Country Store" because it has always been a favorite of ours. We took a ride past the "old" house. Everywhere we went there were memories. As we were leaving, my Aunt stood at the door and waved goodbye. I was filled with a feeling of sadness because I know how life can change in an instant. There are so many memories swirling around in my mind and it's difficult to make sense of it. I am grateful that we can still visit my aunt and share our precious memories together.

Night Vision

It's snowing again. I am mesmerized by the gently falling flakes. It is time for me to go to bed, but I can't seem to pull myself away from the window. There's a soft glow from the street light outside and an occasional car passes by. I am addicted to the beauty that's outside my window. It's time to go to sleep now but I am content sitting in the dark and watching the snow.

How Having a 7' Pink Christmas Tree Can Change Your Life

The Pink tree is up in our living room. I had to take it out of the box and look at it. It really stands on its own and is so bright it seems to have its own light source. When you have a 7' tall pink thing it can throw things off color wise. Pete brought me 2 beautiful shocking pink pillows for the sofa. Wow! They look great! I had to rearrange my art to balance the 7' Pink tree. Fortunately, my furniture is off white and everything really works. I probably should have a warning sign: Not For the Faint-hearted! We are going to decorate the tree with Valentines. Remember the movie "Funny Face" with the Think Pink scene? I'm in that kind of mood. There is a pink glow coming from the room. With all the snow outside the pink tree is a bright spot in our house. It makes us happy!

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The Art House Journal

This picture is of my empty journal. The deadline has been extended to January 17th. My topic is "Down the Road". When I signed up for it I thought it would be easy. Every day (except recently with the snow) I walk Zelda down the road. I have a whole album full of pictures of our walks. For some unknown reason, I just couldn't get started. I decided that maybe I was being too literal. Maybe Down the Road could mean the road ahead or the road not taken. I couldn't decide and consequently didn't do a thing. I feel a sense of failure about it.


Now I'm thinking about going ahead with it. Since the pressure is off, maybe I can figure out exactly what "Down the Road" means to me.


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A Lot of Snow

You can tell by these pictures just how much snow we got today. I think it's around 24"!! The pile on our deck measures 32". Poor Zelda - when she goes out she has a little path with a wall of snow surrounding her. Amazing! The road in front of the house is clear and our driveway has been plowed. It'll be back to normal tomorrow. It was fun having a snow day today. I love the way it looks when we're surrounded in a sea of snow.

Letting Go

I picked my word for 2011: Purge. It felt right. I have way too much stuff from 30 + years of Tag Sale-ing.


This flamingo lamp is on my hit list. Even though I still really like it, I haven't used it in years. With my newly found ideal it doesn't really make sense to keep it. I wonder if it would sell on eBay? I recently signed up to be a seller but I haven't found the courage to do it. I need someone to hold my hand through the first sale. My bestest friend, my tag sale buddy, is moving to Florida in a week. It hasn't really hit me yet. She always goes to Florida for the winter but this year she's not coming back. This year will be a year for letting go - some willingly and some will be very sad. The ying and yang of life.


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