First of all, I must address the many grammatical errors of previous posts….

My parents did provide me with a good education, I did learn to read & write at an appropriate age, and I would consider myself of at least average intelligence. My mother (in a very diplomatic way) suggested that I do a bit more proofreading. When I looked back at my grammar, I realized that was an understatement. I'm going to try to do better.

Now… Today I dropped off a few pieces of nursery art at The Natural Baby. I’m no baby expert, but I think this place is just the coolest.

The store is located in downtown Watkinsville and the building alone is worth a visit. It was restored beautifully.NB carries cloth diapers, diaper covers, cloth training pants, baby carriers, flushable and compostable diapers, wooden toys and many other green baby products. It's quiet unique, so make sure you at least check it out online if you can't make it to the store.

Rebecca & baby run the new shop & will be teaching some great classes on a variety of "natural baby" subject matter in the near future. I'm in! Or maybe I'll wait until we actually have a baby.

Might I suggest that you read the informative article on cloth diapers found on the NB website? Today's cloth diapers aren't the same cloth diapers as we wore when we were kids (haven't we all heard the horror stories from our parents). Who knew?

Your regular reminder:

Don't forget that these birth announcements make wonderful gifts. Great hanging OR on a plate stand.

A Good Housewife...

i'm not. But I do have a few qualifications:

I've always been very interested in canning, but for some reason haven't ventured into that world. Until last night...

My parents swung through Athens on their way to the mountains with a bucket full of figs in hand. I think I was supposed to share them with my brother, but they didn't specifically say that. I did a little research on making preserves and gave it a shot. The consistency is much more like a syrup, but they are delicious (and I did give my brother a jar). I'm looking forward to giving it another shot!

Qualification #2 (canning is #1):

I like to have a clean house. I've been battling stained grout for some time now and took it on with all my might yesterday. After hours of scrubbing I decided to go in search of some grout stain or bleach. Instead I came home with this:
I read about them on someone's blog, can't remember who. I can't even begin to tell you how magical these things are. I have no idea how they work, but they clean everything. I'm sure they're loaded with cancer causing agents, but they sure are great.

Tomorrow I will post what I'm working on today, which is actually relevant to art.

During our trip to California last week, we visited wine country. Sonoma to be specific....

We did what you do when you go to wine country (cheesy pictures, I know)...

One of the places we visited was Imagery Estate Winery. We were busy "aerating" and taking deep sniffs of our wine when I looked around & noticed all the art. There were mini-galleries throughout the tasting room... what a pleasant surprise. Come to find out, they change their labels periodically using various artists' work. They are always accepting portfolios for review.... mine is in the mail! I think the selected artists win a small monetary award and several bottles of wine. Here are a few in the gallery:

My personal favorite:

Hope you have a great weekend... cheers!

My friend, Beth, emailed me after the last post and wrote "paint over the self portrait immediately". Thought I better go ahead & post something else before I forgot! I've been absolutely terrible about updating etsy lately. But, it's still there and there are still a few goodies available. Like this pear that can also be found to your right!

A Wednesday laugh for you....

Pretty funny, huh? My entire family thinks so, too. In college we had to paint a self-portrait... one of the hardest things ever. If you read this blog, you know that my painting are very whimsical & simple. If I were to paint a self portrait like I wanted I would be a watercolor fairy or something along those lines (as opposed to looking like a member of The Adams Family). Just because you paint, doesn't mean you can paint anything. I've had several people ask me if I could paint a portrait.... just one look at this & I bet you won't ask again (unless it's a pet portrait)!

Back to the family part... I come from a long line of practical jokers. When my brother & sis-in-law moved in to their first house (five years ago) I went for a visit & found this giant painting hanging over their mantel. It resurfaced one year at Christmas... wrapped up with Trent's name on it. Somewhere else after that... I can't remember, but it is now in my possession. I was getting ready to prime over it recently and just couldn't bring myself to do so. Perhaps now that I've documented it, I'll be able to let go.

In my defense, if you pull out a couple of elements it's not half bad...

Blog-inspired...

I can hardly remember life before blogs. When I had an office job, they provided me a welcomed break from the work day. When our family started having children and lived hundreds of miles away, they kept us up to date on the kids. I now still read them for those reasons, but also as a source of inspiration. An inspiration for my creativity and an inspiration for life.

Several months ago my mom introduced me to a blog she reads, C. Jane, which at the time was about Nie Nie. Stephanie (a.k.a. Nie Nie) & her husband where in a plane crash last year that left them in a coma and severely burned. Miraculously, they both survived and are now in the recovery process. Their faith through all of this has been inspiring. Nie Nie is blogging again and recently posted some pre-crash pictures:

The girl's got some wicked style. I love checking out all the clothes these Utah girls wear... very vintage- sheek. It appears to me that C. Jane & Nie Nie have some formal training in graphic design and/or photography, just a hunch. Their blogs are always full of eye candy. If they don't inspire you, I don't know what will.

I'll always be California Dreamin' now....

Back to life, back to reality. We're back and let me tell you, California is not over-rated. The vast landscape (not to mention the weather) seems to change around every corner. And we only covered a small portion of the state. This was one journey I will never forget....

Yosemite..... it's the size of Rhode Island. Who knew?

Sonoma Valley..... wine country is hot and dry in the summer. Really dry. From what I understand, spring is the best time if you want to visit for scenery and fall if you want to visit when the grapes are being harvested. I'd vote for spring because the vino would go nicely with a little cool weather & greenery!

My absolute favorite part of the trip (which was on a whim, so it pays to be spontaneous) was Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was a slice of heaven. The weather was amazing, the views to die for, and the food yummy. I will be getting a book on this little town asap, for I know nothing about it (other than Clint Eastwood was the mayor & it looks just like Belgium.... oh, and they have no street addresses (I haven't figured that one out yet)).

West coast here we come...

We're heading to Cali today & couldn't be more excited. The Golden Gate Bridge has inspired many a artist... the paintings that have been done of this iconic landmark are endless. Perhaps I'll whip one up when we get home! See you in a week....

Leonid Afremov

Audrey Dygert

Window into a heart?

Anastasia Mak

Golden Gate Bridge Painting by Frank Wilson

Not a lot of painting has been done this week, but I've been busy. Trent & I are heading out of town tomorrow & my to-do list has gotten the best of me. I honestly can't believe it's already Friday.

As I've been gathering letters to be mailed this a.m., I was a little sad to see that my self-inking PSA stamp is starting to run out of ink. I guess it's time to research ink refills. This little thing was expensive.... $45 or so, but you can't put a price tag on the enjoyment it has brought me. Every time I see it I smile. Almost every time I go to the post office someone comments on it. I just wanted to put a little plug in for it... thought that was the least I could do after it's done so much for me.

painted is full service...

Amber liked hers so much that she ordered one as a wedding gift for a friend. She simply sent me the last name, mailing address, and requested a card. It's heading to the post office in the a.m. Easy like Sunday morning.
If you haven't noticed, I'm into the "side notes", so here's one: I was minding my own business in my studio/guest room yesterday when I noticed something moving out of the corner of my eye....
Let me blow that up for you....
A deer. We live in a full-blown neighborhood and the houses are fairly close together. It's not everyday you see a deer stroll past your window. I just wanted to share that.

I've been a terrible blogger lately. I do have a few good excuses, but who really cares? I'm currently helping one of Julie's friends with her new house in Atlanta. She's got great style, so I'm really just trying to keep her straight on which rooms to put priority on & shopping. Before I entered the picture, she bought this beautiful chandelier (I think she actually got the 8 arm). We're eagerly awaiting its arrival, but in the meantime check out the cool old world styling of the instruction manual. I would hang it!

Happy Independence Day!