loot

There was a pleasant surprise this weekend…Earth Angels had a show and sale in my very own little town. I can never escape unscathed.

A charming pinkeep by Kim Stout, and hmmm…what’s that in the background?


Oh, it’s only the most adorable watercolor by Krys Kirkpatrick! Check out her blog, for sure. Serious cuteness happening over there. I also brought home a doll by Valerie Weberpal and something else that is classified. ;)
Earth Angels, much to my wallet’s chagrin, I hope you come back next year!!

simple things

In an effort to renew my blogging motivation, and to keep things easy, I think I’ll make Fridays a day devoted to simplicity. This time of year, there are so many small pleasures to find yourself delighted by….


fresh eggies from pop-pop’s farm.

big fat radishes.

spending all day trekking around to antique stores, only to realize that the best ones are down the street. Ironstone plates and bowls purchased there for a super price.
have a lovely weekend!

 

why hello…

Can you tell that my mommy cuts my bangs?

trove

One of the benefits of living in an old home is having your own treasure trove, aka, the dump of a bygone era. I would imagine if you start digging around any home from the 1800s, you are likely to eventually come across exciting old garbage. We have a giant stash in the woods behind our house. I haven’t really even begun to scratch the surface, but after only about 10 mins of digging, here are some relics that were unearthed…

flowers

Here are some of the flowers that brightened my day today…(among other things!)


This is my own sweet mama looking so lovely and happy!
Happy Mother’s Day!

mouse house

I just discovered this site,  MousesHouses, the website of artist Maggie Rudy. Good lord. It is adorable. My miniature loving, critter obsessed dreams come true. She has a video of her workspace and process in making her book (yes, a book! eep!):

I have always wanted to make a book with my animals, but I don’t think I could even come close to this. I have to order it today!

Have you seen Dinner for Schmucks, where Steve Carell makes teeny little miniature worlds for his taxidermy mice. Love that. Worth seeing the movie just so you can check out those little guys.

thumbelina

While doing a cleanup of my workspace for an upcoming book feature, I discovered this Gladys Peto, Thumbelina, silk handkerchief that I had purchased a few years ago and sort of forgotten about. I adore the illustrations of Gladys Peto, and I have a collection of her books. A few years ago, I was constantly on the lookout for other things featuring her images; hankies, china, she even designed her own fabric line at the time, but doubtful that I would ever uncover any of that!! Her books and items featuring her illustrations are pretty rare, so I kind of gave up the hunt. Even info on her at the time was scarce.  Finding this hankie sparked my interest again,  and lo and behold I discovered that now there is a blog with lots of info and pictures of her work! It hasn’t been updated for awhile, but it was a gem to find, and I loved seeing such a vast collection! http://gladyspeto.blogspot.com/





so lovely, and so quintessentially 20s/30s.
***
On a different note, I wanted to mention that the workshop I was going to be doing in April has been cancelled, so my apologies to anyone who signed up. I hope to do another workshop someday! This time around there were just some communication problems and scheduling difficulties.
***
And in case you need one last hurrah before a summertime-skimpy-dress -wearing-imposed-diet, you must make these cookies. Holy moly. They’re to die for. The ultimate rich, chocolatey cookie. I almost did croak after eating 3.
Now it’s nothing but quinoa and kale until summer.

today…

-This morning, Lil and I visited a local greenhouse that grows leafy greens hydroponically. We picked up some baby bok choy and some swiss chard. When we got them home, they looked so pretty that I decided to replace the bouquet of Valentine’s roses that were in the middle of the table, with a bouquet of green yumminess. My ode to Spring. Can’t wait to get out there this year and grow stuff to eat!!!

-Trying to organize my “workspace” for an upcoming book feature, and am having a heck of a time getting it to look halfway decent. It’s just so small. I love to look at everyone’s spaces, though, no matter how cluttered or small they may be, so I’m hoping everyone feels the same out there.

-Trying to demystify the process of flocking. I adore these miniature animals & dioramas and would love to try my hand at making some. I think that in my future, I have plans to get really nerdy with dollhouses and miniatures. Just a warning.

gallery

My gallery page is finally up, so you can reminisce about critters from days gone by! I’m particularly fond of the chubby little cats, which I feel like I haven’t made in awhile. I might have to felt up a new batch of kitties…I miss those little ones! I wonder where they are today…??  
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whoopie

Now this is my kind of Valentine’s Day “whoopie!” woo!

Happy Valentine’s Day!