First Friday Artwalk on Etsy!

I just joined my first Etsy Team! It's called First Friday Art Walk on Etsy! It is much like the First Friday events(and last Friday of the month events) we have here locally in the brick and mortar stores, but this one is online! It looks like it will be a really fun way to see what is available out there in the Etsy world! Check it out by clicking here! Or visit our blog by clicking here! OR visit us on facebook!

Spring Things

I've been busy making bunnies and teddies for Spring and Easter! It's so nice to work with lighter pastel colors after such a long cold Winter!

These two little bunnies are sitting on a shelf at Artcentric in downtown Troy NY, just waiting for a new home. (* Both Bunnies were sold this weekend!*)

And these little pocket buns (and their little gnome friend) are also perched on a table at the shop, waiting to be stuffed into a special Easter basket of their own! If you are in the area, stop by and check them out!

The REAL Dog Whisperers

Mom and Dad stopped by for a cup of tea on a sunny afternoon, and i had just stopped at the bakery and brought home some fresh baked cookies

And of course the dogs know who to sit by...

and sit on. (Stella is draped across my Mom's lap)

Boy those cookies were good!

I'm not sure Dad got to taste one!

Dollhouse Dolls...

Lola and i have been making some special dolls to go along with her new doll house.

She has made a whole family of clothespin dolls. We may be adding scraps of fabric for clothes and maybe some hair and hats too...

The doll on the left has unusual features! He has eyes, a nose and then a belly button just above his mouth!

and this little guy looks like he's had a bit too much coffee!

There are a few peg dollies too

Here are a few of the dolls i've made to add to the family!

These two clothespin dolls are named(by Lola) Lenny and Samuel

a close up of the boys...

and these two little fairy dolls are made with pipe cleaners, wooden beads, felt and silk flowers. Now Gumma (that's me) has to get going and paint the inside of the doll house rooms and find some furniture so all of these new inhabitants can move in! We will keep you updated!

Old friends to new homes

*** The Amethyst Sphere has found a new home!***
When we had the "Great Remodel" done here at the house a few years ago, i packed up my very substantial crystal and mineral collection in boxes(and boxes and boxes) and moved them down into the basement where they would be safe and sound.

I knew from there they would be radiating out all of their positive good energy, and it felt as tho they would get a break from daily use and be once again essentially
"buried in the earth".

Last week i went down and started unpacking some of the pieces i have had in my personal collection for years and for the first time felt it would be ok for them to move on to new owners and new homes.

So some of these sweet pieces have been posted for sale in my Etsy shop, under the section of the shop called "Supplies and Sundries"

***SOLD!***
There will be spheres, clusters and points as well as pieces that can be used in jewelry making and in arts and crafts.

I am also going thru my extensive semi precious bead collection too, and some of them will be posted occasionally too.

There are only a few pieces available in the shop right now, but as i go thru my collection and make my decisions, the numbers will grow. Maybe you will find something that will be of use to you!

Bloomin' in the Kitchen

Even tho Winter still has a strong grip on the landscape outside, inside things are looking up!

My African violets are responding to the change in the quality of light coming thru the
windows. And every time i see one of them bloom, it is as if i am getting a greeting from my Gram, Mary Stopera, who was the Queen of the African Violet growers....

And my orchids are blooming again! And with all this snow and ice and gloomy weather, i am so glad to see my old friends again!

Orchid plants are so unassuming all year long . But when they bloom, they are spectacular. And the blooms last forever... I have another phalaenopsis orchid that is getting ready to bloom, and it has exotic yellow, green and pink flowers.

My Christmas cactus is also blooming now. Rather, it has been blooming all along since Thanksgiving and is STILL putting out flowers. It must know how desperate i am for bright color and blooming things....

It's the little things like these flowering plants that help carry me thru the gloomy end of Winter and into the promise of Spring gardens...I thought i would share all this color with you!

Remember?

Warm Power of the Sun (sung by it's author, John Hall)
Just give me the warm power of the sun
Give me the steady flow of a waterfall
Give me the spirit of living things as they return to clay.
Just give me the restless power of the wind
Give me the comforting glow of a wood fire
But please take all of your atomic poison power away.

Everybody needs some power I'm told
To shield them from the darkness and the cold
Some may see a way to take control when it's bought and sold.

I know that lives are at stake
Yours and mine and our descendants in time.
There's so much to be gained, so much to lose
I say that everyone of us has to choose.

Just give me the warm power of the sun
Give me the steady flow of a waterfall
Give me the spirit of living things as they return to clay.
Just give me the restless power of the wind
Give me the comforting glow of a wood fire
But please take all of your atomic poison power away.

Just give me the warm power of the sun
Give me the steady flow of a waterfall
Give me the spirit of living things as they return to clay.
Just give me the restless power of the wind
Give me the comforting glow of a wood fire
But please take all of your atomic poison power away.

Won't you do this for me?
Take all of your atomic poison power
Take all of your atomic poison power
Take all of your atomic poison power
Away.

(added to the song by Peter, Paul and Mary)
We are only now beginning to see
How delicate the balance of nature can be
The limits of her ways have been defined
and we've crossed that line.

Some don't even care or know that we'll pay
But we have seen the face of death in our day.
There's so little time to change our ways
If only we together can say

A Big Project

Here it is! The doll house i have been searching for! It is for Lola and i to work on together and enjoy, but honestly i think i am way more excited about it than she will be... I have been looking around for our doll house for months and just happened upon this one at Michael's just before Christmas Day. I went back for it the day after Christmas with a 50% off coupon and scored BIG!(Regular price was a steal at $29.99, but with the coupon i got it for just $15!!! Amazing!)

I also found this little CD storage rack that will be just perfect for the little peg dollies i made for Lola. I first saw the idea for this little house here! (Thank you Grace Violet for being so clever and sharing!) So, let the painting and decorating begin!

Springtime Etsy Treasury

My little watercolor painting "Snowdrops" was included in a beautiful Springtime Etsy Treasury of the same name,"Snowdrops" curated by Soroka! It is wonderful to be included in a treasury with so many other talented artists and art! Stop by at take a look at the Treasury here, and visit Tanya Soroka's Etsy shop here! Thank you Tanya!

A visit with Amma

I thought i would share this with you... Amma's smile and hugs are like a little vacation from the cold and damp Winter world...With the terrible news of the earthquake and tsunami damage in Japan, it is good to remember that there is also love and goodness in the world. Amma has experienced first hand what a tsunami can do to your world as the tsunami in 2004 flooded her ashram and devastated the coastline there in Kerala. Somehow they recovered, and i know the Japanese people will too...

Pot of my Dreams....

I have been wanting a a big old enamelled cast iron pot for ages. And just a bit ago, i saw an add for a big sale at JC Penneys in their kitchen department. And with the add came a substantial coupon, so off i went! I bought myself this lovely red 7 quart pot made by Cook's kitchen.

Look at all that shiny red goodness! It took me a few weeks to even want to get it dirty! But this morning i pulled it out if the cupboard and made a big old batch of chili.

It's a messy job, but well worth it! It's bubbling away while i type this...There's enough chili in here to feed us twice over and some left over to treat my Parents too! It's funny but since i started cooking in this lovely pot, i've had a silly smile on my face! What kind of simple things make you happy?....

Candle Power

During the big ice storm we had the other night, we lost our electrical power. So, instead of my kitchen table being piled high with ongoing projects, it looked like this. It was kind of nice to run on candle power (just for one night) I realized how our bodies get tricked into thinking it is still too early to go to bed, no matter how late it is with all those lights and the television on. So i lit some candles in every room and we went to bed nice and early that night

Here's our little stove blasting away, and to the right of it you can just barely see a dog bed with Stella and Little Honey all curled up in it.

And my altar looked so pretty and peaceful in the candle light.
When we woke up the next morning, the power had returned.
(and unfortunately, so did staying up too late at night...)

Sweet Penelope

This little sweetie is Penelope Bear, and she just moved in to my Etsy shop!
She is hand knit with Love out of a super soft pale pink alpaca blend yarn, which makes her soft as a cloud to hug.

Here is a close up of her face. She has plastic safety eyes and an embroidered nose and mouth.

Her fuzzy red stole and her cute little dress and matching flower are crocheted out of easy care acrylic yarn, and are removable. Penelope stands about 14 inches tall from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Here is a closer look at her dress....She is all dressed up to go with a new friend no matter where they are headed!

But underneath it all, is a sweet cuddly soft teddy bear for you or your little one to love. Penelope is now ready to go to her new forever home and is waiting for you in my Etsy shop! Make sure you stop by and say HI!