Mandevilla

Even before summertime is official, this sunny season arrives in Alabama on the heels of spring. It slides in the screen door, hoping to remain unnoticed for a bit longer...but we are onto you Summer. You bring warmer days and balmy evenings. I say "good evening" to green frogs and mosquitos on the front porch at night. And best of all? The local stores bring in their beautiful bounty of annual flowers...ready to plant and decorate our yards. The window of opportunity for planting is NOW...before the temperatures are hot enough to peel paint off the barn.

Hello, Summer!

White. A Blank Page or Canvas...

...so many possibilities.
(Thank you Stephen Sondheim...."Sunday in the Park with George.")

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I missed out seeing these Iris beauties last year while I was cavorting in Washington State with my brother, Matthew...and my firlgriend, Lorie Joey. Jeff was kind enough to photograph them for me...so I wouldn't go through a complete springtime flower withdrawal and I appreciated it. This year I am able to see them and photograph them for myself and they're as beautiful as ever.

After following a wonderful Seattle photographer's blog for several weeks...I was inspired to create my own "signature stamp" for some of my photos. And the sand dollar image is one I've had on my List of the things to draw for a long while. So I converged the two inspirations and came up with this art stamp image. I uploaded it to my Adobe brush presets....and Voila! I can digitally stamp it anywhere.

Happy Easter, Everyone!

Jeff and I are heading to Sarasota in the morning! My sister, Jessica, has already got us a brunch date for Easter...and fishing poles for Jeff to fish right from the shore. I'm looking forward to visiting with my sister, spending time with Jeff ... walking/jogging along the beach...reading a good book or two... relaxation and rejuvenation!

A peek inside Earthshine Giftworks

I like this little slide show I put together awhile back. Even before I started blogging on any regular basis, I was making these slide shows as vinettes, representing my day-to-day life. The music is the ribbon than ties the photos up together in one neat package. This slide show started out being a collection of photos depicting Earthshine Giftworks; pictures of my studio, a sampling of my products, the supplies I use to create my wares. But after I culled some of these photos, I started adding in other photos that delighted my eye...and really are, in a peripheral way...all about Earthshine Giftworks, too. These are the things that give me inspiration and provide sustenance. And this song by Imogen Heap? When I first heard it...I was mesmerized. Seemed a perfect fit.

In the Pink!

It's been years since I first heard the expression, "Bloom Where You're Planted." Being a military wife, the phrase held special meaning. It's a life affirming statement that I liken to "seize the moment!" So, it applies regardless of how long I have lived at my current address.

I have always wanted to design something special to celebrate this sentiment. Nothing came to me, creatively speaking...that was worthy. Fast forward many years. The place is our quarters, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. In my cement driveway I see this morning glory in full bloom (a seed that had "volunteered" from the previous year's potted plant I had growing nearby) I knew I had the right photo for one of my favorite quotes. This flower did not let a lack of soil deter it from its right and natural course...and it "bloomed where it was planted!"