my friends

a couple of my friends shared their art with me today.

it's so pretty i wanted to share it with you.

first they drew the flower with glue.

when the glue was dry, the composition was colored with chalks.

very nice, anna and selah!

summer hits the lake

our family took a few days to relax

at the cabin, hike, fish, canoe, and

get our minds into the summer groove...

ahhhhhh

hence, no posts for the last week.

i hope to find some time to get arty

as we settle into our summer routine...

just messing around

i don't have photo shop, maybe someday soon...

but i was having fun playing around with paint last night

just some random silliness :)

i'm certainly discovering how important layering is

and to get things in the right order!

(which i didn't do well this time around)

process

first, i work out my design, then i copy it onto tracing paper, which i use like carbon paper to transfer the image to watercolor paper. sometimes it feels tedious, other times it's relaxing...

painting today

indigo

today's work...

i love sundays because i get to worship the Lord and then

relax and enjoy my favorite things

rockin'

geninne posted this wonderful collection of rocks on her awesome website.

i just love them!

i've painted rocks, especially with my kids,

but these have inspired me to do something more...

you can see geninne's blog here

grow your own

each year at summer's end, i collect seeds from the flowers around the yard.

i package them up in envelopes that i have made myself and stamped and labeled.

they make great presents; i wrap a selection of them with a ribbon and put them in a basket with a handmade "something": soap, a piece of embroidery, a tiny framed painting, an ornament, etc... you could use one of my sweet beach bird ornaments! and i love pulling them out in the spring to plant myself; they're a bit like old friends.

echinacea

i found some time to paint today!

we have had so many birdies in our yard, building nests, chirruping

and testing out all the tree branches for their favorite spot...

memorial day weekend

i just haven't had time to paint this last week.

gardening, visiting friends, keeping house,

homework for a class i'm taking (which will soon be finished!),

and taking care of my family...

we had a super weekend at my brother- and sister-in-law's ranch over the weekend.

their neighbor' milk cow had a brand new baby calf while we were there.

awwww :)

i hope you had a relaxing weekend!

heartfelt gratitude to the courageous and selfless men and women who have served to maintain our freedom and protect the rights of others around the world!