Adventures in Art, Product Design, Home Decor, Cooking, and Gardening
Watercolors on cold pressed Canson Aquarelle/Acuarela paper. This is my daughter’s version of the same watercolor painting that I’m currently working on. She beat me to the finish line, so she gets top billing tonight. And she deserves it; I think she did an amazing job on this painting.
Dexter, our Pomeranian/Dachshund mix, and Steve, our Yorkie, soaking up the afternoon sun in my studio today.
I just purchased these delightful kitchen accessories at Target. I love the simplicity of the white stoneware and the bit of retro flare thrown in for good measure. These pieces remind me of items I used to see in my grandmother, Viv’s, kitchen. Imagine this stoneware egg carton filled with colorful hard boiled eggs–or Cadbury cream eggs (yum)–on an Easter buffet or used as a planter and filled with a collection of tiny cactus plants. It would also make a great catch-all for earrings or rings. You can purchase these items at your local Target store or view additional items in the collection here. The adorable cow creamer is on clearance in stores this week. I think it’s calling my name….
I’m always on the lookout for inexpensive items to perk up my home and dollar stores can contain little gems, but you have to visit them often and sift through a lot of junk to find the gold nuggets. This time it was my mom who did the sifting and look at these adorable gifts she gave me.
These colorful candles in mini buckets are adorable on their own:
or nestled on this white plate from Target’s new white dinnerware collection:
They’ll look great on the coffee table on my newly redecorated yellow porch:
These neon melamine flower pots are show stoppers on their own:
and are even more delightful nestled in this square tray, which came as part of the set:
They would look fabulous at a summer get-together filled with colorful fruits or vegetables; on my desk filled with paper clips, binder clips, and rubber bands; or filled with tiny artificial flower bouquets–another dollar store find:
And they look stunning on my colorful bistro tables in my garden:
These adorable dip bowls came from Target–not from the dollar store–but they are so sweet I just have to include them here:
They also look fabulous nestled on a plate from Target’s new white dinnerware collection:
So the next time you visit the dollar store, spend a little time there digging for gems. You might leave the store with some real finds.
…and I found them just in time for Mother’s Day (hint, hint). Bright colors and a steamy cup of coffee–what a fun way to start the day. They would also make great pencil cups. My collection of Prisma Color and Verithin colored pencils would look fabulous in these cups (am I being too obvious?).
A little time all to myself, a steamy cup of coffee, my little Piggy snuggled up at my side, and the arrival of two new books from my book club–it doesn’t get any better than this. I can’t wait to see what visual delights and inspiration await me inside these two books:
I hope you carve out some time for yourself this weekend and do something equally inspiring and enjoyable. Have a great weekend.
I just love these diminutive oil paintings of our Yorkie, Steve, romping in the garden painted by Irish artist, Diana Marshall. I gave the paintings to my daughter as a gift. If you look closely, you can see them hanging on my living room wall above the black credenza. You can see more of Diana Marshall’s lovely work here.
Watercolors on cold pressed Canson Aquarelle/Acuarela paper. This is my daughter’s version of the same watercolor painting that I’m currently working on. I like her use of quick, short strokes to give the impression of feathers and the intensity and vibrancy of her colors. I enjoy watching her paint and seeing the differences in our painting styles. Step-by-step instructions for completing this project are contained in the book, “Painting Garden Birds” by Sherry C. Nelson.
My Caitlin Wilson Fleur3 pillow covers and Surya Archive coral rug from RugsUSA arrived yesterday–just in time for spring. I spent the morning cleaning so that my colorful new additions would look their best in the photos. The last photo is a shot of Steve interrupting my photography session. He managed to jump the baby gate and distract me from my work.
Watercolors on cold pressed Canson Aquarelle/Acuarela paper–a painting lesson from the oil painting course, “Painting Garden Birds” with Sherry C. Nelson.
