Friday Night Out ...

and worth every penny. It is a wonderful feeling to sit in a auditorium full of people that are all laughing at the same time. I enjoyed hearing everyone's laughter as much as I enjoyed hearing Sedaris reading excerpts from new stories.

 

A Day in New Hampshire ...

We have been in our home for 7 years and in all that time we rarely venture out to just explore our surroundings. On weekends we always have a destination and a tight time frame. So this weekend we decided to take time and explore New Hampshire.  We just 'followed our noses' and I am so glad we did. This whole area, Northern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire is very beautiful; horse and apple farms, pumpkins and mountain views. 

We found this beautiful lake just 20 minutes from home. The water was amazingly clear and reflective and with the leaves beginning their change, it held us captive.

Do you see the little fish in this picture?  Look in the upper left hand corner.

 The water was chilly but very comfy after a minute or so.

Then we stopped for a late lunch/early dinner - Parker's is a Sugar House, Restaurant and Gift Shop all in one. My kind of place ! and it has the very best homemade turkey dinners.

See you all later.

Hypertufa Planter ...

Has anyone tried making a hypertufa planter or trough? I just unmolded my first attempt and frankly I feel a bit proud. Mixing the cement, peat moss and perlite is a bit tiring but it was fun too.  I especially like the cost compared with buying something manufactured for retail sale. I'll also wait for warmer weather as playing with water in the fall is chilly.

On my 'To Do' list for the winter will be finding more items to use as molds. In the pictures below I used a plastic desk bin about 8' X 12' and 6 inches deep.  I love the way the mixture poked through the holes in the basket.

If you 've made something from hypertufa I'd love to see it. If you want to try it for yourself just google hypertufa to find many great resources.

Ch Ch Ch Changes ...

It is cold, 34 F ... oh wait, that was yesterday. Today it is close to 80 F.  Did anyone else feel that the summer just flew by.  Here are a few pictures of the action around here. 

Pastel Paintings...

I take a class in pastel painting with the lovely Joelle Feldman. You can learn more about her, view her wonderful work and see the work of some of my classmates here.

Over the next few weeks I will post some of the other paintings I have completed.  The one below is part of a series of spring flowers.

This is also a good time to finally join in Creative Every Day 2011.  Um - yup halfway through June and here is my first post in 2011.  :-)

An Orange Spring...

Summer is almost here. Our spring in the Northeast has been beautiful but rainy. Most of the plants love the extra water and when the sun comes out they really sparkle. Last year I planted alot of orange flowers and they really look great this year. Here are a few of my favorites along with two of the five orioles that spent the spring with us.

Lovely Spring...

Enjoy

Am I Wrong...

We are working on the walls in our living room. There are two layers of wallpaper topped by the most horrendous layer of plaster I have ever seen.  I have no issue with textured walls, but our walls are lumpy, bumpy and well - just awful.

This is what it looks like after removing the plaster layer and revealing different stages of the wall paper.   Would it be wrong to just leave it like this?  I won't, but still...I like it !  What do you think?   

April 1 ... not at all funny

If only it was an April Fool's Joke.  This has to be the last of the snow for this season. After all, it is spring isn't it?

But, I have to be honest - it is beautiful.  I am really looking forward to the warm/hot air and the garden this year,  but when it is time for the snow to return I will be ready and welcome it back.

Last weekend I was going to cut the stems on my butterfly bush but there had been rumors of snow, so I held off.  Maybe this weekend.

We ALL do it...

We all have blogs we follow that completely fascinate us.  Whether it is the writing, the art, the pictures - checking in on those special blogs are a routine.  For me, Stephanie Lee's 'Semiprecious Salvage' is one of those blogs.  I mean, how could anyone resist checking in on a blog that includes writing about children, homelife, cooking and ART! I had seriously considered taking her 'Homesteader's Metalsmithing eCourse' but it didn't work out.

So I was delighted to discover Stephanie Lee was teaching Metal Magic in person at the ArtBliss Workshops in Sterling Va.  Not exactly down the street from me but close enough!  So off I went. My first class involved making a book with metal covers. The supply list was amazing: lace, buttons, ribbons, plaster gauze and - - - metal, micro torches, solder, flux, hammers, files. The pages in the book are plaster! Just amazing!

Here are just a few scenes of the the work areas of my fellow students and my book from the Handbook of Elements class.  

Enjoy ! If you have the opportunity to join Stephanie in one of her classes, go for it.  She is warm, friendly, witty and great fun.



What To Do...What To Do...

It was well over a year ago when I grabbed a 4 x 4 wood panel and covered it with a coat of turquoise paint. After adding a few light swipes of pink and blue paint on top of the turquoise, torn pieces of tissue paper and a flower cut out from fabric was added to the surface with Modge Podge. The final touches included red dots.
Now I wonder if this really is complete or does it need something else? Black silouette of a bird or a tree? More flowers?  What do you think?

OWOH Winner !

My apologies for not getting this posted sooner.  This is definitely a violation of the rules. Thank you to everyone who left a comment. I have visited many of the participants of OWOH and intend to continue exploring blogs via Lisa's OWOH list. I understand she has something else up her sleeve for 2012, so take a peek at the announcement for One World One Art. Exciting stuff.

So on to the good stuff...the winner is Laurie from the lovely 'Indulge Your Shelf' blog.  Here is Laurie's comment.

It's a great gift - I would love to win those pencils! Thank you for offering them! If there's still time, please come by and enter my giveaway, too!

It Is Still Snowing...

** If you are here for OWOH, just go down one more entry. I am not sure how to keep that post on top.**

Just a few images of today's snow fall.  It is beautiful but the heated bird bath is almost buried.  The barred owl we hear calling all year long decided to spend some time on our back fence.  The cardinals were out in force.  I hope you enjoy the view - especially if you are snug and warm.

One World One Heart 2011

*** Comments are closed. Thank you to everyone who stopped by. I will choose the winner later today - after work.  :-) *** 

** Comments will close at midnight - just about 2 1/2 hours. It is now approximately 9:39 P.M EST.  Almost time to choose a winner !! So hurry and comment below **

Hello and Welcome ! My name is Lois and I live with my 3 cats and husband in Massachusetts not far from the New Hampshire border.  I sew, knit, crochet, paint and garden. I am so happy you are visiting me. 

If you arrived from the OWOH blog you may already know all about OWOH. If you have stumbled across this post, then please do check out the link above and visit all the other lovely blogs that are participating in the 5th and final One World One Heart event.

There are so many beautiful giveaways from each of the participating blogs.  I like to give away supplies in the hope it will encourage everyone and especially the winner to create something of their own. It is very satisfying not to mention FUN !  So, this year I am offering a set of the same drawing pencils I gave last year. Sorry for the repeat, but I had three sets given to me and I held on to the extra sets with this event in mind.

If you would like to win the pencil set, please leave a comment prior to February 17th. Your comment should include how I can get in touch with you if you are the winner and also allow me to visit your blog.

The event is open to anyone worldwide that has an active blog. The winner will be drawn at random and notified via the method specified in your comment. I will also announce the winner here on my blog.

I hope everyone has fun and I look forward to 'meeting' you.

One World One Heart - 2011...

The fifth and final One World One Heart (OWOH) 2011 begins on Sunday January 30th and runs through Thursday February 17, 2011.  Winners are announced on February 17.

Lisa from 'A Whimsical Bohemian' is the organizer of this fabulous event and has announced this will be the last year.  You can find out more and read the rules by going here.

Hope to see you there !

A New Year, Snow and Colds...

As 2010 wrapped up my thoughts were all about 2011- it will be a good year. I can feel it. 

So far it has been a mixed bag.  Like many people in this area, my first 'cold like' illness of the year lasted 7 days with an accompanying cough that still lingers.  This illness has really worn out it's welcome and I want it gone, gone, gone.  Being sick does have it's rewards as my cats climb on the bed to offer sympathy - - and we all snooze the day away.  Here is Jack Boy.

Then there is the snow.  We have had two Nor'easters in a short span of time. There may be more pictures of the snow another time but this image of the sky as the snow slowed a bit was breathtaking. Once again, 2011 feels magical to me.