MADHATTER, WHITE QUEEN and PLAYING CARD BOY Original Art

Three more of the Alice and Wonderland Characters. There are others that I will post soon. The sunny weather is hidden behind clouds but it was bright enough to get some good pictures.

My son told me tonight that he is saving his money to buy a rabbit. Hmmm, maybe I should start painting some other sweet animals besides rabbits. I would love a rabbit too but it wouldn't be so agreeable with our westie dog. So we will just look at them and paint the precious little fella's.

We have new twin lambs that are the softest loving-ist creatures. They are being bottlefeed which makes them very attached to you and vice-versa.

Alice in Wonderland Original Folk Art Character Paintings

Alice in Wonderland has a timeless appeal because it is full of imagination! We need lots of that. Besides we all love animals that think they are human, I have a few of those, and sit for tea together at the table. At present the new movie is still on the top of the charts. We understand!

Above are two of the paintings for sale here. Prints can be purchased here. I will post the other pictures soon. I've learned to wait for the best possible lighting (meaning a sunny day) for photographs and the colors are lively and fun and I want that to be seen and felt in the pictures.

I left out most of my heavy black outlines that I normally use and I'm thinking I like that much better especially in children story lines. Which do you like better?

Finally an Medical Answer

The other day we got a phone call from our pediatrician that our son tested positive for Lyme's Disease. It was a bittersweet moment. A treatable answer to why our son seems to always be sick. Like sick, sick, high fevers...horrible sore throats that don't always test positive to strep but sometimes do. We go on antibiotics and he gets better then he's sick again.

I think our pediatricians had pidgeonholed us in a slot that was for kids who didn't go to preschool and then get sick often catching all kinds of bugs that they missed being around earlier. Hmmm.

I had asked our doctors on several occasions "Could it be Lyme's?" They would always ask the same question, "Did he ever have a rash?" And I would have to answer, "No." And then they would say, "It's just a virus. There are lots going around now." I could always hear that last phrase coming as soon as they started with "It's...."

Finally after this last week of fevers I asked the doctor if we could please test for mono and Lyme's and they agreed. At last. I don't feel I know everything, but I do know my child better than they do and after hearing many "virus" and "allergies" and such I began to feel demanding. Did I have to go to medical school I asked myself? Don't wait around is the advice I give any concerned parent. I had asked at one time if we could be referred to an infectious disease doctor. One of our doctor's said, "I know you are worried, but he looks great." She couldn't say the same about me because I had been up the last 100 some hours trying to manage his fevers that tylenol and motrin could not keep down at times.

The good news is that Lyme's is treatable in it's early stages with strong doses of antibiotics for 3 weeks. It can also cause eye inflamation, trouble concentrating, and knee pain. Lyme's is not something to take lightly it can affect the brain, heart and lungs if it goes untreated.

Peony Seedlings Grown Outdoors

While walking along the side of our house in the grass I noticed some miniature burgundy red leaves splashed here and there in the green gass along the borders. I let these single pink peonies go to seed in the summer and then come looking for the seedlings early spring. I do collect some seeds, too, but, they are still in a package unplanted. Nature does a fabulous job sprouting your seeds all by itself while we keep warm inside.

I had to go back to the shed and get a shovel to collect the "gold" that I had found. Go deep about 5-inches under the seedlings. The seedlings are only about 2-inches tall now. I premixed some plastic pots (recycled) with compost and loamy soil and sat the whole shovelful on top adding more soil around the edges. These little seedlings don't like to sit in water so I just drizzled a little on sparingly to settle the soil.

You might remember that I mentioned about dreaming of having fields of peonies. Dreams do not fall in your lap. You have to work toward them and I am at least 20 plants closer to that dream.

Snow White, Rapunzel and Cinderella Fairytale Daily Painting

Spring with it's warm freshness is visiting and in my mind as I painted this with a light and airy feel. I held back on most all of my black, but a little. When I went outside to check on the sheep this morning the deer ran across the field, the birds sang, Canada geese flew overhead, and I thought, "It's a lovely day!" Soon the geese will be making nests by the creek. Fawns will be hiding by the creek, too, in dappled light. I felt like a woodland princess even though I had on a big down jacket, rubber boots and my hair was a bit of a mess! We girls are all a princess at heart.

Colors are soft and play off against the smokey, blue-green background. I put in a pinch of the color red to catch your attention, Snow White holds a red heart instead of an apple and has the tiniest red bows in her hair. You might notice our fluffy white, westie dog made it into the painting, too, by my signature sitting on Cinderella's foot.

This original painting is for sale one ebay.

Westie Dog in Alice in Wonderland Movie

Yes, our westie has dreams. Last night he had a dream that he was in the Alice and Wonderland Movie. (Mr. Tim Burton did you cut all his scenes?) In this dream everyone including Alice and White Rabbit were applauding him for his acting (he is good at drama) skills. I painted this to show what our westie boy described. These three make an adorable team.

As for the colors...why do they usually have Alice in blue? It must have been a very popular color when this book was written. I really like pink on Alice and we'll let westie wear the blue and white. White rabbit wears carrot colors...orange and green. He would look good in any color.

This bit of whimsy is for sale on ebay and I have one print on etsy. Stay tuned for future dreams.

White Rabbit of Alice in Wonderland Handmade Doll

Here is Mr. Rabbit known as the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. I handpainted and stitched and filled this wee fellow hoping he would come to life and hop off of the table. Maybe I set his watch to the wrong time? The set of dolls were really fun to make. Come back to see the others.

I'm handpainting more and they are for sale on ebay.

Barns, Flood Waters and I Have a Dream

This is what our barn could look like with some money, a permit and hard work. As of right now there are sheep where the diningroom is in this photo and the second floor is stacked with hay bales. If only... This photo is of Mr. Johnson's renovated barn-house in New York state and is one of the homes on tour at Martha Stewart's website. And our barn is still keeping feed and hay dry and keeping mother to be ewe sheep safe, too.

Do you remember when I said Spring had gently and quietly arrived at our place? She has taken away all of the snow now. Hooray. But she is cleaning furiously with heavy rains night and day! Our sweet gentle, gurgling creek has turned into a raging roaring lion. Can you see all of the trees under water? The noise does not faze our westie as he is focused on finding squirrel trails. I have not seen the deer around for two days. It's impossible to cross these waters. I wonder how many trees will go down?

Peony Planting

Some people are living their gardening/farming dreams. In Michigan Bridgewater Nurseries grows fields of peonies that are sold for June weddings. They are fresh cut and then shipped by the dozens overnight to all areas of the United States to individuals like you and me. Thirty six dollars a dozen plus Express USPS shipping. No middle man involved only the post office handles them between grower and buyer. Every year they plant "a couple hundred more varieties" of peonies.

I am in love with the idea of the cut flower growing business. I can't afford to plant fields, (I am very capable of dreaming about the notion) but I did plant a Felix Crouse peony today... in the rain. This root had so many eyes on it and many shoots already coming up. We plant them only 2-inches deep with compost and sheep manure.

I like the rich red-pink color of Felix Crouse. I planted them in semi shade near our star magnolia tree. Planting them in several different locations...such as semi shade and full sun means a longer period of blooms. Those in full sun will bloom first and then a few weeks later the semi shade areas bloom. Get the vases ready!

A very nice website for peony enthusiasts here. Also visit the American Peony Society for lots of information.

Another favorite peony of mine is Bowl of Beauty. My picture of it's beauty on flickr.

Frida Kahlo's Wedding Cake Painting

Frida is funny and clever even at her own wedding. She is the real bride cake topper after she jumps out of her own very large wedding cake! Diego is not to worry as he will get some delicious cake and chocolates, too. Chocolate is so wonderful; isn't it?

There are so many different flavors of wedding cakes these days. All the wedding magazines beg to be looked through now as you wait in line at grocery stores, book stores, most anywhere near registers. They are always fun to look at even if there isn't a wedding planned...the decorations, the cakes, the drop dead gorgeous flowers......I like to look at the gardens where the weddings are held.

Frida and her cake's painting is for sale
here.

Spring and Easter Hats and Westie Paintings

Spring arrived at our doorstep yesterday. We asked her to stay outside and beautify the yard and pull the sap up from the roots of the roses and lilac bushes to the branches and buds. Sing to them, nurture them and ask them to come out to play in all their floral finery, please. Spring obliged and we want to keep her here! At present she is turning our bits of snow into vapors.

Spring hats for myself are straw hats and all the warm fleeces and knit hats can be put away now. Which brings us to this painting I did of two westie kids getting their portrait taken at the photographers. You know how they have those back cloths in fashion shoots that are painted behind the models? This one is eggs and little brother westie is certain he smells chocolate. He even has to scratch and sniff to make certain there isn't any underneath.

Little sisters are so ladylike and prim (especially in front of people, at home they might wrestle with you like a brother when mom and dad aren't looking....!) and is certainly patient, and so very cute, giving brother the "nudge" to turn around.

Do you wear a hat on Easter? Maybe your kids do?

My paintings for sale can be found here and prints can be found here.

Westie Paintings and Art Prints

Capturing the westie spirit is easy to do when you have a puppy (once a puppy always called a puppy) as a shadow. Ironically, once we get outside he is never a shadow he is always ahead of me continually turning around adjusting where he is going so that he is in a straight line ahead of me.

This painting is titled "Meadow Music" and puppy has dropped his ball and is listening to the crickets sing their songs. I've made some prints of this one and will offer them on ebay.

Frog Prince Tea Party Lily Pad Painting

Chapter one-The green prince lives for the moment waiting for his true princess to come calling. His private, floating diningroom with ceilings that reach up to the heavens make for pleasant tea times. The breeze often cools his tea for him. Fresh air, fresh water and lots of friends make his life quite lovely. One lovely thing is lacking and that is a princess. He ponders the thought of setting out on his own travels to find her, but first he must have tea.

This vintage looking acrylic painting I did today and it is listed on ebay for the frog lovers and story tellers. I played catch up all day and it was a good feeling to get some things accomplished.

Log Cabin House with Black Picket Fence

Black picket fencing? Yes, and look how wonderful it looks with the coloring of this old log house. It picks up the black shutters and black door trim. A white picket fence would look out of place I think here. When this house was remodeled all outside boarding was taken off and what a jewel it is now.

This house reminds me of the log cabin quilt pattern with the red square in the middle. I love the red door and the red lantern on the outside windowsill. Colors are everything. Brown, cream, black and red. I would love to make a miniature log cabin quilt with these colors. We've all been sick at our house so it won't be soon. Besides I can't add one more thing to my lengthy to-do-list right now.

ACEO Frida Kahlo Rabbit Mexican folk Art Painting

Aceo originals give alot of splash for a smaller amount of money than a larger original painting! They can be just as cute as 5 x 7's and 8 x10's! Who would want to hide these small treasures
away in an album? I think one of the best ways to display them is to attach an aceo to a mat board and then slip it into a frame. Stunning.




I like the pumpkin spice color of this mat. It may not be everyone's choice, but it is a nice contrast to the pink and gold colors. The gray kitty and white bunnies go with all colors!~

Aceo stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals all measuring 2.5 by 3.5-inches.

Frida's Bunnies aceo for sale now on ebay now.