We Need To Talk

We need to talk. My oldest son was diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma, stage 4. I knew very little about lymphoma a month ago. That has changed. My little iphone has been around the web world googling it gathering information. Names and numbers of molecules, antigens, cell proteins are all new to me.

My son bravely had his first chemotherapy treatment. I knew very little about chemotherapy either. I thought as a mother I knew quite a bit, but I have so much to learn.

More on Lymphoma Here.

Valentine Tokens of Affection

Sweet Valentine candy hearts.

How lovely to arrange a heart on each spoon.

A little extra pretty at the table.

They have a vintage Victorian look.

Drop a candied heart into your tea cup!

Our sweet teacups from Anthropologie.

Connecting with:

French Country Cottage

Common Ground

The Charm of Home

The Romantic Home

The Picket Fence

Stuff and Nonsense

Chalkboard Art

I've been working on some black and white art. Here is a sneak peak of the first one.

Didn't you love chalkboards when you were younger and now they are hot items with messages, poems and drawings! Maybe we loved them because they were spontaneous. To pick up a piece of chalk and draw without deliberation was liberating. If you didn't like the drawing it came off just as easy. I remember looking forward to my turn at helping the teachers clean the boards and they had this one eraser pad that made it look brand new. You see it didn't take much to make me happy.

This print is up on etsy.

Horses and Their Foals Dazzle Us

The pasture is full of life. All legs bouncing, running about and staying very close to Mama when we are near. When the foals are full and tired they lie down and roll on their backs and set back up and nibble on grass like this one. Childhood is great. Foalhood? Is there a term for a foal's baby months?

Farming A Life and Organic Produce

Author Kristin with husband, Mark Kimball

Read this book and you will think differently about hard work, dirt, and farming. You'll be willing to spend your savings on horses, cattle, pigs, and milk cows. You will have found the zest of life right under your fingertips, dirt. You work for it and it pays great rewards back to you! Hard work is a tonic! Who needs much sleep? Especially when you are reading about someone else's bone tired labors and the joys that go with it.

This book redefines what success and beauty mean. Kristin Kimball makes fun of herself and her ideas of a good life before she turned farmer. We really like her husband and smile knowingly when she describes their working relationship that gets stressed to the max sometimes when two work together every day of the week. It is always funny when it is someone else! She shares her mishaps like a best girlfriend. You feel like you know these two well and are cheering like mad for them! A very enjoyable read. I handed the book over to my dad who is enjoying it as I type this. The book is titled THE DIRTY LIFE, on Farming, Food and Love by Kristin Kimball.

Long live organic farmers.

Go to NPR (National Public Radio) for a great interview and pictures.

New review here in the Irish Times about "devouring" page after page of this book. Personally I think this book will made into a movie!

Motivational Mixed Media Canvas Art

PAPER ROCKET

It's a journey. It's a dream. It's a bit of a stretch maybe...but set your goal and aim for it!

What is propelling Clara's rocket here are the words, "Long range goal."

In archery class we didn't give up if we didn't hit the bull's eye. We tried again the next day at class. Set clear goals and aim, aim, aim.

It would be hard to hit the bull's eye if you didn't have arrows. What are the tools you need to succeed? What are the tools I need to succeed? Some tools are in our nature. Compassion and understanding if you are a caregiver or doctor. An artist needs an imagination, often we paint from memory or how we think it should look. Maybe you feel you can't draw but you have a great imagination with words and can string them together in the most unusual way. (This is definitely not me with words.) Everyone has their own natural talent waiting to be discovered.

I used a mixture of papers, paint and canvas for this collage to remind myself to aim high like Clara and spread the love like she is doing with hearts.

Happy Thanksgiving Day

I am thankful for loving family.

I am thankful for friends.

I am thankful for westies.

Most of all I'm thankful for God who remembers me.

Singing Chicks Original Folk Art

Songs that come from the heart are the sweetest and cannot be held back. Do you recognize a song when you hear it? All the little wonders of nature singing to us and when you live in the hustle and bustle of the city you often miss these little sweet songs.

My new painting is full of color! Like a song with the notes going all over the scales.

More about my current paintings here.

Frida Kahlo Burning Heart Folk Art

"Love Leads the Way"

Love is like a flaming light that shows us the way when we are uncertain. Frida is always beautiful with her flowers and cat. How does she manage to always look great? This is the second large painting I'm offering of Frida Kahlo. It's an inspirational one that would look great in your office or home. Kitty with paws curled in front looks like he/she is praying. I think that every time I see our cats with their paws folded just so. The painting measures a large 16 x 20 inches and makes a colorful statement.

I looked at lots of sedum plants (Autumn Joy and others) today and if you are familiar with them they are a beautiful blue and green depending on the lighting. They are about the same colors as agave plants. This is the color I carried around today even into this painting.
Up for sale on ebay with a low start price for a large painting.

Frida Kahlo's Secret Garden Folk Art

We gardened all day Saturday so when I came in I was still gardening on canvas. Here is Frida's Secret Garden where she can always find her friends...look at all of the little birds lined up for their turn in Frida's hand. There are so many benefits when you have a garden. Birds bring you the best seeds from other people's gardens! We all look for little surprise plants in our flower gardens every spring. Little gifts of love they had left for us to find <3.

Frida's Secret garden is on a large 24-inches tall and 8-inches wide canvas. Lots of brushstroke details and the colors are magical and bright. To see more pictures click here where it is listed for sale.

Did anyone else outdo themselves gardening on Saturday?

Valentine's Day Cupid Mexican Folk Art

Gardening is on my mind more and more these days as the seed and plant catalogs are avalanched to our door by the postman. Then Valentine's day has such a romantic pull to it. All you need is love...and a rascal cat. I added a cat mouse toy with little red hearts on it plus the hugs and kisses on Frida's blouse. Topiary heart plants and love. And they are evergreen which means love lasts through all seasons. No one can miss all of the symbols of love I reckon. Fun ones at that.

But better yet Frida is Cupid and with the help of her black cat she is going to plant lots of seeds of love in everyone's hearts. I think the colors show that Frida is very serious about being Cupid. Link to Painting.

Love is Heart Cupcakes- Daily painting Valentines

Our cat used to have the midnight crazies and now it just wants to steal our whipped confections. Thus came about this 5 x 10-inch painting titled "Heart Stealer." Don't let the cute heart glasses fool you. Kitty is cute though. Kitty only has eyes for cupcakes...paws are going to make them hers. The bluebirds wait for the crumbs.

I seem to zig zag back and forth from day to day from soft colors to bright, rich saturated colors. I tried to add a few light notes to the rich ones...such as the light pink dress and the light green shirt. I do love the rich red, orange and pink color combinations in the garden and in art on canvas. Even textiles. Think merrimekko.

Up for sale on ebay.

Mixed Media collage Folk Art

Second day of daily painting assignment. Nearing midnight on this Christmas Day but I did not want to fail and here is my painting. I do love collages and cutting up papers and recycling into ART. The cutest kids are in this one. Write about love...and the boy makes a hat out of his paper while the girls hold theirs proudly in front like banners...(or are they shielding their hearts?) This I did with valentine's day in mind. I used the colors of the heart candies that kids give away in elementary school. Green, pink, orange, and white.

We had a wonderful Christmas Day and I hope yours was enjoyed as well. We are full, warm, happy, and now tired. Merry Christmas.

Love Matters

Today as I walked the aisles of the drug store waiting for an prescription I came upon this book by Delilah. I have heard her voice a few times on the radio and I was curious. I opened it and read one story. That was all I could read because I was so bleary-eyed. How could I find my way back to the check-out counter? It was beautiful and sad at the same time. A young woman after her masectomy met the man of her life. The cancer returned and he stuck with her while she was so sick from chemo. (But she said she always felt good about herself with him.) He told her he loved her more than a thousand angels could... If I read anymore I would have had to go buy tissues. As it was my eyelashes were no match for the rising waters. This is a book that stirs up everything in you.