Thanksgiving Preparations and Candy Canes

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and we are all stirring--literally!

Some with a spoon and some with a candy cane.

I heard Ina Garten makes many dishes the night before

and then heats them up on Thanksgiving and things are stress free. Imagine!

I am afraid the meat would be a bit dry if I did and the things

that are to be crispy would turn soggy. 

But Ina published a book called Make it Ahead and she knows her stuff.

We are thankful for our family that will gather around the table tomorrow.

For those farther away, we will think of them too. 

Back to the pie crust.

Happy Thanksgiving

Memories

If you've not lost a parent yet,

you don't know what it's like.

You can only imagine.

Last month I lost my Dad.

In a way you feel like a part of yourself died.

Living close and helping take care of him has given me a

 library of memories of his sense of humor and thoughtfulness.

Memories to cherish. 

Cats Illustration Print

                                                                   

                                                                   We Are Friends

Do you think you feed birds first and then you also turn to bird watching? Or vice versa? These two cats feed the birds every day and purr with their eyes closed while the birds sing.

This past winter we fed the birds quite alot and are still feeding them. Woodpeckers, Cardinals, chickadees, and finch. They deserve it and help keep the garden pesticide free! We bird watch out the kitchen window. No need for binoculars as they are so close. 

The lilac buds and leaves are opening a little. Yay! The mourning doves always make a nest in one of the lilac shrubs. They are a maze of branches. Their nests are not as neat as the little grass ones other birds  make, but they do hatch out their babies nicely. The Mother and her baby snuggle and then comes flying lessons. . There's not a refrigerator or stove but Baby is well fed on the catch of the hour/day. 

I've listed a number of new artworks and prints lately. Stop by my shop, Dictionaryreader, to see sizes and titles. Fun. Fun. Fun.

Art journaling by Candylei Yap

Drawing, designing and painting are each in themselves a beautiful process. We are not limited in any way, yet we tend to limit ourselves. We are our own worst critic, right after our children. They in innocence point out what they like and don't like. First we need to remember that not every drawing or sketch is meant to be sold. Each sketch is a learning process.  The more we wield the pencil the more it frees our mind and opens our heart. Freedom is what gives us confidence in the art world and what a beautiful world it is.

Often when cooking if we don't have an ingredient in the recipe we improvise according to our taste and substitute a different ingredient. This is slightly where I am at adding a little more abstract backgrounds to my aceos. Different, but overall reads the same!

Stop by my little aceo shop called Dictionary Reader  

Do It Yourself Girl Illustration Garden and Farm

How was your Christmas holiday? We had a white one here and it's still white out.
It really is beautiful but if you are not bundled up properly it feels like the North Pole. We run around outside looking fluffy but that means warm and the wind bypasses us.

I've started some new artwork and have a few listed in my etsy store  Dictionaryreader. How many out
there are do it yourself-ers? I know there are many. So here is a little grouping of art
I did for all of us.

Happy New Year is soon! No dieting til then. ;-)

Seeds catalogs are my good friends!

Frida Kahlo ACEO Portraits

Flowers are a woman's best friend.

 Frida thinks that and 

her hair is the best place to 

display them.   

In this little aceo mixed media painting

Frida picks some for herself and some for you

and left some for the birds to dance on.

We are getting a good scrubbing of wind and rain

from Hurricane Sandy.  Sandy please settle down!

The good thing is we are getting family time inside!

More about painting here. 

Original ACEO's Here Dictionaryreader

Sweet little creations have been flowing

as of late from my creative space and heart.

..................................................................

Vera took a napkin and folded it into a chef's hat!

She is clever and fun.

Little Vera is a fine baker (whereas I am a better taster

than a baker at times) rolling out some dough

cutting out some round cookies when she noticed

she had a rather pumpkin face in front of her.

Her kitchen wall is painted with chalk paint

so she can write down the recipes as she creates them.

(I rather want a gray wall myself to doodle on.)

And her banner, well every day should be a fun day...

and it is if you are doing what you love!

My shop here.

How many times have you started a project to have

it take a turn in midstream...and the turn being for the better?

That seems to be me. Not sure that everyone

will think it is better but I do.

My son has had his third chemotherapy treatment and 

is halfway through them. Yay! 

Shabby Chic Rose Styling

My formula for styling.

Keep arranging until it sizzles.


Make it have a lived-in look.


The top is my finished vignette.


I started with some (still) gorgeous

dried white roses.

These were on long stems

from South America.


I couldn't believe how they


dried white/cream and not brown.

I love arranging them in a

heart shape but I also

didn't want them

handled too much by little fists,

so I put them in a vintage pitcher

probably from the 50's

thrift shop purchase 1.00

I like the see through look here.

Then I walked by my rusty

silver platter that I hadn't

put away yet and inspiration hit.

Romantic crystal, candles,

roses and diamonds.

Okay. The "diamonds"

are really glass on a keychain that

I slipped down on the candle.

It cost 2.00

Here is where I stopped.

Doesn't the cream,

silver and white

look charming?

Plus the shimmer even

without the candles lit

gives it a shabby chic style.

Connecting with these friends:

White Wednesday

The House in Roses

Wow Us Wednesdays

Ivy and Elephants

Santa Westie Pink Christmas

Elvis can sing about a blue Christmas, but we like pink, pink, pink Christmas. I've finally figured out all of the dogs barking I hear now are really saying, "Ho. Ho. Ho...and away we go." That would explain the commotion. Dogs are competitive at racing. Especially my westie boy. (His cards will not be pink.)

I've had a little time to paint and will be offering them for sale. "Santa" is indoors and sleeping on the floor after a hard day of play.

White and Pink Christmas

Sugar and spice and everything nice! Simple and sweet is always a treat! I've got one of Santa's reindeers. Not with a red nose, but a pink ribbon.






Pink Christmas cactus in with my pink rose bouquet. A different little mix up that has a little holiday flavor. It's sitting in the real sweet. White snow sugar.






I haven't made any sugar cookies yet. That doesn't mean that I haven't had any though. We've got a few reindeer cookie cutters so I'd best get busy baking. This one is tied to a ribbon and then tacked on the back of the frame. There are so many options what to dangle from these white-washed frames. I've got a few more ideas rolling around in my head making noise.






Can't have a little display without a little westie added.





One thing about aluminum is that it sparkles and shines.

Twinkles! That is this reindeer's name. Sprinkles is the other one's name that I have.

I am connecting up to White Wednesday which is always fun!

Also Wow Me Wednesday.

First time linking to Good Life Wednesday

Fall Tablescapes for Kids

Little ones and big ones alike will love coming to the table when it looks inviting and playful.


The rabbit is cut from cheese with a cookie cutter jumping over an apple cut flower.




For my vases I turned our thrift shop find (ice-cream sundae glasses) upside down and added water

and some hydrangea flowers picked moments earlier with ferns from the yard.

Little hands cannot knock these vases over very easily.




Lavender is still blooming here. I rolled a sage leaf around some lavender stems.

The kids can add these to their lemonade, if they like, or put them in their pockets.




Since Halloween is close I took tangerines and put them under cloches.

Sweet little faces made from cheese cut outs and stuck on with a dab of peanut butter.

They'll have their own orange tangerine "pumpkin" to eat grown just for them under the glass house!



These hydrangeas bloom all summer and are still blooming!

Hydrangeas have such a cottage feel. You can be frugal and still have fun.


I am linking to French Country.

Inspiration Friday

Farmhouse Friday

Friday Unfolded

Debra's Common Ground Fall Tablescapes

Farm Friend Friday

Organic Fall Bouquet

It stopped raining and I went for a walk in the yard.
I came back with an armful of wild, floral fragments picked
up off of the ground or snipped. There is such an abundance
of foliage and seed heads right now to play with. But first,
I love how the yellow rose pulls out the yellow and greens
in the apple above.


I dropped them in my soup tureen and they were a feast
for my eyes against the white bowl and also inside on
the white table.




I don't know if you can see everything in this bouquet,
but these are a few peony seed heads that I think are
architectural and striking with the pink grass seed heads.





I threw out hay to the sheep and saw the vacant bee nest.
The hornets make nests way up high on the barn ceiling
and when they're empty of bees they'll fall down
onto the hay. They look a little like morel mushrooms!
A nice texture. The few red leaves are from the
sugar maple tree.

Wood Kniting Needles and Organic Yarn

Green organic threads! I am in awe of how delicate nature can be. So perfectly coiled on it's own. I took these small vine threads that were attached to little pieces of branches and put it against my painting canvas so you can compare for size! It is a miniature version of what my knitting looks like after I've pulled out rows of stitches--. I just cannot say "I am a knitter," and stand very tall and straight when I say it. More appropriately I could say, "I am a thread winder and unwinder." For some super knitting check out ravelry. A fun group of knitters who can yes, knit! I will continue to "garden knit" for now.

Mini Salvage Window Greenhouse Handmade

Isn't this adorable and just the right size for starting some cuttings and seedlings? Maybe you could just have a little bed of lettuce greens in here? I am in love with this homemade, frugal, chippy white one that I saw recently! I went out to the barn and saw a few windows in the corner from when the orginal windows were replaced from the house! Yippeee! (If you don't have old windows you could always use clear plastic and some two by fours.) We are trying to keep ahead of the cold and keep growing.

Surrealism & Frida Kahlo Art

A new painting/illustration of Frida Kahlo. Her self portraits were so severe sometimes that I like to paint her in a fun light showing her sense of humor and her love of animals and birds. This one is titled MY CAGE.

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.

Westie Pet Portrait and Boy ACEO painting - Summer Woohoo

JUMP FOR SUMMER


Summer is leaping and running with your westie dog. Sir Salty needs a trim as he looks a bit like a beardie or sheepdog (okay, a miniature one). He is always a flutter of activity and runs with his nose high in the air when he is racing us.

I guess he knows he is going to win and he rarely, if ever, looks back.

But if we sit down he always races back to check on us. Like he thinks he will find a bundle of treats that have fell out of our pockets. I think it's because the only time we really sit on the grass is when we are having a picnic or playing with him.

Aceo original painting is available on etsy.

Edwardian Westie Boy Dog Clothes

Edmund, the westie, and his friend Lester share a croquet game on the lawn. Lester is trying to line up his shot with the stars, I think.

Original aceo painting for sale on ebay. I am smitten with watercolors and india ink. These little characters are pulling on my heart strings.

Walk, run...fly

Today it hit 71 degrees and we were giddy. Very careful giddiness because the ground is still frozen solid and the top 1/4 inch has melted and it makes for slippery walking on the hillsides! I took this video of some very happy Canada geese in the field.

Cesar Westie Dog- Sweetheart

A very darling westie!