Cooper Dragonette

I just bought one of his paintings from Ebay.  What an awesome oil painter!  I wanted this one too but it was snatched away before I could bid!  Check him out!

My Etsy Shop

Collage - ME

My art group project this month was to create a collage...had so much fun!

Cool Collage Ideas, Silk Painted Lamp Shade & Earrings!

Wow - the things you can do with collage and watercolor/guache - also some silk painting ideas....

Onu Jewelry Designs by Donna Silvestri - right here in Good Ole Richmond!

Don't you just love these jewelry designs?  I can't wait to buy them now that I've made a little money painting.  These beauties are the work of Donna Silvestri.  I first met Donna and her husband Greg at the Daisy Days Spring Show at St. Catherine's.  I was fortunate enough to have a booth right next to hers and I was amazed at all the traffic she had - and you can see why!  Her work is very innovative and I've seen some jewelry people try to copy her work but its just not the same.  There is nothing like owning an ONU piece - the imitations pale by comparison. You can find more of here stunning creations at http://www.onujewelry.com/.  Her work has been featured in many popular magazines lately - including Good Housekeeping.

K. Jurick - A Painting Today

Here is another piece by K. Jurick - I get updates almost daily from this wonderful oil painter - how awesome to be able to paint like that!  She also painted a little beauty of a blonde woman with an umbrella, and I wanted to buy it - but it sold even before I could get a chance to bid on it!  See more of her work below in other postings here...

Cakes by Barbara

I was selling my scarves at the Capital One Holiday Fair here in Richmond and a fellow vendor creates these awesome cakes!  Eatable art!  Wow, now I need a special occasion to hire her!  You can find information about her and her awesome looking cakes at http://www.cakesbybarbara.net/.

All Fired Up - Make & Paint Your Own Pottery

My daughter, her friend and I recently took a trip to All Fired Up in Richmond - its located right on Cary Street (on the right hand side).  What a fun place!  We created our own designs out of wet clay (hand building).  Next week after the clay dries we go back to paint and then fire our designs.  You can pick a clay piece that has already been made or make your own.  The gals working in the shop were very helpful.  You can even spend an afternoon on their pottery wheel.  Studio fees were very reasonable.  You can also take a class in creating glass - see the picture up here on bottom left.  Check out their website at http://www.getallfiredup.com/

Onu Jewelry

This jewelry is awesome!  Hand crafted and totally unique.  Very popular here in Richmond - she makes the jewelry herself and uses a unique form of crochet and antique beads to create her work.  Visit their website at http://www.onujewelry.com/

Karin Jurick - How Great is This??

Stumbled upon Karin's blog - OMG she has such talent! Love her style - especially love the woman in the row boat. You can find more of her art work at www.karinjurick.blogspot.com

Wynn L. Booty

Absolutely beautiful! You can find her work at www.wynnbooty.com

Tasha McKelvey - Handmade Pottery

These are just the cutest little birdie cups! She is so talented! You can find more of her work at www.tashamckelvey.com

Fly Home Birdhouses

Aren't these just the coolest looking birdhouses? You can find them at www.flyhomebirdhouses.com

Searfoss Designs

I just love this batik painting artist - she was exhibiting at the Bizarre Bizaar here in Richmond this past spring. So much talent! You can see more of her batik art at www.searfossbatiks.com

Virginia Sorsby Fergus

I saw this artist at Richmond's Arts in the Park held this past May. One of these artists there really caught my eye. Her watercolors and mixed media works are stunning! You can find more of her work at www.vsfergus.com

Swans Island, Maine

Oh what a beautiful place Maine is - especially in the summer. I spent all of my summers growing up on an island off the coast of Maine - Swans Island. It's about a 45 minute ferry ride from Bass Harbor (Mt. Desert Island area). Kind of remote and not a whole lot to do there, but as kids we made our own fun - picking berries, of course going to the beach, digging clams, making beach glass and driftwood art, fishing, boating. How idyllic it was and I realize now how lucky we were to have experienced those wonderful summers there. My grandmother was the island nurse, so she lived in a beautiful victorian house, similar to this one posted here. I have always admired this house on Swans...wish I could be there! The top two photos are of the lighthouse and a view from the sea!

More Books....

As you can see, I especially love memoirs - of any kind. I couldn't put this one down! You can find it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Undress-Temple-Heaven-Susan-Gilman/dp/0446578924

Books I Love

Same Kind of Different As Me - Loved it! It's a very spiritual memoir - a must read for anyone wondering about God's plan for our lives.
http://www.samekindofdifferentasme.com/

Driftwood Coat Hanger

Isn't this a great idea?

Oh, To Live By The Sea!!

I just love these photos - found in various Coastal Living Magazine & Southern Living Magazines. My dream is to have maybe one of these cozy rooms??? Too beautiful!!

Janet Hill

How I love these little oil paintings! She is one of my favorite artists! I bought a few of her paintings last year and I just love looking at them. You can find her work at www.janethillstudio.blogspot.com.