My dreams in photographs

There are times when I wake up from dreams so vivid that all I want to do is grab a paint brush and paint them. I don't have a space to paint right now so most images are simply being stored in my mind. Then I came across a photographer's shop called

M.Fayre Photography,

that has some of the same images in her mind and I am completely in awe of her work. So much so that I will most likely feature her in every treasury I make on etsy for a very long time. A feeling of not belonging in this time, in this society, sometimes being lost in the reality being portrayed in fairy tales is what I feel when I look at these photographs. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Please visit her website for more images.

Now adorning necklines

I started out only making earrings, which has been a blast but I think it's time to branch out. Throughout the week, I have added more and more necklaces as well as blacelets. Many more will be added in the coming week or two but here are a few of the ones that are already in my shop.

Danger-giant acorns falling from the sky

My husband had a big surprise for our daughter today that I wanted to share. She was jumping up and down with excitement as he brought her the largest acorn we had ever seen. Okay, so it wasn't a real acorn. My husband is a woodworker and had made this 6" tall acorn on his lathe. It is made out of walnut, oak and jarah and weighs enough that she could cause some serious damage if she dropped it on her toes or her brother's head. It's going on a shelf!

He is in the process of setting up his shop on Etsy right now. In about a week it will be full of pens, wine stoppers, small bowls and other goodies.

A treasure too far away

I may live in Maine in the US these days but I am originally from Sweden, having moved over here ten years ago. It has been two years since I last paid a visit to my homeland and I was introduced to an amazing, very unexpected art exhibit located in the very south of Sweden.

Wanås castle is a beautiful, rather small white castle in a wooded area surrounded by farmers' fields. The castle property includes a park with walking paths and small ponds. A really serene setting, until you come upon a pair of pants covering a large part of a tree trunk. Looking around me I was amazed to see dozens of dressed trees, all wearing blue jeans size 200. Rather absurd at first glance but it soon turned into a search for more pants. Everywhere you walk in this park, new art work emerges. Everything from a room in an old stable with 20 walls made of string that you can see through to a gigantic spider made out of steel, complete with an eggsack full of silver painted soda cans. Those that don't appreciate normal art exhibits are still sure to find something to blow their socks off in this park.

If you are ever planning a trip to the south of Sweden, make sure you visit the castle's website and pay the park a visit.

Simple nutty goodness

Last night, my daughter and I made some of our favorite banana bread and I would love to share it with you. The recipe calls for nuts but I didn't use any this time. My husband is a nut but he doesn't like any in his bread so the rest of us suffer in silence:-)
For extra yumminess, add Amaretto or Frangelico both to the bread as well as in a glass for you.



Banana Bread

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 large, ripe bananas, mashed

1/4 cup butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice

1 Tbs Amaretto or Frangelico

Grease and flour two 7 x 3 inch loaf pans or four mini loaf pans. I use an elongated banged up pan that has been in my family since I was born so you can be creative with the shape of the pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, vanilla, Amaretto and sugar. Mix in the slightly beaten eggs and mashed bananas. Slowly stir in the melted butter and nuts just until incorporated. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes for larger pans or 30 minutes for mini pans. Check with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean from the center. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes then turn out onto a rack to cool. Tastes best warm with butter but keeps well for a few days too.

Enjoy!

Make your walls sing!

I am an artist but haven't picked up a paint brush for months. It hurts inside to not be able to spread that glorious oil paint but our basement/unfinished studio space is in shambles ever since it was flooded during the spring melt. Most of my paintings and all my sketches from college were ruined. Luckily, most of the paintings I have had listed in my etsy shop were upstairs and are fine. I am hopeful we will be able to create a studio space for me this summer as I have thousands of paintings, mostly of thunder clouds, floating around in my head that need to end up on a canvas.

The walls in our house are filled with paintings and photographs, mostly by myself but also some of my favorite artists and photographers. I cannot stand white walls or walls without personality. Love the feeling of looking up at a piece of art, thinking "wow, I have owned that for a year and never noticed that detail". Thought I'd share some of my favorites, some of which already grace my walls and some I would love to own some days.

1-3 are by the lovely KatHannah. I purchased Cold(1) but my sister is as crazy about her paintings as I am so it ended up as a birthday gift. Need another one. Actually, I need one of each of her prints!

4 Megan Rhodes. Breathtaking panoramic and regular sized photos of lavender fields and vineyards.

5 Cathy Nichols. Oh yeah!

6 Villarrealceramics. Great ceramic wall pillows.

7 Ambera, master of thunder clouds, moths and all things wonderfully dark. I adore her paintings.

8 Aufilde

9 Jane Heller. Not many people are able to shoot equally gorgeous prints of pigs and scantily clad behinds! There are so many fun photos in her shop but this is the one that really captures my attention.

10 Jude McConkey. The one and only! I own five of her prints and they speak to my soul.

11 Lonny

12 VedaArt

13 is by my very talented brother-in-law, Aaron Edwards. We are fortunate to have quite a few of his prints and drawings.

New treats for lobes

Oh my, how I enjoy making ear wires! I just listed some new earrings in my shop. As much fun as it is coming up with new designs, I really enjoy the process of antiquing and shaping wire. Perhaps I should get more metal work supplies, although I know my husband would loose his mind if I do!