faded daffodils

before winter is just a cold memory, i thought i'd share some snow scenes taken the end of january, when the first, very early, daffodils were blooming on old natchez trace. these little gems have all faded and we anxiously await for their cousins to appear..........

this is my first attempt at playing with textures on my photos.

many more

sweet little harbingers of spring

will be opening their happy faces to the the sky.

very

very

soon.........

we just have to wait for the gray to lift.

and it will.

it always does.

color in my kitchen

i LOVE to CHANGE things up in my house. recently i sewed new curtains for my kitchen to brighten it up a bit. most of my interior decor is done in neutrals and lots of white, but the kitchen needed some OOMPH. we've had a long and cold winter, and i needed to add more color in my life...

i've been searching for a vintage tablecloth to turn into curtains, but couldn't find a large enough piece in good enough condition, so off to the fabric store... where i fell in love with these funky fabrics and fun, ginormous ric rac. the blue print is called "gothic prarie" and the trim is "nigella" by "amy butler". i have matchstick blinds for the top, but these garden signs will be fine till i get them hung. with the happy addition of some of my colorful vintage aprons, ceramics and floral prints, i love the change........

after a beautiful, spring-like TEASE of a weekend, the weather is turning cold ONCE again. i'm SO looking forward to SPRING and the emergence of my sunny buttercups faces and the awakening of the garden and senses..........

cosanti

welcome to COSANTI, in scottsdale, arizona.

while visiting family in arizona last december, we took a field trip to this artist commune where SOLERI windbells are made and sold.



the brainchild of 90 year old artist, PAOLO SOLERI, this is an open air studio and foundry, where bronze and ceramic windbells are created and the profits support the development of PAOLO's other commune, ARCOSANTI. started in the 1970's, these desert properties support several families and as an artist myself, i loved being here!! these passionate souls live, eat and breathe their work.



the art studios and residences mingle together and feel



futuristic



and



prehistoric



at the same time.






the verdigris bronze bells hang from sculptural-archaic like forms.

handmade buidings made from found items.

a true working studio where the smell of damp clay fills the air...

and tempts you (ME!!)to play. i wanted so badly to roll around in this stuff! i think i could be a bell maker too........

i believe this is a residence?

this colorful lady has lived here since the 70's...the bird too. except for two hippy-like twentysomethings in the shop...bird-lady was the only one around this quiet saturday.

i wasn't sure what i was looking at most of the time, but it was all mesmerizing.

for more information on COSANTI and ARCOSANTI go to

http://www.cosanti.com/

or

http://www.arcosanti.org/

the beauty is there

lenten rose blooming in my february garden.

pretty isn't it?



i'm sharing this, not so pretty photo to show you...

if you look close enough...

if you pay attention...

the beauty is there.

i promise.