An Heirloom Gift

My mom commissioned me to make her sister a special keepsake of their parents' wedding day

I used their wedding photo which was taken in Italy and gave it an antique finish

encased in glass and soldered into a pendant, this is something that she could pass down to her daughter

I added some pearls and sparkly rhinestone balls

along with some glass pebbles backed with vintage sheet music

I hope her sister likes it!

Oh How I Miss Thee...

Oh Italy how I miss you

your cool refreshing fountains around every cobblestone corner

cooling ones tired feet from walking so far

your daily markets with the unique souvenirs

and ever so fresh produce and pastries

and who could forget this cuppa

it made getting up early to sightsee a whole lot easier

and this wonderful hotel in Rome

the air-conditioned bedroom beckoned my name after walking miles and miles

and those 500+ stairs that led to this view made it all worthwhile

a cozy rooftop getaway

to take in this view

and who could forget this hillside gem called Cortona

where I got to take in this view from my room everyday

and going antique shopping never looked so good

eye candy everywhere in sight

and sharing fun times with these two was a blast

such a simple life

learning to cook the Italian way

with a bountiful harvest of fresh veggies and herbs

produced wonderful food faire like this

and who could forget our field trips

this one was to a ceramic store

and this great homemade biscotti

was enjoyed around this table dining alfresco 

with a family who owned an olive orchard and produced olive oil

and to this winery to sample some of the best vino I have ever tasted

from these grapes

strolling the streets of Cortona capturing images

and making memories last in pictures

of this wondrous place

where friendships were made

and paths were explored

and my life was enriched

for this period of time I will never forget

yes Italy I miss you

very much

A Day at the Lake....in my Backyard

so...as I was saying in my last post, I have not been able to venture far from home...

since puppies have taken over my life I have had to be very creative in providing myself

some sense of a summer time getaway-vacation-recluse-escape-"me" time during these hot days

so, take a close look...

1 kiddie pool

add clean fresh cool water

1 low to the ground beach lounger

add all of the favorite summer time reading a girl could want

add iphone (to receive those calls of people wanting to buy a puppy!)

and here you have my backyard lake getaway

a place to beat the heat of these past few days

an inventive way of fooling myself into thinking I am actually 

cooling my feet in the frigid waters of the lake and taking in the scenery of the mountains around me

hah hah hah

the only thing I am thinking is I hope no one just "drops by"

and finds me in this tub of water and has a spare camera and uses it to snag a picture of me

that they then post on their facebook or blog for all the world to see

that would not be "a good thing"

it would not be listed in the Martha Stewart pages of "good things"

it would be listed in the comic pages of the newspaper!

but at least it has been a sanctuary for me these past few days

it has helped cool off this girls daily life

in the throws of puppy day care

oh...it also helps if you have a footstool 

to put up those weary legs from chasing the pups!

No Life This Summer For Moi

okay....so basically I've had NO LIFE this summer

no vacations

no getaways

no outings

all because I've been the PRIMARY caregiver to these little fur balls...

and believe me in the beginning I didn't mind one bit

but once I started visiting all of your lovely blogs

and see that all you have been enjoying the great outdoors

going on fabulous vacations with your families

or attending great artist affaires with your friends

I have begun to get very envious

in fact, you may say I've even become GREEN WITH ENVY

over all of the pictures you've been sharing...

of your adventurous summer getaways...

and I am just feeling plum left out!

But wait...

I see a light at the end of my puppy sitting!

a rainbow on the horizon...

a future of fun for this sad little woman

who has been deprived of her creative outlet for art

for come the end of september Christina and I are heading here...

Terri Brush Art Camp in Oregon

and here...

Art and Soul Portland

and then at the end of October my mom and I are partaking of this lovely event...

Tarte-A-Licious Artsy Tartesy

so now you don't need to feel sorry for me anymore

because I'm sure to have the same kinds of fun

going to all of these events that you did going to yours

and I will once again feel fulfilled enough to last me until my next art adventure!

Puppy Fix Week 12

these pictures spell

C...U...T...E!

gotta love our little furry friends!

Bliss

this is where i'll be today...

we are 3 now...

3 months old that is!