Sugar

Sugar is her name for a reason.  She loves to kiss everybody, and in the south we like to call it 'shhugaa'.  You've done it, that sweet little kiss on the rosey part of your favorite persons' cheek that means "I love you" and "You are special to me".  Our orange tabby kitty has perfected the delivery of that sweet little kiss, although not always on the cheek.  She gives away her sweet kisses to everybody and in return everybody loves her.  I wonder if she knows how special her kisses are?  This picture was made while she was posing outside on our deck lounge chair watching birds fly around last spring.  When they come too close she barks at them, a muffled little 'woof', and crouches down ready to jump if they come any closer.  Maybe someday I can capture that in a photo. 

Twilight on Etsy

New artwork added to Etsy.  The night skies are so inspiring.  The bright fall colors seem to absorb the sunlight during the day and reflect the moonlight during the night.  I love watching the sun go down and the beautiful autumn glow that appears in the late afternoons.  Keep watching for more night skies to come.

Really like this picture of my Acorn Door Packages design.  Click on the link below to visit the Creative Home Arts Club and to see how you can make your own version of this alternative to a wreath.

http://www.creativehomeartsclub.com/projects/articletype/articleview/articleid/1313/acorn-door-decor

Fall Wreath

You can make this beautiful and simple fall design for yourself.  Find some realistic artificial fruit; three oranges, three apples and three pomegranates, some silk ranunculus and hydrangea, artificial grapes, eucalyptus and fall leaves and use this photo as a placement guide.  Trim some wooden skewers to approximately 3 inches and insert them into the fruits and then into the wreath shape then fill in around them using the other materials.  You can add more materials or use fewer materials to make it any size you like.  Add a wire loop hanger to the back and you have your own beautiful and unique design.  This wreath was made with a 14 inch wreath of Styrofoam(tm) brand foam.   What a great personalized thank you gift for friends, family or neighbors.
For more ideas like this one visit http://www.styrofoamcrafts.com/ and hope you enjoy a wonderful FALL season !

Smith Mountain Lake Virginia Sunset

YES ! I finally got my sunset shot that I have been waiting for !  On our way home from Ed's 45th. HS reunion in Front Royal, VA, we enjoyed a short visit with our friends, Blair and Gene Rumney, at their beautiful house on Smith Mountain Lake.  They have captured their own little piece of heaven there on the lakeside.  Blair is a fabulous cook and she prepared a wonderful dinner for us followed by mouth watering bread pudding and pumpkin ice cream from a local dairy.  After a good night's sleep we left the next day (in the rain) to head home to Roswell.   Although this picture is pretty good (in my opinion) it does not capture the true natural beauty of the view from their deck.  We feel so very blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy their generosity, hospitality and friendship.  Maybe next time Ed and Gene can play golf ! 

Midnight Skies

There's something mystical about the October night skies.  I remember sitting on our front porch with my brother studying the twinkling stars in October and being so thankful that the hot summer days had finally come to an end for us.  So this time of year brings back a lot of wonderful childhood memories for me. 
The past few nights' sunsets have been absolutely beautiful and I never seem to have my camera with me to capture them.  But I'm not giving up and hope to catch a few good shots during our trip to Virginia.  Looking forward to creating some fall paintings in the next few weeks and will be adding more of my 'Midnight Skies' paintings to the Etsy shop next week so be sure to check them out. 
     

New Paintings Added to Etsy Shop

I love blue.  Today I played with blue paint.  My favorite way to play is to add layers and layers of paints on top of textured canvases and then use water and paper towels to remove areas of the paint to reveal the layers underneath.  These new canvases evolved as I was playing with several shades and layers of blues, browns and white.  Normally I start with some type of  landscape image to get started but these new ideas today evolved into beautiful water scapes instead.  If you have a chance to visit my Etsy shop be sure to check them out.  I hope to add many more in the next few months. 

     

Our Growing Family

Here we are with our Grandsons !

In this picture - ME holding Wren (5 months), and Ed holding Walker and Patrick (both 16 months).   Last week we enjoyed a much anticipated visit with our immediate family - Kenneth and Julie and Walker from Athens, GA, Dennis and Mandi and Patrick from Eugene, OR, and Kenon and JoyAnn and Wren from Peachtree City, GA

What an exciting time this was for all of us - the first time all three grandsons were together ! 

They are all precious and lovable and our hearts were overflowing all day.

Our daughters and sons are wonderful parents and we are so very proud of them and all they do for these little boys.

We are truly blessed in so many ways.

Bamboo Cube and Wreath

One of my favorite things to do is play with artificial botanicals, flowers, leaves, berries, twigs, dried naturals,,,,,I think you get the picture, this list is a long one.
When I find flowers that look so real that I fight the urge to lean in and take a sniff, then I know that I have to bring them home and use them in a new design.  These roses, ranunculus and berries were some of those special finds.
I always share my designs made with STYROFOAM(tm) brand foam* with Sharon Currier of Currier Communications. 
This time she chose to share it with Abby Foster, editor of Crafts'n Things, and here it is on page 10 of the October issue of Crafts'n Things.  You can make one of these for yourself using the step by step instructions in Crafts'n Things.
The photographer did a beautiful job with this photo, the styling and lighting are perfect.   I always enjoy seeing my work  published in such a gorgeous way.  Many, many thanks to Abby Foster and Sharon Currier for their continued support.

Photo: Courtesy of Crafts'n Things - October 2010 Issue
*STYROFOAM(tm) is a registered trademark of The Dow Chemical Company
Visit http://www.styrofoamcrafts.com/ for projects and ideas that you can make yourself !

new blog and etsy shop !

Wow, can't believe I built an etsy shop and now a blog in the past 3 days.  Looking forward to sharing a lot of new art here and on etsy.  I am taking a turn in a new direction. 

Feel free to check out my etsy shop - www.dianeflowersart.etsy.com  - and let me know what you think.  This is just the beginning for me.