Color Stories

Benjamin Moore has some beautiful colors in the Color Story Palette.

Shades of Gray

Naturally Neutral

Earthen Hues

Violet Twilight

Fluid Blues

Elemental Greens

Golden Fluids

Fiery Sunset

The 4-Hour Guru

I'm very excited to get my hands on a copy of The 4-Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss. My son gave me a copy of The 4-Hour Workweek and I was obsessed. Next came the 4-Hour Body which truly changed the way I viewed eating and exercise. He is the perfect human experiment. He does all the work so that we don't have to. We can just take in the info and run with it to make our own lives better. I'm not sure what the publishing controversy is all about, but I will buy the book.

I love to cook so I'm anxious to read what this is all about.

Need A Daily Dose?

In the need for some love today? Visit The Daily Love www.thedailylove.com. Mastin Kipp shares his story about growing up and never feeling like he fit in. Now he is giving back so much love through his message. Good vibes all around today!

The New Loves

Today I found two new things for my faves list. First, I am obsessed with cool fonts, lettering and artful writing. Well I found someone that makes a living doing what I love. Her name is Jessica Hische and she is a type designer. Check out her blog. She is my kind of fun! jessicahische.is

I discovered this song today. It's called Radiation by Gavin DeGraw. I'm drawn to different voices. His is sexy, soulful, and SEXY! gavindegraw.com

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpWROeCC02Y

So much to discover.....

The Second Grade Poet

A girl from the second grade at the school I work at wrote the most beautiful poem. As she was reciting it to the class I pictured what the poem would look like. I finally got to work on it and it's finished. She has an amazing gift for words.........at the ripe old age of 8 years old.

Very Girly!

Day Trip'n

Spur of the minute road trip to Dungeness Wildlife Refuge.

The Beautiful Little Bathroom

Good things, no, great things come in small packages. That's how I feel about this bathroom. One of my projects of the summer.

Little bathrooms tend to get the shaft,



but not this one!



The shower floor is my favorite. The little pebbles are surprisingly comfy to stand on. Almost as good as a foot massage.

When choosing a color for any room, buy two or three sample shades, paint a large 11x14 square and hang in several spots of the room. Look at it throughout the day because the light will change the color. It is worth the extra work.

Now it's time to hang some great artwork!

Leaf Love

This faux finish is the definition of ZEN! I'm painting this in my own bathroom upstairs..........ohm (om).

This process takes a few days to complete but well worth the trouble. The best thing about any faux finish it that it typically lasts longer than a regular paint application.

I'm relaxed already....the tub doesn't hurt either.

My Idea of Fun

We go to Whistler every year in the winter but my favorite time to visit is in the summer. The skiers are replaced by mountain bikers (although there still is snow on top to ski) and a much more relaxed crowd fills the village walkways. We found a sanctuary of peace not too far into the woods. While the men went golfing the women RELAXED! We spent the day at The Scandinave Spa which is a 20,000 sq foot outdoor spa. We experienced the Scandinavian baths which is a day of heating our bodies in steam baths, Finnish saunas and hot baths to plunging into Nordic waterfalls, cold plunges or cold showers. Then we sat in hammocks and Adirondack chairs in the sun. We repeated this sequence three times.....best day! No cameras were allowed, but I tried to sneak some pictures.

After a short hike in the woods you enter tranquility. Sounds of waterfalls and spa music.

This was a little challenging for me. Once you enter the spa area there is NO talking. They were not kidding. Some extremely attractive spa men would walk around and give gentle reminders about this rule. Luckily (or maybe not so lucky) I did not get reprimanded.

The lobby had comfy places to sit and a nice little cafe where you WERE allowed to speak!

I want this window seat in my house.

Sneak peak over the rail.

This is paradise. There is an area called Hammock Haven.....yes it was!


Please visit if you can......but not until you finish saying everything you need to say for five or six hours.

Getting Down To Business

My friend Sally is going on one of her vacations to Lake Chelan. She has graciously agreed to deliver some of my wine boxes to some of the best wineries for me.  You can't thank your friends enough! I'm so grateful!

As you may know by now, I love my bike......

and I seem to find ways to incorporate them into my art.

All of these pieces were found in a church in Paris. You can't believe the amount of stuff I collect for no other reason than I find them interesting.

How many people owned this key?

My favorite creations are my floor cloths. I love making them. Who doesn't want a great piece of art....even on the floor!

I am making several cloths that I will be posting on my etsy site. My shop is in desperate need of attention.

My photography is nothing to write home about. I was trying to do a close-up to show some texture.....do you see it?

Summer Distractions

I haven't created a thing in the last two weeks. I'm having too much fun having FUN! In Seattle you have to take full advantage of the sun and we have.

Hanging out with my favorite fisherman!


Maybe on the next rainy day I will get some work done......

Turtle Rescue

After a fairly quiet, peaceful Saturday my husband and I had the chance to rescue a snapping turtle that wandered into our neighborhood. We attempted to get him into a very large plastic bucket, one that you could use for toy storage or keg container. He successfully escaped into the back of the jeep. Thankfully a neighbor had a large pet carrier that Greg was able to wrangle him into. Luckily he did not lose any fingers during the process (I'm talking about Greg)!

This picture doesn't quite capture how large he was. Check out the nails. We took him to The Sarvey Wildlife Care Center up in Arlington. We were impressed with this place. http://www.sarveywildlife.org/. They were impressed with our find as well.

My pictures were taken with my phone, so not very clear but this was a snowy owl they were rehabbing.

He kept his back to us, camera shy!

I thought I was being clever, but he turned his head.

They went in to feed this bald eagle for us. This one is 17 years old and part of their educational program. Most animals are rehabbed and released back into the wild.


Incredible experience and no one was hurt in the process!

Hiatus

Took some time away from my blog, my etsy shop and anything technology. Almost forgot my password. It was a much needed time to refocus creatively and allow some new artistic creations to happen. Not ready to post any pictures but I am loving the space I'm in! On a different note entirely, my husband and I go on a pizza adventure every Friday night. We have been doing this for about a year now. We try a different restaurant every week to discover the best pizza. I have my top three winners.....

This is a tiny little place in the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. So cute and has outside seating. It makes you feel like you are surrounded by friends.

This pizza is delicious. My favorite is The Formaggi-mozzarella, Gorgonzola, provola and olive oil. The best part is you get free pizza during happy hour as long as you're drinking.....now that's happy!

Serious Pie is always a favorite. I have to admit, I am a stalker of Tom Douglas. He opens a restaurant......I am there!

My only advice.......you have to be adventurous and be willing to try some new flavors. If you want mediocre pepperoni....please stay away! This is the best (my opinion) Yukon Gold Potato, Rosemary and Pecorino (new comfort food)

Ristorante Paradiso in Kirkland made my list because it was such a find. We just happened to walk past the little gem and were lucky to get a table. Delicious is an understatement. The bread is an experience all on its own. Who knew that a little yeast and flour could be up there with great sex. Don't gasp, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Ciao for today!