I DREAM OF ENGLAND

WELL, DEAR FRIENDS, I'M OFF TO ENGLAND TODAY. MY PLANE LEAVES AROUND 6:00 PM AND I'M ALL SET. I WILL TRY TO BLOG WHILE THERE, BUT IT MIGHT BE HARD FOR ME TO FIND A COMPUTER TO USE. IF NOT, I'M SURE I'LL HAVE PLENTY TO BLOG ABOUT WHEN I GET HOME. PLEASE DON'T FORGET ME, BLOG FRIENDS. I VALUE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. THE COLLAGE BELOW IS ONE I MADE SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS GOING THROUGH A ROUGH PATCH IN MY LIFE. EVER PIECE IN HERE MEANS SOMETHING TO ME AS IT WAS MY WAY OF JOURNALING IN PRIVATE. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE THE WORDS, BUT IT SAYS "I DREAM OF ENGLAND". KEEP WELL AND SAFE, MY FRIENDS.

ROAD KILL

SORRY, I COULDN'T RESIST. I KNOW THAT'S PRETTY CRUDE, BUT SOMETIMES MY MIND WORKS THAT WAY! I DID FIND THIS IN THE ROAD THOUGH! LAST FRIDAY, ON MY WAY TO SOME GARAGE SALES, I SAW THIS PIECE OF METAL (THAT HAD PROBABLY FALLEN OFF A CAR) IN A REALLY BUSY INTERSECTION NEAR MY HOUSE. IT WAS WAY TO BUSY TO STOP THE CAR AND PICK IT UP, SO I RELUCTANTLY WENT ON MY WAY. FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS I LOOKED FOR THIS PIECE OF METAL,... AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO PICK IT UP! NO LUCK! FINALLY, ON MY WAY TO MY SHOP ON SUNDAY, I GOT MY CHANCE! NO ONE WAS AROUND SO I JUMPED OUT OF MY CAR AND GRABBED IT! I WAS SO PLEASED BECAUSE JUST AS I THOUGHT! IT WILL MAKE A GREAT OWL'S BODY FOR MY NEXT METAL COLLAGE. YES!!!! IT TAKES SO LITTLE TO MAKE ME HAPPY. TRISH, HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR COFFEE?

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

LAST WEEK I FOUND A WONDERFUL ARTIST'S BLOG. COLLEENSREFLECTIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM. SHE MAKES THE SWEETEST FAIRIES THAT I'VE EVER SEEN AND HAS ALSO STARTED TO MAKE FAERIE HOUSES. BECAUSE LITTLE COTTAGES HAVE MOST TIMES BEEN SEEN IN THE WORK I DO, IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER, I WAS REALLY SMITTEN WITH HER CREATION. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO PUT ON MY SHELF OVER MY STUDIO WINDOW, SO I STARTED MAKING MY VILLAGE, INSPIRED BY COLLEEN'S BLOG, WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITE PIECES OF BARK CLOTH AND OTHER BITS AND BOBS. THIS IS JUST A START FOR MY VILLAGE AS I PLAN ON HAVING THE ENTIRE SHELF LINED UP WITH LITTLE COTTAGES. I DON'T KNOW IF COLLEN SELLS HER FAERIE HOUSES OR NOT, BUT YOU CAN ASK HER VIA HER BLOG. YOU MUST VISIT AS IT IS WONDERFUL!

ONCE UPON A TIME.........

........I WAS PUBLISHED! WHILE SPENDING THE NITE AT MY DAUGHTER ROBIN'S, I CAME UPON AN OLD BH&G SPECIAL ISSUE MAGAZINE. AT THE TIME, I WAS GROWING AND SELLING FRESH AND DRIED PEONIES FOR THE CUT FLOWER MARKET. I WAS ALSO A DRIED FLORAL DESIGNER AND SOMEHOW MEREDITH PRESS GOT IN TOUCH WITH ME TO DO A FEATURE ARTICLE FOR AN ISSUE OF THIS MAG. THEY ALSO ASKED ME TO DESIGN A PROJECT FOR THE READERS. THEY SENT A CREW TO MY PEONY FARM TO TAKE PHOTOS AND DO AN INTERVIEW. IT WAS GREAT FUN AND I ALSO ENDED UP DESIGNING PROJECTS FOR FUTURE ARTICLES, SORT OF FREELANCE FASHION. THEY WERE WONDERFUL TO WORK WITH AND I CONTINUED TO CONTRIBUTE UNTIL THEY CEASED THAT PUBLICATION. FROM THERE, I WAS HIRED A FEW TIMES TO DESIGN FOR SAMPLER PUBLICATION'S DESIGN IDEAS AND ALSO SOME OF THE ITEMS I HAD MADE WERE IN ROMANTIC HOMES. ALAS, BOTH THOSE MAGAZINES WERE SOLD TO OTHER PUBLISHERS. ( IS THERE A PATTERN HERE?) I TOOK JUST A FEW PICS OF THE MAGAZINE. THE LAST PICS IS OF SOME RACKS OF PEONIES THAT WERE ALMOST DRY.

FEELING LIKE A PRINCESS

THIS WEEK I WANTED TO GO TO "THE PEC THING" WHICH IS A LARGE FLEA MARKET THAT IS HELD ONCE IN THE SPRING AND ONCE IN THE FALL IN PECOTONICA,ILLINOIS. AS MY DAUGHTER ROBIN LIVES ABOUT 15 MINUTES FROM THERE, IT WAS AGREED THAT WE WOULD MEET THERE AND DO SOME EARLY SHOPPING. OF COURSE I SPENT THE NITE AT HER HOUSE AND SLEPT IN HER SWEET LITTLE QUEST ROOM. I FELT LIKE I WAS AT A B&B! NOW , ROBIN DOES NOT HAVE ANY CHILDREN, NOR DOES SHE PLAN ON HAVING ANY. SHE IS JUST VERY GOOD AT DECIDING ON A THEME AND THEN FINDING MOSTLY VINTAGE ITEMS TO ADD TO THE LOOK THAT SHE WANTS. IN THIS CASE IT WAS A SWEET LITTLE GIRL LOOK, PROBABLY BASED ON WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE LIKED HER ROOM TO LOOK LIKE WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD. IT IS A WONDERFUL ROOM TO SPEND THE NITE IN AND MY PICTURES DO NOT DO IT JUSTICE. THROUGH THE YEARS, SHE HAS FOUND SOME WONDERFUL MINIATURE CUPBOARDS, CHAIRS, TRUNKS, CRADLES, ETC.

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A SWEETER HOT WATER BOTTLE?

SILHOUETTES OF MY THREE DAUGHTERS FROM 1977.

VINTAGE WOOL NEEDLEWORK OF ROBINS.

WINDOW TREATMENT CREATED BY ROBIN.

AND THIS IS 11 YEAR OLD KOSMO WHO IS DEPRESSED BECAUSE HE MISSED THE CHANCE TO HASSLE THE POSTMAN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 10 YEARS!

SO SORRY!

I'VE BEEN WANTING TO BLOG BUT MY COMPUTER KEEPS FREEZING UP. IT IS SUCH A PAIN! I HAVE BEEN CLEANING SOME THINGS OUT OF IT AND IT SEEMS TO BE A TRIFLE BETTER, BUT I THINK IT MIGHT BE TIME TO CALL IN THE GEEK SQUAD! I HOPE TO POST SOME PICTURES TOMORROW.

THIS IS THE WATER COLOR THAT I PROMISED TO SHOW YOU IN A PREVIOUS POST. I KNEW AS SOON AS I SAW THIS HOUSE AND GARDEN THAT IT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THIS WONDERFUL PIECE OF ART. IT WAS PAINTED IN 2000 BY ARTIST PAMELA HUNTER. IT IS TITLED "STRETTEN ROAD-MUCH WENLOCK, WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE VILLAGES AND ONE THAT I S CLOSE TO MY COTTAGE. THE OTHER PAINTING IS ALSO BY THIS ARTIST. I BOUGHT BOTH OF THESE FROM PAMELA AT A VILLAGE FAIRE. SHE WAS A MATURE , SWEET WOMAN AND I WAS TOLD LAST YEAR THAT SHE HAD PROBABLY PASSED AWAY. I THINK THIS YEAR I AM GOING TO MAKE MORE OF AN EFFORT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HER. THE COLORS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN THE PICS SHOW.

TWENTY SIX DAYS.......

.......UNTIL I LEAVE FOR ENGLAND. THIS LOVELY HOUSE AND GARDEN IS ONE THAT I PASS BY AT LEAST TWICE A DAY WHEN I AM THERE. TALK ABOUT EYE CANDY! MANY YEARS AGO I PURCHASED A WATERCOLOR OF THIS PLACE AND WILL POST A PICTURE OF IT SOON. ONE OF THE THINGS I WANT TO DO WHILE I AM ON HOLIDAY, (BESIDES SHOPPING) IS TO TAKE PICS. OF ALL THE UNUSUAL AND WONDERFUL PUB SIGNS THAT I CAN BLOG ABOUT WHEN I GET BACK. I ONCE SAW ONE THAT WAS NAMED "THE FROG AND THE NIGHT GOWN" ! THAT WAS A HOOT BUT I DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA WITH ME AT THE TIME. ....SORRY I HAVEN'T BLOGGED FOR A WHILE BUT I HAVE BEEN RUNNING BACK AND FORTH FROM THE DENTIST TO HAVE SOME EMERGENCY DENTAL DONE!........TODAY I WILL GET READY FOR KANE FLEA MARKET. KEEP WELL, EVERYONE!