happy winter solstice - free winter word art!

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

I have a special affinity for December 21 not only because it's my birthday  :-)
but more importantly I love taking time on the Solstice to reflect on the quiet and stillness of winter, and the promise of things to come.

The evergreens laden with snow.

Buds appearing on deciduous trees, ready to burst forth in the Spring.

Quiet walks on crisp mornings.

Like no other time of the year, that feeling that I'm a part of nature. And that it's a part of me.

For me this is joy.

So I wanted to capture this in some custom word art that I could print and hang in our home to keep me in tune with this feeling.

And because you're awesome, you can click here to download a free PDF copy.  It's 8.5" x 11" with approximately 1/4" margin all the way around so if you plan to frame it, a thin frame works best.

Enjoy this very special Winter Solstice day.

the reimagined wreath - chandelier style!

[add fresh greens to an old wreath, embellish and hang from the chandelier].

This year I was determined to do something different with my decorations and I've been thinking of new ways to display wreaths.

So I have this old wreath that I drag out every year and this year I looked at it and thought "oh boy this thing's about on it's last leg..."

But it has a great frame so I figured it was worth keeping around a little longer.  But how to give it a new life?
Hmmm I said. Hmmm again. Staring, staring, getting nowhere.

Ah! Cup of coffee will help. Brief intermission...

Got it! Let's start with some fresh cedar branches.

perfectly portland - Columbia River Gorge sternwheeler cruise.

it's September and to me, this is hands down the best time of year to go sightseeing in Portland. the weather is cooling down and for the next few months, the city has been returned to it's residents.

one of our favorite things to do is take the sternwheeler cruise down the Columbia River Gorge. The Gorge is the incredibly beautiful dividing line between Oregon and Washington.

[columbia gorge sternwheeler]

every year between May and October, the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler offers cruises up and down the Columbia River, expertly narrated by the captain.

what could be better than a couple of hours lazing down the river with a fascinating history lesson thrown in?

[the wheel. natch].

we start off heading West, downriver to pass under the stunning Bridge of the Gods...

[bridge of the gods].

there's a wonderful Native American legend that tells the story of the Bridge of the Gods.

[columbia river].

there are so many amazing vistas along the river, and the trees stretch out to eternity.

once we hit the Bonneville Dam, it's time to head back upriver.
there is a Landmarks cruise where you actually get to pass through the Bonneville Lock...that would be so fun!

[heading back up river].

further upriver we pass by the wonderful Skamania Lodge, on the Washington side of the river. shortly after is the turnaround point to head back to the dock at Cascade Locks.

[skamania lodge].

another perfectly Portland day.

halloween diy - containing the eek!

this halloween decoration idea couldn't be simpler! more simple? the simplest.

my project was inspired by this great Better Homes and Gardens idea.

first gather yon supplies:

[3] footed hurricanes

[3] flower frogs*

[3] pieces of pearly white cardstock, each printed with a single letter

[1] package dried moss

[assorted] decor to place around the hurricanes

*take a moment or 10 to stare into space and wonder why that thing is called a flower frog.

give up and keep moving.

[flower frog].

I scored my footed hurricanes at a ridiculous clearance price at Michael's but you can buy them at nearly any crafts store or the wonderful HomeGoods. flower frogs  and moss were also from  Michael's, in the floral supply aisle.

gently break the moss into the desired size and place it in the bottom of the hurricanes.

slot each letter into it's flower frog. try again to figure out why it's called a frog.

shake the cobwebs from your brain [or place them in the hurricane! it's Halloween after all] and lower each letter into the hurricane.

wonder how your nice table got those scratches. probably because you're always plopping stuff on it to take pictures.

add desired decor around the feet. I placed some multi-color ceramic pumpkins and amber beaded garland.  I tucked a silver skeleton statue behind and I was done!

it's a simple vignette with lots of layers and texture.

painted summer series - part 2: crates.

I've been madly painting everything in sight so I've dubbed this the Painted Summer.

did you catch series 1?...an old dresser got a lovely new life my favorite dry-brush technique.

as if there weren't enough items and rooms in my house painted in grey-blue [sorry dear], I attacked some old crates with the same color, Benjamin Moore's wonderful Oxford Gray.

[crates are wonderful for storing dishes for a party].

here's what they looked like before:

[the before].

fine, but nothing magical. in fact I dragged these out of the garage every year for Fall decorating on my front porch. I put little hay bales in them and stacked pumpkins on top. but after Fall ended, they wound up back on their sad shelf in the garage.

after many years they heaved a big sigh, rolled their eyes, and told me they needed a face lift.
they claimed they wanted to spend more time with me.

out came the Benjamin Moore Oxford Gray and my inexpensive paintbrush that I use for crafts. no need for my wonderful Purdy brushes on this project...

I slapped those crates silly with paint. they loved it.

[hello Oxford Grey. I adore you].

a few of the letters got a little gloppy with paint. a quick retrace with my trusty Sharpie and they were back in black.

[Sharpie to the rescue!]

I re-adore these crates so much that I found a home for them in my newly repainted/redecorated/reorganized pantry.

personally I think they'll love being front and center all year round...