Miesmama

Becky, who likes to daydream a lot, is the creative talent behind the etsy store Miesmama.
Just look at all the wonderful goodness she sells!


How creative is this! a garland of felted leaves.






and this lovely felted bowl!

She makes brooches to wear; clips for your stuff; clips, ties, and headbands for your hair; bags for your goodies; and more. Check out this coneflower pincushion!
Becky's blog, a creative journal of a mother's passion for things handmade, is a good read. I found out that she loves to swap--ATCs, inchies, and more. See photos of her swaps here. Becky blogged about some she received here. Here's the first ATC she made, subject, Amalie. She gives the link to swapbot, which you simply must check out.
Miesmama is the featured etsy blogger for the month of July!
photos © miesmama

hot fun in the summertime!

When I was young, my family would pack up the car and drive to the beach for 2 weeks. We'd drive past small towns and cows grazing in the fields. Would we EVER arrive?
I spent most of my time in the water. I'd lie on my raft and catch the waves. Oh the thrill of riding a big one in! Of course building sand castles or rolling in the sand was fun, too.


Diving under the waves or just floating in the cool salt water are great ways to spend time. See my silly Dad doing a handstand?!




After a long day at the beach, we'd walk back to our cottage past beautiful blue hydrangea bushes. My Dad would hose the sand off me and my brother before we were allowed inside.
Sometimes in the evenings we'd walk the boardwalk and eat ice cream cones.What wonderful family memories these are!

See my post Summertime....back in the day....

This is for the etsy bloggers street team carnival hosted by Rose Works Jewelry. Be sure to check out her blog after July 31 when she will publish all the etsy bloggers' submissions.

Addendum: We went to Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Cape May, New Jersey; Cockey's Farm; and Mildred's and Earl's Farm, the latter 2 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, USA. In the Summertime post linked above, there are photos from the farms.
photos © 2009

flower and bee (#2)

bee on Echinacea flower
photo by me © 2009

flower and bee

Trying to photograph an insect is like trying to catch the wind. I was inspired by Squirrel Queen's bee photos on her blog post and by Mackin-Art. And then that very same day, I just happened to see this bumblebee crawling all over the Lantana blossoms, wallowing in its food, sucking lustily. Eating food should be this much fun!
Squirrel Queen has 3 blogs. Do check them out. Her photography is wonderful!
The Road to Here
Through Squirrel Eyes
The Chase for Baja
more about bumblebees:
lots of information-fascinating and
here
more about lantana:
here and
here
photo by me © 2009

Asheville kitty

Meet Cy, my daughter's very fluffy (almost) all black kitty. Here she is lying under a redbud tree. She was really enjoying this photo session, twisting and turning in various poses. Cy likes to spend most of her time roaming outside and lying in various favorite places. Chasing bugs is fun, too.
photo by me © 2009

The power of suggestion!

This photo was taken at Bonbonerie, a luscious cake and pastry shop and cafe. Their cakes are simply divine!

("...ingredients are combined in imaginative and artistic ways to create their unique and delicious products")

photo by me © 2009

Hey, I'm lazy, too!

This is Earnest here.
I'm the REAL professional because I don't even pretend to be anything other than lazy!
My favorite sleeping place is the stairs, any one will do; halfway up is great.









Every so often I like to switch sleeping positions. (Lying in the same position all day is just too tiring.)









And don't worry about disturbing me. You won't. Because I'm deaf (makes it even easier to be lazy).

Sometimes it's fun to be lazy with my brother Oliver.
Now that's the (lazy) life!
PS: Here's another photo of us, Earnest & Oliver, sleeping.

Addendum: My daughter named Earnest inspired by Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, and because when we got Earnest as a little kitten, he was so inquisitive and happy to be alive in spite of being deaf.

photos by me © 2009

look what I won!

a very cute red and white polka dot luggage tag from Melanie of Southern Charm Quilts!I thought this tag was so charming, I ordered a few more in the fabrics of my choice. My tags arrived along with a lovely thank you card. Recently, I went on vacation, and with Melanie's tags securely attached to my luggage, my suitcases were so easy to spot!
Check out her website here and her etsy store here. You will see all her wonderful products and lovely selection of fabrics.
See the original post about the giveaway.

...how Melanie started...

In Melanie's own words, "I started making totes and quilts for my family on birthdays and Christmas. I started getting alot of requests for them, so I thought "maybe I could sell these". I have doing that for several years now." She sells quilts, totes, accessories, luggage tags, clothing, and more. On the left is Melly's tote. Her blog post about it is here.
Melanie is a member of the famous etsy bloggers' street team!

Orchids

orchids at Krohn Conservatory, Cincinnati, Ohio
 
LINK:
Spring  a past Krohn post: (scroll down to the boy with the butterfly)
 photo by me © 2007  all rights reserved

the art of laziness....

.....as taught by Oliver
watch carefully now...
If they glance your way, try to look busy.
Find a comfortable spot
and a comfortable position.
Make sure you change your sleeping spot from time to time so they'll think that you are industrious.Now you know how the professional does it!
NOTE: In photo #3, Oliver is sleeping in my husbands computer chair. My chair and computer are next to my husband's. Oliver likes to keep me company when I work at the computer. He shows up with a quiet mer-ow, hops onto the chair, and proceeds to be....lazy!
photos by me © 2009

Mango Salsa

Here is the yummy Mango Salsa that I made and served with tacos for dinner last night. This recipe is based on one inspired by CalKat. See her recipe here. See her etsy shop here.

1 mango, chopped
1/2 C tomatoes, chopped
1/2 C orange pepper, chopped
1/2 C onion (vidalia), chopped
1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno, cut in circles
1 lime, juice and zest

Place the jalapeno, cilantro, lime, and some of the other chopped ingredients into a food processor or blender and process well. Mix all together and serve.




Serve with tacos, burritos, or chips.
Here is the finished salsa:
photos by me © 2009

Red, White, and Blue!

Tie dyeing with the Girl Scouts at Stonelick State Park was so much fun! They wanted a red, white, and blue theme because they would be celebrating the 4th of July (on June 19th). I had the best helpers: Tink, Pop Tart, Kricket, Daisey, Meeko, and Peanut. Here are a few photos:

THE RESULT

Crackers (above left)












Meeko (on the right)

...waiting...

THE PROCESS

soaking the shirts

wringing out the shirts

dyeing the shirts

the lovely thank you card I received from my wonderful helpers!

photos by me © 2009

St. Maarten (Pointe de Bluff)

photos by me © 2007 and 2008

St Maarten (Cupecoy)

Aaahh...Cupecoy...so beautiful....a small, semi-secluded beach flanked with gorgeous sandstone cliffs. This photo was taken at the very beginning of sunset. The lovely wildness of this beach is now being spoiled by the building of high rises on the cliffs above. However this is a most lovely setting for sunset-watching.

photo by me © 2007