Roxanne Swentzell

I can't even think about going to Santa Fe without visiting the Tower Gallery which houses the work of my favorite Santa Fe sculptor - Roxanne Swentzell. I remember the first time I saw her work it really struck me.  I immediately loved the curved, rounded feminine figures and their beautiful, smooth bronze and clay colored skin.  And just look at the toes - talk about expressive!  Although I couldn't afford a bronze, I did purchase her book the first time we visited (you can buy one on her website here or a bronze if you'd like!).

If you ever visit Santa Fe it is worth going to the Tower Gallery which is about 20-25 minutes north of Santa Fe.  Don't miss the great movie about Roxanne in the bottom room of the tower.  It talks about her life, how she became an artist, and her current work( and she is even a collector of heirloom seeds! - you just end up really liking her by the end).  In addition to her gallery, there is a wonderful museum with local artists work and an exhibit about life in the pueblo that Roxanne did all of the figures for.  I really can't say enough about how much I love her work - so inspiring!  Love it, love it, love it!

Bandelier National Monument

On our trip to Santa Fe we got a chance to visit Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Pueblo people (formerly known as Anasazi).  I highly recommend it if you get a chance to go.  It is so much fun to climb the ladders and crawl around in the caves. The main loop trail is an easy trail to take even with children.

We also took the Alcove Trail which led to a high cliff dwelling.  As you can see below, I don't recommend this trail for those with small children or people who are scared of heights.

Once you get to the top this is the view.

Then you can climb down into the man-made structure and it looks like this.

As you can see from George's face, we had a lot of fun.

Taos Pueblo

We also visited the Taos Pueblo on our visit to New Mexico.  The pueblo is nestled at the base of a beautiful mountain with a clear stream running through the middle.  I love the adobe architecture and the blue paint on the doors and moulding.  We took the guided tour and it was interesting the way the guide described the way the houses were in various states of weathering.  It seemed to me that without care these houses would return to the dirt they were made from in no time at all. 

Santa Fe Trip - Peter Woytuk Sculptures

I haven't been posting lately because we took a trip to one of my favorite places - Santa Fe, NM.  There is something magical about Santa Fe.  I love the rounded adobe architecture of the buildings, the beautiful, sunny, low-humidity weather, and the abundance of art that never ceases to amaze at every turn.  And that is what brings me to these incredible sculptures. 

While driving into town I spotted these bovine beauties in the Ghost Ranch sculpture garden off Paseo de Peralta.  I love the way their soft curves suggest the gentle nature of the cows.  And just look at the way their front legs are tucked under their bodies - so cute! (I know I use that adjective too often, but c'mon you gotta admit they are so dang cute!)  The artist is Peter Woytuk and when I got home I really enjoyed visiting his website where you can view more of his wonderful work.

And of course I loooooooove, the bird scuptures!

Vintage Embroidery Tablecloth

Last month I went with my mom to the Springfield Antique Show Extravaganza where I found this amazing tablecloth.  When I spotted it from across the booth I was immediately drawn to it.  I love the contrast between the cornflower blue and orange and the yellow makes the whole tablecloth so cheery.

And did you get a look at those gorgeous butterflies dropping in for a sip of nectar?  They are interesting because the maker purposefully left the top of the butterflies open to form a pocket.  At first I thought it was for a little weight to prevent it from blowing in the wind, but the tablecloth is only a 34'' square and so the butterflies lay on top of the table.  Then I thought maybe the butterfly pockets were to hold playing cards...and then I thought wouldn't it be so cute if you had friends over to play cards and you had a little card with their names sticking out of the butterflies!  Whatever the case it makes it all the more charming and I hope it brightens your day like it did mine.

Bear's Breeches

While I was weeding my back yard today I noticed my Bear's Breeches are blooming right now.  I love the spiky bloom with it's dusty purple and green color.  As a former bear biologist I had to do a little research about the name.  I found a nice article on JSTOR from Garden History, Vol. 24, No. 1, Summer 1996, titled "The Tortuous Tale of 'Bear's Breech' the Puzzling Name for Acanthus mollis."  The article gives a very in depth theory that essentially says the name came from it's medieval name, "branca ursina."  They hypothesized that the bracts look like bear's claws - hence "ursina" and that "branca" morphed into breech over time.  Whatever the case, I think the name quite cute and the flower is lovely.

I also found out that it can be invasive in areas.  Although mine has gotten bigger over the years, it doesn't spread too much.  And I love that I don't have to water it - it even survived last year's drought.  Apparently it is recommended for xeriscaping because of that quality.   Another perk is that you can dry these for flower arrangements! I haven't tried it yet but will definitely post later if that works out.

Peonies!

My favorite flower is most definitely the peony.  Aside from their unabashedly beefy beauty, I love the distinct aroma of peonies.  I just ran downstairs to smell it so I could describe the smell, but there is no way to say it except that it is just very "peony-esque".  The light pink ones in my photo smelled especially wonderful.

Every year I like to make one really nice flower arrangement from the yard when the peonies are blooming. This year I included lots of different things including iris, yarrow, anemone, Russian sage, ferns, hosta, Soloman's seal, and of course peonies.  If I have the time I find that I can totally lose myself when making an arrangement.  I love trying to find just the right balance - a little green here, a little pink here, a little yellow there.  I encourage everyone to get out there and cut some flowers for an arrangement - even if it's dandelions in a drinking cup!

Hansel Gretel Fabric

The theme of this week's Spoonflower fabric design contest is Folk Tales so of course I couldn't resist participating.  My design is based on Hansel and Gretel.  If you would like to vote click here and click on "Folk Tales" in the upper right-hand corner. 

I am thinking I might have to make them into a Christmas tablecloth, or hand towels, or both!

Guess Who?

My fellow Blogger Jill organized this blog event and I am participating.  Have fun!

 

What a diverse and beautiful mosaic of images, no?

It just so happens that each of the above images came from a different photo-blogger.

Can you pin the photo to the blogger based on their individual photographic style and/or content?

Let's have a little fun and see if anyone can guess them all correctly!

Here is the list of bloggers who contributed one of the above photos

Even if you are not familiar with a particular photographer

please take a few minutes to browse through their blog, say hi, then come back here and leave your guesses below

 On Blogger blogs, the "dynamic" view has been linked for easy browsing. 

To leave a comment on their blog, just delete /view/mosaic in the URL window to get to their homepage

Amy @ Tilting Windmills

Kamana @ Journalling Through Photos

Lissa @ A Chance of Sunshine

Beth @ Be Yourself

Barbara @ Long Hollow Photography

Gail @ Louisiana Belle

Vanessa @ Nessy Designs

Fiona @ Lady Fi 

Christine @ Creating A Life of Beauty

Jill @ Jillsy Girl Studio 

Now...off you go

and enjoy the photoblog tour while you're at it!

It's guaranteed you'll see some excellent photography!

 

Who's who will be posted tomorrow!

Folk Design Tablecloth

This is the last of the three tablecloth and hand towel designs I printed at Spoonflower this month. When the package arrived in the mail I originally thought the background color was too green-gold, but it has now grown on me.  I had been shooting for a nice tan-yellow gold but I think this color adds a layer of funkiness - so for now I am keeping it this color. The tablecloth is designed to fit a 33-34'' square card table.  Again, because you have to buy by the yard at Spoonflower, I was able to fit in two matching hand towels for a total of two yards.

If you would like to purchase this tablecloth go to Spoonflower.com and search for "Sorensen" (or click here.) Then choose "Folk Tablecloth," cotton twill, and 2 yards.  Spoonflower will mail the fabric to you and then you will have to cut the fabric, hem the edges, and add a trim if you'd like.  (Please see my previous post about washing instructions!)

I really lucked out because my poppies were blooming the day I photographed this tablecloth.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect orange flower that day.  But I had to shoot really quickly because this kind of poppy doesn't last more than about half an hour after it's cut.  Luckily it held out just long enough!  

Card Table Tablecloth

This tablecloth was also designed around Valentine's Day.  It is similar to the round tablecloth I posted yesterday, but it has a pink heart border.  I also added a nice mini white fringe around the edge.   The tablecloth is designed to fit a 33-34'' square table.  Again, because you have to buy by the yard at Spoonflower, I was able to fit in two matching hand towels for a total of two yards.

If you would like to purchase this tablecloth go to Spoonflower.com and search for "Sorensen." Then choose "Pink Tablecloth," cotton twill, and 2 yards (or click here).  Spoonflower will mail the fabric to you and then you will have to cut the fabric, hem the edges, and add a trim if you'd like.  (Please see my previous post about washing instructions!)

Check back soon for another card table design!

Tablecloth Fabric Design

I am so excited to announce that my new tablecloth designs are now available at Spoonflower.  Today I am showing you the first of three designs.  The tablecloth above is a 58'' round tablecloth with red on white folk designs composed of hearts and birds.  Because you have to buy by the yard at Spoonflower I filled the extra space with matching handtowels that you see below.  Two are red and white and two are pink.

If you would like to purchase this tablecloth just go to Spoonflower.com and search for "Sorensen." Click on the "Round Folk Tablecloth" (or click here).  You have to select the fabric type ( I recommend the cotton twill) and order 3 yards.  Your fabric will be printed by Spoonflower and will arrive at your door.  You will then have to cut the fabric and hem the edges.  This way it is handmade by you and designed by me!  So break out your sewing machines and get busy! (BTW, you don't have to be a sewing guru to do this - I learned to sew by watching the video that came with my $100 sewing machine I bought at JoAnn's).  You can also customize your tablecloth by sewing on a trim.  I chose giant red ric rac for the tablecloth, but a nice ball fringe might be nice too.  I did a mini white ball fringe on the pink hand towels.

If you can't tell I designed this for Valentines Day but for a variety of reasons it has taken me a while to get here.  I received my first round of printed fabric about a month ago.  For this design I wanted to sew ric rac around the edge so I washed and dried the fabric so that it would shrink before sewing on the trim.  Big mistake!  The fabric shrank so much it didn't fit my table anymore.  Not only did it shrink, but it shrank more in one direction so I ended up with an ellipse instead of a circle!  So I re-ordered and this time I just sewed the ric rac on right away.  So I'm sure that drying this tablecloth is not a good idea.  I'm not sure yet about hand-washing, but needless to say a little spot cleaning is the safest way to go.

I will post the other designs soon so check back!

Hooray for giant red ric rac!

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom came down yesterday and we celebrated Mother's Day.  I surprised her with the above cake from the BonBonerie. (Just look at those yummy decorations!)  We also went to the Cincinnati Preservation Society's Historic Home Tour in Pleasant Ridge and saw five beautiful houses.  I just love looking at the incredible craftsmanship in those homes.  It was such a nice day with my mum.  Happy Mother's Day Mom!

I also made my mom the banner you see below.  You may have to click on the image to see it better.  You can also get a sneak peak at my new tablecloth I printed at Spoonflower.  I have been a busy bee and can't wait to finally show all my tablecloths to you.  Hopefully I will have everything hemmed and photographed this week.

Shade Coffee is for the Birds

(Click on image to enlarge)

George recently began purchasing his coffee from a great company called Grounds for Change.  He had been looking for a company that sells shade grown coffee and almost all of this company's coffee is shade grown.  Why is shade grown important you might ask?  Well, the short answer is that shade grown coffee provides a "forest-like" environment that is great for not only birds, but the whole ecosystem.  Coffee was traditionally a shade grown crop but through the centuries we have converted it to a sun crop that is grown in large monocultures which are essentially deserts for wildlife (imagine acres and acres of corn fields - except that it is coffee).   So if everyone decided to purchase shade coffee instead of sun coffee we would have a lot more forest and a lot less monoculture desert. (Read more about it here.)

Grounds for Change is also organic and uses 100% renewable energy and composts all of their waste.  You can learn more about their sustainable business practices here.  And don't worry they sell everything from regular to decaf.  George has been buying Cafe Femenino which helps women coffee producers in Peru.  (FYI - George and I are not affiliated in any way with this company).

Whether or not you choose this company or another, I encourage every coffee drinker out there to try and choose organic, shade grown coffee.  This is such a small, easy change: just imagine if we all switched what a difference it would make!

"Be the change you want to see in the world." - Ghandi

(I made those coffee mugs for George for Christmas by using some of the Zen Birds images and uploading them to Snapfish.  It makes me happy to see him using them everyday.)

Mushrooms

Today I was happily weeding in my front yard when I saw these cute mushrooms.  I don't think they would normally have caught my eye except for their golden color.  All day I have been looking for something gold to submit to Jillsy Girl's Color My World Challenge and these little beauties were perfect.

Below is a close up of part of that mushroom family.  And I love how that little pine cone was just perfectly positioned there as if it wanted to be shaded under the mushroom umbrella too.

Blue flower

I noticed these incredible flowers in my backyard but I don't know what they are.  I love the way the buds are pink before they bloom.  I took these photos April 6th so they are a fairly early bloomer.  If anyone out there knows what they are please let me know! (To look at them closer click on the image.)

(It also just so happens that Jillsy Girl's Color My World Challenge is now accepting blue.)