Chachagua Gardens

The grounds of the Chachagua Rainforest Hotel were beautiful with plenty of great photo opportunities.  Of course, heliconias are one of my favorite things to photograph because of the repetition and color.  When George saw this photo he said, "That photo is so you" and I had to agree.

The photo below is of some crazy prop roots on an unidentified type of palm tree.  Supposedly one kind of palm tree (Socratea exhorrhiza) can actually move its position by throwing out prop roots in the direction it wants to go and has thus earned the name "walking palm." Although this has not been scientifically proven, I like to imagine these trees slowly moving in a millipede-like fashion to find a nice sunny spot in the rainforest.

The "red" bananas below were right outside our cabina.  Costa Rica has many kinds of bananas that are not available to us in the states because they spoil quickly and are hard to transport, but boy are they tasty!  My favorite are called "quadradas" (due to their squarish shape) and they are extra sweet and delicioso!  The other photos were just random things that caught my eye.

Chachagua Rainforest Hotel - Costa Rica

George, my Dad and I just returned from a great trip driving around the wilds of Costa Rica.  Our first stop was Chachagua Rainforest Hotel.  It wasn't a bad drive from San Jose but the road up to the hotel is a bit of an adventure if you have never driven the rocky gravel roads of Latin America.  I love that we had to drive through a stream to get to our room!  The first thing we did after checking in was wander over to the beautiful open-air restaurant and order a round of drinks.  I was quite pleased when my strawberry, mango, banana "batido" showed up with this straw topper.  Little things can make a girl so happy.

I was also very pleased with our cabin.  We stayed in #202 and although I didn't see all the cabins I felt that we had the best one on the property.  We were the closest cabin to the stream and you could sit on the porch and watch birds or just lay in the hammock.  I also thought the room was very clean and tastefully appointed (bird art - you can't get better than that!). 

After settling in we took a hike around the property.  It is truly an oasis and was a nice introduction to Costa Rica.  If you visit this hotel I recommend at least a day just to hang out on the property and wander the grounds.

The short trail leads back to the reception desk and there are two traditionally decorated oxcarts around the back side of the building. Of course you know I am crazy-drawn to these decorations.  Another thing we found in the reception building was a book called "1000 Places to See Before You Die" and there is a nice write-up of Chachagua Rainforest Hotel.  Now I only have 999 things to do!

January - Pods and Puddles

I don't usually bring my camera when I walk but today I did and boy was I rewarded!  Sometimes January can feel so drab and soggy that I don't feel like leaving the house.  But once I get outside I always feel better and just look at what I saw today!  Amazing scenes abound out there!  So next time you have the winter blues go foraging for seed pods and puddles.  It brightened my day and I hope yours too.  Happy January everyone!

I love you bananas!

The week before Christmas I was walking from the kitchen to the dining room when I spied these bananas.  That Georgie o' mine is so sweet sometimes (OK, he is sweet all the time, but this was extra nice.)  It made me laugh and smile and feel so lucky to live with this funny, clever boy.  I asked him how he did it and he said he just wrote on them with a pen with the tip pushed in...any pointed object will do.  So next time you have bananas in the house surprise your sweetie with a banana message.  It will make their day!

Shutterfly Book

I  made this book as a thank you gift for some friends who let me stay in their house this summer.  It is a book for their grandchildren to read when they are at their house.  They have beautiful tile around their house so many of the images are of their tiles.

I made the book on Shutterfly and they now give the code for inserting into a blog so if you want to see the whole thing you can click on it below.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Gnome Joy!

I've been obsessed with peppermints and gnomes so they seemed a perfect combination for my card this year.  Wishing everyone a very happy holiday and lots of joy!

Wrap it up!

As soon as I saw this ribbon at Michael's I knew it was coming home with me. I looooooooove the look of the cut-outs against the solid colored paper.  I also found a cute moose ribbon in my ribbon box and I thought the two were perfect together.  Now I am finally done wrapping and I love to sit back and look at them all in a big pile.  So take a moment to breathe and enjoy the beauty as you wrap things up this year!

Vintage Red & White Embroidery

I have been waiting over a year to blog about this beautiful red and white embroidery I bought at the Springfield Antique Show.  You know how it goes...you buy something and think, "I'm going to frame this!"  And then it sits in a pile for years.  But I treated myself and finally had it framed last month.  I hung it in our yellow guest room with the red and white striped bedspreads and I love it!

Check out the cute llamas and birds!

Babushkups

These "babushkups" have been sitting on my desk for a year waiting to be photographed.  I bought them a year ago at Sur la Table as a gift for myself and my sister-in-law.  They are the kind of thing that I love so much I'm not sure if I can use them. It reminds me of when I buy tablecloths at the flea market.  When they are stained I feel free to use the heck out of them and I get a lot of enjoyment from them.  But when they are pristine they end up stacked on a shelf  in the cupboard never to be seen.  I guess the best way to appreciate something is to use it.  I may use them as pencil holders or I  may just bite the bullet and use them as drinking glasses!  Crazy, I know.

Happy Thanksgiving & Vintage Nut Prints

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I am so thankful to all my family and friends.  Thank you all for being a part of my life and supporting my blog habit.  Sharing with you and hearing your comments brings me so much joy. 

I've been saving these vintage nut prints for a Thanksgiving post.  I couldn't believe my luck when I found them at the Springfield Antique Show this September.  They remind me of my dad and the holidays because he always has a big bowl of nuts that he cracks open and eats at Christmas.

I hope your holiday season is filled with joy and nuttiness! (Vintage-nut-print nuttiness, that is!) 

Madisonville Quality-of-Life Brochure

This past week I designed this brochure for the community of Madisonville.  They are really on-the-ball and are in the process of developing a quality-of-life plan to outline their goals for the future of their neighborhood.  It was quite a group effort which is sometimes painful, but in the end all of the input produces a stronger document.

The cover drawing was by Glaserworks.  I am totally into this kind of drawing lately and it was nice to have such great imagery for the cover.  To see a larger version, click on the images.

Elephant Eraser

I bought this incredible Jonathan Adler giant elephant eraser at M. Hopple & Co. about a month ago.  As soon as I saw it I knew it was coming home with me.  I collect erasers and I have never seen one like this.  I will never dare use it,  but it sits near my monitor on my desk and brings me joy every day.  They also had giant purple squirrels and an beautiful red owl...some one may be getting one of these for Christmas!      

Rollout Invitations

The other day it dawned on me that I should post my freelance work more often on the blog.  These are two options for an invitation I did for the community of Madisonville.  I liked playing off the idea of a "rollout." The client already chose and they are printed and hopefully in the mail.  Let me know your favorite.  I will post your choice and theirs in the comments in the next few days.

Happy Birthday G!

This was George's birthday card this year. This vintage style is everywhere right now and I love it!  Instead of going out to dinner George requested an evening of baseball watching at home. So we ate dinner by the fire and had cupcakes for dessert.  Happy Birthday G!

Spring Grove Beech Tree Sketch

My friend Christina and I walked at Spring Grove Monday and we stopped and sketched at one of my favorite spots.  I decided to sketch this beech tree because I love all of its gnarly bumps and ridges.  The bare lump and the folds surrounding it reminded me of an elephant knee.  Christina sketched the incredible fall color below.  You can see her awesome sketch here.

I have been trying to loosen up my sketching and watercolor a bit and I would like to take it even farther.  I am so inspired by the sketches of Marc Taro Homes... they are amazing the way they are detailed and loose at the same time. I guess if I aspire to improve I need to practice, practice, practice.  I wouldn't even have brought my sketchbook if it hadn't been for Christina.  She is good about prodding me to sketch but I am always torn between photographing and sketching.  I suppose both are possible and they support each other, so hopefully I will be posting more sketches soon. 

Rusty wrenches

When my mom and I were at the Springfield Antique show we came upon a table chock full of junky junk.  And what caught my eye?... but these wonderful wrenches.  For some reason I am completely drawn to old rusty metal objects and I was immediately in love with the curvy one shown above.  I noticed how beautifully the big wrench fits right into the curve of the curvy wrench and I started arranging them as I am wont to do.  The owner of the junk noticed my interest and approached.  Although I had no intention of buying them I asked, "How much for the wrenches?"  He replied, "Three dollars."  Without hesitation I said, "I'll take them!"  And that is the story of how I became the proud owner of these gorgeous wrenches.  

Heirloom Pumpkin Love

One of my absolute favorite fall activities is picking out a pumpkin.  When my mom and I were at the Springfield Antique Extravaganza I found this heirloom pumpkin that now graces my entry table.  It's hard to put into words, but something about those deep grooves and the squat shape of the pumpkin makes it insanely cute to me.  What that says about my personality I don't know, but I do know that every time I come down the stairs and see this pumpkin I am absurdly happy.

Spring Grove Sketch

My friend Christina and I walked and sketched yesterday at Spring Grove Cemetery.  We ended up sketching this mausoleum that belonged to the Robinson family (click to enlarge).  Christina is an incredible illustrator and never fails to inspire me.  Sometimes I just sit and study her beautiful watercolor sketches.  You can see her sketch here.  Thanks Christina for getting me out sketching!