Welcome, everyone! I hope you've all recovered from the holiday season and have a few warm memories to get you through the winter. I've had so much I've wanted to share with you, but alas, I wasn't even able to get a post off last month! December is always a busy month, but this year was particularly eventful.
In addition to a lovely Christmas and New Year's celebration, two other momentous events occured within the same week. First, my darling son, the joy of my life, reached his eighteenth birthday the day after Christmas. Second, my sister's daughter, whose birth I was present for, married her college sweetheart two days after Michael's birthday. As I looked around at the familiar faces and graying hair of friends and family, I was reminded of the certainty of time's passing and of the equal certainty that we cannot stop it's determined march. Admittedly this truth might be fruitful ground for a bout of melancholy. However, as I pause at the entrance to this new year I am curiously liberated.
I realize now that the passage of time is a gift beyond measure. It has seen the healing of old wounds. The driving rain and wind of trial has brought forth a garden of new wisdom. The tree that is my faith has been bent low, and its branches torn, but the storms have given it roots of iron. It has endured the barren humiliation of many winter seasons and has clothed itself in the garment of humility. It has finally yielded to the Gardener's relentless pruning and it has turned its leaves to the light.
On that happy note, settle in and let me share my pinkness with you!
The first order of business is to share a brand new blog site with you. Please join me in welcoming Kim of The Sheep's Nest to the creative blogging community. She hails from Stony Field Farm in upstate New York. Check out her blog as she shares her dream and some wonderful photographs of a recent trip to England.
Oops! I was supposed to introduce a new member, wasn't I? The absent-minded artist strikes again. Well, I just visited the blog of a brand new Pink Saturday participant, Sherry at A Happy Valentine. I especially enjoyed my visit because I learned that she is just beginning to learn to play the flute. Being a flutist myself, it was a nice surprise.
Last summer I began experimenting with Jacquard's Dye-na-flo fabric dyes. This is one of the fabric designs I came up with. Shocking, isn't it?
This one was fun. I sprinkled large sea salt crystals onto the wet dye. Unfortunately, to get this effect, you have to leave them on until the dye dries. Getting them off is a challenge, but the result is worth it.
I found this delicately knit pair of gloves at one of the local antique stores. The cup and saucer is German, also an antique found at a yard sale. The Victorian calling card is from my personal collection.
This is a Valentine brooch I made. I used felted wool and hand-embroidered it.
Another of my Valentine brooches.
This was one of those double-take moments. I was wandering through our local thrift store when I spotted four five-yard spools of this delicate antique crocheted lace. Imagine my surprise when I saw the fifteen cent price tag!


This is one of my hand-painted trays. I painted this one after receiving a fabulous book on the work of the Zhostovo painters of Russia. They begin their training as young children and spend many years perfecting their art before being allowed to paint trays to sell. It is a tradition that has been carried on for centuries. Their luminous florals are typically painted on metal trays. The trays are often painted black, but red, white, dark green and even dark blue have been used. They usually have intricate filigree-like borders painted with gold paint. No two are ever alike. This one is my own design. I'm not particularly fond of the mass produced blank trays that are sold for this purpose, so I've resorted to finding antique serving trays that have seen better days. They are much heavier and have a lot more style to them. The Russian masters traditionally work with a limited palette of oils, but the same techniques can be mastered using acrylics. I prefer acrylic gouaches. They are opaque watercolors that can be layered repeatedly to produce great depth and luminosity.


I hope you've had an enjoyable visit. Many thanks to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting Pink Saturday. Stop by her blog for a list of more lovers of pink. God bless you and keep you until next time.