Comfort Cottage

Be Kind To Your Dreams

This is a special post in honor of the fourth anniversary of Pink Saturday.  For the past four years, Beverly at How Sweet The Sound has been bringing hundreds of sweet and creative bloggers together in a celebration of all things pink.  I've come to believe that our weekly virtual gatherings  have far more to offer than a love of pink.  They are a celebration of life and friendship.  Each person who participates brings to the table his or her own special corner of the world.  It is here that we learn both how we are different, and how we are the same.  To all of the friends I've made, from every corner of the globe,  Happy Pink Saturday!!!

Over the years, we've shared so much.  I've come to view my world from a completely different perspective.  Everything I see and do becomes something I want to share with all of you.  My latest piece of art and the message it brings is for you.

 

 

Be Kind To Your Dreams

10" x 10"

Mixed Media on Canvas

 

To join our birthday celebration, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I hope you have a lovely weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

A Walk In The Park

A few weeks ago, after photographing the Brandywine Rughooker's exhibition, I noticed a beautiful park across the street from the library.  It was one of the first really nice days of spring, so I decided to take a closer look through the lens of my camera.  Would you like to take a walk with me?

 

 

Doesn't that bench look inviting?

 

 

I love the pattern of bricks at the entrance.

 

 

The flowers were glorious!

 

 

The cherry blossoms were amazing against the electric blue sky.

 

 

Wouldn't this be the perfect spot for wedding or prom photos?

 

 

All over the neighborhood, the magnolias were bursting into bloom.

 

Their pink fluffiness makes my heart skip a beat!

 

 

Down the street from the park, I found a lovely koi pond where I captured beautiful reflections on the water.

 

 

The koi appeared to be swimming in the clouds!

 

 

All the earth has come to life.

 

 

 They look like neon confetti!

 

 

The light brings out every detail.

 

 

 

We are surrounded by miracles.

 

 

I hope you find a few miracles of your own today.

 

 Happy Pink Saturday to all of my pink-lovng friends out there.  To enjoy all of the wonderful pinkness, click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  Thank you to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting today's pink celebration!

Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

We Shopped 'Til We Dropped For Pink Saturday

I received a note from Beverly at How Sweet the Sound asking me to repost this for Pink Saturday.  It wasn't until I read her note that it occurred to me that yes, there's plenty of pink here!  I think I'm slipping :)

It's been months since my sister and I took our last trip to The Old Country Store.  Yesterday, the weather was cold and clear, and we were ready to rumble :)  We got an early start, and I think we were the first customers in the store!  As usual, there was no shortage of gorgeous fabrics to chose from.  They had many of the new lines and a fresh selection of quilting books as well.  I immediately headed for the mountain of fat quarters which were beautifully arranged according to style and color.  I was not disappointed.  Would you like to see what I came home with?

 

 

These are from French General.  Can you just picture them paired with vintage laces, buttons and vintage jewelry?

 

 

Can you say Oo la la?

 

The next set is at exactly the opposite end of the spectrum...bright, modern and vibrant.  They are from Moda's Terrain collection.

 

Wouldn't they make cute cupcake pincushions?  This pattern by Sandi Henderson of Portabello Pixie is perfect!

I fell in love with this cheerful set.  It's from Riley Blake's Quite Contrary collection by My Mind's Eye.

 

I immediately thought of Heather Bailey's adorable pincushions.

 

 

 

I've had these for awhile now.  I asolutely love them.  They remind me of cotton candy and a summer day.  They're from the Bliss collection by Bonnie and Camille for Moda.

 

Camille Roskelley was featured in the Fall 2010 issue of Where Women Create.

 

 

Isn't her studio cute?

 

Finally, there is a new Moda collection called Prairie Paisley II by Minick and Simpson.

 

 

I've always wanted to do a quilt using the spools block.  I think these fabrics would work really well with a traditional pattern like that.  What do you think?

 

Of course, I really hate to start a new project until I finish the one on the table right now.  I'm making some good progress with it.

 

 

It's all cut out.  It's actually piecing together pretty quickly.  I won't get to work on it again until later tomorrow.  I have to take my son in to have his stitches removed.  His eye is healing well and his cheek has a normal contour to it again.  He's able to see, so we're counting our blessings!  Again, I want to thank all of you for your encouragement and support. It has meant everything to me.

Since I originally posted this last week, I finished the quilt top!

 To visit all of our Pink Saturday participants, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend.  I'll be visiting!  Hugs and blessings to you.

Until next time,

 

 

Pink Saturday Dancer

Hello, my friends.  Happy Pink Saturday!  When I was working on this drawing, I realized I hadn't participated in a while.  That's how our dancer's dress came  to be pink.  I don't usually tackle the human figure, but I've always loved ballet, so I decided it was time.

 

 

Thank you to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting Pink Saturday for us.  If you click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar, you'll be taken to links to all of today's participants.  Have a deliciously pink weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

Wonders

It's Friday already!  This has been a busy week here.  We've had the usual hustle and bustle of getting our son ready for his second year of college...textbooks, clothes, parking permits, etc.  I had to smile when he came home from school (he's commuting) and told me his feet hurt from walking so much and that he thought he needed a new pair of shoes.  We discovered that he is indeed still growing.  His shoes needed to be a half size bigger than they were eight months ago.  He towers over me at 6"2" (At least, that's how tall he was last year.  Now...who knows?)  Yesterday, my husband and I marked our 32nd anniversary.  After our summer of gallivanting about the country, we were contented to celebrate with a pizza :)  While he was at the office today, I finished a new piece of art.

 

 

I used my Caran D'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons and inked with a Sakura Pigma Micron .05 pen.  The verse is Psalm 65:7-9.  After painting all those flowers, it seemed to fit!  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.  I'll be linking this post with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound later today for Pink Saturday.  Please stop by her blog tomorrow to see all of the Pink Saturday posts!  Later this week, I'll have some photos of Deer Isle and Stonington, Maine to share with you.

 

Until next time,

 

A Maine Pink Saturday

I'm just getting back to somewhat of a normal routine after our summer adventures, and I have some wonderful pink to share with you.  Yes, even in Bass Harbor, I found you some pink.  The thing I was most enchanted by as I strolled through Bass Harbor was the seaside cottages.  Of course, it's always fun to read about them in magazines, but it was fabulous to get out and photograph some of them myself.  Are you ready?  When I saw this one, I could hardly believe my eyes.  You can probably guess what went through my mind when I saw it.

 

 

Is this cute, or what?

 

 

 

There was a botanical garden of wildflowers in Acadia National Park.

 

 

 

I found lots of beautiful pink flowers on the islands.

 

 

These lovely geraniums were growing in the yard of a historic church.

 

 

I think these are nootka roses.

 

 

 

This beautiful garden was in Bass Harbor.

 

 

Another magical Bass Harbor cottage.

 

 

It's gardens were inviting.

 

 

On this trip to Maine, we explored a new place.  We went to Deer Isle.  Deer Isle is accessible by a very narrow, high bridge.  Though the ride over it is a bit hair-raising,  the island is a peaceful place to escape from the real world.

 

 

On the opposite side of Deer Isle is one of the most productive fishing ports in the country-Stonington.  I fell in love with this town.  It was everything I imagined a seaside town could be.   Street after street of shingle-style  cottages charmed me.  Like the brilliant hues in my paint box,  color dripped from window boxes and mingled together into a dazzling sea.

 

 

The fushia was such a deep pink, it was almost red.

 

 

 

I walked to the end of the main street and followed the road up a steep hill.  If I had stopped just a step to soon, I would have missed this storybook bed and breakfast.

 

 

 

 

These looked like giant zinnias but I'll bet some of you gardeners out there will know what they are.

 

 

I found bunches of these growing by the roadside.

 

 

It is called fireweed, because it is also commonly found growing in burned out areas.

 

Finally, for today, a few beautiful Maine sunsets from Mount Desert Island.

 

 

This one is from the marsh at Seawall.

 

 This is from the shore on the other side of Seawall.

That's all for now.  I hope you've enjoyed sharing the pinkness of Maine with me.  If you would like to visit all of the Pink Saturday participants, please click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  I want to thank Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting another wonderful Pink Saturday.

I have much more of Stonington to share with you.  I hope you'll join me later this week as we continue our tour!

 

Until next time,

 

Pink Saturday Miracle Makeover

Today is a very special Pink Saturday.   Our hostess, Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound has invited us all to participate in the Design Gives Back Miracle Makeover.  Kelee Katillac of Design Gives Back and the Miracle Makeover team (pictured below) have done room makeovers for three very special kids this year.  Please view the wonderful video of the reveal.  Leaving a comment will earn $1 for Friends for Kids With Cancer and next year's Miracle Makeover.  Then, you can click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar to see all of today's Pink Saturday participants.  If you leave a comment at any of the following links, it will earn $1 for each of the links you visit.

 

               Pink Saturday @ at How Sweet the Sound/ Beverly 

                       Spiritual Sunday  @ Spiritual Sunday /Charlotte & Ginger

                                  Country Wings in Phoenix @ Country Wings in Phoenix/Sherry   

                   Metamorphosis Monday  comments on Monday Only   

 Please join us in making a child's dreams come true. 

 

As I thought of Kelee, the sponsors, and all of the blogs participating today, I was reminded that whatever we do for someone else, no matter how small the act, we do for the Lord Jesus.  Let us all be His hands and heart today.  You will be blessed in knowing that you are making a big difference in the lives of children with cancer and their families.  I created this piece of digital art in honor of the occasion.

 

 

 

 Thank you for taking the time to make a difference.

 

**Also linked to Texture Tuesdays at Kim Klassen Cafe.  Today, I used free Photoshop textures from Kim's collection:  Granny's Cupboard, Water-stained Frame, and Scratched Magic.  Thank you Kim!

 

Hugs,

 

Pink Saturday Sunrise

Hello, my friends!  Happy Pink Saturday!  It's been awhile since I've been able to come up with some pink for you, but my recent trip to Badlands National Park in South Dakota has provided me with some gorgeous pinks.  Before I share them with you, I want to thank Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for hosting our weekly pink get-together.  If you would like to visit all of our wonderful pink particpants, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.

 

This week, I visited Dixie at French Lique for the first time.  If you love antiques, you will love her latest post.  She takes us to visit an amazing shop called The Curious Boys, in French Lique, Texas.  Thanks, Dixie!

 

Finally, I have some pink to share with you.  I snapped this photo at sunrise last week in the Badlands.

 

 

 

There were many species of wildflowers.  This one is the musk thistle.

 

 

This one is field milkvetch.

 

 

Those were the more tame photos from my Badlands trip.  Next week, I'll show you the rattlesnake that was curled up three feet behind me as I waited for the sunset.  Have a great week, and thank you for visiting.  You are what makes Comfort Cottage special.

 

Until next time,

 

Pink Saturday Water Lilies

Hello to all of my Pink Saturday friends!  I hope you are all well.  For all things pink, click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  You'll find plenty of good things to satisfy your pink craving.  Most importantly, let's let Beverly at How Sweet the Sound know how much we appreciate her hosting our weekly event!  Also, pay a visit to Francie at The Scented Cottage.  She's sharing a wonderful tutorial on rewiring a lamp.

 

This has been a rough week in the studio.  I was determined to complete this painting for today, but it was definitely a fight.  After a few false starts, I finally came up with something.  While kayaking, I shot quite a few photos of the waterlilies on Hopewell Lake.  They inspired my painting this week.

 

 

Pair of Water Lilies

Watercolor on 140lb. cold press

 

I spent a few late hours, but it was worth it!   Have a wonderful weekend!

 

Until next time,

 

Pink Painting Place

Hi everyone!  I hope your week was productive and not too stressful.  Happy Pink Saturday to all of you!  I had a difficult time coming up with something pink for you.  The only thing that stuck out to me, was the walls in my pink painting place.  I have a few photos of what I was up to in there today.

 

 

When the table gets too cluttered, I move to the easel :)  My supplies seem to multiply from day to day.

 

 

It amazes me that I actually accomplish something amidst the clutter!  It's not pink, but I thought you might like to see it:

 

 

Josiah Hess Bridge

Watercolor on 140lb. cold press

 

The Josiah Hess Bridge is one of eighteen covered bridges in Columbia County, Pennsylvania.  It was built in 1875 by a local farmer and sawmill owner.  I photographed it on a sweltering day last week while on a camping trip.  Since it was at least 100 degrees and humid, I didn't stay outside of our air-conditioned vehicle for long!

I visited Eileen over at The Pink Home this week.  She has a beautiful inspiration board to share.  Soon, she will be moving, and she still found time to share with us.  Good luck with the move, Eileen!

If you would like to visit all of the wonderful members of the Pink Saturday clan, just click on the Pink Saturday icon in my right sidebar.  While you are there, please be sure to thank Beverly of How Sweet the Sound for being our hostess.