Happy dog!

 And happy people!!

Our day at Hunting Island State Park on Sunday was wonderful. The best part was Winslow being able to run on the beach and in the water. 

Here on Tybee Island dogs are not allowed on the beach, which I also appreciate, but this was great!

Thanks for all your comments and help yesterday with my question about staying ahead of clutter. Some of you are so wonderfully organized and some of you are in the same boat I am in. 

Well, this morning I started organizing a little shelf we have in the living room. And then I got distracted - one thing leads to another and another, you know?!

So, now the shelf is half done, the laundry room is half done, the bed still needs to be made... You get the idea. That happens to me all the time!

Oh, well! I'll continue with it all as soon as I post this. The nice thing is that I have no deadline.

Strangely, I've noticed that when I am really into getting organized, I am suddenly not active in my studio anymore. 

I think I get into a different frame of mind when I putter around the house - more domestic rather than artistic. 

I like how my life seems to go in waves like that. It keeps things interesting.

Isn't this maritime forest beautiful? And so exotic with the palm trees mixed in. 

We saw two tiny lizards and one teeny tiny baby snake while we were walking, but all were gone too fast to take a picture. 

While we were there, we checked out the campground, which has tent sites right on the ocean. It looked wonderful (and packed!). We are definitely planning a camping trip with Winslow there one of these weekends... 

I hope you are all doing well. Wishing you a terrific Tuesday!!

A happy accident

Over the weekend, some of the surfaces in our house become a little cluttered. But once in a while, the clutter catches my eye, like in this instant. The colors all look like I put them together intentionally. I think I'll leave it for a bit before cleaning up the yarn and magazines... 

 

Speaking of cleaning, I had a bit of an epiphany this weekend. I've been wondering why I have been having such trouble keeping the house organized and why I always feel the need to declutter everything. And I wondered what was going on with me that I didn't seem to be able to get ahead of "the stuff."

Then I realized that this it the first time we have lived in one house for longer than three years. We have moved a lot and loved it, lived in many different places and even sometimes moved within the same town, first renting and then buying a house once we knew the area.

That meant that every three years there was a natural decluttering as we were getting ready to move and then a natural reorganizing as we put everything in its new place. Now I've got to come up with a different system. How do you stay ahead of clutter and do you have a system for organizing things? Would you mind sharing if you do?!

Tomorrow I'll share a few photos from Hunting Island State Park, where we spent the day yesterday. But for now I wish you all a great start to your week!

Miriam ~ Finished Pastel

Let me introduce you to Miriam. She was the soother of my soul yesterday. I had a bizarre day, where I had been feeling quite anxious. At first I was puzzled as to why, but then I noticed that it was very windy and relatively cold outside. I often feel more anxious when it's really dry and windy.

When that happens and I have time, I do something creative, which seems to activate a much calmer part of my brain. I had been wanting to get my pastels out again because I just love the tactile nature of using them (not to mention how wonderfully messy they are...).

After a few hours and a couple of revisions, Miriam came into being and one look into her eyes lets me know that all is very well indeed! No reason to feel anxious at all...

Miriam

5 x 7 inch pastel painting on clay board

Available here in my Etsy shop.

I am linking to this week's Illustration Friday exhibit (theme: puzzled) and also to the wonderful folks over at Paint Party Friday! Head on over there for much more art to enjoy.

Happy Friday to all of you!!


P.S. I was very kindly made aware yesterday that it might be a good idea to protect my photos with a watermark, which I have so far been a bit too lazy to do. But with more and more photo sharing websites popping up, it's probably a very good idea. So, please bear with me as I figure this out and come up with one that works well and is easy to implement...

Hodgepodge

This is going to be one of those posts with a bunch of things that just make me extra special happy these days! 

First up is my granny stripe blanket in progress (and almost done!). I got the inspiration and pattern here at Attic24, a wonderfully colorful and crafty blog! It has been one of those calming and steady projects. I love it!! And will start another blanket as soon as this one is done...

More hearts in progress and a couple of them finished. 

They've been added to my Etsy shop. And there are more in the works - they are time-consuming to make, but I am enjoying every minute of it!!

Our garden has been exploding with all the sunshine and warmth we've had. The pomegranate is blooming and beyond beautiful! Stunning, really!

Our fig tree is loaded with tiny figs. I'm already starting to collect recipes - starting at They Draw and Cook, the most fun database for delicious cooking and baking!! If you haven't been there yet, I highly recommend you check it out!

Our little blueberry bushes are already sporting gorgeous berries! Maybe there will be enough for a pie this year? But I'm happy to just have them to add to our delicious homemade muesli (the recipe is here).

In the kitchen, I loved last night's dinner of salmon and asparagus with an orange sauce. We used to make it all the time and when I was looking for a recipe the other day, I came across this one. I might have to share it with you if you are interested - it's easy and fast!

This little cup of espresso with cream made me extra, extra happy yesterday. The little cup was a wedding present - many years ago - from wonderful family friends (actually, it's a whole espresso set), the tiny spoon my mom and I bought when we were in Istanbul many many years ago (I was in my teens) visiting my aunt and her family, who lived there.

The colorful trivet was a gift last year from Daniel's oldest sister who also visited Istanbul last year. Isn't it pretty? Colorful things just make me happy!

And yesterday my blog was featured here at Pocket Change, which is a really fun website with great info on lots of topics - crafts, home decor, fashion, pets - something for everyone. Go on over and have a look!!

Oh, and I almost forgot - through my blog friend Scriptor Senex, I discovered Postcrossing, where you send and receive postcards to and from every part of the world. You simply sign up, request an address and get started. My first postcard is going to Germany and my second to Russia. Fun!!

Now I am getting ready for another good day and hope yours will be as well!! Maybe I'll even make it into my studio...

Wordless Wednesday - At the Birdfeeder