The Giant Squid

This guy looks a lot friendlier than the feared Kraken, and is now hanging in my ocean themed bedroom. I had so much fun with this painting, and it has defnitely given me motivation to continue painting animals with love and fun. I kept the color themes with purple, blues and greens as with the Blue Whale painting. Painted on Tara watercolor canvas board specially treated for watercolor painting. These boards are really nice to paint on.

Rosy-Bee in gouache

The final of four in my Flowers and Friends series. Rosy-Bee bumbles around the large pink rose buzzing in bliss. I have at least a half-dozen rose bushes growing in my tiny yard to bring in the sweet honeybees. Painted on canvas board in gouache.

Green Goddess On Butterfly Wings

Celebrating my favorite color in yarn, this is a crocheted pattern called On Butterfly Wings. The width is a little short, but turned out luxurious other than that. Knitted with Ancient Arts Fibre Crafts.

A Green Eyed Jester

Happy Halloween! My husband doesn't care for this painting because of the green eyes staring directly into your soul! I had fun with the black, white, green and pink colors. I used acrylic on this one on canvas board. Some metallic and flourescent paints also enhance the vivid coloring.

Hawaiian cushions

I'm super proud of these cushions! This is a Hawaiian style quilting, and all applique and quilted stitching is done by hand. It took me a year to finish these, although I admit I kept putting them down for weeks at a time. I have come to appreciate Hawaiian style quilting, and have a queen sized quilt pattern waiting for me to take it one--someday.

Butter-Lips in gouache

This is the 3rd of my Flowers and Friends series featuring a bright red tulip being kissed by a monarch butterfly. I find monarch butterflys to be one of the most beautiful creatures of our earth, and always feel enchanted when I see one. Gouache on canvas board.

Black Bamboo shawl

In my most recent trip to Hawaii, I decided to seek out a LYS (local yarn store). There are few to be found as there is not really a need to wear knitted garments on a tropical island. Still, I did find one tucked away in a small industrial complex, and the inventory was sparse. I ended up with a black bamboo-cotton blend however that has a nice drape and perfect for my oldest daughter's new shawl. Here is the finished product, yarn is from Bamboo Pop.

A trip to Wilmington, North Carolina

My first memories were made in the Wilmington, NC area. I lived there until about age 6, and visiting always feels so familiar. My last visit was in 2012 on my grand American road trip. This visit was for 5 nights with my dad to just hang out. 

Carolina Beach

A Heron in Greenfield Park

Greenfield Park in Wilmington

I really like the swamps of this park

Downtown Wilmington is very quaint

Smoochie is my dad's dog, and such a sweetheart

Mt Hood on the way home

Rainbow shawl

So very pleased with this shawl! I started it for pride month in June, and finished it in August (just in time for cooler weather around the corner!). I definitely wear this one with a lot of pride! Pattern is called Revontuli-huivi, and the yarn is Alexandra's Crafts in Chelsea for the rainbow colorway and for the turquoise I used The Farmer's Daughter. 

Alvord desert in watercolor

This is one part of Oregon I have never been, and I would like to see this one for myself. At the foot of the Steens mountains lies a dry lake bed approximately 12 by 7 miles that just receives 7 inches of rain each year. Most of the time, it lies parched and cracked. Hot springs also are in this remote part of Oregon. Most people don't think of Oregon having desert areas, but in fact a large chunk of this state is desert landscape. It's the northwestern part of the state (and most populated) that receives the rain. This is painted on watercolor paper with ink outline.

Dragon-Lily in gouache

This is number 2 in my Flowers and Friends series. The purple calla lily is an exquisite flower, and I'm growing it my yard, because why not? The day I saw a dragon fly land on one of the deep purple petals gave me inspiration for this painting. Very pleased with how this came out, and is now framed in my living room. 

Peachy and Groovy quilt

This is my second quilt using the Groove quilt pattern by Carolina Patchworks, only this time I used flannel fabric instead of regular cotton. My 13 year old wanted these colors in her new room, and I am quite impressed with her choice of colors. My little dog in the background is waiting to be invited to lay on it.

Kindness shawl

Originally, I made this for my 13 year old, but it sat in her closet never to be worn (I did finish it pretty close to summer though). She decided she would not wear it, so I added to my growing collection of shawls. This is the Kindness KAL (knit-a-long) shawl that is free on Ravelry. It's very simple to do, so I highly recommend it for beginners. I used Knitted Wit DK yarn in Voyageurs National Park and Prussian Blue. She is a local yarn maker, and my absolute favorite to knit with.

O'ahu, second solo trip!

Have I mentioned how much I love Hawai'i? This trip I came alone because it was more of a 'work' trip (checking in daily for an hour). I believe everyone can benefit on a solo vacation, especially somewhere tropical. I spent a couple of days laying on the beach, driving through around the windward side of the island, sipping the best smoothie of my life with wild chickens, touring a royal palance, visiting the art museum, and seeing a komodo dragon up close for the first (and probably only) time in my life! Here are just a few photos of this unforgettable second trip to O'ahu.

Flower sketches

With spring in full force, I was inspired to draw and paint flowers that express the most exotic and colorful petals. The yellow hibiscus (in colored pencil) is found in Hawai'i as is the watercolor plumeria, and the Himalayan Blue Poppy is found in Tibet! Yes, there is a blue poppy growing on our planet, pretty amazing right??

Trinacria of Sicily in gouache

This is a painted celebration of my Sicilian ancestry in bold gouache on 8x8 canvas board. I got the idea from the artful tiles made in Sicily, and combining the trinacria symbol from the Sicilian flag. The symbol is Medusa representing the the goddess who fought off evil (not just turning men to stone with her gaze), and stalks of wheat symbolize fertility (as in agriculturally). The three legs represent the basic shape of the island.

In 1913, my great grandmother (just a teen) immigrated to the United States from Palermo Italy. I've held a sense of pride that I have roots from this beautiful and bountiful island. This is my second painting using the black and white outline in gouache that has Sicilian inspirations behind them.

Lady-Sun in gouache

The first in my Flowers and Friends series, this was a very fun painting. I love sunflowers, and usually grow them every year. Painted in gouache on canvas board.

Penguin quilt for school auction

This is the quilt that will change how I do quilting. I was asked to make a quilt for a school auction for a friend of a friend using colors of the penguin (the classroom motto). I've not indulged in solid colors for quilting before, but this quilt has changed that. While I love the beautiful patterned fabrics, solid colors really make a quilt stand out to me. The fabrics and patch were provided, and the person I made the quilt for wanted triangles. This is the finished result, and I'm so pleased with it. Some lucky kiddo now has this on their bed!

Nesting Dolls Gossiping Over Tea in gouache

I don't own any, but there is something I'm fascinated about nesting dolls. I remember as a little girl playing with a set at a relative's house. I loved the detail yet simple shape, I loved how they stacked inside one another and were all different. This is a painting of two of those dolls telling each other stories while sipping tea. Painted on  11x11 watercolor paper in gouache using the black and white outline method.

Newborn layette for a baby boy

One of my co-workers is having a baby boy very soon, and I wasted no time crocheting a newborn layette set. Crocheting baby stuff is an absolute treat. This features a jacket (because it's January), a hat, boots and mittens. I'm sure it won't be long until baby outgrows it, but it's fun to dress them up in this stuff at least once.