Click HERE to read my latest newsletter. Note too that an error is in the part about Emma. She was not my first featured doll in the Early American Life's Directory of Traditional American Crafts, she was the second. Hannah was my first.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
My Latest Newsletter
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Happy 4th of July!
Season's At Seven Gates Farm is a wonderful coffee table book produced by Country Living in 1996. It chronicles the beautiful home of designers, James Cramer and the late Dean Johnson. I love this fourth of July scene of all of the darling little blue garments from years past both from children's wardrobes and dolls.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Exquisite Queen Anne Woodens by Kathy Patterson






Words alone cannot describe the craftsmanship of doll (and Santa) artist, Kathy Patterson. Kathy has captured impeccably the making of Queen Anne wooden dolls. Her ability to carve is unsurpassable. I am grateful that she has offered to instruct me in the how of creating such dolls, and in attempting it, I have put my carving knife away for a while. This is an art form that has wooed me for many years. I will have to stay happy with merely sculpting out of Paper Clay this style, a little longer.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Fire Board Time!

I did this Fire Board when we lived in Ohio, for my older sister who still lives there in good old Cincinnati. It is in our 1833 home in Lynchburg, Ohio for the picture in this view.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, May 25, 2009
Visitors on My Balcony
Just outside of my Art Room, I was out on my balcony this weekend, tidying up and enjoying the view of my little estate below. My cat, Samantha Clawdette, AKA, Sammy, peeked out to visit. I approached her with my camera, when lo and behold, along came my dear little, two year old (will be three in July), granddaughter Grace Elizabeth. Life is good.




Friday, May 22, 2009
Soy Sauce and Burns
Soy sauce is a wonderful medicine for burns, but the trick is to get the soy sauce onto the burn immediately. Yesterday I burned my left thumb severely when I foolishly picked up the sealing wax stick that I had just used. It was melting and hot and painful. I ran downstairs to the fridge and immediately doused the owy with soy sauce. It was in pain nonetheless, and after soaking it in ice water and then bandaging it, I noticed later in the day that it was ALL better. My husband, Greg, learned this somewhere. It works every time.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Early American Tinware (Tole)
I love early American tinware. I even took many classes in tole painting back in the '70's and '80's. Of course, early tinware is not easy to find, and has always been rather expensive. Now that we are in the 21st century,well, face it, whoever stumbles across a reasonably priced piece of early American tinware is ever so fortunate. Perhaps this is why it's not such a bad thing that it is no longer a real popular look.





Friday, May 1, 2009
Fraktur




The word Fraktur is both singular and plural. One does not have a dozen frakturs, one has a dozen fraktur.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Flowers and Magazines and Talented People Who Make it Possible

| "I will be the gladdest thing Under the sun! I will touch a hundred flowers And not pick one." |

Monday, April 13, 2009
The Pier Glass in Question
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Down on the Farm


This beautiful sunshine overlooking the hills and valleys is derived from a Betty Caithness design that I painted. I painted it onto a piece of roof shingling that dates back to the 1830's from our old house in Ohio. It hangs outside on our porch by the kitchen door.Sunday, March 22, 2009
Small World, Law of Attraction...?

The Italianate Barlow House of Canby, Oregon is but a few minutes from my Italianate House in Oregon City, Oregon. A couple years ago there was a pier glass for sale at a local (Portland) antiques shop and the asking price was $5,000.00. It came from the historic Barlow House. This mirror is gorgeous! I love a pier glass because it conjures a sense of well being and magic for me to look into one, even though my own reflection may not be up to par. However, I am not inclined to drop that much money in one fell swoop as I am not among the one percent of those who own most of the wealth. So I hemmed and hawed and planned, hoped and dreamed and finally gave up.



























