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Archives: February 2011

Paradise Lost

  • February 21, 2011

I love living in New York. I’m from the south originally, and most recently, Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy and all things Southern. Having lived in Texas, Virginia, North Carolina and states of similar latitude, I was not at all prepared for winter in the north.

The first few years were not that bad though, the snow was a novelty and since it doesn’t normally get very icy here, like it can in the south, I was quite pleased with my ability to adapt and embrace the cold.

That was until this year. This is just one shot of many in this theme. That’s a table and chair on our deck. I just this week saw that table for the first time in over two months.

I know it seems like I’m exaggerating, but I’m not when I say that there were snow drifts taller than me on our front walk this year and ice dams over a foot deep on our roof.

Needless to say, I’m no longer a fan of winter. I yearn for warm weather. The ability to see the ground, heck anything green would be great. I yearn for warm weather, warm enough to wear a tank top, shorts and no shoes all day. Warm enough to open the windows to hear the birds chirping, and feel the breeze wafting through the house. Warm enough.

So, the next two colorways of the week speak to my current obsession with the end of the never ending winter of 2011. This week is Paradise Lost, a bold colorway with shades of the clearest blue oceans, the golds and pinks of tropical birds and flowers, and shades of the palm fronds I wish I was laying underneath.

Gift

  • February 12, 2011

Lately everyone in my family has been suffering from a bit of the winter blues. The kids are cooped up and tired of it. It’s cold, snowy and icy outside and they long to run and roll around on the grass, play in their sandbox and tree house, and just be in the warmth of the sun. This winter has been long and gray and it’s wearing on us all.

We have spent a lot of time inside doing art, crafting, and dancing as a result. These are the activities that never get old, always inspire good moods and stretch the afternoons out in a pleasant way. Recent projects have been for my youngest son’s birthday which is next week. Paintings and cards have been made and the colors that keep coming up are muted and soft. It’s as if the kids have forgotten the bright intense colors of summer, the colors of warmth.

I did this colorway as an homage to this time with them. While I’m as guilty as they are of complaining about the weather and yearning for the long, lazy, warm days of summer, I’m all too aware of how these days spent in such close quarters for so long are a gift. Before too long, the birds will be chirping, the warm breezes will be wafting in through the open windows and the kids will go outside again. The snuggles under the blankets will be few and far between, the kids won’t be right next to me from the time they wake til they sleep again, and I’ll miss it. I’ll wish for the cold of winter that will bring them to my arms again. So for today, I celebrate this gift. And when I look at this colorway I’ll think of them.

 
 

Funny Valentine

  • February 6, 2011

I remember cutting out Valentines when I was little, construction paper hearts, lace doilies, little cupid silhouettes, all in these colors. So, I guess this is a trip down memory lane for me and a little homage to Valentines past.

I wanted to do a colorway with red, but not a dark colorway. I tend to go dark when I use red and I wanted something more fun and carefree. More about love than anything else. This colorway has red, a bright cheery red, a smoky grey (I can’t stay totally away from something moody) and cream. I love how hints of caramel come out when it’s on velour and how the gray is so prominent in the interlock.

It is indeed a funny Valentine.