Tasha Tuesdays- Post #2

Greetings! And welcome to another installment of "Tasha Tuesdays." I am so pleased that my little idea met with such a great response! I am sitting here writing this on a very chilly Tuesday morning....the perfect morning to be wrapped up in a warm knit shawl (which I am...but I'm a little bashful to admit that my knit shawl came from The Gap. Tasha would keel over.)

As you readers well know, my latest crafty adventure is learning to knit. I am pleased to announce that I did indeed finish my first scarf...although it is full of blunders. It is a pretty red though and looks nice wrapped around a cute blond girl:

One of Tasha's bejillion (one of my favorite words) domestic talents was also knitting. She'd start knitting scarves and mittens and shawls in June in anticipation of Christmas. If only we were all so planned out in advance ;) If you've ever read Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts, you'll know that not only did the lady knit....she also harvested the wool, carded it, spun it, and dyed it all on her little Vermont farm. I mean....by the time she got to the knitting, she'd already put in days and days of work! I admire that fortitude, but dont think I could take that sort of pressure. If the hand-harvested and hand-dyed yarn turned out a wonky scarf...I'd probably burst into tears...

That said, you have to admire Tasha as one of the pioneering 'do it yourself-ers.' She came from a high-class Boston family, grew up in Marblehead with a Scottish nanny, her family were 'people who knew people.' She was expected to chop of her hair into a permanent wave, attend luncheons and 'come out' into polite society. But even as a young woman, she shunned all that. I mean, the girl saved her money up so she could buy a cow and collected 19th century antiques while her contemporaries were going to the movies and buying make-up and magazines. The girl had vision.

As a young mother, she also did a heck of a lot of hard work. Think: raising four children at home with no electricity or running water. And she did it all while supporting the entire family with her artwork. And despite the burden of being the primary bread-winner, something that might make most of us set aside dreams or ambitions, she managed to make her home life exactly as she wanted it to be....and gave her children a childhood like no other.

Tasha in the 1940s, already in her 1830s regalia she'd become so famous for

It is well-known that this Henry David Thoreau quotes was one of Tasha's favorites, and I quite enjoy it too:

“If one advances confidently in the direction of one's dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

It's an intriguing idea, itsnt it? If you just follow your dreams, create the life you want in your heart, you will meet with success. However, it is really hard to do. I remember sitting at my desk typing up thrilling stories such as county commissioner minutes and fielding phone calls from the local crazies wishing that I could just stay home with my baby and paint. And then, thanks to my husband's new job, I was given the opportunity to. Still....there was this feeling of "well, so I want to paint and suddenly have the times and means...what if I'm no good? What if I dont deserve this???"

I dont think this is an uncommon feeling, especially for artists (we're a notoriously sensitive and self-conscious bunch) but according to Tasha's logic--- all you had to do was create the life you wanted. A little follow-through, and there you'd be--- living the life you imagined and finding success. I came to feel like there will always be artists and writers and people living their passion in this world. So why couldnt one of them be me? If Tasha could raise four kids without Sesame Street and a washer and dryer set and still write and illustrate dozens upon dozens of books....maybe I could do a few things myself. And I am trying my best.

So...yes...this has turned into a bit of a Tasha ramble. But you never know, with me ;) But I think I've given you a lot to think about until the next Tasha Tuesday rolls around ;)

Now tell me....if you were to live the life which you have imagined, and advance confidently in the direction of your dreams....what would you do??????

Winter Blessings

This is the second Christmasy sketch and painting I have been working on. It's called "Winter Blessings":

I love her floppy furry hat, don't you? I love winter accessories in general ;) I finished knitted my first scarf! It's a little wonky, but was a good learning experience. What a difference having a real-life person tell you what to do and how to trouble shoot makes. I am now working on my SECOND scarf!~

Oh, but back to the painting..... ;)
I think she turned out really sweet. She's got sprinklings of glass glitter all over the piece to enhance the falling snow. And can you see the tiny little birds around her Christmas tree? I wish I had a pretty red cape ;)

All is Calm, All is Bright

I thought I would share with you a few of the new little Christmas paintings I've been working on. I know, Christmas....Audrey and I have been watching "Take Peace: Christmas at Corgi Cottage with Tasha Tudor" as well as "A Christmas Story" lately and I guess it just got me in the mood--- that and all the knitting I've been doing of late!

This was the initial sketch for a little skating painting I created....

I try not to get overly detailed with sketches because I feel like the original painting looses a bit of its magic. I dont know why that is for me....a short attention span? I hate when a sketch is just so gorgeous that the subsequent painting doesnt live up to it ;) so I try my best not to let that happen.

Here is this sweet little skater after she came to life with the paint brush:
I called it "All is calm, All is bright" because I imagine skating on a frozen river or pond in the night would be blissfully calm and beautiful. I love the feeling of skating-- the glide and floating of it. I've only skated outdoors twice in my life, and the extra sensory details such as the wind or the sun added a whole new level...I imaging skating by starlight would be a beautiful thing....

Plus, the title is taken from lyrics from "Silent Night"--- I love getting painting titles from Christmas Carols. They are jam packed with the most beautiful and sweet phrases that paint an image in your head.

Hope you like this little miss....I am going to be selling her at Indie Emporium. You'll meet her sweet little friend, Winter Blessings, very soon too.............

Knit Crush

What I've been up to....

My birthday was Wednesday and my present to myself was knitting. I love knitwear. I love all the possibilities of things to make. And with the discovery of this store (which I sorta have a crush on if its possible to have a crush on retail establishments) I am learning---by God--- I am LEARNING!! ;)

(Imagine Scarlett O'Hara shaking her fist at the sky with knitting needles in the other hand. That is my conviction)

I bought this dreamy red yarn made from baby Alpaca fur, a pair of bamboo knitting needles and on Wednesday evening stopped by this cute little place and got some free knitting therapy. So far I have enough of a scarf to do a Little Edie impersonation ;)

I'm super excited. Obviously. My husband might get jealous.

As for painting, I have completed two really super-cute Christmas paintings! I cant wait to show you! They involve (a tasteful amount of) glass glitter, my fav ;) So come back soon, and see what I've made....

Tasha Tuesdays- Post #1

If you've read this blog for any length of time, you probably know of my deep and goofy love for all things Tasha Tudor. You may even recall the story of how I came upon her--- a tattered copy of The Private World of Tasha Tudor in a bookstore bargain bin. Probably an auspicious day in an auspicious book store (Will and I also had our first date there).

I've also been reading Julie & Julia (where the girl cooks her way through Julia Child's cookbook and blogs about it, it recently came out as a movie) and last night made Tasha's Potato and Onion Soup and had a thought....wouldn't it be neat to do something similar with Tasha? Devote some time on my blog to her and her inspiration? So, bedazzled by potato soup, I created this:

Tasha Tuesdays!!! I've decided to *attempt* to devote each Tuesday to something about Tasha. And while I'd love to cook my way through The Tasha Tudor Cookbook, I'm going to be a little more relaxed about it--- each Tuesday will contain something Tasha--- you'll just have to stop by and see what!~

Project #1

So....this weekend I decided to try to make Tasha's Potato and Onion soup. I like potato soup....it seemed simple...and didn't involve antique cooking equipment or a live chicken or expansive garden out my back door ;) What it did involve was a leek and honestly...I had no idea what a leek was. Obviously, we were not leek eaters in my family ;) I figured it was green...but that was about it.

Sunday I went to the grocery store to collect my ingredients and scanned the produce section for "leek." Luckily, living in a small town like I do, I happened to run into my parents moments before. So I found a mysterious long green giant onion-looking thing....tracked down my mom in the bakery section and mouthed "is this a leek???" while waving it around oh-so discretely.

I decided to make the soup Monday evening, which happened to be in the middle of an Okie monsoon. The girl and puppy pressed their little noses against the screen door to watch the downpour while I poured over the cookbook, a little excited about the prospect of cooking (and eating) something served at Corgi Cottage.
Actually, I welcomed the diversion of the rain for these two partners in crime. While I was trying to get the soup started, Audrey suddenly got it into her head to destroy the living room (this idea is often in her head) I was cutting up potatoes and mysterious leeks and begging, "can you please put that back in the toy box? Can you take the giant Wonder Pets back to your room? Don't do thattttttttttttttttttttt...." Is it just me or is living with a toddler like living with a poltergeist? Everything seems fine...then you glance up, and every chair in your kitchen is all cock-eyed and turned every which way. It made me wonder how Tasha did a damn thing with four kids under foot. I can't imagine it.
And so.....after chopping and simmering and adding all sorts of fattening things to the soup, it was go time....and it was delicious! Even my bearded sweetheart liked it, and he's a tough cookie some times ;) Audrey, however, acted as if I was feeding her something terrible...she would snicker and turn up her nose. But I am not that offended....she only likes corn dogs and cheese, anything else is below her standards.

I've still got left overs, and so its going to be a good hot lunch on a chilly day. The first day of AUTUMN I might add! How lovely!~

*************************************

And if you're new to Tasha and wondering who the heck I'm talking about, here's a little synopsis:

Tasha Tudor was born in New England in 1916 to two very artistic and eccentric parents. She spent her childhood with various family friends and relatives after their parents divorced (mom ran off to New York to paint during the Jazz Age) and she developed a very vivid imagination, talent for drawing and a strong love for things of the past.

After marrying as a young woman in the 1930s, Tasha wrote and illustrated her first children's book, Pumpkin Moonshine. From there she wrote and illustrated books for more than half a century, and also illustrated other classics such as A Little Princess and The Secret Garden.

She had four children whom she treated to an amazing childhood in historic New England. Her love of history led to a unique lifestyle full of vintage 1800s clothes, doing things the simple way, a mastery of many lost handmade arts, and an illustration career to be envied.

As an elderly woman, her lifestyle caught the interest of the publishing world and several volumes about her garden, home, way of life, and crafts were published. Tasha lived the last half of her life on a rural homestead in Vermont with an amazing garden, goats, a passel of Corgi dogs, and an impressive collection of antique clothes and every-day items that she used in her daily life.

She passed away in June 2008, but her influence now lives on online as she has inspired many artists and crafters. Learn more about her at Tasha Tudor and Family.

Portrait

"I want forever"

family portrait

It's been one of those odd days. Found out that the craft store has stopped carrying my wax pencils AND velvet ribbon--- who doesnt like velvet ribbon? Its ridiculous!

But this afternoon it started getting dark and ru

mbly and turned into one one of those nice snug days....its raining outside, got coffee in my prettiest cup, and Audrey is serenading the dog to her most heartfelt rendition of "Twinkle, twinkle, little star."

Also wanted to share with you my latest family portrait. I made this portrait for the sweet Templeton family, all of them equally adorable ;) Mom is a photographer in OKC, you should check out her work.

Ohhhh, the rain just picked up! Makes me very glad to be inside and warm with the fuzzy and pig-tailed fellows I love :)

Also.....

Check out this list of vendors. This is going to be an awesome show!!! So many great crafters and artists, it is going to be fantastic. You would have never have thought Oklahoma could be so edgy and cool, but we are quite into "all things handmade." So if you can make it, you must come!~

Now...lets see if I can get some painting done....

SALE at Early Work Mercantile~

The last days of summer are finally upon us, and Tuesday will herald in the first day of autumn! In anticipation of this, I have decided to have a SALE at my Early Work Mercantile shop through the end of September. From now until the end of the month, every item I have for sale in my mercantile shop comes with free shipping. This is a great deal!

Still have lots of pretty and spooky little portraits that hark back to early American folk art...a Tasha portrait....a sweet lady with her jack o' lantern....do go visit!~ I'm also going to retire some of these paintings out of the shop when October comes, so this will be the last chance to buy some of them.

At the moment, I've got several paintings going at once--- it's a factory back here in the little studio room ;) Christmas stuff and some commissions...one being from my husband. He wants a family portrait for his birthday.

We are headed straight into celebration time of the year--- in fact, tonight I'm going to an early birthday party for myself. And there will be German Chocolate cake involved ;) Wednesday is my real birthday....and by then the autumn season will be in full swing! I've already planted some pansies and kale....

Happy almost-Autumn everyone! Now go visit the mercantile and see if you want any of these lovelies to make their home with you!~

Knit Picks

If you've known me for any length of time, you'll know that I loved knitted things. And that I cannot knit. It is a thorn in my side! But's ok because there are so many talented knitters out there that share their craft on etsy. So you bet your boots that when the weather here started cooling off, I started trolling for the best knit hat ever. And I found two:

Originally, I bought this hat for me. But it looks so darn precious and french on Mlle. Audrey, that I think it might end up being hers.....

I am perfectly happy to share because I love this little ear muff with sweet knit flowers on the ears. I think this is the perfect accessory for skating-- keeps your ears toasty without driving you nuts if you want to spin or jump.

All and all, my Audrey and I are happy little hat wearers! Audrey is more than willing to wear something if she thinks it makes her look cute. She is such a girl! Both our little hats came from THIS etsy shop.

So, obviously, Audrey and I have a thing for hats....what's your favorite cool-weather accessory??

A Sailor's Life For Me

Still getting some new paintings made for Indie Emporium next month, and the latest one is a very bushy bearded sailor man:

He's rough and scruffy, not like my usual paintings ;) but a change is good, right? There's so many things going on right now...hoping to have a great show next month. I can't wait to see all the other vendors again. So many good friends will be there this year!~

Two spooky girls...

Well, aren't you guys the sweetest, liking my painting before I even had her mostly painted ;) hope you still like her--- and her sweet little sister. These are my two newest paintings:

They became a little Scandanavian-esque in the painting process :) pretty knit hats and warm fuzzy capes. I have always been a fan of the pointy red hat. THIS is part of my inspiration....it's also the darling hat Audrey sported when we went skating Sunday :D

And because I like these little paintings so much and am having to save the originals for Indie, I am already offering prints in my shop.

"On All Hallow's Eve"

"Autumn Walk"

So many things in the shop these days....it's nice to have full stock :) I've got prints, jewelry, post cards, and originals. Oh, and many of the originals I have left are on sale. So check 'em out!

Well, hope to paint more today....hope to paint and paint and paint until I have a stuffed booth for Indie!

Til next time...

~H

Rainy Day Painting

The other day I sat out on the back porch and sketched until I had sketched myself out of my artist's block. It was a relief, and the two new paintings it has inspired are sort of Scandanavian-sweet-meets-graveyard-chic. Guess you'll have to see it to understand ;)

This piece is probably my favorite of the two--- this is in the early stages of the painting though and I've only got her face and hat painted. She will go through lots of layers and changes to be the spooky girl I know she'll be.

It's a gray rainy day out today. The car's in the shop and it's just me and the little bit. Plus the dog. Plus the merry murderesses on the front porch (the cats). The rain has stopped for the moment and I'm thinking we might go out for a crisp little walk. Autumn seems to have settled in, but I dont trust it. This is Oklahoma....I am fully prepared for it to be 95 on my birthday :P

However....I've already ordered two new knit hats off of etsy. So hopefully....maybe Oklahoma and Oregon have switched climates? Wouldn't that be grand ;) doesnt it seem like every blog you read is by someone in Oregon? I envision Portland as a city full of hipsters taking photos of random things for their blogs. Perhaps they dont even make eye contact any more, they are so busy lovingly photographing their lattes in tiny coffee shops ;)

Or maybe my imagination is running away with me again ;)

I plan to take these cute little paintings to Indie Emporium, but I have a feeling they'll be so cute I'll offer prints. I'll cross my fingers ;) and I'll show you soon!~

~H

reflections on ice

Midnight Skate

from Winter 2008

Once upon a time I used to ice skate. I loved it and was addicted to it. It was such a big part of me for a while. But, as life often does, things changed and I had to finish school, get a job, then I got married, then I had Audrey...all things that interfere with one's ice skating career ;)

I get back on the ice every once in a while, which is usually frustrating because you lose so much so quickly when you don't practice. Every once in a while I get the urge to skate, like today. But this time I went with my little one, all precious in her striped tights and red knit hat. As long as the afternoon didnt end in tears, I was going to consider it successful....

The amazing thing? This girl is in love with skating. It was actually amazing. She had no fear. Her little upturned face would break out into a huge grin, her cheeks all rosey from the cold.

I didnt get to try one trick. No spins, no jumps, barely even a little skating backwards for this once-upon-a-time ice queen. But it was a wonderful afternoon, and it was me who got tired and needed a rest. She kept wanting out on the ice, and was determined to skate with no help (that she was aware of!) Of course we used a little metal walker for her to glide with--- but I was amazed at her fascination and joy for the ice.

I think we'll go again....perhaps my life on ice isnt quite over yet....

Spooky + Sweet Prints

Just put some new prints up in the etsy shop~ they are very spooky...and sweet!~

Til Death Do Us Part

Paisley Jane

For some reason my creativity has taken a field trip and didn't leave a note as to when she'd return. Thinking I'll try to sketch her into coming back. Here's hoping it works ;) I'm really in the mood for something spooky and fall-ish. Indie Emporium will be here before we know it, and I'm determined to have the best set up ever! No pressure or anything ;)

Halloween Revamp

So the other day I was chatting with my friend Beth and she asked me if I had gotten all my halloween decorations out. I hadn't and it was like "What? September came and you're not all decked out for halloween???" So, this weekend, I had to make some spooky changes around here!

I found these snazzy crow sihouettes at Michaels--- part of the Martha Stewart Halloween decorations. Very nice with your 40% off coupon :) sure, I did get some mild "What the heck are you doing...." looks from my husband as I slapped paper crows about the house, but I think they turned out nice. Audrey likes them, anyway. And isnt that what it's all about???
Also revamped the mantle to "restrained cream-and-black halloween fabulousness" and brought out my favorites--- the Nicol Sayre halloween dolls. Also front and center is the sweetest little painting made for me by Jennifer Pease at Hot Tamale Art Studio....it combines 3 of my favorites: goats, halloween, and blond little girls:
I am also very happy to have a very full etsy shop-- complete with jewelry for the first time! Please do stop by the shop and see what's new! I even listed several of my original paintings at sale prices. Cant beat 'em!~

Til next time~

H

Show + Goodies

Well, the show is over and there was no rain! Holly and I had a great time hanging out and selling some handmade lovelies. Here is a photo of our booth--- half Audrey Eclectic and half Sweetheartville:

During the afternoon my sweets came to visit me, here is me and Audrey in the booth.
A little snapshot of some of my things on display. Holly and I were sooo grateful that she sprang for the tent-- thanks Holly! After this show, I am really anxious to get to work and start putting together an amazing display for Indie Emporium:
And good news for you--- I DO have some jewelry left from the show, and I JUST finished listing these locket lapel pins listed in my ETSY shop.
I also listed a bunch of my new postcards in etsy, and created some new groupings. Also--- if you buy the "Collector's Pack" you get all 8 designs! I really love these cards...and the new jewelry. Next up, I have a couple of type writer key necklaces...I will list those ASAP too!~

{EDIT: I just listed the type writer keys! I have two of the same design, Forever Jeanne, left. Go check out my shop!}

Til then..

H

PS:!~

Also put several ORIGINAL paintings on sale in the etsy shop! Trying to clear up some space (and my mind!) to work on fall items. Please take a look--- they need a home!~

Some spooky art~

Well, its the day before the show! Putting the finishing touches on my last items and trying to take Holly's attitude of being laid back about it all ;)

As promised, I did a few spooky halloween inspired paintings! I think they came out pretty cute:

"Til Death do we Part"

"Pansies for Remembrance"

These are just a couple of the new things I'll be bringing to the South Tulsa Music Festival tomorrow. The craft show and music will kick off at 2 pm at the Jenks River Walk in Jenks, Okla. The high tomorrow is supposed to be a lovely 82 degrees! Crossing our fingers that the rain will get itself over with in the morning, it should be a great day. Hope to see you there!~

~H

PS: My shop is going to be on vacation mode until Sunday because I'm taking some of the items there with me to the craft show~

Audrey Eclectic Bejewelled

Oh, the surprises I have in store for you....so many cute little things ;) Like these, for instance:

I am very excited about these precious little pendants, which were created in collaboration with a fellow Okie crafter, Elizabeth from "Keys and Memories." Elizabeth makes gorgeous jewelry out of repurposed typewriter keys, among other things. You must check out her shop! Our collaboration came about as true serendipity--- I purchased a necklace from her and she mentioned that she thought my art would look great with her keys--- And I agreed!!! Turns out she just lives one town over from me, small etsy world, huh?

I'm going to try out a few of the necklaces this weekend at the South Tulsa Music Festival and see how they do. I think they'll be a big hit, along with the lapel pin lockets.

I am so pleased with how they all turned out....so vintagely beautiful...

And if you're not in the area, do keep an eye on the etsy shop. My plan is to offer these little trinkets through etsy as well.

Obviously...I've been a busy bee lately. Been very inspired and eager to try new things with my art. I am also really looking forward to this autumn's craft curcuit and the weather has turned amazingly cool and fall-like. The windows are open now, we just had a gentle rain and it's even...chilly. That is sort of amazing for this time of year in Oklahoma. I'm thankful for it!

Also been reading madly....And Audrey loves the library. Just finished the autobiography of Julie Andrews-- surprisingly shocking for someone you think of as a beloved nun! With a childhood like hers, its amazing she turned out as level and sweet as she did ;)

And after going to see the film version of "The Time Traveler's Wife" with my ol' buddy Beth, I took out the book again to read. The last time I started the book I was pregnant with Audrey. It was a little difficult in some parts, so I had to put it away for a while and picked it back up after she was born. I spent many a nursing session holding her in one arm and that book in the other ;)

Now that my hormones have settled down a bit (you'd hope, its been two years after all!) I've decided to reread it again. I'm finding that this book must have had a subliminal effect on me-- it's written by Audrey Neffinegger about charcters called "Clare" and "Henry." We named our daughter "Audrey Claire" and when we got our dog...we named him "Henry." Bizarre!

It's a beautifull written book though, so emotional but so unique and what an original story. So you know what I'll be doing while the girl is napping and I'm waiting for a painting to dry ;)

Oh--- and if you've already read the book and loved it, did you know Ms Neffenegger has a new book coming out? You know it's already on my Wish List....

Ok! Enough stalling...got a few more spooky little paintings I'd like to paint for the weekend's show.

Bye for now,

H

New Early Work Offering

Can you believe it? Today is September 1st. I am so excited! In just a matter of days it will be officially autumn--- 22 to be exact ;) and then on the 23rd it will be my birthday! A good month...

Of course since its the 1st, I have a new offering for Early Work Mercantile. This is "Jacinda's Jack O' Lantern":

This is a really pretty painting--- I wish a photo could accurately capture how much depth and richness these paintings have. This one is very dark and rich, perfect for a spooky season :) I was thinking a bit about Katrina Van Tassel from "The Legend of Sleepy Hallow" when I painted her. Perhaps she's on her way to a part on All Hallow's Eve, taking her Jack O' Lantern with her to light the way....

If you'd like Jacinda for your very own, please visit my shop at Early Work Mercantile. Also, there are still lots of paintings on there that are still available. They need homes!!!

Anyhow....lots to do today. And I still have lots to show you. So many things...so little time ;)

I'm just glad that fall is really so near....perfect time for some spooky paintings...

~H