Summer Tea

Buttercup and Marigold had tea on a mid-August afternoon. They gathered their meal from the forest and field~ dandelion, rose hips, sumac berries and a mushroom. To the song of a nearby meadowlark, they recalled what they loved most about summertime.

Buttercup tended her garden each morning. Her strawberries, tomatoes and herbs were the very taste of summer! Some lazy afternoons, she sat with a book next to the rosemary, catnapping to the buzz of grasshoppers and daydreaming with visiting hummingbirds.

Marigold rested contently against a mossy boulder, nature's bounty spread before her. She had watched patiently as the field greened at the start of summer and delighted at the early, dewy blooms. She now savored the late wildflowers~ hearty broom, cutleaf daisies and nodding sunflowers. She was grateful to have seen another season turn, to have felt its sunny blessings, and for the sweet summer memories made with loved ones.

These little rag dolls (and others) are available in my Etsy shop and would love to have tea or adventures with you! They and I hope you have a wonderful last few weeks of summer~ these lazy, crazy, dreamy dog days.

For the Madness

I've been working on some super-fun collaborations lately, and I'm so excited to share this first one! I've painted a few posters for my friends the Mile Markers, but this spring they asked me to create artwork for their second cd, For the Madness. They wanted linocut prints, a medium that is still a challenge for me (I have so much to learn!), but one with a handmade quality that works well with their folky-Americana sound.

The girls already had wonderful images in mind evoking madness~ a full moon, bare trees and crows~ and some possible cures.

They send me recordings of the songs for inspiration. So, to the poetry of broken hearts, rambling free spirits and a medicine man, I carved five blocks in all for the cd and packaging.

Looking good so far... and a few weeks later

it came to life! Graphic designer Blake Denney worked magic with color and texture, giving the prints depth and an enchanted feeling~ moonlight shines from the medicine bottle and whiskey jug!

I feel so honored to have helped Julie, Bevin, Sal and Nicki bring this beautiful project to realization. These women are so very, very talented and kind, with a future brighter than the brightest full moon. Please give them a listen!

This week in an artisan and vintage market in my town, I found a wonderful old postcard for only $2! I have it hanging on the refrigerator right now where I can see it all day long, because I am in love with these two~

The United Photo Stores Co. once had three studios in Denver where one could have their photograph made in this prop automobile, with a choice of mountain backdrops and witty(?) captions on the front. The photograph was made into a real photo postcard.

This card was never mailed, so it has no stamps or written clues to its date. But did you know that postcards like this one can sometimes be dated by the design of their stamp box in the top right corner? I sure didn't until today! :) I'm still researching the photographer but not finding much, and nothing for these addresses today. I need some help from Denver old-timers! By her hair and hat, I guess this was taken between 1910-1915~ a hundred years ago.

Now, I suppose this fashionable couple's message could be interpreted as full-on snark, an early sarcasm meme~ a regrettable decision to motor through (what appears to be) Garden of the Gods in a suspicious-looking horseless carriage. The roads are rough, it could be either hot or cold, there are rattlesnakes, maybe they have a flat tire?

But looking closely at these two, I believe this is a proud announcement, a joyous declaration that We are Having a H-L of a Time today! Look at her sassy smirk, eyes confident behind the wheel. He is close at her side, enjoying the ride, rakishly cool with a loosened collar and smokes in his pocket. This young couple commemorated this day out on the town, probably just on a whim while walking by, and the image captured that day is beautiful and timeless~ they will face any hard road together with humor and adventure and a love for life, Having a H-L of a Time!