Little Boy Blue Birds...

Cutest little heart bird, copied from a kitchen towel. (Hey, see those cool sunglasses hanging on the hook? I gave those to the mom-to-be! They velcro around the little guy's head. Roxie had a pink pair she wore all the time until she outgrew them.)



Client asked me to come and paint this message above closet. Still a freebie for anyone who wants this in their child's room!




The REAL reason I do not like to have an audience while I paint: I change my mind. I much prefer it if client waits until the big reveal at the end. I like saying, "Ta-Dah!" when I am done and I feel good about the project.

Some things don't work like I think they should.

For example: curvy tree next to angular/linear tree looks strange to me. Crowded. Not enough contrast in their sizes. At this point I should have gone with my gut feeling and scrubbed out the first tree (the one on right).




But then I made it worse trying to balance strong dark nut brown on far left tree, adding orange-yellow dot bush on the right. This is an example of what NOT to do. Poor balance. Yucky composition. Boring, too busy, distracting, no unity. Just gross. You are getting an exclusive look into the process gone wrong. Humble pie. Eating crow. Crow pie. I should go make dinner soon...





The great thing about paint: you can paint over paint. I love it when my client has base coat available for touch-ups. Think white-out, on a large scale! This is better, same tree, different scale, and flip-flopped. Client did not want green leaves. That leaves (hahahaha) wild colors that would make it look like permanent fall season, or WHITE and GREY, which ties in with carpet stripes. Nest added to branch. And check out the flying birds on far right wall.


Ready for baby! Breathe, relax, you can do it MT!

I spy a beautiful bedroom

I snapped this guest room shot in a client's home. Love the colors. Love the elegance, the welcoming and comforting feeling here.

I've been thinking a lot about colors. And how I respond to specific combinations. And questioning past color decisions. Analyzing past color phases I've subjected my family to live with in our home!

I've read a lot about color theory. Color forecasts. Color psychology. Still reading and learning.

Colors go in and out of fashion. Fashion determines availability. We are influenced by the market. We see a combination over and over and we start copying it. Wearing it. Decorating with it.

I love dark turquoise and teal. It is a very nurturing, happy color to me. Mom had turquoise curtains in our San Jose living room with an orange striped couch, wood floors and white walls!

Have I been trying to unconciously copy that room? That warm-happy-sentimental feeling growing up? Well, except for the white walls. No white walls in our home has been a personal quest for the past 8 years. I bought turquoise curtains for our living room. I can't afford the orange couch I drool over at Ikea, but the walls may turn oj/salmon from the boring khaki they are now.

Then I remind myself of the calm and cool sophisticated look of turquoise and brown in the above photo, and I sigh. I want that look, that calm feel, but I also think I crave the bright colors, the PUNCH of bold bright color in a room.

Color indecision, or color schizophrenia? I need a castle to decorate, a room for every color, every mood. Or I can just come and paint a room in your home!

'Tis LOVE brings us here/THERE/everywhere!

The reason for this blog, the inspiration, the training and step-by-step-hand-held-push-this-button-now person behind this creation is my technology mentor, Emmalyn! I started this for her, as a way to keep visually in touch when she left for college.





We do this thing in our family. This singing tradition. Not only do you get the honor of the red plate for the family dinner, but then we tortue you with a round table discussion of why we love you. Then there is cake of your choice and singing, with a 2nd verse, started by your Great Grandpa Harold Carlson's family. Blowing out of the candle is next. We are wishing you another year filled with love!

What to save, what to throw out?

I've spent the week looking at my home with new eyes. After being out-of-town, and coming home again, little things stand out. Things I want to change. Things I want to throw away. Declutter. If we haven't used them in the year we've been here, do we really need it? Jen's brother, Chris, has a friend with a 2 week rule--if you aren't going to use it in the next 2 weeks, throw it away or give it away....That doesn't deal with seasonal things. Food storage, or clothes storage. Or craft storage (includes FABRIC for quilting!).

We brought up the last box packed of too-small-Max clothes, to see if any of them fit Sam yet. Almost. Just a few more inches, and the last boy in the family will grow into last hand-me-downs. As soon as clothes don't fit Sam, and they aren't gender-neutral enough to interest Roxie, they are out of the house into thrift store or love-bags to give to cousins or friends at church.


This is covert photographing in store--interesting plaques; I liked the bottom one the best, about fitting in...

Needlepoint family member of Jen's did, orginally a chair back decoration. This would make a nice quilt!


Moroccan plate.

Another Moroccan plate.

And my favorite plate--love the colors! Wouldn't this make a great quilt?!!?

My advice for the day: Save the things that inspire you, bring you joy. Throw out the ugly, depressing, non-functional. Take pictures of sentimental things, archive them, and throw out what isn't going to matter. Save things for art projects, collages, or shadow boxes, but be selective.

And if it is fabric, save it or give it to a quilter, who will know how to save it for just the right project!

Stone Hugging and Fish Tacos!

I am not afraid of the dark, or graveyards. Some of my best childhood memories are of my running and laughing at Pleasant Grove Cemetery, placing armloads of irises on great great mas and pas and aunts and uncles.

So when I had 40 mintues to spend with little niece it felt natural to go check out the cemetery last week in Front Royal, VA with wonderful headstones and atmosphere. She called the tall stones "temples" and ran around giving them big hugs.

We got very muddy. Fun mud! More muddy than I would have let my own kids get? Being an aunt is different than being a mom. Combination visitor/teacher/party-planner/guest lecturer and cook, I could tell them about adventures in eating and dare them to do things they wouldn't normally do, in good ways.

Brings me to fish tacos that I made my nieces eat! They were surprised at how much they liked them. We made up a rule of 3: try it in three tiny bites and then decide how you feel about it, and not just reject the first nibble.

I can't remember which Neil Gaiman story it was--but he introduced me to fish taco stands, on every corner, plentiful like burger joints. I had never heard of them, did some google research, found recipes, tried them out on my family! Big hit, loved them more than beef tacos!

Neil Gaiman, who just won Newberry for an outstanding book "The Graveyard Book" another excellent story of his that I loved and can't wait for sequels to read! He understands about graveyards!




Notice the "SUPER CAPE" cloth diaper tied around her neck!
Beautiful Baby!



Homemade salsa is easy and fast--using (brace yourself) canned crushed tomatoes!

Drain, toss in osterizer with chilis of your choice (after too many sad kitchen catastrophes of burned fingers, I prefer just dumping in a can) I cheat with chopped jalepenos, little can is perfect heat for me and a big bunch of clean cilantro. You can add chili seasoning if you have it, a little salt, lime juice if you want, but I like to buy the lime-seasoned chips.

While talipia fish was baking in oven I chopped cabbage finely (use it instead of lettuce in taco) and made the special white sauce--recipes vary, but I like equal measures sour cream and mayonnaise (NOT dressing) and milk added to make it runny.
Lightly fry tortillias (I worked with a lady who married a man from Mexico who would laugh at Americans eating flour tortillias out of bag--he would say they were raw! Much better heated individually in hot pan, with dime dot of oil. They taste so much better, so I always cook them now! I have yet to make them from scratch, but I am sure those would be even better...)
Layer tortillia with beans, fish, cabbage, special white sauce, salsa and a squeeze of lime over the whold thing. Guacamole optional. WONDERFUL! Your tastebuds will dance inside your mouth!

As a note: last time we ate tacos as a family I made a boxed version of "Sweet Potato Casserole" that was on sale. Flaked potatos, sugar and spices, with nutty topping. We spooned it onto our tortillias instead of refried beans, added all the other indgredients, and they were tasty! Sweet with spicy.

I was copying the whole-in-the-wall burrito place in Havre de Grace where I ordered his Sweet Potato Burrito. It had cinnamon, could see the little brown specks, and it was sweet, lots of sour cream on top and cilantro salsa...no meat. I've been trying to hack it ever since.

Babysitting a home & family...

I've been out of town for a week! I went south and west. Polly was out of town, my in-laws were home to help with our youngest two before school, and I was free to go and play aunt all week! I told Jen to make me a list, use me, put me to work. Let me take her toddler while she worked on projects. Let me be a housecleaner, nanny, driver, whatever she needed.

Zoom in on the license plate!


I have a brother John, a husband, son, father-in-law....same nice name. And Jen married my brother John, making a confusion for nieces and nephews. Jen is always "Jen" to my kids. And we call Uncle John "JohnB"...Jen and I had fun rearranging furniture in her mom's house, hanging Jen's Moroccan-themed paintings that were in the basement (what does a girl whose parents met in the Peace Corps grow up and do?), bringing her mom's quilt studio upstairs...


A walk in the woods down hill from the cabin my brother and his family are staying in through June...Quiet, peaceful, no Internet access, but flushing toilets and electricity!




So, wherever I go, there is always a mural that can be painted for a thank you for staying at their home!
Inspiration piece, before editing phrase down to fit on wall...

Mural I painted in Polly's kitchen!


As I explored the surrounding towns I found:

Mural seen in Front Royal, (known as Hell Town in early days) off of East Main Street, behind a thrift store!


Quilt seen in an antique store in Strasbourg, VA on our way to Woodstock to find the nearest Ben Franklin complete with diner serving pork loin for lunch!


Button, button, who has the button? She chose the pink ones, and helped me sew them on (in and out, watch out for spaghetti, don't get poked with the sharp end, pull it long, up up and away--phrases that all work well in teaching a toddler how to sew)



Before I left I finished up some sewing projects and got them mailed off or given away:

Postcards have to be regulation size, no bumps or extensions. I have used cardstock & even parchment backs for the stamps, also thicker pellon and fabric-tex is nice, but pricey. These are three most recent with "All you need is love" theme fabric.



Most recent baby quilt. Suzanna helped me blanket stitch around the letters. Alexander Henry floral fabric. When I brought it home, John said, "That's not for you--I can tell by the colors..." He knows what I choose for keeping, what I give away. Astute man. He knows me!

Thirty's not so bad....

It's not even half way over!!!! Longevity runs in the family!
(Quilting note: I made Simon the quilt on the rocking chair, crazy Pineapple paperpieced. Mural note: "love and serve one another" from The Family: A Proclamation to the World in Mom's kitchen)



"For many years, I decided I wanted to do something monumental for my 30th birthday. Like jump off a mountain and paraglide..." She said.

Ohh, I wish I could gift you a parasail for the day! Sounds like an adventure waiting to happen! We need to do a Mexico cruise one day, girls trip!?

Becca is tough. Smart and competent, works securty for priceless documents. She has loyal friends and is loving and giving. She appreciates fine films, good food, and mothers our dad when Mom goes out of town to help other grandkids. She is a good listener, a good friend, a good mom to her Simon son.

You have made a peaceful monument of your life. Celebrate knowing you are loved! XOX

I'm so Awesome!

(The following was pro bono work for a good community cause! I had priced $600+ for handpainted 8'x10' photography backdrops and would charge at least that much to cover materials and time and expertise in getting a nice overall color smudge!)


Can you see the sweat on my face? I started in the kitchen sink, added the first layer of black dye to three light blue sheets, sewn together. Then I took it outside, placed it on the snow and used an empty 409 bottle with blue acrylic paint diluted down. Then a beautiful nut brown dye. Threw kosher salt over it (pulls the dye into nice patterns, wicking the moisture together, nice effect on paper, too!) Then sprayed more black dye. Then purple. Then a lighter blue. Kicked snow on top. Let it dry overnight. Next morning added more blue and a lavendar (that I didn't know had sparkles in it-clogged the sprayer). Added cream. More blue. Dried it and ironed the whole thing to set the dyes. Took it back outside, scrunched it and used regular spray paint in a can to add black. Pulled flat, re-scrunched differently, sprayed light blue. Repeated with cream. Repeated with fuschia. Repeated with light blue. Repeated with black. Try and follow that recipe!


When I am too close to a project, it is hard to see how wonderful it is...


The hard work, hours it takes to get something just right and how physically tired I am makes me focus on just getting it done, balancing colors, meeting the deadline...


So when I walked into the gym and saw the Parks & Recreation Dance backdrop I painted I gasped in happy surprise!


Seeing it up on the stand, in place, installed was thrilling! It looked SOOOO GOOD!Woohooo! I made that?! So all the way home I started thinking about other color ways I could try, new paint recipes. Just think what YOU could do with 3 sheets, fabric dye, and some spray paint judiciously placed!

Things I learned from my Dad

Rocket ship slides remind me of Dad. There was one in CA we would go to often.

Siblings and my hands (far right) inherited from our dad...strong and square, stubby fingers.


1. Do not jog alone in the dark. It is not safe. "I care too much about you to have you get hurt," he said, asthmatically wheezing as he jogged beside me around the field.

2. Do not date someone you feel sorry for, ever. Being polite is important, but don't say yes to pity dates. Only go out with a guy you are interested in getting to know more about and make sure he knows how good you are, respects you.

3. It's okay for dad's to be protective and look out for their daughters. After my mission when I was still living at home and a guy called he told him "She is waiting for a missionary to return. Good-bye."

4. It's important to trust. One of my favorite daddy memories is swimming in the Viriginia apartment pool. He would carry me across the deepend piggyback, I would climb out and run around the pool to get to the other side and jump in for him to catch me. He always caught me!

5. Space is cool! He made sure I was watching with him when Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. He told me, "Always remember this day! This is important history. Tell your children you saw this on tv live!" We watched Star Trek episodes together, too. He first taught me the names of stars and planets.

6. Reading is a pleasure. My dad is always in the middle of a good book. He loves books, he loves talking about books. Books are good friends, and worth the investment of time it takes to read them. I have walked past my parent's room and seen them both reading books in bed(sometimes the same book!).

7. Singing is a joy. Sing for fun, sing when you are sad, sing when you are full of happiness. Whistle, play the harmonica, make a joyful noise! Dad used to sing with the Utah Opera Company. Church choir. FHE still!

8. Your spouse is more important than your children. Hard lesson when you are the needy child and feeling impatient, but it set a standard, something for me to compare and look for in a future husband.

9. Do your share of work. All us kids had jobs growing up. We weeded the garden, took turns doing dishes. Dad would never ask us to do something he wasn't willing to do himself, and he was out there working with us. My dad is a hard worker, very focused and endures until the end of the job.

10. He taught me how to ride a bike, fly a kite, read the scriptures, pray as a family, fill a flat tire, drive stick shift, age gracefully.

Thanks, Dad!