The Dream You Never Knew You Had

Last June I wrote a post about how I would soon be selling my artwork online.  I thought by the end of June that would be a reality, but the reality is that these things take time.

The truth is that what I've been doing since over a year ago has finally brought me to the place where I'm supposed to be.  The road I've traveled has been bumpy, winding, and sometimes downright depressing, but in the end I have learned something at each turn.  I won't bore you with the long winded version, but what I thought would be a dream come true back in January turned out not to be.  And although I was horribly disappointed at the time, it turns out that everything really does happen for a reason.

Back then I was flying solo, talking to big name stores, and within a hair's width of selling in some of them.  After a deal with Home Goods fell apart due to the fact that I couldn't compete with the low cost of imported merchandise and I couldn't find a good framer here in the US that wanted me to also make some money on the deal, I was completely bummed!  But thanks to one amazing Home Goods buyer, the one who believed in my stuff from the very get go, I was motivated to keep going.  She and I even agreed when the deal fell through that we were sure that our paths would one day cross again, and I truly hope they do.  She had a dream to design jewelry, and I hope that she is doing just that....following her dream the same way I am!

All the while, my good friend Mary Beth was also on a path of her own...and often feeling the same sense of frustration I was.  We both knew we had good saleable artwork...or at least we hoped like heck we did, but how could we get it out there, find a way to sell it?!

After traveling parallel paths for over a year, it finally dawned on us that what we both needed was each other.  She felt like some of her artwork, created using traditional painting methods, was lacking something, and I felt like my images and graphics needed something to make them more well rounded too.  So on a lark we decided to see what we could create together.  She would paint certain elements, and I would add my touches to create artwork we felt was lacking in the marketplace.

So far we've come up with some wonderful collections...several of which may be licensed by companies for things like wall decor, dishware, and who knows what else.  That's all in the very beginning stages though, so we are taking it day by day and learning to not sweat the small stuff.

Did I mention how stinking talented Mary Beth is!!!  I swear, all I have to do is ask her to paint something, like the butterflies above, and poof, she creates something beyond my expectations!

So once we had decided to start working together, we needed to settle on a name...and Bay Studios was born.  Add to the mix an amazing online art company I had found while searching around, and we were off and running...so to speak!  Well if running at a snail's pace can be considered running.

The company we have teamed up with has been in business for years, so their guidance has proved invaluable in so many ways!  It's because of them that we've been taking our time, making sure we get this right and that we are offering customers artwork they can't get any place else, and hopefully filling a niche that hasn't been filled before.

Very soon, we will be offering some of our artwork for sale, and I have my fingers crossed that you all will love it as much as we have loved creating it for you!  It truly has been a labor of love for the two of us!

In addition to the Bay Studios pieces, I will also have some of my own images for sale on the site, like the floral above.  Because the paint is not dry on the walls so to speak, I won't put a link to the website quite yet.

But I did want to share with you why it's taken so long to get from point A to point B...or maybe point Z in this case!  And in the not too distant future I will be letting you know about some artwork you can pre-order and I will give you a coupon code as well.  It's a gift from Mary Beth, the gallery, and me, to say thank you for your patience and for your support, even when it seemed like the dream might never become a reality!

I think the biggest lesson I've learned is that even when you think you are following your dream, sometimes it is the dream that has to find you.  And when that happens, it's bigger than any dream you could have ever imagined!  Now get going and start your dream so that it can find you too!

I would like to give a special shout out to Kim, Kate, Michelle, Connie, and Linda for keeping me going when I was ready to throw in the towel.  Your friendship, support, and great taste has all been invaluable...thank you!!!

                                                             

Drops of Jupiter

I know some of you were thinking you'd click on here and find a link to that song...sorry if I tricked you!

After the rain finally stopped, I decided to pick up my camera and venture out to take some pictures of the raindrop covered flowers in the yard.  As I was processing them I couldn't help but think that if there truly are drops on Jupiter, well then they must look like this.

Glistening orbs that reflect the light and look like liquid silver, even when there is no sunlight.

I think I have maxed all of you out on flower pics lately, but it's about as exciting as it gets around here these days...well that and the rain.  So I think I will take a little time to see what else requires my attention, like painting porch posts and pulling weeds.

I hope you each have a wonderful weekend, and that you find your own drops of Jupiter in the process!

A Little Ray of Sunshine

Thank you everyone for your wonderful holiday location suggestions, I've been pouring over each and every one of them!!!  We still haven't decided where we will be heading, but I'll keep you posted.

I've been a little under the weather this week, not sure what is going on, but I know something isn't right with my body.  I've actually felt a little like the sunflower pictured above, a bit droopy.

Mr. Tide was sweet enough to bring me two big bunches of these lovely happy faced flowers from the grocery store yesterday.  Even when you are feeling a bit droopy, you can't help but be cheered up by these gorgeous rays of sunshine!

I hope you each have a wonderful weekend!

What Would They Say?

If you were run over by a truck tomorrow what would you want people to remember about you?



 

I know that's a crazy #$$ question, but I think it's one we should all really ponder from time to time.

Would you want them to say that you were an awesome blogger, or that you were an awesome mother, father, wife, husband, sister, brother, daughter, or son?  Or would you want them to say both?

Would you want people to say that you were kind, considerate, giving, helpful, loving or that you were cut throat, ruthless, and #1 at whatever it is you do?  Are all of these things incongruent with one another or do we each have a little bit of all of those things rolled into us as human beings?

Yesterday and this morning I pondered all of these questions...and more.  And as I looked in the mirror and wondered if my skinny jeans would ever fit again I had to wonder who I wanted to be and what I would be willing to give up to get there.  And I had to remember that every day can't be perfect and neither can we, but it can be pretty darned close if we focus on the positives and not the negatives.  Nurture ourselves and others, not try to build ourselves up by tearing others down...what a waste of precious energy that must be.

These are tough questions my friends, hard ones to answer and some that just can't be answered.  But I think that as we push and pull ourselves to succeed, be it on a blog or anywhere in life we have to also remind ourselves to not lose a bit of ourselves in the process...unless of course you are losing the bad things, then I think that would be a good thing. 

Loving Thoughts

I'm busy as a bee creating new artwork, and I think that watching all those episodes of Downton Abbey has had a positive effect on both me and my artwork.  You see, I'm not a huge lover of the Victorian period, it's often a little too formal and fussy for my taste, but there are a few aspects that I do love about that era.  One of those things is the Victorian's love of flowers.  Wealthy Victorians spent a considerable amount of time dedicated to the pursuit of gardening, flower arranging, and propagation of new flowers.

The glorious greenhouses and solariums built on some Victorian estates are a testament to their love for everything floral.  And if you've been lucky enough to visit a Victorian mansion, you know how lovely the gardens were during that time period.

When we visited Biltmore a few years ago, I was immediately smitten with the beautiful gardens even more-so than the house, and informed Mr. Tide that I could indeed of lived happily during that time in history.  He quickly added that I could have lived then "if" I had been a wealthy Victorian...so true!


 

I also love how the Victorians gave nearly every flower a meaning, mostly relating to love or beauty, the world of flowers became a secret language during the gilded age.  Some flowers had meanings long before the Victorians came along of course, but they took it to a whole new level with their many sentimental attributes assigned to each variety. 

Pansies for instance were said to represent loving thoughts or remembrance.  If you received a bouquet of flowers from someone in the know during that time period you could expect to find out much more about what they were thinking than just the simple gesture of being given flowers.  I like to think that during that part of our history that many a shy man was able to convey his undying love, not through words, but through his careful selection of flowers. 

Wouldn't it be lovely if today people, instead of just grabbing whatever is on sale at the grocery store, (me included), took the time to really use flowers as a form of communication?  Ahh, those crazy Victorians, at least the rich ones, clearly had a lot of time on their hands, something I'm a wee bit jealous of these days.  At least these pansies can send loving thoughts to all of you though! :-)

Don't Worry Bee Happy

Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments and emails about my last post!  I know so many of us are in the same boat, and it's good to know that we are probably harder on ourselves than anyone else ever could be.

Today I thought I would show you some new goodies I picked up since the first of the year.  I can't believe that March is right around the corner and that I bought these items at the beginning of the year...which seems like just yesterday!

I have this obsession with small vases, I love them and whenever I find one I snap it up.  I think it goes back to when I was a child and I used to love to pick little flowers like buttercups and forget-me-nots and bring them in to my mother.  She always had little vases or juice glasses that she would put them in and then keep them by the sink in the kitchen so that she could enjoy them while she cooked or did the dishes.

I came across this little green vase that I knew would be perfect for short stemmed flowers like pansies and violets, and I loved the deep emerald color.  It was a great price too, and at a favorite local store, Lola Belle Co. so I snapped one up because I knew they would likely go pretty quickly.

Then, a few weeks later, I went to Home Goods and found these wonderful embroidered bee towels.  I love bees, and have for a long time, even before they became so popular so there was no question that they were coming home with me.

I also have a bit of a hand towel obsession, and in a big armoire we have there are two full drawers devoted entirely to towels!  I come by this honestly though as my mother loved napkins and pretty guest towels too.

And here is another weird little tidbit about me...I think some weeds are pretty!  Yup, I think that dandelion flowers are kind of pretty, and as much as I hate the fact that they are weeds, I love blowing their little heads when they go to seed.  When you are surrounded by old farm fields like we are, you learn to embrace all of mother nature's beauty...or you go mad trying to control and tame it.

Mr. Tide's theory on having a beautiful lawn is that if it looks green and good from a distance, well then that's good enough for him.  I'm glad he doesn't obsess over the weeds because if he did it would become a full time job, and we would never get to enjoy where we live and jump into the kayaks whenever possible during the summer months.

And I'm glad I'm crazy for hand towels because I love when I visit someone else's home and they have a beautiful towel hanging in their bathroom or kitchen...even if you know they are just for show they still bring a smile to my face.  And I hope that others enjoy the ones I display in my own home.

Today I attended the funeral of a distant relative...a man I didn't really know, but a good man who had touched others during his long life.  I know my mom would have gone, she was good about things like that, so I'm sure she was happy that my sister and I both went.

It's funny how those bits of character that our parents pass along to us shine through in unexpected ways.  I thought I would end this post with an email I received from another family member, my mother in law, regarding my last post.  It was a lovely surprise to find in my inbox and I don't think she will mind if I share it with you all.

I just looked at your current blog; that definitely is a lovely pitcher you featured. I like the shape of it and the color combination. I loved how you accessorized it in your photo's - very lovely, simple but just right.

    As has been mentioned before, you and your mom had the touch in how to use stuff as you did in this blog and all your others. I have learned a lot from you in that regard but not enough yet  :-) 

      love. Mom    XXX OOO

Wasn't that a kind thing to say?  She actually has a lovely home, and a great sense of style, I even joked with her last time we visited that her outfit one evening was very hip and fashion forward...which it was!  I think it's nice when people support one another, whether it is through a comment on a blog post, a nice email, or reaching out to someone to let them know you care.  We all need that in our lives...friends and family who don't just say they love and support you, but show you through their kind actions.

Inspiration and Desperation

Thank you everyone for your lovely Valentine's Day wishes yesterday.  I hope each of you had a wonderful day!

My day (and Mr. Tide's) consisted of straightening up for a home appraiser to pay us a visit yesterday afternoon, followed by what I can only term as an "interesting" evening.

We sent Bugs, our son, off with the dogs for a few hours while the appraiser was here, and after he had been gone for a little bit the phone rang.  He informed Mr. Tide and me that he had gotten a little bored while hanging out with the pups at our farm property and had gone for a bit of a joy ride around the fields.

Sounds like a good idea right?  He was in a 4 wheel drive vehicle after all...but what he failed to take into account was how soft parts of the field were, and how where a big tree had been uprooted last fall there was now a small pond that had formed where the roots had once been. 

He made it by said pond on the way in, but on the way out he wasn't quite so lucky and ended up with the front end of the truck deep in muck and mire.  This meant that I would need to hang out to meet with the appraiser while Mr. Tide ventured over to try and get the truck unstuck! 

Needless to say, this wasn't exactly how I had envisioned our Valentine's Day evening would turn out, but hey, no one was hurt, well except maybe our son's pride, so it was all good.

Several hours, and a bit of desperation caused by a few failed attempts, plus a tractor pull or two later, the truck was free but nicely covered in mud.  The dogs were perfect, and behaved beautifully for having been through a 5 hour ordeal which they thought was going to be a simple outing.

The best part was as I was driving home I had to go through a retail parking lot and I got some rather confused looks from teenage boys who initially thought..."ahh cool, they went muddin"...followed by a really confused look that I can only imagine went something like..."what the heck, that old lady went muddin?!"

I'm happy to report that today was much calmer.  I was able to get lots of work done, and I was even able to tap in to a little inspiration provided by some pansies I bought last weekend.  They are so pretty, and so was the weather today, so I went outside and gathered a few to bring inside and put into my tiny glass vase which is perfect for things like pansy blossoms.

Oh, and the truck, well Bugs took it to the car wash, so it's feeling much better now too!

What has inspired you lately?

Little Acts of Kindness

The past few days have been a serious whirlwind.  Work has demanded every waking moment of my time and by the time I'm finished late at night, I am ready for bed, so I haven't even surfed blogs or the web the way I normally do.

The good part is that I'm making progress, so even though it is time consuming, it is so worth it!  And I know that the payoff will be worth the effort.

Awhile ago, Linda from Itsy Bits and Pieces showed this gorgeous vintage Dutch tin on her site.  That girl is always finding the best stuff, and her prices sometimes seem too good to be true, except that they are true...so they are that good!

As soon as I saw it, I knew that the colors were perfect for using in photo shoots, so I sent Linda an email asking if she planned to sell this pretty little tin.  Much to my delight she said yes, and she even suggested we do a trade...some of my artwork for her tin.

Umm, heck yes I want to trade!  So I ordered her prints and she shipped me my tin.  When it arrived it was as beautiful as I had imagined, and I've already filled it with a lovely primrose that I picked up at the store yesterday.  The primroses at my local grocery store were 3 for $5 on special, so I snapped up quite a few of them in lieu of buying roses or tulips that don't last nearly as long.

I tucked one into my new tin and filled my wire basket with several others.  I truly love having fresh flowers in my house, there is  just something so refreshing about seeing and smelling beautiful flowers throughout the year.

Of course getting a package is always uplifting too, but especially when it comes from someone as kind as Linda!  She didn't just include the tin, nope, she also included a few other goodies, some of which I will show you in an upcoming post.  But those darling little clay stars above, well they were tucked in to my package.

Not only are Linda and her daughter (who is her partner in crime) super good at finding vintage lovelies, but they are also hugely talented and creative souls who make all sorts of wonderful things from things they find as well as things they make themselves.

And between the two of them they have several Etsy shops which you can visit by clicking on the links on her sidebar, on the right side part way down on her blog.  Just don't blame me if you find all sorts of things you can't live without!

For the past few days I've been up to my eyeballs in talking to manufacturers, learning about anything and everything there is to know about trying to make it in commercial photography.  Some people are so incredibly helpful that you can't really believe it, while others can make it feel like pulling teeth, and for no good reason I might add.

But hey, I'm always up for a challenge.  I was born competitive and those traits have served me well over the years, so I'm not planning on changing any time soon.  But when people like Linda show those little acts of kindness, well it makes you realize that right will always win in the end, because that's what matters most in life, don't you think?

Feeling Lucky?

So we are zooming around the house trying to tie up loose ends before leaving tomorrow.  My email has been acting up...again!  And I finished up my last story just in time to hit the friendly skies, so I think we are on track, well as much as we ever are before a trip.  I would like to think that every nook and cranny of my house is sparkling clean and that the dogs won't shed while I'm gone...*cue dream sequence music*, but I'm way too realistic for that, so it is what it is.

But before I left, I promised that I would announce the winners of my latest Giveaway...so here goes.  Now, because I'm stressed, behind, etc. etc. ...I just had Mr. Tide rattle off 2 numbers between 0 and 28 instead of doing the whole Random.org thing.  Don't worry, I didn't let him look at the comments so there's no bias, and he is one of the most honest people I know, plus he picked #4 to begin with...which was my comment, so you see what I mean?!

So here are his picks (be sure to read to the end of the post though)

#7 Kim @ Savvy Southern Style

and

#26 Kate @ Chronicles of a Country Girl

I'm thrilled that both of these ladies won, they are both longtime readers and wonderful cheerleaders of my photography!  Congrats Kim and Kate, please send me your addresses, and which photo you would prefer and if you want an 8 x 12 or something smaller. 

So, as I was packing up my camera gear I had a moment of clarity, I thought...why not thank everyone who commented by sending them a photo?! So...to those of you who weren't picked randomly by Mr. Tide, you are all still winners.  That means you too Marcia...even though you said you wouldn't enter since you won a picture awhile back.  I will be sending each of you a 5 x 7 of your choice.  All I need from each of you is:

1.  Which photo you would like, if you already left it in the comments section, that's fine.

2.  A mailing address for me to ship it to.

Thank you all for your continued support of my blog, my photography, and my crazy life!  Even when I don't reply back, please know that I do appreciate each and every one of you, and this is my little way of saying Thank You!

The Golden Hour

A few days ago my neighbor called me to say that it really wasn't fair to the other trees in the neighborhood the way my maple was showing off this year.

I hadn't given it much thought, but she is right, it is a bit of a show off, and one both she and I greatly appreciate for being so boastful.

The leaves have not been as colorful or vibrant as they have in years past, but that's ok, everyone needs a little break every now and then, right?

Photographers often refer to the hour just after sunrise or just before sunset as the "golden" hour, but this time of year that golden glow seems to extend just a bit longer and I find it to be one of the prettiest times of year in terms of light.

It's been a crazy week, filled with ups and downs, frustration and jubilation, and a little bit of feeling yucky just for good measure.  But tonight, after having to cancel a lunch date with a friend who I've tried to hook up with since summer, and not making dinner for my friend "J" who is undergoing chemo (for fear I might give her something), I decided to just go outside with the dogs and enjoy that beautiful golden glow.

This time of year there really isn't a need for Photoshop or increased saturation, Mother Nature has taken care of all that for us.  So you can just point and shoot, knowing that whatever you capture will make you feel warm inside when you look at it later...though adding a cup of tea to the mix while you are resizing pictures never hurts either.


.

Even the inside of my house was aglow this evening, and you have to love it when your crystal decanters, some of which are antiques, and your mercury glass leaf ornaments look like works of art.

I will be gone for a few days, the Midwest has requested I make a visit.  Ok, that's not really true, parts of the country can't actually request your presence, but if they could then I would have been sent a pretty embossed invitation asking me to come for the next few days, so off I'll go.

I hope each of you has a wonderful weekend, and that you find a way to bask in your own special glow.  Oh, and I will be back tomorrow to announce the winners of my latest giveaway, I wouldn't leave you hanging, even if the Midwest does request the pleasure of my company!

La Bicyclette

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments!

And is there anything quite as lovely as a pink bicyclette?!

French Flowers

Is there anything more wonderful than stumbling out of your hotel room to wander the Saturday markets on the streets of Strasbourg?!

Well I suppose it would be better if you could do it every Saturday, instead of once every 5 years or so.

These pictures are pretty much straight out of the camera except for lightening a few of them, but none of them have had their hue and saturation levels altered.

The closest I normally get to something like this is when I visit Whole Foods every few weeks and wander around their beautiful flower department.

Which isn't really quite the same as having vendors meticulously displaying their wares on a sunny Saturday morning in northern France.

Creating beautiful vignettes that make you want to buy one of everything, or if you don't have a place to put one of everything, snapping a bunch of photos so that you can drink it all in even after you return home.

There are fresh cut stems you can arrange yourself, or dainty little bouquets to take home and enjoy...or maybe give to a friend.

I would like to be the friend who receives a gift of french flowers.

Perhaps a fall bouquet with russet leaves and some flower I don't know the name of.

Or a little zinc container filled with a single rose, hydrangea, and berries.

It doesn't really matter which ones you select since they are all so lovely and elegantly displayed.

Even pansies look a little more special at the flower market.  

Do you have a flower market like this in your town?  If so, please make up the guest bed for me and leave a light on...I might never leave!