~Our Beautiful Daughter, beloved, sister, grandchild and friend
January 12, 1990 - June 15, 2007
I miss your fun-loving, vivacious personality and most of all your hugs and words, "I love you, mom."
To read about Brianna's fight for her life, you'll find her story here.
The gardening season in north Florida is short, since we really can't grow much during the hot months of June, July and August. So I started early and decided to share some of the photos of our side yard, container garden. Fresh herbs are so much better, don't you think? Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme...hmmm...I've heard that somewhere before!
I love this little thoughtful cherub. I think of our daughter when I walk past.
Tomatoes, lettuce, turnips and spaghetti squash are all planted in containers.
I planted these nasturtiums from seed! The flowers are edible too. Thankfully the squirrels haven't gotten them.
Our gargoyles stand watch out front amidst the azeleas. I am inspired each time I glance out the window and see the beauty of these plants. Enjoy the sights of late spring.
I have a collection of vintage China doll heads from Germany. Years ago, I won an ebay auction for a number of them and a sweet friend gave a bag of them to me. I am always trying to find ways of using these remants of the past in my art, and a spun cotton rabbit seemed natural. This little gem is currently available on eBay and will end on Sunday evening. Wishing you warmer days and bunny smiles!
Vintage Style Spun Cotton Rabbit & Chick now on eBay
January is flying by and before we know it spring will be here with it's beautiful flowers and of course Easter. The weather here in north eastern Florida has finally turned cold. In fact it was a chilly 39 degrees this morning! So I will be ready for warmer days once the vernal equinox hits on March 23.
In the meantime, I have been busy in my studio creating Valentine and Easter whimsies. The spun cotton bunny and chick pictured above are currently being offered on eBay.
I am just loving spun cotton, and I have been in love with the craft for some time. I am trying to hone my skills and have created a sweet Valentine's Cupid as part of the PFATT Valentine's art challenge, now going on via eBay.
If you head to the auction site and use the term PFATT in your eBay search window, you'll find all the wonderful creations by my fellow artist members. Speaking of Valentine's Day, I need to make our dinner reservations! My husband and I love trying all the unique restaurants St. Augustine has to offer. Don't forget to make your date for February 14!
The new year brings January birthdays for my husband and our beloved Brianna. So it is always a month full of duplicity. A time for celebration and promise for new beginnings, coupled with sadness and loss. We have wonderful memories of holidays past, when the whole family was here, and those help us through these times. But some days are still filled with disbelief that someone so dear can be gone forever.
Trevor also heads back to college after a month-long break of holiday cheer and relaxation at home. It's hard letting him return to his other life on campus, some 10 hours drive away. When he leaves, the sense of loss is almost overwhelming.
That's my cue to hide away in my studio and get lost in my art. It truly does save. Above is one of my current works-in-progress.
So with cherished memories of the not-so-distant past of 2012 and the memories of when we all were together years ago, we carry on and look to a new year filled with art.
December 24, 2012
Merry Christmas! Thank you for supporting handmade art during the past year and for your continued enthusiasm. I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!
There is nothing like a Christmas tour of homes to get you into the holiday spirit!
I belong to the Las Adelphas Garden circle, one of 10 circles made up of about 30 members each, and part of the greater, 300-member St. Augustine Garden Club. Each year, the club puts on the Christmas Tour of Homes, in which six historic homes in the downtown are decorated with fresh flowers and all sorts of Christmas cheer. A tea and boutique are also part of the tour - in fact I had to bake some four dozen cookies for it! About 1500 tickets are sold each year and it sells out early, this year was no exception.
Being a new member, this was my first year taking part in the tour. Not only did I help decorate a beautiful renovated 1920's home, I also got to tour the other five and even enjoy some cookies and tea!
It was a lot of work, taking about three full days to decorate and then another couple hours on the day of the tour working a two-hour shift at the house and directing people from room to room. But what a great experience!
The top photo is the moss wreath our circle created for the front door of the Gowen home, a beautiful historic house right on the Intercoastal and in view of the Bridge of Lions downtown. Here it is with all the decorations in place outside. I personally wired the greenery on the fresh cut wreaths that adorn the front windows. Actually, there was a group of us working on them.
Not only did we add the fresh greenery to the square wire forms, we added large pinecones to the backs - so they'd be beautiful from inside the house as well as the outside - but we also added pepper berries, little gem magnolia leaves, a green apple and a large, purchased sugar pinecone hanging in the middle. They were a lot of work, but so worth it!
Here are more pictures of the house our club decorated. I'll share some of the photos of the other homes in a second post. Stay tuned! In the meantime, enjoy the home tour!
The family room...
A close-up of the coffe table arrangement. Don't you just love those horse-tail pine needles!
The beautiful living room fireplace. You can barely see the stairs in the background, also adorned with fresh greenery thanks to our club members handy work.
This is their entry, pink roses and pink poinsettias, magnolia leaves and curly willow. Need I say more?
Wouldn't you just love this view for coffee in the morning?
Their breakfast nook...again a gorgeous view! And check out the neat jellyfish glass lights in the upper left corner. They are stunning!
The back door was decorated with all sorts of dried fruits, cinnamon sticks and small pinecones. One of our members dried the oranges, star fruit and orange peel. Just lovely!
Art is such therapy during difficult times. I find that it has helped me through the most difficult days. And with Christmas now coming in just a few short weeks, it's always a great escape to spend time in my studio. I am able to let go of everything and be in the moment while I create pieces that makes me happy.
This time of year, it means Christmas ornaments and paintings of wintery days...all that sparkles like snow when the sun shines and turns the world a beautiful white wonderland. Time to think about making gifts for family and friends, too. I'll try to share a few of my latest Christmas creations, like the little snow girls on golden sleds, now in my Etsy shop, and soon on the trees of my family!
I look forward to spending more time with my husband and son, as school lets out and children are home for the holidays. Is it snowing yet?
For us, the holidays are always bittersweet. We have so much to be thankful for, and yet there is a sadness that predominates these days. Our family will never be what it was before 2007. We will never have that Thanksgiving dining table with all of us gathered 'round, because our daughter is no longer a part of this world.
I know she is with us in spirit, but it is not the same. I miss her beautiful smile and her saying, "Oh Mom, the turkey smells delicious!" Or, "Mom I want to help. Let me make the deviled eggs." (She loved deviled eggs!) Most of all, I miss holding her, having her near me and telling her how much I love her.
We do have much happiness during the holidays, but it is always tempered with the deep wound of loss that never heals. So every year, we set out an extra place setting for Brianna and remember all that we had when she was alive, and all that we still have now. And somehow, we are still thankful.
I wish you and your families a most heartfelt Thanksgiving.
I have always been in love with the lost art of spun cotton. It has such a Victorianesque look to it. The cherished ornaments were lovingly placed on the tree, and I can imagine the "oooh's" and "aaah's" that followed. I've been working on perfecting my technique, once I began this cotton journey more than a year ago. So I've been working in my studio preparing for my September travels.
I'll be jetting my way to California Thursday to join some 24 other artists at Tinsel and Treasures Folk Art Show. The event is sure to be a crowd pleaser with so many different talented artisans in one place! And...all in beautiful, quaint downtown Danville!
Shops, restaurants, farmer's market...all within steps of the Danville Veterans Memorial Building, which is where I'll be Saturday, Sept. 15, from 10 am to 4 pm with an assortment of my vintage inspired spun cotton Christmas ornaments and figures and Halloween goodies! I can't wait to spend time with my dear friends and see my wonderful customers. Soon my California Dreamin' will be a reality! See you all soon!
See My Art & Story "My Hero" ~ in Somerset Studio May/June 08
I was honored to have an article and art published about how my precious 17-year-old daughter fought for her life and died a hero in my eyes. You'll find it in the Melange section, page 50, in Somerset Studio, May/June 2008. As difficult as it was to write, it is a wonderful way to memorialize one who had so much life yet to live. Please let me know what you think.
~Our Beautiful Daughter, beloved, sister, grandchild and friend
January 12, 1990 - June 15, 2007
I miss your fun-loving, vivacious personality and most of all your hugs and words, "I love you, mom."
To read about Brianna's fight for her life, you'll find her story 
I was honored to have an article and art published about how my precious 17-year-old daughter fought for her life and died a hero in my eyes. You'll find it in the Melange section, page 50, in 