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January 25, 2016

Dee Nickerson Paints an Easygoing Lifestyle




I am smitten with the paintings of Dee Nickerson!
They're so detailed. The one above, called Freedom, is my favorite.
That could very well be me walking in my back yard.
Can't you just feel the bite of the cold winter air,
and hear the snow crunch with each of her steps?

Each painting tells a story of the everyday happenings of life
and focuses on the simple pleasures of
catching up on some knitting,
strolling outside in the fresh air,
sipping tea with friends,
or rolling out pie dough.

What I like best is the mood that Dee creates.
A sense of calm. Tranquil repose. 
A quiet ease of living.
See for yourself!




Thinking Ahead





The Wooden House




Collecting the Post





Anticipation





Collecting Some Greenery





Making Pastry





Farm Cottages





Wind of Change




Looking Out



Links to more of Dee Nickerson:


Images used with direct permission from Dee Nickerson.

January 22, 2016

Angelica Paez Collages



Angelica Paez combs secondhand shops for ephemera treasures:
vintage postcards, magazines, stamps, receipts, photos and such.
She cleverly combines bits and pieces to create 
imaginative collages, with equally imaginative titles.
No digital work here, just good old scissors and glue.
Sometimes she adds scraps of fabric or thread for embellishment,
or actual stitches as with the collage above, Flapjack Mountain.



Blondie Wouldn't, But Dagwood





Fishy Business






Old Fashioned Values in a Modern World





Big Wigs





Gelatinseltown






Night Sweats






Talk is Cheap





Optical Illusion





Rosy Cheeks






Delight





Monumental






Pigment of Her Imangination



Here's Angelica's website.



Images used with direct permission from Angelica Paez.

January 21, 2016

Our Day at the Pennsylvania Farm Show



What a great day at the 2016 Pennsylvania Farm Show!
Held at the 24 acre Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, 
it's the biggest indoor agricultural expo in the country!

Three varieties of apples give a shout out for the show's 100th year!





Educational displays included one by the PA Mushroom Growers Cooperative.
Did you know that Pennsylvania is the mushroom capital of the world?
 Lots of mushroom-lovers in my family!





We were drawn into this informative booth provided by the 
PA chapter of The American Chestnut Foundation. (Here's their website.)
We're crazy about roasted chestnuts and would love to have our own tree!





A great illustration on this souvenir tee shirt.





Plenty of tractors on display at the Farm Show!
When our sons were little, we couldn't tear them away!
How about the size of this one?





On to the animals!





Tuckered out!










Farmshow fun!





The livestock auction.










We always enjoy the Horse Pulling Contest!
Teams of 2 horses must pull a weighted sled 20 feet.
Weight is added with cinder blocks as teams are eliminated.
This year the winning team pulled 7,450 pounds!










Alpacas were a favorite.










These gorgeous shawls were as soft as can be!





Wonderful to see this organization represented!
(Here's their website.)





Jars of fruits and vegetables were lined up 
in a rainbow of colors for the Canned Foods Competition.










Getting ready for the whoopie pie judging.





Speaking of food, the Farm Show Food Court is an attraction in and of itself.
Most would say that the stars of the show are the milkshakes.
Over 100,000 were purchased at last year's show!

I enjoyed the deliciously seasoned breaded mushrooms,
a grilled portobello sandwich, and a potato donut for dessert!




It's always fun to try something new.
The guys gave these Goat Taco Bowls a go!










Herlocher's Mustard Purchase!
Memories of our Penn State days... Our first introduction to this
addictive sweet & rough mustard was dipping pretzels 
at the Train Station Restaurant in State College, PA!
(Here's their website.)





One of my favorite attractions was the Butter Sculpture!
Land O' Lakes in Carlisle, PA supplied the 1,000+ pounds of butter used.
Created by Victor & Pelton of Conshohocken, PA, this year's sculpture
celebrated the show's 100th year with its theme, 
"Our Commonwealth's Blue Ribbon Experience."
It depicted children showing their prize cow and chicks,
a man and woman with their winning apples and pies,
plus a quilt and spinning wheel at the rear of the exhibit.




Get lots more info at the Pennsylvania Farm Show website.

Here are more of my blog posts for you:
2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show Fun
We Love the Pennsylvania Farm Show!

January 18, 2016

Curated Color: Wonderful White

travelinsurancetipus


This photo of the majestic Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany 
shows numerous variations of the color white. 
It inspired me to pull together this collection of whites: 
eggshell, vanilla, cream, and ivory, to name only a few.
Each shade is serene, crisp, authentic.
Textures only enhance the appeal.


aikenhouseandgardens




stylist.co.uk




cornelli





PeterHaigh





lolliepatchouli




foodnetwork





withthyneedleandthread





buzzfeed





hwtm




thefossilstore




theprincessparlour





tumblr




mykukula




deltabreezes




countryliving





agirlsrighttodream