And just like that, spring decided to be sprung. The calendar didn’t lie – the day after the official first day of spring, my yard decided to awaken and all my spring flowering trees seemed… More
FOTD Flower of the Day: Two-toned Petunias
I love how this photo turned out… trying to capture the butterfly landing on the flowers in my window box but with the screen behind it almost gives it the effect of being a painting. I love these two-toned super-tunias. They were well worth the $5 splurge at the beginning of summer! Every year the window box has a different color scheme. This year I went a bit crazy and combined reds, fuscias, hot pinks, and balanced it with lime green. A big splash of vibrant color is just what we needed this year!
2020 A Year of Changes
Like everybody else, 2020 has been an unusual year. It has taken me away from writing on this blog as I re-create life at home. The online business I partnered with my sister, Flaunt Boots, has ended. Still needing a creative outlet, I have re-created Flaunt Boots into Flaunt Your Life. I create graphic design and artistic designs and sell them online via http://flauntyourlife.threadless.com They take artist’s works and print them as ordered onto journals, notecards, throw pillows, t-shirts, tote bags, etc. I am really enjoying the creative process and freedom to create whatever I desire without limitations of only being business-oriented. A few samples so you understand what I do now…
Other big changes?
- My son is NOT heading off to college as planned as his college went to on-line only. He’s bummed and we are sad for the loss of big-life experiences as he also was robbed of a high school graduation ceremony, and a big graduation celebration trip to NYC had to be cancelled.
- My daughter is NOT traveling the world after graduation from college. She had planned on taking a gap year before heading off to grad school, but instead is spending the months after graduation and home quarantine time with roommates while they all vainly search for jobs. Oh, and her graduation from college was cancelled too. Such a huge accomplishment and so little fanfare.
- My husband has joined me in working from home. He loves it. I have adjusted to having others in the house all day long.
- We had 3 big trees taken down in our front yard which created what were struggling shady garden beds into full-on sun beds. I spent as much time as I could moving and swapping out plants before the summer heat arrived. The rest will have to wait until fall to be divided and transplanted. For a gardener, this is BIG. We live in SW Washington and are surrounded by tall fir trees that suck up a lot of water and throw a lot of shade. The front yard has struggled as trees grew taller and sunlight grew harder to find. My big problem? Finding nursery stock available. I LOVE photographing the flowers in my garden and turning them into art.
- My part-time job as a blogger / social media content creator for BestoftheNorthwest.com has gone to even less than part time with the travel restrictions. We try to showcase the many reasons people should come to the Pacific Northwest – wineries, beautiful beaches, beautiful snow capped mountains, thousands of lakes and rivers, fascinating geology, great food, and thriving art communities. It is just hard for anyone to plan a trip this year. So please, come and at least look at the pretty pictures of the Northwest and dream of time to visit. http://bestofthenorthwest.com
- Creating Flaunt Your Life boards on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/flauntyourlife/ as well as keeping up with Instagram and Facebook accounts (I don’t really bother with Twitter) and creating the art for the Flaunt Your Life website has kept me plenty busy. I work in the garden most of the morning, then I can come inside and work when it is too hot to be outside. Creating any new business is difficult. An online business is probably less so, but still plenty time consuming.
Goals for the Remainder of the Year:
Read 3 more books
Watch at least one old 40’s WW2 romantic comedy movie
Go on a shopping trip to nurseries further south and find some treasures.
Finish the book on my husband’s grandmother’s adventures aboard the Titanic
Paint at least 2 new paintings
Clean the kitchen floor and maybe clean out the garage too?
Repaint the white door jambs that are scuffed up after 20 years of hard-living
Get the garden into photo-worthy shape by pruning, mulching, dividing, transplanting, and reorganizing all the beds into perfection. (Yeah, that’s not going to happen, but it’s a goal.)
And so, after that update, I hope to keep adding more to my blog in the future. I hope you’ll visit my website and yes – they even can turn my artwork into facemasks! They are the year’s new fashion statement – or at least a way to have some fun and show off your personality and even come in youth sizes too. Here are a few of mine:
http://FlauntYourLife.threadless.com
Inspirational Quote for a Tough Year
2020 will go down in history as most people’s least favorite year EVER. Or at least the most challenging. It is important to keep looking at the bright side of life and be thankful for what IS right in your life.
Weekends: A Time of Compromise
The weekend is almost here. My husband has been looking forward to it … it’s been a tough week at work and he looks forward to the weekends and being outside away from his office. On the other hand, as I work from home, the weekends are a different matter altogether. During the weekdays, the space is ALL MINE. I can choose to listen to any music I want to. Yesterday was Django Rheinhart. The day before it was Martin Stephenson and the Dainties. Last week I was into 60s tunes. The week before was classical chamber music. Tomorrow might be Bing Crosby or the West African Rhythm Band. No matter what I’m feeling that day, the point is that I have total control and can play it as loudly or quietly as I want. I can have the t.v. on. I can bump up the house’s thermostat a little. I can eat at my desk. I can eat outside. I can light a fragrant candle. I can do chores or sit and read without feeling guilty. On the weekends though, my husband and 18 year old son will be home all day all the time.
As much as I love them, my weekends are not necessarily something to look forward to with as much anticipation as my husband does. Weekends become a time of chores and who wants to look forward to that? My husband gets a perverse sense of happiness and satisfaction by stacking a cord of wood for the fireplace. He would have been a good pioneer. I, on the other hand, would not. I would have been terrible. I enjoy sitting and reading a book with a cat in my lap and a cup of coffee in my hand. He thinks weekends are a time to get all the things done he’s been wanting to do all week. I think weekends are a time to get all things done I’ve been wanting to do all week. His involve chores. Mine involve reading, painting, traveling, drawing, baking.
Our ideas of what a weekend should be are as different as our taste in pizza toppings. He’s an onion and mushroom type of guy. I’m more of a goat cheese and red grape type (don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!) But pizza compromises are pretty easy. We make our own and everyone gets their own section to personalize. Much like our weekends, we try to allow each other to make it what they need it to be and personalize it.
Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Dawn
Lucia Falls
The sun came out and it felt like spring. I felt compelled to hop in my car and get outside and away from my behind my desk computer at home. I work from home, and as much as I love being here, I do feel the need to get outdoors, grab some needed vitamin D, and step away from that computer screen. I drove towards Yacolt, WA – not too far away from me but a world away from semi-organized chaos that is my desk. Driving on the rolling roads of NE Clark County with the sunroof open and some laid back jazz playing on KMHD radio, I felt the grayness of winter slipping away. I stopped at Lucia Falls park to wander around and take photographs. I figured I can always use my photographs for my work too – double bonus!
Lucia Falls is on the Lewis River. While not as stately as Multnomah Falls, it has its own natural beauty and a different feel as the water tumbles over ancient volcanic rocks. The geology is fascinating in the area with obvious signs of lava flows from Mt. St. Helens creating the rocky landscape like a Columbia River Gorge in miniature.
As it was early spring, the river had a powerful flow and the landscape had only the tall evergreens for color, making the landscape seem even more stark. What I love about Lucia Falls park is that it is so easy to get to – no 5 mile hikes required. There are picnic benches to sit and enjoy lunch, it does not have a lot of traffic so you can be there are feel like you have the place to yourself. Because it is sensitive salmon habitat, there is no fishing or swimming allowed.
I chose to scramble onto the rock formations to try and get different photographs. Unfortunately, my mid-morning drive had me arrive when the sun was in a difficult position for taking good photographs. Next time I’ll try late afternoon. And bring a friend to walk the paths – then hit the Pomeroy winery just down the road!
Hellebores: Spring Surprises
In my yard right now, it is still looking pretty dull. The hellebore and mini daffodil are the only flowers blooming, although the daphne is sooo close. We’re at about 500 ft elevation which makes quite a difference in the garden. Down below our hill, plum trees are already blooming. The weathermen say winter is over… no snow or cold events coming our way. It is kind of sad we won’t have a good snowfall this winter at all. We can get snow as late as March, but not this year. The Pacific Northwest will soon be filled with color! An that’s not a bad thing.
Fun Children Books to Give
I love children’s picture books. I love the illustrations, I love reading them to my children. I love the silly stories. These are a few favorites that you may enjoy giving as gifts. Just click on the photo to find out more information on the book at Amazon. Make sure to click the link “look inside” if offered, on the left side of their page. I think all these books are ones that would be welcome in any child’s home library.
The gift of reading is a gift that lasts forever.
To encourage the love of travel:
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For the love of laughter
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Such beautiful illustrations:
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To encourage life-long interests:
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To encourage a love of history:
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I receive a small affiliate fee from Amazon if you choose to purchase via the link.
Reasons to Travel: Dublin
Ah, colorful Dublin. It is a pretty quick trip to fly for the weekend there from London. My daughter went and came back full of Guinness, lively traditional music in her ears, and many photos of colorful buildings.
Reasons to Travel: Boston
Boston is one of those historic cities every American should visit. Growing up on the west coast, we just don’t have that extensive architectural history to draw upon. In Boston, they love their red brick, and many homes, buildings, and walkways are made from brick. It can be pretty cold in winter, but the tourist count is low so you can see so much more. They have a wonderful self-guided tour built right in – follow the red brick “Freedom Trail” built right into the sidewalks that will take you past all the major historical buildings including the USS Constitution, Bunker Hill, Paul Revere’s House, the Old North Church, site of the Boston Massacre, and several old burying grounds.
Reasons to Travel: Chicago
A few photos from a recent trip to Chicago, Illinois – even a short trip to Chicago is worth the trip for the architecture alone. The natural history museum is wonderful. I would highly recommend the night time cruise for beautiful views. Yes… travel even in winter!
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