Audrey Eclectic Folk Art

Tasha Tuesday

2012-03-06T07:35:00.003-06:00

Photo by Richard Brown

Featured in "The Private World of Tasha Tudor"

Hello there my friends,

Well it is a very windy but very sunny Tasha Tuesday out here in Oklahoma. The wind has been howling all night and its still sweeping through this morning. After some errands and a walk (or a battering by the wind, whichever it turns out to be) my plans for the day including settling down with some new fabric and my sewing machine and making up a little dress for Audrey. I've already sewn up 3 skirts, but I love those old fashioned apron dresses, and wanted to make her one for her birthday this weekend.

I don't know about you but I love little old fashioned dresses, especially for little girls. When I was a little girl, I had what we called an 'India dress' which was made of light white cotton and extremely embroidered, much like little girls would have worn at the turn of the century. How I loved that dress. How I wish I still had one! Maybe they'll come back into fashion?

I know that one of the many things I love about Tasha Tudor was her love for old fashioned dress and her use of them in her every day wardrobe. She also used the old dresses as inspiration for many of her paintings, something I love as well.

I love all the little details of old fashioned dresses, the simple color, the tiny embroidery and lace and eyelets. I'm determined to sew more than I did last year, and maybe bravely try to make some items for myself. I wish I had an expert seamstress just lying about, but it will have to be a terrific feat of trial and error for me to get some things made. But I do, ever so slowly. No matter if I ruin fabric with a rogue dryer sheet, or forget to follow the directs and do it all wrong. Slowly, I hope I can learn!

I hope you have something fun and creative planned for this day! And my heart is with those who have been so terribly effected by the early spring storms.

Til next time,

Family Portraits

2012-03-03T13:45:00.003-06:00

Over the past few years, I've made a lot of family portraits. Some of my favorite portraits, however, concern people's beloved ancestors. Sometimes they have an old photo. Sometimes all they know is a name and where they were from. But something about a particular ancestor's story has a special place in their heart and they want a tangible momento to remember them by, and that's where I come in.

I think these projects are so interesting to work on, and thought that perhaps people hadn't even considered the idea of an ancestor portrait, so I would bring it up myself! There are so many fun and beautiful ways to memorialize and ancestor-- anything from a family portrait, a wedding portrait, a mother and child portrait, a sibling portrait, or even a lone person portrait. In the past I've made relics of an ancestor lost to the Salem Witch Hunt and also to a Bohemian family's crossing to Ellis Island. Every family has interesting stories, and I love exploring those through art. Chances are, someone in your past made a great journey, married the love of their life, planted a lush garden, boarded a boat, stood gazing at the sea, or walked through an expanse of landscape that is at once long ago and close to your own heart.

So if you are so inclined to go on this artistic journey with me, I'd love to have you :) I'm offering a general listing for the portraits done in the size and style of the portrait shown above. You can see more info including pricing in the etsy listing. And feel free to email any time with any questions you might have at audreyeclectic (at) gmail.com. A nice way to star the springtime, don't you think?

Have a good weekend,

The Band Perry - All Your Life

2012-03-02T12:38:00.001-06:00

I really like this song. And when I saw the music video I was shocked that it looked like something I would dream up if I were lucky enough to be able to sing :) Total Audrey Eclectic vibe, dontcha think? <3

Pretty::Lovely

2012-03-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

I like to surround myself with pretty. And bookish. And good to eat. And more pretty.

The photo above was yesterday's breakfast. I had a rather genius epiphany this week about the muesli I've been making-- I add just a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the honey mixture and ohhh....it all turns to chocolatey delight. It's fabulous. You have to try it.

I've also been in the mood to curl up with some gentle, old timey books and I'm rereading a biography on LM Montgomery that I've checked out of the library so many times I just went ahead and ordered my own copy. It's so good. I think when I'm done (again) I'd like to talk about LM Montgomery-- or "Maud"--as I've come to know her more in-depth because as cliche as it sounds...I feel like she's a kindred spirit. In the good and the bad aspects of her, I can see myself. It's an interesting perspective. Artistic temperaments are never dull!

I also checked out a volume from the library that combines Anne of the Island and Anne's House of Dreams. I think I read Anne of the Island in the 7th grade and its rather murky in my mind, and I dont think I've ever read Anne's House of Dreams. I've decided I'm going to immerse myself in this Montgomery kick (as I'm apt to do when I get enraptured with something) and try to read all the Anne books I haven't read. I've read the first one several times, but never pushed through to the others after I initially read them as a kid. I also have all the Emily books from around this seventh grade period (really, did I ever grow up? How am I 30, I still feel like a middle schooler?) and might reread them too. I know I liked them, but I can't remember a thing about them now.

And while in this dreamy, old timey world state of mind, I happened into a store by the craft store today and found this pretty little top that instantly reminded me of Downton Abbey and so instantly it was mine. Which is funny, because I'm not much of a clothes shopper. I'm more of a 'bi-annual clothes expedition' type shopper. But I just had to have this. It's so Lady Mary, don't you think?

Oh, and I've been meaning to ask you, have any of you tried the honey and spice mask I posted about the other day? I've been faithfully applying it each night (or morning if I forget) and I really like it! Its soothing and gentle. And a bit ridiculous how easy it is to make. I hope you've enjoyed it if you've given it a go!

Well, on the agenda today is the sewing of one Dorothy-style skirt for a little girl who has requested a Wizard of Oz themed birthday party. Her birthday always brings the daffodils and tulips, and its just around the bend!

Talk with you later,

Tasha Tuesday

2012-02-28T08:15:00.003-06:00

Well I am happy to report-- it's finished! The Tasha Tudor shawl has been completed, and it's even still winter! How about that? I think it came out well for a first time shawl. It's pretty much even, at any rate, and I love the soft lamb/alpaca blend that the yarn was made of. This shawl used two skeins, although I think the next shawl I make will be bigger, this is a nice shoulder warmer that falls to the middle of my back.

The pattern was super simple and basic. You start with two stitches and the on the next row you yarn over the first stitch and yarn over the last stitch. You yarn over every other row and not only does it increase in a triangle shape naturally, it creates a simple sort of ruffley-scalloped edge.

I'm pleased that the color and shape are very reminiscent of the shawl Tasha was often photographed in. It'll be good for having to go outside first thing on chilly mornings. My animals have no patience when it comes to getting their breakfast!

So, what do you think? Have you ever knitted a shawl? What are your favorite things to knit? I think one day I'd like to knit up some mittens. I'll have to wrap my mind around it first though :)

Edgar & Alice

2012-02-27T07:49:00.002-06:00

Well, here they are, Edgar and Alice. I think they're a dashing pair, don't you? Everything can't be all sweet and spring time all the time, can it? Gotta throw a crow and black dress in there to mix things up ever so often, right?

This was the painting that was on my desk a couple of posts ago when I was still working on it. It's been a long time since I painted a crow....and I did this one a little differently than I used to, what with it's wide and curious eye, but I like it. Sure, it's a lot of black, but it's not foreboding, right?

I put this painting up on etsy so it can find a new home. Maybe with you?

There once was a cowgirl...

2012-02-26T07:14:00.004-06:00

They say that all girls love horses, and I think that for my girl, that is especially true. She's always loved playing with little toy horses and coloring them in her color books, and seeing them put to pasture as we drive down country roads.

Yesterday we got to see the real live animals when we spent most of the day at a local ranch for a friend's birthday party. All the kids loved seeing these huge, beautiful, gentle animals. And I confess, I got in my snuggle time with a particularly gentle horse or two. Suddenly I felt five again as well and was a little sorry I didn't get a chance to ride!

Audrey was terrible excited by it all and not the least bit shy or afraid of the animals. She plopped right up in the saddle and sat tall and regal as any little rider would. She trotted around on two large horses and then wanted more. This is how being a cowgirl begins, I suppose.

Giddyup!

The High Kings - Will Ye Go Lassie Go

2012-02-24T13:58:00.001-06:00

Sure, they're technically talking about foliage...but finally! Finally a song that mentions my name!

Vindicated by a Scottish melody :)

Friday plans

2012-02-24T09:28:00.002-06:00

Good morning!~

Well, here it is friday, the end of the week. I hope you have some fun planned for the weekend.

Also, thanks so much for all your niceness in the last couple of posts. I am feeling better about things. It also helps that every day more little bulbs sprout up, the weather warms and the sky gets springtime blue. It's almost here, and as much as I love the quiet hibernation of winter, the arrival of spring is always such a happy change.

I'm working on a couple of paintings right now that have utterly nothing to do with springtime ;) isn't that always the way? On my Audrey Eclectic facebook page I was chatting with you all about whether you like the spooky or sweet art best, and overwhelmingly you all said spooky! So I thought it was high time to add a little spookyness to the repertoire, don't you think? You can't go wrong with crows, right?

Well, I've got some house cleaning to do and a few errands to run, and then I'll sit down to paint. If you haven't been in to check, I've added several new original pieces to my etsy shop as well as several new prints. Hope you stop in to browse!

Have a good weekend,

These are a few of my favorite things...

2012-02-22T06:11:00.000-06:00

When the dog bites! When the bee stings! When your house doesn't sell....

Thanks for indulging me a bit yesterday. I've just been really down about the house situation, but I do know that I am very lucky for so many reasons, and there are so many things that I love that are around me all the time that I need to enjoy instead of fretting. Things like....

1. Fuzzy little creatures! At the moment we have 3 rabbits and two dogs. This is a photo of one of the tiny rabbits from our litter last winter. Audrey is holding him, this was the little gray one. What a sweet boy he was! I was glad, though, that all the baby buns except the one we kept found good homes.

2. Good books. The only downside is that there will never be enough time in life for me to read all the wonderful books there are, as well as reread my favorites. I can always give it my best shot, though! I am enamored with the Brontes, and love my copy of The Secret Garden illustrated by Tasha Tudor. Right now I'm reading a biography of Lucy Maud Montgomery and its fascinating. I love old timey ladies and old timey books.

3. I love the Ozarks and this is my favorite haunted hotel. Yes, I do have a favorite! If it were possible to do wedding do-overs I think I'd have a halloween wedding here. We actually visited this place on our honeymoon and took the ghost tour on Halloween night. Did I mention that my husband is a very good sport?

4) Downton Abbey. Of course. I admit, this is my go-to self medication for a bad mood. The clothes! The house! The colors! The love stories! The social portraits! I love it all. Sure, it is a soap opera. But its the best made soap opera I've ever seen. And the characters are so well written and played. No one is a flat 'good guy' or 'bad guy.' They've all got their good and dark sides. I find myself rooting for O'Brien and Thomas to find their way, get over themselves, and be happy and behave. And thank goodness Mary and Matthew got together. One less thing to fret about ;)

5) Spooky stuff. I love spooky stuff. A little sweet, a little macabre. I love slightly creepy old photos. Vintage style halloween decor. I don't much care for gruesome, but I do enjoy something a little spine tingling. That's why I love halloween. That's why our wedding was so close to that holiday, in fact. So we could always enjoy it!

6) Homey things. I love wild vines, cottage gardens, laundry on the line and a nice clear blue day. This photo was from over the summer, its so nice to see my backyard in its lush and green state. Now the gourds that were on the fence have been picked and are hanging on the porch to dry. They're coming along nicely!
7) A good book and nice hot drink. I admit, I can drink cocoa and coffee year round, at any time of day or night. There's just something so nice and comforting about it. I also enjoy curling up with a nice big book with beautiful photos and writing. I'm a visual person, so I think it's so inspiring.
8) Knitted pretty things. I love to knit. I wish I was better at it. I make a lot of mistakes. But I love yarn so much. I always have high hopes for what it will become! I'm still working on my shawl, hopefully I'll finish it before its the middle of summer! I love the soft gray of this yarn and the scarf is one of my favorites. Love a good seed stitch.
I also love being able to come here to this little blog and share with you the things I create and the things that capture my fancy and imagination at the time. The truth is, I'm a bit of a shy person. But that doesn't matter when I'm sharing with you all here and you're all so nice and supportive. It's a pleasure to talk with you and share with you. I wanted to let you know, too, that I plan to make more of an effort to respond to each of your comments on each particular post. I've done that for the last couple of posts and I intent to keep it up as best I can. I think we'll have an even better rapport then.

And as always, thank you for stopping by to see me. It makes me happy. Come again soon!~

The Truth of the Matter

2012-02-21T14:54:00.004-06:00

One of my pet peeves are blogs where the writer or artist attempts to make it sounds like everything is fantastic and wonderful and full of epiphanies and loveliness at all times, when you know that can't be the case. But on the other hand, I do like to keep my whining to a minimum on here because that's not really what this blog is about.

I just wanted to be truthful and real with you because I'm having a hard time. It is of course of my own making in deciding to try to sell our house in the middle of winter, really because I couldn't take one more moment without some sort of change.

For better or for worse, I tend to be the type of person who when they're done with something, they are done. For about two years now I have been 'patiently' (which means not patiently) waiting for the terrible mess of the housing market to improve. Well, it never did. So I decided the reckless route would be good enough, so I cleaned this place like my life depended on it, packed away so many things, and crossed my fingers and waited. And waited. And waited. That seems to be where this story stalls.

I spend a lot of time redesigning make-believe old houses and gardens in my imagination. I ponder new color schemes and new adventures. I think I crave a new adventure and my "do it right now" personality grates against the terrible waiting game that this has become. I know that this is probably supposed to make me a better and more patient person. Perhaps our 'dream home' isn't ready to be ours yet, so we wait. But I am such a worrier. I am also impetuous, so all this sitting around thinking about it all drives me a little crazy.

Not that there's much to be done about this. But its where I am now. And I wanted to be frank about the bitter with the sweet. Because it's there, for all of us. Thanks for listening. I'll be more upbeat tomorrow~

Tasha Tuesday

2012-02-21T09:17:00.003-06:00

Like clockwork, it never fails. It gets to be late February and the promise of approaching spring has me digging through my gardening books and dreaming of a summer when everything isn't burning to bits in the relentless heat--- but green and lush and bountiful. It's the time to lose myself in Tasha's garden.

I dream of a yard with trees. With pretty wild gardens and blooms in impossibly large heaps turning their faces to the sun. I love the dark earthy greens and browns offsetting the delicate yellows and pinks and blues.

For now I will enjoy the little pot of daffodils on the kitchen table, and watch as the fresh green leaves of my bulbs pop up in my little garden, and hope that perhaps the snows and hard frosts just decided not to come this year. It's uneasy to have a winter that never came. But I hope spring comes in full force. I am ready.

Happy Tasha Tuesday.

*Book photographed in this post is "Tasha Tudor's Garden"

Natural Beauty: Honey and Spice Mask

2012-02-19T14:28:00.004-06:00

So for about a week now I've been keeping up my homemade beauty routine, which consists of drinking a cup of barley water a day (as in, just a tea cup full) and putting this rather lovely and goopy and literally tasty mask on each night. It's another recipe that I found on pinterest with the original post being found HERE.

I have to say, I think this mask is my favorite so far of my new beauty routine because you can see the results almost instantly. When I started using it my skin was dry and a little red and blotchy mainly from all that skin goes through in the winter. The mask is really simple-- you mix together about 2 tbsp of honey with about 1 tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg and then smear it all over your face-- especially your cheeks, chin and forehead. Go ahead and take a taste, it's delicious! Can't say that about most beauty products!

You leave the mask on for about half an hour (you might want to check yourself in the mirror a few times to make sure you're not dripping, haha) and then just gently scrub it all off with a wet wash cloth.

The honey seems to sooth and moisturize the skin while the spices give a gentle exfoliation. So not only do you help with the dried out winter skin, you also decrease redness and sooth. Afterwards I use a homemade toner made of apple cider vinegar and water that you can read about HERE and moisturize. It's very gentle, very decadent, and very much within the contents of the average pantry. There's also not a chemical in sight, which is a very good thing :)

Next up I'm really interested in making up some homemade soap and perhaps even homemade lotion.

Hope you enjoyed a little more homemade beauty!~

Rowena from the British Isles

2012-02-17T12:49:00.006-06:00

Lately I've been immersing myself in all things British, and not just because I'm a wee bit obsessed with Downton Abbey (it's just a symptom, if you ask me) My ancestry search has led me to the rural moors and dales of North Yorkshire on my husband's side, and my own side has revealed an urban Irish surprise with an Irish knight out of Dublin. I love the feeling of a quiet connection to lands and people far away, connections hidden behind a pale complexion and freckles and a soft spot for gray misty days.

With all this stewing away in my little brain, I've been painting quite contentedly to the Kate Rusby channel on Pandora and working on a couple of pieces-- the piece above, Rowena, being the first to share.

I wanted to paint something that someone could look at and feel an immediate and instant connection to their own past with. Perhaps there is a wild-haired redhead with dreamy green eyes in your past or mine. Who knows? Could be!

Of course when I painted Rowena, I did so with the idea that she would go to someone who really loved her. I hope she strikes a chord with someone out there, who never knew they needed her til they saw her. That's my favorite thing about painting, to be sure! If you're curious about Rowena, or would like to see other images of her, please visit her in my etsy shop.

Thank you for stopping in today. It's nice to have you here!

Til next time,

Natural Beauty: Barley Water

2012-02-15T09:47:00.004-06:00

Lately I've been seriously looking into homemade and natural alternatives to beauty products. After last summer's horrific run-in with some laundry detergent I had a violent reaction to (I still have marks from it, and it's been 6 months now) I've been on a mission to find alternatives to chemicals I'm putting in and on my body.

My skin also seems to be at its worst in the winter--- drying out from heat and cold, and reacting badly to mad swings in the weather, and after trying several products from the store that didn't seem to help much, I decided to research some old-timey ways that women took care of their skin and their health. I thought it would be fun to talk about here, and so I wanted to share with you this rather ancient concoction-- barley water.

My friend Jenny sent me this link the other day about the beauty benefits of barley water, which I later learned has a whole host of other benefits, including everything from kidney and stomach health to infant nutrition. The article on barley water was submitted as a beauty trick out of Ireland, and as the girl in the photo has coloring almost identical to my own, I thought I'd make it. I followed the instructions of the article in boiling half a cup of barley for a little over an hour and then added several oranges and a couple of lemons. The article suggests adding a bit of brown sugar to sweeten, but I chose to add a little bit of honey for my sweetener and it came out fine.
After some finagling with a strainer and a second pot, I scooped the fruit out of the water and then strained the barley out separately. Its a shame to waste the barley, so I saved it to use in making some bread or adding to a soup. I added the fruit back into the mixture and poured it in a pitcher and set it aside to cool. It is very hot when it's first made. The article explains that you can save the barley water in a container in the fridge and have a cup each day.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what barley water would taste like. And I was surprised at the punch it packs--- I'm not sure if it's due to the addition of all the fruit or if barley on its own is naturally tart, but the barley water tastes almost exactly like grapefruit juice. Which I like! I think it's better actually, because I have a hard time drinking citric drinks like grapefruit juice and orange juice. So the barley water was a good balance of tart but not overwhelmingly.

I'm looking forward to seeing if I see improvement with my new old wive's tale brew, and all the health benefits barley has. If you make yourself a batch of barley water, I'd love to hear what you think!

Til next time,

Sailor's Valentine

2012-02-14T13:46:00.003-06:00

Wishing you a happy and sweet St. Valentine's Day filled with tea and chocolate, and a pirate's treasure worth of loveliness :)

I'm painting sailors today and enjoying a quiet day with the sun finally out shining. My sweetheart says he'll bring me dinner and watch Downton Abbey with me. What more could a girl want?

Happy St. Valentine's Day,

Snow Day

2012-02-13T08:16:00.003-06:00

I peeked out the window at dawn today and wondered if this was going to be our brief interlude with winter. A little crust of snow fell in the night, and school was cancelled due to slippery rural bus routes. It's very gray outside, and chilly. I still need to brave the morning to go out to feed the rabbits. But it will be in the 50s tomorrow, so the thaw isn't far behind. Wondering if this will truly be it, before spring comes to stay.

I still have the red shawl to knit and a small dog always ready and willing to cuddle. There are things I need to do of course, but its so hard on a cold and sleepy day. Especially with my girl home from school.

Hope you're safe and warm today. Perhaps you even have snow?

2012-02-11T10:56:00.003-06:00

Now that my daughter is nearing 5, I decided to see if she'd like to start reading the Little House books. So the other night I asked her about it and we settled down with Little House in the Big Woods to start with.

It's interesting to be the Mama in the reading of these books. I was an older child when I got into them, and could read them to myself. It was a little funny then, because I hadnt remembered how Little House in the Big Woods really starts out--- mainly, the first chapter is all about animal slaughter ;) killing dear, saving a pig from being eaten by a bear, and then turning around and killing the pig and the gory details of how all the pieces of the animal are made into food. I'd be lying if I said I didn't skip around a bit as some of it was...a little much for a 5 year old ;) and one who for better or for worse, isn't intimately familiar with where her chicken nuggets come from, or that people actually eat deer. Those pretty little doe-eyed creatures that frolic in fields or pull Christmas time sleighs... To Audrey, deer are more or less decorative. I hope Little House in the Big Woods wasn't too much of shock ;)

But I suppose it wasn't because she asked to read more the next night and thankfully Laura moved on from a play-by-play of critter killin' and eating and went on to other things like Jack Frost and close-calls with panthers. I hope she continues to like the books though, because then she'll have much more fun when she's dragged to various Little House sites. I hope that it will become something we can love together, because that would be so much fun.

And speaking of Little House things...I did finish that painting that was shown as a work in progress the other day...

This is a little school scene with Laura and Carrie. I always related to 'big sister' Laura because I too was a big sister. I think having Carrie to protect and look after made Laura more brave and determined. And I admit, I always wished for a time when the only supplies I needed for school was a tablet and maybe one book instead of a backpack that weighed 50 pounds. It seemed more romantic....and easier on the back, lol. At least I never had to tramp home from school in a blizzard, though. Although Laura made it sound so exciting, didn't she?

Hope you enjoy the latest painting...have a good weekend,

False Spring

2012-02-09T09:18:00.004-06:00

It's February turned April around here. Although it is a bit colder now, I've got bulbs sprouting and last year's lettuce that I've been neglecting seems to be out in full regalia. The rabbits have lived comfortably all winter in the hutch my dad helped me make them out of an old dog house. They lounge and watch the birds in the yard and probably make snide comments under their breath when those silly dogs come out to frolic.

I'm still doing my best to eat more simply and healthfully with less meat. My favorite soup of the season seems to be french onion soup which is so, so easy. It also involves cheese, which is also a plus! My good friend Jenny gave me this large mug with Forget-Me-Nots on it for Christmas. When I saw it, I thought "now there's a soup mug!"

I had meant to be packing the store full of originals this year, and that's still my goal! I've just had some other projects come up first thing. I did add one of my favorite little paintings, Adalaide, to the shop yesterday though. She's very pretty and so perfect for spring. I try not to have favorites when it comes to art, but she really is. She's got light springtime colors, but there's also a rich darkness to the piece as well, with lots of good aged crackle (you know I love the crackle. You can see more about the painting HERE.

Anyhow...Good news! I'm going to pick up the Little House prints today, plus more that I will add to the shop as well. Can't wait to share all the new things with you!~

EDIT: New prints now listed in the SHOP! Including the Little House prints! :D

A January Commission

2012-02-08T08:50:00.002-06:00

I thought I'd share with you one of the secret commissions I worked on during January, this one a painting to celebrate a couple's anniversary. It's always fun to incorporate little details that mean something specifically to the person the painting is meant for--- flowers from their wedding bouquet, scenes depicting their honeymoon spot, a tiny brooch with a special character, and tiny bees for a nickname.

I hear it went over well, and that always makes me very happy! In fact, having someone love something that I made is probably the very very best part of painting. I am just so happy when that happens!

I have another commission finished and ready to send and another one to start on. So this new year is starting out with a customized bang! I also just finished my third Little House painting and expect to be able to offer the first two in print form very soon.

Thanks for stopping by to visit!~ Have a good week,

A Little House Musing

2012-02-07T12:25:00.004-06:00

Oh, it's a double feature today! Looks like this Tuesday is going to be an epic celebration of two of my favorite old timey ladies.

Not sure if you had this marked on your calendar or not (lol) but today would have been Laura Ingalls Wilder's 145th birthday. That childhood deep in the Big Woods just gets farther and farther away, doesn't it? But Laura seems forever young.

The birth date seems to come at a time when I am totally immersed in all things "Little House" as I work on the painting series and move my more homestead-y themed entries from the old blog to this one.

Leafing through my books for some art inspiration, it occurred to me that Garth William's illustrations seem to be unconsciously burned into my brain because these are like my girls, my drawings. It's amazing what loves and obsessions from your childhood stay with you, no matter how un-hip it may be to keep loving them. Some people keep their legos. Others maintain a pretty steady love of all things Star Wars. Me? I just cant keep from being smitten with the sunbonnet culture of little wagons and little houses.

And while many children love the Little House books, my love was a bit hardcore. I mean, I was ordering calico-clad dolls from the Mansfield museum as a kid, wearing plastic jewelry that depicted the home site, collecting all manner of random bios and books and even dutifully trying to read the works of Rose Wilder Lane although they went way over my 12 year old head. Still, I tried!

I just finished reading The Wilder Life by Wend McClure the other day, and I instantly felt a kinship to her kooky story of being a grown woman with a little house obsession and the hilarity and contemplation that ensues because I am so there with her. I think many of us feel like Laura is ours, that we have a special and intimate connection to the stories that lead us on road trips to rural towns we would have never gone to otherwise, after a childhood of penning our own pioneer tales in notebooks with horrific spelling and illustrations of wonky pioneer girls on some amazing adventure through epic amounts of grassland.

I know now that Laura wasn't really all mine, and she'd in fact 'belonged' to decades of children before I was even born. And now I'm pretty glad for that, since it seems to mean that there are now decades worth of people who 'get' the paintings I make, who enjoy seeing paintings inspired by a distant past that we somehow all share. I think that's so wonderful.
Above is a little painting I'm working on today. It's a walk-to-school image. To be honest, I had a hard time sitting down and thinking through a painting because all of the Little House stories can get to be a little overwhelming. So much happened. And Williams' illustrations are so iconic, that I at once want to compliment them and do my own thing. I want the paintings to be mine, but its hard when the illustrations are as embedded in your brain as the words. But I'm trying my best!

Anyhow...I suppose I better get back to painting. And just wanted to say I'm so glad so many of you are as into this subject matter as I am. These stories are so simple, yet deceivingly complicated. And I've found out that so is trying to capture them with paint. But I keep trying!~ Thanks for coming along!

Tasha Tuesday

2012-02-07T09:55:00.000-06:00

I don't know if some of you have seen this, but this is a Japanese film featuring Tasha Tudor's garden. It's about 10 minutes long and really interesting! Did you know that Tasha has a really strong Japanese following?

A little muesli on the prairie

2012-02-03T14:23:00.004-06:00

It's a rainy day today, and the truth of the matter is we're being a little lazy. My husband told me yesterday to "take some PTO", which really never occurs to me, but I thought I'd try it. Obviously, my staff is already indulging themselves in some time off ;)

I found myself hungry for some homemade muesli, which has become one of my favorite snacks to indulge in, especially since it's more good for you than bad. And in the new spirit of combining my "Ma Ingalls" blog with this blog, I thought I'd share with you this very easy, very natural, and very basic recipe that uses whatever all-natural ingredients you may have on hand and magically turns them into a delicious and healthy treat.

Although I always thought of Muesli as something from New Zealand, it was evidently created by a European doctor to increase the health of his patients. It combines grains such as oats with granola, nuts, seeds and dried berries. You can eat mixed like that as if it were a cereal, but I like best is to cook up a pot of honey (about a cup or so), butter (about 2 tablespoons) and peanut butter (a nice liberal tablespoon) and then stir in the oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. it's literally something you put together with whatever is on hand.

Mix it all together, and then cover a glass pan with wax paper and pour the mixture in, patting down hard so that everything packs together and starts to congeal as it cools. When it has cooled down you can cut it into little squares and voila, you have a homemade granola bar-type snack with no additives, artificial sweeteners, or chemicals. Just good and basic things we all need in our diet but sometimes don't know how to add.
I like to eat mine with a cup of milk (I added some nutmeg to my milk in the photo) I'm trying to reaffirm my mission to eat more healthfully and naturally. We just signed up to join a food co-op and I've been reading up on new vegetarian meals to incorporate into our routine and getting more fruits and greens into the things we eat. I don't like the idea of taking things away, but rather adding better stuff in what we're eating daily. And the more local you can buy your food, the more you're supporting your own community. That is, after all, how they did things in 'the olden days.' And I think this may be one way of doing things where the old way was, in fact, better.

Art at Shades of Brown

2012-02-01T13:52:00.003-06:00

This morning I packed up a large group of original paintings and some prints and headed down to Brookside in Tulsa to hang at my favorite little coffee shop, Shades of Brown! If you've never been there, it's such a nice place to go and hang out, and you're fully expected to just sit and talk for hours. The furniture is old and worn and mostly velvet, so you know I love that!

So after a morning of wielding a hammer in a coffee shop, the art is all up and if I say so myself, its looking rather nice! The art will be up through the entire month of February and can be bought right off the walls. If you're in the area, I hope you stop by! And if you do, i suggest the heath mocha or the grasshopper :)

Aside from doing this show, I've been thinking about some other Audrey Eclectic stuff. As regards to my painted mugs, you may have noticed they're not as prevalent in my shop. I am so happy and grateful to have sold so many, but the 'paint to order' mug system started to wear my down after a while. I'd like to get more creative and spontaneous with them, and not have to worry about the need to have a large supply of mugs so that they're all the same shape and size.

What I think I will start doing is painting custom ceramic pieces that are more originals and one of a kind to offer in the shop. That way I can be more creative in what I paint on and dont have to worry about whether I can get my hands on the exact same mug for dozens of cups and months to come. I hope that sounds good to you all! I think that will make the pieces more fresh and inspired as well.

And while I'm talking of changes, I'm going back and forth about my Ma Ingalls blog. As much as I like the idea, it always come a very distinct second to this art blog and I feel like my inattention is not making it what it could be. I've been thinking of just moving the whole 'love of little house' over to this blog, especially since I've started the Little House art series. I hate to bum anyone out about not doing that blog, but I feel like dividing my attention is not giving it the quality I'd like.

So. Those are the latest mission statements for 2012 :) It's February now, can you believe it?! And I do have daffodils and hyacinths popping up in my garden. Oh, I have a feeling they'll be in for a surprise at some point...poor confused little bulbs!~

Thanks so much for your support and your reading here!~ I appreciate it!~

Tasha Tuesday

2012-01-31T12:02:00.002-06:00

It may be the last day of January, but it feels suspiciously like spring around here. I've been out running errands with no coat. I can walk the dog with no mittens or hat and it's very seductive to start feeling like it's only mere moments from the time when the daffodils will pop up.

At this point in the year, with winter 2/3 over (and this year, with no real winter at all!) I like to start thumbing through seed catalogs and gardening books, something I know Tasha Tudor and her brood were fond of as well. When the sky is still gray and the earth is still sleeping, it's fun to think about what can happen in the next few months, when all the things that are bare will be green and beautiful again.

This is a strange spring for me, with our house for sale. I honestly don't know where I'll be planting a spring garden, or if things will happen in a way that will keep me from planting all together. Although I'm sure I'll do some container planting if I dont get the chance to plant a real bed.

I really hope the coming summer is kinder, after 2011's summer was so brutal (brutal seems to be my favorite word to describe it) and I lost a majority of the vegetables I'd so painstakingly ordered and planted and tried to keep alive.

Luckily, there always seems to be another chance. Another season. I'm looking forward to the chances of 2012.

Happy Tasha Tuesday,

Vintage Style: Edwardian in the Modern Era

2012-01-30T07:46:00.003-06:00

As you guys know, at the moment I've got a serious crush on Edwardian style (thanks, Downton Abbey) and although I love the lace, the velvet, the beautiful detail and rich fabrics, I know that if you tried to dress head-to-toe Edwardian, it would look rather costumey. But if you love it, there has to be a modern twist to it. And I found that twist when I visited Harriett and Aimee's blog "Bright Young Twins."

These two looks are just gorgeous, but with a decidedly modern edge. This, my friends, is how you do Edwardian in 2012! I particularly love the pairing of slacks with a decadent Edwardian top, and love the wild and beautiful hair paired with dark lip color. They really got it right!

And as for my American friends....we're still in the middle of season 2 on Downton Abbey. The latest episode was last night and good grief....the drama never stops! I loved Mary's head to toe red velvet traveling jacket and hat but I cant help but hope that Mrs. Bates and Sir Richard meet mysterious and tragic ends. How Anna keeps from snatching Mrs. Bates bald-headed is beyond me... ;)

Happy Monday my friends! And many thanks to Aimee and Harriett at Bright Young Twins for letting me show off their photos! They've got amazing and timeless style!~

My Laura

2012-01-28T18:58:00.004-06:00

So this afternoon I finished up my second Little House themed painting, this one is simply "Laura." I imagine this to be Laura first arriving in the Dakota Territories, when the railroad is being build and she's out riding ponies and exploring the strange new territory that will be her home.

I hope you like this one! I wish I had a nice red dress like this one. Red was often young Laura's color, and its my favorite too. When I do my next print order, I will be sure to get some made of these new paintings. Hope you like them!~

Made

2012-01-28T09:06:00.002-06:00

You might remember that I had some of art available over the holidays at a little pop up shop in down town Tulsa, put on by friends from Indie Emporium. Well, the pop up shops were so successful in bringing shoppers out that some of the shops have decided to stay, and one of them is the Indie Emporium shop!

So I'm very happy to share with you that Thom and Christine have opened up "Made", which opens to the public on Feb.1st and its adorable. It's filled to the brim with so many beautiful locally made items from art to home decor to jewelry. I was so happy to see the handiwork of so many friends there, and feel so thankful that Oklahoma is such a crafty and welcoming place to be.

Made is located on the corner of 5th and Boston in the heart of downtown Tulsa in the beautiful and histocial Philcade building. It's so wonderful to see life being breathed into these buildings again.

If you're in the area, I highly suggest coming down and treating yourself to some fabulous food and great shopping. Tulsa is such a beautiful city, and its good to see things that are so grass roots motivated flourishing!

Have a great weekend,

Little House Series: Prairie Girls

2012-01-25T12:05:00.003-06:00

So, I've been hatching some new ideas for art for this new year and one idea, with lots of encouragement from fellow friends and readers, is a series of paintings inspired by the "Little House on the Prairie" book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I am very pleased to present to you the first painting, "Prairie Girls."

This painting features Mary and Laura playing on the wide expanse of the open prairie, making daisy chains in the wild grasses. The wagon is in the distance, and soon they'll be on their way to another little house and home.

I'm brainstorming about other scenes to paint, there are so many. I'm so excited to start this new series and hope you enjoy it too :) if you have any suggestions, send them my way!~

Yorkshire

2012-01-24T19:05:00.005-06:00

A few days ago I treated myself to a month's subscription to Ancestry.com and their world records. Intent trying to unravel my own family mystery, I found myself pleasantly surprised to get lost in my husband's family tree, which reaches quite far back into Yorkshire, England.

Seems fitting that a girl named Heather would fall into a family line that spent many a generation rambling in the heath ;)

I've always loved history-- especially the more anthropological side of it (customs, folk lore, language, traditions, dress, that's all more interesting to me than war and land-grabbing) so when I start digging into census records and finding little nuggets of long-lost knowledge, it makes my little heart sing in the most nerdy of history loving ways.

While my family tree is complicated by centuries of living in the most rural of the American landscapes (it seems I come from a long line of mountain folk who didn't take kindly to census takers) Will's family were neatly accounted for in decades of meticulous English record. I was able to trace his line back to 1520 before I lost the trail. That's the reign of Henry VIII!

Now, I know I have a good many visitors from Great Britain on the blog, even if some of you are rather quiet :) I hope you'll indulge me this once however, and perhaps come out of the woodwork to share what you know about where you live!

The earliest Sleightholm(e) I found was from Oswaldkirk, Yorkshire. Then for several generations they lived somewhere called Great Edstone, Yorkshire, before ambling down the road to farm in Scalby, Yorkshire and Kirbymoorside, Yorkshire. In the mid-1800s it seems they left the countryside of rural Yorkshire to work in the mines in Oldham, Lancashire. That's where they migrated from.

Through bits of census reports, immigration papers, and naturalization records, I've been able to piece together that my husband's great-grandfather left England for Canada as a young man, and soon his parents, siblings, and his sweetheart, a girl named Amy, soon joined him. Amy was a mill worker's daughter born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. I found her working as a servant as young as 15 years old in a small household through records, and she later moved to a slightly larger household in Oldham. The change in the lives of this couple is pretty impressive. Within a decade they went from a miner and a housemaid in England to a family of five in Pennsylvania, with Mr. Sleightholm rising to foreman at an electrical company. I'd say they did pretty well for themselves!

So, if by chance these places I named sound familiar to you...I'd love to hear about them. From what I've gathered, Oldham seems to have been a fairly industrial town in the 1800s, filled with mining and mills (cue scenes from "North and South") I'm curious about these other tiny little towns-- Kirbymoorside (which was mentioned on Downton Abbey last week, did you catch it? Whodathought!), Scalby and Great Edstone. Perhaps one day we modern Sleightholms (we've dropped the last 'e' now) will make our way back over the ocean and see this place where we lived for so many centuries once again. It sounds like a grand adventure!

Til then, I feel a great urge to paint, especially when I see beautiful images of the moors like the photo shown above. What a beautiful place. And how happy I am to have followed our family trail there.

Tasha Tuesday

2012-01-24T07:51:00.002-06:00

For today's Tasha Tuesday I thought I'd show this music video of one of my favorite bands...I think she'd like the goats :)

*Thanks Mary Ann for your help in posting the video with content!

Brainstorming

2012-01-23T13:00:00.002-06:00

Something about this time of year just begs for a fresh start. Is it the new calendars? Fresh and empty planners? The weather certainly doesnt do much to inspire, but still...it makes me want to brainstorm and streamline and ponder what should be my path with this little folk art endeavor.

I thought one of the best ways to sharpen my focus would be to ask you all-- my friends, readers and customers, what it is you like best about Audrey Eclectic and your favorite items to purchase. I've decided that this year will be different in that I don't plan on doing many shows. One maybe. The rest of my time I'd like to devote to new endeavors, and expanding things online.

This will mean that I'll have many more opportunities to buy originals. Instead of being horded for shows, originals will be placed in the shop. I'll keep offering prints, would you all like the opportunity for more post cards? What about the ceramic dishes? I need some help brainstorming because these lazy dogs that are in my studio are no help. All they care about is when it's time to take a walk or have a snack ;)

So. Any thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated. I have a few ideas for long range plans, but I'm always eager to hear what it is that people would like to see in the shop.

Hope you're having a good week and looking forward to hearing your thoughts,

Knitted Love

2012-01-20T10:27:00.004-06:00

I had the idea for this painting a while back. I thought it was quite funny. I thought it might make a good painting. What if you could just knit up your very own sweetheart? Wouldn't that be lovely?

Luckily, with my knitting skills, I didn't have to. But he does have a beard. Man fiber-art :)

****

Also, thanks for all your nice comments about my post yesterday with the family photos. They are some of my most treasured photos. Until my grandma gave the pack of photos of Lula Mae a few years ago, I had no idea about her. I don't know that I even knew her name. It gives me a little thrill though to know that I've walked the same old down town streets that she walked, and I visited her little house countless times to see my Grandma Kate, who married Lula Mae's son and raised her own family in the same little house. It still stands today and still is in the family.

I think these sort of little ties to history and place and family are one of the benefits of living in a family that didn't move much. Well, we moved a bit but always came back. Bloom where you planted, I suppose.

Have a lovely weekend!~~
~H

Edwardian Era, Okie Style

2012-01-19T11:35:00.003-06:00

All this Downton Abbey talk has got me thinking about the fashions of the day, and how it was interpreted all over the world, not just upper class England. In the nineteen teens, my great-great grandmother seems to have been quite the little clothes horse herself, although she had never seen a grand manor house. She was the daughter of a glass factory worker, the oldest of several children in a small rural town in a land that was just freshly minted with statehood. She was also quite the striking beauty and had a love for clothes. Meet Lula Mae!

She's pictured above with her first husband, Jim, who was my great-great grandfather. This will be about 1910, their wedding photo. I have this photo blown up huge and displayed in my living room. I think they are so just beautiful. I love her elaborate hat and beautiful white dress. She's got a nice parasol and he's wearing his best suit, which he seems to wear in most of the photos he gets his picture taken in. They met in Caney, Kansas before settling in my home town in northeastern Oklahoma, probably around the time of the notorious Titanic.

I love the full length portraits like these, you can see everything from the flowers on the hat to the types of shoes they wore. This year high waisted skirts seem to be in fashion, and Lula is pictured here with her younger sister Grace and an 'unidentified gentleman.' Lula's familiar stance with him seems a little risque since I know this wasn't her husband. I do know she had a twin brother. Could it be him? Or was she a brash flirt? Her lips are sealed on this...

Another photo of Lula Mae, her sister Grace, and a small child that may have been a younger sibling or perhaps Lula Mae's son, Jesse, who would be my great-grandfather. I love their dresses and the neat silhouette they form. I think what I like best about this era just before the flapper age erupted so much because the silhouettes are so simple and mostly natural. No elaborate bustles or crinolines or mounds of wasted fabric. Everything was much more tailored and it was the little things that captured the eye--- pretty tucks or lace edges or embroidery. I love the little details of her gloves with the watch over it, and Grace's ring. Even the little boy's shoes are finely detailed and adorable. Oh, to have such toddler clothes today! I can't even imagine a toddler in pantaloons now :)

This is Lula and her little family with Jim. I know very little about him, although I'm in the midst of some family research. Evidently he had a long illness that Lula Mae nursed him through and died when their son was about 6 years old. At that time Lula was only in her mid-twenties, and already a widow with a young child. She had a second chance at luck in love, however, when she remarried a local businessman who owned a mattress factory in town and was widowed with his own young son, exactly the same age as her Jesse. They were an early blended family that evidently worked well, since Jesse would grow up and give his first son his step-father's name as a middle name.

And here is Lula Mae, in the mid 1920s, with her son Jesse. Don't their outfits just smack of refined taste? I'm always in awe of the beautifully detailed clothes, they seem to be of such fine quality. They were never more than normal middle class folks, but Lula seemed bent on having a few fine things and loved showing them off for the camera. She was a youth of her time, no doubt. Moving pictures were invented, the telephone came to be in homes and businesses, oil was booming in Oklahoma and people who had never had fine things were suddenly finding themselves able to dream of bigger and better lives. And I have a feeling she was probably a little mischevious and lots of fun. She knew how to dress, no doubt about that!

Hope you've enjoyed this little peek at some long-past fashion~!

Til next time,

Tasha Tuesday

2012-01-17T09:51:00.004-06:00

Hello my friends, and happy Tasha Tuesday!~

Our 70 degree beautiful day of yesterday is gone and replaced with a rude awakening in the 20s this morning. It's a day just made for knitwear. I wore my gray scarf out to do school drop off and it's amazing how warm something wool can keep you. Natural fibers are a wonderful thing!

I think perhaps my love for knitted things come from the fact that I love to layer and burrow in things like shawls and sweaters and blankets. I love being in a constant state of cuddled up. Because of this, I always wanted to knit a shawl but all the patterns I saw would make me cross-eyed. All I wanted was a simple, beginner's pattern. Thankfully, I did find one (again, youtube. What did I do before it existed? I am such a 'show me' learner. It's awesome) and started on it a few days ago.

From what I've seen in books, I think Tasha Tudor had quite the shawl collection. Perhaps she was a serial cuddler like myself. I love the scalloped edge she did on the red one she's shown wearing in "Forever Christmas" (Photos by Jay Paul, including the one above) but I'm not that fancy yet. I can't help but always wonder how did she find the time? How could she sit and knit and make all these things when there were animals to care for, and children too, and a writing and illustrating career to keep up with. I suppose the simple truth is, like with anyone, she just made time for the things she loved.

Are there things like that in your life? Little passions that you carve out moments for?

I havent gotten to the place where I'm able to knit at stoplights yet, haha, but I'm thinking I'll probably get there! We finished our recordings of Downton Abbey last night, so I got a good 3 hours work in on the shawl. I know its not perfect and will probably be a little blundered as I got more caught up in the show and forgot what row I was working on (did I do the yarn over row? Good question....) but I think it will serve it's purpose, and I'll be glad to have completed my first shawl!

I hope you take a little time to work on something you enjoy today. Go on, Tasha would want you to. It's Tasha Tuesday, after all :)

Who is Tasha Tudor? Find out more HERE

Vintage Style: Downton Abbey Hair

2012-01-16T13:45:00.003-06:00

I love vintage cloths and vintage hairstyles. You don't much in the way of sumptuous fabrics and elaborate hair in modern style, but that doesn't mean you can't use those elements, and not look like you're going to a costume party.

This morning I watched a bit of the new season of Downton Abbey and my first thoughts were "How could Matthew bring another girl home?!" And "Ooohh....I like that velvet. And that lace. And that hair! I want that hair!"

Of course we don't all have a lady's maid waiting on us hand and foot to lace and button us into stunning gowns or weave our hair into beautiful coifs. (If I did, I probably would have her too busy washing dishes and putting away laundry. The chores I hate!) but that doesn't mean we have to do without a little Edwardian glamour.

So, with this in mind, off I trot to youtube, the rabbit's hole of "how do I...." questions and found several tutorials for Edwardian hair styles. But I found that a lot of these tutorials are pretty elaborate and not suited for everyday use. So I came up with the style shown above that took a grand total of 2 minutes and 2 bobby pins and an elastic band to complete.

And this is how: First, I just combed out my hair (mine falls in a slight side part) and put it in a loose ponytail. At the base of the ponytail, just above the elastic, use your hands to divide the hair in two. Then take the ponytail and flip the end up and through the hole, that will give you the roll look, and the end of the ponytail will be left hanging down your neck. From there, take the rest of the ponytail and tuck it back up into the roll, securing it with a couple of bobby pins. Voila! You are now ready to be the Lady Mary of the grocery store or school pick up line ;)

What do you think? What are your favorite vintage hair styles?

Dapper Mr. Fox

2012-01-13T10:52:00.003-06:00

This is the second piece of 2012 :) I'm not in love with the photos I took of it, but it seems to big to scan and my new scanner isnt out of the box yet. But I grew impatient and wanted to show it off!

It shows a little folky fairytale-like scene of a little girl traveling through the woods with her basket when she comes upon a very dapper fox. I was thinking a little of the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox which is so good when I painted this. I wonder if this fox will get in as much trouble as the fox family in the movie did?

Anyhow...thank you all for your nice comments on my scarf. I really like it. There's a lot to be said for nice, natural fibers. This has gotten me thinking too about historical knits. I'd love to learn more about the knitwear that our ancestors made and wore. I imagine for settlers in the wilds, a savvy woman with a pair of needles and knowledge of making her own fibers would have been invaluable. What were the mainstays of knitting 100, 200, or more years ago? Socks, I'm sure. Hats. Scarves. Protection against the elements. Did you know that when the puritans landed in North American we were going through a bit of a mini ice age? No wonder they thoughts they needed so many clothes and underthings. But I digress....I just always find quirky historical facts so fascinating.

But if you know of any books or websites about historical knitting, let me know! I feel inspired.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Although we have a tiny bit of snow still on the ground, the weekend here on the prairie is looking wonderful, in the 60s!

Enjoy your weekend and talk with you again soon,

knitting and planning

2012-01-12T11:44:00.003-06:00

Well, I finished the gray scarf the other day. I stitched until I couldnt stitch any more! I think it came out nice and because of the wool content it's very warm! I took this photo outside yesterday evening when the winds started picking up and getting a little brisk. That night we saw our first whirling snow come tumbling down. It was just a dusting--- the whole world looks like a gingerbread cookie with a little bit of icing. But it was so pretty, and its nice when snow is unobtrusive. Just pretty. That's nice.

2012 is going quietly but diligently. I'm working on some commissioned pieces that are fun, and my show at Deep Fork is officially over with as of yesterday. It was a good exhibit and I met all sorts of folks who said they saw the paintings and liked them there. I was so surprised and honored when people would seek me out after seeing that show, even though I'm not in OKC. It was so fun and nice to hear the comments on the paintings.

But that's not the end of the shows though! I have another show going up in mere weeks--- tentatively scheduled to hang February 1, I'll have a month-long exhibit at Shades of Brown Coffee and Art in Tulsa. I did a gallery there a few years ago and it was really fun and they're very sweet there. They also make a killer grasshopper by my favorite is the frozen heath mocha. For some reason when I buy coffee drinks I prefer them frozen. More like ice cream that way, probably ;)

I'm feeling good though. Quietly inspired and recuperating a little after the craziness of December. I never got sick after the shows (which I sometimes do) but I got run down and sort of ragged. Its nice to rest up and get back to work.

So. Now I really want to knit a shawl. I'm not sure how to go about it. I guess I need to haunt Ravelry and see if I can find a simple pattern. This time of year always makes me want to knit! Its great for fidgety hands.

What have you been up to this week? Have you been creating? Resting your muse? I was listening to a Roseanne Cash interview on OnBeing yesterday (I love that show!) and she mentioned a quote she enjoyed, and I quite liked it too. She said that, when you're creating, you have to "show the muse you're serious." That means working through funks and not giving up. Show your muse that you mean business and you're willing to tough out the bad days or the lack of inspiration to get to the good stuff. I think that's a good thing to remember.

Well, enough rambling!~ Back to painting....

Pretty Gray Things

2012-01-09T09:56:00.004-06:00

January can be a pale and dreary month after the intense colors of Christmas. But gray doesn't have to boring or plain. I've been admiring some very pretty gray things as of late, like a new vintage photo and lovely gray knitting project.

The other day I was surprised by a package in the mail and received this most gorgeous of gorgeous old photos from my friend (and jewelry making genius) Katinka Pinka. I had seen a glimpse of it in a photo she posted of her booth at Max's Haus in New Braunfuls, TX. She was kind enough to send it to me, and I love love love it. It looks to be a pair of children's confirmation photo. Their last names aren't the same, so I wonder if perhaps they were cousins. I love her dress, don't you? And their tiny ornate Bibles and rosaries. I think their candles have been 'enhanced' to look as it they're glowing. Pre-Photoshop, people!

I've also been working on that dreamy gray yarn I purchased at Shepherd's Cross last month. it's soft and easy to knit, and I decided to try out the seed stitch after seeing a really simple explanation for it on Katie Elliot's blog. She also made a seed stitch scarf, and so I thought it would be a perfect way to get that stitch down pat. As you can see from the little ball of yarn, I'm almost done!

Well, I need to get ready to start the day. I'm in the mood for french onion soup tonight. The temperatures are finally falling from their deceptively spring-like warmth and perhaps winter will truly be on it's way soon. Will we see snow this year? Who knows! I did buy a snow shovel and a karosene lamp...which should guarantee we have the warmest winter on record ;)

Til next time....

Lillibet

2012-01-05T10:18:00.006-06:00

Well here it is, the first painting of 2012! I was working on this New Year's Eve night. We actually rang in the new year sitting on the couch with a couple of snoozing dogs watching Portlandia. It was my type of fancy :)

I decided to name this piece Lillibet because I think its the cutest name. I've been on an anglophile reading tear lately and while reading about young Queen Elizabeth II I learned that "Lillibet" was her childhood nickname (A babyfied 'Elizabeth') and thought it was adorable. And so, that moment of love has turned into the naming of this painting.

This new year has inspired me to work on a little different sort of wintery color palette. I don't often do pale backgrounds, although this time of year seems to bring it out in me. And for some reason this time of year always finds me listening to this album, without fail. Perhaps the pale cover art is what clicks in my brain for pale paintings. Who knows!

Anyhow....a quiet day in the studio here. I've got two snoozing dogs and a date for a walk in the park with a friend, and a mommy dinner date later tonight, which I'm looking forward to! It's so easy to burrow in and become a hermit (who wears terrible, mismatched lazy clothes) when you work from home. Here's to throwing in a little girl time and nice outfits into the mix :)

Hope your 2012 is happy and hopeful!~

Tasha Tuesday

2012-01-03T12:51:00.003-06:00

Photograph by Richard Brown

"Why do women want to dress like men when they're fortunate enough to be women? Why lose our femininity, which is one of our greatest charms? We get much more accomplished by being charming than we would by flaunting around in pants and smoking. I'm very fond of men. I think they're wonderful creatures. But I don't want to look like one."

--Tasha Tudor

The Private World of Tasha Tudor

What are your thoughts on the subject? Oh, the topic of post-feminist clothing...the arguments are endless!~

Just a little food for thought on this Tasha Tuesday....

Another New Beginning

2012-01-01T16:31:00.003-06:00

I love the promise of a new skein of yarn, and thought there was nothing so befitting the first day of the new year as a freshly wound ball of yarn and plans for leisurely knitting with no holiday deadline.

As always, I have high hopes for 2012. Its all fresh and untouched so far. A year to be made. Over the past year I've learned more about what I want for myself and my business and what I don't. Quite frankly, these past few months made me very weary with a grueling show schedule. I think this year I will do things a lot differently, try a different approach. I plan to make my focus for 2012 be more relaxed and intimate with you, my readers and wonderful customers over at my little etsy shop. I want to pace myself and not over-commit myself so that I can truly enjoy the seasons and take part of them, and not feel like I'm always trying to stockpile for the 'next thing' and next show so that I never get a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy. That will not be the theme of 2012~

And so. I will knit myself something pretty and gray with this nice new yarn, at the moment completely unblemished with any mangled stitches. I bought the yarn a few weeks ago at Shepherd's Cross, a beautiful and picturesque sheep farm and tourist center in Claremore, Okla. that also sells my artwork. The yarn is an alpaca and lamb blend and I love the thought that perhaps I saw the source of my yarn frolicking in the pasture as I left that rainy afternoon with my new yarn and a bag full of produce, its such a lovely place.

I don't really have an resolutions to keep, other than trying to take things easy and not put so much pressure on myself. To follow whatever adventure may await me, to be braver and take chances but also know that I can also enjoy the process without fretting over the end result.

And so, let us begin!~

Quiet start to the last day

2011-12-31T08:46:00.003-06:00

Here we are at December 31st. Last day of 2011. I must say that I'm glad to get this last year under our belts and look forward to hopefully bigger and better things for 2012.

If this year were to have a theme, I think it was transition. It seemed like a lot of preparation. False starts and pleasant surprises. Getting prepared for wherever all this is going. These lessons are hard for me because my personality is more of a "make it happen" type and when I try to 'make it happen' and it doesn't, well, it's hard not to get antsy.

I'm feeling optimistic though. I feel like 2011 has at once made me focused as well as relaxed. I don't have to make it happen right now. I will try to sit back and enjoy the progress :)

Which hasn't made me not try to make other things happen ;) Yesterday I started a big painting project, although not my favorite kind. After several days of trying to find the paint color that I'd painted my art room a few years ago and coming up short and having no success with color matching, I'm painting the whole room back to a nice vanilla cream. Its so vanilla-ish that I literally stopped at one point and had some ice cream. Who thought painting a room would start a craving?

I'm hoping to get back into the joy of picture painting soon though. All my mad cleaning is done and the photos of the house are done, and we're officially on the market in a few days. I've heard that all shoppers want these days is some bargain basement foreclosure, but I'm trying to keep faith and know that it only takes one person to fall in love and want this little house. Besides, wouldn't you rather have a home full of happiness and good memories? I know I would.

And so. Hot chocolate for breakfast this morning. Marshmallow manditory. A stack of good books from Christmas just ready to be devoured. Drowsy dogs and puppies to cuddle and love. These are good things, and good memories. The last ones of 2011.

On to the new year!~ See you on the other side of 2012!~

Christmas Angels

2011-12-28T08:13:00.003-06:00

Hello there!~ Hope these post-Christmas days are finding you contented and well-fed! In less than a week we'll be celebrating a brand-new year. I'm really looking forward to it. There's nothing like a fresh start, and I'm hoping for new beginnings in more ways than one.

Before we close the door on the holidays though, I wanted to share with you a pair of angels that I made as special gifts this year. I sort of made them up as I went along but I think they turned out really sweet! They are crackled and coffee stained and be-glittered!

Our Christmas was good, despite Audrey and I both being (and remaining) sick. I got lots of fun books, and clothes but Audrey is the one who made the haul! She must have been exceptionally good this year, according to Santa :)

I'm looking forward to what the next few months hold in this coming new year. 2011 seemed to be an odd transition time. I hope that 2012 is a time of fruition. Hope its the same for you!~

Calm before the Christmas

2011-12-23T07:48:00.004-06:00

I feel relieved that we've finally reached that calm before the holiday. For so many weeks now I felt like I was struggling to get everything done, and now it is--- more or less-- and it's time to relax and let the day come.

I've been relatively good as far as the cookies go (relatively) but I couldnt resist having a homemade sugar cookie on my new blue-and-white plate featuring a skating dutch couple. For a girl who's maiden name was Van Winkle who was super obsessed with figure skating at a certain time in her life, it seemed just perfect, and I snatched it up off of etsy a few days ago.

During this holiday time Franklin has been getting to know his new home and family and is settling in nicely. He's Mr. Personality for sure. We're hoping he'll keep the stodgy old man Henry young. Henry doesn't trust him much yet, especially since Franklin keeps checking the poor old dog to see if he can nurse (answer? No. No, sir!) He spends some time in the baby sling when I need to move around but also keep track of him, or when I need him to settle down some. He's such a baby, he loves it. Actually, he's in it now ;)

I'm also looking forward to finishing the roughly 8,000 knitting projects I have started or am longing to start. There are about 3 unfinished projects in that pile of yarn alone! I'm pleased to say that at least one is more or less finished now ;)

And so. Christmas Eve is tomorrow and then Christmas will truly be here. It seems to have come so fast. Was it that long ago that it was 114 degrees outside and the worst summer ever? Now all we need is to see some snow, although that wont be for a while yet, I'm sure. Things always come full circle, though, don't they?

Well, wishing you a merry holiday!~

Happy Christmas,

Tasha Tuesday

2011-12-20T21:23:00.002-06:00

Corgiville Christmas by Tasha Tudor

I couldn't let this tuesday go by without a little nod to our Tasha Tuesday tradition. Hoping your holiday is Merry & Bright, and full of furry little creatures!~

New things, busy things

2011-12-19T08:31:00.004-06:00

Truth be told, I'm relieved to see Monday. This past week was a bit crazy. Or a lot crazy, depending how you look at it. A small recap is as follows:

* A little Miss got her first loose tooth

* My husband took his last final after about 5 years of going to school a few nights a week after work to obtain a degree he needed for his job

* The cat died

* I had back-to-back weekend craft shows

*Said loose tooth was lost while eating an apple and the tooth fairy made her first appearance

* Continued cleaning of house to prepare to put it on the market at the beginning of the new year

* The sudden onset of puppy fever that resulted in...

This, my dears, is Franklin. My new baby. I love him. Getting him was the result in a fit of madness that my husband still isn't sure about, although I think he kinda likes the baby already :)

Having had Henry, our other Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, we all love the breed. They're just so docile and loving and while they like to have a good time romping, they also love a good nap (or 10). I was sort of self-medicating my sadness after losing Annie to an unexpected sickness by reading the pet ads in the paper. While reading, I stumbled upon an add a woman had placed saying that her pair of dogs had had a litter and she had the color of cavaliers that I had always loved but rarely seen- the ruby (all red). Needless to say, the fever ensued. And friday afternoon, just hours before I was supposed to be setting up for Alliday, I found myself driving out to a little Mennonite town to pick up my baby from the woman who had him. It was love at first sight.

If you saw me at Alliday this weekend, chances are you saw Franklin (although he was as of yet unnamed!) I know Beth and I were quite a sight in our booth--- she had her little 4 month old in a bassinet between us, and I had Franklin in a baby sling across my shoulder. And he was so good. I think he slept through 95% of the show and just looked generally adorable for all the visitors.

I am also happy to report that I met several new friends, either readers of the blog or friends on the Audrey Eclectic Facebook page or both. Thank you so much to all of you who came and saw me, the crazy girl with the dog in the sling.

And now, with a week until Christmas, its time to turn my attention to family things and fun things and calm things. I'm happy to have my little gap-toothed gal and my two furry boys to keep me company through the days. Im sure some cookie making will ensue at some point. And then it will time to turn my attentions to 2012, which I hope will be a wonderful year for this little folk art business on the prairie....

Happy Holidays,

Alliday this weekend!~

2011-12-16T09:02:00.002-06:00

I'm getting packed up today and setting up my booth for Saturday's Alliday show! This is going to be my last show for a good long time, so if you're near I hope you come and say hello :) The show is at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in the Ford Truck Exhibit building and runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is FREE!

I'll be sharing a booth with Art by Bethany and lots of my good crafty friends will also be there, so hope you can come!~

Shop Udate: Originals Added

2011-12-14T12:27:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to peek in for a moment and let you know that I've listed a few never before available original paintings to my etsy shop (Including Georgiana, above).

Still knee deep in a few finishing touches for the last show, Christmas prep and all that other fun stuff. I am really looking forward to a nice wintry slow down...knit some baby hats for all those crafty babies I know, bake a little more, and just relax. But til then, I hope you find a little time to browse the shop and maybe I'll see you Alliday this weekend!~

St. Lucia Day

2011-12-13T13:34:00.004-06:00

Good afternoon and happy St. Lucia Day!~

Well, its a bit late but I did get the St.Lucia buns baked, the best I could do anyhow. Making these buns turned out to be a comedy of errors which included me leaving my purse across town and not having the main ingredient (saffron!) and when I went to get it, it was way too expensive for my budget ($12. Really.)

But it's still Dec.13 and some semblance of St. Lucia buns have been baked :) In place of the saffron I added cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger because really, those are fool-proof ingredients, right? I've enjoyed one in the quiet before my girl gets home and they are nice. Thank goodness!

The recipe I used came out of the book "Kirsten's Cook Book" which was a companion book to my favorite doll growing up-- Kirsten the Swedish girl made by American Girls Dolls. This book still has crumbs in it from when I used it as a kid--- I distinctly remember making Swedish Pancakes out of it for a 'food from around the world' day in the 6th grade. Hopefully my cooking has improved?

Wherever you are, and whether you celebrate this day as St.Lucia Day or just any other day, I hope it is a peaceful one and a purposeful one. That's what I'm working today, anyhow.

Til next time,

PS: For a good recipe for these St. Lucia buns, go visit Karen over at Lavender and Lovage, she made some with cheese! Yum!

A Deluxe Weekend

2011-12-12T21:36:00.005-06:00

I've been mulling over this post all day in my head, well probably for the last couple of days actually, but this is the first time I've had to sit down and put up the photos from this year's Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar in OKC.

It was a beautiful show and I was very pleased to be nestled nicely between my two best gals-- Sweetheartville and Art By Bethany. This year was extra special because they both had their new baby girls on hand, and another friend was with her husband who put up a chiropractic booth (best idea ever! Set up your booth, then get your shoulders rubbed!) who also had her baby there. So, really, I spent my saturday selling art and nuzzling sweet babies. Day well spent, I think!

I also picked up some pretty nice little bits and bobs from new vendors and trades with old friends. There was even a break-dancing contest, which I declined to enter ;) I'm happy to report that I did NOT come home with a lost voice or any sort of cold, which sometimes happens to me. Its like I get so worked up for shows that I sometimes just fall apart when they're over with ;)

But I have to keep calm and carry on because there's another show this coming weekend--- Alliday! This show is in Tulsa, so if that city is closer to you than OKC, I think it's going to be a fun show. I'll be sharing a space with my friend Beth and, chances are, cuddling more crafty babies :)

I had a lot of fun meeting old friends and new friends at this show, which is my favorite part. I was so happy to finally meet Sonia Gensler, the author who commissioned a character portrait not long ago, and also meet some new vendors. My St. Lucia painting inspired lots of Swedish bonding, and in general it was a show full of good people watching. There was even some dog watching with the greyhound rescue just one aisle over!

Now its time to rest up, maybe paint up a few ornaments, get ready for the holidays and.....also overhaul this house as we've decided we're going to really truly try to move in the next few months. So....a few things to do in the next few days and weeks!

So, guess I better get some beauty sleep!~

Til next time,

I'll be seeing you...

2011-12-09T19:52:00.003-06:00

Sorry its been so quiet around here lately, it's been a really busy week! I've got the car all packed and now just have to set my alarm for an early AM trek down to Oklahoma City to take part in the Indie Deluxe Craft Bazaar!

If you're in the area, you gotta come out. Its free admission and the show is packed with awesome handmade sellers and artists just waiting to furnish your handmade Christmas :) The show takes place at the OKC State Fairgrounds in the Centennial Building with doors opening at 11.

I'll be there too, of course, selling paintings, prints, postcards, posters and some new hand painted ornaments! Hope to see you tomorrow!~

Tasha Tuesday-- St. Nicholas Day!

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi there friends,

I was pretty pleased when I realized the other day that St. Nicholas Day would fall on a Tuesday, which is also Tasha Tuesday around these parts :) In case you didn't know, I do Tasha Tuesdays throughout the year as a sort of fun celebration of one of my favorite artists, Tasha Tudor. She led such a full and unique life that is just full of inspiration.

This coincidence was nice because in many writings about Tasha it is said that all her epic Christmas traditions kicked off on St. Nicholas Day-- Dec. 6, with the celebration of Advent on through Christmas Day.

We are celebrating St. Nicholas day in our house with some special gingerbread cookies--- St. Nicholas style! I got this idea from some cookies I saw at our annual St. Nicholas Day Festival at our parish. I thought it was a darling idea. And who doesn't love a frosting beard?

Here is a photo of them all cooked and frosted and looking so pretty on a winter plate that my friend Holly got me for my birthday :) St. Nicholas the icon is looking on, looking more serious than jolly ;)

Tasha was also known for her beautiful gingerbread animals that she would make and after making these slightly sloppy (but yummy) St. Nick's, I can appreciate her skill even more!

Tasha was always saying "Take Joy" and I like that mantra. I try my best each day, doing better at it on some days than others. I can't help but love her optimism and ability to find that joy for the taking in so many quiet little moments. This season of Advent is about just that, and I look forward to sharing more quiet little moments with you!~

Happy Tasha Tuesday~
H

*Top illustration by Tasha Tudor

I'm dreaming of a Swedish Christmas

2011-12-04T20:01:00.005-06:00

I've written here before about my condition of smitteness (not a word? bah!) with Swedish style. Especially rustic Christmas Swedish style. Pinterest has only fueled my love for the white and red aesthetic, the beautiful simple touches and the combination of nature and tradition with a modern sensibility. sigh....

Source

I love the calmness these scenes reflect. And I do love a good dose of red (really, its a neutral around here) but in a way that isn't overwhelming. As such a fan of color, I'm surprised at myself for my turn into pale. But really, doesnt white and cream go so well with any season?

Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favorite rustic Swedish Christmas images. Wanna see more? Come to my pinterest and enjoy.....

2011 Christmas Poster

2011-12-02T07:59:00.004-06:00

Recently I had an idea to do something special for Christmas, something that you and I could look forward to each season, something that would be collectible and have a specialness about it. I decided that creating collectible Christmas posters would nicely fit the bill and so for my first poster I chose St.Lucia to be the pin-up girl :)

I picked up the new posters yesterday and I was so thrilled with them, they are beautiful! They measure 12x18" and would look simply gorgeous framed. I'm going to frame a copy for myself to keep, and look forward to making more of these special designs each Christmas. Every poster will come signed by me on the back and I plan on bringing them to the shows I'm doing this month (Deluxe and Alliday) as well.

If you'd like to learn more about the posters or order one, you can find them listed HERE.

Hope you like them!~h

Dec 01

2011-12-01T07:23:00.004-06:00

It seems strange that it's now December first, that hot and miserable summer we had doesn't seem like it is so distant a memory. I feel like I don't quite trust the frost or the gray skies. But I'm happy to be wrong :)

Around this little house it has definitely taken on the air of Christmas. It was in the 70s the day before Thanksgiving, and it seemed like too good an opportunity to get lights up and decorations out. I've decided I like a good Christmas tree, no matter how small or simple. There's a spindly one in our bedroom and I bought a little live one for the kitchen. Audrey has a pink one for her bedroom. I'm a bit addicted to greenery.

A couple of years ago a friend and I got ambitious and made these Advent Calendars out of fleece and felt. This was one of my first big sewing projects, and I thank Holly for helping get a hold on my sewing machine. This year, however, I have the urge to really get into Advent--- which has technically already began as of last Sunday and enjoy the season all the way through Epiphany in January.

My inclination this year is for a deliberately slow and thoughtful Advent and Christmas season. Last night I filled the calendar pockets with pieces of candy in shiny rappers and little notes with things like "make someone smile today, name something you're thankful for, be a good friend" inside. Now that my little one is going to school, I think she'll enjoy these little prompts and perhaps in a couple of years can write them herself. I just enjoy that there are so many little things we can do in anticipation of the 'big day', and it doesn't have to be all about the stress of making one day epic and audacious.

This coming Sunday is our St. Nicholas Day festival and I'm looking forward to it. That was the first service we ever attended that lead us on our journey to be where we are and to the new friends we've made. And who doesn't love St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children and sailors who leaves goodies in your stockings?

Well, it's time to get ready to start today. My little one is still snoozing and she'll be up and ready to explore the calendar soon. Thanks for coming to visit me today~

Tasha Tuesday

2011-11-29T00:05:00.000-06:00

Winter is here now. It's cold out, sometimes wet and gray for just days upon end, days meant for cuddling up with a nice fire, some yarn, and a furry pup. Last week an old friend bartered with me for some fire wood and I've become a little addicted to the toasty flames, the lovely light and the ambiance of doing, well, anything by firelight.

My little one wasn't feeling good over the holiday break, and so as a treat I let her pick a yarn at the store and have set out to make her a matching hat and scarf set, and one for my husband as well. So for the last few days I've sat for hours by the fire watching random things (like this series that I finished in about 2 days!) and knitting up a storm.

Thanks to those quiet evenings I only need to put some finishing touches on the hats and knit one more scarf. Pretty good, I'd say!

And although these little moments aren't directly related to Tasha, I think she'd approve of the time spent and the effort made for home made gifts. I know there's no way I'll be able to accomplish 100% homemade for Christmas (I've got two craft shows in the middle of all this too!) but I'm trying. And there's something very satisfying of coming away from a couple of hours on the couch nestled in with a little girl and her dog and a nice roaring fire with something accomplished.

Happy Tasha Tuesday~
H

How To: Vintage Photo Christmas Wreath

2011-11-27T12:28:00.007-06:00

Hello there friends and a happy 1st Sunday of Advent to you! Around here we are tentatively beginning this long season of celebration and traditions, something I've been looking forward to since the last Christmas season.

This year I decided I needed to make a nice Christmas wreath for the mantle, although most of ones I see in the store are not really my style. I like old things, and rustic things, and so I knew I needed to put my own spin on a traditional Christmas wreath if it was going to be what I wanted. So earlier in the week we set out for some supplies and this is what was created:

I'm pretty pleased with what the end result was--- rustic grape vine and red checked ribbon offset with Christmasy greenery and some of my favorite vintage photos. It wasn't that hard to make so I thought I'd share the process with you. Are you ready?.....Here goes:

Everything I used for the wreath is shown here on the kitchen table. A plain grape vine wreath that you can get at any craft store (this came from Michaels) as well as a premade floral piece that will be my Christmas greenery. I bought some ribbon to fancy it up and brought out some of my old photos, a glue gun (and glue) floral wire, wire cutters and scissors.

First I attached the floral piece to the wreath (you could use separate floral picks if you prefer, but I liked that this bunch of fruit and leaves and berries was all in one piece) I bent the arrangement to match the curve of the wreath and then attached it with some floral wire.

Then came the arrangement and placement of the photos. I hate the idea of damaging vintage photos, so used my glue sparingly and made sure no glue would touch the front of the photos. All of these photos came from the antique mall, so I'm not using family heirlooms here. I like the idea of these once forgotten and homeless photos now getting a chance at the lime-light for our holiday festivities. I hope that they'd all be pleased!

Then I made my bow from the ribbon. I made my bow by creating a center loop, then making more and more loops around it. I held them in place with my hand and put a dab of glue and the florist wire to hold the bow in place. Then I fastened it into the middle of the floral arrangement.

After situating my bow, I cut the ribbon free and then wound the ribbon loosely around the rest of the wreath, attaching it with a little glue.

And then, voila! A new wreath was born! And up on the mantle it went. I think it's easily one of my most favorite wreaths I've ever made and I think that since its holiday look is subtle, I could probably leave it up until Valentine's Day.

Hope you enjoyed the little craft lesson!~

A turkey tale & lovely sale!~

2011-11-24T07:30:00.003-06:00

Hello and good morning! A happy merry Thanksgiving to you!~ It's a quiet morning here with no big rush to prepare. My grandpa is our Thanksgiving Day chef, and all I'm accountable for is the apple sauce cake (wanna see it? I blogged it at the What Would Ma Ingalls Do? Blog!)

I'm looking forward to a day spent with lots of great food and laughter and lounging and lots of turkey. I don't feel a bit bad about the turkey part because they're rather mean birds. I had a run-in with one last year--- a big plumed and pompous one just like the one on the card! Evidently he didn't like me out walking on a cold afternoon in a red sweatshirt (red is their fighting color, evidently) and he stalked me down the road and then started flapping and lunging at me. It was probably the most ridiculous run-in with a critter that I've ever had! Imagine, walking down a street lined with normal homes in a normal neighborhood with a turkey following and heckling you and flapping up at you with its talons out. Do these sorts of things only happen in Oklahoma?

Eventually one of the neighbor men drove by in his truck and saw my assault and yelled for me to 'jump in!' and he toted me around to the nearest bend in the road so that the angry turkey couldn't see me any more. I actually had bruises from that mean old thing. I swore next time I walked out that way I'd bring a bag of stuffing to threaten it with.

And so, yes, I will delight in my turkey dinner today :D

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving Day, or just a very merry Thursday to my international readers :) To get in a festive mood I decided to make a sale section in my shop! Come by and take a look! There are several originals that need new homes!~

Thanks so much!~

Til next time...

PS: Last night I gave the blog a new wintertime make-over! What do you think?

~Art Shows~

2011-11-21T22:31:00.002-06:00

For the last couple of months or so I've been working hard and making some new pieces-- several quite large-- for this gallery event at Deep Fork Grill in Oklahoma City. It's such a beautiful restaurant with great atmosphere and I feel really lucky that they wanted me to be a part of their space :)

Friday I drove down and hung the paintings-- so they're there on display and looking for new homes (including the girl on the flyer above!) Tomorrow evening they're even hosting a reception for me and the art and I will be there on hand trying not to be bashful!

This is my first gallery event in Oklahoma City! So if you're in the area, come say hi! Then I'll be back in OKC in a couple of weeks to sell all my artsy stuff at Deluxe--- which if you've never gone, is SUCH a fun show! And the week after that I'm taking part in a new Tulsa show (it debuted in spring 2010) called Alliday at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. And then, the weekend after that, its Christmas! Wow! This is a crazy busy season! But I feel so fortunate to get to be part of all these great shows and events. Oklahoma really knows how to go crafty and I'm really proud of that.

So, if you're in the area, hope you'll come see the paintings *live and in person* and come say hello!~

Off to finish some packaging and then resting up for the big day tomorrow :)

Haunting Girls

2011-11-20T18:27:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd show you all a bit of my November mantle before the ol' Christmas rehaul happens later this week. This time is a bit of a transition between Halloween and Christmas which are so vibrantly festive. I like to have a bit of a calmness between them.

I love to rescue old photos, especially old photos of children, and most particularly little girls. The photo in the big gold and black frame we call the spooky girls, because they really are. But I love them! They were definitely the apple of someone's eye to be photographed and frames so ornately.

The little photo of the pretty little one with the ribbons in her hair I rescued just last week. How could you leave a baby like that alone in a sea of knick knacks? She had to come home with me. I just love that little face.

And speaking of haunting girls....I painted up a Catherine from Wuthering Heights this afternoon! You can see more of her in my etsy shop. What do you think? Does she need a Heathcliff?

Such a busy week coming up. Hope to get a lot done, whether its art, decorating, or eating ;)

Til next time,

Down Town Angels

2011-11-17T14:03:00.006-06:00

Last week I heard about an exciting thing going on in downtown Tulsa--- in the business district they were setting up 'pop up shops' for Christmas shopping in the ground floors some of the gorgeous old buildings that otherwise sit empty all year round. I was doubly excited to hear that the local show Indie Emporium was sponsoring one of these shops and I was asked to add some art to the displays!

The old down town of Tulsa, Oklahoma is a beautiful place. We've got architecture that people come from all over to gawk at-- art deco buildings made with the best that money could buy when oil tycoons called this place home in the boom days of the twenties and beyond. There are huge stone churches that are so gorgeous and works of art in themselves, and the city is clean and cared for but as shopping centers located themselves farther and farther from the heart of old Tulsa, the crowds down town dwindled until they were almost nonexistant. These days, most of the people you see downtown are there because they work there, but that's starting to slowly change.

Some really neat shops and restaurants are slowly but surely seeping back into these beautiful spaces, and so the idea that crowds of merry Christmas shoppers might once again mill through the street like they did decades ago is thrilling. My grandparents would tell stories about getting dressed in their finest-- with hats and gloves and pearls--- to go strolling down the sidewalks of down town Tulsa, where the windows would be piled high with beautiful items that would be taken home as treasures.

The two paintings above-- "Evergreen Angel" and "Angel of Winter Peace" will be perched in the Indie Emporium pop up shop in the Thompson building. The Philcade building will also be hosting some little local shops, and both buildings can be found along Boston Ave between 5th and 6th streets. It's a beautiful area, and there are some yummy eateries right in the middle of it all-- including Elote which serves amazing organic Mexican food and Mod's Coffee and Crepes.

The stores tentatively open on Monday with a grand opening on the 30th. I plan to get some pics when its all put together and post them here, to get you in the shopping spirit!

Now I need to put the finishing touches on the paintings that will go to hang at Deep Fork tomorrow in OKC. This is the busiest week I've had in a long time, but oh so satisfying!~

Hope all is well with you & yours,

Bronte Bliss

2011-11-15T15:01:00.006-06:00

I hadn't planned on going to the antique mall yesterday. I had a lot to do and a busy week ahead of me. But I found myself in a *mood* and thought that maybe sifting through some old junk would cheer me up. It usually does. And boy did it yesterday!~

Although I expected the shop to be picked nearly clean on a Monday, I found this treasure within moments of walking in the door. A beautiful, nearly perfect condition edition of the 1943 Jane Eyre illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg. I don't remember where, but I'd seen this cover before and it was haunting and so beautiful. Even though I hadn't really planned to spend money, I snatched this up without hesitation.

With the book was also a Wuthering Heights edition which was obviously its mate with the same binding and illustrations by the same artist. I didn't realize until I went to pay that the price on the Jane Eyre wasn't just for that book--- it was also for Wuthering Heights, and they came with their own little case and a paper pamphlet that had come with the books from a 'book of the month club' in 1943. The books even have a lovely bookplate in the front with the original owner's name. These volumes were obviously treasured. They were less than $20.

When I found out I got all this for such a nice little price, I nearly shrieked and jumped up and down and cried. Almost. I do have some control ;)

I wanted to share with you just a few of the amazing illustrations in this book. They are like little beautiful dark masterpieces. I heart them something fierce. See for yourself:

Aren't these just gorgeous? I can't help but see a little of myself in them. I hope that I might achieve just a fraction of the 'dark and strange and beautiful' that Eichenberg manages to capture with his wood engravings. They are just...Magic. I'll show you the ones in Wuthering Heights at a later time. They are just as gorgeous.

Now I can't help but think I need to make my own Jane illustrations.....

Tasha Tuesday

2011-11-15T13:14:00.005-06:00

Tasha Tudor, photo by Richard Brown

This Tuesday I thought it would be fun to do a little Tasha Tudor Fashion Feature. Because autumn and winter are both perfect times to bring out your inner Tasha with perhaps a more modern twist. While vintage clothes are nice, it's hard to find items that fit, are affordable and can stand daily use. Therefore I like to use more modern pieces, because it's not as hard as one might think to bring a little old fashioned homesteading granny to life in a 21st century wardrobe.

Tasha was big on natural fibers, knitwear, layers (and more layers) and homespun accessories. Oh, and critters too, so you can never go wrong with a bunny or a goat or some such other adorable animal to accent your inner old timeyness. Go on...you know you want to ;)

* Fingerless Gloves from Klose Knit

*Capelet an amazing thrifting find

* White blouse from Eddie Bauer

* Linen skirt from Eddie Bauer

* Lace up leather boots from Naturalizer

* Bunny born and bred on the prairie :)

To see more Tasha fashion inspiration, take a look at my Homespun and Prairie style file on pinterest! It cant help but inspire :)

Candle Light Prayers

2011-11-14T10:48:00.002-06:00

This is a little painting that I just put the finishing touches on yesterday. I've called it "Candle Light Prayers." I think it's one of my most special Christmas paintings yet, because there are so many little things going on, so much pattern and color but also meaning and significance.

One thing I love about making pictures is creating stories. And I think this piece is rich in story. When I made it, I had in mind a mother and a daughter celebrating a quiet Christmas Eve in a little rustic cabin. They light a special candle holder that is only brought out for special occasions that casts a comforting yellow gold over beloved family icons. From these little flames they also light their own candles and with each created flame they say a little prayer.

Perhaps they are deep in the forests of Russia, or perhaps they are pioneers in a new land recreating rituals from home on a special night. The meaning and the occasion, really, is up to your imagination. And I like that.

I hope this reminds you of your own special and quiet rituals and brings to mind a more simply celebrated holiday.

Christmas Goodies in my Shop

2011-11-12T20:33:00.002-06:00

Hello! It's rather late here this evening (well, it's past 8:30. I guess that's late for a tired mama!) but I wanted to let you guys know that my Audrect Eclectic Etsy Shop is now filled to the brim with brand new Christmas items!

Just this afternoon I added packs of my new Christmas card and some of my latest Christmas prints, including St. Lucia! I'm so happy to be able to share these all with you! Maybe you'll find something that you or someone special to you needs for this holiday season :)

Looking forward to a nice afternoon of painting tomorrow....I need to put the finishing touches on a painting that I'm really loving. I've tried some new things and really like how it turned out. You'll have to come back to see it :)

Good night and sweet dreams!~
H

Hello There!~

2011-11-11T21:23:00.002-06:00

Hello there my friends! Well, it's been a couple of days since I posted because, well, my computer died! The hard drive completely crashed, and while that didn't keep me from painting it kept me from being able to do much here. So sorry!

In that time though I finished this Santa Claus painting and started a few more--- gave a rabbit hutch a make over and also got the Christmas postcards in and some Christmas prints! I will be adding all of these items to my etsy shop very soon as well as packaging the cards that those of you who did preordered have already purchased (thank you!)

It's just good to be back! Thanks very much to my computer savvy husband. I dont know what I would have done without him. He completely reinstalled a new hard drive and all the programs I need to be up and running.

Alright, well, back to work! Hope you are well!

Tasha Tuesday

2011-11-08T08:51:00.002-06:00

It's early on a Tuesday morning and its wet and dreary. The sky is dark, everything is dark and damp, but the autumn foliage looks bright and brilliant against all this autumn wet. Things have been restless around here lately--- not feeling good, and now we've had three nights of strange rumbling earthquakes, and to top it off last night we had tornado warnings and an earthquake. Oklahoma is getting more than its fair share of strangeness right now!

In light of all this, I felt it was more than appropriate to put a larger amount of whipped cream in my coffee this morning :) I'm sure Tasha would have recommended it ;) In the dim light, I've been thumbing through my copy of "Forever Christmas" featuring the beautiful Christmas celebrations at Corgi Cottage to get inspired for a handmade Christmas.

Tasha Tudor always said she began her Christmas prep and gift making in June. Well, perhaps some day I'll be that on top of things, but for now November is my best start :) I've decided that I am going to try my very best to make all the gifts we give this year. Not only is it more economical, but hopefully more special to the receiver! I've already concocted lots of plans, and am scheming up a little something for a little girl that I can work on while she's at school. Parenthood is a wonderful chance to rediscover the magic of Christmas, and with four children of her own, I'm sure my favorite artist Tasha Tudor spent a great deal of time thinking of ways to make the holiday special for her young ones. Because the act of planning and making and revealing a wonderful holiday to a child is perhaps even more fun than Christmas as a child.

Do you make any handmade items for Christmas? Or have you ever received anything handmade that was so very special to you? Do tell.....

*Book images are "Forever Christmas" By Harry Davis, photographed by Jay Paul

New Painting: The Revenant

2011-11-07T07:37:00.004-06:00

Recently I had the chance to work on a very fun project for a very talented Oklahoma author. It involved a book about old timey girls, a spooky mammoth school, ghosts, and the Cherokee Nation. What could be better, right?

Just before Halloween I worked on a portrait of the main character of the novel "The Revenant" on the request of the author, Sonia Gensler. I was lucky enough to get to read the book before I started on the piece and it is so good. The story begins when the rash and adventurous Willie runs away from boarding school in Tennessee when her mother calls her home to help take care of her growing brood before she can graduate.

Determined that she wont forgo her education and independence to stay at home slaving for her mother's children with her new step father, Willie instead steals her flighty room mate's teaching license and letter accepting her to teach at a Cherokee girls' seminary in Tahlequah, Indian Territory and promptly hops a train for a grand adventure.

This adventurous premise would be enough to catch one's attention, but what Willie finds in Tahlequah once she arrives brings the story to new heights. Her vision of a rustic native school are dashed once she sees the towering castle of a seminary where Cherokee young women are given an elite education under the steely eye of the headmistress and staff of teachers.

Willie must now assume the role of poised English teacher to students who are the same age as she, and navigate the complicated world of educating girls in a culture and class very different from her own. I love how Sonia explores the social and personal impact of education on these girls who are in a unique situation of either being immensely wealthy and privilaged, or struggling to reconcile their new education and experience with families that are still very grounded in their traditional ways. This is not your stereotypical book about 'Indian Girls' and as an Oklahoman I can really appreciated that.

But...of course....that isn't even all!

In addition to her new role as teacher under a name that isn't even her own, Willie soon learns that some dreadful events have occurred at the school prior to her arrival, which ended in a student's death. Soon some strange and paranormal events start happening, both to the students who have the weight of secret guilt on their conscience, and to Willie who happens to be housed in the deceased girl's room.

I'll stop here so I don't give anything away, but I'll just say that the events that unfold are deliciously spooky, wonderfully detailed, and of course there's a little romance in there as well :) there are so many levels of tension in the novel--- will the students and faculty learn her secret and that she's not who she says she is? What happened to the young woman who perished so tragically, and is she haunting and tormenting her former friends? The ending will shock and surprise you, but until you get there you will love following this spooky adventure on each and every page.

Having enjoyed the book so much, it was my pleasure to get a chance to paint my vision of Willie for her creator, and try my hand at the looming seminary that is still located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma--- capital of the Cherokee Nation. Some day I need to hop in the car and go down there and see the place myself! On her blog, Sonia recently posted about her visit to the old seminary building for a ghost tour. How fun is that!?

If you'd like to delve into this book yourself, it is available at Amazon.com or local book stores. You can find out more about Sonia Gensler on her website and read her fun blog HERE.

Hope you like the painting! And thanks so much to Sonia for the adventure of creating Willie!~

St. Lucia painting

2011-11-05T09:15:00.003-05:00

Good morning to you my friends on this gray and dreary day! For my British Readers, today is Guy Fawkes Day! For those of us here on the prairie, it is evidently earthquake day! Last night a little after 2 a.m. I was literally shaken awake by my first experience of an earthquake. It was so surreal! I actually got out of bed to see if perhaps a plane had crashed in the field behind our house because frankly, that seemed more plausible. What a strange, strange night!

However, I have something more festive than earthquakes in mind for this post: the celebration of St. Lucia! I told you in my last post how I'm on a bit of a Swedish Christmas kick (when I get enamored with something, I tend to fall hard!) and I decided it was high time to paint my own St. Lucia!

St.Lucia Day is celebrated on Dec.13, when the oldest daughter in the family dons a white robe and red sash, a wreath of candles on her head and leads a procession of children to wake the parents carrying a tray of traditional St. Lucia buns. I first learned of this tradition as a child when I read about it in the American Girls books about my doll, Kirsten. Its such a charming tradition (and one I can appreciate more as a parent, ha!) and I think this year I'd like to try my hand at some St. Lucia buns.

I hope you enjoy the painting, I'm pleased with how she came out. I think this will be on the list of new prints to have made up! She's perfect for the holiday season.

Do any of you, my readers, celebrate St.Lucia Day? Or is there a special holiday tradition that you celebrate in your home, or one you'd like to start? I'd love to hear about it! Perhaps you'll inspire a painting.....

God Jul! (Merry Christmas!)

Winter Reds

2011-11-03T12:09:00.004-05:00

As of November1, I am throwing myself whole- heartedly into Christmas. I can't say I'm sorry to have seen the hottest summer of my life be over with, and I'm all ready to get all cozy and cuddled up and work on winter art.

I've started to realize that my tastes in color and pattern, especially for the Christmas season, were hugely impacted by a doll. Yes, a doll :) When I was in the second grade, my heart nearly exploded with joy when I received a Kirsten doll from American Girls dolls. She was so beautiful and so old timey and she came with old timey clothes and books and accessories. Basically, all the stuff that I still love. My doll was Swedish and so I think I filed away that traditional rustic look with red and white away in my little brain as 'the most beautiful Christmas stuff ever."

I love:

RED. Anytime, anywhere.

Good sweet coffee

Braids, braids and more braids!

Pretty old timey and comfy clothes

Red plaids and checks

Red knitted things

I still have my Kirsten doll. She spends her days at the top of a closet most days, but my little one is always eager to get her hands on her. She loves all the little clothes and accessories too. She hated to put her down before school, so I've left the doll out for her when she gets home. She knows she has to be gentle, because Kirsten is old now.

But her influence is not! I'm scheming up ways to bring more Swedish Christmas inspiration into my own decor, although some of it is already there subliminally. I really want a straw goat! I love the straw ornaments. And the candles. And I cant wait for the greenery and fresh garlands to be out. I'm thinking I need to make some St. Lucia buns. Wondering if Audrey would wear the St. Lucia crown.....

You can bet that this infatuation will spill over into my art. It already has! Just wait til you see what's on the art table.....

Til next time,

Artful Blogging

2011-11-02T12:19:00.003-05:00

Not long ago I got a very nice email in my inbox. The ladies over at Artful Blogging wanted to include my blog banner in their 'banners we love" section of the magazine! I was so thrilled and excited, because Artful Blogging is such a beautiful and high quality publication. So when I received my copy of the magazine in the mail, I was so excited to find my banner there among the pages!

Blogging is such a curious thing--- its gotten to the point now where I cant imagine how my art would be without it--- without the comradery, friendship, feedback, inspiration and insight that it affords me, painting away by myself in a little house out in Oklahoma. The magazine too is full of amazing eye candy and inspiration, and I hope you get a chance to flip through this issue!

And now, back to painting; always the order of the day! I've almost completed the works I'm doing for a gallery exhibit at Deep Fork in OKC in a couple of months and then it will be on to December shows!

Hope you are well and warm on this chilly day,
~H

Tasha Tuesday

2011-11-01T11:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we visited a pumpkin patch where the pumpkins were, to us, incidental. We wanted to get our hands on some adorable goats and sheep!

I cant help but think of Tasha Tudor when I see funny little goats and creatures such as these. They have such personality! And their eyes! I just want to cuddle and kiss them. Yes, goats. I think my little one feels the same.

Are you an animal lover? What little creature tugs at your heart every time you see it? I think anything furry and the least bit cuddly looking gets me every time ;)

Happy Tasha Tuesday!~

Happy Halloween!~

2011-10-31T08:01:00.003-05:00

Happy Halloween wishes to you! Hope you have a spooky day :) We're headed to the pumpkin patch with my daughter's class and the trick or treating tonight of course. Maybe we'll see a real goblin or ghost or two?

How will you be spending the day today? It's hard to believe that tomorrow will begin November. How is it possible?! Time is going so quickly now towards Christmas.

May your day be filled with pumpkin and sweets!~!

Gathering the Greens folk art painting

2011-10-29T13:42:00.003-05:00

Although Halloween isn't yet upon us, I suppose it's appropriate to be painting snow since those of you in New England are expecting such a whopping snowstorm today! I hope you are all safe and snug in your homes when this Halloween snow blows in!

I just finished this painting, which is a large one for me. I tried something new with this piece by painting my own framing border around the piece and really like how it came out! In fact, I'm working on another large piece with a similar painted on frame.

Today is also our 7th anniversary, although we're home with a little one, I hope to have a nice calm and quiet day with some cookie baking going on in a bit. We're finally getting our fall color here on the prairie, although its a bit muted since everything was so stressed during the summer heat. But I'm so thankful to have that behind us, and really looking forward to the approaching holiday season.

Hope all is well with you and yours this last weekend of October! Have a merry halloween as well! And be careful in the snow, should you have it :)

New originals in the shop

2011-10-27T11:43:00.004-05:00

Well, what a gray and rainy day we're having here today! The bad weather cancelled a school field trip to the pumpkin patch, but it seems a wonderful day for nestling in and getting some painting done.

I've put these two paintings in my etsy shop this morning, they are on their best behavior and looking for a new home!

The first painting is "Pumpkin Town" and she is so sweet! Perfect for display all autumn long. The second is "Clara and her Doll" which I painted from the inspiration of an old daguerreotype from the 1850s. She's holding an Izannah Walker doll.

Hope you and yours are safe and warm this late October day!~
~H

Christmas Card--- final preorder Day!

2011-10-26T12:14:00.002-05:00

Its hard to believe, but Christmas is just right around the corner. I'm really excited about it this year. I just can't wait, its such a warm, beautiful, and magical time. We found our church last year on St. Nicholas Day, and I'm looking forward to going through the season of Advent and the Christmas celebration not just as visitors but as real confirmed members. I know it will make things even that much more special!

I'm also very pleased to be able to offer a bit of my art to you all as Christmas postcards which are perfect for Christmas greetings. Remember too that postcards are actually less expensive to send-- just ask your postal service worker for postcard stamps :) It's also a very nice way to support a small handmade business-- because that's what I am!~

Today is the last day that I'll be taking preorders for the postcards. If you usually send out a large quantity of cards, this is the way to go to guarantee that you'll get exactly how many you need. For information on pricing, card images, and ordering visit THIS POST.

Many thanks to those of you who have already ordered! I cant wait for you to see them, and I hope that they bring you and your loved ones much joy!~

Thanks again,

Tasha Tuesday

2011-10-25T09:17:00.006-05:00

Well, hello there! And welcome~

I'm happy to report that after a bit of a summer hiatus, the tradition of Tasha Tuesdays here at Audrey Eclectic is now officially back to celebrate one of my favorite artists--- Tasha Tudor.

If you're new and haven't read my Tasha Tudor series before, I hope that you'll be in for a treat and perhaps grow to appreciate her as well. Although she's now gone, Tasha's influence on many American artists, gardeners, foodies and free thinking spirits is still very alive and well. Born in the early 20th century in New England, she cultivated for herself a life that was inspired by all her passions--- history, early American life, gardening, writing, painting, animals and what we'd now call 'off the grid rural homestead life.' If you'd like to learn more about her, there are many beautiful books about her life and work, as well as a website and museum that is run by her family.

I've been thinking about Tasha more lately as the season slowly mellows into fall, and then quickly behind it, the Christmas season. We're now reaching those days that start with chill and fog--- I hadn't seen fog in so many months I'd almost forgotten it existed until this past Sunday when the world was suddenly a ghostly gray.

Fall is also a good time for teas, and Tasha was an avid lover of tea time in the English style. For my birthday I received a canister of Harney & Son's "Royal Wedding Tea" and it is so good and rather fancy! I dont think I've ever had such fancy tea-- with its gauzy tea bags filled with loose leaves and petals. Of course I had to drink it out of a fancy cup as well.

It's also a time of harvesting and a time for nestling in. If you've ever seen photos of Tasha Tudor's home, you know that it was perfect for nestling! So filled with old treasures, sweet furry creatures, and lots of knitwear. All of which I love.

Too soon this season of brilliant colors will be over and we'll start sinking into the waning colors of winter until a brilliant blanket of snow comes to liven up the world. It will probably be many months still before we see any snow out here on the prairie-- and I'm curious to see if we have another blizzard and determined that this time we will be ready for it! No more clearing snow with the garden shovel for me ;)

I hope that you have a beautiful Tuesday and take a moment to enjoy a quiet moment of peace.

Happy Tasha Tuesday,

Please go HERE for more information

~Sleep in Heavenly Peace~

2011-10-23T17:32:00.003-05:00

I just finished this painting up the other day. It feels strange to be thinking about snow and Christmas so soon after such a brutally hot summer, but time definitely marches on!

This painting started with more of a feeling--- just that quiet peaceful feeling that comes from being safe and warm inside while the snow falls and transforms the world on the outside. This past winter we got our most epic snow ever--- and while there were some nervous moments (we Okies don't seem to deal well with snow!) there were some very restful and pleasant ones. The Christmas Eve of 2010, we even had a blizzard and were unable to go anywhere on Christmas Day. Luckily I had a turkey thawing in the fridge for what I thought would just be sandwich meat, but it turned into a little Christmas feast, just the three of us, while the snow glistened and blew outside. It is such a sweet memory to me now.

This painting is meant to channel a little of that feeling, and I hope you like it! The young mother and her baby are nestled in a nice knitted shawl and patch work quilt, while the snow falls outside on the prairie. My plan is to display this painting and several others at a gallery event I'm doing at Deep Fork next month. I have a feeling its going to be a great exhibition and I hope that the paintings are received well! If you're in the OKC area between Nov.19 and mid-January, you can stop in and see the art and enjoy some amazing food!~

Well, there is much more painting I need to get done. Til next time...

Go HERE for more information

Christmas Card Pre-Order

2011-10-21T20:18:00.008-05:00

This year I really wanted to do something special with Christmas cards and have been making plans about it for months now. I created some new images and love how they turned out! I am now ready to send off my first order to have postcards made, and thought I would give you all a chance to place preorders if you so wished. Here are the cards I'll be offering for Christmas 2011:

"A Christmas Eve Story"

"The Birds' Guardian"

"Madonna and Child"

This will be the back of each postcard, I really like how it turned out!

I know it's just October, but Christmas has a way of sneaking up on us! And if you're one of the growing number of folks who want to vote with your dollars and support small business and handmade artists, then this would be a great way to do so! I would love to be a small part of your Christmas cheer and celebration this year by lending my art to your holiday greetings!

To preorder your cards, please email me at audreyeclectic(at)gmail.com to tell me which design you would like to order and the number you would like to purchase. Will then send you a paypal invoice for the amount plus $3 shipping. If you need an alternative way to pay, just email me and we can work something out.

*This preorder will last until Wednesday Oct. 26 when I will be placing the order

Here are the prices for cards:

10 cards $10

20 cards $18

35 cards $30

50 cards $45

Please don't hesitate to comment here or email me if you have any questions! I'm so excited to be offering Christmas Cards to you, my friends and family, this year!

Off to paint some more!~
H

Autumn Delights

2011-10-20T20:02:00.002-05:00

Kitty on a prettily spooky porch taken on our trip to Eureka Springs last week

It's turned out to be a quiet week here on the little blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working! I've been preparing some larger paintings and also it is fall break, and I've got a little one at home with me for most of the week.

The weather has turned cooler for the moment and we're getting into the spirit of the season--- putting fake headstones in the flower garden, and baking yummy things.
I made this rustic apple pie this evening and featured it over on the What Would Ma Ingalls Do blog. I've had sort of a change in focus over at that little blog....It will still keep its Ma Ingalls flair, but also be a little more about modern life on the prairie and a bit of suburban homesteading. I thought it was still very much in the vein of what Ma was about, so I hope you'll come on over and take a look :) I even gave it a fresh make over!

I have a new painting to share with you soon too! It's a winter painting and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out! So come back soon!~

Hello!

2011-10-17T15:05:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from the painting table to say hello. It's that season again, and I'm painting some new pieces for a gallery event next month in OKC. I wanted to show you my bluegrass family band painting, shown above; the mama plays the autoharp, and the girls play the fiddle and mandolin. The little girls were inspired by photos of my granny as a little girl, growing up in the Ozarks in the 30s and 40s. She was a cutie!

I'm also working on a mother and child piece that will be a wintery scene. Its near finished now, but this is a photo of it with just a bit painted in. These paintings look so strange, with floating figures and blocks of dark space before they're completed. I thought you might like to see.

Back to work!

Projects

2011-10-13T12:27:00.005-05:00

I'm back in the saddle with my art work and it's nice to be getting things done. I wanted to share with you this latest painting that I finished before we left last week, my "Dashing Young Sir." I made him as a companion to my other traditional Americana style portrait "Susannah and Mercy Butler" and I think they look nice hanging together.
I plan on taking both these paintings out to Blue Heron Antique Shop soon so that they can hang out with all the real antiques and look generally sweet and charming. Hopefully they'll call out to someone as well and get a new home!
I also started on a few little dolls for upcoming shows, and its been forever since I've made some dolls! Maybe even a year? I just had the urge to make some as a fun change. Here they are all sewn up and prepped for the fun painting, sunning themselves on the back porch.
Of course all this was overseen by Henry, the art dog, who quite frankly was more interested in chewing on rocks than me prepping dolls and canvas on the porch. I caught a photo of him giving me 'the Elvis face.' He's now passed out at my feet, having worked so hard ;)

Well, back to work! Can't wait to show you all my projects when they're done...

An October Jaunt

2011-10-12T07:37:00.006-05:00

Things have been so quiet around here for the past few days because we were off wandering through the Ozark Mountains, as we're apt to do from time to time. My birthday and my husband's birthday and our anniversary are all around this time, so we went off for some general celebration and recuperation.

We stayed at one of our favorite haunts (hehe) the Crescent Hotel up on the mountain above the little artsy and old timey town of Eureka Springs, AR. We started our day in the dining room of the old hotel with its black linen cloths and glowing chandeliers and coffee that I love. Then we'd jaunt about town visiting the shops and restaurants that we've been to so many times that it feels like a second home.

It was a trip that I, for one, really needed. Sometimes you have to rest the mommy brain and I was languishing in a bit of an artistic rut. I love working at home on my art, but sometimes it can be like painting in a bit of a vacuum of direction and inspiration. Wandering around those steep little streets also helped solidify my longing to be a shop keeper. I would love to have a little nest of a shop, packed full of my creations, and just paint in the corner and visit with people as they came and went (and bought lots of art!). Trying to find the right direction and venue for one's work can be tricky business. Many people go the consignment or wholesale route, or the licensing route, but I think my inclination at the end of the day is to create an entire world for my art and you, who buy the art. From the creation to presentation. Blame it on Type A tendencies ;)

So, it seems I've returned with a rested brain, new inspiration and some long-term goals. Not too shabby for a little trip to the mountains!~ I look forward to sharing more new pieces with you....

Back From Wandering

2011-10-11T16:01:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm back from a little jaunt in the Ozarks, rested and filled to the brim with inspiration and the fire to paint. Can't wait to share more with you! Hope you had a lovely weekend and are enjoying some pretty autumn weather.....

Inspired Dwellings

2011-10-07T09:14:00.005-05:00

Hello there, dears! I am back after a long few days of everyone but the dog falling sick in one way or another. But we're all more or less on the mend and it's back to work for me.

Lately I've been enjoying some hoarding tendancies when it comes to old magazines. Because, to me, the only thing better than a new magazine to look through is a new old and cheap magazine full of art inspiration. My favorite old magazine to snatch up at the antique mall is Country Living. I love the magazine now, but I also love its more rustic incarnation in the 80s/early 90s when New England style houses were all the rage.

Instead of losing specific images in a giant pile of magazines and then not knowing where to find them again, I thought I'd start cataloging and sharing some of my favorite homey and arty images here. The photos from this post come mainly from the December 1994 issue of Country Living.

At this moment in time, if you were to ask me what my dream house would be, I would say a traditional style New England salt box filled with rich wood floors, brick hearths and lots of rich color and simple furnishings. I'll start with the doorway above, right down to the kitty. I'll take it all, please.

If you ask me, the only thing better than one silhouette is more silhouettes. I love how they look massed together like this. When I see rooms filled with silhouettes it just makes me fall in love. The stockings on the mantle are so sweet too.
And here it is, my dream bedroom! Isn't this room just gorgeous?! The rug! The hearth! The folk art! The homespun bedding! oooh, even a basket of knitting! I just want to walk right into this image and live there. I think I'm really coming to love the simple line of early American furniture and fixtures because they aren't as foofy (real word?) or over the top as Victorian pieces. Before the industrial revolution, most of people's furnishings, cloth, clothing, everything was handmade. Even down to the nails. I love that.
This hearth photo appears on the cover of this specific magazine and I love it. Of course I love the folk art portrait above the mantle and all the old dishes and pots and pans. I also love a good garland, and evidently this particular year yellow yarrow was all the rage. I think it appeared in atleast 3 or 4 different stories in this magazine. Perhaps there was a sale on yellow yarrow that year ;) but I love the unexpected dash of yellow in the Christmas decor, how absolutely homemade and hand done it all looks. It just warms my heart and makes me long for the holidays.

Anyhow, hope you liked looking through these old photos with me! I think they're so inspiring, no matter that they're over 20 years old now. When things are timeless, they never grow out dated.

Whats your favorite decorating era? Or are you thoroughly modern? What inspires you?

Post Cards from Pumpkin Town

2011-10-03T14:23:00.003-05:00

I'm so happy it is October! Now it's really truly fall. Now no one will raise an eye brow that we've got the halloween decorations out--- its time for any and everything pumpkin, for chillly brisk days and ooooh, knitted things! Bats and cats and afternoons of watching The Worst Witch back-to-back at least two or three times.

Now that the first show of the season is over, I'm trying to settle in and keep the creativity going. I have a little one with a lingering cough, which we did our best to remedy with a spur of the moment trip to the pumpkin patch (she hasnt coughed too much! Perhaps it worked?). We also took our pup to the annual Blessing of the Animals at our church, which was such a lovely event (he was very well behaved).

Now we need to get the pansies planted and start hoarding spring bulbs. I cant wait to sketch and get to painting. So many things I love about this month. So many great moments when you're in a Pumpkin Town state of mind.....

Indie Emporium 2011

2011-10-02T09:14:00.004-05:00

Well, we are back! Indie Emporium 2011 has come and gone and it was a really great show. Thanks to much help from my lovely bearded assistant, we had our best show yet at our biggest booth yet! We had a nice corner booth to display all out things....

The cups did well, and I met many a Jane Austen and Jane Eyre fan! What is so fun about these shows is finding so many kindred spirits who love the same things you do--- in my case old timey girls, good books, spooky autumn scenes.

Your local Audrey Eclectic Folk Art Peddler

Here's a shot of the rose pins and the knitted hats. I was surprised actually at the success of the knitted hats. I made them to put the roses on, but people were wanting just the hats sometimes, lol. Which of course is fine by me!

And I couldn't talk about this craft show without talking about this! The Square. It's the new thing now in crafting. You order the little white square (plugged into the top of the iPhone), sign up for the service (which is totally free!) and voila! You can now take all major credit cards at your craft booth. You only pay a tiny fee per transaction and I think this little accessory played a big part in making this our most lucrative show to date. Many of the vendors at this show had this, I know it will soon become a must-have for all crafters. It used to be, people only brought cash to these shows and if they found something they loved that exceeded their on-hand funds, it was just too bad. Now, it's not a problem! Just swipe the card! :D

All in all, it was a really good show. I met some really great vendors and customers as well. I hope everyone that bought a little something (or big something) from our booth loves it! It's always such a pleasure to do this show.

Now, to rest a bit and then paint some more!~

Show Day + Giveaway

2011-09-30T07:20:00.002-05:00

Well, it's show day! I was up before dawn like it was Christmas morning. Tis the season...craft show season! One of the new things I made this week for my booth was this hand painted and hand lettered sign. I thought I'd try my had at a little calligraphy and I've pleased with how it turned out! I found this frame and a matching one at the antique mall. I love how crusty and old it is :)

Also....it is friday. And that means it's time to announce the last giveaway winner! The winner of the original sketch is.....Farmer's Wyfe! Congratulations! :D

I have just one more little thing to give though.....

The image above is a coupon for this weekend's Indie Emporium! Click on the image and then print and bring to the show where you can buy one print and get the other half price! Indie Emporium is taking place at Living Arts of Tulsa this year at 307 E. Brady in downtown Tulsa. Today doors are open from 7-10 pm and the first 50 in the door get a special goody bag! The show continues on Saturday from 12-8 p.m. If you bring a canned food item for the community food bank, you get in for $5 instead of $8.

Hope to see you there!!

The Roses Debut

2011-09-28T07:14:00.000-05:00

So I've been making rag rose fanciness for family and friends for a couple of months now. I am tentatively ready to bring them out and share them on a larger scale and this weekend at Indie Emporium is their official debut!

Making these roses is a bit addictive. I love how spontaneous they are, you never know how a rose will turn out, but they always seem to come out nice.

I hope some of you get to come out to the show! I'm getting a few 'first of the season' jitters. I'm sure all will go well though, and I cant wait to see my local crafty friends! Well, better get ready for a new day of preparations....

A morning note

2011-09-27T09:40:00.003-05:00

It's a clear and bright Autumn morning. I've had my coffee in a new cup (thanks, Jennyshi!) and I have several new prints freshly listed in my etsy shop. I really love these new autumn pieces. Several of the originals will be offered this weekend at Indie Emporium.

I've got lots to show you as I prepare for this first show. I hope its the biggest and best show season yet for little Audrey Eclectic!

Also, there is still plenty of time to get your name in the hat for the last giveaway! An original sketch in a sweet little frame. Go HERE to enter!~!

Hope you're having a good Tuesday today :D What are you working on this week?

Last Giveaway: An Original Sketch

2011-09-26T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! Wow, I can't believe we've already reached the last week of September! It feels like the month just began. Now it is officially fall and I am officially 30. Things are so...official :)

I wanted to do something special for the last giveaway for the September Big Birthday/Fall Blog Party, and so I present this to you--- a framed original sketch, by me of course. I've been toying with the idea for a long time of offering framed sketches because I like the look of sketches and their a fun alternative to full blown paintings.

And so my first one to offer to the public is this, a 5x7" framed sketch of a little old fashioned girl holding a jack o lantern. If you think perhaps she should come to live with you, then all you need to do is leave me a comment! A winner will be chosen on Friday of this week!

Best of luck! And thanks so much to all who have entered my giveaways. I appreciate it very much!~

Golden Autumn

2011-09-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

It has been a whirlwind the last few days-- prepping for the upcoming show and doing birthday festivities. I did have a very nice birthday, thank you so much to my friends and family who made turning 30 so fun and full of exceptionally good food :) I received some nice autumnal clothes, books on stitching and quilting, a nice stash of tea and (pumpkin!!) coffee, beautiful yarn and a new pattern to make a lovely scarf, and a good amount of Anthropolgie wonderfulness. You all know me too well!

On the way to my parents' house for dinner on the evening of my birthday, I insisted we stop at this little field where these beautiful yellow flowers were growing. I pass this field literally almost every day, it's just a jaunt from my house. I had never fully stopped to look it over though and realize how beautiful it really was, with the little pond and trees and this massive bramble of yellow flowers (daisies?). The flowers were covered in monarch butterflies, who were enjoying the flowers as much as we were. It was all so pretty and golden in the evening sunset, and a perfect background for some snapshots of my little golden gal.

Another great reminder that there are things of beauty just out our doorstep, we just need to look at them with new eyes some times.

Well, it's just a week until Indie Emporium. I'm getting all nervous and fretful that I dont have enough things to bring, which usually ends up with me having a completely stuffed display. Let's hope that happens again!

I do have some new prints to share and I will start working on getting a few of those listed on etsy ASAP so those of you who cant come to the show can enjoy them. I am really pleased with how they came out. New prints include Cecily, Maple and Bittersweet, Susannah and Mercy Butler, and a few others.

And if you're in the Tulsa area next weekend, I encourage you to come out to Indie Emporium! It is so much fun and all handmade.

Be back with more news in a bit~
H

Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-23T14:39:00.002-05:00

Hello dears! Oh, what a busy day! And a good one too :) first day of fall and my birthday!

I'm just swooping in to announce this week's giveaway winner--- Linnie!!!

Congratulations, Linnie! I hope you enjoy the book!

I'll be listing my last giveaway on Monday, so don't forget to come visit then and have one last chance to win!~

Thank you all,
H

Haunting Decor....

2011-09-21T08:54:00.003-05:00

If you've known me for any length of time you'll know that I love fall. So much so, that I insist that I was 3 weeks overdue because I wanted to be a fall baby (my mom is still trying to forgive me for this.)

Autumn is just so....spooky and sweet at once. And that's a combination I love. So of course you know once September arrived, all bets were off and I brought out the halloween. Here are a few shots of my haunting decor....

These spooky beeswax ornaments just arrived in the mail yesterday and I love them! These were made by Melissa of Farm Field Primitives using a Homespun Heart design. They look like the carvings in old New England headstones and I love that. Old headstones were really such works of art!

I love Halloween so much that I tend to collect most of my art in autumn themes, so this is a fun time of year to bring all that out. The big papier mache dolls on the mantle are by Nicol Sayre, and the little skeleton candle holders are part of the 'boney bunch' line from Yankee Candle.

There are lots of ways you can go with halloween decor--- some tacky, some scary, some vintage. I enjoy a more old-timey halloween look. What are your favorite ways to decorate this season? And have you dragged it all out yet, or are you one of those people who can wait a bit (I am obviously not!)

Hope you have a wonderful fall season!~ And don't forget, there's still time to enter the giveaway for the Laura Frantz novel!~

Giveaway: The Colonel's Lady

2011-09-19T12:53:00.004-05:00

Good afternoon everyone! Sorry for the late start. We're entering 'that time'; that frenzied, confused, befuddled and constantly crafting time just before a show. But I didn't forget about the giveaway! And oh, it's a good one!

I am so pleased to offer you, dear readers, a chance to win a copy of Laura Frantz's latest novel "The Colonel's Lady" this week.

I just finished my copy of the novel and am still missing the characters a bit. Laura is an amazing writer, one who can bring you into her historical world and let you see all the beauty and grit of a time long ago. Fueled by her love of the Revolutionary War era and her Kentucky home state, Frantz's novels are always impeccably researched, never shying away from danger and stark realities of the time, but they also have a strong core of faith and heroines and heroes that are incredibly believable.

"The Colonel's Lady" is set in in a rural military fort at the edge of the frontier of "Kentucke." The heroine, Roxanna Rowan, arrives at the fort in search of her father, who worked there as scrivener for the commanding colonel, only to find that he has been killed on the last military mission. She soon finds herself the wary ward and employee of the dashing but demanding Colonel McLinn who carries a dark and heavy secret that threaten to destroy his relationship with Roxanna. This story is at once very personal for the characters who struggle with love, death, intrigue, betrayal and forgiveness as well as historically epic, dealing with the harsh realities of fort and military life, battle, and tenuous relations with the native population.

Just released this summer, "The Colonel's Lady" has already garnered for itself many stellar reviews and, in my humble opinion, is Frantz's strongest work yet. With each book (The Frontiersman's Daughter, Courting Morrow Little) Frantz seems to find a unique and strong voice that is once incredibly readable and jam-packed with little historical facts and quirks of the day.

This isn't just a historical romance either; like her other books before, this is a wilderness adventure, a story of a struggle in faith, and an examination of the different lives and people and situations that were unfolding as the United States struggled to claim itself as a free nation.

Laura has graciously agreed to share a copy of her latest books with one lucky winner here at Audrey Eclectic, so if you would like to win a copy, it's really simple! Just leave a comment here on this post! If you're a follower or share the giveaway elsewhere (facebook, twitter, etc) you increase your chances of winning, just let me know!

Winner will be announced on Friday.

Thanks so much to Laura and good luck!~

A Rosey Outlook and Giveaway Winner

2011-09-16T15:02:00.002-05:00

Hello friends! It's a rainy gray day here in Oklahoma, and it's marvelous! We haven't had a day like this in a long, long time. The kind where you want to wrap up in something knitted and drink cocoa like it was going out of style.

First and foremost, thanks to all who entered the Sweetheartville giveaway! I'm so glad you all got to meet Holly and see her fabulous creations and listen to some of her great music. Holly and I both will be at Indie Emporium at the end of this month selling our art, so if you're in town, please stop by and see us!

The giveaway winner for the free Sweetheartville print is..........Sidereal Day! Congrats!

Don't fret though, another brand new giveaway for the Big Birthday/Happy Fall Blog Party stars Monday! :)

As for me? Well, I am deep in the tizzy of craft show prep. As shown in the photo above I am going rag rose crazy lately, I hope to bring a whole new element of accessories to my Audrey Eclectic booth this year with rose pendants and knitted accessories featuring the little rose pendants. I'll also have painted ceramics and of course tons of prints, postcards and original paintings. Not too long ago I was able to purchase a postcard carousel at a shop that was closing and it's the most magical and marvelous thing! Hurray for getting the cards up off the table!

Well, I'm off to make more. My poor house is a wreck of crafting supplies....but I gotta keep crafting and painting!

Have a great weekend!~

Primitive Portrait

2011-09-15T08:52:00.003-05:00

I love primitive Americana style portraits. Whenever I see a room where one hangs, my eye goes right to it. What is it about these rustic "naive" style portraits, as they're sometimes called, that is so enchanting?

For me, I love the history and 'moment in time' they convey in a way that their stuffy and formal European counterparts rarely do. Early American portraits came about as our nation began to find it's voice and blossom. People started to make money and succeed and they carried with them the memory of homelands where the rich and powerful had their likenesses made for posterity. So, by golly, they would too.

Eagerly, local artists began to fill that need, whether by creating quick silhouette works (which I love), painted portraits, and even murals. However, most of these artists (like myself) lacked the formal and classical training of European artists. But what they lacked in training they made up for with personality and unique flare.

Lately I've really been enamored with this time in history and the art it produces. I'm a history lover, but more than that I think I'm more of a lover of anthropology-- the study of the life and culture and art. I'm more interested in how people lived and thought, their every day mundaneness that is at the same time so foreign and familiar to us now so many decades and even centuries later. I love, as always, the story more than the bare facts and timelines. I love the idea of looking at a portrait of a young mother from 250 years ago and thinking I know just what's she's feeling.

And so. With that on my mind I created "Susannah and Mercy Butler." They are totally and utterly made up out of my own head. But I liked the names and wanted a portrait that was rustic but had an autumn feel. I love that whoever eventually puts this painting in their home will be able to create a story in their mind for Susannah and Mercy, if they so wish.

What about you? What do you think their story would be? Where are they from? How did they get here? What was their adventure in life? The possibilities are endless....

Clara & her doll

2011-09-13T09:02:00.005-05:00

One of my most favorite magazine is Early American Life. I do a discreet little dance at the mailbox whenever it arrives. It never fails to fascinate and inspire me, and make me want to get to painting some Americana style paintings.

This weekend the Christmas issue arrived in my mailbox and the moment I turned to the story about Izannah Walker dolls by artists Edyth O'Neill and Dixie Redmond I was enamored by the photo of a little daguerreotype of a small girl holding her Izannah Walker doll. That was it. I had to paint her!
I mean, just look at that little face! According to the magazine, the daguerreotype was labeled as "Clara Eddy Eight years old." It was reported to come from Providence Rhode Island, and according to FamilyTree.org, a Clara Eddy was born in 1849 in Providence, although its unconfirmed if the girl in the photo and the girl in the records are one in the same.
My painting is not an exact rendition of the photo; mostly I added in my own background and the pattern of the dresses are slightly changed. From what I could tell from the daguerreotype, the colors of the dresses are very similar if not identical. I thought it would be sweet to show a little girl and her doll in nearly matching frocks.

I wasn't sure how it would turn out, since this painting came about as suddenly inspired, but I think it turned out pretty sweet! I love the idea that this tiny little girl from so long ago has inspired me, a girl from long after her time to create something that perhaps, will last long after my time. Things like that make me happy :)

Well, off to do some errands this morning and then get back to the studio to paint. Some cooler fall weather is on its way, perhaps with even a little rain, and I know I will really be raring to go then.

Hope you have a wonderful day....and if you haven't already, don't forget to enter the giveaway for one of Sweetheartville's beautiful prints!

Til next time,

Giveaway: Love From Sweetheartville

2011-09-12T00:05:00.002-05:00

Good morning and Happy Monday, everyone! It's time again to announce this week's giveaway for the Big Birthday/Happy Fall September Blog Party!~ I'm so excited to announce this week's giveaway because it comes from a very good friend.

I'd like you all to meet Holly, one of my dearest and craftiest friends. We met a few years ago at a craft show that we were both doing for the first time. She even won the prize for best booth! Since then I've come to know her as one of the sweetest, sassiest and craftiest girls out there. She has so many talents. And one of these talents is the creation of her wonderful crafty art prints that celebrate womanhood, craftyness, and humor. Holly has kindly offered to give this week's giveaway winner their pick of any print in her shop. All you have to do is comment on this post, with double entry for anyone who joins the follower's list or shares the giveaway on their blog, twitter, facebook, etc.

I just know you're going to love Holly and her work. Here's a little bit more about this lovely gal and her empire of Sweetheartville....

Name: Holly Hall

Business: Sweetheartville

Website: www.sweetheartville.etsy.com

Blog: www.sweetheartville.com

Tell us a little about yourself:

I'm a born and raised Oklahoman, a mama to two little girls, a wife to a funny, amazingly talented musician, and a homemaker. I'm also an artist, though I've only recently had the courage to admit that, even to myself. The word "artist" can have such a pretentious ring to it, but it really shouldn't be that way. I've always been a creator. I dabble in sewing, gluing things together, embroidery, crochet, painting, collage, baking, canning, gardening, decorating, and music. I'm an unapologetic feminist, and a collector of too much stuff. I'll try just about anything once.

What inspires you to create your art?

I have so very many inspirations that I sometimes become so overstimulated and full of inspiration that I'm paralyzed, unable to translate all that beautiful creativity into something concrete. First and foremost, I'm inspired by the past--paper ephemera, Victorian postcards, old houses, old signs, quirky roadside attractions, kitschy souvenirs, and vintage Western wear. I'm a licensed cosmetologist, so I'm naturally drawn to vintage hairstyles and notions of beauty. I've always loved the Ozark Mountain regions of Arkansas and Missouri, and the folkways of mountain people. Music, especially country, Bluegrass, and old-time music, is a huge inspiration for me. I was raised on Bluegrass music with a Dobro-playing father. Those high lonesome vocals and mournful lyrics are forever ingrained in my subconscious.

What are some of your new items you've debuted this year:

Back in December of 2009, at the suggestion of a friend, I created a kitschy "prayer" candle featuring St. Tammy, Patron Saint of Hairstylists. Those candles were such a hit that my line of imagined "saints" has since expanded to cover many of the domestic arts, such as baking, sewing, and knitting, with more to come. I'm excited to now offer 8 x 10" prints of my Sweetheartville Saints, as well as some of my other artwork.

Why are you so passionate about home made and old timey things?

As long as I can remember, I've felt this very real connection to the past and to my ancestors. I think some of it comes from being raised in a house built by my great-grandmother's own hands and from spending hours roaming the pastures and hay meadows of 300 acres of northeastern Oklahoma grazing land that belonged to five generations of my family. I think of all the amazing, resourceful, strong women that came before me and am just so humbled by how really hard day-to-day life was for them, and how they handled it with so much grace. What our great-great grandmothers went through just to put a meal on the table and dress their children in clean clothes boggles my mind. It's exhausting just to think about, but they did it with little complaint, because it's what had to be done. And then to think that in the midst of all this hard, physical labor they created so many beautiful and useful things--quilts from scraps, handmade furniture, embroidered linens and rag rugs. And a little more recently, our grandmothers made beautiful clothing and the most remarkable little (albeit kitschy) doodads, decorations and gifts from nothing more than jar lids, old bleach bottles and scraps of nylon net and felt.

My mother taught me to respect and treasure old and handmade things. Growing up, nearly everythingin our home was second hand out of necessity, but also by choice. I grew up going to garage sales and junk shops, wearing other people's castoff clothes, and repainting old furniture long before it was fashionable. I choose to surround myself and my own family with pieces of the past, and to make things by hand and from scratch when I can, because I believe that it's important to preserve the old ways and knowledge for my daughters. Our predecessors deserve to be honored in that way, and our children deserve to be empowered to be more self-sufficient, creative and frugal.

Not only are you a crafty gal, you're also one half of the musical duo "Welcome Little Stranger." Tell us about your music:

My mister (and best friend of thirteen years) and I write and record songs together as time allows, which isn't very often with two little girls underfoot! I pen most of the lyrics, and my ridiculously talented husband writes the music, plays most of the instruments, and engineers the recordings. He can play just about anything, and is first and foremost a rock n' roller, but he got a Bluegrass education when he met me. Our Welcome Little Stranger stuff is pretty dark and folky, with lots of Autoharp, dulcimer, mandolin, and gritty guitars. Many of the lyrics are inspired by actual historical events, such as the rather gruesome "Governor's Ball", based on the story of Big Nose George.

Are there any local shows going on in the future where Okie shoppers can find you and your wares?

Yes! I'm excited to be participating in Indie Emporium in Tulsa again this year on September 30th and October 1st, and I also plan to participate in Deluxe Indie Craft Bazaar in Oklahoma City on December 10th.

Audrey Eclectic Folk Art

Tasha Tuesday

Family Portraits

The Band Perry - All Your Life

Pretty::Lovely

Tasha Tuesday

Edgar & Alice

There once was a cowgirl...

The High Kings - Will Ye Go Lassie Go

Friday plans

These are a few of my favorite things...

The Truth of the Matter

Tasha Tuesday

Natural Beauty: Honey and Spice Mask

Rowena from the British Isles

Natural Beauty: Barley Water

Sailor's Valentine

Snow Day

False Spring

A January Commission

A Little House Musing

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A little muesli on the prairie

Art at Shades of Brown

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Vintage Style: Edwardian in the Modern Era

My Laura

*Made*

Little House Series: Prairie Girls

Yorkshire

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Brainstorming

Knitted Love

Edwardian Era, Okie Style

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Vintage Style: Downton Abbey Hair

Dapper Mr. Fox

knitting and planning

*Pretty Gray Things*

Lillibet

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Another New Beginning

Quiet start to the last day

Christmas Angels

Calm before the Christmas

Tasha Tuesday

New things, busy things

Alliday this weekend!~

Shop Udate: Originals Added

*St. Lucia Day*

A Deluxe Weekend

I'll be seeing you...

Tasha Tuesday-- St. Nicholas Day!

I'm dreaming of a Swedish Christmas

2011 Christmas Poster

Dec 01

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How To: Vintage Photo Christmas Wreath

A turkey tale & lovely sale!~

~Art Shows~

Haunting Girls

Down Town Angels

Bronte Bliss

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Candle Light Prayers

Christmas Goodies in my Shop

Hello There!~

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New Painting: The Revenant

St. Lucia painting

Winter Reds

Artful Blogging

Tasha Tuesday

Happy Halloween!~

Gathering the Greens folk art painting

New originals in the shop

Christmas Card--- final preorder Day!

Tasha Tuesday

~Sleep in Heavenly Peace~

Christmas Card Pre-Order

Made

Pretty Gray Things

St. Lucia Day