I’m not sure where the summer and fall went, but I realized today that I haven’t posted in two months! I thought things would slow down after we got through the move to our new house last spring, but we’ve been inundated with projects to oversee and decisions to make since then. We’re finally seeing […]
Category: Around the Home
Everyday Pandemic Days
Sketchbook journaling is all about capturing our everyday lives in visual form, so I’ve decided to start a pandemic journal to chronicle the strange times we’re living in. Here are the pages I’ve been working on the past few days… Ink & watercolor in a 3-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ Moleskine Japanese Album journal In my pandemic […]
The Evolution of a Time-Lapse Sketch
I’ve been experimenting a little this summer with using toned paper, in preparation for a new class I’ll be teaching in San Clemente, CA, in November, and Keeton’s Art Supply in Bradenton, FL, in February 2019. I’ve tried Caran d’Ache colored paper, Strathmore toned paper, and Stillman and Birn Nova sketchbooks. My most recent attempt […]
The Most Adorable Ruffled Lampshade On Planet Earth
Here it is! The most adorable ruffled lampshade you’re ever going to see… And it belongs to the most adorable baby in the world! That’s my granddaughter, Callista Rose, just 18 months old . She’s the sweetest, cutest, funniest little girl, and I just love her to pieces! When her mom was decorating Callista’s new […]
Trapunto Cornice with Custom Applique + Slipcovers
As a change of pace from talking about sketching, painting, and travel, I thought I’d show you what I’ve been doing in the drapery studio lately. My most recent project gave me a chance to put my embellishment skills to the the test, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. Take a look… Dupioni […]
Tucks + Quilting + Applique = An Elegant Master Bedroom
For the past several weeks, I’ve been working on a pretty bedroom ensemble for one of my favorite customers. A lush cream-colored cotton sateen with a silky sheen was her fabric of choice for the bedspread and pillows, with accents of antique gold sateen. The gold fabric echoes the color of hundreds of brass nail […]
Seven Pretty Valances for Bed and Bath
Although drapery panels have dominated the custom window treatment market in many parts of the country in recent years, my customers have never gotten over their love of valances. They’re pretty, practical, reasonably priced, and stylish – all great reasons to use them in any room of the home. Here are seven great valance styles […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 74-75
At last! The final two days of my 75 Day Sketch challenge! I thought it would be a good idea to draw some of the summer flowers on our patio before the first frost nips them. These “Wave” petunias are my favorite. They’ve flourished throughout the summer, and are still thriving, despite the cooler fall […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 56 & 59-61
Continuing with my project of sketching all the rooms in my house, here are a few views of the breakfast area that’s part of my kitchen… This antique cupboard is filled with old china… All sketches are 5-1/2″ x 8-1/2″, drawn with a Noodler’s flex pen & Lexington gray ink A slipcovered chair in one […]
75 Day Sketch Challenge: Days 52-54
A couple of years back, some of the students from my Summerhill Weekend Sewing Retreats nicknamed our attic guest room “The Penthouse”, and we still call it that today. It’s way up at the tippy top of our Victorian style home, which sits on a hill, so the view from the attic window almost makes […]
