Hello and welcome!
I am a mom and a photographer - and spend most of my time trying to balance these two wonderful roles.
Please visit my etsy shop, where each purchase benefits Reach Out Childrens' Fund: www.allieart4children.etsy.com
I scored a treasury for the first time in forever! Enjoy the gorgeous colors.....the Etsy POE team has such talent!
It makes me happy just to look! Wish I could buy them all! Click on the screen shot above to visit the treasury! From there you can visit the shops of all these amazing artists! Clicks and comments are welcome and appreciated!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated in our Spirit of Christmas Treasure Hunt! I truly appreciate your taking the time to stop by and look at my work. Your kind words made my day, and I loved hearing about your favorite holiday traditions and activities. Thank you for sharing them with me.
Here is a list of those who qualified for the ACEO drawing on my blog:
angelandspot lilyhydrangea Linda Pruitt Splendid Little Stars Noble Beeyotch pinkglitterfae ArtistSueTaylor patk860
And now, the winner is........
ArtistSueTaylor
Sue has won her choice of an ACEO from my shop. You may see my ACEO's here. Congratulations, Sue!
Be sure to check at the other blogs to see if you have won there too!
I will be taking a little break from the treasure hunts in order to focus on some other blog posts. I have enjoyed getting to know my treasure hunt team members very much, and appreciate their patience, kindness and friendship. I am thankful that Etsy brought us together! You are all incredibly talented and tremendous fun, and I feel honored to know you!
This is Biscuit, one of our new dogs. We adopted him from a shelter in July after our sweetheart, Dodger, died at age 14. Biscuit is such a sweet puppy - as gentle as can be. He is a fairly tall dog (Australian Shepherd and English setter mix), but he tries very hard to sit in my lap. You can also see Gabby, our other rescue puppy, coming into the background. I love this photo of biscuit - it shows his patient, loving side very well, I think. (And I love those whiskers!)
Now for a look at both of them. This photo says a lot about their personalities - Biscuit blinking during the picture, and Gabby smiling! Gabby is also an Australian Shepherd mix (we think a type of spaniel, or maybe spitz). We found both dogs through petfinder - a terrific resource! Gabby came from TEARS. For more information on the TEARS shelter, look here. It broke our hearts to lose little Dodger, and we will always miss him. Gabby and Biscuit are helping us heal, and for that we are very thankful!
To learn more about this weekly photo challenge, and see other incredible challenge entries, click on the button above or here to visit the I ♥ Faces blog!
To learn more about this weekly photo challenge, and see other incredible challenge entries, click on the button above or here to visit the I ♥ Faces blog!
Thank you for taking the time to stop by! ♥, allie
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by December 11th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." ~ Norman Vincent Peale
These photos were taken last year at our local zoo's light festival! It is truly amazing how lights can make everything look magical! We love to go "Christmas tree lighting," which means driving around and looking at all the holiday decorations.
What are some of your favorite holiday activities?
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by December 11th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
It snowed and snowed, the whole world over, Snow swept the world from end to end. A candle burned on the table; A candle burned. Boris Pasternak from 'Dr. Zivago'
Each season has its own wonder, it's own special place, and purpose in the pattern of creation.Anonymous
The frost performs its secret ministry, Unhelped by any wind. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Some of nature's most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale, as anyone knows who has applied a magnifying glass to a snowflake. - Rachel Carson
These Winter nights against my window-pane Nature with busy pencil draws designs Of ferns and blossoms and fine spray of pines, Oak-leaf and acorn and fantastic vines, Which she will make when summer comes again-- Quaint arabesques in argent, flat and cold, Like curious Chinese etchings. - Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. -Robert Frost
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love." ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie
Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more." ~ Dr. Seuss From 'How The Grinch Stole Christmas'
Mankind is a great, an immense family... This is proved by what we feel in our hearts at Christmas." ~ Pope John XXIII
Thank you so very much for participating!
Wishing you all joy and peace this holiday season! ♥, allie
Thank you so very much to all of you who participated in the Fabric of My Life Treasure Hunt! We always have fun putting the hunts together, and enjoy seeing our friends return and meeting new people!
And now, drumroll, please........The winner of her choice of ACEO from my shop is.......Pinkglitterfae!
Please take time to visit pinkglitterfae's delightful blog, Pinkglitterfae Art, and her enchanting Etsy shop, pinkglitterfae, to see her incredible paintings, prints and ACEO's.
Thank you again for your kind words! Please come back the first week in December for our next hunt!
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
Welcome to our November Treasure Hunt: The Fabric of My Life
In this hunt, you can get to know us a little better! Thank you so much for your participation!
Something that was especially fun for me this time was that I noticed that the fabric of my life - all the things that matter the most to me - are truly woven together. They are all connected, related, intertwined.
Some of the images I have included in my posts for this hunt are listed in my Etsy shop, and some are not. If you are interested in any of these images, just let me know. I love custom orders and am happy to work with you!
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
I am incredibly blessed with a husband who is my best friend and four children who are my heart. I can't express in words what they mean to me, so I won't try.
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
Animals have always brought me so much happiness. I have been blessed with loving pets, who have been some of the best friends I have had. And I never tire of learning about any type of animal. Their beauty, strength, adaptability and diversity are enchanting, and set a good example for me. I am an avid birdwatcher (yes, I'm one of those people with a life list.) Birds to me are like angels or constant friends reminding me to look up, and keep going. I am thrilled that my husband and children share this love with me. The creatures in this world are another reminder of God's incredible love for us. Such abundance!
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
From my earliest memories, I have had a fascination with nature - the details, the textures, the colors. My loving mother tolerated box after box of seashells, rocks, nuts, feathers, abandoned nests. She (and anyone who has ever spent any time with me) tolerated my endless stopping to get a closer look, to touch, to take a picture. I still find pressed flowers in our books. My Nana (my maternal grandmother) can name any flower or tree, can grow anything, and she, along with my mother fostered in me wonder and awe for the world God has given us. I am thrilled and very grateful to see this same fascination in my own children!
I could go on and on (and on).....but I won't! Some of my favorites again......
Muir Woods
Fairy Tale Pumpkins
Marin Headlands
Botanical Gardens Fort Bragg, California
Blue and White
Coral poppy
wonderland (also in Fort Bragg, Ca)
Mr. MacGregor's Garden (kale at the botanical gardens, Ft. Bragg, Ca, and yes, I am a huge Beatrix Potter fan! )
Photography has always been a part of my life - my mother was also a photographer, so it must run in my family! It has gotten to the point in my life now that I begin to feel a bit anxious, and have that "something's not quite right" feeling on days when I haven't taken any pictures. My children also see my camera as a part of me. When they see something they find interesting, they say, "Mommy, take a picture!" knowing that the camera is with us.
I am so grateful to have the opportunity to pursue this passion. Photography is healing for me, calming, centering. Looking at life through a lens and trying to capture that fleeting moment, that scene that speaks to me is joy.
An unexpected benefit to opening my Etsy shop has been the incredible friends I have made, through Etsy itself, and through the groups I have joined POE (Photographers of Etsy), EFC (Etsy for Charity), and FAM (Fabulous Artistic Moms). It is wonderful to connect with kindred spirits. I have learned so much from all of you, and feel honored to call you my friends.
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
I cannot live without books. Thomas Jefferson
So, as you can see, reading, for me, is bliss. A library or bookstore feels like paradise to me.
The four photos above are tributes to some of my very favorite books. Any guesses?
a stack of my mother's books
her notes, bookmarking and underlining - precious.
I just started The Secret Life of Bees yesterday, and I am loving it! What are you reading right now?
Thank you so very much for participating in this treasure hunt! We have fun putting them together, and truly appreciate your stopping by! And remember to..........
Comment at least once at each of the 6 blogs by November 6th at 12am EST to be eligible to win 1 or more ACEO's, one winner will be chosen from each blog.
fleeting
welcome
communion
Mary
angel
Giving
blowing milk bubbles
summer toes
dancing girl
hot cross buns
make a wish
Listen
Muir Woods
Fairy Tale Pumpkins
Marin Headlands
Botanical Gardens Fort Bragg, California
Blue and White
Coral poppy
wonderland (also in Fort Bragg, Ca)
Mr. MacGregor's Garden (kale at the botanical gardens, Ft. Bragg, Ca, and yes, I am a huge Beatrix Potter fan! )
a stack of my mother's books
her notes, bookmarking and underlining - precious.
