Signs of Spring

Yesterday was clear and cold, one of my favorite kinds of days. Bright blue sky, light breeze, really nice. Driving along, we spotted these pretty pink flowers. As I am taking photos, I am thinking...what is it's name.......quince! Flowering quince! So delicate, a hint of Spring, just around the corner.

I received this lovely award from April, the incredible talent behind the beautiful creations in applelovesorange and appleblossomfl, via her blog, the Musings of the Momma.


Proximidade is described as follows:'This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!' This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites. You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog. And so I award the following eight bloggers for their Proximidade attributes:

Handicrafts
mkc photography by Michelle Ciarlo-Hayes
Felted Treasures
Finding Inspiration Every Day
CurlyfrySC's Collage
GiggleberryCreations
Personal Treasure
Photography, Art and Motherhood

Please visit their blogs and their etsy shops!

New in my etsy shop....

This is one of my favorite photographs from an amazing vacation to the bay area of California with my mother and stepfather. We had taken a day trip down the coast toward Carmel. It was cold, windy and gray. We were fascinated by the churning water off the coast near Point Lobos. These little birds were all around, hoping for a snack from one of the groups of people nearby. I love the starkness of their black feathers against the gray sand. And this little group reminded me of a group of friends meeting for dinner....


"Table for Seven" now available in my etsy shop.

What a proud day for our country!

Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.
Barack Obama

A Terrific Opportunity for ACEO Artists

ACEO - Art Cards Editions and Originals - Tiny pieces of art of any style or type. They may be mixed media, painting, photography, really any medium, with the only "rule" being that they measure 2.5"x3.5".

Those of you who create ACEO's (Art Cards Editions and Originals), should check out Create.Collect.Trade, an incredible collection of ACEO's contributed by artists and school children, in a beautiful coffee table book. The driving force behind this project is Nicole Hanley, of art2theextreme. In addition to being a ceramic and printmaking artist (her etsy shop, art2theextreme, has something for everyone), Nicole is an elementary art teacher. Nicole has written numerous grants to support this project, and has worked tirelessly to promote, organize and produce these beautiful books.

The Fall 2008 edition will be shipped any day now (I can't wait to receive my copy!), to schools in 15 U.S. states, Nova Scotia and Australia. What an incredible way to expose children to this interesting and collectible art form!

For more information on contributing your ACEO's to the Spring 2009 edition, to purchase a copy of the Fall 2008 edition, or to donate a book or money to support subsequent editions, visit Nicole's blog, Art2 the Extreme or her Create.Collect.Trade blog, about the book itself.

Now for a peek at the Fall 2008 edition (which I am so excited to be a part of! Look! Jazz is on the cover!).........










So take some time to read about this incredible project. Create ACEO's of your own to contribute to the Spring 2009 edition. Purchase a book for your local elementary school, or for that young (or that not-so-young) artist in your life! Discover a fun, affordable and interesting new way to collect the art you love!

Some days, the sky is just amazing

Any of you who follow our 365 day project know that I am fascinated by the sky and clouds. It seems lately with this crazy weather, that the cloud patterns have been especially interesting and beautiful. Yesterday, as we were leaving school, my children and I saw this.......



Everyone in the car said, "Oh, look!" And my two older children said, "Mommy take a picture! " What a gift!

Saturday Night Special!!!

Happy Saturday, everyone!

My Saturday night special is a BOGO free sale! With each purchase, you receive a second item of lesser or equal value free! Just let me know which item you choose for your second item in the notes to seller section. I can either send you an revised invoice or refund your discount through paypal.....so take a minute and browse through my etsy shop - find something for someone you love or maybe even a treat for yourself......


Glimmer (available as an ACEO or a print)



blank photo greeting cards



"sail away with me"



"Dinner and a Movie"



Lovely, glass photo pendants



"Gift"

Thankful for the little things

One of the greatest things about having young children is the daily reminder they give to me to notice the little precious things all around us. As a photographer, I tend to do this automatically, but it is amazing to look at things through their eyes and see it with the wonder they have. Here are a few of the little and not so little things I am thankful for today........


tiny green frosty leaves



An incredible sunset


Driving down the road yesterday, I hear from the back seat......"apple......apple......apple!" He said "apple!" His first food word!




And being in the right place at the right time...

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend!

♥xo, allie

A Pleasant Good Morning Surprise

What a wonderful surprise when I woke up this morning! I received an email that I was included in a feature on the blog Confessions of an Etsy Stalker ! The feature also includes other artists who donate a portion of their proceeds to charitable causes.

Curator Beatrice chose my downtown architecture cards, which are available in the EtsyforCharity shop to include in the feature......




Thank you so very much, Curator Beatrice! Please visit her blog, Confessions of an Etsy Stalker , for thoughtfully curated collections of incredible etsy finds. But be careful....if you are like me and have trouble resisting etsy temptations, you will have to muster a lot of restraint before enjoying her collections!

Congratulations! The winners are........

Thank you so much to all of you who entered my Tiny Little Framed Print Giveaway! I appreciate very much your sharing your holiday traditions with me. So many great ideas! Once again, my three little helpers all wanted to draw a name, so, the winners are.....


In third place, and the winner of an ACEO of her choice from my shop, is Kim !

In second place, and the winner of a greeting card of her choice, is Alison Du Bois !

And the grand prize winner of a tiny framed print of her choice, is Handicrafts!



Thank you all so very much for participating! Stay tuned for the next giveaway!