Special News.

This September there is also something special going on inside my body!  Can you guess it?

We are SO excited and happy and nervous and overwhelmed and overjoyed and all of those things that make this experience so special.  I'm sure there will be more here on how we are preparing!  For now... I'm gonna go take a nap ;)

Happy 4th of July!

We walked down to the river to see our town fireworks last night.  I've been spoiled, because I think the NYC fireworks are the bees knees.  Needless to say, we were impressed with what our new locale had to offer in the night sky!  The weather was serene down by the pier, not too crowded and the fireworks were dynamite!  On the actual holiday we had a lovely (and hot!) BBQ.  Games, food and good old fashioned family fun.  I will still watch the NYC fireworks on television tonight...but it's nice to know that our local flavor will offer us some great future 4th's! O boy do I love the colorful concoctions in the sky!  Hope you were able to enjoy some too!

June

In June our butterflies hatched, our flowers grew, we ate delicious meals, played outdoor games, took walks, planted an herb garden, went to Muscoot Farm, saw movies, ate ice cream and enjoyed life.

What were some highlights for you this June?

For the Love of Life

Oh, I love I love I love! I cried inside myself. So many people, so many things! Music and stars and snow and weather! Oh, if one could always feel this warm love, this excitement, this glory of the infinite possibilities of life!    ~Madeleine L'Engle

Frog Song and Fox Sightings

Taking a lovely walk around the pond last weekend, there were many frogs singing their song loudly on the lily pads. I was lucky enough to catch one in action!

And if you can believe it, I continue to see a neighborhood fox. I am super siked every time a sighting occurs. Sometimes this happens in our yard, or the neighbors yard, or sometimes it's crossing the street on our way home from work. Any which way I get, I am so excited and stare as long as the fox allows.  Usually the fox moves too fast to catch a picture, but this time it was just staring us down. I snuck in a quick shot before it was gone.

And if all that wasn't enough, this spring the fox had babies. Amazing.  Little fox running in the yard. A baby fox is actually called a Kit. O the wonderful things you learn (and see) when living in the woods!  If you look closely you can see one run by the shed in the back of our yard.

Baby Swans, Chicks and Butterflies, oh my!

...or should I say cygnets, were born this week at the bottom of our street! I am in love!

 

...and many chicks were hatched in the first grade classrooms!  o boy do I love chick season!

tweet tweet tweet.

...and the caterpillar's are creating their chrysalis as we speak!

I have been raising three of my own. Caterpillars that is. Honestly, it has been so fascinating to watch them grow. They started as a tiny spec you could hardly see.  Then slowly they got bigger and bigger, getting fuzzy, growing legs, and then..they started forming their chrysalis!  I can't wait for them to turn into butterflies so they can roam free in our yard!  This experience has inspired me to start a butterfly garden this weekend...insanely fun!

Quilts!

I enjoy sewing crazy quilts!  Quilts where I follow no pattern, and just have a grand old time moving the fabrics in and out of the machine, attaching colors, shapes and patterns together!

This was my first quilt ever!  It is made of old clothes and fabrics I had laying around.  I had a lot of fun making it, however there were many issues it had including bunching and a weird backing.  With that though, I was really happy with it, its bright colors and funky movement.

Next I decided to try a log cabin esque quilt, using more old clothes belonging to me and my hubby, and more random fabric I had lying around.  This one, although I did not expect to like so much, I really do!  It started out as a picnic blanket, and has made its way to our bed on occasion!

Then I decided to try a quilt with a more polished approach.  A quilt where I went out and bought specific fabric to make it, and tried to keep with a pattern I created and a straight edge. All and all,  it was a learning experience.  I like it.  It is soft and colorful..but I love me a crazy quilt! I think I prefer a personal connection to the fabric and a more relaxed process, rather then worrying about a straight edge.

The most recent has been a comforter cover I made in black and white.  One side has squares and a few stripes, and the other side is big solid blocks of rectangles, squares and stripes.

Next, I hope to make a tee-shirt quilt, using parts of old tee-shirts I have been holding onto for way too long!  Maybe a summer project!?

Transformations.

The weather has been quite beautiful!  The warm beauty has allowed for some early gardening and time spent in the yard.

The flowers blooming. The birds chirping. BBQ's. Laying in beach chairs.  Eating homemade ice cream. Making art. Taking hikes. Planting things.

Spring is in the air.

On the weekends we have had some time to be creative around the house.

First up, the front door.

 All though nothing was wrong with the dark green, except some minor chipping, we decided it needed a bright fun color to spark it up!  I thought turquoise would be lovely, but my husband won me over, and we got sparkling apple.  I was hesitant at first, but I'll tell ya, it has grown on me.

So far we have received a thumbs up from a neighbor walking her dog, and another neighbor came over to say, "I love the door!"  My mom said, "wow as soon as I turned the corner all I could see was your door!"  It's true.  It is definitely bright!  Later that very same day we used the rest of the paint on our mailbox. Lovely. 

Next, up..the wind chime.  The wind chime was here when we moved in.
It was hanging by a thread, literally.

The wooden pieces holding it together were broken and the string was unraveling, the chimes hanging.  But hidden behind leaves, it still made a pretty sound, so we kept it.  However, after that crazy snow storm in October, the whole thing fell to the ground.

I watched it, on the ground, in pieces, for many weeks, from my kitchen window.

Many times I almost threw it out and bought a new one.  One day I sat outside and tried to glue it together, but it completely crumbled.
Then I really almost threw it out.  I don't really know why, but then I mustered up some perseverance, and took the whole thing apart and re-built it with things from my studio.  A brass ring, wood, hemp, and turquoise duck tape.
The new wooden pieces, you may notice, were painted with sparkling apple!

Now, the couch pillows!  My mom moved into a cute new place.  I took her old couch pillows and gave them a fresh new look!  Now they are a hot new item on our couch.










And for today...the bistro set!

I sent this picture to my husband from a very cool estate sale.

(Along with many others throughout the day, while he was at work, on a Saturday, to which he continuously replied, get whatever you want.)

It was marked at $30. I asked, how about $10, he said $15, I said $15 with these books, and he said okay,  I said deal!  (on a side note the books are super cool! one is hand colored from 1888!..score!)

Anyway, back to the transformation. This weekend we took sand paper and some turquoise spray paint to it, and heellllooo new bistro set!

I love a transformation way better then something new.. most of the time.

Lemon Drop Cookies

 I love citrus!  A squeeze of lemon in my water, over seafood..in a cookie!

A few weekends ago, my husband and I went over to our neighbors house for a cup of tea.
I brought the cookies!  It was a lovely and relaxing afternoon.  Watching the birds fly over their pond, (see below) sipping tea with honey straight from their hive..and let's not forget the cookies..(see left)!!





 I got the recipe off the blog two peas & their pod.  I came across this blog via Pinterest. O boy do I love Pinterest!  The cookies themselves were pretty good, but next time I'm in the mood for a lemon cookie, I am going to try these!

Celebrate!

I recently turned 32.  Really.

Even though I am getting way older than I feel.. faster then I imagined, my birthday is still a day I look forward to!  This year was no exception.  My birthday, like a new year, is a time to reflect and dream.  Reflect on things I have accomplished and dream of things I hope to.  It is a time to celebrate life and love....and o boy do I feel loved!  From the special gifts and homemade treats to the friends and family that helped me to celebrate life! Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time to make me feel special.  For helping cook a delicious meal, for sharing a drink, for singing a song, for a thoughtful gift and kind words.  Thank you for making me something with your bare hands and for saying happy birthday with your heart! 
As I get older I feel quite happy!
I am grateful for my life, and this 32nd year ahead!

                                                                            Love is Poetry of the Senses.

10 months later

Friday's post was from April of last year. Just sitting there, in the edit folder, for the last 10 months!  As April is quickly approaching again, I've decided to try and really blog.  Will it be true?  Only time will tell.  Almost 10 months into our new home, and I feel reborn.  What a change.  A great new chapter in this exciting life!  It is all I could have imagined and more. I feel as if my heart has grown 10x, like the Grinch.  I picture my heart busting through that wire box. ahhhh happiness!

Back to Nature

My husband and I finally moved back to nature!  We met in college in the magical beauty of upstate NY, a place that I could have envisioned living forever.  But, after receiving our degrees, we moved into the big apple for work "for a year or two."  Ha!  8 years later, we still love our jobs, but our living situation left much to be desired. I know the city is a wonderful place to live for many people, but for me, not so much.  All I wanted was
TO SEE: colors, flowers, plants, trees, snow, birds, leaves. TO BREATHE.
TO WATCH: the seasons change, magical sunsets, clouds pass, my cat run (really run), snow fall, wind blow, the stars, the moon.  TO GROW.
TO HAVE: a parking spot, bar free windows, quiet, space, fresh air, a car, a BBQ, washing machine, a garden and a place to make art.
To take walks whenever I feel like..beautiful walks right from our doorstep.
To drink tea while listening to an old record.
To cook delicious meals in a spacious kitchen.
To have wonderful neighbors who engage you in lovely conversation.
To have friends and family gather in your house and share in your joy.
...this list could and will continue.

Well, after much back and forth about what we want to do with our lives, a marriage, travel, jobs we enjoy, (and are lucky enough to have), life changes, ups and downs, and going from 24 to 31 in literally the blink of an eye (scary!) ...we finally moved!  And not just a small move, we now live in the country!  Legit rural living.  And I love it!

What's not to love?!  So now, I have been re-inspired to share my daily experiences and Belle Stories!  This blog is a place where I would like to share the unfolding beauty in my daily life. Whether painting, sewing, teaching, gardening, walking, reading, cooking, eating, sharing ideas/questions, crafting or finding a good deal (I now love garage sales!)  I hope you enjoy it and get inspired!

The Quest.

Beads of a Pharaoh

Hey!  So I'm starting a blog. I have been thinking about it for awhile. My brother ran with the idea and so I decided to finally hop on board!  ...aaaahhhhh Inspiration!

So the low down:  I LOVE making art and I LOVE teaching...but I find it hard to give my all to both.  Don't get me wrong, I am making art and being creative.. but not nearly as much as I'd like.  I wanna go back to making art regularly; I was happier, less stressed and I believe, had a greater perspective on life.

In this blog I would like to document my quest to consciously keep the creative artist alive in my everyday life!