lindambarrett

its still daylight!

Ahh, the feeling that you can get home at almost 8pm and still have daylight hanging onto the edge of the sky before night pulls its covers - is simply a beautiful thing.

I received as an added bonus, a soft grey light to capture the amazing (mind blowing) shades of purple-blue hues in my hydrangea, sitting outside my front door.

WOW, is all I can really say about the buds that offer themselves up in a crisp chartruese color - the perefect compliement to the blues - that only nature's brush can get so right.

I also managed a last farewell inhale past the departing lilacs on the bushes alongside the house -

then headed indoors - followed by my trusty girl "wrigs" - who i couldn't resist sanpping a pic of as she soulfully paused to relaxed on the couch - ready for some attention.

Why is it that behind the lens so many things in my life feel EVEN MORE lovely? 

Its true, life is good!

Linda

green favor accents

Nothing is prettier than a table accented with touches of nature's colors - especially when they can take them home and plant them when the are done.

The scent & site of grape hyacinths paired with some stamped favor boxes and matching place cards are the perfect welcome for any guest at the brunch table. I lined these favor boxes with wax paper and used seed starters to set the bulbs in (you can also cover them in light moss to keep them moist) - when the guests leave from your Saturday morning blue berry pancake brunch they can go home and plant their little bulbs. Come next year when they are pushing their green leaves up from the ground, your guests will have instant reminders of your gathering.

Above, I used our  white take out favor boxes from Paper Source - which I stamped in a lime chalk ink (super fast drying) with this versatile branch stamp prior to assembling with brads. I folded the flaps in for more sturdy walls and a clean presentation. Next, I stamped the place cards in the same ink and finished the names using souffle pens, in a complementing purple ink.

While it might be a bit late for grape hyacinths - there are so many another great plants to use - try pansies for a soft sweet aroma combined with a hit of color. They come in so many varieties this time of year and are a bright and cheery accent to any table , or garden!

Cheers and happy brunching!

Linda ~ love your life and do good!

 

rain or shine

Spring provides us with a mix of weather that paints the sky.

Full torrents of rain pause unexpectedly to display inter-mitten dapplings of golden light brushed across the horizon. Just when you think you know what mother nature has in mind she shifts gears and throws down a dialog with thunder booms to punctuate the sky.  

Rain or shine there is nothing quite like her spring display of sky shows. I guess we'll just have to wait to see what she has up her sleeve for tomorrow.

Enjoy the surprises.

cheers, 

linda ~love your life & do good! 

lily of the valley & lilacs - it doesn't get any better!

Every year at this time - bordering between spring showers, cold snaps and intermittent bursts of sunshine - I wait patiently for the tiny green petals to push their way up from the ground.  These little bundles of part elixir, part fairy magic artfully show their tiny bell shaped heads from under the cascade of accumulating petals that falls from my flowering tree in my front yard.

Ever since I can remember, the sight of lily-of-the- valleys little white bells have made me believe that dreams do come true. After all, it takes a wishful gardener with hope in their heart, to plant such a fragile looking specimen with a prayer that their roots take hold.  Low and behold – once they do they are forever growing and spreading with nothing to stop them!  Don’t you love that about those small but hardy plants!

But, just when you think it couldn’t get any better than the shy lily of the valley – there comes the abundant array of purple fragrance packed lilacs! Why their clusters of tiny waxy buds all bundled together creates an unsurpassed bouquet for the senses -  making everyone living west of the Rockies completely jealous of us chilled climate folks – if only for a few weeks!

These two plants are our spring jewels and while a part of me wishes they lasted longer – this fleeting window is what we all know makes them all the more special. Nature always has the best lessons.

Inhale, cut branches, pluck petals and remember to enjoy the moment while it lasts!

Cheers and happy May!

Linda ~love your life & do good.

murmuration...

what joy!

here is to hoping your Easter weekend is filled with the wonderment that is the reason for the season! That you might have fresh eyes for looking at the world around you.
Perhaps this video will help reinforce this experience...i have watched it now 3 times and each time I am more blown away then the first time.

http://vimeo.com/31158841

Enlarge the frame and then push your chair back a bit to really take in the frame...then just be ready to enjoy the wonderment of this site and the girls reactions. <3, <3, <3!!
cheers,
linda

april 1st - happy spring

the trees say it all... and if they can do it then so can we, so i'm getting ready for some growth this month - the pushing through the bark to form buds, then sweet abundant blossoms!  

nature is amazing in every way - making the best instructor.

cheers to spring!

~love your live & do good

linda

 

waking dreamscapes

if dreams crossed over into waking hours, then this is a view into my dreamscape; chickadees singing, red cardinals flitting between branches, long soft sweeping shadows stretched across the ground. I need only remind myself to stay still long enough to inhale the dewy light of the divine.

another look

yep...have another look!

while reviewing a few art projects i have in play, i've found that it is best to sometimes let things sit to allow for a chance to look at them from a new persepctive.   every so often these rests can provide you with a bit of information you hadn't seen the first time your brush or ink hit the paper.  next i need to decide whether to build my next layer (or perhaps rebuild an entire new page) - todays rainy slow day is providing me with just such an opportunity...now i'm ready to dive in again for my "messages lost in time" project...as the deadline is quickly approaching!   the verdict is in...start fresh on this one and keep pushing the ideas!

cheers, lmb

 

palm sunday

i believe that there really is nothing like a good walk in the morning with the earth under your feet to remind you that the day is a gift!

hope you have time today to enjoy the muted textures, the subtle light, chill wind and infinite sounds of life surrounding you - in all it's forms.

peace to you all on this palm sunday everyone ~love your life & do good

Coming to life

If we're patient enough,
If we're really looking,
If we trust and do the work,
Little signs appear, paprika and chartreuse buds push through with bold delight, and we remember- like nature demonstrates- at anytime we can come to life again!
love your life & do good~ lmb