Mother’s Day 2012

Here is wishing all of the Moms out there an early happy Mother’s Day. I am also sending a reminder to all of you out there with mothers to not let the day creep up on you. It is May 13, less than 3 weeks away. If you haven’t yet figured out what you are doing to let your mom know she is special, you need to hop to it.

Does your mom like to be taken out for a nice meal? If so, consider making your reservations now. Is your mom far away? If so, you can still treat her to a nice meal with a gift certificate to her favorite restaurant. Does your mom like to receive flowers?Whether she is near or far, you can arrange for a nice fresh floral arrangement or potted plant to brighten her day. You might also want to consider the gift of an everlasting floral gift such as my Mother’s Day Rose Matted Print. If your mom has a favorite flower, I may have a photographic art print of her favorite available such as this sunflower instead. Many more, but not all of my other photographic art images can be seen in my photo album on my business facebook page.

Whatever your mom’s style and likes, I hope that she appreciates that thoughts that you send her way on Mother’s Day.

May 2012 is Garden for Wildlife Month

The rains in North Texas this spring have done more than just refill the area lakes. They have also sustained lush spring growth that has supported a great crop of butterflies. (There are nine butterflies of at least 6 different species in this photo that I took last weekend of a purple flowering wallflower in my yard. Click the image to see a larger view.) If butterflies haven’t made it to your garden yet, you might want to consider ways to make your outdoor spaces more attractive to wildlife.

Because May has been designated as Garden for Wildlife Month, hopefully you will be seeing more information in the news about how to go about this soon. The basic needs of wildlife are the same as ours, food, water and shelter. Adding these elements for the wildlife that you want to attract, such as butterflies or birds, will create an attractive area for them and in turn they will enhance the attractiveness of your yard. You will find tips for upgrading the wildlife friendliness of your yard that would allow you to certify it as Wildlife Habitat from the National Wildlife Federation. If you are local and want some hands on help adding these elements to your yard, consider contacting me about my garden coaching services. I will be at the Downtown Arlington Farmer’s Market on Saturday, April 21 & 28 from 8 am – 1 pm with native and adapted plants, many of which attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Some elements that you might not have considered adding that will help attract insect eating birds are a variety of perches on which they can rest and survey your yard for a grasshopper or other tasty insect treat. Birds that fit this description that I have found perching on my fencing, trees and garden art and then swooping down on their prey are scissortail flycatchers, western and eastern kingbirds, bluebirds and shrikes. I’ve even had a red shouldered hawk, looking for rodents, perch on a metal obelisk in my garden. There are a variety of additions to your outdoor spaces that will attract wildlife. If you have been thinking about doing this, let Garden for Wildlife Month be the catalyst that gets you going on your project.

If you already have wildlife in your backyard, share a link to a photo of yours in the comments section of this post.

Thanks for the Treasuries - March 2012

Six different Etsians let me know that they had featured one or more of my items in a treasury during March. Seven March Etsy treasuries, that treasury makers let me know about, included one of my items. You can see a collage below of my items from EDCCollective and EclecticSkeptic that were featured during March. (Click on the collage to see a larger view.)

I really appreciate being featured by the treasury makers. To thank them, I have listed below (in alphabetical order) links to the 6 Etsy sellers that let me know that they featured at least one of my items, as well as an item from their shop that I like.

Enjoy window shopping and please click on the shop links of anything that catches your eye.

CorkyCrafts
Corkycrafts' unique wine cork wreathes and cork crafts make the perfect gift for the wine lover.

ElenasFelting
Handmade, original designs, felted garments, shawls, scarves, slippers and home accessories.

MarasFabric
Fabric supplies such as quilt squares and yoyos in addition to lovely handmade purses, placemats and more.

TheArtisansShop
This shop carries a variety of jewelry crafted using various techniques and a selection of crocheted items.

TheYellowRoses
Rag dolls, teddy bears, stuffed animals, pincushions, clutches, & wallets, handmade with love & great care!

WeeLambieKnits
Handmade and hand knit and felted hats, toys, infant photo props and gifts for children of all ages and the young at heart plus a touch of vintage.

Artist Spotlight - Purchasing Other Artist’s Work

I’m going to run out of wall space, that is all there is to it. I could probably do that just by hanging my photographic art and paintings but there are so many other incredible artists out there that I limit what I hang of my work. I have already added two other artist’s work to my collection this year.

While following some links on Etsy earlier this year, I came across the work of Dana Lysons and fell in love with her work titled “Little Wings” of a Pegasus foal. My husband liked it so much that it now hangs above his desk. You can find Dana’s work in her Etsy shop, DLysons, or on her website, Dayna Creations. Equines are her main subjects but her artistic talents are not limited to drawing horses. In addition to her original drawings and prints, she also accepts commissions for fine art pet portraits.

A couple of weeks ago, as my husband and I strolled through the new arts festival in Arlington, TX, Art on the Greene, we were especially impressed at the digital photographic art of Kathy Besthorn. There were many amazing artists at this festival but possibly because I also create photographic art, I was really drawn to this artist’s work. I purchased an 11x14 print of her collage “Airy Brilliancy”. Her signed and numbered work is also available framed, printed on aluminum and as gallery wrapped canvases. If you missed Kathy at Art on the Greene, you are in luck as she will travel to DFW from Kansas again this weekend. She will be at the Deep Ellum Arts Festival from Friday, April 6 – Sunday, April 8, 2012.