~ Finished Folk Art UPDATE Tonight ~

For your amusement ~ here are the watercolors that will be available this evening,

you can click on each photo to enlarge ~

Visit my Etsy Shop TONIGHT at 6:00 EST

www.notforgottenfarm.etsy.com

then click on the *FINISHED FOLK ART* link on the left sidebar on my Etsy Shop Homepage

------> that link will be LIVE at 6:00 EST <------

:)

Blessings from the Farm ~

Lori

~ Ramblings and Such ~

On My Desk:

tiny glass-globed watercolor renderings

 encased in silver metal onto which one holds their scissors about their necks:

 ...and also a few original watercolor paintings, altho tiny ~ 

'housed in hand-painted and distressed wooden frames, for those who love all-sorts of magical garden-y sprites and things having to do with stitching and needlework.

 

and paper-y goodness of the cross stitch chart-type 

along with the beginnings of black magic marker'd sketches of the same design,

 but for those who ply their needles differently. 

 I rode the lawn tractor for 2 hours today ~

only to almost finish the entire grounds {6 acres}

when another downpour of buckets-full came down upon me...

~ making me then drive said lawn tractor like a maniacal Ms. Pac-man-on-crack to our garage.

Oy.

 

Wet but not deterred, shaken but not quite stirred...

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ I thought it Sprung? ~

It was Spring yesterday, right? 

*sigh*

oh well....

it's pretty and all, but ~

I really wanted to see some 

flowers and bunnies and spring-like things instead 

of grey skies and snow.

here is the view from my studio upstairs in this old farmhouse this morning;

although it is a snow day,

I'll create my own bit of Spring with my paintbox & brushes.

the one advantage of a snow day is that I can pretend that I don't have much to do.

{HA!....that cracked me up!}

nonetheless,

as much as there is on my agenda, 

I do have a rotten chest cold and need to rest up a bit.

 

so you'll find me quietly painting while the snowflakes wane,

enjoying a couple of cups of steaming hot tea with honey & ginger ~

 

and dreaming of wonderful warm

and flower-filled days to come!

 

Blessings from the Farm

 ~ Lori

~ Back to the Drawing Board ~

 Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

...a fine Spring day is ahead of us.

Clothes are washed & hung on the line to dry,

orders have been processed and upon my return from town 

 I will get back to doing what I love to do most ~

creating

I'm working on a few more notecards that I'm rendering in watercolors,

these are all sewing/stitching/needlework related themed ~

and I will be bringing them with me to the 

PSS Retreat/Merchant Mall May 5 & 6 

{they will also be available in my Etsy shop soon along with all new designs}

 

sketching is almost finished,

now on to the dipping of my brushes...

 

happiness is doing what you love,

... being blessed is being able to do that every single day...

 and never have it feel like it is anything other than magic ~ 

especially with the love & support we receive from our friends and family.

Have a most creative & beauty-full day my friends!

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ Joan's House Tour - Part 4 ~

Good Morning Friends & Folk ~

... are you ready for this? 

welcome to another edition of Joan & Art's Home Tour

 ~ The Laundry Room ~

 Part 4

if you're not a huge fan of doing laundry, 

you might just become one after seeing this:

Joan & Arthur's home is beautiful all year long, 

but it's in the Spring that we get to see some of their bulb plants blooming in the sunshine.

here's a small daffodil welcoming us inside...  

 

The Laundry Room is located on the basement-level in their home...

and to get there you must first come down this staircase 

to which Joan has added her magic touch ~

 

Joan has a talent for faux-painting ~ the block wall and stone are not real :)

Once we reach the bottom step....

 hello Laundry Room!

but it's not just a place where Joan does her wash...

it is yet another canvas that she has turned into something wonderful ~

filled with their collections and masterful artwork ~ as well as Art's craftsmanship in renovating!

the floors are not real brick ~ 

they have been transformed once again by Joan's hand, and the all-over stenciling adds such a folky-ness and warmth to an otherwise utilitarian room...

at every turn, you will see beloved treasures like the antique stove 

~ which is used to display vintage items...

tucked into a small cubby to the right of the stove

are just one {of many} things she collects

Drying Racks! 

she cannot leave one behind on her travels if she finds one {two, three, four...}

standing racks, folding racks, umbrella-type racks...

yep, she's got 'em..

Moving around the room to the left of the stove,  

Joan has set up an old tub washer...

and a beautiful green wringer washer!

 {with more drying racks of course}

Joan's love for detail and display are evident ~

as well as her talent for making things a little more beautiful,

 like the 'Pantry' door she painted on the fuse-box cover...
{and that stenciling!}

 Collections of antique wash-day toys are everywhere in this sweet room...

nodding towards the days when little girls were happy to play with things like toy washers, 

irons & ironing boards

 and miniature clothespin & line sets.

a collection of crocheted pot holders acts as a cheerful swagged valance  

for a ground-level window...

the window itself was hand-painted by Joan to brighten it up even more :)

there are water sprinklers everywhere, like the red rubber and the lady-shaped ones below:

{used to sprinkle water on your clothes to iron the wrinkles out} 

the shelf above holds boxes and containers from days-gone-by ~

soap flakes, starch & powders...as well as wash pails, sock and glove stretchers 

 ~ and a sweet 'mammy' clothespin bag

On the opposite side of the room, is her washer & dryer...

but I swear they seem to disappear due to all of the other lovelies around the room!

 above the washer/dryer is yet another shelf... with even more sprinklers!

 and old farmhouse sink, a painted cabinet....

just more goodness :)

more of Joan's handwork in the painted flowers 

on this cabinet above the sink ~ 

...and on a canvas floorcloth :

 

 a closer look at what is on the shelf above:

more toy washers, tiny red irons....

and of course, more sprinklers!

{{ the round red objects are portable/retractable clothes lines }}

 

It never ceases to amaze me,

the way my friend has with collecting and decorating ~

Joan brings so much happiness and fun to the world...

I'm blessed to have her in my life.

I hope you enjoyed this part of Joan & Art's Home Tour ~

as I have mentioned before, you ain't seen nothing yet!

 {we still have her kitchen, bathrooms, and the ever-elusive Sewing Room to share!}

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori

~ In Progress ~

Short posting today...

more little watercolors are in the works ~

hello

 working on a portfolio of paintings 

for a new line of folk art note cards

and loving every minute.

tiny details emerging on a black hen

feathers and foot-scales

will bring her to life.

 

 playing with colors and thinking 

this would also make for a sweet punch needle design!

Happy Friday everyone.

please be nice to each other out 'there'.

 

Blessings from the Farm 

~ Lori