Feel the Magic!

Hard to believe we are saying goodbye to another month as
December 1st comes knocking at the door.

Hours become mere minutes, and minutes seen like seconds
when I spend WONDERFUL moments carefully preparing
cheerful boxes filled with bright and festive holiday treasures.

The northwinds have begun to blow, here in the Plains, and the
sky has turned to a snowy colored gray. A chill in the air, the
sounds of Christmas music drifting through the house, and
baskets of BEAUTIFUL ornaments decorating my studio are
definitely the PERFECT way to start a holiday celebration off
on the right foot.


There are only a few days left to purchase SHIMMERING Aviary
Delights from my little shop. So be sure to stop by and pick out
a unique hand-made treasure to grace your home or give as a gift
for someone special!

May your heart be merry and light as you bask in the warmth
and MAGIC of this Joyous Season!

Aviary Delights and Holiday Treasures

There is a REAL MAGIC that surrounds this time of year!

When I remember the joyous moments of Christmases past,
I think about the excitement I felt as a child when my father
arrived home with that fresh-cut evergreen. This always
signified the beginning of the holiday season in our home.

After the fragrant tree was properly positioned in the living
room, mom would pull down a box of decorations from the
top shelf in the closet. My sister and I would carefully help
her unwrap delicate ornaments that we had made, such as
pipe cleaner candy canes, popsicle stick stars, glittered egg
crates turned into silver bells, along with Santas and snowmen
made of construction paper and cotton balls.

Each one a cherished treasure, and even though they were a
little worn or a lot worn for some, the evergreen always
shimmered and sparkled with our handcrafted artworks.

Oh, how I LOVED, every year, bringing home from school
some new decorative adornment. Mom made sure to give
it a place of honor, usually front and center on the
Christmas tree.

Although I have graduated from using egg crates, and
construction paper, those endearing memories are why,
even today, I find myself longing to create BEAUTIFUL
holiday ornaments to grace not only my own tree, but
also those of my friends and family.


I am THRILLED you have come to The Red Door Studio's
Etsy Holiday Open House. My little shop has a limited number
of Glittery Aviary Delights adorned with Antique Glass Tear
Drop Crystals that are sure to PLEASE!

These hand-made treasures will only be available starting today
through Saturday, December 5th. There are also several other
wonderful new notecards and decorative tags that are on sale,
so be sure to browse.

I am also providing Free Gift wrapping, along with a
Free Snowflake Ornament and Free Limited Edition
Print for all Nature Inspired Book Orders made
during the Holiday Open House. Please contact me
directly at TheRedDoorStudio@yahoo.com to purchase
a book.

And finally, for every purchase made, your name will be entered
in the Holiday Open House Giveaway. On December 6th, a winner
will be announced and that individual will win a Vintage "HOME"
Garland.

My sincere wish is that these holiday ornaments, book,
and other treasures will be the perfect piece to decorate
your home, give as a gift, bring you joy, and perhaps
cause you to revel, if only for a moment, in the
MAGIC of the season.

Happiest of Holidays to you and yours!

Illuminations

We are expecting snow today. My thoughts
whirl and dance just thinking about big white
fluffy flakes drifting past the windows and
the beautiful glow that will fill the house.

The soft gray light of Winter is so much
different from the light cast in the Spring,
Summer, or even Autumn. This pale illumination
of nature creates a deep sense of peace within me.
The same peace and hushed silence that also
blankets the landscape when snow is falling.

Winter is such a reflective season, don't
you think?

Abundant opportunities to ponder both
memories and anticipations when settled
into a warm place, perhaps near a crackling
fire.


So here, on the cusp of a new season, the
chilly north wind carries away the remaining
leaves from the trees, the days grow short,
and I find myself reminiscing on the moments
in my life for which I am grateful.

The Journey of Journalfest

There is always something exciting about
a beginning.... the Journalfest Retreat debut
was an extremely delightful way to recharge
the batteries and fill the creative well.
Attending was a reward to myself for a year
of hard work growing my art business.

Each of the workshops were wonderful and
unique. I learned so much and the best part
was the skills, tips, and techniques I gleened
were ones I would use again here at home.

My adventure began on Thursday with
The Painted Word, taught by Alex Shur.

The image at the top of this post is my
absolute favorite! It is a picture of Ruby,
a Butterfly Fairy, amidst a lovely cottage
garden. Her beau, the Butterfly Man, is
pictured below.

Alex was a master at gently guiding her students
as we fleshed out such lovely little creatures,
like Ruby, from random painted blocks of color
on a page imbued with poignant words as
texture in the background.

I plan to frame my picture of Ruby and
her garden, and I have even considered
creating a few more, possibly spinning a
a small story from my efforts... wouldn't
that be FUN?

The following days were spent with Stephanie
Lee. On Friday I participated in Handbook of
Elements.

After vending next to Stephanie at Artfest in April,
and coveting her luscious soldered journals, I just
knew I had to make one for myself.


I am so pleased with the results. I just
need to finish binding the pages and
decorating the spine with bits of lace
to have a fantastic solder journal of
my own!

On Saturday, Stephanie moderated a writing
workshop, Unraveling Word.

It was an insightful day as individuals pushed
fear aside, writing honestly, then sharing words
and thoughts with our group of twelve.

I am happy to report that the experience
help to jump start me back into a writing
habit. I even created a small space in my
studio for just writing and journaling,
nothing else.

And GOOD NEWS, Stephanie is now offering
a month long, on-line journaling workshop similar to
her Unraveling Word class. If you are interested in
participating find out all the details... here!

The entire event ended with a Saturday night
Journal Jam, complete with a live band to
entertain us.

The place was ROCKIN' in mere minutes,
once they started to play.

Autumn Reflections

Dapple rays of sun cascade through the dining
room windows during late afternoon. Such a subtle
invitation from nature to come outside and regale
all of the last bits and/or what-nots from another day.

It is a beautiful November upon the Plains with
stunning, glorious colors on parade. The trees
are now starting to look slightly thread bare,
but there are still wonders to behold, as the
branches of tree and bush reveal their hidden
treasures that have been tucked away safely
amidst a curtain of summer's keeping.



I am finally home for the remainder of the year and
glad to be living that almost hermit like existence
once again... traveling, doing, being is all wonderful,
but my heart was missing the comfort of this place,
this space.

My mind has, over the last week, been slowly, and
carefully reminiscing each of my recent experiences.
Plucking out those sweet moments of pure delight,
committing to memory the faces of happy students
as they discover they can really truly paint, revisiting
encounters with new and wonderful persons, hearing
the exchange of words from heart felt reunions with
old friends, and the continuous revelations of getting
to know and understanding myself better.


I have also been quite the writing fiend during
these first days at home. All spurred on by
attending the most delicious workshop called,
Unraveling Word.

But I digress, as I want to make a proper post
sharing all of the intimacies regarding Journalfest.
However, I must share one of my latest writings
with you...


'The earth and I walked hand-in-hand,
down a path of golden wheat, and rolling Plains,
humming the melody of a sparrow's song,
with Autumn's warmth caressing our dreams."


(Update 11/8: Artist and Author Stephanie Lee is
offering a month long, on-line journaling workshop
similar to her Journalfest - Unraveling Word class.
If you are interested in participating find out all
the details... here!)

Such Splendors

Halloween has come and gone in a flurry of leaves
and Trick-or-Treaters. Fall continues onward,
delighting us daily with an outstanding parade
of color.

Such beauty to behold... all of this has me giddy with
anticipation to compare Autumn, here amidst the
Plains, to the beauty of Fall in Orvieto, Italy...

What will be the same, I wonder?...

And, what will be different?

I, along with my friend and adorable mother-in-law,
Marylin Huskamp, would like to extend a personal
invitation to you.

Come with us and see the magnificent Autumn
splendor of Italy for yourself!

Our trip is planned for September 2010. Check out all the
FABULOUS details of our upcoming adventure... HERE!