Gallery Showing Of Sorts

via moonandlion

Another Edition of The Talented Faces of Etsy

If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times. The talent on etsy amazes me. There is something for everyone to love. Something for everyone to be inspired by.  Let me introduce you to the work of some fellow illustrators and artists whose work I'd love to have.

First. Moon and Lion. Just found this wonderful shop yesterday. I'm loving the whimsical nature of Macky's art.

via moonandlion

Maybe this one speaks to me because I'm from the Granite State, where we 'Live Free or Die'. Come on people, you have to love that for a state motto. Don't mess with us Granite Staters.

via moonandlion

By the way, Macky lives on Mallorca, a Spanish island in the Mediterranean. Sounds heavenly.

Emma Leonard of Belafonte is an artist in Melbourne, Australia, where it's presumably the opposite of our cold, miserable winter weather today.  I think her work is just lovely. I just discovered Emma today thanks to a front page treasury.

via belafonte

The colors, the lines, the detail. Just lovely.

via belafonte

Sometimes I even surprise myself with my tastes. Apparently I like abstract work more than I realized.  I think it really brings focus on the colors of a piece.  I think Noemia Prada's work deserves more attention.

via noemiaprada

via noemia prada

Heads up though, if abstract just isn't your style, Noemia creates more than that.  She also has a lovely collection of romantic mixed media works.

via noemiaprada

Anita Rivera's work will help you dream a little dream. Her magical touches abound in her shop Castles, Crowns and Cottages. 

via castlescrownsandcottages

How sweet is this card from Anita's 'little blue coat' series?

via castlescrownsandcottages

Anita also has a lovely blog. Yup, you guessed it. Castlescrownsandcottages. You may want to check it out.

One last artist for you to share with you today. I really like Sara Feiss's illustration style. 

via sarafeiss

I also like the fact that I'm not the only one with a gazillion ideas running around in my brain.  Apparently, 'Julia' does too, thanks to Sara. However, it looks like Julia's thoughts are more about diamonds and mine are about projects.

via sarafeiss

Have you discovered any new artists lately, or rediscovered an artist you love? Let the cat out of the bag so we can all enjoy their art.  Feel free to share a link to one of your favorite artists. It's fun seeing the variety of work out there.

Sunset Meadows



I know, I know. I should walked across to the field for this one, but I had my she-booties (slipper-boots) on. And it was cold. There's no way denying this was a  real smokey kind of sunset yesterday. I love it when my work day ends like this.

Smokey, right? Would I lie.

Hope all is well in your corner of the world. Snowed overnight here. Light but enough to cover the ground.  A little punch of winter, before the temps rise again. Craziest winter weather, but I'll take it. I've had to haul much less wood this winter and that's not a bad thing.

Carpe diem, 

Idea File Growing

via decor8

The File Is Starting to Overflow

All I need is more time in the day, so I can actually try some of these 'crafty' ideas that have caught my eye lately, like those I shared on Saturday.  I keep finding more to add to the list, like everything in this post over on decor8.

I especially love this dreamcatcher idea.  You could really make this your own with different embellishments. Have to say though, I really, really like this one.

via decor8

Then of course, there is Sania Pell, who I've mentioned before. Thank you Cari for getting me addicted to this woman's work. She's not only a great interior designer, stylist, and photographer, she's also quite a crafty girl.

This tealight from vintage tart tin, looks like it wouldn't be too difficult to try.



Love the end result. The glow that the three wicks give off is so pretty. 

Sania doesn't just 'make crafts' though, she also wrote a book about it.

via amazon.com

May have to get my hands on that one. I bet she's got some fantastic ideas in it, and I love that the subtitle is '50 thrifty and chic handmade projects'. How can you go wrong?

The resurgence in crafting continues to grow and shows no signs of stopping. It feels like the right time for it as people look to spend less, yet still want pretty things in their lives that make them happy. 

Crafting also holds so many memories for a lot of us. I remember doing lots of crafts from a kids craft book my Mom had on the shelf (aside: Mom, do you know the one I'm talking about? Is it still around?). If I was bored, there were all sorts of fun projects. Another side bonus of crafting is that you can often do it with a group of people and it can be quite social which makes it even more fun.

I was lucky enough to feature some wonderful crafters/artists this past fall. If you haven't read these post already, you'll find some great tutorials from Kristen, Stacey, and Daena. If you're interested in sharing a craft/art in the next installment of  'Be Our Guest' on Mercantile Muse, just let me know by commenting below and I'll be in touch.

Am I the only one that has crafts on her mind? Have you been crafting anything lately? Or are you just filling up your idea file like me and waiting for the perfect time to dive in?

What's Happening Behind Me

No, this isn't a comment about my backside growing larger because I'm sitting on it all day in front of the computer screen. 

Just sharing today's take on 'it's a dog's life', as portrayed by Lucan.

Oh yeah, it's a tough life but somebody's got to do it.

Have a fantastic start to your week wherever you are and I'll do the same in my little office/studio.

Ciao for now,



Front Page News!

via allami

15 Minutes of Fame

OK, maybe not 15 minutes. An hour. Maybe not Fame. Just the front page of etsy. While I was getting ready to go to our friend's house last night, one of my etsy treasuries (which is kind of like a 'visually curated shopping list') made the front page of etsy. 

This is exciting for a few reasons. It helps the shops that are featured get noticed. When creating a treasury, you always hope that it will also result in some sales for the shops you featured. Well, the report is in and there have been at least 4 sales as result of my treasury making front page. This makes me smile. 
It also makes the shops that were featured smile. As the 'curator' it also helps our shop get noticed.  It's pretty much a good thing all around.  

Saturday Night, Saturday Night

We were off to our friends Ralph and Cathryn's last night.  Our mutual friends Phillip and Kathryn came up from New Jersey for a quick weekend visit. 

Luckily Ralphy got a picture of the appetizers. Pretty much one of my favorite things in the world. Fresh caught scallops.

The scallops were followed closely by fresh caught lobster pie. These are the things you have to suffer through when your pal is a fisherman. 

As you can tell by Phillip's face (and Gar's below), the night included many, many laughs. You know, the side splitting, shoot your drink out your nose kind.

Wish I'd remembered I'd had the camera when everyone was there.  Four of the rabble rousers - Sarah, Janice, Donna and Mark (make that 5 including baby Bella) had left when I finally pulled it out. Sometimes I wish there was a rewind button.

It was an all around good time with good friends. The best kind of night.

Cathryn stole Gar's hat for this shot.

Have I mentioned the dogs? Ralph and Cathryn are dog people like us. Except that they have three more than us.  They lost the Katey dog, which is sad. She was a good, scruffy little terrier.  However, someone new and equally nice, Catty, has found a place on the couch next to Ralph.

Famous Amos and Henny Penny lounged together on the other couch.  No, Amos doesn't have one red eye and one blue/green eye. But I just had to leave this picture as it was because it made me laugh.

Duncan opted to spread out in the kitchen. However, he was doing his best to avert his eyes from the camera, acting ever-so shy. Funny Duncs. Funny.

Love all these pooches.

Love the MacDonalds too. And the Lalimes. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I love scallops wrapped in bacon and lobster pie too. That's just a side note for Ralph.

Sunset Meadows

It was a lovely one yesterday.  I wasn't quick enough to get some of the really pretty colors, but I still got a couple of shots before it was done.

Hope you're having a slow-down kind of Sunday. It's sunny and windy here. Gar just went to get some groceries (thanks babe) and I have some work to do. When that's done, I'll enjoy the NHL all-star game with some Guac and chips.  Speaking of the NHL all stars, my bigZ man (seriously, he's 6'8" without skates one), Zdeno Chara, beat his own slapshot record of 105.9 miles per hour with a 108.8 missile last night.  Oh yeah baby.

See you on the flip side,



Crafts That Caught My Eye

via frompankawithlove



Saturday Crafty Link Love

I came across this image on pinterest. Luckily, the person who had pinned it had the source. (It drives me crazy when things aren't credited to their source. I could really have a say on this subject, but we'll leave it at 'it's just not right').  The source happens to be 'frompankawithlove', and panka offers a tutorial on how to achieve this magical look on her blog. 

via frompankawithlove

It looks pretty easy, although perhaps a little time consuming. A perfect project for a Sunday afternoon. I think the pay off would be worth the time spent painting the jar. I'd love to give a whirl, but for now it will go in the 'someday' file and I'll just enjoy panka's image of her glowing mason jars.

via from pankawithlove

Pretty cool, right?

I've had some chinese lantern projects swirling around in my head.  I am lovin' these and may do one of them for my office or over our dining room table to add a bit of whimsy.

This is the one that got me thinking about chinese lantern makeovers.  Good old Martha. 

via marthastewart

The tutorial uses double sided tape. I think I'd up that to hot glue.  I love the look. It's an inexpensive way to dress up a spot.

This tutorial for these chines lantern poms does use hot glue.  I don't think they're using them as lights, but I'm sure you could.

via perfectwedding

How about paper flowers? Looking at the way these are styled I think a few around a mirror or a picture, would be really sweet. (Thanks to Sara from Royal Regards for leading me to this via pinterest.)

via scrapbooksetc

If I had a spot for a vanity, this would be lovely. And easy thanks to the beautydepartment's tutorial.  I love the mix of romantic, soft edges and industrial, sharp edges (like the lamp). By the way, love that mirror too.

photo: patrick cline for Lonny Magazine post designed by: kristin ess

Great, easy as pie way of achieving the look above.

via thebeautydepartment

Are you crafting or thinking about crafting something? What's in your 'to make' file?

Moon Over The Meadows

Wow. The moon last night was incredible. Called my parents and sister to see if they could catch a glimpse, but no luck from their vantage point.  At out place, it was the biggest, most orange crescent moon every. It really was HUGE over the field. I really wish my camera could have captured it better. This really doesn't do it any justice.  

Sure, you can see the color good, but the immensity of the moon is not apparent at all in this picture.

It was a sight to behold.

Have a great Saturday. I'm at my desk as predicted and Gar's working on projects.  The sun is shining and it's actually warm enough to hang the laundry on the line. What's shaking in your corner of the world?

Ciao for now,



Right Out Of The Hat

Literally, Out of The Hat

We have a winner folks! I tallied the entries to our first giveaway of the year. Wrote all the names down, some more than once because they'd earned extra entries, cut them up and put them in the hat. My winter hat to be exact.

I put my hand in and pulled out.............

It's Ms. Cari-Jane Hakes, from Hybrid Handmade!  Can I get a whoop whoop?

I want to thank all of you who entered for taking the time to share the giveaway, check out our shop and comment. Sweet!

As for Cari, I'll contact you to find out where I should send your print. Congratulations!!

Speaking of Cari, she's got a really pretty FREE February Calendar desktop wallpaper you can download from her blog, Hybrid Handmade.  Check it out!

Keep your eyes open for our next giveaway that starts next Thursday, which will also mark the beginning of our next shop and blog link up party.

Until then, if you are an online shop owner, check out the shop link up/hop over on 'lifebesprinkled' and tell Thauna and Lizzi I sent you.  I also want to thank the gals for including my Grow Love print as one of the featured picks from the previous hop. Very cool!

Freeform Friday

This video cracks me up. Really. Cracks. Me. Up. Nothing like a little laugh to start your weekend off right. Click here if you're reading by email.

Have a fantastic weekend. Ours includes me working at my desk tomorrow at least for part of the day. Still on mission organization, but I am making progress.  Garman is will be trying to put a threshold in and some trim. Tomorrow night we're off to our friends house to see them and other friends who are coming from NJ for a visit. Yay!

Enjoy your day,

How Do I Love Thee?

Does A Free Printable Sound Like Love?

Because you're all so nice, I wanted to give you a free printable to download in time for Valentine's Day.  20 days and counting.

I think you guys are the best. My followers are always doing nice things, like mentioning Mercantile Muse and Bates Mercantile Co. on their blogs, linking to to the Muse, including the Muse on your sidebar, pinning, stumbling, facebooking and tweeting. Never mind simply following and leaving the sweetest comments. I appreciate it all. I really do appreciate it.

So, for you and your loved one, my take on the classic Browning poem. Utterly romantic with lace and a pretty peony, which is from an illustration I'm working on. Check out the homemade washi tape I used on the envelope (all I did was use double sided tape on a piece of one of my designs. Cut it out, stick. Easy peasy and a nice touch on the envelope, don't you think?). 

All you have to do is click the picture below and you can download the pdf.

via Mercantile Muse

You can also 'right' click on the picture above to save the image file to your computer and print.  'How Do I Love Thee?' has two cards per page, in case you happen to be playing the field, and can be folded to 4.25 x 5.5.

Feel free to share a link to this post and spread the love!

CAUTION: You're Time Is Running Out

Just throwing out one more reminder that our current giveaway ends tonight. So, if you like the 'Louis Louis in Pink' print, be sure you've entered for the drawing.

via BatesMercantileCo.

After all, someone has to win. Shouldn't it be you?

Have a lovely Thursday.  All is quiet on the East Coast front. Well, until tonight when we're supposed to get an overnight messy, wintry mix. 

Going with the flow,