The Dogwood Berry...sign of Fall

Our little Dogwood Tree leaves have been turning hues of red.
The berries are all over the tree. I know this is a sign of Fall.
So, I simply wanted to share on this HUMP DAY!
Autumn is only a few days away...are you ready?

Bountiful Blessings

I have been busy with decorating and cleaning the house for the Autumn Season. So, it triggers me to also create within the seasonal theme. I have created 4 simple (blank inside) cards and just listed them in my Etsy store, My Creative Itch. I have created over 50 cards within the past several days and these seem to be my favorite.
The others are very detailed and sometimes...it is the "simple" that means the most to someone when you give it with love.

(click on photo to enlarge)

Well, I must really get on with my Autumn preparations.
Have a great Thursday and I hope I have inspired you to create something, "simple."

The Apple Season

You gotta love great apples! There is so much one can make with an apple. A simple and sweet fruit with so many culinary possibilities. Last year we went to a farm that was close to our house and the apples in this cart were for the air gun. Yes, an air gun. Brian and Brianna shot apples out of the air gun into targets out in the field. The apples were actually pretty good, too. I love the Apple Festival in Elijay, Ga. It was the tradition of "us" girls to take the day and leave early and have breakfast on the square and begin our antique shopping and Christmas House gathering. The coolness of the morning where we have to wear sweaters and by mid-day it is much warmer and we shed them. We visit our vehicles intermittently throughout the day filling up the backseats and trunks with our personal finds and a few Christmas gifts as well. The aroma of apples, cinnamon, and hot apple cider fill just about every single store we enter and there is the background noise of the University of Georgia Bulldogs on a television set behind the counter or in front of a love seat, strategically placed so that husbands and boyfriends can take a load off and sit a spell. In their arms is always a bag or two. The square has benches all around the sidewalk areas and those too are filled with testosterone bodies that need that break and somehow bonding with the same as they sit and wait, patiently. The cobblestone sidewalks filled with Fall shoes hurrying about and whispers of "look what I found!" Giggles from ladies that are truly in their Fall element of finding that "one of a kind," even though the store keeper will bring out another item that is the same as soon as the patron leaves the store. It is a day that lives in my memory. These days when we packed our cars full and headed home. On the journey back down from the mountain we always had to stop at the Apple Barn. Purchasing homemade apple pies, apple cider, apple bread, cinnamon bread, rolls, apple sweets, and gathering those yummy sweat potato yams for our holiday cooking that would soon be upon us. Grinning from ear to ear and a red wagon full of our goodies, we sit one by one in the car as the other props our finds in our laps as we have filled every compartment in our car from the days treasure gathering. It is a ride back home that we treasure and cannot wait to show our families the goodies that we have found and only in our little minds we think that "no-one" has the same thing. Our children quickly find the apple goodies and we grab our husbands to help bring in our gifts so that we can stash them away for holiday wrapping. It is late, our feet are tired, our legs like jello, but we are home safe and all is happy in our hearts. This is what festival time is all about. Early rise, good food, conversation, shopping, and savoring the aromas that trigger our senses. Yes, it is always a great tradition to just simply "hang with the girls."

This is a memory I treasure, I will miss it this year...

Air and Light

It's almost September 1st. Have you noticed a crisp gentle breeze in the air? How about the light? It is changing and seems to be clearer to me. The nip in the air is on the brink of Autumn. I can see small changes in the leaves of the trees. The corn in the fields has yielded its last and is becoming tan, brown, and dried. The sure sign that the harvest season is here. Summer is my favorite time of the year. I must admit though, I am looking forward to Fall in Kentucky. There are more hardwoods here than there are pines. So, I know the Fall color will be spectacular.

But I am still keeping one foot in Summer and

I want to share my Butterfly Photos with you that I took in mid-August at the Butterfly House at the Lost River Cave.

It was a wonderful HOT day to be sure..but we enjoyed venturing out and getting to know what is around us in our new city.
Hope you enjoy the photos as much as I do.
(update: everyone said my post was in code, I hope you can see it now-not sure what was up with blogspot)

My Creative Itch

Did you know you can scratch My Creative Itch? HA! Well, I took a small leap and started putting some of my art out there on Etsy and see what happens. I have much more to upload but these are what I created on Saturday while the family was in Atlanta. Please feel free to make comment. You will NOT hurt my feelings.

So, here goes...Tree of Life


Maple Jewel


Maple Jewel-Loner


POP-Rooster

Be sure to check back in my little Etsy Shop as I will be uploading more paintings.
Thanks for taking a gander.