The Merriest of Wishes

The biggest "wheelbarrow load "wish for a happy, healthy Christmas and New Year! And a wonderful 2008 to one and all!

Holiday Harvest Open House...

My good friend Erika brandishing a gift-wrapped bundle

A little barn-shopping!

A wonderful find....vintage church pageant wings!

Is this Vixen or Cupid? Stephanie Lloyds purchase!

Mini cyprus and snowbirds don a coffee table.

My amazing purchase ...A mammoth, overstuffed down pillow...fitted with a french homespun grain sack... fashioned by Jerry and Judy....I can't bear to remove that vintage silk bow!

Jackie's fab find.....a pair of ticking strip down pillows....also, by Judy and Jerry.

Ken and Judy all smiles!


Thanks to all who braved the chilled temperatures to join in the feativities of Holiday Harvest -Open house. It was a great success!

I can't wait 'til next year!

what's your sign?

Thrilled was I to find the fab wooden sign to hang above hubby's tractor. Now, it didn't start out that way.

It originally boasted the phrase "The Proctor"....apparently pillaged off an old hotel no longer in existence. "Proctor" Sounding more like a doctor's title ...and one you hope to never visit.

Under intense scrutiny I noticed the faint remnants of even older paint...the sign was originally "Cottage Hotel". Ok, it's not like I cracked the Davinci Code....but I felt pretty good about my keen eye and amatuer sleuthing!

So knowing others had repainted before me...my guilt was alleviated.

With the swish of my brush and the change of 2 letters it suddenly morphed into "The Tractor" ....apropos don't ya think?

bling it on

holiday decorating....what can I say?!

fine lines

There does seem to be a fine line between love and hate.

Sometimes the line blurs so much it makes you cross-eyed.

Thus, my true feelings on Winter.

Just a few weeks ago I was whimpering at the thought of inching up the thermostat, belly-aching over the notion of warming up vehicles, and cursing Mother Nature for committing frosticide on my garden.

Suddenly I find myself gayly ripping out droopy blooms from window boxes ...only to replace them with boughs.

Relishing the idea of buying a new scarf.

Excited to shimmy into bulky sweaters and over-the-knee socks . (by the way here's a great site for them: http://www.sockdreams.com/ )
Sprucing up the house with glittering ornaments and sparkly do-dads that border on being gaudy.

I don't know when and how the transition to a love affair with this season happens , but it does.
I suppose it's like waking up to a foot of snow.......suddenly it's here and wonderful and you didn't hear or see it coming!

first place

best worst chip

finest freckles

most likely to blush

Wouldn't this be a great world if just anyone could win an award? ...You know, not just the most beautiful pageant winners, talented actors or the fastest runners...

Of those categories I'm left out of the running.

Now, if someone were to hand out awards for, say... "The Best Worst Haircut" or "Most Likely To Wear Braces" or the "Most Awkward Foot In Mouth Moment" maybe I'd have a chance. Kind of a celebration of life's foibles and imperfections.....Boy, wouldn't that be grand! Or perhaps with the proper pedicure I could take "Cutest Toes." A girl can dream...

I don't know about you, but I'm starting to feel like a winner already!

So, look for my "obscure" award paintings....

I will be drizzling them out as I conger the sentiments!

Check them out soon through http://earthangelstoys.com/

gourd gracious

So I know the one thought that's been on everyone's mind...nagging at you like an itch you can't reach ....a real head-scratcher for sure...

What do we do with all the pig manure that accumulates??? Answer...we compost it. Sorry to disappoint. I could make up something extroidinary like we are running our town on methane...but,sadly this is not Thunderdome.

However, the most exciting tale is that springing and sprouting out of the manure are the most amazing collection of gourds and pumpkins. All those chunky seeds all but forgotten from last Fall's feedings until Spring and Summer brings them back to life....a constant reminder that you reap what you sow!

last but not least

The New York Applefest is coming to Warwick !

The first weekend of October is apon us and so are the apples and art! Due to popular demand the "Bounty" Gallery exhibit has extended through this weekend . I will be at the gallery on Sunday October 7th. ......so if you come for the apples stop into the Country Life Gallery for a visit!

with gratitude

jill wiener, jennifer lanne, jen o'connor

With many thanks to ALL who made this first Gallery event a spectacular success!

to market

Just a reminder to come visit me this Saturday the 15th from 2-7pm at The Country Life Gallery in Warwick, New York. I'll have a "Bounty" of original artwork on display accompanied by a showcase of Earthgirl Pottery.
I'd love to see you there!

farm

Down the road a piece is a farm I frequently pass by.

To most speeding by it's just a blur out the window...mostly appreciated by foot.

It's not picturesque by most standards. It's a well-worked farm.

Barns with wrinkled siding, age spots galore....tin roofing unmatched and rust-ridden. Outbuildings broken and sway-backed. Vocal, twin silos like steam whistles with the wind.

All this anchored by a sturdy farmhouse that never really had a heyday. A farm with alot of dirt and grit under it's nails....... a crazy quilt of living space all stitched together by rolling fields and pastures.

But to look at what really matters...fields tended to with diligence and perfection.

Rows mowed straighter than a baseball field. Corn rows planted neat as pins....topped with silken tassels that flutter in the breeze. Antique tractors still going strong. Sights and sounds of content livestock.....4-H ribbons visible through the barn door. Hard work paid off.

pillow problems

Yup, I've got it......a thing for pillows. Squishy, down-filled, plump vintage florals, smooshy ticking stripes, velvety trimmed or ruffly.

My poor hubby.

I guess it's the way they magically transform even the more sterile space into lushness.

Oh, how I long to dive head first into a cushy cavern of overstuffed fluff! Not to worry! I haven't lost complete control of all my mental facilities...!

I dread that I soon may have to sit, sleep and relax on the floor as every available space will be occupied by perfectly parked pillows......why, fear not! There's always options...floor pillows!!!

windfall

It's the time of year I spend my evenings whiling away the hours in the apple trees.....It's not what you think. Erase the image of the dreamy ,English country-side , Jane-Austen vision you may have. The hammock sways empty.
It's me on a slippery, mossy slope bent like an ancient woman picking up the bruised windfall apples.
These little knobby gems pelt down from the sky with the rustling of the slightest breeze....easily filling bucket upon bucket. The day awaits that I will be beamed in the head by one of these emerald orbs.
And like Snow White... why, oh why can I not resist the temptation to taste one of these sour treats? They trick me every year with their plump apple-y appearance.....only to leave me with a sour-puss that only years of botched face lifts could achieve.

So why the self inflicted torture of collecting these crabbies you may ponder? I suppose it's the thought of all those little sour pretties being left unwanted that bothers me. Or perhaps the happy squeals of the pigs when they see me coming with a brimming bucket of windfall goodies.

save the date

Earth Angels presents

"Bounty"

Celebrating the art of Jennifer Lanne and Jill Wiener

a showing of Jennifer Lanne's original paintings complimented with a showcase of "EarthGirl Pottery" by Jill Wiener

Saturday, September 15th

2pm-7pm Open to the Public

at The Country Life Gallery

Warwick, New York

please email me with questions or directions

Don't miss it!

county fair

The County Fair rolled into town this week...complete with yummy food( testing the bounds of elastic in every article of clothing worn)....swirling rides, roaring tractors and my personal favorite...animals!

I shamelessly make a bee-line for the doe-eyed bovines. Each breed and color more dazzling than the next! Like an out of control tourist I rapid fire my camera...sadly filling my digital card much too soon. I scan the photos to see if there are any lemons to delete....not a one! How could I get rid of any precious image...after all they are my muse and fodder for paintings.

So I apologize now for all the silly, numorous cow photos......but look at those faces....the eyes have it!

out and about

Check out my feature in the August 2007 issue of Romantic Homes Magazine!