.: Thank you for the beautiful comments you shared with me on my last post. It was truly a pleasure to read each one! :. .: Glass jar wrapped with wire and embellished with decoupage creates a hanging vase to grace the window :. While the snow still sits outside covering the earth surrounding...

Created by Algonquin, for Shelf Awareness.

I made a small handful of drawings and things for my Midway show. I wanted to have some little things that were affordable and added to the variety of work in the collection. The Twins & The Girl Giant both 8"x10" Pencil on paper Tattooed Lady & Tattooed Man both 8"X10" Pen...

This weekend, we had a few elusive days of warmth and sun in Portland-town. When I saw the predicted turn-of-weather coming up, we made up our minds to brave the crowds we knew would certainly be at the beach! We always do about the same thing: take a picnic, eat our lunch, stroll the beach...

I'm thinking about birds. How can I not? The birds outside my door make a gorgeous cacaphony--I guess the word for that is symphony--so loud, so varied, and so constant that it sounds like I'm in an aviary. It's remarkable. I've never lived anywhere with so much bird song. The sad truth is ...

Happy Monday!

It was a banner year for fruit trees in Nevada County. I just love this abandoned orchard with the vibrant orange persimmons and red Hawthorne berries. While it is a shame to see these trees neglected, the birds don't mind one bit, and they were busy eating persimmon jam when I stumbled upon thi...

The children have been drawing a lot of kings and queens lately in their artwork. I think this is largely inspired by all the Narnia stories we read them over the past year, plus the 'myths and legends' they've been reading at school. But in any case, I like this theme a lot. Over th...

I took these photographs of swans when we were on holiday in Germany at the end of last year. They were gathered together on a lake in the winter sunshine, and were somehow quiet and dignified. I came across the images this week on my computer and the lovely swans inspired me to embr...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long silence, but things have been movin' and shakin' at Violet Folklore. We have great news: the shop has done so well that we are actually able to expand into our own individual stores on Etsy! Amber is going to continue to run Violet Folklore, and Sasha has open...

Hello to friends and readers old and new, and welcome to the new blog home of Astral Boutique! Come visit my new Etsy store to see all the beautiful new things that I have found for you... and meanwhile, let's be blog friends, please? Now I think that, for a first post, an explanation of "ho...