So sad Brooke is leaving......

I am so sad and surprised. We watched American Idol tonight and were just so disappointed to see that Brooke White was going to be going home. We just loved her so much and are so sad that she's not going on to the show next week. She is so talented and pretty and has such a fantastic personality. I know she will be very successful, though. She is such a sweet girl with such a beautiful voice. I am sure she will have a wonderful career. We will miss her cheerful, happy, optomistic personality. I wish we could send her an email to tell her how much we will miss seeing her happy face. Does anyone know if there's a way to send emails to the American Idol singers??

It's difficult now for anyone in these final weeks of this incredible show.....all the singers are good, so hopefully they will all be blessed with wonderful careers and good choices and happy futures.

New Pieces on our Etsy shops!!!

I wanted to announce that both Mike and I now have Etsy shops!! I've had one for quite a while and I just helped Mike start his own Etsy store the other day! He's so excited and so am I. He's all ready sold 2 of his pieces of furniture, well actually 4 (one is a set of three pieces, an artist's set....a really cute chair, an easel and a table with paints and brushes. It's really wonderful). So, he's doing really well on his Etsy shop all ready. It's so fun. There are so many wonderful artists on Etsy. The more I look the more I find. Here's a few that I've really enjoyed visiting. Also, the name of my husband's Etsy store is:

MycyclesArt

My Etsy store is

sunflowerhouse

If you just look under usernames, you'll find them, or there's a link at the top right hand corner of my blog where you can click to go to my Etsy store. I'll have to find out what Mike's actual address for his Etsy store is and then post it.

Here's some of the artists that I've found lately that I really like: (don't know their exact store address, but if you just go to Etsy and look under usernames, you'll find them):

GinetteCreations

EstherCoombs

meredithrainey

ChristinaRomeo

ArtofAndrewDaniel

BetsyWalton

Seasprayblue

SaraHearn

Enfinlavoila

cathynichols

davidvmoore

suili

pedrosprout

behappynow

Beautiful pictures from some of my favorite books.....

Hello dear friends.....

It's a Saturday and I'm excited because Mike and I are going to work on a new little film. We've set up an entire scene with our painted mountain and sky backdrops, cardboard painted mountains, little characters and the wonderful trees that Mike has made. We've really had so much fun creating a new little world to film in right in our small apartment. I'll be posting about the film soon.

I was thinking recently how I love salvaging things. I love old broken instruments, tattered books, torn papers and old eye glasses that are falling apart. I love saving things. If anyone has anything like these I would be very interested in purchasing them from you or trading one of my works of art for them. Different things that are old, worn, tattered, forlorn and lonely and need appreciating....I have a long list of things I love and am interested that I will have to post soon.

We're going to go to a new shopping center today that we've not been to, so that will be fun. It's so much fun to get out on a Saturday to see different new places, have lunch, get out in the fresh air with lots of people. The weather here is finally getting warm and beautiful.

Hope you all have a glorious day today.

Debbie

Looking for wonderful shop space to rent!!!

Hello everyone....

It is very late and I cannot sleep again. Just thinking too much, but I am not really tired so I'm all right, although I am sure in the middle of the day tomorrow I will probably be exhausted. I just am feeling rather down and discouraged and just really wish my life was going in a different direction.

Do any of you ever feel that way???

We have been working on our children's film for several months now; well, more than several months. I am getting to the point where I just wish we were finished. It seems like we are always in our apartment working on things.....I miss being outside and out in the world with people so much! We do get out every day.....we go to the store or the library, to the park or to a movie, etc. But, we're not really being with people enough, talking to them, laughing, having fun, etc. It's terrible to get so lonely!! That's one of the reasons why I want a shop of our own so much!! Mike and I have wanted to open up a wonderful little shop of our own for such a long time!! We have talked about it over and over again.....how we would decorate it and paint it beautiful colors, have pretty music playing, always serve fresh baked cookies or grapes and cheese or something.....just to give people a happy boost and a smile. We'd have beautiful art and handmade things of every kind. We would have art classes, storytimes, little plays put on by children....we have so many wonderful ideas for our shop! We just need to find a space to rent!!! We've been looking and looking but just haven't found the perfect place we have dreamed of. Of course, we know that might be very difficult to find, just the PERFECT place, but we certainly would like to find something close to it, if possible. We want to find a little space that is quaint, cute, charming, clean, in a busy area where lots of people walk and drive by, a place that we can fix up and make our own and take care and just bring a light and a smile to!!!!

So, I wanted to ask if anyone.....anyone at all.....knows of a wonderful little shop space that might be available for rent or lease.....we could even buy a small building if it isn't too much. We really would like to find something in California, Washington, Oregon or Utah. (My biggest dream would be to have a little shop in England somewhere, too....)

We would be wonderful tenants/shopkeepers.....we could fix up the building and make it the most charming, beautiful little shop ever!! So if you do know of anything that's like what I have described.....PLEASE let me know. We are so, so, so anxious to have our own little shop! What a dream come true that would be!!!

Thank you everyone and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Debbie

Spring is the most welcome of friends!!!

I am so happy to see the trees happily showing their pretty spring leaves.....it seems like something we would not ever see again, here. The winter has been so long and difficult. Still, even though spring has shown it's pretty flowered headdress all around the fields and gardens, our area thinks sometimes it is thrust into the cold of winter yet.....we had snow several times last week.....almost blizzard like conditions. Did not last long, but still.....can't winter take it's long nap and let us have a respite, at least for a while?!! I am sure soon, it will retreat into wherever it goes during the beautiful spring and summer months and we will not need to see it again for some time. I do love winter, bu only for so long! I am so deliriously happy to see the beautiful green grass and the pretty, sweet-smelling blossoms and hear the birds singing happily! My favorite time of year, of any time. Spring is lovely, happy and sweet, like a dear little child. I have been trying to get myself out of the winter doldrums and it's been quite difficult. My husband, Mike and I are working on so many projects. It seems easy to get discouraged and lag behind where we want to be. My question for today's post is just about that very thing.....discouragement! I wanted to ask....

"How do you get through discouragement and keep working on something that is very important to you so you can finally accomplish what you have dreamed of doing??"

I would love to hear from anyone with some encouraging words and thoughts. I hope you like the pictures I posted today. I will come back later and tell you where I found these lovely, inspiring, delightful photos. I hope you have a beautiful day! Thank you dear friends for your visits! I am so grateful for you! Happy Spring! Debbie