Speaking of Lupin....

This is one of my favorite children's books....Miss Rumphius, by Maine author Barbara Cooney.

It's a story about Alice, who at a young age learns from her grandfather that in addition to her dreams of traveling the world and coming home to live by the sea....she must do a third thing...something to make the world more beautiful.

Alice does travel the world...and she does come home to live by the sea. And finally, to make the world more beautiful, she spreads lupin seeds all over her town....and becomes known as the lupin lady.

A few random Rumphius connections:

My son Sam, who is the one who called them "blupins," used to impress girls he was dating by quoting from Miss Rumphius...it showed his softer side.

I heard Barbara Cooney speak at an education conference when I was a teacher.  She read from her books and shared the process or her art....such a wonderful experience. 

One of the graduation requirements of Deering High School in Portland, Maine where I used to teach was completing a number of community service hours.  It was called "The Rumphius Project" promoting it as a need to make the world more beautiful.

My friend Jane has just moved into her home by the sea....and this is her lupin garden.

"Blupin"

A few days ago Paul and I went to Two Lights State Park to sit on the rocks and enjoy the ocean.  On the way we came across this beautiful field of lupin...or as my son used to say "blupin."

Our view...once we got there.

Photo Connection

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of spending a hour with Felice Boucher, an award winning Maine photographer, while she photographed our Maine house for the real estate listing.  She is an incredibly interesting and talented woman and her photographs are amazing...capturing special and unexpected moments in people's lives.  I thought this wedding shot was fabulous....check out her website!

Felice told me that she enjoys making her photographs look like paintings....and ironically enough her talented daughter Sydney Bella Sparrow makes her paintings look like photographs.  Sydney's paintings are breathtaking and worth checking out on her website!  Yes, these are really paintings!

Now for the listing photos.  Felice remarked how it's sometimes difficult to take these photos....she is often drawn to the art and personal touches in a home but that's not what the listing agent wants. We did had a good time talking about art. Thanks Felice!  

Not bad for a place almost completely furnished with hand-me-downs, thrift store purchases, and free stuff by the side of the road.  Only a small handful of things were actually purchased for this home.

A Splash of Color...

...and just in time!

The sign is up....the house is officially on the market...and showings start Friday.  The pink clematis helps with the curb appeal.                                                                              

Balance!

Needing a little more balance lately...
Actually what I need to do is sew....but it's going to be a while before I get to that. But that's OK...important things are getting done.

This is a page in my Pinterest inspired journal. I used a fabric background technique I learned from Ellen Lindner, a quilt artist I found on Pinterest. I fused and layered scraps of blue and purple batiks and added some wavy lined quilting. Then I fused and outlined the rocks. (did you notice the little gold vein in one of the rocks?)

Finally a border of free motion quilting to secure it onto a piece of card stock...and in the book it went!

Here is one of Ellen's quilts with her layered backgrounds.  I think she does a very good job with color.

I love these little collage quilts from a series Ellen calls "Notes for a friend."  I'm anxious to do a little mixed media art quilting and I will revisit her website for inspiration!

Destiny

I have spent a couple of days in Lexington tending to things....so you know what that means....a little puzzle time!  I'm making good progress...it goes pretty fast and it's hard to stop!  I think the lighter colors are going to be harder...but then again maybe not.

I wasn't going to do any more....then my sister called.  It's the perfect thing to do while I talk on the phone.  I am heading to Maine tomorrow for the week so I'm going to save the rest until I get back...at least that's the plan.  

Now for the destiny part. Earlier today something crossed my mind that I was looking for on my Pinterest video board....and you'll never guess what I found.  I had forgotten that I pinned a video in fast speed of a group doing this very puzzle.  Perfect gift for me Anita and Janet...it was destiny!

Check it out HERE.  It's worth the minute it takes to watch it...especially if you like puzzles.

The Raised Garden

A while back I talked about the backyard transformation at our house in Maine...and this is the second summer with my little raised garden I made using the old patio stones.  This year I decided to fill it in with a variety of hosta.  If new owners are not gardeners it will come back year after year....getting better and better.  If they are...I hope they enjoy playing around with it.

More Simplifying...

...and once again some of it is actually better.

I found this shelf at a consignment shop. Believe it or not, the pine cone is the state flower of Maine so I thought the little pine cone stencil was charming.  The long coastal painting is an original done by an artist who paints wall paper for doll houses.

I liked the assortment of beach treasures...but it is a bit awkward.

I changed the picture and reworked the shelf.  I think it looks better.

You can't really tell...but the 

picture is a lovely soft 

painting of a sand dune.

And the long coastal picture is perfect above the desk.

I liked my colorful collage wall....but simple is the 

word of the day.

Creative Energy

We are putting our South Portland house on the market in just one week.  It's all good and new and exciting things are on the horizon.  But getting this house ready to sell inside and out has taken a lot of my creative energy.  What was I thinking selling a house during garden season....but it's the right time.

It's an interesting and exhaustive process to sell a house...and I have done it a time or two...or three...actually this is the fourth.  My job has been to depersonalize without making it sterile and showcasing the space and surfaces, not the art and collections.

I needed to simplify the mantle.  It had to have something...but the baseball guys had to go....sorry Paul.  They'll be back.  I loved the shell lights in the evening....but they needed to go too.



I brought some special baskets from Lexington. My friend Jane made the three Nantucket Light Ship Baskets....and they added the perfect coastal touch.  I will be glad to have them back in Lexington....but they may help sell the house.

And if you look closely....one baseball guy remains in the living room...Pedro Martinez.  His book is right there too...under the glove.  This is the year he gets inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and maybe there will be one buyer who will notice and smile.



Before....a little too much going on...the after may be better.  That sweet lamp is now in the guest room.  

A Splash of Color

The view from the inside of a junk store in Searsport, Maine.

 The view from the outside.

Speaking of Gradation of Color...

...I saw this image on Pinterest and thought it was exceptionally beautiful.  I tried to track down the original source and didn't have any luck.  So whoever put this together...nicely done!

I think there's a few of you who might care....I got the green figured out on the puzzle. Half of it is done on the blue side....and the other half bleeds off the yellow side. Next I get to work into the purples and pinks. I'm really enjoying this puzzle!  It's easier than I thought it would be and I like working in the color chunks. And I was right...it has been good for me...giving me time to pause during these busy days.  

It doesn't look anything like the box...

you wouldn't even know it's the same puzzle....yet.

Now It's Complete!

I posted back in March about the tree quilt Joan and I made for our newly renovated church.

At the time of the dedication the interior memorial garden was all torn up and still under a ton of snow.  Our goal with this quilt was to connect the inside to the outside...and now that the garden is put back together it all makes sense...and the garden is beautiful I might add.