"Happy Place"

Yesterday I found some time to visit my "Happy Place".  It is nice to enjoy a few hours of down time doing something one loves.

We have fortunately had a very warm winter with little snow.  This weekend brought  a change.  Windy - cold - and some white stuff made indoors quite welcome.  Made a pot of chili...built a fire...and enjoyed a cozy afternoon in the studio.  Yes it was nice to be in my "Happy Place".

Hope you will take a few moments and share your "Happy Place". Would love to hear about yours. 

Have a lovely week.

Hugs

Debbie

"You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."  Psalm 16:11 (NIV) 

Plans

The new year has found me making plans.

   Here are a few...

              Paint more...

                   

 Spend time with old friends...

Find beauty in every season...

Read  about  places...

 

Eat lots of fresh fruit...

Get plenty of rest...













and last but not least...                                          


Take time to have fun!  

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans."   Proverbs 16:3  (NIV)

Looking forward to hearing what you have planned for the coming year.

Thank you for stopping by.

God Bless!       

Thankful

I am thankful for summer's bounty...

A face that makes me smile...

 

Hollyhocks against a blue sky...

Berries growing in the hedgerow

A mischievous playmate...

      and time to create!













Thank you for stopping by to say "Hi"!   Have a great day.

Things to Share

 

 

 Here are some things to share.   Hope they make you smile.

Mrs. Hummingbird and her spouse have returned for the season... they inspired me to do some painting.  

 

                                   Mr. Toad stopped by for a visit.    Hope he will stay for the summer.  

 

These pansies were looking for a home.   I think they found one.

 

The boys decided this was a great place to spend an afternoon!

 

 

Shelby thinks it is time for dinner.

 

She may be right.

 

Hope you are smiling.   Have a great day!

Journaling

There are many types of journals one can keep.   There are some that record the happenings of the day.   Others may contain your dreams, and thoughts.    Whether  private or shared they are a wonderful way of marking the passage of time.       

Over the years I have kept a variety.   When I was young there were those that were locked with a key.   They are gone now lost somewhere in the past.

  

In  high school one of the English courses required students to keep a daily journal.   It too is no more.

 

What has been kept and stored are my prayer journals.   They are filed away in a safe place.   Over twenty years I have written down daily prayers.   They are important to me...words not only of praise and joy but also concerns...personal and for others.   When I look back over these pages they encourage me.  They show me how God works.  

 Certainly there have been requests that have gone unmet.  Questions that may never be answered on this side of life.  

 

Who will read these prayers when I am gone remains a mystery.  Perhaps within the pages there may be a word, a thought, or even an answer for someone else seeking Him.  

For now though they are a recording of a life's journey.   

                                                              
                                     Thank you for stopping by.   Have a blessed evening !

Daffodils

With spring's arrival the daffodils begin to
bloom.  Cheerful visitors that are so welcome.   They come in many varieties.  There are fragrant ones, trumpet,  butterfly, miniature, small and large cup.   Some are yellow, white and even pink.   They wear such interesting names...
Spellbinder, Pheasant's Eye, Mt Hood.

A favorite past time of mine is gathering them to bring indoors to sketch.    A side view gives you a glimpse of their frilly centers.   My sketchbooks hold pages of these lovely harbingers of the season.

They are very easy to grow.  Not the least bit fussy.   Even the fancier ones seem to thrive in almost any situation.

 

 

 Over the years my beds have become rather crowded with different species.   It seems when the catalogs arrive in August my head says "no more".  My heart says "these would look lovely somewhere in the garden."   The heart wins.  When spring comes I am glad it did! 

Thank you for taking some time to visit.   Hope you enjoyed the daffodil tour .   Come back soon.

A Special Night

Tonight is special.  One year ago on this date I hit publish and the "View From Harmony Hills "  became a blogspot.

It has been an amazing year.  I have seen the world and never left my hilltop.  Traveling to the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Scotland, Italy, the Island of Malta, and all over the US has been such a blessing.

All of you have made me feel so welcome...you have invited me into your homes and shared your dreams, your lives and your loves.    Thank You!

I wish to express a special thanks to Diana M Davis .   She was my first visitor.  If you have never stopped by her blog be sure you do.   Her watercolors are breathtaking.   Barbara Joan  was the second to visit me.   Her encouraging words gave me the faith to keep posting.   BJ's art is extraordinary.   She works not only with watercolor but pencil as well.  Bless you both for making this "newbie" feel at  home. 

     

Blogging does take time and effort but the rewards are great!  God Bless all of you on this special night.   I am so grateful you let me share my view with you.    
  

 
     

   

A new technique

  I tried a new technique this weekend.   I had read about an artist spraying her drawing with workable fixative.  She used it to preserve her lines under masking.  

 

 

 To experiment I did a small drawing of a cardinal.   When it was completed I used Krylon's fixative.  Then left it to sit for about 15 minutes before applying Miskit. 

 

  After the mask was no longer tacky watercolors were poured into the background.   When they were completely dry I removed the resist .  The drawing had remained totally intact.

 

 

    

 Will certainly use this technique again in the future.  

If any of you have a tip that works well I would love to hear it.

Hope you all have a wonderful week-end .

Thanks for stopping by.  

Books...

Books make wonderful friends.   They can encourage,  inspire, and change how you look at the world.

In almost every room in my home there is stack of them lying about.  It would seem strange to not have something to pick up and read. 

When I was young I read mostly fiction.  Mysteries and romance novels were at the top of the list.   Now I more often choose something spiritual or uplifting that causes me to pause and think. 

      Hubby enjoys reading as well.  Often times we spend a rainy day browsing through a bookstore.

My personal library includes art-related subjects, gardening manuals, cookbooks and a few children's classics. 

 

                                 There is never a problem selecting something for a good bedtime story.      

 In fact I think it is time for me to go find a good book to close the day.

Have a good night.   God Bless!

My palette needed...

My palette needed some tweeking.  Sometimes there are just too many colors available.   I am like a kid in a candy store when it comes to buying a new tube of paint.

So this evening I got busy and  put my existing palette aside.

   

 

Exchanged it for this one.

  

 

   The colors I chose are Quinacridone red - Napthol red - Azo yellow - Quinacridone Gold (this is one of my favorites and I never like to run out) - Burnt Sienna - Paynes Gray - Phthalo Green - Ultramarine Blue - and Phthalo Blue.   The reason I included burnt sienna it can be exchanged for a red, paynes gray for a blue and phthalo green makes a wonderful dark when mixed with its complement.

 

 I then pulled out some lovely melrose apples - cut a couple of branches from my apple tree and gathered my butterfly (who is deceased but in good shape) to create a still life of sorts.

I took several photos and practiced a few drawings before deciding on a design.

Sometimes just making a few changes can lead to inspiration.

Thanks for letting me share.  Have a great day!

God Bless.  

 

It was a perfect autumn day for...

It was a perfect autumn day for the Algonquin Mill Festival.  Hubby and I have been attending this  annual affair for years.   When it first started there were just a few locals that got together.  They would have a barn dance and some refreshments.   Now hundreds visit this lovely spot. 

What makes the festival so successful is the careful planning that the historical society does to make everything special.  There is something for everyone to enjoy. 


              There is a train trip for the young...

or a wagon ride...

 

 

a bookstore...  

 

 

  a car show... 

 great music ...

and art. 

 

 

Of course this festival would not be complete without good food.

 

  

The chicken is cooked on an open fire.    One can dine at picnic tables or sit on top of the hillside.  I prefer the latter because the view is spectacular.

 

Hope you enjoyed the Mill Festival.   Thanks for coming along.    

 

Sunflower ...

 A sunflower is an inspiration.  It captivates attention.   Beginning as a tender shoot it grows tall.  The lovely head faces heavenward reaching for the light.  Bees and butterflies find rest among the unfurled petals.

 

 

  With maturity this flower learns to bend and twist providing shelter for lower growing neighbors.  

 

As summer's time starts the slow dance to autumn beauty becomes a faded memory.

 

 Growing old this plant continues giving.   The dried head yields sustenance to the birds of the air.

The sturdy stems age and begin to bough.  Remaining seeds fall downward.  They have come home for the winter.

 

When spring makes her return young sprouts will rise and life will abound.

 

 

"The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;"   John 11:25

 

Thanks for the visit - have a blessed week!