The Keepers of the Bees

Urban farming in Tacoma: Kim and Ryan set up a honeybee hive yesterday. They were gifted some old equipment from her stepdad, Harold, so that's why there is duct tape on her hood. :) It was very exciting there for a few minutes.  They had bees all over them at one point, but not one sting. Today the bees are flying around orienting themselves.
Next up, chickens! Our neighbor, Jordan, is setting up a hen house and said we could put some chickens in there too. I am thinking of getting Barred Rock Chickens, the black and white speckled ones. This is a stock photo:

innatvalleyfarms.com

Their Mother Waits For The Garden Week 11

I did add a new picture just now. Much better and cropped right.

We had a busy weekend and we are still hopping. Here's the listing for the $2 print on etsy

A giveaway! 8x10 print

I am going to give away 4- 8x10 prints. Just because it's summer and I appreciate my readers and I am terribly bad about answering comments. They can be any the 4 winners choose from my etsy store. Just leave a comment here and I will add your name to the bowl. The drawing will be on Sunday.

Year 2 Week 1 print project The Peacock Whisperer

Here is my new painting, and it will be the print this week, available for a limited time for $2 in the 5x7 size. I am offering also a subscription to my print project, in case anyone wants to just subscribe and get every print. You won't save any money, but it will insure that you get every print, sometimes they sell out rather quickly. I'm only going to offer this for a couple of weeks,

and if I get a lot of takers, I might adjust how many prints I do.

Both the print and subscription offer are on etsy.

Large Embellished Prints

I've been offering embellished giclee prints on my etsy site for awhile and I thought I would show what they look like before they are stretched onto the stretcher bars. These are two favorite paintings, the Queen Evangeline print is sold, the original was 18x24 on canvas and it has been a very popular print on paper. I added a bunch of texture to the print on canvas, and then painted all over it, so it looks just like an original. I really enjoy doing these. My husband has a LARGE epson color printer and it prints beautifully on canvas, but I miss the texture of the original so I have been basically repainting every one after he prints them for me.

The blue one, the original was 9x12 on wood that I sold a few months ago, and this is the first time I have made an embellished print of a smaller painting, and I think it turned out so good. I think it truly captures the feel of the original, which I did not feel was true of the repeat of the original I redid for myself. I sell these on etsy for $149 for the 18x24 size and $100 for the 16x20. I can do just about anything that is in my etsy shop this way, any print, you could buy a hand embellished print that looks like this. I might have to do some magic if the size is weird, but I can make it work. Don't look at how messy my table is, please. My husband came through his surgery just fine, but I am taking care of him in between doing my arty work.

I hope this makes clear what I am doing with these, but if not, please feel free to ask questions.

Week 48 52 week project Botanical Serenade

I really wanted to paint something new this week and save this one for the last week of my project, but it's just not going to happen. This has probably been my most requested print. I will make an 8x10 available when these are gone. It's on etsy here.

Thank you for your support!

Week 13 - 52 week print project "The House On The Hill"

Here is my new print, "The house on the hill"

Yes, I know, it's somber, and maybe dismal, and possibly sinister.

But I did have a great time on my vacation.

A 5x7 of this print will be on available on etsy for a limited time for $2. Free shipping

Click on the pic to be taken to etsy to buy it.

My Morning Walk

My little grandson Asher smiling. He is 9 weeks old and he usually goes with me, but not this morning.

a house whose garden i love

bearded iris

a pink azalea next door

little blue bells

magnificent roses

foxglove

a lime green tree

heart shaped leaves

poppies

I live in a really cool old neighborhood here in Tacoma and here are a few pictures I took this morning on my walk and one gratuitous picture of Asher.