Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

House staging

Our old house is back on the market. Our realtor convinced us it would be worthwhile to "stage" several of the rooms. I remain unconvinced. If I am looking at a house to buy I want it clean and empty. I can imagine my own furniture there better without the distraction of other furniture. The realtor makes a good argument that many people, especially younger buyers are not blessed with that ability and need the reassurance that normal furniture fits and looks good in a space. Ray is convinced. My daughter agrees. I am outvoted, but willing, at this point, to try anything!  The stagers did their thing on Wednesday, so Thursday we dropped by to see how it looked.

Here's the living room and dining room view.

Um, OK. I was actually expecting something a little more like the period of the house, but I think this looks OK. Here is how it looked with our furniture.

They placed the sofa in front of the window, which leaves a nice long view of the two rooms. I mostly had our sofa dividing the two rooms. The staged version shows off the condition of the oak floor pretty nicely, I think.

I like how the new old light fixture reflects in the mirror on the mantle.

This same corner when we lived here.

I am not at all fond of the bedroom setup they created. Seems way too "hotel-y" and frou-frou for the house, but it does demonstrate how nice and spacious that bedroom is.

We had it packed full of furniture!

The realtor warned me that the homeowners usually hate the way their houses are staged, but there is a reason for the way it is done. I'm OK with that. I actually find the strategies interesting and hope she is right about how well it works.  What do you think?

From the archives

 

Last week I posted a photo of my Elizabethan doll, one of the patterns I designed in the '80s to sell. Here, just for Easter, is another of my pattern designs. Bunnies. These guys were really complicated to construct, with lots of pieces and darts to shape them. I made a bunch of them, but the patterns did not sell well. I think I sold all the bunnies I made. I don't have a single one left. I don't think I even have a pattern left. I found this photo in a box of old photos. If I ever turn up one of my patterns I think I'll try making one using wool felt, something that was not available back then.

Looking back on these things, I wonder what I thought they were for. I think people liked to make seasonal "decorations."  Big dolls and Santas seemed to be popular. I remember selling patterns in my shop for Uncle Sam figures and bears and bunnies dressed in Victorian clothing! How odd. For me, creating the pattern was the fun part—just figuring out how to do it. I certainly never have been big on having stuffed animals sitting around my house. And these aren't cute and floppy enough for toys. Maybe I am just now getting some insight into why they were not big sellers!

Nothing balances, but it works itself out...

I recently answered some questions for an online interview and one of the questions was something like, "How do you achieve balance in your life?" I laughed and answered that I don't even worry about balance anymore. It would drive me crazy if I thought it all had to "balance." Never will.

One night this week I looked out the front window as I was heading off to bed and could see the moon through the trees. I can't even remember the last time I saw the moon. We had been under cloud cover and rain for so long I didn't remember the last clear sky, but there it was—the moon. That cheered me up a lot.

Last week Ray experienced a progressive loss of vision in one eye and learned that he had a torn retina, and, in fact, a less serious one in the other eye as well. So this was an unpleasant and worrisome surprise. We spent the better part of a day at the Casey Eye Institute here in Portland and both eyes were repaired with lasers. He is still pretty much blind in one eye, but the vision should return as the blood clears from his eye.

We finally finished up our work at our old house and it goes on the market this week. Wish us luck.

My brother came to visit from Idaho, arriving Sunday and we have had a lovely time with him. We all went to see Robert Plant and the Band of Joy last night in downtown Portland and it was spectacular. Ray and my brother Steve share a love of music and years ago played in a band together. Tonight we are going to go listen to some live jazz. Maybe all this great music balances the fairly awful torn retina experience? I don't know. You could spend a lot of time figuring out where the "balance" happens in the complications of everyday life.

Monday the weather looked good and we took the grandchildren to the zoo. We loved being outside for the first time in months, but the weather varied from sun to rain to sleet to hail and back to sun again. Here was the scene out my window late in the day.

The sun is shining and hail is pounding down. A kind of balance?

It's been a busy week.

The object #27 Elizabethan Doll

 

The other day my granddaughter, Sofia, came into my workroom and she said, "Grandma, I like your princess doll." She was looking at this doll sitting up on a high shelf. "What's her name?" I thought for a moment. She doesn't have a name, but I replied, "Juliet."  Sofia was happy. "I like Juliet." I like her too.

I made this doll more than twenty years ago. It is my own design. It was one of several items that I created patterns for, with an idea that with young children at home I might have my own little business selling patterns. "Little" was the operative word. I took them to sewing shows and expos and peddled them to local shops, but it was not a very successful business. My patterns were complicated for one thing. Most people wanted simple and easy. The other problem was how to get them out into the world, beyond my own town. This was long before the internet. Of all my patterns I sold the most for this Elizabethan doll. A doll catalog picked up the pattern and sold a lot. I also sold them at the gift shop at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

So much has changed since then. I was spending a lot to have these patterns printed in larger quantities than I really needed. The photo on the front is an actual photo print, glued, by me, to the cover sheet. Digital printing did not exist. There was no internet, no Etsy, no way of networking with other crafters like myself. I love the revival of independent design and craft that is happening now and all the young Moms who are making such great stuff to sell and share! I think I was born 20 years too soon.

It's Twelve by Twelve Reveal Day

The moon is made of green cheese

There is no deep meaning in this, no message. It is just a happy, playful contemplation of color, shapes and fanciful stitching pattern. It was great fun to make and has inspired me to make a larger piece with some similar elements. I remember hearing, as a child, "the moon is made of green cheese." When I finished this I could see a moon in the circular focal point of the piece. I hadn't noticed the serendipitous crescent shape in the piece of beautiful marbled fabric until I was finished, but there it was—almost certainly the moon shining through.

The chartreuse quilts for this challenge are certainly all different and a very interesting lot. Go and see all of them! http://twelveby12.blogspot.com/

Into the forest

Last week when I showed the tree I had made and said I was cutting squares and circles while I watched TV, Lisa commented that if I watch enough TV I could end up with a forest! Exactly what I am going for. Here's a little progress sneak peek.

Tree tops:

Have you ever seen a chartreuse sky? I have chartreuse on the brain. It works as a sky for me.

Tree bottoms:

The top is together. Next will come the quilting, which, I hope, will change it all quite a lot. New territory. This is kind of a new direction for me, closely related to the chartreuse quilt in my title bar above.  I am itching to get to the quilting part. I kind of feel like that crazy detailed stitching is my "new thing."

The Royal Treatment

Do these two women look like famous authors?? That's what we felt like!

Yesterday Gerrie and I went to the Clark County Quilt show in Vancouver, WA. We were invited to come and bring the Twelve by Twelve book to sell and sign. We decided to take along our Colorplay quilts (the current round of Twelve by Twelve challenges) too. We arrived about 11:30 and met Vonda, the show chair, with whom we had been communicating about the event. She is an energetic, upbeat woman, brimming with Texas charm, and she was ready for us. Before we sat down to sign books, we got to see the show and were treated to lunch. Another member, Sharry, who Gerrie and I both know from Columbia FiberArts was our hostess and helper for the day. I had brought the big poster that the book publisher sent me to use and we were set up at the front of the show in comfy chairs and a small table to spread books and quilts on.

We had lots of people stop by our table. We sold a few books and signed a few that people had already purchased. Mostly we just had a great time visiting with people, who were really interested in our book and the quilts and what "Twelve by Twelve" is all about.

You can see in the top photo that Gerrie and I are both wearing what sort of look like corsages. They are little doll pins, made by Vonda and the always amazing Elinor Peace Bailey, who is a member of the guild. Gerrie's has red hair, mine has white. They are quite wonderful and such a thoughtful surprise. I love mine.

The day was such fun and a bonus was sunshine and clear blue sky for a beautiful drive. Many thanks to the Clark County quilters and especially Vonda and Sharry. I think I now know what getting "the royal treatment" means.

For the birds

 

We have fairly new neighbors next door to us. They moved in before Christmas. They really seem like the best kind of neighbors. We met them right away and they were very friendly. Danny, the husband owns gas stations, but his hobby is building birdhouses and he gave us this one for Christmas. The roof is an old license plate. It is an Idaho plate from the county where Ray grew up. Nice, huh?

Yesterday Ray hung it out in the yard. Since we moved into this house I have wondered why there was a tall shepard's hook attached to the fence alongside our front yard. I kept trying to imagine a basket of flowers hanging waaaaaay up there. A puzzle. Suddenly the other day it occurred to me that it was there for the precise purpose of hanging our birdhouse. What do you think?

Earlier this week Danny put two birdhouses out in the front of their house. He didn't make this one. It was a gift from a friend and the inspiration for his hobby. Isn't it wonderful?

It sits up very high right where our shared driveway divides, so I get to see it as I am coming and going.

The other is one of his fancier creations on the far side of their yard.

I have a couple more birdhouses to place. I hope the birds feel welcome in our little enclave!

Happy Birthday to the senior citizen

I really kind of hate the term "senior citizen" but today I think I fit anyone's criteria and I will take the discount if not the title. My friend, Muriel sent me this little plaque for my birthday.

I really like these words and believe in them wholeheartedly. And whether you are young or old you should believe them too. They are true. I hope, in 30 years, when I am 95, I will still have goals and dreams.

It is hard for me to believe that I am this old. I know I don't feel like I thought I would. I remember being 30 or 35 or 40 or even 50 and seeing people retiring and going on Social Security and Medicare and I really thought things would change and I would be a different person. Sadder, slower. Inside I am the same person I was at 30 or 35 or 50. Maybe happier. Odd, but true. I love all the things I have always loved and maybe appreciate them even more. I am healthy. I wish I looked as good as I did at 30, but when I was 30 I wished I looked as good as I had at 20. I have my teeth (more or less) and I have my sense of humor. Given the choice, I think I'd keep my sense of humor over my teeth. Thank goodness. I'd rather laugh than anything. A couple weeks ago when Muriel was here for a visit we laughed so hard I thought we were both going to fall off the couch onto the floor. I'd try to tell you what we were laughing about, but really, you just had to have been here—but it was related to my teeth—why I stand on one foot when I brush my teeth. See? You had to have been here. I have been sick and I think that evening of laughter was the beginning of being well again.

I have had a nice day. My grandchildren were here for the day and brought me cards and kisses and hugs. I barely left the house and we had leftovers for dinner. Ray has invited friends and family for dinner this weekend for the official celebration. I heard some talk about fresh crab.

Birthdays are good. I think of my parents and how much I was loved, especially my Mom who brought me into this miraculous world. I'm lucky and filled with hope and goals and dreams and love today.

Let there be light...

Ta da! It actually works.

I don't have much to report tonight, but I did want to finish that light fixture story. Getting it hung only required one additional trip to the hardware store. The other big job finished is that yellow paint in the kitchen, which made the white trim look dirty and tired, which led to repainting it as well. But it is done. All done.

Another  busy weekend at the old house. It was nice to put my feet up and loll in front of the TV last night. While I watched I cut more squares and circles for more trees.

We watched the new AMC series called The Killing. Loved the two-part premiere. It's set in Seattle, which looks darker and rainier than I've ever seen it in real life, but that just adds to the gritty suspense. I hope it proves to be as good as Breaking Bad and Mad Men, the two best shows on TV in my humble opinion. AMC is on a roll.

Tree

I had an idea to use my newly invented squares and circles motif to make a tree. Here is what I have so far. I am kind of pleased at this point. There is much to be added here and I am still puzzling that out. I thought I would just start with a tree and see if I liked the result. I have a fear that it looks like a Christmas tree, which is not my intent. I think the stitching and other stuff I plan to add will take care of that. It is hanging on my design wall for now. I keep going back and squinting at it.

My quilt "Between Mother and Child" was accepted for the "Space Between" exhibit. I struggled mightily with it and became very discouraged with it at one point, so I am happy it was accepted. The list of accepted artists is impressive, including two of my fellow Twelves, Karen Rips and Deborah Boschert. I am in good company!

I drove out to Hillsboro today to return the glass shades that didn't work for the light fixture. From my house there are two ways to get to Hillsboro. One is by way of the TV Highway, which I try to avoid if possible. The other is the back road, through farmland. That's my preference.

It is beautiful year round, but especially in the spring. The green fields are so green! This time of year I need little excuse to drive out that way, so I was almost glad to have to return the shades, especially since it is not raining today. Not raining is big. In fact at this moment the sun is shining.  Anyway it is a beautiful drive. In March the daffodils out this way are incredible. They seem to grow wild in huge swaths along the roadsides and on the ditch banks. You see clumps of them even out in the fields. I especially like this old wagon planted with daffodils in a farmyard alongside the road.

When I first saw all the daffodils out here a couple springs ago it inspired me to plant daffodils at home. The past two falls Ray and I have planted probably several hundred daffodil bulbs along the street and up the driveway at our house. They look great this year and I imagine more and more every year.

I appreciated the comments left about the light fixture. Gerrie and Ginny—the first places I looked were at Rejuvenation and Hippo Hardware. It was at Hippo that the woman showed me the similar fixtures they had for sale (pricey) and said that if they did not have the set screws for shades, then they were hung with bare bulbs. I may have convinced myself that bare bulbs will be the way to go with this one. I found this rejuvenated antique , which is similar, on Rejuvenation's web site.The description says it was always intended to have bare bulbs. The ones shown in their photo are hand-painted bulbs that they sell for $9 each. Note the price of the fixture as well. I paid $32, including shipping from eBay and have added another $20 or so with rewiring and paint stripping supplies. Maybe the new owners will want to buy some of the pretty hand-painted bulbs for this fixture, but I am using much less expensive ones. I liked the statement on the Rejuvenation fixture description that says that the dents on that fixture lend it "extra authenticity."  Mine also has that extra authenticity!

Terry from the Prairie

 I have always gotten a charge out of figuring out how to solve my own decorating and house repair problems. Most things aren't really hard if you have good directions to follow. Years ago, when I worked at the Psoriasis Foundation I worked with a young guy, a writer, who had just bought an old house and didn't know how to do a thing! And didn't seem too interested in learning. So he spent great piles of his hard-earned salary hiring other people to fix things and upgrade things at his house. One Monday morning at work I mentioned that I had tiled a bathroom counter top that weekend, and he responded, "Well, aren't you just 'Terry from the Prairie!'" I don't even know what that means, but the name stuck. When I get my DIY on, Ray says "Terry from the Prairie strikes again."

He's gonna say that when he gets home tonight.

The old light fixture that I ordered from eBay arrived today. Here it is right out of the box.

The paint was in bad shape and it definitely needed to be rewired. I took it apart and took the socket down to the hardware store and the helpful guy there helped me find replacements, wire, wire nuts and gave me a quick tutorial on rewiring. While I was there I also bought a can of paint stripper and came home and started right in stripping the ugly paint off. I pulled out our ancient Time-Life wiring book and confirmed the instructions given by the hardware guy. The paint came right off and the brass underneath is really pretty! I replaced the old sockets with my newly wired new sockets, put it all back together and now, several hours later it is pretty much ready to hang.

I am wondering what to do about some little glass shades, which I think I would like. The woman at an antique hardware store where I went last week looking for inspiration told me that some fixtures of this style had shades, some did not and the bare bulbs showed. This fixture doesn't have the set screws to hold the little glass shades with the lip at the top. Beth said she has some old fixtures at her beach house that have lightweight glass shades that just hang on the bulb. I bought some glass shades today, but they won't work. I'm going to have to take them back. If anyone has these kinds of fixtures and can send me a photo or tell me about shades I'd really appreciate it. I'm not really sure what I'm looking for.

Doing a little stitching

I am finishing up my 12 x 12 chartreuse quilt. I thought I was finished last night, but as I lay in bed trying to calm my hyperactive brain, the thought popped into my head that it needed more quilting. In fact, it needed some wild, crazy obsessive quilting. Good thing it is only 12 x 12. Here's a little peek at a section before added quilting:

And the same section after.

I have had a whole lot of fun with this.You will remember my chartreuse tryout a couple of weeks ago, part of which landed at the top of my newly renovated blog design. It is a new look for me, but something I have been fiddling with in somewhat different ways for awhile. It really comes down to the idea of drawing/doodling with thread as part of the design. I have another idea for using this approach for a larger piece that I think might work for another show. I know, I said I wasn't going to make quilts to order for particular shows anymore. I'm still thinking about it, but it seems like something I really want to do. Of course the deadline is looming.

March winding down

 

"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  

when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
-  Charles Dickens  

My blog writing seems to have slowed a lot lately. I don't have much to show, unless you want to see the work we are doing at the old house, and really it isn't that interesting. Painted and pulled up carpet yesterday. Two of the upstairs bedrooms had old dusty blue carpeting that has been there for more than 20 years. The realtor said, "pull it up."  "And replace it?" we asked. Nope. She said nobody wants carpet in an old house and if it was there what they really wanted to know was what is under it. Painted fir floor is what. Looks to be in pretty good shape, though the paint is chipped and ugly. But potential buyers will now know that there is a viable wood floor that can be refinished. I bought a period light fixture on eBay this week. It will go in the living room to replace the too-modern fixture that is there now. The one I bought is painted brass and will require some work. I think I will need to strip the paint, which is not in good shape and rewire it. I have never rewired a light fixture. Do you think that's hard? It is a very simple little light fixture with two bulbs. I think I can find some instructions online or in a book. I know this fixture is more authentic than what is now there, but honestly, if it had been in the house when we bought it I probably would have replaced it! And maybe sold it to someone on eBay.

We are heading into the last week of March and, but for the daffodils, it doesn't feel much like spring yet. I bought a pair of sandals this week. Hope springs eternal.

Why didn't I do this years ago?

I remember when we moved into the house on Illinois street in 1993 there were so many things I envisioned for that house. And over the years most of  those changes happened. We are leaving that house so much better than we found it—a new oak floor where there was ratty brown carpet, tile where there was canary yellow formica, rebuilt front stairs that are deep and level and don't feel like they will pitch you off the porch head-first. We restored the ceilings to their original height, all the while cursing whoever decided to "modernize" the house by dropping those ceilings. Lots more improvements. Lots. It was an ongoing project all the years we lived there. And I remember looking at the little sconce lights in the bathroom and thinking, "those will go..."  But they never did.

Somehow, over the years, as we worked on big projects, this little project was overlooked. Isn't it interesting how you stop seeing things like this after awhile? Even, several years ago when we made some big changes in that bathroom, again I thought about replacing those lights, and, again, I didn't do it. So, last week when our realtor said to do something about the bright brass fixtures, they were right there in front of me again. I picked up some glass shades at the Rebuilding Center a couple days ago ($2 each) and yesterday took them and my can of spray paint to the old house. It took me a couple hours, including drying time, and I wondered why I had not done this years ago.

They could have looked like this for all those years.

While the paint was drying on the sconces yesterday I drove across town to the Habitat for Humanity Rebuild Center to see if they had an old fixture that would work to replace the bright brass fixture in the living room. As I walked in off the street, I was looking up at the light fixtures hanging overhead and missed seeing an uneven little curb. I stumbled and fell into the store. I landed on my knees and as I was falling I grabbed onto something, where my finger became entangled in a handle. Maybe it was a refrigerator—there were a bunch of appliances sitting around there. Anyway, it was pretty much a blur, but I found myself on my hands and knees on the concrete. No one—NO ONE!—made a move to help me up, or even ask if I was OK. It was as if I were invisible. A man walked right past me out onto the street, very consciously looking past me as if I would think he didn't see me. I could tell I was not badly hurt, though I did wonder if my finger was broken, and my knees were throbbing with pain. It was an effort to get to my feet and I could have used a hand. I am still astounded that the several people who surely saw me fall chose to ignore me. I don't know what to make of it. I see people helping strangers all the time. Last year when Beth fell a very kind woman helped her up and offered to drive her home or to the emergency room. I have, myself, stopped to help someone who fell. So, I can't conclude that such compassion is dead, but yesterday I did not come home with a very high opinion of my fellow citizens. And the store did not have anything even remotely like what I need.

I don't think my finger is broken. It is not that painful. But it is still very swollen and I can't bend it.

The object #26 Japanese porcelain vase

 

This was a wedding gift. Possibly one of the most awkwardly given gifts ever, but nevertheless, a cherished possession.

When Ray and I were married I was working in an upscale furniture store in Boise, Idaho. My boss, the owner of the store, told me I could select something from the store as his gift to us. He was also the guy who told me not to marry a school teacher (which Ray was at the time) because I would never have a nice house. He told me a price limit and said it could not be something utilitarian. He said he wanted me to choose something  that I found beautiful and would keep forever. What I really wanted, and we needed, was a lamp, but that was too useful to fit his parameters for this gift. 

So I chose this vase. We had recently gotten a pair of them in the store and I really was quite taken by this beautiful piece. And, I need to disclose, that in the back of my mind I thought it would be a beautiful lamp and had plans to take it to someone who could turn it into one for me. Obviously we never did that. We spent some money we got as a wedding gift on a lamp we found on our honeymoon. Instead this beautiful porcelain piece has traveled with us through apartments and houses for the past 40 years and I love it more now than I did in the beginning.

It is about 18" tall and sits on a wooden stand. The color continues to inspire me. It is the color of life. The pattern is lovely. The shape is elegant and strong. It is the essence of Japanese design. And it makes me think of all the beauty the Japanese have created over their long and rich history. Porcelains like these were being produced in Japan long before Columbus discovered America and they were treasures, carried to Europe, to grace the palaces of European royalty.

Yesterday, my blogging friend, Judy, commented that she wondered why more bloggers have not written about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. I can only speak for myself, but I cannot add anything useful or enlightening or helpful in the face of tragedy on such a scale. To try would be pitifully insignificant. I suppose we are all struggling to take it in—absorbing the photos, the anecdotes of heroism, the continuing fears of nuclear fallout. We hasten to find small ways to help. We marvel and gulp at the dignity and civility of the Japanese people's response and pray that their vast technical knowledge and remarkable work ethic will somehow save the day. And we hope that the rest of the world can somehow help. But it is all too big for words. I am trying to have faith that a time will come when, once again, the mention of Japan will lead our thoughts to things beautiful and life-affirming, not death and devastation.

Just plugging away at things here...

Remember a couple weeks ago I was in shock over the estimate for replacing the bathroom counter top in our old house? When I wrote that, SuSaw left me a comment saying that she had painted a counter top using "granite" paint, followed by several coats of clear urethane. She thought it looked great and it had held up pretty well. Well, thank you SuSaw!

This is how the counter top now looks.

Closeup:

Pretty darned acceptable—right?

I sanded the old painted counter, then sprayed it with spray primer and then the paint, which is called "Stone Effects." The stone paint creates a texture that is fairly rough, but once it was good and dry I started adding layers of clear, satin urethane—3 in all, with a good long drying time between layers. This sort of fills in the texture a bit, though there is still a pleasantly nubbly feel to it. It cost me some time, some effort and about $15 worth of materials. The counter top guys wanted $1200 for the cheapest Corian, on sale. (Does that sound outrageous, or am I just not up with prices of things?!)

We are working away at getting the old house ready to try to sell again. We WILL sell it. We interviewed realtors and selected a woman who seems like she has a great affinity and feel for our kind of old 1914 house, which gives me some confidence. I never felt like the realtor we had before quite appreciated the charms of an old house. She wanted everything "updated". Bah. Anyway, I have a good feeling about this one. I hope she comes through for us.I was a bit hesitant to tell her how I had dealt with the counter in the bathroom, but when I did she got very excited. "That's fabulous! I need to write that down!" and she grabbed her notebook and started copying the info off the paint cans. See why I like this one?

We have a lot of work to do in the next few weeks. Our new realtor has some good ideas for freshening things up. All good, but equals work for us. She really is a DIY woman after my own heart though. She said the light fixtures with bright brass are dated and cheesy for today's home buyer. I think I looked alarmed at another possible big expense, though I had to agree about the bright brass. Then she said, "take them down and spray paint them dull brass or bronze." Wow. There's a concept. I guess if I can spray paint formica, I can spray paint light fixture fittings.

Meanwhile here at home the daffodils are blooming.

And the spring green is coming out all over the place. Lots of inspiration for the 12 x 12 "chartreuse" challenge.

Considering Chartreuse

I woke up this morning needing to get into my workroom and find a piece of fabric I remembered last night as I was falling asleep. It is a piece of marbled fabric in a really earthy, acid-y chartreuse color and I bought it so many years ago I don't even remember where or when, but I have never cut into it. With chartreuse being the 12 x 12 theme color this time around it seemed like this might be the time. I decided to make a small piece today for experimenting. I may or may not do something similar for the 12 x 12 challenge. After all the careful work I have been doing for the big quilt I just finished, it felt great to just start pulling fabric, cutting and playing with the pieces until I liked them. Then, my favorite part—adding a lot of crazy stitching. I wonder if I was influenced by the enormous amount of rain that came down today. I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but now that I look at this I am seeing spring rain.

It was fun to start and finish a playful little piece today. It is approximately 6" x 12"