So we’re still under a blanket of snow, but wanted to send some sunshine your way.  I have tons of flower photos, so I better start sharing! (p.s. anyone know what kind of flowers these are?)

Being that it’s Friday and you’ve probably had a long week, I’m putting up this silly cow.  Have a great weekend!

Because I shared an ice cold photo yesterday, I thought I’d warm you up by sharing a steamy shot of a volcano-heated hot spring in Costa Rica.  Even though I’m a snowy, cold loving girl, even I thought this place was divine.  A nice soak in hot water does the body good every now and then!  If you’re curious to read more about these hot springs, read the original post here.

Last week I shared some altered art I had created using vintage photos of children.  Then while pulling together this collage of vintage-styled artwork for a potential vintage/antique art shop I’m trying to partner with, I realized that I haven’t shared some of the vintage artwork I did this past fall, including these ladies:

And these flowers:

And some of the collage backgrounds that I’m planning to paint on but look pretty neat on their own:

I just love incorporating vintage finds (text, postcards, sheet music, receipts, tape measures) into my artwork.  It’s becoming my favorite way to work and I think these backgrounds which used to be hidden beyond layers of paint are gorgeous in their own rustic right.

I have a couple of these options in my shop right now, but still working fast and furious to get more listings in my shop (I am currently at a little over 600 options which really hurts when you have to update shipping like I did this past weekend with the post office price changes, oy!).  But I still have another 600+ listings to add, so I’m just managing one step at a time!

Thanks for taking a peek at what I’ve been up to!

We’re fortunate enough to live close enough to Mt. Evans which has the highest paved road in North America (you can drive to the top of the 14,000+ foot mountain!); it’s a great place to visit and the trip up the actual road can mean starting off in lush, green forests at the base to snow capped mountains at the top.  Since the high volume of snow means that this road is only open from June – September, we can only visit during the summer and once we actually got caught in a snow storm up there during the month of August (when it’s usually 100 degrees in Denver!).

Anyhow, mountain goats love to call this place home and you can expect to see them when you visit, so the shot above is just one of a few I’ve captured during our visits there.

Here it is.

Ready?

Don’t make big decisions under duress. 

(told ya you already knew this, but how hard it is to do!)

Give yourself time to yourself cool off (if you’re upset) or get rest (if you’re burnt out or emotional), until you can think clearly.  And make sure all the information is in.

You can probably guess I didn’t do any of these but fortunately I was able to recover, albeit with a red face.

Oh, those valuable life lessons are a kick in the pants, aren’t they?  (But I guess that’s the thing that really drives the lesson home, right?)

So next time you’re inclined to make this kind of mistake, think of me and take a step back to think   (I told you I’m just trying to keep it real!)

When we were in Italy we were offered a guided hike through the Tuscan rolling hills and came across this little plot of land that was being tended to by this little old lady with a serious machete.  It was a hazy day and though not suitable to capture landscapes, it made for saturated close-ups of a quintessential Tuscan scene.

Being that my default persona is one of happiness, it’s hard being in a really bad funk for long.  While it’s easy for most people to wallow in self-pity, I find it painful.  I don’t like feeling bad and I want the feeling over ASAP.  And it’s amazing what a nap and chocolate cake can do to one’s spirits!  I had both yesterday, which I don’t allow myself often, so it was good to indulge.

By the end of the night I was thinking about all the things I’ll be able to do with space freed up in my life…less time focused on growing my business and more time doing the things I love that I’ve set aside.  More reading, more cooking, more paper crafting, more time lounging around with David, watching movies, playing games and just being.  I went to bed actually feeling really great about it all.

So the pity party is officially over!