Sunday, March 29, 2009

Spring Renovation


We have a classic revival porch on the west side of our house but it is close to the road and shaded by the hillside, we have a terrace that faces the pond and view of the hills but ants litter the stones with sand and crawl on my toes,  I thought we needed a new porch.  After much discussion, I convinced my husband and then I changed my mind.  

Small is better, we don't need to add another square foot of space to our house, let's make what we have serve our needs. We began in what had been a laundry room and half bath. It has been transformed into a powder room with a separate laundry closet.  Often the most important part of a renovation project is subtraction rather than addition;  we removed ceramic tile, cement board, linoleum, and tar paper and uncovered a hardwood floor. We replaced a brown, faux marble, scallop shell sink, with a simple, white porcelain, pedestal sink.  This small chair found in Singapore has become a shelf and towel bar in the redone powder room.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Orange Beetle





I spent the month of January at the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, Vermont recharging my creative battery and spending time with a diverse group of visual artists and writers.

One morning, on the way to my studio, I found molded paper packing material.  Inspired by its shape, I used soft pastels to created this beetle. 

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spring Snow

Today I began to think about my garden and as I was thinking loads of fluffy white stuff began to fill the air.  Pollen perhaps? Dandruff from above? Nooooooooo. A friend called it 'poor man's fertilizer'.

It may be too cold to plant but it's never too cold to plan. Last summer I planted vegetables among the flowers - parsley and feathery carrot tops bordered roses and cone flowers, onions served as row markers, the beets were hearty, the green beans and lettuce were sparse and the spinach was a no-show so I need a new game plan.

Potatoes, tomatoes, dill, onions and patty pan squash are on my list, at least for today, I'll see what tomorrow brings!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

River Road Studio

Flowers appear in the spring, lambs are born in the spring, sugaring has begun here in Vermont and I have decided to dip a toe into the blog world.