Ice

Some say the world will end in fire;

Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great
And would suffice.
~Robert Frost

We are covered in ice here in our cold corner of the New Hampshire. Barely any snow... just freezing rain. I'd almost think we were in the Pacific Northwest by the weather we have had this winter.

xoxo~
Abbie

FYI.. For those who might be interested... I have reopened my website, www.percyandbloom.com. All of the free antique clipart and images are back up!

a shot at the moon...

I have never been able to take a photo of the moon and have it be worth glancing at. This photo I took tonight, full moon, with my new 55-300mm lens. Manually!! I set the settings! *gasp*

It's still not anything too great, but it's all a learning process.
xoxo~
Abbie

it takes time...

Found myself..

I just found myself here.. wandering through  my posts from previous years.  

 If I have a hankering to share something, I'll come back here, where it started.

You are all I need. A quiet corner to share occasionally when the mood strikes.

xoxo~

Abbie

Images of Autumn in New Hampshire

It snowed this morning! Snow!? I do realize some parts of the country have been getting snow for a bit now, but it's just a tad too early.. that means the color is going to fade from the trees and the world is going to be very brown/grey for quite a while. I love the white of winter, the greens of summer and spring and the brights of fall, but I really could live without the between seasons of mucky grey/brown.

Hope your world is colorful!

xoxo~

Abbie

Dragonfly

Yesterday I participated in my first craft show. It was so much fun! I spent a lot of time of the merchandising, signs, color scheme. That is truly the fun part for me. Mind you, I do like creating things as well, but I get bored with the same ol' same ol' all the time. I am definitely a bird of change and graphic design allows me to play with so may colors, styles and formats. I did take some photos, but alas, they are not blog worthy. As you can tell I am fussy about the pics I post here. I'll try to get some images for you and I also have some great tips and sites that I have dug up about craft fairs and the like. Also free or really cheap display ideas. After all, it is about the bottom line, no matter how much we enjoy our craft. I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday weekend! The foliage is just about peaked here in central NH and it is gorgeous! I think we may go and hunt down some pumpkins today.
Enjoy!
xoxo~
Abbie

Isn't the pretty fellow above just lovely? His blues and green were iridescent, so hard to capture with a camera but you get the idea. :)

This little fellow was outside last evening. Unfortunately, he wasn't well and allowed me to get quite close. In his right mind, natural instinct would tell him otherwise. He was taking risks, stepping out, and it most probably ended with his demise. Few creatures survive the night in these parts unless they are safely tucked into their homes. Although, perhaps, he is still out there, shouting to mice friends, 'I did it! I walked right up to her and she didn't eat me!' Hehehehee.. little did he know that I captured him. Caught him right up with my camera and now I can look at him whenever I wish.. ;)

Lancaster Fair and BIG changes!

The family piled into the van this morning and headed north to Lancaster, NH. It is fair weekend here in New Hampshire.. two large ones, one north and one south. We choose to go north as it usually means fewer crowds and that makes it much easier to keep track of three kids. We were right on the money and it was gorgeous! 70 degrees, cool breeze, lots of animals, rides, games and of course, fair food! The only thing that was lacking was my camera battery as it died about 5 photos into the day. Aahhh well.. sometimes it's better to see the world through my own eyes not just the lens of my camera. I did manage to get a few for you though..

Above is the view looking over the fairgrounds.. it is much better in person instead of through a windshield at 40 miles an hour.

Sitting in the passenger's seat...

I adore anything old, antique or vintage and these tools were screaming out to me.. "take our picture too!"

And this sweet fellow popped right through his fence to get his photo taken.. you just never realize how many stars there are out there until you start carrying a large camera around with you..

And that was it.. pop fizzle.. no more photos.. if you want to see pics from the Sandwich Fair last year you can see the animals HERE and the sites HERE.

xoxo~

Abbie

Oh, I almost forgot! I have a big surprise/move/update coming soon!! It's a surprise that I have been working on for soooo long! You'll just have to wait and see! :)

Only three wings to fly.

A few weeks ago I waited patiently for hours hoping for a dragonfly to stop long enough for me to photograph it. No such luck.. but the following morning, I found this young thing floating in my daughter's pool. As some of you know, I have a thing for insects, (as you can see here, here, and here and most definitely HERE) and take great pleasure in capturing their details with my camera. So, it's not perched delicately on a leaf as most photos of these fabulous fliers are, but it still made me happy none the less.

In high school, our art teacher had a bird's wing in her desk and several other oddities hanging around for us to draw if we so chose. Most of the kids didn't get it and really thought her to be quite odd. I get it, I understand her... strange after all these years to recall that. I feel badly for her now. By high school most people have discovered whether or not they have an artistic eye. Most didn't, and I assume she is still there suffering the same treatment by those who have their artistic eye closed quite tightly.

xoxo~

Abbie

Studio Photos

If you have been wondering where I have been, this is it... I finally painted my new studio space, and this time, I took my time. Only that which I truly need, love, and use is here.

Quick tour.. the cutting table under the eaves is set up on bed risers so it is 6" higher than a standard dining table. (I'm short.. so that works fine) The skirt covers a fabulous mess of junk.. maybe I'll show that later. The 'sewing' table is a table we had on our screened porch. I covered it in a white damask vinyl cloth to keep things bright.

I still have space on my shelves to fill but that's a good thing. And, yes, I'm loving my Laura Ashley ironing board cover! It has so much more padding than the cheap ones that come on the boards. The clothe hanging is my cover clothe so adhesives, etc.. don't get on everything.

The clock above once had a tacky puppy dog face on it. The outside color was perfect though, so I took it apart and replaced the face with something much more 'me'.

All of the fabulous, vintage knitting needles my mother in law gave to me. I love having them in a tall glass container so I can see their colors..

More storage.. are you figuring out my color scheme yet? :)

Vintage notions.. I love the look and they are just as functional as 'new' ones.

More storage.. the tins hold a medley of supplies.. I really need to label them though, as I have to open both whenever I am looking for something.

This studio space feels so different than the rest of the house. My goal was bright, fun hues that inspired. I hope they inspire you too..

xoxo~

Abbie

To see photos of the rest of the house click on the label 'house' below.

Digital Journal Page 13

I took this photo almost a year ago and have been waiting for the right inspiration to strike. For more digital journal pages click on the 'journal' label below.

xoxo~

Abbie

A face only a mother could love..

What is that fuzzy little thing I see?

Uhh.. wow. so ugly they are absolutely adorable!

The wee babies are just so tiny! How can an egg that is so pretty have these strange little critters in it? :) More pics to come soon.. these images were taken on Monday before we left on our trip. Now they have some fluff to soften their edges a bit.

xoxo~
Abbie

Yellow.

I love yellow rubber boots, especially when they are tending to our lillies.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
xoxo~
Abbie

In a nutshell..

I was outside with the kids the other day and despite my complete lack of creativity, I grabbed my camera on the way out the door. Above is a shot of the blackberry brambles that wrap around our backyard. They are nasty, but have supplied us with many blackberry treats and jellies.

This is a micro shot of the moss and tiny seedlings sprouting on our stonewall. It amazes me to no end how complex and precarious life is.

I spent a few days in Ottawa during the beginning of the month visiting my father. It was the Tulip Festival so I had to throw in a tulip photo.

Our apple trees are in blossom as well. This lovely sits outside my kitchen window.. the spring breeze carries it's fragrance all over our yard.

I had to drag the pots I had on the deck into the 3 season porch the other evening. It got down to 30 degrees and the frost would not have tread kindly on my tomatoes.

Last fall I made the tiny pillow sitting in the little chair. It makes me happy. We also have chickens now! They are so fabulous! They make me happy too.. I'll get some pics up for you when time allows..

Hope everyone is out, enjoying the world!

xoxo~

Abbie

My Wee Weensy Life...

I apologize for being gone so long. It is so hard to get out my little box sometimes. It is a nice box though, filled with distractions. I have had tangible friends over for visits. It is so nice to spend time with those I haven't seen in years, but have known most of my life. To be able to give hugs.. I can not hug 'you'.. unfortunately... I like hugs.

My wee weensy life is occasionally pestilent and filled with the trails of family so I come here to hide...

.. and to rest. It is a nice place, caught within four walls and filled with delicate happiness.

I'll be back.. I'm just not sure when my little box will let me out.

xoxo~

Abbie

(The 'scene' is a small cardboard box that I decorated for my daughters. The chest of drawers is an antique Aunt Lydia thread spool. The bed is made of cardboard and antique wallpaper, the carpet - an antique lace doily and the tiny mushroom I made from clay. )