The Front Porch is Open

Come on In!

My husband power-washed 3 inches of pollen off of our front
porch this weekend, therefore, I thought it would be a good time to throw open the doors and invite you all in for a Camilla martini.


Our house is easy to find ... just look for the fish mailbox ~
For those who come early there's usually a fresh baked cupcake awaiting their arrival.


The bleeding hearts popped open this weekend,
the dogwood tree and azalea bushes are putting on their springtime
finest - so everything looks lush and green.


The bottle tree survived our harsh, windy winter with just
a few minor catastrophes, that were quickly replaced.


But, now that it's officially Spring - Our bungalow is
ready for warm weather visitors!


Please, come on up the steps ~


And walk right on in ~


If you collected beach shells on your way over -
feel free to place them in the glass jar or ~


Throw them in the wire sand bucket.


Grab a Camilla martini - they're quite delicious and low-fat.


Have a seat on the sofa so you can welcome the neighbors as
they stop by for a drink.


There are plenty of glasses -


and a few resting stops for the birds.


I'll leave the porch light on - just in case you run into traffic!

Hope to see you soon.

Women who Art - Student Spotlight

The artist of the week ~
Susan Bernhardt
Susan joined our Monday morning art class during
the November session and was soon gracing us with
her talent and stories. We all welcome her joy for life,
her sense of humor, and her passion for painting.


After graphing her image, Susan begins the painting
in an impressionistic style.


At the end of each session paintings are placed on our
"critique easel" for valued input from the rest of the class.
This is a great picture of Susan's original image and the
graphed canvas reproduction - in it's beginning stages.

Using her lap as an easel, she continues to figure
out and add areas of contrast and value.

The Island Bungalow emerges from her
brush, the paints and the canvas.

A last studied look before putting her painting
on the easel and asking the proverbial question ~
"Do you think I'm done?"

Susan and her amazing masterpiece -
One can just imagine an incredible art studio
housed within those walls!
Seriously, When can we move in?

Featured Artist Spotlight on Simply Hue

Vicki Dvorak over at Simply Hue
is curating a Spotlight on Artists during the month
of November. My work, and that of four other very
talented artists, was featured on Monday, November 2 .
Please hop on over to her site to view, and leave comments on,
these delightful art shows.
Earlier this year, Vicki also featured my home on her blog.
You can see that article by clicking here:
Colorful Beach Bungalow.
Thank You for the features Vicki!

Illustration Friday

The word for this weeks Illustration Friday is...
Cracked.

Welcome Visitors
The door is cracked, come inside
Leave your cares behind.

In our humble beach bungalow, even though the school year is not yet finished and the official date is still weeks away, SUMMER has arrived!
So,
kick off your shoes,
grab a beach towel and boogie board,
a glass of sweet tea,
or a cup of homemade ice-cream
and celebrate
the delicious
care-free
days of
SUMMER.

Cheers to sleeping in, bike rides on the boardwalk, freshly made ice-cream, and sun-kissed skin.

Beach Bungalow Feature on Simply Hue Design

Feature Article on our Beach Home:

As I have discussed in earlier posts, I am an artist who is a self-diagnosed sufferer of obsessive compulsive decorating disorder. Consistently arranging and rearranging furniture, paintings, accessories, husband, children....whatever.

And since I can't keep my hands away from the paintbrush for too long, things that are stationary tend to get painted.  Therefore you can imagine my excitement when Vicki Dvorak from Simply Hue - Your source for color inspiration, contacted me to see if she could feature our home on her blog site.

Holy Toledo Bat Man ~ a real excuse to redecorate and rearrange! The heavens in all their decorated glory have smiled on me.  Time to get to work...

Since the master bathroom vanity and mirror had already been painted.  As well as

 

the tile work and sink (images inspired by the amazing illustrations of artist Michael Hague)

 I had to add a little paint to the wall in my daughters bedroom!

I told my son, who is at college, the article makes our house look so good we should have no problem renting out his room. :) Any takers???

If you have a moment, please visit her Vicki"s blog, Simply Hue. Her site is beautiful and it is a true honor to be featured there. 

: http://matissecolor.blogspot.com/2009/04/colorful-beach-bungalow.html