A Primitive Glow

My friend Mary, owner of Home Again, gave me this "snow cream" scented candle made by A Primitive Glow in West Virginia. I'm always picky when it comes to candles because most of them don't deliver when it comes to quality. "Snow cream" is a very robust scent that reminds me of a sugar cookie. This candle definitely delivers when it comes to the scent, so much so that John and I started craving sweets at 10 p.m. last night.

I'm so glad I bought two of the mini hand-poured candles for Christmas gifts. I might just have to go back and buy more.

Home Again For The Holidays

Fresh, crisp, warm, and inviting are the words that come to mind when I shopped at Home Again this afternoon. Mary, the owner of this lovely store located at 69 Main Street in Luzerne, has a way with decorating and pulling everything together.

Mary has a natural flair for window dressing, and the inside of her store is even that much better.

Around every little corner, you'll find something new.

I picked up some of these adorable hand-poured candles in the luscious "snow cream" scent by the West Virginia company called A Primitive Glow. Thanks for the large candle, Mary! I can't wait to fire that baby up. It's sitting on my desk right now.

~A pinecone in the warm glow~

~A lonely, little pinecone lying on its side~

~The smile of a primitive snowman just hanging out~

~Berries in front of a stained glass backdrop~

~An evening dress of days gone by~

~Thoughts of peace and tranquility~

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, especially at Cloe & Company in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. To read more about this new store, click here.

Donna did a fabulous job decorating her store for the Christmas shopping season. Walking through the front door, you're immediately taken into a unique shopping experience.

Cloe & Company supports local artists and all US companies by purchasing over 90% of  goods domestically.  Donna is also a talented baker and makes her own herbal, organic loose teas.

I purchased her 100% organic oatmeal raisin cookies, and they are to die for. Her pumpkin bread looks delicious.

Cloe & Company has something for everyone. 

Wall decor, clothing, accessories, jewelry, and handcrafted items can all be found at this quaint, little boutique.

I'm thrilled to be represented by Cloe & Company. Perfect for children and adults alike, my paper mache star-shaped ornaments also work well as wall decor.

Cloe & Company also carries my line of miniature framed art prints.  Be sure to stop by to see all the Christmas mini art prints that I just dropped off today.

I also dropped off this lovely hand-painted wooden box, which features one of my primitive snowmen. The words "peace" and "joy" are also painted on all four sides. 

Merry Christmas!

In The Style of Piet Mondrian

Teaching students about the primary colors is a great way to introduce them to Dutch artist Piet MondriaN (1872 -1944). To learn more about Mr. Mondrian, click here.

I've used this art project for students in kindergarten through college. It doesn't matter what age they are, the students automatically take a liking to this project.

Of course, students always put their own spin on things. And that's the beauty of art. The artwork above shows one of my students who titled her piece Give a Hand to Piet Mondrian. Now there's a creative thinker.

The piece of artwork above is a miniature Mondrian. The student titled this piece Mini Mondrian.

The artwork above incorporates a little bit of patriotism into the picture. Notice the red, white, and blue background.

In the style of Piet Mondrian, Yves Saint Laurent created his "Mondrian" day dress in 1965. See more about that here. So, what have you seen lately in the style of Piet Mondrian?

Paper Crafting with The Girl Scouts

I had a great time this weekend teaching a paper crafting workshop for a group of Girl Scouts. Using a lot of recycled materials, I taught the girls how to create a paper snowman ornament.

 

The students did a wonderful job. I'm always amazed to see how each student puts her own spin on a basic design.

This student actually glued a penny to her snowman. How did I miss that penny in my bag of old buttons? 

Look at that smile!

Marisa placed a green scarf around her snowman. Nice job!

Winner Wonderland

As an artist participating in this year's window painting event for the Downtown Wilkes-Barre Business Association, I had the pleasure of working at the Anthracite Newsstand yesterday. 

For those who may not know, the Anthracite Newsstand recently sold a $4.2 million lottery ticket. Read more about that here.

Hence, the theme of their windows this year is Winner Wonderland. The owners came up with that brilliant idea.

 

All I had to do was paint the winning concept.

I had fun painting those dollar bills. Hee! Hee! Gotta love capitalism!

I worked from noon to 5 p.m. painting their windows, and had a most enjoyable time. A big thank you to Bob, Bettye Lou, Samantha and the entire staff at the Anthracite Newsstand for their kindness and generosity. I sincerely appreciate it!

Today, I took a walk around Wilkes-Barre to look at all the other window paintings.

The snowman in the window of Dunkin' Donuts looks very happy holding a warm drink and a doughnut. I wonder if he's drinking hot chocolate or vanilla chai tea.

My friend Diane Grant Czajkowski did a fantastic painting for Barnes & Noble.

The details are amazing.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

 ~A lovely Christmas wreath~

I love the colors in this Christmas tree. The artist did a wonderful job!