One World One Heart 2011

Welcome OWOH 2011! The first time I participated I had no idea what to expect. The one thing I didn't expect was finding lifelong friends in the blogosphere but that's exactly what happened. I'm very excited about doing it again. {Click on the OWOH banner for more info.}

I'm a folk artist from Georgia in the southern part of the United States. I love music, art, photography, baking, babies, animals, animal babies, the great outdoors, gardening, the smell of cucumbers, nutella, twix and oreos. They call me a wayward spirit because I get restless if I stay anywhere for too long. My heart does not belong to any one place. I'd love to travel the world with a backpack (full of nutella, twix and oreos) on a gypsy caravan. If you'd like to know a little more about me, you'll find an About Me tab up there at the top of the page.

I started selling my artwork online just after my first child was born in 2003 as a way to express my creativity and to support my desire to be a stay at home mom (one of the toughest jobs in the world, by the way!). I love what I do. Not only because I get to stay at home and be creative but also because I've met some of the greatest people in the world. I can actually say I have friends from all over the globe. How cool is that!

I'm so very glad you've come to visit Peach Street. I hope you'll leave a comment and tell me a bit about yourself. I can't wait to "meet" you. Oh! And if you do, leave a comment that is, you could win one of my folk art pieces. Be sure to leave me a link to your blog in case you're the winner and so I can come and visit.




**winner will be announced Feb. 17th. Open to all active bloggers WORLDWIDE.**

Studio Saturday

Let's start this post with a disclaimer. First of all, I know it is not Saturday. In an effort to keep myself on track I've decided to begin Foto Friday, Studio Saturdays and Sale on Sundays. {Who knows what might happen the rest of the week}
Thing is, last night when I'd have otherwise been tucked into a nice warm blanket on the couch with my laptop in my....er...my lap, happily blogging away, I was, in fact, on the side of the road in the middle of no where with a screaming baby while on my way home. So you're getting Studio Saturday now and Sale on Sunday...later....today.....while it's still Sunday. Unless I find myself stuck on the side of the road again trying to comfort a baby who's as tired of being in the car as I am, in which case I can't promise you anything.



Studio Satrudays, in addition to keeping me on my toes, is designed to give you a peek at what's going on in the studio. I'd love to tell you that this Saturday was a mad flurry of preparation for my upcoming Art Show in May but that would be erroneous on so many levels. What I did was go to a party. A Baby is Coming party, otherwise known as a baby shower, for a beautiful baby girl named Sophie who's due to arrive in March. I did get in the studio this week to work on custom letters for her nursery, a pretty little birdie and minky fabric playmat and some cupcake washcloths because everyone knows little girls cannot have ordinary washcloths.



There was a mountain of gifts! And let's face it, at this point, especially in the thrid trimester, the gifts are what it's all about. Your back hurts, if you look in a mirror your face is unrecognizable and if you do anything besides walk to the bathroom your feet swell to 10 times their normal size. But who cares about your feet? You can no longer see them anyway. Baby gifts somehow seem to magically take those ailments away even if only for a little while. Here's hoping Sophie's mom is still on the baby gift high with her feet propped up.


***Sophie letters and other custom letters now available in my Etsy boutique shop***

Foto Friday

I got a new camera for Christmas. Santa brought me my very own DSLR....and I haven't the slightest idea what I'm doing with it. But I've been playing around with it and scouring the Internet for tutorials. I can't say I've gotten any better than when I first started but I sure am having a ball.

Finding all these great sites with wonderful tutorials and great ideas got me to thinking it might be nice to do a Foto Friday here on Peach Street. I can share with you some of my practice shots, tutorials I've found helpful and maybe even some interesting ideas, too. And it would be even more terrific if you'd play along, you know, share some of your pics, too.

There is no doubt in my mind why my "Santa" willingly plunked down such a significant chunk of change on my behalf this Christmas. And it is this: 'Maybe if I buy her her own fancy camera she'll stop giving ridiculous sums of money to photographers to take pictures of our kids'. Well, it was a nice idea. The problem is, I actually have to learn to use it first. That, and I wonder if he has any idea how very, very, very expensive this hobby can be. Shhhh...let's not tell him.



I love those close up pictures, like baby feet, where the tiny feet are in focus but everything around them is blurry. It makes the subject of the photo even more interesting. Apparently it has something to do with aperture. Now, if you, like me, are wondering, what the heck is an aperture?, then you're gonna love the tutorial I found over at The Pioneer Woman: What the heck is an Aperture. Why don't you head over and see if you can figure it out, then come on back and we'll see if we can accomplish it together. See ya next Friday!

Come See Me - Dunwoody Art Fest

If you'll be anywhere near Dunwoody, Georgia Mother's Day weekend, May 8 & 9, I'd love to meet you. I'll be among the artists there. You'll find folk art, clay, mixed media, photography, wood, glass, metal and fiber artists. Something for everyone. It would make my day if you stopped by to see me so mark your calendars. See you there!

I want, I want, I want (Giveaway)

I want one of these machines. Really. Really. Badly. Of course I could say that about a half a dozen other things having just spent the better part of a day yesterday at the Hobby Lobby and a significant portion of our mortgage yet still leaving there wanting....stuff.

But I want, I need one of these, so that I can make a sign for my studio that reads, 'Will Work for Art Supplies'

But in the spirit of brother (& sisterly) love, I'm going to tell you where you can win one even though doing so will diminish my own chances....cause I'm nice like that!

Click on that nifty Silhouette Electronic Cutting Tool up there and you'll be magically whisked away to The Shabby Chic Cottage where you can enter to win one. On your way there, be thinking of what you'd do if you had one.

Coveting another tool or amazing art supply? Leave me a comment. I either want one too, or will, after you tell me about it!

Have a Peach Street kinda day,

Peach Street.....Boutique

The Grand Opening of my new Etsy Shop, Peach Street Boutique, is still a couple more weeks away. But I couldn't resist giving you a sneak peek. My first shop listing, which was the inspiration for my new venture, is now available. Join me February 1st for my shop's Grand Opening featuring 'Posh Treats for You and Your Sweets'. Click on the pic above to visit the shop now!

DIEt

Ahhh New Years. You know how it is. You come up with that impossible list of things you're really, really gonna do this year. Well, I have my list, too. This year I'm going to diet. I've just had a baby and let's face it, I'm fat. And if I'm truthful with myself, and you, it ain't all because of the baby. So I'm dieting. And I was doing just fine until this showed up in my inbox: Mascarpone Oreo Snowflake Cookies from over at KevinandAmanda.com. Yeah that pretty much ruined things for me and I thought, Hey! Why suffer alone?, so I'm sharing it with you. And just remember, if you're thinking of hating me, you should know I was forced to see the cookie pictures right away. You, however, have the option of looking at the cute little hamster eating my lunch instead. Dare you not to look.... ;)

Debuting a New Look

Blog overhaul is all done! Now it's time to really get to work. So, whattaya think?

The Day the Music Died

'Singing bye-bye Miss Amer....'

Oh! Yeah. I said the music died.

It's a controversial, heatedly debated topic, I know. Music or No Music on your blog. If you've visited before, you know that, in the past, I was in favor of music. Honestly I couldn't imagine my blog without it. I love music on blogs. Well...I love my music on my blog. I could do without Guns and Roses while trying to read - not that I don't like a little GNR every now and again but then that's your thing, not mine. And that's when the light went on.

Maybe, horror of horrors, you don't like my music! Or, maybe you're already rocking-out to Pandora playing Jack Johnson on that new TV you got for Christmas because you think it's so cool that you can listen to internet radio on your TV, while simultaneously using said internet to work on your computer, and you'll make any excuse to use it. Well, if that's the case, you'll be pleased to discover there will no longer be music playing while visiting my blog. Because, truth be told, I'd rather you be happy and stick around for a while and maybe, just maybe, decide to buy a little something while you're here. That makes me happier'n music any ol' day and it makes my boys happy too because heaven knows the amount of milk they drink around here gets expensive.

But if you miss my music, you too will be pleased to discover that if you scroll down to the bottom it's still there. You just have to turn it on yourself. Then you can listen til your heart's content....or not. It's up to you. I think they call this a compromise.

Have a Peach Street kinda day,

Under Construction

Please excuse my mess while I work to make my blog awesome!
See ya soon!

Coming Soon....One World One Heart Blog Event

Please click the banner above, or here, for more information.