Pink Wednesday and WIP's!

Blogger is acting very strange. HTML code is coming up instead of pictures so I'm left to figure out where to insert text. So, if pictures and text are all wonky it's because I'm a computer ding-a-ling!!!

Speaking of being a ding-a-ling, or perhaps it was a blonde moment.....I forgot what day it was today. Hubby Bill reminded me it was Pink Wednesday! As if he needs to keep me informed as to what day it is. Well, okay, I guess he does if I'm forgetting!! Jeezey Louisie!! Too many things on the brain I guess.
Here are a few things of the things I have on the brain! Works in progress! Bears and bunnies and chicks, oh my!!! It's been too cold to work in the gym so I'm working inside with warm fuzzies. A little for Flourishes. A little for my fabulous bear collector friends. It's all about finding balance. So far, so good!!

And, for those of you inquirying about Bill's projects.....he's out in the garage right now working on finishing up a fabulously large birdhouse. Oh...my....gosh!! I want to keep it!!! Bill says I can't keep everything because we can't build onto the new house. (sigh) Darn.

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

A Delicious Palette!

A favorite color palette of mine.....shades of white and natural wood tones. These are some of the lovely things I picked up for Flourishes this weekend! I don't exactly know what those wooden dumbbell looking things are....something for darning perhaps?....but I thought they would look fabulous on a stack of books. Ohhhhh, the treasures I've found these past two weekends!!




I've even put Bill to work fashioning funky cool stuff using repurposed materials we found. Pictured is one of the coat racks he built last night using old door headers and door knobs. Wait until you see the birdhouses and cubby shelves he's building!! Not to mention the cupboards with lead glass windows!! Oh, oh, oh!! It's all I can do to keep myself from showing a picture of every little thing!

Today is a snow day. Yes, it snowed......again. Oh, bother. I'm soooooo over snow. It's only supposed to snow once a year here, if that. I think this is probably the sixth or seventh time. Enough already!! I'm sorry, I'm just not a snow and cold type of gal. Big fluffy coats and heavy boots make me feel like a walking marshmallow. It's so not an attractive look on me. I didn't like it when I was a kid growing up in Alaska and I like it even less as an adult!! Okay, the adult part is debatable on most days, I admit. Ha!

Oh, and before I forget....three new bears list tomorrow!! I've actually spent time in the studio on other things besides paper and glitter projects. Who knew?!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday Sneak Peeks!

What an incredibly busy week!! Between getting Flourishes off the ground and everything that entails and having my bear design business as well......well, I'm thinking I need to clone myself several times over!! If you're waiting for a reply to an e-mail you sent please be patient with me. I'm getting through all the personal notes as quickly as I can. My goodness, I was not prepared for the outpouring of support in my decision to open Flourishes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Each note and blog post is such a blessing to receive. I'm truly overwhelmed. In the best possible way!!

Remember me telling you about Brenda Power's Victorian Postcard Bunnies? Well, here's a little peek at one!! This one is from my personal collection, and as such, will not be for sale. Be assured though, you will find one at Flourishes just as fabulous!! I'll also have some lovely paper candy boxes like those pictured. They're the perfect little something for presenting candy or small gifts. They'd also be lovely in a table setting at Easter!! There are endless possibilities for candy boxes!!


Dashing off for now. I'm going to try to figure out how to post my calendar of events........

Happy Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Friday. Moving Day!!!

After a hiccup on Thursday we were finally able to get a big 26 ft. moving van to haul some of our treasures to Flourishes. Oh, but the day was cold. It wasn't raining though. That was a blessing! It took three hours to load everything out of the garage and a few *wink, wink* items from the attic. Either a 26 ft. van isn't very big or I've collected a lot of stuff. I think my crew would all agree on the latter. ha!

I took my car and followed Bill in the moving van. I don't know why. It's not like anything was going to fall out!!

A most amazing thing happened as we approached our new home. Just three miles from the house the fog started to lift and when we drove up the road the sun was shining brightly. So what do you think I did? Well, silly me started to cry. It was, to me, yet another sign that all of this was meant to be.

The first picture is the side courtyard. It has a tremendous view across the Columbia River Gorge into Oregon. I don't know how long ago the rocks were placed in the courtyard. It looks like forever ago though, doesn't it?

The second picture is the doorway into the gymnasium. No standing still in the doorway today! It was move or get run over. Amazingly enough, it took just an hour to unload everything. What looked like an abundance of treasures seemed to shrink considerably in size when placed in the gym. Look at those wood floors and that beamed ceiling!! Here's the thing though, there is absolutely no insulation. None. Nada. 43 degrees. Brrrrrzzzzy was it cold!

The last picture shows perhaps a bit of direction in a floorplan. I have a lot of work ahead of me don't I?!! Lists. I'm working from multiple lists!!

Tomorrow we're off to the Clark County Antique Faire. Not to buy really, at least that's what I'm telling Bill, but to scope out fabulous vendors that have a great eye for beautiful things. Really!! I have summer flea market spaces to fill afterall.

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday!

Happy Blush of Pink Wednesday! Okay, so they're not real roses. I can't have real roses in my house. My cats think that roses are a special treat I've put out just for them to eat. Actually, any flowers are fair game to them. I wouldn't mind so much if they just munched on them but they actually eat them! The most unfortunate part is that the flowers and leaves don't digest well and are heaved back up while running through the house madly. Eeeeeeewwww! And you just thought you were going to hear a lovely rose story. Hee hee!

Today I'm meeting with a web designer. Tomorrow is moving day for everything I've stored in the garage for Flourishes. Oh, there are treasures galore!! I'm also working on getting vendors lined up for my first event. Some of the lovely ladies with pretties include: Christine LeFever; Julie Verburg; Martha Kohley, Vintage Trifles; and Cindy Dockins, Queen of Tarte.

Brenda Power of Duffy Antiques, Canada, will also be sending along a couple of her fabulous mohair Victorian Postcard Easter Bunnies. They're a treasure to behold, I'm telling you. They look like they've just hopped directly off a Victorian Post Card!! They're also very hard to come by. Brenda makes only a handful of them a year. I'm honored to be getting two of them for my first event. Remember the date.....March 15th!!

Gotta run for now. May all your Wednesday's be filled with pink pretties!!

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

The Rest of the Story!!

On March 17th, 2007 I began my blog with an entry about Willow Nest, a most magical seasonal event marketplace just across the river into Washington. For some inexplicable reason I was compelled to attend each event. I thought it was all about the shopping experience. As it turns out though, it was much more than that. It was my destiny.

This is my dreamhouse. A 1900's schoolhouse resting on two acres. This is the picture that I drew when I was seven years old. And yes, there is a swing. There is also a barn, the original gymnasium (think 1900's) and what I call a carriage house.

On March 15, 2008, almost a year to the day from my first blog post, and with the blessing of Linda and Ludmil Marcov of Willow Nest, Bill and I will host our first seasonal event as Flourishes. I cannot tell you how excited, nervous, overwhelmed and giddy I am all at the same time!

There will be six events this year including two outdoor flea markets. These are one day, Saturday only, events. A calendar will be posted soon!

What about the bears? Not to worry. The beauty of an event schedule, rather than a brick and morter store, is that it still allows me time to design bears.

I do hope you'll join me on this most marvelous adventure......

Warmest bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday! Pinwheels and a Cupcake!

Happy Pink Wednesday!! I've spent the better part of the day in the studio just like I'd hoped. Yay!! I wasn't working on bears though. To kind of ease into working again I thought I'd play with paper and glitter rather than mohair. I feel like the glitter fairy!! I found this really great glitter....crystal glitter. It's not glass but it sure sparkles like glass glitter!! LOVE it!!

So, I was experimenting with different size pinwheels and different colors too. I made yellow, blue, green, purple and patterned paper ones too! Some have pom pom centers. Some have button centers. Some are even more elaborate and have streaming ribbons! They look spectacular all gathered together in my ironstone pitcher. Though, since today is Pink Wednesday, I'm only sharing the pink ones with you.

Oh, and the little bear......that's Cupcake! More about her later though. I'm working her pattern into bunnies.....

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Mr. January?

This is Max. He's the most photogenic of my three cats. He actually loves having his picture taken! You may remember in one of my holiday photos that a little cat head appeared out of nowhere in the left hand corner. That was Max. Everytime I pick up my camera, there's Max waiting for his own photo shoot. Perhaps he was a male model in another life! Wouldn't that be something?! Mr. January? Not that I've ever even seen a Mr. January, or February, or March for that matter. Ha!

My imagination seems to be working overtime doesn't it? Maybe it's because there is so much going on behind the scenes right now. Or, maybe it's because I haven't been in the studio for what seems like weeks!

I'm going to remedy the latter by Wednesday. Wednesday I absolutely will be in the studio working! If I put my imaginings to work on my bears I won't seem so much of a nut job in the real world. I have a sign in my studio that reads, "I know I'm in my own little world but it's okay, they know me here." That sign speaks volumes!!

Warmest Monday bear hugs, Aleta

Pink Wednesday and a child's vision.

This past summer my mom brought me a bunch of artwork that I created when I was a little girl. I didn't take the time to look at it and just put it on a shelf in the closet. Zoom forward to a few days ago....I'm busily going through cupboards and shelves editing our home for market. I came across the artwork and sat down to look at it. Such funny little drawings they are!!

Imagine my complete surprise when I came across this drawing. Do we, as young children, know our life path? My intuition has always been keen but this picture really floored me. Why? It's a picture of a house, sure enough. Look at what's on top of the house. It's a school bell!!!! I drew this picture when I was only seven years old. This is a picture of my dreamhouse!!! It's the dreamhouse I've been hinting at. The one my husband and I signed papers on on Christmas eve!!!

My dreamhouse is a three story converted schoolhouse built in 1900!!! It's not pink though, it's white. (Pink is my favorite color!) However, the trim is red just like in my drawing. It also has five fireplaces so there will definitely be a chimney with wood smoke. Just to the right of the house stands a very tall birdhouse. One thing you may not be able to see in the picture is what's inside the windows. It's the letter "B"......Breese is my married name. Goosebumps anyone? The only thing I'm not sure of is the swing. Of course, my imagination running away with me would say there is one. I'll let you know though.....

Warmest Pink Wednesday bear hugs, Aleta

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Oh, it's going to be just grand!! I have the best feeling about it so it simply must be!

All the Christmas decorations have been carefully put back into their boxes for the year and my lovely soft colors have returned. Oh how I love the ivories, old gold and tarnished silvers. After the riot of red I'm ready for some serenity. Alas, the serenity will not last long.....I have news that I'm bursting to share. Not long now......

Warmest bear hugs for a blissful, healthful and prosperous new year to each an everyone peeking in! Thank you for sharing a moment in your new year with me. Aleta