Monday, November 29, 2010

Raw and Romantic...

the shop in now open!! yay!!

with new finds added today and throughout the rest of the week...



with the new line i really wanted bring out the beauty of the raw...

add a touch of feminine to rustic, industrial finds...

i'm also incorporating some of my new mixed media and altered art...



so be sure to check back often throughout the week...

prairie hugs...

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Faded News...


hello dear readers....

i hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving!!

ours went well, and guess what....

we are getting ready to go and do it all again with the in-laws! :0)

so thanksgiving has lasted ALL weekend for us!

i told you it was my favorite holiday!...

i just wanted to stop in and give you a little sneek peek of the new raw and romantic line coming next week to the prairie...{with luck!!} ;0)

i also wanted to let you know that i have been asked by sweet kim to contribute to a couple of her sites...

the inspiration studio where we spread kindness, encouragement, and share inspiration throughout blogland...

i will be posting about incorporating industrial, vintage goodness into your home and talk a little about What Once Was...

you can find my first post here...

kim's second site is...


this is a site where members learn all about textures, receive free textures and brushes, learn tips and tricks about photoshop and oh so much more!!

i absolutely *adore* what kim has done with each site and the contributors are *absolutely* amazing!!

{thank you dear kim for making several dreams come true for this prairie girl...i'm SO excited to be joining you!!}

please be sure to check out her sites...there is SO much to learn and share!

i've included buttons on my sidebar for easy navigation...

enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

prairie hugs...



Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Grateful...

my favorite holiday is upon us...

the cooking starts in a few minutes and i wanted to share my quick holiday table with you...

nothing extreme, raw and simple...






a vintage store display sign turned chalkboard with a gentle reminder...

a vintage sap bucket filled with wild rose hips gathered from the prairie...

a antique photo of those who came before....




ironstone, pewter, and vintage doilies...




and a antique horn handled carving set...



i am {SO} grateful for this life i have been handed...

i am so {grateful} for you all who come and visit me on my little prairie...

i {am} so grateful for being able to live my dreams...

i am so grateful for each opportunity to unfurl my {wings}...

i am so grateful for {rug rats} with peanut butter faces and baby doll bangs....




{happy} thanksgiving my dear friends!!



Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A Prairie Girl Winner...


{processed with florabella's soon to be released textures}

just wanted to pop in real quick to announce the winner of lisa leonard's gift certificate...

*thank you* all who entered and took the time to comment...

i really am SO blessed to have so many wonderfully, sweet blogging {kindred} spirits...

you really bring a {smile} to this prairie girl's day...

so the winner of the $50.00 gift certificate is....





congrats dear girl!! please email me with your information...

i'll be back tomorrow with an industrial thanksgiving tablescape...

{which is huge for me because i usually can't see the top of my table due to all the crafting, farm bills, cattle registration, homework clutter..} ;0)



Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Raw and Romantic...




i've started gathering for a new line coming to the prairie...

raw and romantic...

of course florabella's new textures that are about to be released help bring out the romance of ironstone, prairie weeds, and a bit of industrial farm...

remember there is still time to enter for a $50.00 gift certificate for lisa leanord's amazing designs *here*

also, i joined a fellow prairie girl, cheyenne of little prairie baby for a cup of morning coffee here...
please stop in and join us...



Monday, November 15, 2010

Grow Roots & a Giveaway...

i just want to say *thank you* to all your kind words of congratulations on my new adventure...

i haven't had a chance to really play with the new textures...

{between a oldest child turning 9, helping sew up a prolapsed steer, playing monkey man, having a heart attack when a horse went down with 2 of my kids, and herding cattle there hasn't been much time...sheesh..} ;0)

but i can honestly say that i think this is going to be florabella's best set yet!!...

so *thank you* dear girls, you are all SO amazing!..

and i have a little something for one lucky reader...

last week i was contact by lisa leonard...{i know!! eeee!! *love* her designs!!}

she is SO kindly offering a $50.00 gift certificate to one lucky reader!!...

how {fabulous} is that!! right in time for the holiday season!!..

i thought i would share with you a couple favorites...

each one is truly a work of art...and these are just a few of her designs...

the one that is {whispering} to my soul though is the {Grow Roots, Sprout Wings}...

lisa's description of the necklaces design is {stunning}...

"our grow roots, sprout wings necklace captures the beauty of stability and risk, making deep, life-long connections, and exploring new possibilities."

what a perfect reminder for a prairie girl on a creative journey...

not only does it take courage and strength to {sprout} wings but it also takes {roots}, a firm foundation and knowledge of where you wish to journey and who you are along the way...

what necklace or bracelet {whispers} to your soul??...

to be entered in the giveaway for a $50.00 gift certificate {only open to US and Canada}...

~simply leave me a comment...

~follow or let me know you are already a prairie girl...

~blog, tweet, or facebook for an additional entry...

{please leave a seperate comment for each entry, also please leave a link to your blog, tweet or facebook entry...*thanks*}

giveaway ends on Monday the 22nd at 5:00 p.m. {mst}...Good luck!!..

oh and one more thing...

lisa is offering all {faded prairie} readers 15% off their entire order to her site...

simply use the discount code fadedprairie {all lowercase and one word} when checking out...

i don't know about you, but this prairie girl is on her way to do some christmas shopping...enjoy!!....

{giveaway now closed...*thank you*}


Thursday, November 11, 2010

On The Prairie...Modern Prairie Girl...

with so much going on here on my little prairie i have been a little slow doing my On The Prairie Feature for the month...

but this one is definitely worth the wait...

Lara with Modern Prairie Girl was so kind to join me here for the month of november...

Lara gives us a glimpse of being a Modern Prairie Girl and shares her creative journey with us...

so may i introduce Lara...


Hello, lovely Prairie Friends! It is so wonderful to be here with you on Kristin’s gorgeous planet. I think we might be fraternal twins separated at birth…for starters, to find another woman professing herself prairie-worthy, was enough in itself! I just find myself in her posts and it is lovely, lovely.

Blogland has been a highlight for me as I go down this creative path I’ve been traveling for quite awhile now.



I think the thing about blogging is that it brings the “Look! Something Shiny” things into our lives. You know…the stuff that ignites your heart and makes you smile the broad, squinty-eyed smiles. I have a lot of these and at times it can be a bit confusing about what kind of artist I am truly. So I thought I’d slink down this little road of defining this..might be fun to see it all in one place

…and introduce you to my “Look! Something shineys” and give my own version of who this prairie girl is.



I think photography is what I was meant to do. It is in all areas of my life as my job and just for the love of it.

Dogs…



People…



Gear…



Dreamy scenes I wish I could jump in to...



It’s like breathing and I have a camera with me at all times because I just don’t want to forget the image before me…especially when it inspires.

I’m a Barn Sale lovin’ diva with friends in that world who I hold very dear to my heart.



Women, in particular, who lift me up and make me feel like I can fly.




My family is my greatest accomplishment and I am very selfish about the time I spend with them. I know the clock is ticking on how cool it is to “hang with mom”, so I’ll take my two lovelies any way I can get ‘em. Not to mention a husband who I adore and admire…he is the Bee’s Knees, so to speak. On 12 acres of country land we make this home together…cruiser bike rides, camp fires, walks down the lane with the dogs. Decorating this house with my antique prairie-inspired treasures…It’s dreamy and wonderful and I could never go back to city of neighborhood life. I love it here in my Modern Prairie World. I feel very blessed and feel immense gratitude for getting to live this life.




Writing has become kind of important these days as I pour myself out, sometimes without holding back on the blog…but now it actually counts because I’m writing my first book for Amherst Media on how to create a dog portrait studio…pretty exciting stuff, but also a bit “can I really do this?” “Who am I to tell this story?” blah,blah,blah…I will get over it and be excited to do a signing at Borders…that visual is getting’ me through! I also teach and write curriculum for our “Ignite the Heart” retreats on the Oregon Coast each spring. My artist friend, Elida Field, does the collage teaching part and I do the photography tutorials. It’s just the best time.



I love that weekend!

I’m turning 40 and I believe I’m having some sort of creative awakening…I don’t know what you call it, but it’s sprouting in my heart like a dandelion these days. I created an art-making-only room at the studio and it’s all I can do not to retreat in there as much as I can. For now, the art-making comes only when the photo work is caught up, but it really feeds my soul and I know deep down (what Kelly Rae, our modern hero, would call “the whispers”—I call them the “stirrings”) that I will end up there somehow.




Makin’ stuff.

Loving makin’ stuff.

Showin’ stuff.

Sellin’ stuff.

I just have to be confident that the plan is there and patience is the key (not my strong point). It’s hard when the passion is new…like standing on the porch with that new boyfriend saying “goodnight” for 2 hours..you just can’t get enough..but I suppose that’s the lure of it also…that I just can’t devote the amount of time that I want to right now…

And it’s okay.

It will be.



So that’s me…cowboy boot wearin’ , Tiara Friday sportin’, art makin’ prairie gal who is just thrilled to be here today with you all. Yay for blogging and all that it adds to our lives!

As Kristin would say…

”Big prairie hugs”~Lara


dear lara girl~

*thank you* so much for sharing your journey; you are such an inspiration to me...and yes, i deeply regret being to stinkin' shy to walk up to you at barnhouse and introduce myself...ugh...never again!!



Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Trust...



sometimes i'm a chicken...

yep...

a big {red} headed chicken...

especially when it comes to putting my creative self {out there}...

i'm afraid...

of failure...

of not being {good} enough...

constantly comparing myself to others...

when i lost my dad years ago, there were many regrets...

that day i vowed to try and not go through life with regrets...

with what {might} have been...

with that in mind...

i entered a photo of mine...

into a contest to become a tester for the new florabella textures that are about to be released...

when i submitted it i instantly regretted it...

i should have done a different one...

i should have done something bigger and more dramatic...

but guess what...

all the self doubting, worry, and something of {embarrassment} for trying...

were for nothing...

i am SO excited....shana rae and her judges picked my photo as one of the 5 winning photos!!

i will be receiving a set of the new textures and will get to play to my {heart's} content!

i've talked about courage and strength on my creative journey...

but it also takes trust...

trust in myself and my {gifts}...

to unfurl my wings and soar to my full potential...

there is no greater feeling...



Monday, November 8, 2010

Taking Flight...


how do i even put into words what this book has done for me on my creative journey...

her introduction begins with a quote...

"When once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes skywards, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return"
~Leonardo Da Vinci

not only does kelly take you on an inspirational journey of yourself but also gives you step by step instructions to creating your own works of art...

places to gather your winged thoughts...

and most important to this prairie girl...

gentle reminding to listen to your whispers...

and follow their truths...



Sunday, November 7, 2010

Prairie Wings...



i'm learning to
fly again...

i'm aware once more of the wings that are carrying me upon my creative journey...

they are as grey as the storm that is building somewhere along the great divide...

they are branded with the wisdom of the long forgotten...

they are strong and graceful and will bear me along the ups and downs of the prairie winds...

a few of my feathers are ruffled and bent caused by tumbles from my charted path...

they are bruised from being constrained by the bonds of self doubt and constant criticism...

they quake with an eagerness to stretch to their full potential and soar towards that dream waiting on the horizon...

they are humbled to be carried along on the whispers of What Once Was...

they are gaining strength and courage with each new adventure...

what do your Prairie Wings look like that you have released while embarking on your creative journey...



Friday, November 5, 2010

Art of Texture...

i've been talking about textures a lot haven't i?!?

well there is a reason...

besides my absolute *obsession* with them...

i've had the idea to create my own set of prairie textures for quite awhile now...

i just wasn't quite sure where to begin...

well my dear friend kim is offering this...

a beginning...


the ecourse begins november 18th and i CANNOT wait! everything kim does is absolutely beautiful and she also offers a way out of manual reading for this prairie girl!! :0)

would *love* to have you join me and kim in the art of texture it should be fabulous!



Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Truth...


~Artistic growth is, more than anything else, a refining of the sense of truthfulness~
Willa Cather

i'm embarking on a journey...

a journey of the creative spirit...

before i can begin i need to know the truth...

to know the raw being of myself...

so that i may give you a sense of who i am as an artist, a mom, a prairie girl...

a peek into my everyday...

the doubts, the joys, the small whisperings of what once was...

the truth in my journey...



Monday, November 1, 2010

An Autumn Day...



an autumn day...

spent under the prairie sun...

delighting in the crispness of the air...

the sweetness of the orchard apples...

laughing and living...

with pure joy...

together...



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