Happy Fall Y'all

Happy Fall Y'all!

 

Here are some fall pictures that my husband has taken along with some fall cards I created with them.

 

This is a candy corn pin made from paper clay.

My Beach Combing Addiction

Hi, my name is Bev. And I'm addicted to beach combing.

It all started at a very early age. My grandmother had a home on Jacksonville Beach where we spent many holidays and summers. We combed the beach for shells and sharks teeth.

My sisters and I have spent hundreds of hours together looking for shells on the best beaches in Florida.

Shells have always been one of my favorite God creations, and my collection has really grown over the years.

Here are some of my favorites:

Another treasured pastime is looking for sea glass. Glass has always fascinated me. I love stained glass and any other kind of colorful forms of glass.

Something else I have recently started collecting along the sea shore are corks. I have used these to make trivets, but I also just collect them and keep them in a jar just in case I come up with a clever way to use them in a new craft.

Here is a picture that I created for my sister. I collected the sea glass on the beach where she lived. These are two little sea angels.

Beach combing is such a relaxing way to spend a few hours. I highly recommend it.

Perfect Beach Day

 

I have been bringing back memories of my childhood this week. 

Most of the time we were at the beach or on the ocean. 

We even spent a summer managing a motel owned by my aunt and uncle (my parents did the managing while my sister and I were on the beach). 

My sister and I spent so much time on Hollywood Beach eating hot dogs and picking up shells.

Oh, and I can't forget the hours we spent swimming in the public pool and the evenings jumping on the trampolines near the boardwalk.

 

It was such a fun time in our lives.

 

Remember clothes lines? We had 'em back then.

 

I took this picture in front of Trader Joe's the other day. The flowers reminded me of the hibiscus hedge we had around our home in Hollywood. I just loved these flowers, and I still do.

 

Pink Hibiscus

 

Sand Pipers - Love to watch them flitting back and forth in front of the surf.

By George, I Think I've Got It!

So much of my life was spent near the ocean, on the ocean, and in the ocean, and it has been such a big part of my life that I want to keep my art as close to what I've always loved as possible.

Growing up my family visited Naples, Florida quite often. Fishing and swimming were what we did as a family. I recently came across this old photo of me and my sisters. My little sister was too young, but our mother loved to dress my other sister and I as twins, even though I am two years older than her.

 I decided to do a painting of us with our "cute" bathing caps and matching swim suits.

On one of our recent trips back to South Florida, my husband took this photo of a sand piper.

It became the inspiration for one of my beach scenes..

In fact, I feel so inspired by this type of work, that I am going to focus on it for most of my art pieces.

The Beauty Of An Orchid

I am very fascinated by orchids. I love the line and design in the beautiful, delicate blooms. They are clear and perfect. The Master is such an amazing designer.

We sometimes purchase these just to be able to paint and photograph them. They make excellent subjects for still life.

The photo above is hanging in my home. It was photographed by my husband a few years back. It is still one of my favorites. Don't you just love the vibrant colors and design?

Sometimes, our orchids will go for years without a blossom. Even in the absence of blooms, they have interesting shapes and designs in the leaves and the air roots. When they do bloom, it is a cause for celebration and new painting and photo opportunities.

This is an oil painting I created several years ago.

Take some time to take in the beauty around you. You can even find these flowers in a local supermarket or at your nearby florist if you don't already have some.

Photo Ops

Inspiration comes to me in many forms. My wonderful husband is a photographer/teacher. He has many talents, but if I say so myself, this one is his best.

He is always taking pictures of nature, interesting objects, buildings, etc.

When I see one of his photos that I like, I usually think of a way that I can create a card around it.

He has grown a garden just so he can take pictures of the beautiful flowers.

Yep, he built this too. I told you the guy has talent.

Lots of beautiful birds like this Cardinal visit our porch daily. (Of course he feeds them just so they will come and pose for pictures.)

He also builds birdhouses for photo ops.

Our younger son took this beautiful shot. He's quite an artist in his own right.

If you are interested in learning about photography, my husband has a website where he teaches basic photography skills. The site is www.WayneRasku.com.

A Little of This and A Little of That

I have enjoyed creating many types of greeting cards. These cards were created by using a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Some of the elements were created using fabrics, beads, buttons, shells, dried rose petals, ribbons, gauze, etc.

This is a little bird ornament.

 I hope you enjoy this batch. Is there one that stands out above the others? Tell us why in the comment box below.