Category Archives: Beasties

Another Weekend and ART to enjoy.

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And we are off to Narragansett

Heirloom Charlie, recycled, UPcycled tractor, on his way to Narragansett. Gordy is on his canvas, waiting to fly over for the weekend.

107 Vendor spots to be filled with visual pleasures for your eyes! 31st Annual Narragansett Art Festival.  Yes that reads Art, not arts and/or crafts fair. That means you see new and different items if you are a frequent weekend show goer!

Heirloom Charlie, just couldn’t resist- he left today for he is riding his tractor down!  The rest of us will be there and ready bright and early Saturday (and Sunday)  morning!

Free Admission…. June 22 and 23 — 9 am to 10 pm
Veterans Memorial Park – that would be right next to the Historic Towers and the water! All in lovely Narragansett R.I.

In case you get hungry, 2 invited Food trucks, and tons of good eats all over Narragansett.

We will be there with our “goods” – art prints, Mini Arts, i.e. cards, Handmade lacquered boxes and  trays and a few Beauties on mugs. Come on down and join the visual feast.

 

… and here he is!

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Finally – you get to see the whole Botanical Beauty!   You read his story the other day… and now you get to see him as well. In case you are wondering about his less obvious  ’parts’ - His  hair is dill, chest is a Cheromoya, thighs are star fruit, feet are small onions, pitch fork is Rhubarb, and he is walking on ginger root!  Hope he makes you smile, and think about sustainability across all the parts of your day.

In case you missed his story – it was friday’s posting! http://botanicalbeautiesbeasties.com/off-to-a-garden-party/

 

Heirloom Charlie

Off to a Garden Party

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We are off to the races – well ok, it’s a Garden Party really!  About 6 weeks ago I met The Fabulous Beekman Boys… and now I am off to a festival (as a vendor) that they “host.” Life has a funny way of twisting and turning… this could have been a very tough weekend for me, and instead I am excited and off to explore a new place, meet new people, and hopefully open some big doors. I believe it may the largest festival I have taken part of to date.  I think this whole weekend is a bit of a gift – starting with the fact that I met these guys in Vermont (Dave’s beloved home state.)  Now we will have to wait and see what the rest of the weekend brings, but I am hopeful and feel very clear that I am suppose to be there – Why? Don’t know yet… but at the very least I am  giving it my all, created more Mini Arts (aka greeting cards,) created 8 new Lacquered Boxes, and finally got to make some Trays that have come out amazingly fun! … To top it all off I created a NEW Botanical Beauty! He will debut this weekend on the above mentioned products! He is extra close to my heart for a couple of reasons. Read all about him below the pix of “the Boys” and me – a photo from the VT Garden Symposium weekend.

Beekman Boys and me

His name is Heirloom Charlie and you can read his whole story below. Part of why I am especially proud of him is I have been wanting to figure out a way to “give back” a little for all The Botanical Beauties & Beasties have done for me these past 12 months. Donating a percentage from Heirloom Charlie (a sustainable Farmer,)  to help out others feel good. With GMOs and food labels very much a hot topic these days, the timing feels perfect.  I am very pleased to have chosen Long Life Farm as the recipient of 15% of Heirloom Charlie Sales. They are local MA., CSA, organic farm who reaches in to the community in many ways to help out those “in need.”

I am also pleased by Heirloom Charlie for he is very fun to look at, my first vegetable Beauty and so a new branch of the BBB3 tree, he gets to part of marriage equality in our land of  Botaniumaus  (and be a wedding gift to celebrate a ‘real” gay marriage in the land of USA,) and I like all he symbolizes in his story/causes. So it with great pleasure I unveil  Heirloom Charlie (aka Radiator Charlie) to you in full…. on Saturday!

Heirloom Charlie's Story

Nothing is on the online store yet, but there are trays, cards, boxes and prints to celebrate Heirloom Charlie (aka Radiator Charlie) which will become available soon.

Colors Matter!

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Variety is the spice of life,  Differences make the world go ’round.. and Color is the Technicolor wonder of our beautiful and very colorful world/Earth.

col·or is a noun

1. the quality of an object or substance with respect to light reflected by the object, usually determined visually by measurement of hue, saturation, and brightness of the reflected light; saturation or chroma; hue. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/color

I have spent a good part of the afternoon playing with paint and color…. for my wonderful, ever so fun to make, lacquered boxes! Part of the puzzle is playing with color combos, colors that pop, colors that seem happy,colors that are fun, colors that please me, and colors that compliment the Botanical Beauty that will grace the boxes top. BTW – you can see some of these luscious boxes tomorrow ( Sat May 18 at Crafts in the Park, N.Reading MA —Put this address in your GPS – 5 Central St. N. Reading MA 01864… 10-3pm)Color Boxes

Color plays a vitally important role in the world in which we live. Color can sway thinking, change actions, and cause reactions. It can irritate or soothe your eyes, raise your blood pressure or suppress your appetite. When used in the right ways, color can even save on energy consumption.

As a powerful form of communication, color is irreplaceable. Red means “stop” and green means “go.” Traffic lights send this universal message. Likewise, the colors used for a product, web site, business card, or logo cause powerful reactions. Color Matters! -http://colormatters.com

A cool website- all about color, the symbolism of colors, the meanings of colors….and a whole lot more!

Color can change the whole feel and emotion of an object. Color can take the mundane and make it exciting.

Whats your favorite color? I realized I really couldn’t answer that question. I have so many favorite colors! If I was tied down and being tickled and I had to say something…well maybe these days I would have to say all shades of reds, from the pinks to the purples to the hot reds! One you say - hmmm maybe today its Pink! Leave a comment and lets see your fav color(s) ! ! ! !

What soothes your soul?

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Always a good question to think about… What makes you stop, breath deep, and creates some inner peace for you?

For me it’s (in no particular order) friends, family, flowers, yoga, my dogs, and “creating” – like a new drawing or an art/craft “object,” sunshine, fresh air, and then maybe some more flowers…… or at least those things are some of list toppers!

Since Mable (or if you prefer you can call her Mabel – she likes to mix it up a bit)  is CEO of Emos, and Emos manufacture Smiles, it seemed fitting that she get to hold the giant flower and stand in one of my favorite flowers – a Poppy. You will have to use your imaginations to see all the other “soul soothing pieces”  here with Mabel, but I can assure you they are like water drops and are sitting on top of those flowers too!  Even better…. use your imagination and think about what ever your pieces are and insert them into your mind and reality. If you are really lucky, maybe Mabel can hold some of your too!

Mabel with Flowers

Helping hands….

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Everyone needs some help at times of the day, the year, or even in a moment.

We all know it’s spring thank goodness it’s time for flowers and herbs and gardening again! Peaceful. Healthy. Beauty. Color. Meditative. Calming. Soothing – those all words I associate with gardens and gardening. Here in my little piece of the world I have a back deck that turns into a little piece of all those words for me each year. It is a deck that I surround with “window boxes” or in this case rail boxes, that I mostly fill with Herbs. I use the herbs for cooking, ice tea (yes I grow many mints,) and just because I love being able to go out there and have all these possible scents surround me. There are naturally flowers too…but enough about what I personally plant.  The real point of this story is helping hands…..so…. I was at my local garden center to buy the soil for the boxes. There was even a special deal price of my favorite soil in a 2 1/4 cubic feet bag.  Great! Now, you need to know that I am pretty strong and about 5 foot 8, so I am not a small weak wisp of grass…. these bags are HEAVY! I struggled to get the first on my cart. Then the helping hand came. A couple came walking by, the man asked if I was getting another bag. I said yes, and he (with some effort too I may add) put the second one on cart. FAB! Then to add to the goodness, they were right behind in line to pay, and he offered to put them in my car for me. A big win for Kindness and for me. Thanks you universe for that helping hand when I needed it.

Helping Hands image

Helping hands…holding hands… the two often mix. That’s a very good thing.

 

 

 

 

 

Looking for fun & what to do? We can help!

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Not one but TWO chances to greet, meet, see, say hi, enjoy, buy cool art things, do good, and smile this weekend!

April 27 – Celebrate Earth day: See over 75 exhibitors including local artisans, green products, alternative energy, community groups, health+fitness, home improvement, food, music and more!    Click here for the full listing! ( You can even do some ‘big time’ recycling at the event! Check it out! ) 11 AM -3 PM Framingham Centre Village Green on the Common, Framingham MA.

April 28 -Art In The Garden is this Sunday! 11am-4pm at Weston Nurseries is Hopkinton. In its 6th year, Art In The Garden will host 50 local artisans exhibiting their handmade wares on the beautiful grounds of Weston Nurseries.
You will find stained glass, pottery, jewelry, etched slates, bath & body products, candles, handbags, tote bags, furniture, clothing, garden art, paintings, note cards, birdhouses, winds chimes, pillows, dog collars and leashes, pet clothing, blown glass infusion jars, beaded belt buckles, scarves, honey, pickles, chocolates, pizza and more! $3 admission will benefit One Fund Boston, Mazie Memorial Foundation and Project Just Because.
April 27&28 shows

Groundhog day…

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Izzy and the Groundhog

Izzy and the Groundhog in the South. This is NOT  New England in February with those flowers! Or… we have a bigger climate change problem than we knew!

Izzy escaped the winter and went south to work on her art for a bit. However, she did her part for those us up North,  found the local Groundhog…and asked…  6 more weeks or not? 

Info from National Geographic- Groundhog…. click here

“The groundhog, or woodchuck, is one of 14 species of marmots. These rodents live a feast-or-famine lifestyle and gorge themselves all summer to build up plentiful reserves of fat. After the first frost, they retreat to their underground burrows and snooze until spring, drawing their sustenance from body fat. (Maybe they have it all figured out? Eat eat eat, hide, dissolve the fat and reappear! ) While hibernating, the animal’s heart rate plunges, and its body temperature is not much warmer than the temperature inside its burrow.

Groundhog hibernation gave rise to the popular American custom of Groundhog Day, held on the second of February every year. Tradition dictates that if a groundhog sees its shadow that day, there will be six more weeks of winter, though such a prediction seems a sure bet over much of the groundhog’s North American range.

In the spring, females welcome a litter of perhaps a half-dozen newborns, which stay with their mother for several months.

Groundhogs are the largest members of the squirrel family. Though they are usually seen on the ground, they can climb trees and are also capable swimmers. These rodents frequent the areas where woodlands meet open spaces, like fields, roads, or streams. Here they eat grasses and plants as well as fruits and tree bark. Groundhogs are the bane of many a gardener. They can decimate a plot while voraciously feeding during the summer and fall seasons.” -Info from National Geographic- Groundhog…. click here

 

The Wisdom of an open palm, in Yoga and life.

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Sunday mornings I often have a small argument with myself, there are three parts to this “conversations.” The first part is: I am most likely lying in bed, snug and comfortable, and since it’s winter the outside is cold and my bed is warm. Leaving it seems silly.  The second part is from my body:  It is often just plain old tired and going back to sleep is pretty much always tempting. The third part is my mind: You see, the ideal, and the goal is, to get up, get moving, and go to Sunday morning yoga class. The mind says: Go- you will be glad you did…Go-it is always a good idea to go to yoga …Go-you will learn something new, whether it be a corrected pose or a thought. … Go- it’s exercise and stretching, and especially in the winter it’s important to keep the body moving! … Go-you love it when you do. Go-you feel better after class/practice. Go-its self kindness. Im glad to say the mind usually wins these days, and I do get up and go!

This past Sunday my teacher brought  up a topic she has mentioned a few times lately. It’s the wisdom of an open palm. Birdelini and I love this and keep thinking about it.  Read on and we think you will too.

Lets try something. Stop reading for about 30 seconds and make two tight fists. Clamp your hands as hard as you can. Breathe in and out. Hold another bit. Now think about that for a moment. It doesn’t feel very good, your muscles tend to tense up, you may have even scrunched up your face muscles. Did you feel the tension that came with that? Thats a fist that lets nothing in! Now, just put your hands out and open your palms up to the ceiling. …. Breathe in and out. Stay there another bit….Kind of amazing the difference in feelings! One is tight, controlling and stressful to hold. The other is almost relaxing! That’s the beauty of open palm living! An open palm, lets the day take its course it doesn’t need to control everything, for an open palm is open for giving and receiving. “Often we are focused on what we can get for ourselves out of the fear that if we don’t get all we can then someone else will get it and we will be missing out.  We clench our fist and hold on tight.  The Open Palm knows that there is much for everyone…” -http://www.balancedlifeyoga.ca/the-wisdom-of-an-open-palm-finding-balance/.  Open palm living lets it “be” – ebbing and flowing, giving and taking in an open manner.

Birdelini and I continue in our yoga practice….we’re loving the open palm thoughts, and trying to be open to all that comes our way. How about you?

Birdelini Yoga Warrior Pose

open palms here…

camel pose
camel pose-Heart Opening – relieve tension and stress.

 

 

The Great White North

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The Botanical Beauties & Beasties have just returned from The Great White North. It was the perfect way for us to bring in 2013. We were in gorgeous Vermont and the Stunning Adirondack Mountains near Saranac Lake and Lake Placid.

We had a lot of fun, did a little snow showing, laughed and cried with friends, partook in Saranac Lake First Night, and viewed and enjoyed the local art scene. BIG NEWS - if you find yourself in Lake Placid, or need another reason to go to Lake Placid,  stop in the very wonderful “The Bookstore Plus” (2491 Main Street, Lake Placid, NY 12946) and browse all the great things INCLUDING our Cards! www.thebookstoreplus.com.  It is a great store, their web site says it all - ”Providing personalized customer service to help our customers reach their imaginations though reading, creating or writing.  Your source for the latest bestsellers and Adirondack books. We keep a wide selection of all Indie Next List and New York Times bestsellers. Come  in to see what is new on both of these great lists! We have an extensive collection of Adirondack titles and often have signed copies as well.”  The owners are delightful, the shop is a joy, and you get to support a  2nd generation, family owned and operated local independent book store, read, write and draw…How can you not love that! ( …and by the way they will ship for free on orders over $50 right now!)

Well, back to winter wonderland…the trees are majestic, the mountains are strong,  our friends are “tried and true” and we love them all. The  Adirondack Park weather makes Vermont feel like it is sunny Florida! What ever it is in Burlington VT  ( which is pretty far and up there in VT, yes, like almost Canada) you can count on it being colder and snowier across the lake! When we came back “home” across and had a grand time in our old stomping grounds it was practically balmy in comparison! However, we love them both, the landscape is soothing, the meeting of the mountains and the lakes never stops amazing.