Lupines

We are having a very lush, cool June here in NW Oregon. I live right on the edge of the Coast Range Mountains. Nothing in between us and the ocean but green hills and mountains. Our little hidden valley has some very beautiful scenery. These lupines are just down the road from us. They are at their peak. The weather has been perfect for them. The smell is as wonderful as the sight.

helvismith art

I have a good friend that just discovered she loved to paint. She paints about everyday and her studio is fast becoming full of bright colorful art work. I want to share some of her paintings with you as I think she is really good and her art work needs to have a broader audience. I have given you a link to her "helvismith" page here, or just click on my blog post title and it will whisk you to a world of color.

For those of you close by to our corner of NW Oregon, her studio will be open during the Washington County Art Studio Tour in October. And her art will be in Newberg in the next few months as part of their Friday Art Walk. You will be able to find more info on her art page.

 

Now how is that for a dose of much needed color in life!

Doll

I used Susie McMahon's Izannah pattern for this doll. She has 3 outfits. Each with matching under pantalets. The apricot homespun fabric is a never used,  22" width from the turn of the century,  the yellow fabric was a piece of tucked blouse from the 30's, and the blue was a piece of a skirt from the 40's. I made her hat with straw braid from the 20's. She spans a lot of years. Her hair is made from string. That also was an old reel!  I am not sure the little box will travel with her. Probably. I used a Victorian scrap for the lid and did some painting on the sides and interior. New box. She is waiting till I find some distressed leather that is just right for shoes. She has two necklaces.

Shasta Trinity CA. Antique General Store

I ran across these photos from a trip my husband and I took a couple years ago. We drove into the historical town of Shasta, California late in the afternoon on a Sunday. The general store was closed. We stood with our noses pressed against the window and as if by magic the front door unlocked and a very nice gentleman asked if we would like to come in. He did not have to ask twice!

We were the only ones in the store. He turned on all the lights and let us look around. He explained that the general store was one of the few buildings left standing in the town. If I remember right, he told us that when the original family turned the building over to the restoration group, they were told that most of the antique store goods had been put away, and were in an out building behind the store.

He said it was like a treasure trove. Everything you see in the pictures is old. Nothing reproduced, even though some of the goods look brand new. He said when they looked in the storage building they could not believe their eyes. It was like a dream. Boxes and boxes of original store stock in pristine condition.
 

This was the town that was at the start of the gold rush trail going into the Shasta Trinity Mountains where all the miners were headed to pan for gold in the 1800's. We followed the road through the mountains. The terrain is extremely steep. It must of been unbelievably hard for them. Here are the pics I took.