Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Golly's Cookie Factory

biedermeier houses
My cookie factory in full swing this week!
Pressing biedermeier houses with my molds from House on the Hill.

speculaas ready to bake
Speculaas pressed and drying before baking. Recipe from House on the Hill.

hazelnut checkerboards
Hazelnut Checkerboards are simply deelish. Recipe from Joy of Baking.

Tis the season. Walnut cookies.
Walnut Cookies are one of my favorites. Recipe form Martha Stewart.

springerle
Springerle cookies are just so beautiful. 
I love my new lady gardener. She fits in perfectly with the bees.
Recipe and molds from House on the Hill.
***
I wish you all joy and happiness!
Merry Merry!




Friday, December 19, 2014

Nature Collections

nature collection
Nature Collection
butterfly roost
Butterfly Roost
log no . 74
Log No. 74
***
New watercolor paintings in my shop today.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

my tiny studio
Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend. 
We had our first dusting of snow. Doesn't the studio look charming in white?

woodland collection
A winter woodland nature collection.
Found all these pretties on my walk in the woods yesterday.

found nature collection
Pine cones, acorns, lichen, maushrooms, fungi.

roosting butterflies wip
Almost finished with a new painting. 
p.s. 
Tomorrow is the last day of my winter SALE!
25% off all prints and paintings in my Golly Bard shop.
Use coupon code: FEATHERYOURNEST at checkout.
Take a peek!


Sunday, November 23, 2014

Feather Your Nest

feather your nest
Golly Bard Winter SALE is on! 
Enjoy 25% off all prints and paintings in my shop through December 1st.  
Use coupon code: FEATHERYOURNEST at checkout.
Happy shopping!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Wintry Days

birch bark
New birch bark fabric available by the yard on Spoonflower.

Naturally inspiring.
Naturally inspiring palette.

gloaming detail
Gloaming
Small and large print available in my shop.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

Golly Bard Editions | Large Prints!

Big!
large prints
I'm so pleased to tell you that a selection of large prints 
are now availble in my shop!




Friday, November 7, 2014

No Running With Scissors!

fall favorites
No running with scissors!
Spoonflower is having a 2 for 1 Fat Quarter SALE through November 12th!
These are just a few of my fall favorites from my Woodland collection.
From left: silver oak leaf, giant acorn caps, scattered seeds, logs, seed pods
Woodland is available in a natural or soft white background.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Critters

Opossum study.
Marsupial musings.squirrel study
Opossum and Black Squirrel

These two impossibly cute little critters are in my shop.
Take a peek!


Friday, October 24, 2014

Woodland Paintings

migration no. 4
Migration No. 4

Black Bear

Ivy Vines

Raccoon Cubs

Trees in the Forest 

New original watercolor paintings in my shop today at 11am EST!

If you are looking for framed paintings there are still a few miniature moths
from the Enormous Tiny Art Show available at Nahcotta Gallery.

Friday, October 17, 2014

GB Editions | New Prints



I've been adding so many new prints to my shop over the last month or so 
and wanted to give you an update!

Just in case you're not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, 
my Bee and Butterfly Garden prints make a perfect pair. 

If you're not afraid of pink and your walls are screaming for something 
tropical, vibrant, bold and bright, then check out my mini Paradise Collection,
Parrots, foxtail lilies, snakes and exotic hummingbirds abound. 

If you love lettering as much as I do and want to collect your initials
or need a personalized gift for someone special, take a peek at my

I added two favorites from the GB archive to my Woodland Collection,
Can't resist those moody greys:

I've been painting up a storm and will update my shop 
very soon with a flurry of originals, so stay tuned.
Happy Friday!





Monday, October 13, 2014

GB Spoonflower | Free shipping

Decisions, decisions, decisions…
Spoonflower is offering FREE worldwide shipping today only!
Shop for Golly Bard fabric, wallpaper, and gift wrap.
p.s. 
Did you know Spoonflower is now offering fifteen types of fabric
including Faux Suade, Eco Canvas and Poly Crepe de Chine?
So many fabric choices. A sewist's dream!

Sunday, September 28, 2014

In the studio

My favorite line from The Grand Budapest Hotel.
My favorite quote from The Grand Budapest Hotel.

The days are getting shorter. The beaks are getting longer. Back to the birds.
The days are getting shorter. The beaks are getting longer. Back to the birds.

Miles to go.
I like to work on the fly and just let things happen spotaneously. 
Going back in with my rigger helps me articulate feathers.

Early birds.
Layering a little bit at a time. 

Early birds wip
These birds are coming along. Hope to finish this one soon.
Have a great week my friends and thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Raising Monarchs II

Changes afoot. The long wait finally over!
After about 12 days I noticed the slightest change in color on the oldest chrysalis.

Only two hours later and I could see the pigmentation of the wings.

Early the next morning the chrysalis had turned dark and transparent.

By mid morning the butterfly emerged or eclosed as they say in lepidoptera talk.
It only took a minute or so. It happened very fast and I nearly missed it.

The monarch hung upside down from its chrysalis.
Busy at first, doing butterfly things and then quietly resting.
It's hard to believe that one month ago this beautiful butterfly 
was an egg the size of a pin head.

First the butterfly unfurled his proboscis, 
a tubular straw-like mouth part used to slurp up nectar,
and then extended his wet wings which takes about four hours 
to dry and harden before he can actually fly. 
This Monarch butterfly was a male. I called him King Louis XIV, the sun king.
He has two noticeable black spots on the outside of his hindwings which females don't have. 

In late afternoon I picked up Louis and set hime free near some lovely nectar plants.
He flew right up into a tree. No long goodbyes.
Louis is part of the great generation, the fourth and last generation of 
monarch butterflies for the year.  The monarch butterflies of the great generation 
travel thousands of miles to their wintering grounds in the 
Sierra Madre Mountains of Mexico where millions of monarchs gather together 
by the end of October and hang like jewels from the trees in the forest 
roosting until next spring when they begin all over again.
Bon voyage, Louis!
***
Monarch numbers have been rapidly declining every year for the last ten years. 
Imagine that they once covered over forty acres of land in their winter roosts
and now only cover two acres or less. 
If you are interested in helping to save the Monarchs,
either by planting milkweed and nectar plants,
or raising them next season,

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Raising Monarchs

It all started in late July when I spotted tiny Monarch caterpillars 
on common milkweed plants. It was an exciting find because 
I have been looking every summer and I have never been able to find them. Not one. 
In mid August I spotted my first egg and then another and another. 
My eyes were definitely open to seeing and I saw them everywhere! 
So, I decided to raise them. 

I started with six eggs which all hatched, however one did not make it past four days.
For two weeks I fed five caterpillars fresh common milkweed leaves daily.
They ate a lot, pooped a lot of frass and molted five times in that two week period. 
They grew from 1/8 inch to 3 inches! They were fat cats!

One by one they stopped eating, climbed to the top of my enclosure and made a little silk 
from which to hang. Eventually they hung upside down in a J position, 
a sign that they were starting to pupate and enter the third stage of life as a chrysalis. 
Finally, they molted one last time. Wiggling out of their old skin. 

 Over a period of several hours the shape transfomed into a pupa or chrysalis. 
If you look closely, the pupa is imprinted with the future butterfly wings. 
This phase was extraordinary to watch and I posted a video to my Facebook page. 

These tiny jade jewels are flecked with gold. Such a thing of beauty. 
We are waiting and watching now. Perhaps in seven to ten days we will have butterflies. 
Stay tuned for an update!
***
If you are interested in helping to save the Monarchs,
either by planting milkweed and nectar plants,
or raising them next season,

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Giveaway | Twig Typography

Twig Typography
Twig type is finally here and available in my Golly Bard shop. 
I'm celebrating with a GIVEAWAY and there are three ways to win!
Write the letter of your choice in the comments below or on my instagram or Facebook page. 
 I will pick the winners on Thursday morning. Good luck!
***
Vivi from Hiving Out!
Congratulations!
The letter R is coming your way soon!

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Enormous Tiny Art Show: Autumn

 Parthenice Tiger Moth
 Anna Tiger Moth
 Arge Tiger Moth
 Great Tiger Moth
 Virginia Ctenucha Tiger Moth
St Lawrence Tiger Moth
Packing up my paintings for ETA
Six tiger moths flew up to Portsmouth, New Hampshire 
for the Enormous Tiny Art Show opening September 5th at Nahcotta Gallery. 
All of my watercolor paintings for the show are available now 
on the ETA website andteeny tiny surprise is on the back 
of each painting for GB collectors!