The Christmas Story

This is so so so adorable. Please enjoy while I SLOWLY complete my advent drawings...
I know i promised them for Christmas - I know, but I have much greater ambition than
time. Its an ongoing problem.

Merry Christmas everyone! Make it Shine!

xo milady

The Heart of Childhood

Its Christmas Eve day ...things are changing around here.   My children are growing up and the sparkle becomes harder to polish  We are moving into an age  of understanding, deepening the faith in things unseen, realizing that we make our own magic.  But they aren't totally grown up, just on the verge of dashing their hopes because of some dumb kid at school who hasn't had the pleasure of knowing the true tummy tickling spirit of Christmas.  I read the classic story "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus" to the boys lastnight.  The real article that inpsired the whole thing spoke louder than ever this year. Whats life without a little mystery and magic? Whats life when growing up means you know all your stuff comes from China? A big grown up sad one.
Here's to the kid in all of us...Santa lives!...making glad the heart of childhood.

XO enjoy the spirit of giving and receiving.
       Love and Blessings

Milady - yep thats me on the left!

p.s. my kids and I agree that is the REAL Santa in this pic. :)

p.s.s. and just cos its hilarious , an e card of us

The Pile and the Glow

see the advent "tree?"

we had our party this weekend. christmas doesn't seem complete without a house full with lots of food and children running about - not to mention the motivation to finish painting walls and clean the floors.

I suddenly become Scandinavian during this time which makes me so happy.

meaning, all things elvish and vintage white come out and wrap the house with a big hug from Carl Larson.

I bring out all MY toys.

 and while i happily glitter and glow, the advent pile just grows and grows...

As we desperately await the long overdue snow.

This is totally unacceptable for Colorado mountains.

 But the Cheer was on full blast as we gathered to watch the teenagers do the "robot" in front of the fire

and stuffed ourselves silly with delectable food from my dear friends i so admire!

I promise...advent will be done by Christmas...so come back for a big "present" from me!

XO milady

The Parade I Wasn't In & Woodland Advent status

<Woodland advent pile up to appear when I've got a minute to finish them!>

So, the parade was this weekend. You know i live for parades...they allow me to go public with my

kid-ness.  Well, it was going to be great...lamb dog was going to walk with me, the Spirit of Christmas.

My boys would be adorable elf attendants handing out red and white striped confections and waving from white horses.  My friend and her girls would be the snow angels and we'd all light up everyone's believe-o-meters to full charge.

Well, we were LATE and the stress was palpable.

the blue pear's window

Let's back up, here in happier times, my star candy cane distributor elf, Morgan all suited up and ready to go

While waiting for our ride, the lamb dog ran away! And it became quite apparent that she wasn't enjoying the stress level one bit.  Scratch that.  ps im not pregnant although my festive layers suggest otherwise.

The Live Nativity we so looked forward to only had a handful of adorable miniature donkeys. Sicilian, just like the one i've always wanted. The one i'd name Luigi. Mary, Joesph, the baby...all MIA. But maybe i missed that too.

I missed everything, because of that guy in the middle, you know, the happy elf ?

The hurry up stress combined with the siren of the fire truck made him stage shy and while crying about not wanted to do it, got a huge raging bloody nose all over his elf outfit...even more tragic? his elf shoe unravelled! He simply couldn't go on. So, the parade left us in the mud way at the other end of town where nobody cared i had a glorious headpiece with stars that changed colors.

By the time we caught up with the others, we found our "angels" in the nativity.

But don't be fooled...here they are attacking an elf.

Maybe next year!

Craftstravaganza!

its in full swing...the craftstravaganza! boxes, baskets, bins and tins are scattered everywhere bursting with ribbon, velvet, beads and wire.  by this time tomorrow i will have created costumes for myself, boys, lambie and horse for the parade. i'm going for "the Spirit of Christmas"...a twisted version of Sweden's St Lucia , the christmas goat and a little Nutcracker inspired Snow Queen. we shall see....i sure hope lambie cooperates!

xo milady

Advent 7, 8, 9

 Advent 7  Home

 Advent 8  Star

Advent 9 Wild Berries


I wish i had words tonight but i am tired!

sweet dreams
xo milady

Advent 6 The Field

Monday December 6th.
The Family Field

Down the mountain and out the valley are fields still golden from corn and straw.  Deer find refuge and a late afternoon meal in the waste of harvest while the buck oversees his clan.  They are a family ,scattered but belonging .

xxo milady

Advent 5 Grandfather Fir

While foraging for boughs and berries I came upon Grandfather Fir. He let me sit under his canopy and enjoy his fragrant needles as I stared up into eternity through his branches. Grandfather Fir said I could snip some of his branches but I couldn't so I didn't. 

If you ever have a pressing philosophical question that needs answering, just have a seat under Grandfather Fir.  He has all the answers cradled in his wise roots. Be patient and listen well.

xo milady

Advent 4 - Union

Saturday, December 4th.

I saw a beautiful horse full of vigor and grace strutting astride his lovely lady, a spotted beauty who was clearly his type.  I thought of unions and mates, friendship and loyalty. I thought of compliments, equals and how two parts make a whole. I saw the stark black spots on their shining white coats and marvelled at their design, opposites in perfect union.

xo milady

Advent 3 The Owl

click me to see me

just so you know, i stayed up late and finished this just past midnight. it was a busy day out of the house.

I saw many wonderful things yesterday but it wasn't until a certain encounter in the evening that made the entire day reveal it's gift : The Flight of the Owl.
Earlier in the day we saw one of our valley angels in the clouds...it expanded across our entire town, white and gray wings spread in perfect symmetry. A meterologist would have other explanations having to do with thermals and mountain topography but we know what we saw...a huge magical owl.
Later in the evening driving home down the old country road, kid in my lap, we were swooped by large winged creature. It stood on the road until we got real close then it took flight altering its course to give us a full body show of feathers and talons.
The owl has a mysterious job - flying between here and there, where heaven and earth meet in cold night air.
We were lucky.
We got a glimpse.

xo milady

The Christmas Lamb Dog

Blossom pretending to be the Christmas Goat in the Great Wood

(goat love) an adorable interlude

Yesterday's trip into the Great Wood

The Christmas Goat - Once upon a Blog (thanks for the inspiration Malin!)

Later today...Advent #3...still looking for the ONE.

xo milady

Foraging and Woodland Advent #2

Awoke to a sliver of a moon and couldn't get it out of my head. This is what i'll draw today, the moon.
And then, on the way to school, we passed a glorious stag who sauntered across the road and up onto a river bank where he then stopped, turned to check us out, posing just like the fox...the animals are posing!
Something is happening, magic is welling, animals are gathering.

its not my favorite but i said i'd do a drawing a day. so here you go.

xo milady

Woodland Advent #1

Dec 1.

Greetings December, you feel so different already.
 I overslept dreaming of foxes when my own fox-dog Pearl awoke me with her "something is out there" talk. You see, she sleeps by my head on the big pillows meant for reading. She is my guardian. She looks like a gray fox. Husband and I sat up and looked out the
window to see a real live fox, majestically posing in the drive, flanked by dark twisted oak limbs, in the halflit blue of early morning.  The fox and I locked eyes, then suddenly I knew what I am doing for Advent this Christmas...make a drawing each day of something magical I see outside. My drawing hand is rusty and in need of an assignment. I look forward to tomorrow...I'm going into the woods up the creek bed to forage greens.  I wonder what I will see?

xo milady

Help from Above

sir william blake

sir jujeemous maximus (kitty) and

perhaps a fairy?

william blake

sulamith wulfing

me

i drew a fairy card today.

after driving home in awe of the diamonds yesterday's winter storm laced the cottonwood limbs
magical
wish i could download my brain to show you
how it glistened and winked
and made everything go slow mo....
feeling the very center of moment
and feel how lovely it feels
and bitersweet longing
wishing i could stay in it
always

i drew a fairy card today and this is what it said:

                                            Fear came knocked at the Door
                                            Trust opened it
                                           and nobody was there.

thank you!
xo milady

The Color Keeper

I feel like the Color Keeper most of the time. I try to not be too whiney on my blog, but the feeling is there...a deep sad not good enough feeling that keeps me hostage. I need artsy souls around me to keep me going - like i need oxygen.
 Comments from down under and up over help in ways i can't explain. Thank you friends. thank you. I loved watching this little diddy about it from another artist, greg pecknold. it makes me feel good to know i/m not alone and that it truly is the artist's chore...to operate from such a humble authentic place with a bravery fit for a knight knowing that just doing it will make everything alright.
The Color Keeper from Sean Pecknold on Vimeo.

and on a lighter note...pure sweetness from This Years Girl on etsy.

xo milady

White Winter Hymnal

Found some new music-
Fleet Foxes White Winter Hymnal video is so clever. I especially like that He Doesn't Know has goaties in the video.
It reminds me of  red nose studio   Chris Sickel's process on his blog  such as here & here.
He makes me chuckle and feel like a sloth. He has 3 kids too!
My need to see and discover grows with each day.
There are so many unbelievable people in the world.
I am thankful for each spark of inspiration that comes my way!

xo milady

it's coming!

her name is Stephanie she loves lambies and talks to ghosts...

sings like an angel and loves woodland tales... the how could i not be smitten?

owl in the dark

magic of the holiday season is coming, fast, too fast. when i return all will be white and lights will need to be strung, cookies rolled & little villages created out of wine corks and cardboard.

but first we have to celebrate Thanksgiving - a gluttonous American tradition full of old family recipes (usually of the jell-o variety) and lots and lots of whipped cream and gravy.

i am in the South for this event. just think of Gone with the Wind. the family is gathering. the cousins are getting loud.

thank goodness for this find. owl in the dark , a magical sweet reminder of what really makes me feel like home.

xo milady

Crafty Folks

ann wood

anna willi's ethereal paper scuplture

roadside attractions jayme mcgowan fun with scissors!

martha stewart, i mean, her staff... just plain cute everytime.

ann wood 's ships and this little diddy: red riding hood

hans christian anderson 's papercuts

God, how i love craftiness! These folks take the preschool basics to the moon.
enjoy looking!

xo milady

Feeling Fairy Tale-ish

Good morning. Enjoy a little fairy interlude through the eyes of Edmund Dulac.

The last picture is me waking up. I wish.

Have a wonderful day!

xo milady