New Week, New Theme: Color!

Maybe you saw the glimmer of my new week's theme yesterday, with lots of nice strong clear color? OK, I admit it was accidental, but it got me thinking that after green comes (flowers) lots of color. And it's really the direction so many of my newest pieces have been going.

Now, I've got a new bunch of amazing flowers to share here. I got lucky. Picking up some groceries a couple of days ago, they were unpacking a newly arrived box of bouquets...and I was the first one there.

It was so exciting to watch the guy cut the top of the box open and peel back the cardboard...and packed inside, all ready to pop into the bouquet displays, were at least a dozen new bunches...each prettier than the next.

And such a wonderful variety of blooms, including a lot of varieties known to be long lasting cut flowers. Oh, a few dicey ones were in the bunch. Blossoms I know seem to decay quickly and contaminate the water (which in turn leads to the early demise of the whole bouquet.)

But one thing I did learn from this bouquet, which I hope to keep around and enjoy for awhile, is there are a couple of wonderful chrysanthemum varieties...that I'd love to add to the gardens around here to enjoy next fall!

These bi-color mums, in particular. They really are just stunning!
Happy Monday to everyone!

Orchids, Treasury & I Heart Handmade (Spring!) Show opens

I love this one-and it looks different from different angles.
All the newest buds are slowly gaining size but none of the newest ones are opening quite yet.

Treasury!
This is new for me--I was included in a treasury because I voted in an Etsy contest, choosing my favorite from pieces by the CCCOE Street Team. The curator here, a member of that team (though not the artist I voted for) is Katy of KisforCalligraphy (where calligraphy meets craft.) Cool paper goods in her shop! Do take a peek...
Meanwhile, click on the image to visit this actual treasury through Monday morning.

The newest "I Heart Handmade" show opened Saturday! It's jam packed with cool shops across the full spectrum! And things will be given away in little contests here periodically. There are new featured shops every day...it's a very dynamic show and each shop has it's own page.

A sampling of some of the shops included--click on this image or here to take a look at my own new page! I experimented with some photo collages to illustrate my new "series" so do tell me what you think of this approach!

Have a great Sunday!!

Green for Your Ears...

Freshwater pearl drop-for St. Patrick's Day and new

Nephrite jade wrapped hoops - new

Czech pressed glass and copper - new

"Green Rain" earrings

Spring Green flowers earrings

part of the "Wasabi Blossoms with Lime Leaves" set

I feel compelled to finish out the week with my accidental green theme. I was drawing a bit of a blank until I heard from Grace this morning, on the hunt for green earrings (thank you, Grace!) Well, I took the opportunity to peruse my portfolio in the hunt for potentially suitable candidates, and was quite pleased with myself to put my little collection together!

Some were sold (but could be recreated), some are currently listed and still others are newer, and will be listed within the next couple of days...and something that really delighted me was the RANGE of greens here....very cool, if I do say so myself! I'm not going to tell you which ones she chose...that's up to her!

On a totally different note...is it just me or have any of my other readers been encountering a higher number of infected blogs (which thankfully, my AVG virus protection is blocking...so far!) when returning EC drops? It's got me a bit spooked. I'm considering returning to just my blogroll again but when I do have a bit of time to blog surf, it's the curious cat in me that wonders what is behind the new avatar....although tried and true blogs have come up infected too....how does this happen?

The Green Theme Continues....

The Christmas cactus has decided to be an Easter cactus, too.

Revved up geraniums

Begonias coming back to life

I stepped back and realized that starting with my budding orchids on Sunday...it's really been a "green week" here on the WillOaks Studio blog! I've decided to continue that thread because "it's just what the doctor ordered." Why do I always forget that when we go from winter to spring season, there's an extra season in between? Call that season Mud Season....

Anyway, I guess here is evidence that the days ARE getting longer: many things are either budding or blooming indoors here. Lucky me, happy to share!! Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday (Kitchen Garden)

Alfalfa (& avocado)

Alfalfa Sprouts

Radishes

Not Irish, Love Green

I just realized the other day that the approach of St. Patrick's Day happens to coincide with the time I begin to reach the breaking point in yearning for the sight of green outside....imagine that, I just figured it out. (Insert a duh here.)

So I dug out a bunch of the greens that tend toward "emerald green" from my big green collection here...and voila, another addition to my new crocheted silk series. I posted the piece this weekend and it garnered a lot of hearts...cool! You can click on the picture here if you'd like to read more details...otherwise, have a green dream sort of day! (It helps lift the spirits a bit...'cuz here, it's warming up some, melting some and oooooh, getting muddy out there. Thanks for tracking in tons of mud, Dakota! But nope, nothing is green yet.....)