Apples for Georgia Prints at Hosmer Gallery - Forbes Library, Northampton, Massachusetts

 Hello lovelies! Just popping in quickly to say that yesterday, I hung a show of all the Apples for Georgia prints as part of a show at the Hosmer Gallery - upstairs at Forbes Library in Northampton, MA.

The show will be up until January 31st.

In case you can’t make it, want to know what you’re getting into, or just want to whet your appetite, here’s a quick, quiet walk-through: 

I applied to be in the show in October of 2024, not knowing what was coming. 2025 was a crazy year with multiple moves out of places and into places, and not always in that order. We’re starting to feel a little more settled into our new house and community, and I’m excited about several projects I have underway. 

More soon (ish)

(Also, I will not be able to attend the opening reception, but the other artists are marvelous!)

You're Invited! - Apples for Georgia Virtual Book Release Party - November 9th at 2pm Eastern Time

 

The Book Is Here! We did it! 

I'm finishing up the artist prints, packing mailers, purchasing mailing labels, and getting excited for 

The Apples for Georgia Virtual Release Party! 

Mark your calendars! 

3 Days Left and a Very Silly Video

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It's been a very silly day around here! 

Apples for Georgia Kickstarter is Live!

 

Apples for Georgia - my first book to be published through Penny Bun Press!

 

I am so excited to announce my first book to be published through Penny Bun Press : 

Word of the Year: EXTRAORDINARY

Many people choose a  Word of the Year (WOTY). The idea is to choose a word that will inspire you, motivate you, and create space for you to step more fully into being your best self. How do you want to show up in your life? What do you want to embody? What would nudge you towards living your life more fully?

Notes from the Atelier: January 11th, 2024

     at·el·ier

/ˌadlˈyā/

1: an artist's or designer's studio or workroom

Hello lovelies! 

Happy New Year! 2024

Inhale and exhale.

2023 was quite a ride, ...wasn't it? 

Celebrating 500 Posts! (plus a few)

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Hello Lovelies! 

I keep waiting for the roller coaster to stop, or at least slow down, but the days and months and years keep speeding by.

Every few years I take a look at this blog space and decide if I want to post more often and how I want to shift it to fit the current version of myself.

I recently did an exercise, as part of a coaching group, and wrote down a list of 25+ I'm proud of accomplishing. 

For a variety of reasons, I often downplay my achievements, and don't dwell on anything I've done. The next urgent matter has already come up, whether or not it's important. 

Writing down this list was an eye-opener for me and was a delightful experience in sorting through my past for things that bring a sense of accomplishment. After writing my top 25, I decided to keep going. As of this writing, the list is at #77 and going strong. 

One of the things on the list is this blog and having written more than 500 posts! 

I started this space 14.5 years ago, as a way to keep people up to date on my life and focus on gratitude as my husband deployed for the first time, less than a year after we got married.

Here we are now! We just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary, we have two brilliant kids, and are living a marvelous adventure together! 

Thank you to everyone who's been here every step of the way, everyone who's even peeked in to see what's going on, and everyone in between. I'm grateful for these morsels of your time and I am proud to still be here. 

With all my love,

Myrrh

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We will love you always, Thelma kitty. Thank you for all the snuggles.

 A couple nights ago our beloved Thelma passed away in her sleep.

She'd been struggling with a tongue tumor for a couple of months and we gave her the royal treatment until the end.

In no particular order, here are some favorite memories: 

Thank you so much to everyone who visited, cared for, and loved her along the way. 

--

Catching up on Princess Cakes - Happy Birthday Daddy!

 It's that time of year again... 

And now it's a tradition. 

I've been a bit remiss the last couple of years in updating you about Daddy's Princess Cakes.

I'll remedy that now.

In 2021, I did the Boston Cream Pie theme again. "Plant-based" food coloring lent a subtle coloring to boughten marzipan. Again the high-octane white sugar of the marzipan clashed a little with the natural sweeteners of everything else. 

The creme pat soaked into the cake making it moist and delicious. 

In 2022 I decided to try another of Daddy's favorite cake flavors growing up and made a pistachio and honey marzipan:

In spite of loving pistachio pastries, I felt that the honey and pistachio of the marzipan didn't quite work out. Perhaps I wasn't even using the right type of pistachio! 

and finally...

2023 (Happy birthday love!)

I made date-sweetened almond marzipan and added a little plant-based red food coloring to some for the flower. I liked the simplicity of the date/almond/water marzipan but I think I'll try a honey/almond one next time. The date was sticky and hard to work with and I felt like it was a competing rather than complimentary flavor to everything else going on.

This was the most successful cream dome I've done yet! 

I did kind of wing the cream dome and the creme pat but somehow I managed to pull it together and no one had trouble eating it. 

In spite of my own criticism, my love keeps asking for Princessa Torta for his birthday treat! 

Have you made anything that's healthy AND delicious lately?

Comment below! 

Beacon - woodcut book and lantern

As I near the end of my final semester at Smith, I'm proud to share two connected projects, done for different classes. The first is an abstract sculptural piece inspired by a piece of writing I did. The second is a portion of that writing, turned into a single woodcut, double map-fold book.

The lantern:

(apologies for the loud door noise) 

The book:

"Unfinished Business" is part of the Virtual Exhibition at Hosmer Gallery!

 Just popping in to tell you that "Unfinished Business" Is on display as part of the Virtual Exhibition "Home" from Hosmer Gallery at Forbes Library! 

Here's a photo from when the piece was up in the Janotta Gallery at Smith College - click through to the Hosman Gallery exhibition at the link above for a better photo! 

I'm so excited! 

Notes from the Atelier: January 25th, 2022

     at·el·ier

/ˌadlˈyā/

1: an artist's or designer's studio or workroom

Hello, lovelies! It's been a while! 

I've been busy over at Penny Bun Press's Instagram posting regular updates like these:

Notes from the Atelier: News and upcoming changes! 7/29/21

  at·el·ier

/ˌadlˈyā/

1: an artist's or designer's studio or workroom

Thank you so much to everyone who followed along with any of the February Love Where You Are challenge posts! 

Can You Do A Little Favor For Me?

Postcard from Penny Bun Press - 4.28.21

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Over at Penny Bun Press, we're excited about Mums. Not the flowers (although we love those too!), but mothers. 

Mother's Day is coming up soon, on May 9th.

Recharging after Burnout - 10 mindset mantras and hacks to help give yourself a boost

 Burnout And What To Do About It.

10 Mindset Hacks and Mantras to Help Pick Yourself Back Up

And Finally, It Is Spring – An Ode to Crocuses

An Ode to Crocuses

This year, more than ever, the world held its breath for spring. 

Now that it is truly here, I feel the rushing out of breath held in too long 

Introducing Tess

A lot of things have been unexpectedly missing from all of our lives over the past year. Last fall, after our twelve-year-old puppy finally admitted he was old then passed gracefully a week later, we had a particularly large vacancy to fill. 

We learned so much from him that we were even more clear about what we would look for in our next pup. With our pretty strict criteria, we were prepared to wait until we found just the right dog for us, even if it took years.

And then there she was.