Holiday Snow! Leslie Brier - snowed-in artist!

It's just beautiful here in Virginia. We had a blizzard that blew in Friday night, and left us with about two feet of snow on the ground by Saturday afternoon. It felt so good to know that we were all safe and sound and had nowhere to go!

Bordeaux loves being outside. She doesn't mind that the snow is up to her shoulders. Everytime she comes in, she is just covered in snow. Merlot prefers to be inside, like me.

This is the Christmas Tree I did for the Festival of Trees. This is an annual event held to benefit Hope House, a women's and children's shelter that helps them to break the cycle of homelessness.

I found some cardinal light covers at a thrift store about a year ago, and decided on a cardinal theme for my tree.

I looked for cardinal ornaments all year. In the beginning, I didn't have much luck. In August, I found a cardinal and poinsetta tree skirt (unused!) at a yard sale. Things started picking up from there. About a week before the tree was due, I hit the mother lode and was able to complete my tree.

My tree was called "Winter in Virginia". Had I known how snowy it was going to be this year, there would have been a lot more white on the tree!

I don't know who bought my tree, but I want to thank that person and everyone who bid on it for their contribution to Hope House. And thank you to the judges for awarding it "Best Small Tree"

Happy Holidays!

Seventh Folder, Seventh Photo

I discovered this on Patti Szymkowicz's blog, and had to try it.

Go to your computer photo album
Go to the seventh folder
Go to the seventh image
Upload to your blog and tell what it is

(By the way, I am a huge fan of Patty's.)

This is a photo that I took several years ago at Elkwood Crossing Gift and Garden Center in Elkwood, Virginia. Laura at Elkwood creates beautiful little vignettes to find as you're wandering through the greenhouses and gift shop. She also has a very elaborate fairy garden complete with live plants to scale with the fairies. I'll have to post pictures of it in the spring.

I designed the logo for Elkwood when they first opened. I think that photo was taken when I was working on a brochure for them. Here is the logo:

The Elkwood photo is in sharp contrast to the weather that we are having today. Snow, snow everywhere. School is cancelled today and tomorrow. The kids are thrilled, and I have to say I'm enjoying it, too. This little snow family was left as a surprise on my doorstep on a snowy day last winter. Aren't they adorable?