Saturday, October 31, 2009

Fall Foliage: Special Delivery & Swine Flu Update

Day Seven Swine Flu Update: Attilla's Son-- "Still critical, but getting close to turning the corner." Click here to READ.

Please keep those prayers and kind words coming! They are deeply appreciated and each update from Attila send her sincere thanks. xx Joanna

Here's an update (Day Six) on Attila The Mom's son who's fighting the Swine Flu. In short-- "There is a tiny, tiny improvement in his left lung which has been the worst." A prayer or a few kind words here for Attilla and Big Kid would be greatly appreciated. xo

One of the hardest parts of living in Southern California for me is missing the change of seasons, especially autumn. I miss the the richness of the fall colors so much and usually comment on it when I see a blog post with great fall photos. Our leaves don't change colors like they do in Ohio where I was raised. What few "leaves" we have turn brown over night without even a hint of color.

So imagine how excited I was when I spotted two gorgeous pieces of autumn-themed art by the very talented Sarah Sullivan at Cottage Garden Studio that captured exactly what I was missing so much! I made a small purchase via PayPal and fall arrived at my door step today with all its glorious colors. Yippee!

This one is called, appropriatly, "Leaf Fall". It's colored Pencil and Pen and Ink. I'm having it framed this afternoon.

And this gem is called "Oak Leaves and Acorns". It's an acrylic painting by Sarah. I love how the leaves wrap around the edges.

Both are originals and I feel really blessed to have Sarah's artwork in our home. I'll spend the weekend moving the pieces around until I settle on the perfect spot for each. But for now, I carrying them with me from room-to-room because I'm enjoying them so much.

If you haven't met Sarah, please stop by and show her some love. She has a beautiful blog and a terrific way with words. And if you'd like to have a look around her shop, by all means-- It's a feast for your eyes.

Thanks a million Sarah!

Wishing everyone a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Are you dressing up?
Welcome to The Fifty Factor -- Joanna

45 comments:

  1. love the colors in oak leaves and acorns. we hand made our costumes this year...Logan is a ghost, Cole a pirate, T will be batgirl and I am the Joker.

    Hope you have a great haloween! and a wonderful weekend!

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  2. Simply marvelous. I like Sarah's work and I love how you feature other blogs and friends that speak to you and move you. Good show.

    I too miss autumn. Went and got me some in upstate NY a couple weeks ago - and it snowed on my last day there too. In Florida we have the five minute fall like you. Very uninspired.

    You're absolutely right, Joanna... nothing beats the beauty of the leaves as they change, but even in the great North, it is over much too fast.

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  3. Oh it must be tough not to have Fall colors around you. I love Fall!
    Those art pieces are great.

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  4. I wasn't familiar with Attila until your post from several days ago. Since then, I find I can't get her off my mind. Having had a a daughter in the NICU for six months, I well remember the constant state of anxiety. I hope she will get some good news today.

    Your new fall artwork is beautiful! I would like to spend some time where it's warm year round and see if I miss the changing leaves. This year, I just find it a depressing sign that winter is on it's way. The near constant rain isn't improving my outlook!

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  5. Oh hon..thank you so much..I'm so thrilled you like them and will love my litle pieces!! Always fun to send them off to folks who will enjoy them!! So happy to send a little Fall your way!!
    I am touched that you offered up such kind words here hon!! I am honored!! Namaste, Sarah

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  6. Sarah's artwork is gorgeous! I'm going to check out her site!

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  7. I love the wrap around art. It's beautifully unique. I'm blessed to just look out the window, the hills and valleys are covered with brightly colored leaves. I guess we really take the handiwork of God for granted.

    Have a great weekend and enjoy your fall art!!!

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  8. just found your blog today and as a chic who just turned fifty myself, this year...i feel for ya!! don't know what i'd do without the change in seasons? probably buy art...or better yet make art. happy halloween!

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  9. Love the pieces, I think I will wander over there and look around.

    Even less Fall over here than in So Cal.

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  10. They are beautiful arent they Joanna, I love Sarahs work. I have been having trouble opening her blog and a few others lately, so I miss reading her everyday. I hope you are well. Take care, glad I can open yours.

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  11. Thanks for the update on him. I hadn't heard anything more since your last message.

    We have all the fall colors here. In fact, I can go outside right now and select any number of the 10 go-zillion leaves on my lawn, complete with acorns. I'll send you as many as you want.

    Well, maybe I'll just take some pictures for ya.

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  12. Awesome Love her work too! Praying for your friends son!

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  13. Love the autumn pictures home you post there home. I'm praying for Big Kid I hope this weekend brings good news.

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  14. *gasp* I LOVE that second picture!!! We don't get the fall colors either. I remember the first time I saw them when we drove up north, I was glued to the car window!

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  15. Don't forget the picture when you get them hung.

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  16. Those are beautiful works. I love fall. It's my favorite season. It rained so hard today that it brought down tons of our leaves. You can't even see the grass in the front yard. My son has taken some wonderful fall shots out in Colorado. I'm going to print some of them and frame and hang them. Aspen are wonderful in the fall!

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  17. Lovely art work! I miss the fall colors over here too, that´s why I´m enjoying reading the blogs and seeing the beautiful pictures.
    Have a great weekend!

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  18. I love oak trees and acorns. Very nice. I'm sure you will find the perfect home for them. Happy Halloween my friend. xoxo

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  19. Those are gorgeous paintings. I bet they'll be masterpieces when you find that perfect frames for them :)

    Enjoy your piece of autumn and finding a corner for them.

    We have two seasons here, clear day or cloudy day. Both can be nice :)

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  20. My favorite is the oak leaves and acorns--but I understand your need for both!

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  21. Lovely!

    I'm off to visit her blog now.

    thank you
    Ribbon

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  22. I love that artwork. I would miss the fall foilage if I moved away. (But not the dreary days and snow!)

    I'm dressing up as the grumpy, fat lady down the street. My boys are going as raving lunatics. My husband is going as the Invisible Man.

    Happy Halloween!

    PS I will continue to pray for your friend's son.

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  23. My wife is the real leaf lover. I enjoy the colors but the whole thing just gets me think of the cold winter ahead.

    Hey I just posted about some cool pumpkin pictures take a look.

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  24. They are lovely and definitely evocative of Fall.

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  25. I love Sarah's artwork. I too don't have the beauty of the fall around me here and I miss it. I think I may head over to Sarah's and see what she has to bring in the fall or the winter.

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  26. My favorite season is autumn. My favorite holiday? October.

    Sarah's work is lovely. I'm especially partial to the wrap around leaves! Beautiful!!

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  27. Love the vibrant colours! Gorgeous!

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  28. as a southern Californian living in New England, I know what you mean. However, once the leaves are gone and the freezing cold arrives, I miss SoCal! And it's coming...

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  29. Those are great pieces, I love the one with the acorns!

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  30. I can't imagine fall without the colors changing. What a lovely way to substitute!

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  31. Even in the San Francisco area, we don't get much leaf change..not enough trees really in the midst of all the tall buildings.

    I didn't get a rental car this time I'm at my mother's in GA...now that I'm retired, not enough discretionary income to waste $250 on a vehicle that would be parked most of the time in the driveway...sad, though, because the world around here is filled with glorious trees - even though 24 hours of monsoon-like rain nearly stripped the leaves off the trees.

    Nice that you have permanent foliage for your home now!

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  32. If its Pencil and Pen and Ink then its marvelous..

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  33. I know what you mean about missing fall leaves. Moving from the Gulf Coast back up to North Carolina has brought fall color back into my life! And I appreciate it so much more now. Good for you for finding a way to bring it back into your life! And supporting an independant artist.

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  34. Let me know if you'd like a few real ones pressed in wax paper! My kids would thrilled to oblige - we LOVE going for nature walks, even if there's a street on one side of us and houses on the other! There are still plenty of greenery and insects and sticks and rocks and little hills and valleys in between! I could totally give my kids the "job" of looking for some really nice, big, highly colored leaves, and they'd love it!

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  35. I'm keeping Attila's son in my thoughts. ATM was one of the first bloggers I met. I'm really pulling for them all. I know this is tough on her and her whole family.

    Love Sarah's work! Beautiful artwork!

    Happy Halloween to you!

    Hugs!!

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  36. Do you celebrate Halloween or is it just a spell you're going through...?

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  37. These are indeed stunning and beautiful!!! So glad you can enjoy a little fall foliage through such beautiful art!!! And so sorry to hear about Attila's son...I will definitely keep him in my prayers!!! Have a wonderful weekend, my new friend!!! ~Janine XO

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  38. I'm praying for Attila and her son. Thank you for the updates.

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  39. Oh, the world of substitutions! If we don't have full forests changing leaves, we can have thier symbols, matching the archetypes of old forests waving in the wind of fall. Jung was once more proven right. Beautiful post.

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  40. Very pretty art work.

    We don't get a pretty change of season either here in Texas.


    Joy

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  41. I'm glad to hear that your friend's son is better.
    You are right about the lack of change of seasons in S. CA. Though if I mention it to any of my relatives in the East coast, they think I'm mad!

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  42. Those are great! I love fall foliage.

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  43. love the leaves artwork, beautiful colors

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