Stylin' Owl on eBay!...

Hoot Hoot! Just finished a unique owl for Halloween or perhaps any occasion for that matter. He's a one of a kind find, painted in an Art Deco motif and looking for a home. Take a closer look by clicking on his image below and visit his auction page. He's here and gone in 5 days, so best of luck, and THANK YOU all for your bids! I appreciate your interest!

~ Johanna


* Have you ever seen an owl like this before?... I've only seen them in my imagination.. hehe! Lift off his head to find a cup below to hide your secret stash, trinkets, or whatever you wish!...

* © 2009 Johanna Parker Design * Owl Candy Cup photos & design are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

Twin Boxes of Cheer...

It's the simple things in life that bring me joy. After JP constructed our beautiful custom potting shed last year, I put in my request for a pair of basic window boxes that I could fill with flowers. Of course, it wasn't a priority, but more like eye candy for me to peer at each day from our sun room window. Luckily, with his woodworking skills and a little time to devote to my "needs," he was able to make them this month! He painted them green, and I filled them with red petunias, purple lobelia and creeping jenny. Now, every time I glance out back, I get an extra dose of cheer! Thank you JP :-)

~ Johanna


* Creeping Jenny & Purple Lobelia blooms begin to cascade over the edges of each window box... I just love these cheerful colors!


* Next on my list is to find some rusty salvaged elements that I can decorate the fronts of each box with and perhaps a wall ornament to live in between the two windows. I won't know what they may be until I find them!


* The stone path and "stage" as I call it was also created by JP which leads the eye and the foot to our fun potting shed...

Heartfelt for Dad...

Father's Day is tomorrow, and I feel extra grateful this year to have my dad around! He gave us quite a scare back in March. As JP and I were practically out of reach on a beach in Mexico, my dad was fighting for his life! His heart, as we knew was only ticking on one of three wires, but when that third wire began to fray, he knew something was wrong. Little did I know of the panic as mom frantically emailed me updates. Once I learned of the scare, I opened each note with one eye closed, afraid to read something dreadful. Fortunately, he had an emergency pacemaker implanted, and his heart began to beat to a steady rhythm again... What a relief and a blessing it was that my brother was able to take over the wheel and drive my dad to the nearest ER. Last week, I was able to visit with my parents as they stopped in to visit us here in Colorado. I gave my dad a big hug, so happy to see his smiling face and feel his warmth.



Of course, I only found it appropriate to make him a little something special and heartfelt.. Take a peek at the one of kind black cat shaker that JP helped me make. She too "ticks" so to speak.... You'll see what I mean. Happy Father's Day Daddy!

Love,
Johanna


* We're "cat people" if you hadn't noticed :-).. so I made this small one of a kind black cat appropriately holding a rustic heart for my Dad's Father's Day gift.... He loved it!


* Mom loved it too as I painted this little cutie in a redware motif, one of her faves. Give this kitty a little shake, and she ticks and rattles and reminds us to never take our hearts for granted...

* And she rattles because we filled her with little noise-making rocks and trinkets, and JP drilled 5 holes to release that fun, rattling sound...

* © 2009 Johanna Parker Design * Black Cat Shaker photos are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.

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Treasures, Found & Received...

It was a beautiful morning, so JP and I decided to follow the endless trail of garage sale signs, zig-zagging through funky old neighborhoods in search of treasures. While some sales were a lost cause, others proved a bit fruitful in our hunt. I found a few vintage goodies while JP searched for tools and the like. I scored, he didn't - but usually, it's the other way around! I also recently scored 2 delightful prizes from talented artist friends offering Giveaway treasures on their blogs. So, I feel fortunate and grateful for all of these treasures.... Have a look-see....

~ Johanna




















* Jack fashions one of two old crocheted doilies that I found discarded in a bin.... I can only imagine the time and love spent on this.. I will drape it over a bench or prop for an upcoming holiday display....



* Buttons galore in a big bag for $4! They all seem time-worn and vintage. I'll put them in a glass jar and keep them handy, just in case...


* A pair of folding wooden stools will be just perfect for propping my folk art at various shows.. $1 each...


* I was attracted to the turquoise color and shape of this Lane pottery vase, a perfect vessel for my colored pencils.... $2...

**And as for the Treasures Received, I was given this whimsical "Pair of Twos" by the ever so talented artist Brandi Milne! She has a truly mesmerizing style, and I invite you to visit her blog, filled with eye candy: http://brandimilne.blogspot.com/


* How did Brandi Milne know that I love ladybugs ever so much?! Next on my list is the perfect frame to properly display these original drawings....

**And last but not least, Robert Brawley, aka "Halloween Fanatic" gifted me his stylized rendition of the Munny Doll in his recent Blog GiveAway.... He's an avid collector of folk art and obviously has the artistic touch as well! Many thanks to you both for sharing your fabulous talents here in Blogland!.... I feel so lucky to have won these special treasures!


* Robert Brawley's bold, graphic style in black and white makes this 'lil guy pop!

Calm Before the Storm...

It must have been an intuitive feeling that JP had early Saturday afternoon. My parents had stopped by to say farewell before they flew back to Seattle. I had placed my new camera on its tripod out in the garden, awaiting to take a few family photos. The weather was beautiful as we said our goodbyes. Then, JP suggested I "play" and take a few photos for fun. And FUN it was!... I snapped all sorts of close-ups which I will share with you here. Then, sprinkles started to fall and as we ran inside, torrents of rain and hail replaced the raindrops, and we watched our garden in dismay. Again, our garden was pelted on Sunday with heavier hail and rain after which flooding took its place. All is peaceful again, but the garden sadly took a beating. There is always hope, and we'll see if the plants will arise to the sun's warmth and rays. For now, the photos offer fond memories and an acute perspective on nature and its wonders...
~ Johanna


* A bee crawls up and over the bloom of a Bachelor's Button flower...


* A Green Lacewing stops to rest on a spent Alium bloom...


* These poppies just "popped" before the storms rolled in. We enjoyed their paper-thin blossoms for only a few hours, all of which have now fallen to the ground...


* A special peek at the life of a roly-poly in his armored suit as he climbs across the yellow bloom of a sedum iceplant...


* A bee extracts nectar from the violet blooms of a wild geranium...


* Yellow Yarrow, just beginning to pop, glows for the camera...


* A bee-like insect with a peculiar hovering habit searches for the center of this tiny Snow in Summer bloom...


* Tissue-light petals in brilliant red open to the skies... I'm afraid most of these flowers were lost in the storm...


* A bee grips the edges of the tiny Catmint flower in search of sweet nectar...

Please click on the images for a larger view. I cropped them all so you could see the intricate detail, but the subjects are interesting shown in their surroundings as well. I do wonder what became of these small insects and how they could possibly survive such a violent series of storms....? If the storms stay away, perhaps my garden will have a chance to recover ~ There is always hope.
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Evolution of EHAG's Logo...

Well, it's official!.. EHAG * Eclectic Halloween Artists Group * has a new logo, and I designed it! Behind closed doors, or tucked away in front of our computer monitors, the moderators of EHAG, including myself have been thinking of new ways to put a fresh face on EHAG. Image is certainly key, and a new logo design was an obvious answer! With my graphic design experience and a few subtle nudges from our group's leader, I went ahead and started sketching. I thought it might be fun to share with you my process. However rough the sketches and initial graphics may look, it is a necessary step, at least for me in building a brand. Here's a peek at the evolution of EHAG's logo from a "closet graphic designer turned folk artist"... Hope you like it!

~ Johanna


* Here are extremely rough sketches just to get my thoughts on paper... I had a vision to blend the "A" of EHAG somehow with a witch's hat, and slowly it evolved...


* Next, a rough, line-art pencil logo was scanned, and then I made it into a vector-based file in Adobe Illustrator, pulling and tweaking the letters until they started to take shape... First, the thought was to place the logo over an orange rectangle.... But, then orange turned into pumpkin...


* As the pumpkin base took shape, I thought of applying script-style text in green as vines, but that did not translate so well when reduced in size. In the meantime, JP suggested adding a curl to the "H"....


* Finally, I shared this image with our EHAG mod's group, and they loved it! Phewwwwww...... It was a lot of work getting here. Just a few additions and a few more days, and I was ready to finish!


* And WaaaaaLaaaaaa, here she is! It's BOLD and it screams HALLOWEEN in a classy sorta way.... YAY!.... You can view it full size and see other various banners and badges I made at www.ehagart.blogspot.com.

Cheers to my fellow artist friends in EHAG! This is my gift to you :-)

*EHAG Logo Design: © 2009 Johanna Parker Design

Halloween Owl Kettle Cup on eBay!

Flutter flutter, flap flap, do not snooze and do not nap!
My original OWL in a cup, is hoping to be snatched up.
The clock is ticking fast, and his auction will not last.
So click on his image below, and best of luck you go!

{ Thanks for looking and for each & every bid! }
~ Johanna


* © 2009 Johanna Parker Design * Owl photo & design is the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission.
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WoW!!!... & the Winners Are.....

Wow, I am blown away by your 323 comments! I never expected such a grand turnout! Before I announce the winners, I just want to say THANK YOU! You have made me smile, laugh and feel so good inside... YAY!.... So, let's get down to business shall we..... ***DRUM Roll Please...................

1st Prize goes to: Cat (darklingwoods) ~ http://darklingwoods.blogspot.com/

2nd Prize goes to: Identity Seven ~ Jen Osborn  http://www.identityseven.com/

3rd Prize goes to: jandofabrics ~ http://twitter.com/jandofabrics

OK, so I know there are a LOT of you who wanted to win, but you are ALL winners in my book!... I'm sending each and every one of you a cyber-HUG for supporting me, sharing your kind thoughts about my art and for energizing and inspiring me to continue creating what I do. I guess we'll just have to do this again sometime as I think it was a smashing success! Toot Toot!

Winners - you Lucky folks you!!... the gods of numerology must be shining on you as it was a complex series of drawing numbers "0" through "9" to find you! Well, cheers to you, and please contact me with your shipping address so I can send off your prizes!

Thanks again to ALL for participating and making this a very special Blog Event!
Cyber-Hugs,
~ Johanna