Free Printable Space Travel Posters from NASA and JPL Studios

This Is Awesome!

Do you dream of interplanetary travel?

Feed your galactic wanderlust with these FREE printable travel posters from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's "Visions of the future" series. Click Here to make the (space) jump.

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By the way, any comments left on the blog before 3/3/16 get you an entry in a random drawing for handmade bath and beauty products from Sweet Harvest farm. Click here for photo of prize and details.

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Enter to win handmade soaps and lotion from S.H. Farms - ends 3/3/16

We've got some goodies to share today! 

Love all-natural bath and beauty products? Winter weather drying you out? Do you like supporting independent businesses and enjoy handmade items? If you say "yes", then this is the place for you!

I first encountered Sweet Harvest Farms fragrant soaps at local (Tampa, Florida) shows and weekend markets. I bought a few bars and loved the creamy, texture. Their soaps not only smell great, they also leave you feeling clean, without that sticky film some other handmade soaps leave behind. When I found out that the owner, CJ, is also a fellow member of the Tampa Bay Etsy Crew, I knew it was time to share the love. 

From the S.H.Farms online shop:

Welcome to Sweet Harvest Farms where we offer all natural and organic Handmade Soap, Body Lotion, All Natural Deodorant, Tooth Powder and more. C.J., of Sweet Harvest Farms, has formulated her own unique bath & body recipes that are both luxurious for your skin & kind to the earth.

A small, but thriving cottage start-up, Sweet Harvest Farms creates cold processed soaps that are made entirely by hand, in small batches, to ensure quality control. Using only the highest quality organic oils, clays and herbs on the market, C.J.'s products have become highly sought after by health conscience individuals. Sweet Harvest Farms also has a line of all natural/organic dog soap, Flea Powder and ointment for your dog as well.

Sounds great, doesn't it? Visit SweetHarvestFarms.com for additional info on this cool company and its wares. There are also a few more links at the bottom of this post. 

So what is the new Thursday Giveaway? On 3/3 one lucky reader will take home 2 luscious bars of S.H. Farms soap (1 lavender & 1 oatmeal, milk and honey) plus 1 lavender body silk lotion. See top photo.

How To Enter? Simply leave a comment on my blog before 1 a.m. (EST) on Thursday March 3rd. (By the way, please leave an email address if there is no contact info in your profile, so that I can notify you if you win.) The randomly selected winner will be announced later that day. This prize ships free worldwide.

Want to learn more about Sweet Harvest Farms? 

SweetHarvestFarms.com has interesting "about" and "press" pages, as well as product info and a list of places to find them.

West Elm Hyde Park Village sells a selection of items

SweetHarvestFarms.Etsy.com has only a potpourri listing as of this writing.

Click here to connect via FaceBook

On twitter: https://twitter.com/soapdiva

And Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetharvestfarms/

Illustration Friday - Mystery

Red Handed

Sharing an oldie for today's Illustration Friday prompt - Mystery. Back in '09 my charcoal drawing, scanned hand print and a fingerprint were combined for an Artarazzi challenge. The fingerprint was provided by Artarazzi (who, sadly, doesn't seem to exist anymore - a shame as they always had intriguing art contests). Click here if you'd like to visit the original post

Feeling inspired? Upload your "mystery" piece to your favorite platform before 2/12 and then link it up over at IllustrationFriday.com. 

Maybe you just need a bit more mystery in your life? Visit the IF link and check out all the interesting takes on the prompt.

Once Upon A Time

Red's Winter Walk

Once upon a time there was a Winner!

The lucky person was randomly selected (using Random.org) from those who left a comment on this blog between January 16th and 1 a.m. (EST) this morning.

Prizes include a matted print of my piece, Red's Winter Walk and a copy of the classic book Perrault's Fairy Tales.

(Who was Perrault? He is considered by many to be the "Father of fairy tales". Curious? Click here for more info.) Now back to today's story:

Today's Lucky Winner is.....

Digital Misfit

Congratulations! I will email you for your shipping info. Thanks for playing along!

And hearty thank you's to all who took a few minutes to support my blog's resurrection with their comments. Be sure to pop back again soon. The new giveaway prize will be announced Thursday Feb. 11th and it is one you don't want to miss.

I'll be back before then with some random chatter and pictures. Until we "meet" again, wishing you a very Happily Ever After!

What's going on? Studio redo (at last)

Finally turning the box room back into an art room. 

Painting is almost done. Next come shelves and storage.

Then the hard part, deciding which items get to return. Right now this space's former contents are spread haphazardly over 3 other rooms - eek!

Check out that yucky fan light! 

I can't wait to replace and have been saving my pennies. Now the decision: practical or pretty? I'm kind of fixated on Restoration Hardware's chandeliers - they are so much fun to photograph! But I'm letting my obsession simmer in case it is just a phase... plus their light fixtures can be huge (in size and price).

As things slowly evolve here there will be more photos to come. By the way, if you want to see some before pics, click here.

Do you have a space you want to spruce up? Or other DIYs on your to do list? Please share - I'd love to see what you're up to or have planned.

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P.S. Be sure to leave a comment. Everyone who leaves a note before 1 a.m. (EST) on 1/28 will be entered in a random drawing for a book of Fairy Tales plus a Red Riding Hood matted print. Click here for details and photos of prizes.

Celebrate the "Father of Fairy Tales" b-day with a giveaway! Enter to win book and print on 1/28

Today's Google Doodle commemorates the 388th birthday of Charles Perrault with 3 illustrations by Sophie Diao (above). An academic and author, Perrault was a member of Louix XIV's court and influenced the design /construction of the Louvre and the famous fountains of Versailles, among other things.

close up of Perrault by  Philippe Lallemand

His most interesting claim to fame, though, is as "The father of the modern fairy tale." Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, Bluebeard and others were already spoken of in oral folk tales, shared with children to teach them lessons on morality and act as warnings. 

Perrault, however, wrote them down. He gave these memorable characters (& more) life on the page, writing the tales in a way which entertained the upper class which he belonged to. His stories went on to influence the Grimm Brother's and others. For more info on Perrault and his stories, including where to read some online, check out the links at the end of this post.

Now, let's get this party started! 

On January 28th, one lucky winner will be selected from everyone who comments on my blog between now and then. This winner will receive an English translation of Perrault's Fairy Tales (Dover Children's Classics).

Plus a matted print of Red's Winter Walk. 

Red's Winter Walk by Stacey Merrill

To Enter The Random Drawing: Simply leave a comment on this blog before 1 a.m. EST on 1/28.  It is that easy! If your contact info is not in your profile, please leave an email address so that I can reach you if you are the winner. 

The winner will be announced at noon (EST) on 1/28/16. This drawing is open to all. The prizes have free world-wide shipping.

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Looking for more info about Charles Perrault and his stories? There is a lot to be found online. Here are a few links to get  you started:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Perrault

Who Was Charles Perrault? Why the fairy tales you know may not be as they seem.

Read some of his illustrious tales at Sur La Lune

David Bowie "Fuckin' with the fabric of time.."

Life On Mars 

While every generation loses its immortals, there are always a few that still come as a surprise. 

Rock 'n' Roll Suicide

We know that they are old or ill

John, I'm Only Dancing

or simply haven't shared their latest wisdom (or whimsy) for a while.

Under Pressure (Queen & Bowie)

But, it seemed that they had "always been there"

... and always would be.

Lazarus from Bowie's

Keep listening and they will.

David Bowie's animated interview (above) where he discusses his classic Ziggy Stardust persona provided the title to this post.