Metamorphosis...

My husband came in from the garage the other day and told me to hold my hands out. I did...

He put these in my hands... It's a good thing I'm not squeamish! A shed caterpillar skin and the resulting pupa...  Here's what the pupa looks like up close...

The underside (top) looks almost as if it has a face and on the back (bottom) you can tell where it will split open...

Photo source: www.carolinanature.com

To reveal this! An Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis) ... with a wingspan of 5 to 6 inches...

I've been working on an oil painting of a Prairie Warbler on gessoed purple scrapbook paper that looks like old wall paper. I'll post it when I'm done. But I thought I'd post a few of the backgrounds I've been prepping for other oil paintings...

Vintage sheet music adherred to 5" x 7" masonite and coated with with matte gel medium. After a few coats of the gel medium, comes a couple coats of clear gesso and then a final wash of clear gesso with a few drops of turquoise acrylic paint mixed in. Finally before it dries I wipe alot of it off with a paper towel. A singing bird will go on this background.

These vintage illustrated dictionary pages are prepared the same way, but are on 6" x 6" masonite, with the wash being green. I'll be painting Poison Dart Frogs on these.

Metamorphosis in progress... in nature... and in art...

Tuesday Tea...

First, I want to welcome all my Tuesday Tea friends to check out The Bohemian Tea House. It's my new blog to chronicle my path to my loose tea business. I hope all of you will join and and follow my progresss. I hope all of you are having a stressless holiday season! A lot to ask... I know... but very important!

Now, you all know that one of the things I love is to put together mismatched tea sets and sell them, bead teaballs and foster and adopt out orphan tea cups. Since I'm focusing on opening a loose tea business I thought it would be wonderful if I could do more crafts that relate to tea.

So... what to do with no longer used and cracked teapots???  Make bird houses out of them!

It wasn't my idea, but what a great idea it is! 

I'm going to put some poinsettias around the opening in this one. I'll post another photo when I do.

Here's another... I used wire wrapped with grapevine fibers for this one!

They even have draingage so if rain gets in, it will drain down through the spout! 






Now I'm going to enjoy some of my newly blended Caramel Creme Rooibos and before bed I'm going to brew a cup of my as yet untitled bedtime tea... Don't forget to visit Kimmie to see what my Tuesday Tea friends are drinking!