Homemade ...

Custom House Portrait

My husband and I recently celebrated our anniversary and as a gift I contacted Rebekka Seale to create a beautiful house portrait for us.  We have lived in some beautiful locations over the years from Beacon Hill in Boston, Basking Ridge in New Jersey and  Hampstead in London, England but I have to say that Concord is the place that truly feels like home to us.  Maybe because in the back of our minds, we always knew we would eventually come home to Massachusetts and that if we lived anywhere it would be a place filled with history and charm.  So 8 years ago we left London and set up home here in Concord and set about renovating our little house inside and out.  We are almost done or can you ever really be done? 

Rebekka Seale is from Nashville and she creates these lovely, whimsical,  watercolor and gouache portraits of your home.  She managed to pick out just the right details to highlight our home like our rock wall and our fiery orange doors.  She even added in the cardinal husband and wife that live in our backyard waiting for my husband to fill the bird feeder each week.  I swear they sing to him - it's all very Disney-esque!

Hanging on the wall in our living room

She was fun to work with and was just as excited as I was when the rendering was complete.  I wanted to make sure that she has a chance to see where her creation is living now.  Take a look at her blog and website here and here. I think you will enjoy taking a peek at her  lovely watercolors and illustrations.

Hanging by the doorway for all to see

Thanks from me to you

In the end - my husband was thrilled with his gift and so was I.  It was totally worth the wait.

See you soon,

Ellen

inspired to create: May Day - Signs of Springtime

inspired to create: May Day - Signs of Springtime: May Baskets A sure sign of Spring - a secretly placed May basket of posies on the doorstep. It must be May 1st. Today it was dark and...

May Day - Signs of Springtime

May Baskets

A sure sign of Spring - a secretly placed May basket of posies on the doorstep. It must be May 1st.

Today it was dark and dreary but that all changed when "Anonymous" hung a basket of loveliness on my door knob.  The custom is to ring and run after you've delivered your surprise.  I'm supposed to try to catch the fleeing giver and stop them with a kiss of thanks. I know who it was - I saw her feet walk by my window.

The gift tag

The tag was so sweet.  It made me want to cry.  A few of us dear friends no longer have our mothers by our sides so this message was all the more special. She used to make and deliver May day baskets with her mother when she was little and then the two of them would drive around town to ring and run.  

She is doing it in her mother's (and all our mothers) memory.  What a lovely memory to carry around.

The full view of the May basket

Can you see just how sweet this basket is?  It's a recycled can that's been painted then stuffed with soil, thyme, parsley and pansies.  Tied to the tag is a pair of gardening gloves sewn together with a vintage button.  

Suddenly, the day doesn't feel dreary ...

My mom's favorite little Springtime quote:

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils

~William Wordsworth

Thank you to my dear friend.