Wisconsin love: barn quilts!

Happy Monday, blog friends! You might have noticed the new school year starting threw off my posting schedule (or my everything schedule!) but I am back at it today. ArtPrize officially starts on Wednesday so you know I will have a lot to say once I get out there and see all the crazy, amazing, wonderful, inspiring art that I can feast my eyes on. 

Today I am going to share my photos of barn quilts! These are specifically from Door County, a skinny little peninsula of Wisconsin that stretches out into Lake Michigan and creates Green Bay. I am quite sure they are in other places in Wisconsin but there is only so much barn-quilt-gazing one can expect out of one's husband and children! I am thinking it might be a midwest-specific phenomenon though.

Most of these photos were taken as the sun was setting and were were heading back to our campsite after a very full day of exploring Door County. The light was golden and the quiet farm field were a glorious green blur out the window. Even though I am city girl I sure can see the appeal of all that peacefulness stretching out before your eyes. Makes me curious if my tree-loving self will appreciate the open space out west when I visit there someday.

A heartfelt thank-you to the artists who painted these beauties and the people who put the effort into hanging them up on the barns.

Lake Michigan inspiration: water and sky

My dear readers, the water and sky are so much more than blue and our journey around Lake Michigan this summer proved that point over and over again. Fresh blues and greens are a delight to the eyes!

I put together some color palettes for anyone about to embark on new creative ventures or home decorating projects.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Empire, Michigan

Kitch-iti-kipi Spring, Palms Brook State Park

Manistique, Michigan

Cave Point County Park

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (within Door County)

darling door-knockers of Georgetown

Per my request, hubby and I explored the Georgetown neighborhood on the first full day of our weekend in Washington, D.C. I was absolutely delighted by the variety of door knockers. It is just not a thing in the neighborhood where I live so it was something I noticed right away.

This door itself on this example is so beautiful that I'm giving it more space

I reassure you I was not a creeper to take these photos. The doors are pretty close to the sidewalks and therefore easy to photograph!

Example of homes (apartments?) in Georgetown neighborhood

Petoskey trip: beautiful

Oh, how I do love my dear Michigan.

Credit to my dear husband for this beautiful sunset shot

Both images are at Petoskey State Park

Petoskey trip: face rocks

In the midst of our Petoskey hunt, we also came across a collection of rocks that appear, charmingly enough, to have faces. Our four-year-old was especially good at noticing these cuties!

Petoskey trip: fossil finds!

One of the very best parts of our family vacation to Petoskey, Michigan was, of course, the finding the famous "Petoskey stones." The stones are actually fossils of the coral that once lived in the shallow warm ocean that covered my fair state long long ago. They are amazingly abundant in this part of the state and therefore not too difficult to find. Just reach down in the water for a handful of sand, rock, and pebble. Shake gently to sift out the sand and pluck the Petoskey stone that is awaiting you.

My husband and I both got very obsessive with our searching. In fact, my four-your-old accused us of "ignoring your children while you look at rocks."

Here's just a sampling of what we found:

I am considering trying to polish up one that is already somewhat smooth. The easiest thing to do would be to dump them into a vase or a dish. The beautiful patterns are only noticeable when the stones are wet. They actually appear to be plain gray once dried. I'll keep you posted on any potential Petoskey projects!

quilt inspiration at the Pentwater Art Fair

"Geometric Tree" art quilt by Sandy Dekker

I went to the Pentwater Fine Arts Fair in July with my mom and sisters. I would highly recommend the show. There was a lot of quality work and beautiful items. Plus, who doesn't love a small town up north along the shores of Lake Michigan?

I had a lovely conversation with quilter Sandy Dekker. She made some smaller scale abstract quilts to hang on the wall as art. They were so very beautiful. She did the quilting on the machine but completely free form in poetic and flowing organic lines. She also sewed on tiny sparkly beads for added dimension. I am so impressed. Lucky for all of us, you can view her work and purchase it from her etsy shop!

I am very inspired to make a small quilt just for the purpose of hanging on the wall. What fun it would be to have a place in mind and create something perfect for that very spot.

I also want to make mention of the Grand Traverse Beach Glass Company. I bought a pair of earrings from them. All of their jewelry is made with beach glass that they find along the shores of Grand Traverse Bay. I thought the pieces were beautiful and, of course, very unique.

hand painted signs at Cherry Point

 

I told you I was going to take more sign photos this summer! Here's a few I snapped at Cherry Point Farm and Market. It is in Oceana County, not far from my family's cottages and the shores of Lake Michigan and always a part of summer for me. I like to imagine these signs have been at the shop forever but even if they were recently painted I still admire the signs' handmade look!

point the way

Arrows, round one and round two? Pick your favorite size and color?

Traverse City: super-cute SugarKissed!

Mmmm... graphic design and ice cream. What could be yummier? Enjoy a delicious peek at Traverse City's newest sweet shop: SugarKissed (cute name!).

Cute logo:

Cute entry:

Cute signs:

Cute decor:

Cute bathroom:

Cute kids (I may be biased):

In case blue is your favorite color

Drink deeply.

We biked around Crystal Lake on the Betsie Valley Trail. 18 miles round trip when I haven't biked all season. Are we sensing a pattern of over-ambition here? This absolutely has to be the most beautiful, clear, amazingly blue inland lake I have ever seen.

Family crafts at Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Men from the Coast Guard were posted to the lighthouse for duty. Consequently, there is a long history of families with children living here. And children near the beach meant rocks were gathered and family projects were crafted! The little video in the museum made special note of these family projects. I was amused.

Treasures from the shore

Oh how I love my nature-based travels where one can acquire lovely natural bits of art. We were rock hounds this vacation. My husband was skipping smooth stones, my daughter delighted in a perfect "egg rock," and all three of us sifted in search of fossils.

Gwen Frostic goodness galore!

The first stop on our northern Michigan vacation was to Gwen Frostic's Studio and gift shop. Twice now I have missed this place despite being oh-so-close. Third time's a charm! The shop is under new management and is now open 7 days a week in case any of you are planning a visit.

Gwen is famous for her block prints and poetry, all nature-based. Nature is always a big inspiration for me so I have always felt myself to be a kindred spirit. Plus, I absolutely adore the look of prints anyway. Maybe I'll go into print making after I'm done with sewing and quilting.

I had pictured a little cabin off in the woods but what I got was a fairly sophisticated set up including its own print shop with press men who have been working there for over 40 years and over 20 years. That's some serious job commitment. I think it's pretty cool that people who knew her personally are carrying on her work. In my mind that makes everything that much more authentic.

I also couldn't help but notice the way nature was incorporated into the product displays and as wall decor.

Just for some additional incentive for those in the mood to shop, I found everything very reasonably priced. The only issue I had was choosing what to purchase! Where to begin?

As a final touch, they package your purchase in brown kraft paper with a spring of evergreen on the top. Lovely!

Weekend of inspiration!

My sweetie and I just returned from a long weekend in Saugatuck where we celebrated our anniversary. We enjoyed three days of art, antiques, and adventure! We ate lots of yummy food (I managed to eat bacon 4 meals in a row!), we relaxed by the water, we went hiking in the woods, and we strolled down the shore of Lake Michigan. Bliss! All my favorite activities in one weekend enjoyed with my favorite person. What could be better?

This week's blog entries will be featuring all sorts of inspiration from our trip. With the treasure trove of antiques and the artists' galleries plus the splendor of the lakeshore, I was in no shortage of interest and beauty. It might take me more than 5 posts to get it all out there! Woo hoo!

Fun & funky neon sign. I made my husband pull off the road so I could take the photo one night when we were returning from the sunset.

The adorable inn we stayed at: Bayside Inn. Highly recommended! The breakfast was fantastic, the bed was comfortable, the room adorable, and who doesn't love your own personal balcony?