Looks like Julie celebrated Easter today by baking this beautiful pineapple-upside-down-cake… and served it on a handmade platter by you know who! I’m sure it must have been a hit at their family celebration! Thanks Julie for sharing your festivities with the rest of us!

So every year I see lots of zinnias in other people’s gardens… admiring from afar… and wishing that I had planted some sooner! Well this year, I’m going to go for it. First I bought some seed packets. But then a wonderful care package showed up in my mail!!! My best gardening buddy Rosene has set me up with these wonderful little packets of zinnia seeds. So many varieties, so many possibilities! Now I just need to figure out when to plant them inside… so they’re growing well when it’s time to finally transplant them outside! And then to keep my fingers crossed!

Celebrating a little MUGSHOT MONDAY with this great mug collection… resting on their new display shelves. My friends Keith & Julie recently moved to Ohio and took plenty of my mugs with them! Too bad their new kitchen wasn’t quite “prepared”… so they added some shelves in all the right places!

Looks like my friend Tracy is celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today with her new Shamrock Mug… and a quirky collection of festive decor. Including some of her own “pasta art” from grade school!!! HA!!!

Today was the opening of “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” in Evanston. Thanks to everyone who stopped by today to chat & buy some art. We always love seeing art enthusiasts, collectors, hobbyists, students, friends & more! We’re looking forward to two more days of fun… hoping you can stop by! I’ll be there with my talented friends Sarah, Darlys & Robin! What could be better than hanging out with friends all day surrounded by great art & good snacks?! C’mon by…

Looks like my talented friend & master metalsmith Sarah Chapman is still working on her collaboration pieces for our “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” gallery show next weekend in Evanston. I can’t wait to see Sarah’s, Darlys’s & Robin’s pieces when they all come together. Fingers crossed… I’m still working on mine too!!!

So while I was working on these new mugs… look what showed up!!! WHOO-HOO!!! I had a surprise visit from master tile-maker Mike Skiersch bearing a pack of the newest flavor of OREO’s!!! Which also means he WON a free mug… as I had posted that challenge a couple days ago!!!

Looks like there’s some healthy greens down in Bartonville! Keeping the New Year healthy with steamed veggies… perfect in a handmade stamped bowl!

Celebrating another Mugshot Monday… with a purple mug & these sweet words from my long-time friend Kelly…

“This is how you and I hold hands… sometimes over a warm cup of hot tea, this morning coffee.” … so sweet Kelly!!!

Looks like Dr. Dennis was out hiking & walking his dog Ricky all around Illinois Beach State Park yesterday… and ran across this little fortune cookie! Good to see that there are still a few New Year goodies out there just waiting to be found!