Spring Fever

That's right, I've caught Spring fever.  It's just been so beautiful here for the past week that I can't help myself.  A big "I'm sorry" to all of you still stuck in snow.  It'll melt eventually.  Until then, I've posted a few new art works on my crafts blog Heathen's Hobbies that are all about Spring!  If you've got a minute, hop on over and take a look.

Here's my favorite Van Morrison song that just makes me think of Spring...



Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
~ Heathen

Seasonal Transitions - from Winter to Spring

I realize it's not officially Spring yet and I am, in fact, a month early. But once Valentine's Day is over the winter decor just seems out of place to me.  So, if you're ready to shake off the winter blues and think spring, go ahead and bring out some of that Spring decor!

I always use fake flowers and almost always use fake greenery as well.  As long as it's in good condition, it works just as well as fresh and it lasts for years instead of weeks!  Start by adding pretty flowers, nothing too bright or vibrant just yet, but enough to add some welcome color.  Any kind of fern is great for Spring greenery and any remaining winter or holiday greenery can be put away for next year.  Remember, it is still a bit too early for eggs or bunnies just yet, save that for next month.

Keep the white faerie lights out if you use them, these little lights transition well from season to season!  If you still have white candles out, consider changing to a sage green, pale pink, or butter yellow (or all of them).  For home (or personal) fragrance, go with something clean and fresh with light floral or citrus notes.  My favorite scent this time of year is orange blossoms, but I have yet to find anything close to the real thing.

There are lots of items that can be changed out for each season besides plants and candles.  Change out your throw pillows and blankets.  How about your kitchen and/or bathroom towels?  Anything you have in your home that seems "seasonal" to you can be changed out every time the wheel begins to turn again.  This is definitely not a test, so be creative and have fun with it!

Here are some pics of my Spring decor so far:

On my balcony.

More on my balcony.

In the Living Room corner.

In my Kitchen.

I'll have more decorations as we get closer to Ostara including eggs and bunnies.  Happy decorating!

~ Heathen

Digital Art

So I haven't really been crafting much lately.  However, I got some wonderful spring elements over the weekend that I'll be working with very soon!  Currently I'm working on scanning images of the papers into my computer because I thought I might do some digital work in the near future. 

So my question to all you talented lovelies is...what program(s) do you recommend for such an endeavor?  Bear in mind that I'm a working stiff with little to no disposable income so Photoshop is definitely out.  I use it at work and it would be ideal, but I can't afford a personal copy of it.  So I'm looking for options.  I have Publisher and that works for layout, but it won't get rid of backgrounds. 

An alternate question to this dilemma is where to get digital elements that are ready to go (sans backgrounds).  Any input you're willing to share is hugely appreciated.  I know you guys have answers...I've seen your awesome work!

So stay tuned for new handcrafted and possibly digital artwork...I should have some to share very soon!

~ Heathen

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've been reading a lot of your posts about Valentine's Day, and it seems the opinions on this day vary widely.  As for us, we don't really celebrate Valentine's Day in any traditional way.  We definitely don't go out to eat, and we usually don't even exchange gifts or flowers.  To us it just seems like a big waste of hard-earned money.  Once in a while we'll get a box of chocolates to share (cause that's just more fun!), but we know we love each other and don't feel the need to prove it once a year.  That being said, I have absolutely nothing against the traditional means of celebrating today.  It's just not for us.

Truthfully, I never even got around to putting out the Valentine's decorations this year.  It seems like it just snuck up on me this year.  What a slacker I've been!  Oh well, I can still put out the pretty flowers if I want to.

For those of you going out this evening, have a wonderful time and stay safe.  Happy Valentine's Day to all of us!

~ Heathen

Renewal

I don't know what it is, maybe it's simply the promise of Spring, but I'm ready for a complete refreshing of everything.  You know, clean the house, organize closets and drawers, update the wardrobe, buy new beauty products, get a hair cut, start a container garden...the whole shebang!  Is anyone else out there feeling like this?

You know, they say that every seven years your body completely renews itself on a cellular level.  Now I don't know if that's true (or who "they" are), but it is a 7th year for me this summer so maybe that has something to do with it.  Or maybe I'm just waking up from my hibernation and itching for Spring to finally arrive.  Either way, I see a cleaning frenzy and a shopping spree in my near future!

Have a wonderful weekend!
~ Heathen

New Look and Lost Links

Hello all!  As you can see I recently updated my blog for February.  However, in the process of changing my background I lost all my links to the blogs that I follow.  I don't know what I did or how it happened, but there it is.  I think I've managed to get everyone back where they belong.  If you notice you used to be listed here and aren't anymore, please leave me a comment and I'll make sure to get your link back up.  No one has been intentionally removed from my site, I just screwed up somehow.  Oops!

Hope you're all having a good day and staying warm!

~ Heathen

25 Followers

I just realized today that I now have 25 lovely followers!  This may not seem like a lot to some of you, but I've only been up and running since August and I was honestly surprised when anyone started following me.

So, I wanted to take a quick moment to say Thank You to each and every one of you who pop in regularly to see what I have to say.  And to all you lurkers and stalkers (you know who you are), thank you as well.

I've met so many wonderful, crazy, sweet and talented people on here who sometimes seem to share a brain with me.  And I can't wait to meet more of you!  I've gotten so much more from this little blog than I ever expected to and it's all because of you.  Okay, I know I'm gushing, but it really does mean a lot to me.

So...thank you all!
~ Heathen

Imbolc

Happy blessed Imbolc!  I'll be honest with you, I've never really "celebrated" Imbolc.  It's one of those in between turns of the wheel that just doesn't quite resonate with me (yet).  It's a day to banish Winter and welcome the return of the sun, but as everyone in the north knows we are a far cry from Spring yet.  And those of us in the south have already started to feel the effects of Spring, so...I must admit I have a hard time with this one.  However, I do keep my decorations in a mostly white theme this time of year.

In a corner of my living room

In my dining room/kitchen pass-through

In my kitchen

On my balcony

Also on my balcony

As of this weekend I'll probably be changing them all again by adding pink, red, and maybe even some hearts for Valentine's Day.  But that's a project and a post for another day.

~ Heathen