Merry Christmas to all of my blog friends and family!

2009 Christmas card, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

I want to wish all of you who follow my blog a very Merry Christmas! Some of you I know well....some I only know through comments.....which I love....It is such an unusual way of communicating but for a rather private person I have enjoyed sharing with you the artistic things I do. And it forces me to make them visible which is really hard to do.
I hope you all have a delicious Christmas dinner, receive absolutely fabulous gifts and enjoy the company of those you love.

Paperwhites, 2 weeks & pine cones

paperwhites, 2 weeks, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

At 2 weeks we have some changes: The roots have found their way out of the bulb and into the water, the stem shoots have started their journey UP and are turning a bit green. It has been warm during the day and cold at night. If they are too slow outside I will bring them in forcing them to bloom earlier but I am going to be patient for a while. Each morning on our walk, Sophie and I make little discoveries. Pine trees are one of the 3 trees that Aliso Viejo has used in the landscaping so this time of year our walk treasures are the cones. We are collecting quite a few. They make pretty additions to my minimalist Christmas decor.

Ponderosa pine cone

... from the timberland of the Sierra Nevada. This is a sketch I did about a year ago of a 12 inch pinecone. As I pull out my decorations for this Christmas I still love these pinecones. They give my southern California home a little wintery feel.