Birthday Card Illustration

A card for my little brother's 11th birthday, inspired by this party invitation.

It can be a great learning experience to mimic another artist's work.

When I haven't painted in a while, I like to dip my toe back in the water by copying a piece I like, as a sort of exercise.

The sun is shining so brightly here, and my belly is so round and full, like a ripe melon.

81 days til we reach my due date.

xoxo country girl

Welcome, Summer!

Happy summer everyone!

I gathered all sorts of wild plants and pods on the first walk of the summer this morning, combining them to make a tiny nature table to welcome the new season. The sun is shining bright and strong, raspberries and cherries are ripe, and roses are spilling over fences all over the neighborhood. Bees buzzing and birds singing...the sounds of summer!

It was so much fun to search the forest floor for nature's treasures. I know it's been many months since my last tiny nature table; I hope to keep it up now, and hope you will share your nature treasures, too!

The arrival of a new season is always something exciting. It reminds us of the earth's cycles, which we are a part of, even today in this modern time. No one can stop the weather, no one can manipulate the seasons. It's something eternal for us to hold onto in these times when we are surrounded by the finite.

Wishing you all a most beautiful summer....warm, colorful, fragrant, and laden with many happy memories.

xoxo country girl

Kiki's First Year; Audio Book Release!

A dream came true today! The book I wrote about Kiki's adventures with nature and the four seasons has been published as an audio book! The English version, which you can find HERE, is spoken by yours truly, and includes two children's songs that I wrote, too. The e-book version, which will include the watercolor illustrations I painted, will be published in about a month.

There were long stretches when I put this project aside and was sure I would never finish it. My husband is the one who is responsible for pushing me to realize this dream and actually complete my book, and I am so, so grateful to him. Now this story which is so close to my heart can be enjoyed by many, including, someday, my own children.

xoxo country girl

Rainy Day Painting

It's an awfully bleak day. Mist so thick you can barely see where you are going. Only the forest looks pretty in this weather, with it's little waterfalls and patches of thaw.

Luckily I have a project to keep me distracted most of the time; I'm in the final weeks of finishing up my children's book, which is set to be published in Spring as an ebook and an audio book. It's been a long journey with many long, long pauses, and it's hard to imagine it ever being finished. My biggest fan and cheerleader has been my husband, and now I fully understand why all those people dedicate books and awards to their husband or wife.

Today I got a kick out of realizing I was painting a rainbow trout while snacking on rainbow cookies, which I baked because my inner child was hungry. *smile*

Thanks so much for all your birthday wishes!

xoxo country girl

baby swallows & great news

Here's a painting I worked on yesterday and today. Just look at those hungry little mouths! So cute. 


The great news is that I signed my publishing contract; it's official! My book, Kiki's First Year , will be a published e-book and audio book some time next year. Very exciting! I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.


Those hungry little sparrow babies will be in the book. Along with the wild strawberry and so many other wonderful pieces of nature. All the more reason to get offline and get back to my paper and watercolors!


xoxo country girl




One Year Ago Today: i'm back! 

Photo to Painting: Wild Strawberry

I have so many things to blog about that it's overwhelming and I don't know where to start. But I sat down to paint this little wild strawberry which I found in the field, because I am trying to paint every day, and I thought I would share it with you. It's not the best painting I've ever made, but I mainly wanted to give an example of how I work: painting from photographs, mostly my own. I am amazed by painters who paint from memory or imagination!


I am sitting here with red glowing hot shoulders....I was out picking wild herbs in the strong noon sun. I found so many wonderful things (wild mint, thyme, and oregano) that I stayed out in the blaze a bit too long. The herbs are now sorted and drying...I'll be sharing the photos with you soon.


Hope you are having a lovely day!


xoxo country girl

halleluja, i can still paint!

(click to enlarge!)

My husband will be starting up a publishing company for ebooks and audio books some time next year with two business partners, and he promptly said to me: "You know what this means, right? You have to finish your book!"

I began a children's book, Kiki's First Year, an embarrassingly long time ago and pretty much stopped painting the pictures for it a while back. In fact, I haven't really painted in a long time. There's a few things stopping me: insecurity, fear, every-day distractions, and lazyness.


But since this is such a wonderful opportunity, and I have felt for a long time that this is something I need to do, I knew I would have to start painting again. Since I haven't painted in so long, I decided to start with something not related to Kiki's First Year. A very sweet and thoughtful friend sent me a wonderful gift of her inspiring books, and so I thought I would paint her a Thank You card.


I began very timidly, almost frightened...I really wasn't sure if it would turn out. I left it half finished yesterday evening and didn't like it very much at all. I didn't even show it to my husband for fear he might say, "Hmmm, remember when I said I would publish your book....? Wellllll....." 

But today I decided to work on the details, and I was so happy with the finished picture that I am sharing it with all of you! It was such a relief to see that I can still paint. I guess it's like riding a bicycle. 


So here's to hopping back on that bike! I am so happy to be wheelin' around again.


xoxo country girl

wild mini apples and the giveaway winner!

What are those little beauties, kissing in a tree?

Let me get a closer look...

Tiny wild apples!

So small...the size of my pinky!

I have to show Kiki.

Hey Kiki, what do you think of them apples?

AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE:

we have a giveaway winner!

....mix mix mix mix mix......

...and DRAW!

Congratulations, Lavender Dreamer!

You're going to be the owner of a Country Girl original.

xo country girl

Handpainted Bookmark Giveaway!

...be inspired to hunker down with a favorite book...

...daydream of pumpkins and frost, accompanied by my little sparrow signature stamp...

...stay cozy indoors while autumn leaves swirl and stick to the windows...

...this bookmark is a unique and original country girl piece, there is no other like it...

...TO ENTER THIS HANDPAINTED BOOKMARK GIVEAWAY, LEAVE A COMMENT AND TELL ME ABOUT A FAVORITE BOOK OF YOURS...

...THERE WILL BE A RANDOM DRAWING WITHIN A FEW DAYS...

...IF YOU WIN, THIS LITTLE BOOKMARK WILL BE YOURS TO KEEP!

xo country girl

artistic conversions

I thought you might be interested in seeing how photography inspires me. I am not good at painting from memory or fantasy, but I do enjoy enhancing and changing the colors of real things in my paintings. Here is an example of a smoky pumpkin which I found beautiful and was immediately inspired to paint. You can see that I stayed true to form, but perked the colors up a little.

Rainy Day Essentials

I love waking up to a rainy day when I know I can spend a few hours enjoying it indoors and out. Here a few of my favorite things about rainy days:

waking up to everything hugged in mist and raindrops, and seeing just a few lights glowing through windows of other early risers...

sipping spicy, milky chai from an oversized mug...

working on 'kikis first year' or other watercolor projects...

browsing through recipes of ooey-gooey-naughtiness and eating vicariously through the pictures....and sometimes baking them myself if there are enough people around to share the calories with...

watching my sweet spaniel dream the day away, her silky tail curled and her little chest rising and falling peacefully with each breath.

enjoy the rainy days in your life!

xo country girl

little rosy plums and giveaways!

I saw a photograph of these lovely plums in Country Living UK and just HAD to paint them. They are now situated at the top of a bookmark and hopefully will bring joy to their future owner. 

It got me thinking...I should have bookmark giveaways on here. I love making them, and love the thought of them out there in the world, in nice people's books. So what do you say? Details to come!

Enjoy your day, and thank you so much for stopping by.

xo Country Girl

first fall-themed painting of the year!

Please forgive how dark the picture is, maybe if you click on it to see it in actual size you will be able to appreciate it more. I really need to buy a scanner!

But anyways, this is my first fall-themed watercolor of the year and I absolutely LOVED making it. I used watercolors and alphabet stamps; the little birdie stamp in right-hand corner is my signature. I like painting pictures in gift-card format because it's a small space where I feel comfortable. Big sheets of empty paper make me nervous!

Don't know how pleased I am with my attempt of a hubbard squash, but it's a start. 

Hope you're having a great day. xo country girl

The Book That Just Won't Finish

This project, "Kiki's First Year," began about a year ago (click to enlarge and get a more detailed look). I was watching Kiki grow up, introducing her to each new season, and thinking what it must be like to experience it all for the first time. Since I love to watercolor, I began painting the things we found or saw on our daily excursions in field and forest, and of course painting Kiki. Then, for some reason, I got stuck. 

My husband helped me design this beautiful book cover, and every time I look at it, my heart aches; I want to finish my book! I think deep inside, there is a voice saying, "You can't finish it, it couldn't be that easy, you're not a professional author!" I miss the days where I just sat down and painted without the feeling of pressure or fear I feel now. 

So what is the solution? I began to paint unrelated things, so that I would keep in practice, mainly Birthday cards. But I really want to go back to painting for my book. I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

today's painting: sparrow & dogwood flowers

todays painting

Today's Paintings