Birthday Week - The Weekend

I've tallied the votes of my poll and the visit to Ojo Caliente it is! Who would have thought the idea of sitting in the mud would have me so excited!! So I've made an Etsy treasury to celebrate. Enjoy!

Birthday Week Poll

I am still trying to decide what to do on my Birthday. The last few years my Birthday has been less than eventful and this year I want to do something. Anything! I have been toying with the idea of heading to Ojo Caliente Spa here in NM. It's a hot mineral springs just north of Santa Fe. Ojo Caliente is the only hot springs in the world with a combination of four different types of mineral water—lithium, iron, soda, and arsenic. And best of all they have a mud pool! You cover yourself in the mud and then let the mud dry in the warm NM sun. It sounds amazing!

Then there's the other side of that coin - heading up the mountain to the Santa Fe Ski Basin and learning to snow board. Ski Santa Fe has some great beginner deals where for less than $100 you can learn to ski or snow board. (Mind you this option would also cross an item off my 100 List!) Oh so tempting and would probably have to hit Ojo Caliente or 10 Thousand Waves spa afterwards!

My other idea was to head to Albuquerque to spend the day shopping! Probably mostly window shopping, but just the thought of getting out of Santa Fe sounds fun. There are the must-hit shops such as Anthropologie, Crate and Barrel (both at ABQ Uptown), The Buffalo Exchange and Shoes on a Shoestring. What more could a girl ask for!? And of course, finding a little sweet spot to have lunch at.

Ok, I still can't decide. So, I'm going to leave it up to you guys!! What should I do for my Birthday? Please pick one from above and let me know in the comments. thanks!

Birthday Week!

My Birthday is coming up on Sunday!! I love my Birthday and this is my favorite time of year. It's the first day of spring, the daffolis are blooming and trees are budding, the birds are widely chirpping, the days are warmer and we all begin to shake off the cold gray days of winter. Look for some fun posts this week celebrating all things spring!! To start us off let's enjoy some spring flowers that are just now beginning to bloom via Etsy!!

1. Spring Tulips by twoinspireyou

2. The Collection Number VIII by gildinglilies

3. Antique Botanical Floral from wesellusedgods

4. Gracefully Rainbow Color Vase by cornerloft

5. Radience by FlowersForRealJewelr

6. Vintage Daffodils from HighPointFarm2010

This One's for YOU!

Ok, sometimes I feel I talk a bit too much. So I am leaving this one to you!!

I feel spring is right around the corner so I want to know ~ what's your favorite spring color or color combinations? Or better yet, you favorite spring bloom? Let me know in the comments and who knows, you might just see your color or flower suggestion as my next creation!!

Cleansing the Body & Detoxifying

I have been thinking about doing a cleanse for some time now. It seems a good way to kick start a healthy diet plan and a good way to re-set your system. A few years back I looked into a few products in the stores and was thuroughly disapointed with the selection. And the mere fact you would be consuming pill after pill after pill. I have an issue with pills, so I put the whole cleanse idea aside, kinda bummed.

Flash forward to this past week. Hanging with my boyfriend and another friend, which the topic of conversation always seems to go towards health, body and metaphysical side and we got on the subject of cleansing and up came the Lemon, Maple Syrup and Cayenne Pepper liquid cleanse. My ears perked. A whole cleanse done entirely with liquid, no pills, and can be done in as little as three days.

I found a great site that lists the benefits, recipe, tips and so much more. You can see for yourself here.I've been trying to shift focus back onto my artwork, health, family and relationships. I think this cleanse will be a good next step for my mental self, and health. Now let's see if I can get my guy to do this with me..... lol I am thinking of starting this weekend. I will be curious to see how I react to the diet/fast/cleanse. After years of drinking, smoking, and eating anything and everything in my way, I am looking forward to being healthier or at least being more conscience of what I am doing to myself everyday.

I know, weird topic, but what do you think? Have you tried this, or something similar? How did you feel afterwards?

Wednesday's Wonders 5.12.10 Gardening

I absolutely LOVE gardening. The meditation of working in the ground. The sense of accomplishment when harvesting and tasting the wonderful things grown. The coming together of friends, family, and community. The wonderful things that happen with sometimes little or no effort of the gardener.

I am so excited and happy for a new garden in the works. We have extra land at the gallery I work at and have all decided to start a vegetable garden there. There will be 7 to 8 of us working and tending to the garden. The ground has been worked, the bunny fence is installed and we are ready to plant! We currently have 52 plants of 15 vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and even more seeds. Our last frost will be tonight (28 degrees!! brrrr!) so tomorrow is planting day!


I came across a fellow blogger who planted Bee's Friend (Phacelia tanacetifolia) and I though this would be a wonderful addition to our garden. It attracts bees and other good insects that help keep away the bad ones. I ordered it right away!!

A great gardening tip I discovered by chance was to have a few plants of catnip around the parameter of your garden. This will bring the neighborhood cats around and keep the bunnies and other furry pests out! I suggest getting catnip as plants and place in pots. The larger the plant the better as some cats will just devoir the whole thing in one sitting.

And don't forget those great Marigolds. They come in such a great variety of heights, sizes, variations and range from the most beautiful yellows to the deepest rusty orange. These are a long time staple in gardens to keep out bad insects. In Mexican tradition, the marigold is widely used in celebrations of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead on November 2nd. The marigold is known as Flor de Muerto or (Flower of the Dead). I've seen them hanging strung together as garlands over entrance ways to homes in the fall. I will be trying this in the fall as we have 22 marigold plants and tons more seeds that will be going into our garden.

Gardening has always been something as a family we always did. I am forever grateful for having this knowledge and feel close to my family everytime I work in the garden even though they live hundreds of miles away. I am excited to see how our work garden turns out and see what relationships and connections are made and continued. Please stay tuned for updates on our little garden!

Do you have a garden? What do you love most about gardening?

Wednesday's Wonders 4.21.10 Getting There

Today, I rode my bike to work. It was a beautiful spring morning here in Santa Fe. The birds were chirping, the flowers are blooming and the sun rising over the mountains. I happen to be fortunate enough to live close enough to work (3 1/2 miles) to be able to bike to work or into downtown Santa Fe. I absolutely love this! I've always wanted to live close to a downtown, no matter how big or small.

This is my first bike ride of the year. I know, a little late getting started, but I've started!! My bike has weathered the harsh winter and was raring to go. I, on the other hand was a little hesitant. I had injured my foot last week and thought it was broken. It's still a bit tender and I didn't know how I would do pedaling a bicycle. But I took my time, and I was ok.

This is where the Wednesday's Wonders come into play ~ Getting there, the journey. I love taking my time. I see things I don't typically see. Experience things not typically experienced. I've lived here in Santa Fe now for 7 years. And there are still wonders not yet seen.

Here are some great little wonders found today ~ getting there.

The Oldest Church in the USA - San Miguel Church, circa 1610.

The Oldest House in the USA circa 1646.

Vigas coming out from a gallery wall. Notice the handcarving and painting on the sides....

Wednesday's Wonders 3.31.10 Spring Flowers

Spring flowers are hear and full of color! Here are some great Etsy finds for this week's Wednesday's Wonders! Cheers!



1. RainburstEmbroidery
2. PopulationOne
3. PetalMix
4. Marang97

It's My Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Obscura Day!

Happy Spring!

Happy Quilting Day!

Wednesday's Wonders - 3.17.10 - St. Patrick's Day

Go grab your green beer, shamrocks and top hats! It's time to paint the day green! Here are some green wonders just in time for the spring flowers to start popping out. Top 'o the morning!!

March = Celebrations!!

So much to celebrate in March - birthdays, warmer weather, first day of spring, buds on the trees, St. Patrick's Day and so much more! I am so looking forward to this month! What are you looking forward to??

I'm ready....

I'm ready for SPRING! With a big snow storm knocking on our back door, all I would love to see are spring flowers, hints of green grass, and budding trees. The robins are already here, but they might want to head south again!