Clockwise from top left: "February's Flowers" by Rebekka Seale; "Cat Lady: Monica" by Water In My Paint - Deirdre Wicks; and "Foyer and Staircase" by David Lloyd Gallery.

I love the color palette here, bright reds mixed with muted greens and warm browns. And I love that each of these paintings seems timeless: the cat lady might be gazing out at us from decades past, or she might have a cellphone just out of reach. Likewise, the foyer looks like any home you might walk into today, but the wide plank flooring and french doors hint at a bygone era. And is that perhaps a vintage milk glass vase harboring all those pretty flowers? The rich painterly brushstrokes add intrigue as well...each scene looks familiar, but somehow dream-like and distant at the same time.

I think when grouped together like this, they have a perfect stillness, a calming effect, perhaps the reassuring illusion of permanence?

Rebekka included this quote with her print, which I think is beautiful:

"Keep your faith in beautiful things;
in the sun when it is hidden,
in the Spring when it is gone."
(Roy R. Gibson)

Does anyone know the origin of this quote?

P.S. Jane interviewed me here if you'd like to take a peek. :)

Bits of February

Sunday walks when the sun came out and the weather warmed up a bit: exploring an empty cottage, a wooded trail, and colorful houses make me happy.

Lots of treats in February (not unlike January...or every other month). My dad had written to me that "Mom was partying with her Shanghai friends for Lunar New Year," so it was quite logical when a package showed up a few days later with Chinese candies. I also went to Krispy Kreme for the first time in years...was like reuniting with a long lost love.

Spent a lot of time inside in February as the weather was mostly crap. Packed up orders, wore my heart blouse, made some hedgies, and noticed interesting shadows in afternoon light.

Various pics from out and about: had some serious porch envy at this house, a pretty church in Old Town, an enormous chandelier that was very sparkly at an antique shop, and our new dining table and chairs (which I will do a proper blog post on soon).

If you'd like to follow on Instagram, my username is @my_hideaway.

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Snow globe

February is the shortest month but often feels quite long to me. It's no secret I'm sick of the perpetual cold and damp. But I'm trying to remember that winter can be beautiful too. The truth is when warmer days approach, and everyone rushes outdoors, I will miss the quiet nights.

The other morning I was lying awake, it was early and barely light, and I heard a train whistle in the distance several times. The nearest train station to us (and I mean a proper train, not metro) is several miles away. I can't remember the last time I heard a train whistle. It doesn't get that quiet around here often and probably only when mornings are so cold everyone spends as long as they can huddled under covers.

Cat Things for Birthday Girls

It's my niece's birthday today, so of course that means I've spent the past few weeks scouring Etsy for cute presents. I kept coming across the most adorable cat things for little girls (and big girls) and thought it would be a shame not to share. I know I have some cat-loving readers who just might see something they like.

Cat dress by Costumini.

Clockwise from top left: Upcycled wool kitten from ouistitine; black cat costume for kids from BHBKidstyle; Kitty Sunset print from A Cat-Like Curiosity; and kitty brooch from andsmile.

"Follow the Leader" greeting card from Sophie Parker.

I didn't actually get any of these things for Maddie, though I did favorite several of them to maybe treat myself! :)

What have you been buying (or browsing) on Etsy lately? I always love to discover new shops so feel free to share in the comments.

Sharing and things

The lovely Jane tagged me with the versatile blogger award. I'm terrible at following all the rules that come with accepting these sorts of internet badges, like nominating 15 other blogs or whatever. But it has been a while since I did a random facts post, and those are always fun...so here you go:

1. I'm an excellent secret keeper and confidant. I sort of learned the hard way growing up that most other people are not similarly inclined.

2. The older I get, the more I realize I will probably never be like most other people, and that's ok.

3. My dad just sent me an article (a real article cut out of a real newspaper-they still make those!) about a couple who got married after being together for 30 years, not sure if that was a not-so-subtle hint to me and Peter or not, but that leads me to this point: I am a professional at putting things off, like for a really really long time. Some people may think they know how to procrastinate, but they are amateurs. (FYI, this is partly (mostly) in jest.)

4. One of my biggest fears is that I'll put off doing the things I know I'm meant to do in this life until it's too late to do them. (not jesting at all here)

5. I was once stuck on an elevator and had to be pulled out between floors by firefighters. After that experience, I never get on an elevator without a cellphone.

6. I hate coconut in most forms. Once when I was little, I won a cake walk and got to pick a cake. I picked one shaped like a bunny because it was so cute. I couldn't wait to get home to eat it, only to find out it was coconut inside and out, which turned out to be the worst thing to my tiny taste buds ever. It was tragic. I've grown to tolerate coconut as an adult, but I still don't really like it.

7. I love to stare out windows and could do it for hours; I think I must be part cat.

Why photos of my bird mobile? I haven't taken any photos of myself that haven't already been posted here a bunch of times (unless you count phone pics), and I'd much rather look at my pretty mobile anyway.

HENSE in DC

I've put off writing this post for weeks because HENSE's latest installation in DC is one of those artworks I have so many thoughts and feelings about it's hard to express them coherently in a short blog post. (And I should warn you now that this is a pic-heavy post.)

I first read about this project last October (when it was still being painted) and made a mental note to check it out at some point. Atlanta-based artist Alex Brewer, a.k.a. HENSE, was commissioned to paint this old boarded-up church that had long been in disrepair. It had apparently been for sale for many years with no takers.

I had seen photos of HENSE's murals in the past, and I expected the church to be similarly colorful and cool and as one person described, "sherbet-y." Obviously, I'm totally down with all of that. But I wasn't expecting it to be beautiful, and breathtakingly so. I will try to give you an idea of what it's like to see it in person.

You walk down Delaware Avenue in Ward 6 where a lot has been planned for the future but not a lot is happening right now, and you pass by some apartments and an old abandoned school and suddenly there's this explosion of color. And as you get closer you start noticing all the patterns and shapes and variations of color, and your heartbeat quickens in step. Moving around the building, there's just so much to see: each section is like its own abstract painting.

To have all of these fields of bright color and dots and scribbles flowing over and around traditional architectural details like arched windows and dentil moldings makes this mural all the more exciting. I have always liked contemporary art juxtaposed with traditional settings. When beautiful things of different eras come together, something altogether new is created, something that sparks curiosity and possibility.

And when sunlight hits all those pretty pastel shades, the church practically glows. It's the kind of sight that just makes you sigh and smile and wish you could hold onto that image forever.

There are so many amazing angles and details, I could have stayed there happily taking photos all day.

When you get up close, there are layers and layers of paint, all in vibrant, colorful shapes and drips and drizzles, all building upon the textured facade. This weathered structure already had layers of cracked and peeling paint, and I love that you can still see those cracks through HENSE's painting. It's like the discovery of generations of multicolored paint and wallpaper layered one over the other that happens when one buys and renovates an older home in DC, each era leaving its mark.

The overwhelming sense I had when looking at this amazing building for the last time before walking away was that it was like something you imagine when you're a kid--this crazy colorful church--but that it exists only in your imagination, or perhaps on the pages of a well-used coloring book. But this is real! HENSE has made something here that is wholly new and special and will undoubtedly inspire many artists (young and old) for a long time to come.

And I have to say, I love living in a city that still surprises me after all these years.