I feel like one of Santa's helpers....

...painting toys in bright colors, 

with polka dots and stars, 

Santa in his sleigh 

what fun...when the wind blows!   

toys for boys...

and toys for girls,  

I'm up to my elbows in swishes and swirls!  

All of these handmade toys, with the exception of the moon and stars ~ which was sold today, can be found in our shop, whimsy two, along with many more!  

Only 16 days until Christmas!  

A Blue Ribbon ~ Love-A-Fair

The NC State Fair is going on this week here in Raleigh and on Thursday hubby and I and my sister and her husband spent the day enjoying everything there is to enjoy at the fair!

And...one of the great things about this year's fair is that Galen and I won the first place Blue Ribbon! (we kid each other...I say it was my artwork, he says it was his woodworking). Either way, we won. The "Carnivale" marble roller ~ here it is ~

I took quite a few photos during the day but limited myself so as not to bore you.

We had beautiful fall weather, a little on the chilly side.

My sister and I (below)...we like to sit on this huge adirondack chair in the garden every year and have our picture taken.

Hope you enjoyed the fair photos.

Have a great weekend!

Good morning, my friends

The weather here these last few days has been absolutely delightful. Perfect fall days. I have been spending much of my time outside ~ planting flowers, moving shrubs and making plans for new beds.

Over the weekend, Galen and I dropped off one of our handmade marble rollers at the state fairgrounds for entry in the hobbies and crafts division. The state fair opens next week!

On our way home we stopped at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh and spent the afternoon browsing and enjoying the new museum. It is a gorgeous place, very modern, spacious and filled with natural light. We had a yummy lunch in the restaurant and then walked around the grounds. It's beautiful outside as well as in.

Enjoy your day wherever you are!

The Fair

It's fair season!

The time of year when county and state fairs are held all across America ~ thoughts of candy apples, fried food, bountiful produce, livestock, garden mums, ferris wheels and other rides. So when hubby brought a marble roller in from the woodshop that he just made and was ready for paint, I thought carnival ~ all the fun rides and bright colors of the fair!

He is planning on entering this one in the NC State Fair. As you can see, it is still in the works, the base had to be painted before the top rails went on and a whirly wheel will be attached to the side, but it will soon be finished.



Our State Fair runs from October 13-23. Do you enjoy going to your local fair? To me it's a part of the season, and fall just wouldn't be the same without it.

Painted the green frog....

on the purple marble roller.

Find it in my Whimsy Two shop along with all the other great wooden toys for kids!

Old fashioned fun

Do you remember playing with marbles as a kid?

Although most of us think of marbles as an old-fashioned pasttime, kids still do play with marbles.

My dearest husband has been making marble chasers for quite some time. He loves working in his shop and it amazes me how much creativity he comes up with.

He has taken an old fashioned toy and given it a modern look...

which makes them more fun, like this one with a whirly wheel and lots of curves,


and this quirky one with big discs and candy canes.

Some have themes that make you go nuts....

how about one with Blondie and Dagwood? ~

or maybe Batman and Robin.

Some are really big,

and some are really small.

Some are little pink pigs that drop the marbles,

and some are little red hens.

Whatever the size, shape, or form, they provide hours of fun for the kids. It's an old fashioned toy with a new whimsical twist!

Each one is handmade by my dearest hubby, and painted by me. You can find some of these in our shop at whimsy two, others have been sold, but if you see something you like, or have an idea of your own, you can special order. Just let me know.

Enjoy your day and have some old fashioned fun!

Projects

There is always a new project going on at my art table ~ some new projects, some old projects. Here sits a painting I started a year ago and never finished of my garden table in the back yard. I will try to finish that this year, (hmmmm, I wonder why I never finished that one).


I started some garden signs on old pieces of chippy wood molding that Galen had in the shop. I love old pieces of wood. Also, I'm painting a little wooden pig for another marble roller. Do you see those little painted Easter eggs on my art table? They will be painted with tiny Easter scenes of bunnies and chicks.

And, I'm working on more garden art tea cups and tea pots. I found a bunch of little porcelain tea pots at a shop last week, so they will be going on stakes for the garden.

The artist's world is limitless.

It can be found anywhere,

far from where he lives or a few feet away.

It is always on his doorstep.

~Paul Strand