What Grows?

It was too rainy to capture images for What's Growing Wednesday, so this us, um... "Throw Seeds Thursday"? "Threatening Clouds Thursday?" or ......

And interestingly, all the images I chose are pink. Other colors are growing in the yard, but it must be that I need PINK today.


The four-way apple tree is doing well. I go talk to her every day. Last year one died, and I want this one to grow happily.


My bag of dark purple bulbs produced one pinkie!


This is my garden of..... sticks.....and baby bak choi.... um, to keep the kitties out.


This is our newest garden feature, the water scare crow, and it works much better than sticks. It's got a motion sensor and any kitties entering the garden to dig in raised beds, are ushered out 24/7.

I've got to admit that as much as we love our kitties, we do NOT love them digging in the garden, and when we hear this high powered sprinkler go on, we all rush to the window to see who got wet. Yesterday, with all the wind and rain, it was 15 false alarms, then bang! There was a horrified kitty climbing the fence in a hurry. Neighbor cat nicely escorted off the premises.


I love these! Right outside my studio door. Blooms escaped from the pots of fairy flowers my eight year old planted last spring. Now they are growing wild in the rubble of the unfinished pathway.


Looks like I found the right combo of fertilizer and trimming. Our one rhody is all dressed up in her finery this season!



My black bamboo. It was a fancy indulgence and not yet black. I think the canes turn black as it ages. I learned that each spring, the shoots are sent up, they grow to full height, the send out leaves. If they don't have enough food, they grow less, and stay at the height they grow that season, never to get taller in the following years. Not like trees at all. This one has one shoot that grows several inches a day! Bamboo fascinates me.

The end.

Bliss Time

I love Spring in Oregon. My trees are kind enough to take turns blooming, so there's weeks and weeks of pink or white petals to view out back.

March and April are a "new years" time in Bliss Monkey Studio. The holiday sales slow down in Feb, I get a chance to Spring clean office and studio. (I plan to show before and after pics of these events! LOL!). And it's a time to think about the year ahead as well as develop new products.

Most of you know that I have three stores. My products for Bliss Monkey are cyclical, while Charmish beads and Bliss Forest plush are similar product lines year round.

What is next? See my new Super Girl bag? I made it for myself, but it's an experiment for 2010 Bliss Bags. I do a summer line every year and its fun to invent something totally new.


The blooms smell gorgeous, and I can hear the hum of many honey bees hard at work.


This is the back side with angled pocket for cell phone. Are you like me and can not HEAR your phone ring if it's down inside your bag? Plush this bag is HUGE, to hold water, snack and change of clothes for gym or pool.

I have recently become intrigued with hot pink and orange, and saved up a heap of fq to play with.

The close up shows the amount of free motion quilting (my fav part!) and the raw edge trianges that I trimmed the bag with.



The Super Girl print/applique was made for me by artist friend, Helisengezer, in Istanbul. I've saved her for over a year before finding the right project to feature her in. I love this print because she looks like she's done her Super work for the day. Cape dirty and job well done, she heads home for a snack.

Oh Fi-ya!

It's fun to be in people's treasuries on etsy. Anyone can "curate" their own treasury, you just have to know when the treasuries are open for new postings and NAB one! Fun to make a theme or fav color treasury. This one seems to be inspired by a fire that really happened! Yikes.

I am moving my kids wrist warmers from my AlyTheRed Bliss Monkey Studio shop to Bliss Forest. I think they'd make a good addition to spring Easter baskets. Wrist warmers to accompany the plush bunnies. :-)

Sunny Morning

The sunshine lured me out of bed this morning. I thought my sniffles could do with a bit of fresh air and surprise sunshine (it's been so grey and rainy here this week) so I wandered out to the back garden.

I stood, mesmerized by the blossoming plum trees, when I heard a low "a-hem" behind me. A little green clad gnome stood on the bamboo pot, smiling up at me.

"Hi, I'm Edvin", he offered. "I've been collecting mushroom in your garden." And he held a big one up for me to see.

I attempted to get over my surprise quickly. Regaining my manners, I also introduced myself. Soon, I was making tea for the two of us, and enjoying Edvin's tales. He sure is a talker!




He told me all about his traveling adventures hunting mushrooms, and his wish to live in a human house. Maybe you would like to have Edvin come to your house? He will bring his fancy mushroom as an ornament for you!




Edvin jumps!!!

Art Doll Rabbits

Between the meadow and the stars lies a special place called Bliss Forest......

All the dear plushies in Bliss Monkey Studio called a meeting and decided to share their world. Be curious. They are.......



January Rabbits dressed in their fine purple linen, and cotton vegetable prints. Today, they were seen returning from a jaunt along the lake with their young ones, on this unseasonably warm winter's day. (#3 SOLD)



The end...... but not the end of the adventure! I pledge to create a new batch of art doll rabbits each month throughout the year.

Spring Wrist Warmers - you choose the color

Here's the latest wrist warmers in my shop. A scaled down version for spring: walking the dog, driving, outdoor stuff, as well as in. Many many people buy them to type at work or home and keep their hands happy. Great for knitting. Sooooo soft and warm and cute!

Black licorice, chocolate, or latte- you choose the color!


Spring Palate! Lilac, Grass, and Denim.... imagine Spring is here, you are wearing your favorite old jeans, and beautiful blouse.... it's warm enough to lay in the grass, gaze up at the budding lilac and take in a new season...... ahhhhh................ Ok, try HARD to imagine it, as you look out your office window and see WINTER still upon us. That's why I've made Spring wrist warmers in these lovely shades......just for you!

I'm selling these in the full 10" length. Cute to fold at the cuff. Keeps your hands warm and happy till those WARM days really do roll around the calendar.

I saw two humming birds at the window today! They were looking longingly at the red window decorations. It's still freezing at night, why are they here?? Is this normal arrival time for Oregon? Should I put our new hummingbird feeder out?

Joy joy

March is certainly cloud viewing month. We have a saying in Oregon: If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes.


Long Legs McCormack here with Skymonkey enjoying the riverside trail. Mudslide Sydney climbing trees. Yep, all in a day's work to scamper down trails, track animals, climb all available low branches, bird watch, try out different sticks (and argue over them), get caught in a rainstorm and dash home to fling all clothing directly into the washer, and cozy up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa and a good read.

April showers bring May flowers, but what about March??

The sun shone for a week here in Western Oregon, and we all got out our gardening tools, took stock of our seeds ......and I got a set of new raised garden beds (!!!).... followed by a week of LOW temperatures and rain rain rain. It's not the Oregon winters that are hard, it's the endless Spring showers! We get restless, but we can't complain, not really. We live in a gorgeous emerald valley, an hour from the sea, surrounded by hiking trails and fresh lakes.