It's My Birthday!

{photo: G. DiPaola}

It's my birthday today! 

I love any chance to celebrate, and am looking forward to eating my cake...

This photo was shot on a subway during a recent trip to New York City. Can you see the harpist in the background? Too much fun!

Loretta

A Peek At New Jewelry Designs...

Spring is Sprung, and I'm getting ready to send a fresh, new shipment of jewelry to one of my favorite places: Raiford Gallery in Roswell, Georgia. (Owned by the uber-talented Judie Raiford!)

{matching a color to turquoise beads...}

 I use my own miniature original photographs in many pieces of my jewelry, and sometimes the photographs are color or black and white photographs that I have taken myself, and sometimes the photographs are of my original watercolors. For the new Spring work for Raiford Gallery I'm working on some new watercolors...

{watercolor over pencil}

 A new leaf pattern will look so pretty!

{green leaves, light turquoise background}

 I'm using a heavy architecture drafting pencil to do the final outlines.

 The final watercolors, ready to photograph -in three colorways! I have a small image above to use in my Loretta Fontaine Jewelry sterling silver "Amy" earrings and necklace, and the larger lower paintings will be used for my Loretta Fontaine Jewelry "Lucy and Maria" styles...

{watercolor detail}

Coming soon ... the finished jewelry!

Loretta

Fresh Vegetables!

{photo: G. DiPaolo}

It's sunny outside, and Spring is around the corner, and I cannot wait for our local outdoor farmer's markets to open here in upstate New York!

Until then, the next best thing are the markets and open air produce stands in New York City. I was lucky enough to be in NYC recently, and got my hands on some beautiful produce, including the most delicious apples from a Farmer's Market in Jackson Heights, Queens.

Are the farmer's markets open for business where you live? Or, like here, do you have to wait for warmer weather?

Loretta

My friend Juliet...

{copyright Juliet Lofaro}

My friend Juliet Lofaro takes amazing photographs. (She also took the portrait I use for this blog!)

Here's the most recent photograph from Juliet's Blog. Isn't it beautiful how the light glances off the stairpost and the moldings?

Juliet's words: "Sitting on a sofa seeing across the house. Gifts given, dog playing, people laughing and a tea party. A couple of us stop to admire paint on the walls."

Loretta