SOME OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, besides my family

I took this pics a while back, going around my house. When I look around and see all the beauty that we have created it brings a smile to my face. I know that some people would see it as clutter (and I do sometimes when I have to dust) but the happiness outweighs that. And, I have a wonderful way of overlooking the dust to see the beauty!! Joe made this from a gourd that his mom grew. He also made the bookshelf. We used a wood burning kit and put the design in the side. It never quite got finished once we figured out the paint wouldn't dry (I'm sure it's dry now, several years later) but that's another project.
This is actually two of my creations. Inspired after a trip to Cherokee, NC. The top is a turtle rattle with crystals inside. It has silver and turquoise beading with the softest leather handle. The other is a medicine wheel. I am not completely done with it but wanted to take a break to see how I liked it so far.
This is one piece that gets a lot of attention. When I moved in I wanted something unique to go in the space between the living room and the dining room. Dad had been doing stained glass so it only seemed obvious to have that. I didn't want a particular design, so I ask him to come up with something on his own. I think he did good, really good. The other side is a rectangular piece that fits at the top. The pic I have doesn't let the light in like this one. You may see it in the future, you never know.
This a cabinet that my parents got when I was young. If my memory serves me correct, it was an antique when we got it, and they bought it over 30 years ago. So the cabinet itself is cool. You add all the other things, and it is awesome to me. The paintings Mom did, some of her earlier work. I had them on the wall for years and in a fit of rearranging thought they needed to be here. Joe did the drawings in the middle of the second shelf, and the Indians are postcards that were too cool to send. Joe and I have always liked things of past so the eyeglass collection from our family fits right in. We found the camera when my dad's mom passed away. The arrowheads and rocks we have found over the years. I love it all. It brings back memories of my loved ones and places I have been. Time that was well spent.

I had a pic of the leaf Mom had painted, but it somehow got deleted. What! I STILL don't have this thing figured out!!! When I saw it, I had to have it. As you can tell, I am really into the nature theme. Leaves and butterflies. I love it all, as anyone who has seen my house will tell you. She doesn't JUST love leaves and butterflies, she loves velvet and silk, rich textures and color. But you get my point. I love things with feeling. I am a lover of art.