When we head to the mountains on Sunday to get our tree, the holiday decorating will officially begin. At our old house, most of our decorating focused on the mantel—since we don’t tend to go overboard with that sort of thing anyway, sometimes it was the only place that hinted at anything festive. At our new house, the fireplace is even more central to our lives and the rhythm of our home. I’m excited to see what the season brings, and how the mantel will rise to the occasion.
Ghost domes 
Twists and turns 
Home and away 
Sounds wonderful. Would love to see a picture of the tree and mantle.
I love your sketches. They have so much detail. I draw on site with watercolor and pen occasionally and feel I spend too much time for a quick drawing. How much time do you spend on a sketch?
Thank you, Kay! The time I spend varies widely—anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on how complex the subject and how much time I have to sit there. Sometimes I keep fiddling with an unfinished drawing later, or I might only have time to do the line drawing on site, and have to add color after the fact. It really varies. Sometimes I feel like I’m spending too much time on a drawing, but then again, it is what it is, and I never regret spending that time later, when I look back on things.