Vampire Soup!? - Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! Found this devilish little soup can in an adorable country store called "In Grandma's Attic" in Kinzers, Pennsylvania. Having just finished reading the "Twilight" series of books, it was too tempting to pass up.



I haven't heated up any of the soup yet to see what vampires could possible find appealing!...although the tag indicates is good ole' Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup inside.

The unique label is created by Justina's Sweets 'n Treats.

Home on the Range, Where the Deer and the Buffalo Play...

...where seldom is heard, a discouraging word, and the skies are not cloudy all day!

In mid-October, we ventured to Cherry County, Nebraska. The amazing herds of buffalo and colors of the American West offer a mixture of warm, earthy browns against cool snowy grounds....just before winter really sets in. Lots and lots of buffalo and deer to see. Come along and see for yourself...

Notice the tails up in the air? - a "be alert" warning sign.



Why did the buffalo cross the road? I'm not sure either, but I'm not getting out of the car to find out. This amateur video clip was shot with a little snapshot camera, but still gives you a sense of the mammoth size of these beautiful beasts.

Why did the buffalo cross the road? from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

Heading back the ranch road in the Nebraska sand hills.

What's a "Creative Time" blog post without visiting a canine friend. Meet Puddles, the friendliest dog North of Mullen, NE.

An amateur video clip again, but it's fun to see the movement among the herd. You can even see a few momma's and calves running along the back sand hill.

Buffalo Roaming the Sand Hills of Nebraska from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

The resident ranch cat....we nicknamed him "Cat-tanka".



Even fields of hay bales offer a beautiful scene among the miles and miles of prairies.





A red clay sculpture adorned the facade of the bank building in downtown Valentine, NE.





A little side trip to the Badlands National Park south of Wall, South Dakota.

Hubby and me.





Gorgeous mustard yellows, sage greens, and clay reds in this colorful section of the Bad Lands.



Can you spot the TWO deer bedding down in the grass?



A unique carving in the bar at Wall Drug. Seeing the buffalo herds in person gives one a renewed sense of appreciation for hunting buffalo with a bow and arrow.



Eating breakfast with Dad, hubby and my nephew in Valentine, NE:





We never did get back to The Bunk House restaurant in Valentine, NE to partake of these scrumptious looking pies. Maybe next time!

Bzzzz...Bumble Bees for Sparkle Magazine

A rainy Saturday afternoon provided for the perfect day to set up at my art desk and knock out an illustration for Sparkle magazine.

Although the magazine is geared towards girls under the age of 10, I must admit I learned a few things about bumble bees.....like the fact that they do a dance when they find nectar, and (sorry guys), the girls are the worker bees who do all of the work!

The final art (uncropped):

The artist assistant:



The sketch:



The close-ups:






It was a bright, cheerful project for a gloomy, rainy day. Hope this brightens your day a bit too! Enjoy~

A few links to other Sparkle illustrations:

* Cupcakes! and annual Sparkle Mission illustration

* Too Much!

Bumble Bees - Sketch and Beginning Color

Bumble bees have been buzzing through my head this past week for an illustration assignment for a children's magazine. Thought I'd post a few "in progress" pics.

The sketch:


Starting color:


I'll post the final in a future blog post! Bzzzzzzzz........zzzz......zzzz.

My Art Table at Carlisle's Shop The Block

On Saturday, I participated as an "artist in residence" at Camellia's Sin Tea Parlor & Gift Shop, during a "Art, Music and Wine" event. It was held at the gift shops along Pomfret Street in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

It was a beautiful day, so I got to set up in front of the tea parlor.



My dear friend Jacqui stopped by to see me. I love her new shawl that she bought at the gift shop! It matches perfectly.



Jacqui and her Mom enjoyed tea.



The afternoon gave me the opportunity to work on a Christmas card illustration project that I'm in the midst of creating.



And, it was fun to talk with folks as they stopped to look at my work.



What a great day! A special thanks to Jacqui for sending me her photos! ;)

Ted E. Graham...The Seagull

We named this seagull Ted E. Graham. A few weekends ago, hubby and I enjoyed several days at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and this funny seagull camped out at our beach spot with us.



Although we didn't have any food in our hands, he must have know that we had a bag of Teddy Grahams, sealed closed and tucked away in our beach bag. He paraded in front of us, then stood and stared. We thought for sure that he would fly away any minute. But, nope, he inched closer to our chairs then stood and stared at us again.

Well, what's an artist to do, but get out the sketch pad and pencils and start doodling away. He stayed in one location, but gradually made a 360 degree turn in the sand so that I could see every possible angle.

Eventually, he became bored, and acted like he was going to leave. But, I wasn't done with the drawing. So, I had to lull him back with a few of the Teddy Grahams that he was so patiently waiting for.

Hmmmmm....so I guess that WAS his strategy after all. I'm such a sucker!

This link will take you to the full blog post about Rehoboth Beach.

And, if you enjoyed this beach post, please check out my blog post from Myrtle Beach in June.

Thanks for visiting!

Carlisle's "Art, Music & Wine" Event - October 3

Mark your calendars! It's a day of art, music and wine at the gift shops on West Pomfret Street in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 3.

Stroll along the shops, taste some wine, and visit the on-site artists. 'Yours Truly' will be a working artist at Camellia's Sin Tea Parlor and Gift Shop, so please stop by and say "hello".

Should make for a fun day. Hope to see you there! Note: you can click on the flyer graphic to see an enlarged version.

Camellia's Sin Tea Parlor has been so kind to offer my greeting cards for sale in the shop. See my previous blog about the tea parlor here, the blog is filled with pictures of the delicious tea and the dear Victorian tea items for sale.

Hot Diggity Dogs and More...at Rehoboth Beach, DE

Hubby and I savored a few last dog days of summer at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware....thanks to the generosity of friends.



Hot diggity dog, this beautiful girl, Daisy, (below!) was more than happy to pose for her portrait.



A jellyfish glistens.



An endless game of fetch. The owner told me I'd have at least 258 opportunities just that day to take a picture!

The Endless Dog Game at Rehoboth Beach, DE from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

Peacefulness amid the warm, soft sand dunes.



Some fun with shells and surf-smoothed stones. Meow!



A sweetie-pie named Sadie trolling along the beach just lookin' to give someone a great big smooch.



We found ourselves strolling through this flower shop during a rainy afternoon.




Delightful, bright red cardinals were on sale there, and benefitted wildbird sanctuaries along the shore. A perfect addition to our flower gardens.



And, Jasper, the resident flower shop dog, soaked in all of the attention, then wasted no time showing us where his treats were located!

I bumped into this honey of a hot dog along the boardwalk! That's my hubby for those who don't know ;)



Out to sea.

Feather Here....Then Out To Sea... from Cheryl Kugler on Vimeo.

And, last but not least, this fella, who we called Ted, just wouldn't leave us alone. We'll save that story for my next blog post!

If you liked this beach post, be sure to check out my July posts:

• Rejuvenating the Artist's Soul at North Myrtle Beach
• Sketches from N. Myrtle Beach