vermont...trapp style

Every now and then there are moments that happen in your life that you know will stay with you forever. The past couple of days held such moments.

left to right: me (Brigitta), Duane Chase (Kurt), Heather Menzies (Louisa), Debbie Turner (Marta), Kym Karath (Gretyl)

It was great to see the my Sound of Music family again...we all get along great and always have lots of laughs...but the circle got wider. This occasion for our get together was to meet at the Von Trapp Family Lodge and Resort. The REAL Von Trapp family had invited us to a dedication on their property and we were thrilled to all be able to go.

The Von Trapp Lodge is a beautiful 2,400-acre resort with sweeping mountain views providing accommodations in an Austrian-style. It reminds me very much of Austria where the original family came from. That's why they bought the property and built the lodge here. You can see it down every hall of the lodge and among the sweeping gardens and meadows.

On a walk through the woods of Vermont, Johannes von Trapp and his lovely wife Lynn, newlyweds Elisa and Sam von Trapp (the grandson of Georg and Maria von Trapp) and the movie "Non Trapps".

THE DEDICATION
Duane played Kurt in the movie which was the part of Werner in real life. Werner von Trapp passed away in 2008 and the Non Trapps (as we call ourselves) dedicated an apple tree to the lodge from the cast of the kids in the movie. It was planted in Spring so this was the formal dedication. Unfortunately Charmian and Nicholas could not make it, but they were there in spirit. And the whole occasion had a lot of spirit...

After Johannes talked Duane led the dedication...

Elisabeth von Trapp leads everyone in singing "Edelweiss"

Maria von Trapp is so beautiful and gracious...
Heather played the part of Maria in the movie.

A lot of von Trapps...

This is Hedwig von Trapps grave. I played Hedwig's role (renamed Brigitta) in the movie.

A POTPOURRI OF IMAGES...
from pumpkin soup...a talk with the guests staying at the lodge...
the beauty of the lodge grounds...Lynn's delicious 'local vodka' cosmopolitan...
a special week I'll never forget.

Cheers to all the von Trapp's for a truly awesome time!

let me in...!

i'm on sale!

I noticed today in my Stampington Postscript...to celebrate the release of "In This Garden" - they now have it on their bookshelf - they are putting ALL their Angela Cartwright items on SALE...so I thought I would post the link...just in case you had the urge to purchase those unruly shadows or unruly girls rubber stamps...or my artist papers or any of my books at a discount...
Here is the link: Angela Cartwright SALE

You might want to check out their other goodies too...they carry loads of stuff for the artistic soul...

tv watchers alert

Well I have been lagging with the blogging...there has been so much on my plate...but I did want to alert you to this show coming out on STARZ channel. It's called THE FACE IS FAMILIAR and there is a whole bit in there with my sister Veronica, and you'll see a snippet of me too running lines with her. It's a cool program and I really enjoyed it, you might too.

Then for those of you who are a little more unruly...tune in to the show my daughter Becca produces...KENDRA on E channel... 1 hour world premiere with limited commercial interruptions. I saw a rough cut and it's really fun...You go girl...
It's pouring with rain outside and I just love it...A blessing for my garden with the water restrictions LA has just imposed on us...
ok back to work...I promise more art will be coming to this blog soon....

kentucky woman...

So I have returned from my weekend in Louisville (pronounced Looville by the natives) Kentucky. I have three words for this part of the country..'.the nicest people' or...'the politest children'...or...'home down hospitality'... Kentuckians are proud of their Derby that's for sure. And who ever thought there was such a thing as fried corn on the cob? Will wonders ever cease?

There was a tribute to the robot that was painstakingly constructed by David Huber. Bob May was a frequently seen at Wonderfest in past years and everyone was saddened by his passing.

Veronica was given the the Aliens Legacy Gold Award...WooHoo...She deserves it...
And while we were there...Veronica was given the word that her pilot "Eastwick" was given the green light and she starts shooting in July. That's right...she was in the original "Witches of Eastwick" and here she reprises her role somewhat as "Bun". Should be fun...the show will air Wednesday nights at 10:00 on ABC this fall... Very excited for big sis.

Since I visited Kentucky I have been to Las Vegas and back with a parental emergency...All went well and Dad is recovering nicely thank goodness...and boy now am I ready to stay home for awhile. I still have not had time to post any pix from the cruise...which feels like it was a long time ago now...
Time...such a luxury when you don't have it. I have several unfinished art pieces on my art table and many more in my head waiting...patiently...
all in good time...(who said that I wonder?)

i'm off...

I'm off again with my sister Veronica to Louisville, Kentucky and WonderFest . Will write when I return.

lots to see and celebrate...

Just thought I would post about the event at Zinnia last night...

After dinner with the family and a raising of the glasses to celebrate the opening of my new clothing line AC Studio 9 created by me and my art muse Connie. (You can see some of Connie's fabulous miniature chairs at Zinnia if you make your way over there. If you live out of town she'll have some of her new designs in her Etsy store soon...check them out...they are amazing.)
Click the banner below to visit the store.
Not only did we have a showing of our clothing but there was Sarah and my new book "In This Garden" to celebrate and sign. Wish Sarah could have been there with me.

There was a great turnout...and it was such a lovely balmy evening. I had the original garden art that appears in the book for all to see...and everyone enjoyed looking at the fine art expression that went into each and every one of them.

It was also a big night for AC Studio 9 .

We had lots of our pieces there like the Stole 'n scarf, Art Vested, Museum Skirt and Ruana (shown below).

Here I am in our Sunlight silk Soleil. So perfect for a night like last night. Pics will be up on the ACStudio site soon showing the Soleil. I wanted to launch the site on Mother's Day so the rest of the pics will be up in the next week or so.

Another big hit was the ArtVested...which my sister Veronica couldn't resist.

Tamara the owner of Zinnia and a whirlwind full of creativity, is wearing our signature Stole 'N Scarf in Marigold - Connie's Stole 'N Scarf is in Cloud. (I sold the silk Soleil off my back so here I am in the cotton Soleil.) All are adorned with an Art Pin made from my handpainted artwork. Lots more to come soon!
Thanks to the Zinnia clan, Tamara, Paul, Joe and Suki for a great night.

sailing by...

Hello...I'm back...Where have I been? For a little over two weeks I was a Guest Speaker on the Tahitian Princess Cruise Ship and I have been sailing on the high seas. Here I am on the bridge of the ship...ready to start the journey of a lifetime...

The cool thing was that the whole family got to go with me, and that made it very special indeed. Our ports of call were Civitavecchia - Rome, Cannes, Barcelona, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Cobh - Cork, La Havre - Hon Fleur, and Dover - London. It was a fantastic voyage, wonderful people, lots of adventures and a gazillion pictures. I wanted to blog while I was gone, but that turned out to be mission impossible. I plan to post some of the pix from my trip and log some of the fantastic things we saw and did along the way. But for a while...that will have to wait...

Life doesn't stop once you return...I have a booksigning at the Garden Party at Zinnia this Saturday the 9th...Hope you will come by if you are out this way...

And next weekend, May 15th, I will be flying to Louisville, Kentucky to attend WonderFest with my sister Veronica. So if you are in that neck of the woods come by and say hi!

Life has been busy, crazy, wonderful...So stayed tuned... For now...over and out...

a special day...

Happy Birthday Mum...

I've learned.... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person.
I've learned.... That when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
I've learned.... That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world.
I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned....That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned.... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned.... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned....That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.
I've learned.... That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned....That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
I've learned....That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned... That opportunities are never lost, someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned....That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned....That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned....That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

join me at a garden party...

And the Garden Party at Zinnia's is not all. Join the festivities as South Pasadena's Mission Street is transformed into an eclectic celebration of art and culture, food and wine, and more! Featuring four main stages with free entertainment, eight art galleries and studio openings, plus wonderful food, wine and craftsman beer--all in a charming shopping district. Plus, on this night, everyone is open late so you won't have to miss a minute of the fun.

easter finery...

This was me at Easter...yep...I used to dress like this...Big taffeta bow in the back of my dress...which was two tiers and the softest mint green if I remember correctly. I wonder if those purses will ever make a comeback, pretty impractical in that cone shape...But the headband is cool...kinda "Gossip Girl'.
Anyway...Easter is different now...no little kids around...no melting chocolate eggs and spongy bunnies that stuck to your fingers. No Easter egg hunt with baskets filled to the brim plastic eggs ... No squeals as the treasure hunt took place. It's not sad...just different...it's a beautiful day...the sun is out...and the flowers are blooming...and hayfever is abound. My sister is cooking us an Easter feast...and it will be family...just less chocolate...and hopefully less sneezing...
Here's a flower for you...hope its a good day for you too...

this is spring...

New buds...new growth...for those of you who still have snow...here's some garden images to appease your spring fever...

I have been so bad about blogging...there just hasn't been time. I am leaving soon for several weeks...and there is a lot to be done before I go. But today...on the heels of an April shower I walked through my garden to see what was showing its colors.


Recently I bought some new camera equipment for my Canon 5D digital camera and these shots were taken with my 50 mm F/1.4 lens. It's a prime lens (not a zoom).

One of my favorite things is bokeh...

Definition: a Japanese term for the subjective aesthetic quality of out-of-focus areas of a photographic image

Do you have spring fever yet?

I wanted to let you know if you are wanting to improve your digital photography there's a couple of really good books written by photographer Scott Kelby. He's easy to read...his books are easy to comprehend...his digital photography is awesome and he's funny...So if you or someone you know is interested in becoming a better digital photographer and learning some really interesting stuff in plain English without all the technical doodah...check it out. He's got 2 books out and another one out soon...
Here's links to his books...
The Digital Photography Book
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 2
The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3

one little song...

people are telling me this makes them smile!...
you might want to pause my Playlist music in the sidebar at the bottom of the page before starting the video...and then sit back and smile...