My family used to go camping every year at the same time/place from the time I was a baby until I was 25. It was bliss, no worries or cares in the world. Some of my favorite memories from childhood are from those times together and I can't wait to create memories like these with my family!

A major league baseball game at which, because they were losing so badly, the home team let their first baseman pitch for an inning. He managed to strike one of the batters out, and you could tell it was something he'd wanted to do his whole life.

A favorite memory from my childhood summer's would be that of my father swinging me...he would let go of the tire hanging from a massive oak and away I would go, over the neighbor's grazing horses and into the sky.

Summers in Gulf Shores, AL - I miss making new friends on the white sand.

One specific summer when I was seven we were spending holidays by the sea. I remember how the tide was low and crabs were walking all over the beach and we were collecting them!Ariadne from Greece!

Those new prints are stunning! My favourite summer memory is swimming at the lake near our cabin on Quadra Island. Taking the path to the rock and jumping in to the cold water.

Clare's work is so beautiful, I've given several as gifts and would love some for myself!

My favorite summer memory is when I was a child (Norway), and we had bonfires on St.Hans eve (Midsummer night), and children and adults were playing together in the light summer evening. It is never dark at this time of the year in our part of Norway.

My favorite summer memory is laying in my bed as a little girl, watching the light grow orange then red then purple as the sun set. XO.

Boat trips with my family: About 5 years old, spending the night on my family's little boat in Friday Harbor, looking up at the stars with my dad and being so excited to see my first shooting star.

Every summer I would spend four weeks a year at a summer camp in KC, Mo. The were days of music lessons, camp fires and crushes on cute drummers.

my favourite summer memory is being told by my parents that the fireworks the neighbourhood had gathered to watch across the lake were for me, my birthday. You see I share July 1st with Canada day! makes me giggle to think how they got away with a little white lie that made me feel gigantic!

My favorite summer memory is sailing in a Sunfish on our lake. It was so exciting to be racing and laughing as the wind and the sun and water was all about us.

#1, I love the water in this one.

laying in the grass under the huge old black walnut tree's shade in my big grandma's front yard feeling the breeze, hearing the leaves rustle and the occasional airplane fly over head, smelling the fresh cut grass from our neighbors pasture...

My favorite summer memory is from my childhood, when I and my little brothers spent hours near forest picking strawberries and then we came home and ate them with sugar and milk. We always had red fingertips.

When I was a child I often made ​​camping holiday with my grandparents.When it was evening, then we have been watching fireflies. That was something very special for me. Something magical. Since then I've never seen anywhere fireflies.

I love the summer memory of catching fireflies when I was little. I adore living in California, but I do miss those natural twinkle lights...

Pop Shoppe pop, rootbeer flavored popsicles and the smell of fresh cut grass. Not going in to bed until the stars came out and it STILL wasn't dark yet.

Oooh I love!! My favorite summer memory is a sound... my mom had a dinner bell that she'd ring when it was time to eat! It worked like a charm. We'd drop what we were doing immediately and wherever we were in the neighborhood, whoever we were playing with, we'd go running. I heard one ringing recently it and it brought me back to my mom's dinner table. Of course at the time, it was a nuisance and we'd eat dinner as fast as we could so we could get outside to play before bed.

these artworks are exquisitely beautiful x

vivI.Iviv
www.lovexevol.blogspot.com

my favorite summer memory was one 4th of july where my friends and i spent the whole day together and ended it by watching fireworks on the beach.

suzannabunny@gmail(dot)com

a favorite summer memory would be roadtripping to and camping in Yellowstone National Park as a child with my family. :)

My fondest summer holidays were spent on the Cornish coast - swimming in the chilly sea (though we never noticed the cold!), finding creatures in rock pools, jumping over sand dunes, collecting shells, eating ice creams and wishing the day would never end.

I grew up on the Oregon Coast and my sister and I would ride our horses all over those lonesome sandy beaches. Gorgeous vistas, no crowds to deal with. It was great... not very sunny usually, but great.

I love her work! I have one print of hers, and I always want more!

When I was a kid we'd go on my grandmother's farm almost every summer, and I loved going to pick woodland strawberries and prepare a mousse with it. Delicious.

Riding bikes on the beach in the Outer Banks with my friends. So lovely.

frosty drinks on the deck at night with twinkly lights in the trees. the soft summer air at night is just a miracle.

(no mosquitos a plus)

Heather.foster@kp.org

My favorite summer memory is eating corn on the cob whilst sitting on my dads shoulders and watching the sun slowly go down. Sometimes it's just the most simple things that you cherish most.
:)

Summers as a kiddo were always the best. Extended cousins, grandparents from far away, all gathering at a beach house and spending time together. We enjoyed having nothing to do but explore and play. No cares in the world. Ahhh...

And the art is AWESOME! I think I just found my inspiration to make over my bedroom. Really. Thank you.

My fav. summer memory is going to our families cabin up at Bucks Lake. I loved being right on the water.

Growing up near the beach there are many memories, but my favorite would be walking my two children down to the beach after dinner ~ when the beach was less crowded and the sandcastles still standing. My daughter would push her baby doll in her little stroller, and my son would hold my hand and tell me about his day. My son is now going into his 4th year of college and my daughter will be graduating from high school next week. We still love to go to the beach!

How incredibly kind of Clare to share her equally incredible art work!

I live near the ocean, but when I think of favorite summer memories, the ocean isn't always involved.
One ocean memory didn't happen at home, it happened on Ocracoke Island, on our way home from a business trip. We were alone on a huge beach with a storm coming in fast. I was very pregnant and I remember loving the feeling of the wide and the waves and the HUGENESS of it all. I will never forget that moment.
Non-ocean summer memories often involve Memorial Day weekend cookouts at my grandparents house. Those days are gone forever and I miss them.

My favorite memory is eating big ice cubes wrapped in paper towels sitting with my best friend Sara on her back porch. We laugh now that we thought that ice cubes were such a treat back them...ah, the simple pleasures of childhood. And I would be giddy to own these 4 lovely works of art from Clare!

My favorite part of summer was going to sleepaway camp in upstate New York. The cabins were nestled deep in the woods and there were always quirky, hippy counselors letting us run barefoot through the clay to get it ready for the pottery class. We had tons of campfires, hours of time in the lake, and lots of days using the looms or painting. I often think about how fortunate I was to have that experience. Thanks for this giveaway, the paintings are truly stunning :).

beautiful. my favorite summer memories are the things we've done every summer since i was just a little girl--picking strawberries, catching fireflies, watching the sunset over the lake, wearing flip-flops, the smell of fresh cut grass....and now many years later, doing these same things with my growing boys. savoring every last drop of summer, each year. :)

ohhhh...i've seen Clare's work before and love it!! Thanks for the opportunity to win it!!

No brainer...best summer ever was going on safari to Kenya, Africa...best two weeks of my life!!!

These are beautiful! Hm, favorite summer memory. 4th of July when I was 7. Running around with my cousins at my grandparents house in central PA. We caught fireflies and placed them in little boxes my grandfather made for each other us. Later we ran around, bellies full of food, with sparklers making designs in the night sky.

These are gorgeous! I especially like "undertow". When I was young, I used to love going on family road trips to visit my ant, uncle, and cousins in Quebec. Now, I like hanging out on our back porch enjoying the garden and our dog.

My favorite summer memories are at the beach on michigan in Lake Michigan... and the great thing is I still get to go back every other summer! PS June 14 is my b-day... hoping for an extra treat! These prints remind me of how I feel when I step in the lake. :)

Not very original: when we decided, my Mister and I, to live together. We were sitting at a thai restaurant terrasse and it was warm with a little bit of wind, just awsome.

Oh my goodness, I want these.
My favorite summer memory was the summer in college when I first started dating my husband. So many long lazy days and crazy nights!

I love her work - it's absolutely beautiful. My fave summer memories are camping at Monck Park at Nicola Lake in the interior of BC. All the pine smells beautiful.

My favorite summer memory was when I was about 7 and my friends dad whos nickman was poppy bought a bunch of fireworks and set them off and he let us play with sparklers. He didnt have any experience with fireworks and we had never used sparklers before so many burns insued. It was the best fourth of Juy I ever had.

I love these works. I was a swimmer, back before the dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and these paintings remind me of those summer days when I was growing up when I would swim in clubs all summer. We would work hard all week and drive to a new swim meet each weekend and camp (or stay in a hotel), lay in the sun, swim in a few races, interact with the locals, see what the city had to offer for attractions, swim a few races, eat, and drive home. It was a wonderfully innocent and fun time with friends and family.

Camping at Alice Lake in Squamish. We set up a hammock, and I would read and sketch until it got too dark to do either. I would even bring over the lantern to keep it going. And then would play Yahtzee!

my favorite summer memory is sitting out in the row boat on the lake with my little brother and my grandmother's next door neighbor. He was making up stories about the fish being called to dinner. The mother fish's name was Matilda. I can remember laughing and thinking it was just the best night ever.

a favorite summer memory is camping with my family - i learned how to catch fish, start a bonfire, and sleep in a cramped camper with two siblings and my parents... a lot of my strength comes from those camping trips!

Coming from a wheat farm in Australia and living 4 hours from the nearest beach, my favourite summer memory is visiting the same place each year for holidays. Frolicking along the same beach, jumping the waves and Dad taking me out on the waves on the lilo! No surfboard for us!!!

My favorite summer memory is of my dad chopping up a watermelon at our campsite at Heise in San Diego county. Another favorite is me and my sister sleeping under the stars at the same campsite years later.

Thanks for the wonderful giveaway and for helping me rediscover some beautiful memories :)

I would have to say my favorite summer memory is swimming with my sisters at my grandma's house in Ft. Lauderdale - every single day all summer long!

We always have an arts festival at the beginning of summer here in OKC, I've been going every year since I was in middle school. It holds a lot of fantastic memories for me. My favorites are anual rolling down grassy hills with my friends and snow cones! Every year is such a nostalgic feeling, as well as new memories tied in with it. <3


these are great prints.

Playing in my great aunt's garden, trying to help her with the gardening and the smell of herbs in the sunshine

The "tickle trunk" of play clothes handed down from grandmas, aunts, and Mom that kept the imaginations of me and my two sisters going strong throughout those long summer holidays from school. Our dad built us a playhouse and a treehouse on our country yard, which never tired of bringing opportunities to explore and be creative. Love the art! Great giveaway.

I used to stay over at my grandma's house and swim in the town pool all day long. The days went on forever and we never got bored. I cherish the aqua color of the pool, the hot prairie sun and that shimmer of heat over pavement walking back to her house with Creamsicles dripping down our arms.

One of my favourite summer memory is playing cards with my grandfather after having lunch in the hot afternoon. He was always cheating and it was very funny.
Thanks for this giveaway.

Spending summers at our family cottage on Lake Winnipeg. Marshmallow roasts, strawberry rhubarb pie, reading on the deck, running up the road (couldn't do it slowly or else the mosquitoes would devour you) to the lake at dusk, and jumping in to the calm murky water that was still warm from the day's sun. Bliss.

Watching my grandparents' mini golf course, listening to the electric bug zapper zotting mosquitoes, sitting on the high stool counting out change and handing out putters.
Thanks for the giveaway.

These are gorgeous. Sun-bleached hair, the smell of chlorine on my skin and a huge crush on the head lifeguard.

Ahh, this shop has been an Etsy favorite for months! My favorite memory is silly - my cousins and I grew up on a bay and we used to play Baywatch and reenact episodes and "save" each other. (It was 1991 and we were 8) Great giveaway!

Getting my first kiss behind a saskatoon bush, followed by giggles

Every summer of my childhood we went up to Waskesiu Lake in northern Saskatchewan for the entire summer break. My Dad was an RCMP office and we moved every 5 years so the lake became my true home. I made friends those summers that have lasted well over 20 years and now I go up with my husband and it has become our summer tradition.
My favourite memories are from rainy days where the hike up to Kingsmere Lake was the perfect thing to keep kids from going stir crazy. Often when we arrived the sun would be out and we would get to strip down to tshirts and underwear and go for a swim. A novelty that is especially delicious for a bunch of kids.

oops! http://oldladybird.tumblr.com/

I'm a huge fan of her work but have yet to purchase. My favorite summer memory are those from my childhood when we'd have family reunions at my great-aunt's cabin by a small lake in Minnesota. Lots of swimming, digging for worms to go fishing, being taught by my great-grandpa how to clean a fish, roasting marshmallows for smore's over the large stone fire pit, the shower & bathroom sink & toilet all being in separate rooms, sleeping on the front porch or in a tent in the yard with my cousins, and so many other bits of memories made there that always bring a smile to my face.

Love those paintings!
My summer memories are of our caravan holidays at the beach - but more specifically - getting out of the water, rolling in the soft, hot sand and then having to swim again to wash it all off :-))

My favorite summer memory is water skiing all day with my family and friends when I was a kid. Or being at the beach ALL DAY. Love it!

Long lazy days at the surf beach. Brown skin and salty hair. Getting sand in your ice cream, and keeping a giggling eye on the life gaurds with your best girlfriends. My first bikini, red with polka dots. My first kiss, my first summer romance, my first love.

Tastes Orangey if one my favourite Etsy artists! That first piece by her in this post is one of my new favourites, it's so gorgeous. Could have been of my lake mentioned below in the evening!

My family goes to Osoyoos, BC's only desert, every year. My favourite summer memory is floating on the lake in the sun on an air mattress, losing track of time, looking at the shadow of the weepy willow-type trees on the water.

When we were teenagers, me and my cousin spent the afternoon by her family's pool, swimming and drinking lemonade. We stayed in the pool until the sun went down and when it got dark we laid on air mattresses and watched a meteor shower.

That is, by far, my favourite summer memory.

One summer we packed the children, our border collie Sam, simple food, red wine and candles into the VW and headed to Patonga, on New South Wales' central coast in Australia. We rowed a tiny yellow and blue boat across the seawater creek to the house we had rented, which sat against a national forest, way out of cell phone range. No roads, no work, long days and an ocean current you could ride past the beach. Incredible. Now we go there twice a year.

When I was 11 my grandparents rented a house on an island. It was an enchanted, there were woods, the beach and even mango trees!

Oh my goodness these paintings are so beautiful!

My favourite summer memory is when I was 11 years old and my best friend and I were caught in a crazy mid-summer thunderstorm. We didn't run for cover... instead we danced through gigantic puddles for hours and hours giggling uncontrollably! I always think of her during big thunderstorms.

xo

As a childI used to spend my holiday at my grandparents. I specially remember the stormy daysof early septemberWe used to walk along the beach at low tide to find coins and little stuff people had lost during the summer. My grandfather was walking in front and the four children were following him. It was so exciting like a treasure hunt.

My parents had a cabin cruiser and I remember spending most of my childhood summers happily up to my neck in green river water.

I grew up in Alabam and in our backyard we had woods with a trail that would lead us to a creek. We would go back there and play every day. We called it "where we used to go."

My favorite summer memory...so difficult. Reading a never ending stack of library books as a child? Seeing the sun set over Ankor Wat with my husband two years ago?

I would have to say that the one (and oft repeated) memory that overwhelms them all is drifting to sleep after a day spent floating in the Atlantic Ocean. There is nothing like carrying the rhythm of the sea into your dreams.

My favorite memory of summer is when we lived right across the street from the elementary school. They played little league baseball on the fields there all summer. My best friend Angie and I would throw on our favorite daisy dukes, a tee and go hang scores on the score board. We'd drink suicide sodas from the fountain all day until our tummies hurt, which must contain Grapico soda. THe smell of red clay dust still brings back the fond memories of those childhood, carefree days.

My favorite summer memory is going to Tishomingo State Park in northeast Mississippi the summer after my sophomore year of high school with my best friend. The Rapture's first album was the soundtrack to our adventures hiking, swimming and crossing the swinging bridge.

Oh, I've been eying her art for ages, I would love these!

I have so many great summer memories, but the one that comes to mind is the first kiss when I was 20 with the boy I had been taking long walks on the beach with and having deep heartfelt conversations with every night for 3 weeks. The kiss was on the roof of the staff dorm we were all living in, and it was as good as I had imagined it would be for ages. Such a great guy, I shouldn't have let him get away, but at 20 I didn't appreciate the nice and stable ones.

One of my most fave summer memories was going to Napa for wine tasting during the day a couple of years ago with some of my best friends. When we went back to San Francisco at night, we hit up the local crepe shop for handheld crepes and other little pastries and brought two bottles of late harvest dessert wines and cups. We snuck into this little neighborhood on a hill that had an amazing view of the city with lights. We sat on the grass sharing wine, pastries, and laughs. It was so much fun.

One summer I went to visit my grandmother in Florida, and when I came home I found that it had rained the whole time I was gone, but was gloriously beautiful the rest of the summer. I always that the weather had changed because I was home. :-)

Coming home tired and gratified after swim team practice, during the summer in which I had my first boyfriend and realized I was likable. It was a summer of feeling the beginnings of who I could be. Of feeling powerful and full of potential.

Love these paintings. My favorite memory of summer would be the years I spent at camp, capture the flag, and bonfires under the stars.

What serene, beautiful paintings... my favorite summer memory is growing up on a blueberry farm! Each summer, I would sell fruit at a stand and when my friend and I had slow days, we'd throw on our swimsuits, hop on a four-wheeler, and ride through the rows of plants with our hands outstretched, staining them with delicious, blue juice. Sublime.

Oooh, easy! It's all about camping and smores around the fire! Woot!

My favorite summer memory was celebrating my birthday in London the same day that the Queen of England was having her birthday celebration! And it was a total coincidence!
-Jessica

when i was a little girl my cousins and i used to cool off in the horse trough. the neighboring farm was owned by a kindly doctor who often let us use his swimming pool, but there was something appealing about hiking across a dusty pasture and swatting the rumps of horses to convince them to move so that we could slip into the water. when i drive past farms in summer now i'm tempted to pull the same stunt. unfortunately, it's a pleasure denied to adults.

Every summer my family would go to Toledo Bend. We'd catfish and swim in the lake. It was always such a calming experience. There's nothing quiet like a body of water to make you feel serene. Inspiring works. I love the red hair with the blues, stunning (:

I will never forget my last summer holiday in Tenerife. This is "my" island, my future home.. (I hope!) I found the SMALL bracelet on the sidewalk and it started to be my BIG talisman. It´s quite important for my life - to believe in something..

I like these pictures - they remind me Claude Monet (who is my most favourite painter) and impressionism.. And I love summer - that´s it!=)

Greetings from Czech Rep.
Iva

Love the paints! Great artist!!! My favorite the first one: undertow

My favourite summer memory.... august of 1996... I was 16. Was the last summer before my mother was diagnosticated with a fulminate cancer. We were taking a photo session on the beach. The photografer was my cousin... I conserved that photos and I love them!! as much as I loved my mother!! It remembers my how great she was and how much me loved each other! If I have to choose another great summer memory... was last summer with my 10 months daughter meeting and loving the water...
Love your blog! Regards from Spain!
http://blogmyhomeoffice.blogspot.com/
contactmyhomeoffice@gmail.com

In the back of a very hot Citroen with my sister, singing along with Leonard Cohen, while my dad is zigzagging through the French country roads. Happy moments.

Hi:

Love your blog and the art is amazing!

My favorite summer memory is from the year my mom immigrated to Canada to join me after a few yrs of not seeing each other and not being sure if this would ever happen. It was her first couple of days here, we went to Stanley Park and walked around the sea wall in the sunshine.

Marta@bc211.ca

I spent a lot of time at my grandparent's place when I was little and the best summer memories are from my time with them. Being woken by the sounds of birds, sitting in the big apple tree right outside my window. Then playing around in the sunshine all day, climbing trees and catching butterflies.

Oh sweet childhood, where art thou. ;)

Greetings from Denmark,
Kat

A beautiful summer memory was last summer when it was a late warm summerevning and our hole family sat on our stonewall eating icecream, watching the fields and listening to the summersilence.

My favourite summer memory is waiting for my dad to come home from work, in very hot days in Sitges (Barcelona , Spain) he would take me to swim to the sea in the evening...for me was very exciting and I thought we were very brave! ;-)

Mar M. marmota38@hotmail.com

Catch and release--fireflies

A favorite summer memory is that of seeing the fullest moon ever. It was in the Four Corners area in Cortez and it was just coming up over the horizon. It was so bright that the whole landscape was illuminated. It was magical! Thank you for the fabulous giveaway; the paintings are amazing.

One of my favourite summer memories is sitting around the camp fire at the cottage watching my uncle in the yard catching worms.

My daughter and I spent a week at the beach last summer, collecting sea stones and shells. We have them displayed at home as a sweet reminder of our precious time together at the ocean. Thank you for such a gorgeous, generous, giveaway!!!

My favorite summer memory is from when I was in middle school and every day it seemed like we were at our local pool. We basically lived there! Our skin was so tan and we smelled like chlorine no matter if we showered or not. Then my friends and I would take my parents prehistoric video camera (it weighed about 15 pounds) and would make music videos all night long.

I'm just getting my very first house and these prints would be stunning hanging up in my living room (I'm already planning on doing a turquoise/tan/coral theme)!

watching the rain come across the lake with my brother and my dad... waiting till the very last possible second and running as fast as we could back into the cottage.

These are beautiful (and so is your blog! I just stumbled on it moments ago via Re-nest.)

I grew up on the coast of southern Maine - in High School, I befriended a girl who had access to a semi-private beach. Along with a few other friends, we would head there at high tide on hot days. We would lie in the sun (after smearing ourselves with sunscreen, of course) and then climb on the rocks to a place where we could jump into the ocean. Our spot was shallow and low-risk. The boys would go higher and jump further. As a "good" kid, I never really took risks except for this one, which is why it's my favorite summer memory. :)

gorgeous work. it's hard to pick a favorite summer memory... all through undergrad my friends and i would live on the porch swing at my house, drinking iced teas, coffees, wine, eating chocolate and ice cream. we would laugh, talk about our courses, our futures, our love affairs, our daily dramas. it was perfect.

love these paintings - so whimsical!

fave memory: spending my summers in the smokey mountains of Tennessee - caving, hiking, being filthy and not required to showeres - thanks to our sweet grandmother who would never ask us to do anything we didn't want to. befriending cattle, stray dogs, and picking fresh tomatoes to snack on. it was a jubilant, innocent time in life that i will always cherish.

Great works!

Ooooooooooo how I love summer. These are just stunning. I love the colours and the feel.
My "best" summer memory is simple: the year my husband and I moved into our first townhouse I was off work and I painted the place. Listened to cbc radio alllllllll day long and had all the doors and windows open and didn't talk. I'm a teacher for the other 10 months and I so needed NOT TO TALK. sigh.

but the paintings make me also think of the pool at my parents' place. I LOVE swimming there when I visit... in the sea, in their pool... being in quiet, quiet, heat... oh the glory of summer
:) thanks for the giveaway. Susanna
susannavose@hotmail.com

My favorite summer memory is swimming in the clear, blue-green Gulf of Mexico with my papa!

the beach, swimming. love this art!

these remind me of my niece . . .

Last summer we went to my husband's small hometown outside of Chicago for the 4th of July. It was our first major trip with our then 22-month-old daughter. Although it was hot and muggy it was the best summer trip ever for me. His mom threw a big party with lots of family and friends. We spent one afternoon with my brother-in-law and his little girl at a beautiful arboretum with a wonderful children's area. My husband loved showing his little girl what it was like for him growing up. And grandma loved spoiling all of us!

Eating sandy, squishy pb&j sandwiches with my mom at the beach as a little girl.

my favorite summer memory is visiting my grandparents in the delta with my sisters. swimming, fireworks, catching fireflies and being eaten alive by mosquitos.

Wow, summer memory. It comes every year actually: that quality of light in the evening, as the sun sets after 9:00pm and the air is soft and warm, the birds still singing, cicadas buzzing, and the grass is cool under my feet... THAT'S summer for me.

waking up in the loft of our a-frame rental house on cape cod (back in our family's leaner days), smelling my father's pancakes and knowing that we'd be packing the car and the dog for a day at the beach. things were so simple then!

big admirer of this woman's work. how exciting for the chance to win!
fav memory...camping w family when i was little - chasing wild bunnies!

My best summer memory is drinking mango smoothies while sunbathing on the beach in the Bahamas...YUM :)

my favourite summer memory is running through a lawn sprinkler on a very hot, hot day with my school friends and eating popsicles until our brains froze

Sitting around a bon fire with my little sister. Going fishing with my grandfather. Walking to the store with my dad for a popsicle.

Summers at the grandparents with off the tree mangos and avocados sliced with grandpas pocket knife.

Boiling corn on the cob in a metal bucket of seawater over a roaring beach fire. Riding my bike all day, as fast as I could pedal. Climbing my grandmother's avocado tree and tossing them down to her so she could fill her basket. Heaven.

Riding bikes, playing hide and seek, and building forts with the other neighborhood kids from dawn until dusk when I was little. Also, the smell of chlorine and how much of my summer was spent in the community swimming pool.

Love Clare's work! Great giveaway!

Best summer memory happens every year . . . floating the Comal River in old tire tubes with family and friends with ice cold drinks and a great playlist!

Getting up before the sun. Packing tons of food, sunscreen and blankets. Driving to the beach and staying until the sun went down. Loved being a beach bum!

swimming with my hubby and our frantic schnorkie!

My family would rent a beach cottage in Balboa, CA. The Fun Zone, frozen bananas, silver dollars (ice cream sandwiches dipped in chocolate and dredged in sprinkles), Swimming in the bay, dodging jellyfish, staying up late......what great memories!

Watching the kid's run to the sandbox under the big maple. They had to add water so they could make houses, roads and lakes. It was a chore to get them in for lunch. Now our grandchildren have taken over the sandbox and of course they love to add water. have to love those sandy feet.

Love the artwork!
My favourite summer memory is when i was about 8-9, back in the early seventies, We didn't have long holidays because my parents owned a shop and couldn't go on holiday for more than a few days.
We used to go to this campingsite and in the evenings my dad, my brother and i went to the woods to see the deer. . most magical time of the day!

My favorite summertime memory is one that never fails to bring a smile to my face. After scooping all of the watermelon out, my brothers and I turned the watermelon hulls into 'ships'. We'd usually stick a twig in for the mast, try to find a piece of fabric for the sail. Sometimes, we'd even add an army man as the captain. Once our ship was complete, we'd set it asail in the pond behind our house. Aaaah, summer childhood memories...

Beautiful work! My favorite memory was our annual summer vaca in Wildwood. Beach, boardwalk and family!

Lovely artwork - so inspiring!! Fave summer memory? All the places I lived or visited with cool evening breezes, it's hot even at night right now in south Texas!

Oh my goodness I don't know if I could pick a favorite. THe first that comes to my mind is 4 summers ago when I met the love of my life on the beach in delaware after a thunder storm. We have gone to the beach since as long as I can remember and I never can skip going back.

Oh oh oh! I've been a tastes orangey fan for quite a while! I'm so excited, even if I don't win.
I can't decide whether my favorite summer memory is spending five weeks living in England or if it's meeting my boyfriend the day before school started two years ago. Both were life-changing experiences. I love summer.

hmm my favorite summer story would have to be the summer i spent studying abroad for 5 weeks in Paris, July 2006...i gained a new perspective on fashion, easy living, and oooh don't get me started on the food! walking everywhere in 90+ degrees, i could surely afford to eat a baguette (from my corner boulangerie, bien sur) and half a wheel of camembert from Monoprix (the smell of which would linger in my loft and hallway for DAYS), washing it all down with a mini bottle of rose from Cotes du Rhones...also from Monoprix...classy.

ahh, la vie parisienne, tu me manques. <3

hi.
my fave memory would be when my mom would bring
us to the beach at 10AM and we would have every blow up water toy imaginable from the local drug store, ham sandwiches on local bakery bread, fresh picked local blueberries or strawberries and we would swim, walk the beach and stay till the sun set!
good times.

Playing outside all day, playing hide n seek at night and the sound of the fan that my mom put in our window which actually did very little to cool us off.

I am so enamored of "My Home Is the Sea," it sits waiting in my cart at etsy.
Favorite summer memory? Has to be the summer my extended family put on our own "Olympics." We had a 3-legged race, critter crawl, and pogo stick jumping contests. Then, Grandmother (a very prim and proper Southern lady) showed us how to make fake teeth out of a watermelon rind. Our parents--her 6 children were amazed--she had never done anything like that with them.

My favorite summer memory was going with my family to my grandparents' lake lot, where my sister and I would pretend to be mermaids in the water. Then I'd curl up on a blanket and read until it got dark. At night, we'd all toast marshmallows and slowly be eaten alive by mosquitoes. It was glorious. And itchy.

Those paintings are beautiful.

Every summer when I was a kid, my parents would haul all of us and our giant golden retriever out to this tiny campground on Lake Michigan. Our camper was a bit cramped, so I convinced them I should pitch a tent in a clearing in the woods behind our spot and sleep out there. It was awesome to be able to unzip the "sunroof" of my tent and just lie there and stargaze and breathe in campfire and pine trees and a hint of wildflowers, especially as a 13-yr-old with 3 younger siblings.

Now I live in NorCal, and as awesome as it is out here (hello eucalyptus!), there is no smell like the lake in early summer.

Also I have had Tastes Orangey prints on my wishlists for a good long while now. Beautiful.

Five years ago me & my boyfriend decided to surprise my parents for a weekend visit. We live in England and they live in the Netherlands... so it's not the sort of trip you'd make regularly to share a cup of coffee together.
It was all rather done as an impulse/spontaneous decision... and therefor not very well thought-through.. but that's what made it so memorable! We got stuck in roadworks traffic, missed our ferry, slept in the back of the car at a service station in France and many many hours later arrived in the North-East of the Netherlands to a stunned Mom & Dad in their back garden :)
I'll be visiting again this coming Thursday (16th June) as it's my Birthday weekend. But this time I'm taking the airplane!

I went to summer camp for seven years in Maine, and so many of my favorite summer memories come from that time, when we went canoeing and swimming laps (and splashing around) in a beautiful lake every day, and giggled and lounged around our cabins, talking about the boys at the boy's camp and drawing diagrams of our families homes to give "tours" on paper, and dressing up in crazy costumes for events all summer.

What beautiful artwork! My favorite summer memory goes back to the summer before I entered high school. I was in a production of "The Music Man" at a local dinner theatre. I spent my days singing, dancing, and rehearsing until the time came for the 42-performance run. It was a fun and unforgettable summer.

beautiful, i like the natural spirit of this painting. Would love to have such one in my summer house :)
Ciao,
corinne

Summer as a kid represented what felt like endless freedom. One of many happy memories from my childhood summers was of an epic capture the flag game that all the neighborhood kids played on a hot summer day. I was a little younger then most of the kids and I felt so special and stealth like to be apart of the game. I remember running through all the neighbors backyards feeling like there were no boundaries between neighbors - only between teams. We stayed out playing till 9 o'clock at night - finally resigning to baths and picking mosquito scabs and sleep.

To pick just one memory is really hard. Is it eating watermelon in the backyard at my grandparents' Souther Georgia home? Looking for shark's teeth on the beaches in Florida? Swinging in a hammock reading a book? Or all of them? Thanks for making me stop to remember....

My favorite summer memory happened 22 years ago when my oldest son was born.

Sitting around a campfire with friends, a guitar, a couple of brews, laughing and havin' a time!

My favorite summer memory is definitely the weeks spent at summer camp, every summer. I went to the same camp from when I was 7 through 15. And went back at 17 to be a counselor. My mother had also gone to the same camp as a kid, for 15 years. And I plan to send my daughter there the moment she is ready.
Cheers!

Sitting on the back step in short sleeves, inhaling the evening air and the scent of the backyard grass getting mowed, watching the late sunset in St John's NL. I was 6 years old, and remember feeling the warm wind on my skin and being aware, for the first time, of all five of my senses.

My favorite memory is going to a beach and laying in a hammock eating freshly caught oysters.

family gatherings at my grandmother's house on the bayou in northern florida...cooking food outside, swimming, fishing off the dock. now my grandmother has passed and the house is gone and we don't quite all get together like that.

Beautiful work.
My favorite memory is being at the beach with my brother and mother, sometimes friends when I was probably 4-10 years old (we went a lot). Riding back home in the car, I felt the comforting feeling like I was still being moved by the waves.

When I was a child, my 3 brothers and I went to my grandma's farm for the summer. Our cousins would be there too. We had daily baseball games in the front yard, where 3 huge trees perfectly furnished 1st, 2nd and 3rd base. We had a lot of good games out there.

my favorite summer memory happen 7 years ago when me and my now husband spent entire summer working as bartenders on a greek island at night and spent days at the beach, it doesn't get any better than this. Now two kids later we look at those pictures and think of how crazy idea turned out to work out for us so well.
I love tastes orangey, her paintings are absolutly stunning

In a bright orange pup-tent in my grandmother's garden, eating raspberries and peas picked fresh only moments before, knowing I was loved.

oh, it's been so good to reflect back on past summers..i love remembering how my mother & i would go strawberry pickin' way out in the sticks. or how my brothers & i used to race around the yard with mason jars & lids with holes poked in them trying to catch the most lighting bugs. eating corn on the cob & fresh tomatoes straight out of the garden...it's making my mouth water just thinking about it...but my favorite memory is teaching my little brother how to swim in our pool, & every summer he would get better at it until he could finally compete with my older brother & i in a race...now we are to lazy to race & spend time with our parents, floating & drinking daiquiris. haha still having good times...

Playing baseball in our backyard every afternoon. My mother called it argue-ball because we were so loud.

As a kid, riding bikes with my best friend, in our bathing suits to the cove. With towels thrown over our shoulders. And waiting at the gate for The Cove to open, so we could swim.

Homemade krispy treats
and a-splashing in their pool
thus passed my summer

Homemade krispy treats
and a-splashing in their pool
thus passed my summer

Ooh, I love her art!

We lived a bit out in the country when I was a child, so my favorite summer memories are of running free and coming back home in serious need of a bath!

playing fort in the forest behind my house when I was little. Then falling asleep under a big fern. Life was timeless and carefree.

These paintings are just lovely. My favourite summer memory ...hmmm....it would have to be the one where I spent in Florence with my then boyfriend who is now my husband. It was just the most romantic moment ever!

xo

Driving back to the city from our shore house, just my father and me (and our dog) in the front seat, windows down, listening to Bruce Springsteen, and stopping at Wawa for drinks and snacks for the ride.

Traveling through the English countryside in an English cab my grandad had borrowed from a cabdriver friend of his.

A few summers ago, staying at a friends beach house in New Smyrna Beach, Florida saw a shimmering light show on the shore. My friend had shown me that if you ran or stomped along the damp sand, tiny little lights would glimmer beneath you and in your footsteps! There were little luminescent organisms in the sand making it look like someone had splattered glow paint on the beach. It looked so pretty and magical, and I haven't seen it since.

One of my favorite summer memories is when the neighborhood kids would gather in our front yard to catch fireflies in a jar. Our mouths would be ringed red from cherry push pops and our legs heavy as led from playing SPUD all afternoon, but we'd stay out as late as we could to gather all the fireflies we could.

I used to love seeing my Dad do his yearly waterski - every year he'd make a big show and tell us there's no way he could get up and that he'd forgotten how to waterski...but without fail, he'd do a slalom start in the water, a couple of loops of the lake and then drop the roap and cruise into dock...standing up! He hasn't done it for years (he'll soon be 80) but he's still My hero!

My favorite summer memories all come from summer camp in Mississippi. Floating down the river on inner tubes, hearing the rain on our cabin's tin roof, and camping under the stars on the sand bar.

In the summer, when we were at the beach, my dad and I would play "Master and Commander." We'd take turns leading each other over rocky embankments. If there were tidal pools, we'd stop and poke around in them. My dad would also catch hermit crabs and put them on my hand. If they moved, I'd shriek, a little scared and a little delighted.

Thanks for the great giveaway!

Hi!
I remember camping out in the hill country in Texas with my numerous cousins. We would swing from homemade swings into the river, build dams out of rocks and search for wildlife! Thank you; I love Clare's work.
Stacey

Eating fresh vegetables straight out of the garden, occasionally rinsed with the garden hose.

I met my husband seven summers ago and we went to a fourth of July Durham Bulls ballgame on one of our first dates. It was the first time we held hands in front of our friends so it became known that night we were dating. There were fireworks at the ballgame and it was a perfect, perfect day. I'll never forget how I felt when I looked at him that night.

Walking the Delaps Cove trail along the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia....we walked it several times each summer we lived in South West Nova Scotia. The water, woods and wild flowers make it unforgettable.

Sitting in my grandfather's lap after working with him in the yard: He smelled like freshly cut grass, pipe tobacco and peppermints. He taught me to whistle while I drank pink lemonade. I loved the texture of his rough skin as he held me and never felt safer than in his arms.

Visiting my grandmother in rural South Texas . . . watching the cows wander and hoping to see a coyote or armadillo; breathing in the dusty, sagey, hot earth smell that I've only ever found there; driving through the pastures at night and looking up at the dark, dark sky with more stars than we'd ever seen; eating homemade tamales and playing with my great-grandmother's button collection

Summers did everything together, husband and children. Every year new places to visit. Now they are separate ..

My favorite summer memory is going to girl's camp every summer from ages 12-18 and sleeping under the stars!

Hi, My fave memory is climbing up à Swiss mountain in a aerial cable car. And then just standing in awe of the mountain.Such a beautiful scène. bye, Fay

I am one of four children and my mother's sister had 6 of her own. Growing up we were all really close (and still are :)), but if we wanted to go on vacation together we were doing it in a car. One of my favorites was a roadtrip from Chicago to Florida. Girls in one car and boys in the other. Lots of singing, game playing, snacks, and hiliarity ensued. Bless them I don't know how they handled 10 children!!

My favorite memory of summer growing up was being able to go to a beach house for a month with my parents, sister, aunt, uncle and my cousins for a month. Every summer till i graduated from high school, we went to the beach for a month....

By far the best memory I have is the summer my daughter was born....a really hot summer for Buffalo, and we would just lay in the yard on her orange blanket, dreaming the days away while my teacher colleagues were going back to work :).

I am one of 9 loud and eccentric children. We grew up in the country which allowed us the luxury of our oldest brother mowing a mini baseball diamond in our backyard. My dad would often be the permanent pitcher when he got home after work. We always got in several innings before dinner where trash talking would always reach to the inevitable extra innings afterwards! Thank goodness we didn't have lights other than the sun otherwise I don't think we would have ever quit playing!

My grandparents, Evelyn and Walton, had a huge magnolia tree in their backyard. In the summertime, my brothers and I would climb to the top, left somehow unsupervised to try to collect one of the giant blooms. The trick was to carry it down with the stem in your teeth, as even the most gentle touch would bruise the white petals. It would become the centerpiece on the picnic table, where my grandmother's fried chicken and homemade biscuits were served with iced tea and red and white checked tablecloths.

My dad coming home early from work and cutting the grass. The smell of freshly cut grass still reminds me of my childhood.

These are so beautiful; what a great an amazing give away. fingers crossed.

My favorite summer memory is sitting in the middle of Boston Commons reading. I was 15 and is was the first time I was away from home for the first time working at a summer internship. I must have spent hours there, feeling so grown up.

I grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania where summers were hot and muggy. When a thunderstorm rolled in I loved to sit on the porch swing watching sheets of rain pour down off the roof, with the lilacs becoming a mere shadow of themselves through the water, and the lamp behind the screen door of the house glowing warm and golden and safe. The thunder and lightning was energizing and the cool air a thrill after the heat of July. The porch a haven.

Favorite summer memory? Hanging out at the pool when I was a kid...

when I was about age 6-10 we would take summer vacation at a cabin on a lake in Manitoba. we would get up at dawn, take a little old boat out and go fishing. frying the fish on a camp fire later that day, food never tasted so good. I still have the first fish that I caught, at age 7 or 8.

When I was very young the family would spend summer vacations at a lake in Manitoba, we would get up at dawn, go out on a little old boat and go fishing. It was perfect. we'd frying the fish at the end of the day on our camp fire, food never tasted so good.

my favorite summer memory is the start of a fabuless relationship with my fiance

Hi,

firstly- the art is sublime! A talented artist indeed.

My favourite summer memory is the day my hubby and I got engaged. He had taken me on a three week European holiday. This day, we were going to Monet's Gardens in Giverny, just outside Paris. (Monet is my favourite!)

We were sitting on a bench to the one side of the garden , in what we thought to be a secluded spot. We were having some lunch and hubby kept throwing cherry pips into the flower bed. I reprimanded him with a stern:" If monet wanted Cherry trees in his garden, he would have planted them."

Suddenly, hubby jumped up and started squashing everything back into his backpack. I was very confused and thought I had really offended him.

The next momnet he went down on one knee. But suddenly, a 'flock' of tourists started streaming past. After what felt like an eternity, he said "Smuckie" (that's what we call each other) " I want you to remember this moment for the rest of your life" And that is all I can remember.

All I know is that once I saw the ring, I kept saying "No way!" About 100 times. It was my dream ring, offered to me by my dream man in the dream spot. I was in heaven. Three years later, we are still as happy as ever.

That is my happiest summer memory. :)

hiking to garibaldi lake every summer with friends - just the kids and dads while the mums stayed in whistler. i really must go back soon. too bad we now know trail mix is full of fat and juice boxes are full of sugar...

My favourite summer memory is spending time at a cottage my family used to rent for a week in Pugwash, Nova Scotia - swimming in the ocean, having campfires, reading books in the sun, and all that good stuff!

We had a big old pool in the backyard, no filter, no heat.. every year we had to empty it out and repaint it, fix it up, and fill it back up. it would be full of the winter leaves and muck, frogs, bugs and stuff. It took a full week. When it was all bright blue and ready for summer again, the water was freezing cold but I loved swimming everyday, and feeling it warm up over the span of the summer.

Beautiful!

Favorite summer memory: A week at the beach, renting bikes, napping on a hammock, flying kites, eating seafood with sisters and brothers and families. Nothing like it!

I was about 7 on the beach in Cape May NJ with my family when a thunderstorm approached. We hightailed it to one of the small tents that lined the beach. Eventually some young Irish guys asked if they could join us. Soon they were sharing their whiskey and stories with my parents. The competing sounds of the waves, thunder, and accents was beautiful.

Wow I would love to win one of these gorgeous pieces...they are brilliant!!

My favourite summer memory...is probably traveling to Victoria, BC and going for a walk by the shore and being followed by a group of otters. They were so playful and kept popping up out of the water in the kelp as we strolled along the ocean. It was gorgeous!! They are the cutest little swimmers.

I love these pieces of art. I have actually admired Clare's work for a long time!

All my family holidaying together in the mountains in Italy, sitting drinking wine in the dark in the garden watching the fireflies blink around us.

my favorite summer memories revolve around outdoor concerts with friends. especially my first grateful dead show!

These prints remind me of one of my favorite summer memories - swimming in an underground lake. I have a photo that looks remarkably like the first print.