We have been to the Pacific Northwest. We love the Pacific Northwest. And now we have found a way to bring a little bit of the Pacific Northwest to Iowa, thanks to new-to-us artist Betty Chamness Trost of Three Smooth Stones Studio. "I was raised in the cool and moist forests of western Oregon with days spent meditating while walking the beaches and peering into the tide pools of the Oregon Coast. I have a visceral fondness for stones, ferns, wool, textures, tiny things, and the bright rain-washed colors of blooming flowers. In my work, I transform naturally smooth stones into soothing and meditative objects of art. On some stones, I hand-paint dotted mandala designs using multiple layers of brilliant acrylic paints to create captivating 3-D textures. On other stones after wet-felting them with wool fibers, I adorn them with hand-embroidered blossoms and leaves." Check out more of her beautiful stones at http://www.threesmoothstones-dsm.com/.