spring

Garden Update – Pink

| terriaw

Pink is a common color in gardens, especially in spring. It’s also one of those colors that you either love or hate. (I love it, by the way.)

I think pink tulips are so cheerful and charming.

Last year, I planted primroses in hopes that they would bloom early in spring. I was getting worried because I didn’t see any signs of life until a few days ago. Thank goodness! We have a yellow, white and pink variety lining the sidewalk up to our front porch.

So happy to see our magnolia shrub coming back to life. It’s a new plant in our yard, and we weren’t sure it was going to thrive.

I love this combination of pink and yellow tulips. Those yellow tulips have a delicate pink tip that looks like someone went out there with a fine tip marker.

Speaking of yellow and pink, these blushing beauty tulips are my favorites.

More pink flowers just started to bloom this week, including our bleeding hearts.

Most magnificent of all, our crab apple tree is blooming.


Many reasons why spring is my favorite time of year!

Art Cards 2011 – Week 17

| terriaw

I continue to be inspired to illustrate the natural world around me, especially as things warm up and come back to life in full color. That’s what I love about spring.

This past week, I smelled the sweet smell of fresh cut grass for the first time in over six months. It really was a sweet smell!

I also noticed the buds on our trees are finally starting to open.

I always struggle with ideas for my journaling on these cards, so I was excited to find a great quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson that fit well with my illustration.

Stop by our Flickr group to see what Michelle and Sandra have been doing on their fun art cards.

Art Cards 2011 – Spring Swap

| terriaw

My friend Michelle and I agreed to swap art cards for each season throughout the year.

I was the lucky girl who came home to find all these Spring goodies waiting for me.

She made this amazing art card, with magical-looking fossilized flowers on side one, and

a beautiful illustration of a tree on side two.

Of course, she had to spoil me by sending a couple fabulous mini journals, and a stack of cool mulberry papers, made from the fibers of a mulberry tree and feathers beautifully when torn. (pictured in top photo)

She also made an adorable little envelope that I can use to carry business cards or art cards.

Here are the cards I sent to her for our Spring swap, which she shared in this post.

Creative, artsy friends are the best! They give you handmade gifts, and they love the handmade gifts you give them. The thought is what counts, as they say. Thank you, my friend!

Art Cards 2011 – Week 11

| terriaw

Spring break was the theme for my art cards this past week! I had more fun practicing my illustrating skills and watercolor painting techniques, so I think this is becoming my new favorite style.

I enjoyed a quiet week at home, getting caught up on sewing projects, working on some homework, and spending time working in the yard. The grass is greening, more bulbs are peaking up, and the wildlife has returned to play. Things are definitely looking up in our yard, so I used that inspiration to illustrate my first card.

I was also dreaming of spring break trips from years past, so I illustrated a beach scene. How fun it would be to escape to that beach!

My favorite cards are the extra set I made for Michelle, since we agreed to swap cards on the first day of each new season. But I can’t show you those until she receives them. I love how they turned out, so I hope she likes them too! In fact, I duplicated them to have a matching set in my journal.

Be sure to stop by our Flickr group to see what Michelle and Sandra have been doing on their fun art cards.

Art Cards 2011 – Week 10

| terriaw

There are signs of hope everywhere, if you just know where to look. That was the theme for my art cards this week.

Even though we got a late snowstorm last week, the recent sunshine has been melting our snow, revealing grass and bulbs coming up around our yard.

I saw our first robin last week, which is a sure sign of spring is just around the corner. The robin is our state bird, so when it migrates back to our neighborhood in March, we get excited that spring is near.

I used my new process on these cards of pencil sketching the idea first and then filling in with color. This week, I spent most of my time painting with watercolor. I used markers and colored pencils to add a few details. I decided to keep the journaling short and simple. You get the message: I’m excited spring is here! Can’t wait to see buds popping out on the trees and more bulbs coming up.

Be sure to stop by our Flickr group to see what Michelle and Sandra have been doing on their amazing art cards.

Are You Kidding Me?!

| terriaw

This was the scene I saw when I looked out  the windows this morning!

Come on, it’s March!

If I complain about being anxious for Spring, now you know why!

Spring Productivity

| terriaw

I rarely go into a weekend without a list. Do you do that? It seems like those two full days I have away from work can get filled up so quickly. But I really like to be able to savor those two days, so I jot down a weekend agenda of ideas for us, from chores to fun.

Some weekends we stick to the agenda and other weekends we just wing it. Sometimes our weekend free time depends on the weather. We woke up to snow and cold on Saturday, but Sunday was a beautiful take-a-nap-outside kind of day.

This particular weekend, I wanted to get a few specific sewing projects done. These semi-secret minis are for a special giveaway coming up. Stay tuned for more on that!

I’m happy and relieved I sewed the bindings onto my three recently finished quilts. I just need to hand stitch them as I get free time (or the next time we rent a movie). If it hadn’t been for my to-do list, I probably would have put off this task because it kinda felt like a chore.

I finished that pillow cover I pieced together last month. I am trying to use up the scraps in my scrap basket full of the lovely Sis Boom fabric left overs.

I love string-pieced blocks, but I wish they used up more scraps. I can’t seem to make a dent in that pile! These pillow covers are a fun way to turn a mini quilt project into something so useful as a pillow. Plus, they are a great small project to practice my free motion quilting skills.

Of course, I had to add the pom-pom fringe because it makes people smile when they see that extra detail. Now I’m happy to report it’s listed in my shop.

My weekend list is completely checked off, and I’m ready for a fresh week of spring and new projects.

Underneath

| terriaw

Underneath the ugliness,

there is always hope!

I was lucky enough to spend some time in our gardens today while it was sunny and in the 60s. Lookie the treasures I found underneath all that matted mess!

That’s the best part about Spring,

it always gives you signs of hope, signs that all your hard work is going to pay off.