For Moms Everywhere

We never know the love of a parent
Until we become parents ourselves.
And . . .
If you think you can’t Love anyone more than your children,
Wait until you look into the eyes of your grandchildren
And really fall in Love. . .
Little Creatures for the Broadmoor Children’s Shop

The Broadmoor Resort in Colorado Springs has an incredibly playful Children’s Shop filled with beautifully unique clothes and toys. My heart fills with joy each time I’m asked to paint there. This time I created playful critters who watch over you as you peruse all the treasures. So far there are Crisento the Cricket, Willy the joyful worm, Bebe the bee and some very chubby frolicking bluebirds.

Display a Favorite Quote with Class

Bella and I have a dear friend who blesses us with her company frequently. Lately Jo has been doing a bit of cleaning-up, clearing out and organizing as part of her Spring ritual. She is way ahead of me. She mentioned how she used to awaken with words in her head and would write them on index cards not knowing what she would do with them. On this visit she brought an index card, yellowed with age, on which she had written many years ago. She also brought a seashell she had found on one of her favorite beaches. Here is how the her treasured elements turned out, she loved it.

Flower for the Month of May, Lily of the Valley

Here is a bit of folklore about Lily of the Valley: The white lily is linked to Juno, the queen of the gods in Roman mythology, by the story that while nursing her son Hercules, some excess milk fell from the sky creating the group of stars we call the Milky Way, and lilies were created from what milk fell to the earth.

This is my watercolor painting of the Lily of the Valley on my Perpetual Calendar. It’s a great gift idea. It’s one of my favorite calendars because it fits in very narrow places.

After my last newsletter I got this question and since I finished a project that provides one solution, here you go . . .

Q Any ideas on making a child’s small room seem larger?

A  One way this can be accomplished is by adding a small mural with a big impact. Adding items that are special to your child helps to spur their imagination as well as solving your decorating dilemma. This project happened to be for a six year old girl. While I was painting a whimsical giant leaf and spiral design around the room she would pop in after school to see what I was doing. So I would ask her to tell me of her favorite things. I have never met a child who didn’t have a mental list of favorite things. She liked pink flowers, fairies, mushrooms, frogs, bees, and butterflies. Then she asked if her pet pot-bellied pig, Sunshine, could be in her mural. Of course my answer was “Yes”. Bella will be talking about this project below.

Bella’s Insight

Hi Everybody! It’s national “Be Kind to Animals” week. AND why would you only dedicate one week a year for that – I’m just sayin’.

Mom says that creative expression is at the heart of everything we do. She just created a really fun mural in one of my friend’s bedroom. Jayda comes to see me, just about every Saturday, under the pretense of taking an art class with Mom. We get to play before her mom and dad pick her up. Here are a few pics of Jayda’s room. Hey, mom made a short video of Jayda’s room too, click here.

Bella ~

We never know the love of a parent
Until we become parents ourselves.
And . . .
If you think you can’t Love anyone more than your children,
Wait until you look into the eyes of your grandchildren
And really fall in Love. . .

We lost Mom in 1994, she was 62 years young. My guess is this photo was taken when she was in her thirties or forties. Thank you, Mom, for the love and especially for the sacrifices you made for us.

If you listen to NPR you may have heard Anne Lamott’s interview. She is one of my favorite authors. She has a gentle way of putting things in perspective. If you haven’t heard or read her interview, treat yourself . . .

Have a Blessed Easter!

Thought this was one of the most beautiful videos on pollination I’ve seen.  It starts out beautiful and just keeps getting better.  Enjoy. . .

Buzzing Among the Lilacs

Doesn’t this watercolor epitomize Spring, I am so looking forward to the smell of lilacs and watching the bees flit about from one tiny bloom to the next. Below is a portion of a poem, When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d ,  by Walt Whitman (1819-1892):

In the door-yard fronting an old farm-house, near the white-wash’d palings,

Stands the lilac bush, tall-growing, with heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

With many a pointed blossom, rising, delicate, with the perfume strong I love,

With every leaf a miracle……and from this bush in the door-yard,

With delicate-color’d blossoms, and heart-shaped leaves of rich green,

A sprig, with its flower, I break.