A week before school started and one of my friend sent me a text "You should do ABC cards, I can't find anything on Etsy I want." And sometimes that's just where inspiration to make something comes from. Of course I thought it would go much faster than it did. For example I had originally done an "A' for acorn. But because this was a Pre-K 4 class and this teacher is both excellent and precise, all the vowels had to be the "short kind" so that meant I had to scrap acorn, iris and United State for apple, insect and umbrella. Then the 'S' needed to be a straight "s" sound so shell was out and I painted snail. But I have to admit I later wished I had painted a sloth. Aren't those the most fascinating animals ever???? They are my new favorite animal to pretend to be. Sometime we play sloth dinner and needless to say it's funny and lasts maybe 2 minutes. You should try. But but but, I digress, So as you can see creating ABC cards wasn't just going to be pretty art hanging in the classroom but it was going to be functional. I think that this is the most functional and hopefully helpful bunch of watercolors I've ever done. (I really need to sit and think of the weight of that ... okay, done.)

I thought about using a font but I decided that my own neat handwriting would work and it's more like how kids write anyway. Seeing a font is just so stiff and stuffy next to these nature inspired.

Hope you like them. I posted them on my Etsy shop here. The size is 8/12" x 11" per card and I also have the in 5x7 inches as well.

My favorites are the owl, eggs and vegetables. You?

Love this school and how perfectly these nature inspired ABC cards fit into this classroom environment.

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So I have this friend who is sharp, talented, stylish and I feel like I can call wise. (And that's not a word I would use to describe just anyone.) So when she said I should do the Strange Folk Festival in Lafayette Square Park, almost in passing, I took her seriously and I signed up for the first art fair/craft show I've done in years. My little girl is getting older and at age 4 she isn't as demanding and I felt like I could tackle this. Then, I had friends who just jumped on board to help. And I have to say if it weren't for them this show would not have happened for me. I had a graphic designer guru layout my cards and calendars and help me style my booth. Then, friends from Kansas City drove down to help me set up and man my booth during the two days of the show and they were the best company ever. Girlfriends came and carefully packaged my cards in cellophane so I looked professional and put together even though I felt like I was not going to "fool" anyone. This was hard work. But I loved every minute of it and I have to say, I was encouraged and felt like a million bucks even before the event opened on Saturday morning. I did it. I set a big goal, I accomplished almost everything on my lists and with the help, prayers and hands of so many people - it was great.

Then the show happened. I had no idea what to expect. I mean this was a festival called "Strange Folk Festival" and my thoughts were there were going to be a bunch of young people who thought my art was sweet, and well, dare I say, old fashioned. But I was so pleasantly surprised. The demographic of people who bought my art wasn't what I would have expected. And boy was that encouraging to realize. And, if I think about it, I've been a bit locked up in my studio for the past four years paintings with out any feedback. So it was good to see and hear who liked it.

Did I mention it was 90 hellish degrees for those two days. I drank lots and well I just felt like a hot, wet but happy mess. The people at this show were super kind inspite of the heat. I talked to so many people and not just about my art - their art too. I love talking to kids, so that's always fun. And then when my little Daisy was there she liked to be by my side and she did lots of drawings herself. I let her display them, but allowed her to give them to whomever she wanted. She kept hugging me. I guess she was proud of her mama.

After Sunday I was worn out, I had used up all my words and then some. I stood both days because there were just so many people to chat with. Plus there seemed to be so many people who bought my work and said nice things to boot. I had decided before hand, I was just going to be happy with breaking even. If I paid for my booth and ALL the expenses that being part of a show incurred I would be pleased as punch, tickled pink, happy as a clam.... you get. And I did just that and then some. Thanks St. Louis for loving and encouraging me with both your words and purchases. I needed that!

I'm on the left and my Kansas City cheerleader, helper, idea maker, Bloody Mary deliverer and dearest friend Cara is to the right.