The good news is....

She didn't lay on the paintings....  Baby Kitty usually likes to sleep right on my paintings. No respect...  but that's why I love my cat.  Happy Friday.  Hoping for a restful one here in St. Louis myself.

Spring is Here.... already?

 

With the warm weather, I start thinking of flowers, gardening and all the cheerful brightness of spring.  Here's a little peek of a shelf of inspiration I put together until the flowers come out of the ground.  

I painted this old envelope I found in my house.  The house is 120 years old and had lots of old things in it that weren't nearly as cool as this postmarked stamped envelope from 1932.   More details about it are here.  The flowers are ranunculus.  I'm bummed because normally I see bundles of these flowers for sale at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods - but so far none this year.  It still may be too early.  Gosh it's hard to believe it's only March with these near 80 degree days here in St. Louis.  

Mid- February in Need of Color

 
For many years, February hasn't always been my favorite month.  It's a grey-brown month here in St. Louis and I pull out my garden books and do a little dreaming, a little planning.  I think it's because I'm so thirsty for color and green.  This is a floral I painted for my 2012 calender.  I think home grown flowers look best in Blue Ball jars.   

 Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, 
wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; 
there is really no such thing as bad weather,
 only different kinds of good weather. -- John Ruskin

I've copied this quote as much for me as anyone.  Weather does effect me I'm sad to say.  If I see the sunshine in the morning, for some reason my breakfast tastes better and I'm in lighter spirits.  Oh how I wish my moods weren't effected by the seasons, the rain, the dull cold days.  It's a challenge some days to persevere.  But I think that we all have the challenge to not let circumstance -- be it  weather, traffic or even a mosquito bite ruin our day.  This quote reminds me to see my life like weather.  There are just going to be changes -- and really some of the best things in life have come from what I thought were awful.  So the challenge is to get through February not with my head held down counting the days, but up and looking to see and find the good in the day and even in the brown and grey. 

My Poster!!!!

I made this print from one of my favorite watercolors and a passage from the Bible that has truth no matter what your belief system. I do believe what you think about day after day definitely plays into your moods and response to life's day to day monotony and even surprises.

Whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely or admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - THINK ON THESE THINGS!!!! 
Philippians 4:8

I look at this print and the words remind me to reset my thinking and the watercolor flowers help me to see beauty and change my perspective for the moment. When I've been churning the negative in my head for hours it is time to look up and choose something different to think about.. even if it starts with,

"I will think about this lovely pink peony... the fact that I had a meal today that I didn't have to worry about obtaining... I then think of my friend who called me today and made me laugh... "
you get where I'm going.

Size of the paper is 13"wide x 19" high with the watercolor in the middle with 1.5 inch border around. ETSY link here.