Artful Journey

I am a firm believer that often what we need comes to us. The holidays can be particularly challenging especially if you have lost loved ones.  Last year, I had come across a piece of art by Jennifer Orkin Lewis. Through the magic of google, I saw that she did the cover art on Passed and Present...Keeping the Memories of Loved Ones Alive by Allison Gilbert. Allison writes about the grieving process. She also wrote Always Too Soon: Voices of Support Who Have Lost Both Parents. I had not even considered a book of this sort, but finding them was a gift to ease the sadness of the holidays. I cannot recommend these books highly enough. Onz also suggested that we make a Pinterest page where we could pin memories. Often if one of us is feeling lonely or nostalgic, we will pin something or look at the page. Just thinking about it evokes the memories of fun times we shared together.  Emptying the family home has also been a challenge, despite the lack of clutter.  No ove...

My friend CJ encouraged me to start blogging, and I have really enjoyed it. It is another creative outlet and provides a connection to so many creative people to learn from. As I have added blogs that I am following, I have also been inspired. I was oohing and aahing over Susan Branch's Easter decorations, and decided to add a bit to mine. Easter decorations. Although Easter is over, looking at the display makes me happy, so I will leave it up a little longer. Taste the Magic of Every Moment of Every day. Always on display are a picture of my kids when they were little. I bought the frame when I was in Belfast.  I thought it was perfect caption for the photo of little ones devouring a huge slice of watermelon. Nish bought the demitasse cup  for Fi when we went to An American in Paris.  What a night! Out to dinner and followed up by sipping champagne at the show. The little ceramic art studio was a gift from Onz. It was made by Beth S Macre, who I found on instag...

Some outgoing mail for envelope exchanges Happy Birthdays and Spring Love is..love is...receiving mail! Card received from Jean and some more outgoing mail And some postcards for the MMSA Quilt postcard exchange.. Watercolor quilts

Fi and I enjoyed some outdoor yoga at our local golf club! Dancer Eagle A five Mile Walk, and a view of Boston on one side, Revere Beach on the other was how we celebrated Earth Day. View of Boston Hope you enjoyed the great outdoors too!

I love books that make you think, especially about complicated issues. We are All Completely Beside Ourselves A Novel by Karen Joy Fowler was based on a scientific experiment from the 1930's. It was not a book I would normally read, but Onz gave it high marks for being unexpected and thought provoking.                                   Thoughtful Primate                         There is so much to think about in this book, from human/animal interaction, family relationships and scientific testing. I read this book years ago, several years after seeing an art installation  at the DeCordova Museum. The museum had lifesize 3d fabric monkeys hanging on vines. The exhibition was about animal testing and included a photographs of the monkeys. Their faces looked so human like and expressive. From this room, you entered another room, whe...

Patriots Day is a holiday here...a funny sort of holiday, because some people have off and others don't. Fortunately for me, Fi had off, so that meant some quality time together. I am a firm believer if there is an opportunity for fun together, you need to go for it and make it special in some small way. We started our day with a trip to Swiss Bakers, whose motto is "our food makes you feel good". No false advertising there, they are right. swiss bakers, store front ham and cheese croissant We were fortunate enough to find Swiss Bakers through a groupon deal a few years ago, and it was a find. It's not a big place, but it has a variety of savory and sweet croissants, freshly baked breads, and rolls.  So that we would make the most of our visit, we grabbed a raspberry almond croissant for that evening. From there it was time to head to the beach. My happy place. A little windy, so we had the whole beach to ourselves...after our visit, we admired ...

Tell me why I don't like Mondays....I love them, especially if there is a mail delivery! At 74 degrees, it was a beach day and a mail day! What's not to love! Life's just a beach and I've got mail! I received the following hand constructed envelope from Janet. From Janet That is my blue bird of happiness sitting on top of it, and it's arrival certainly made me happy. I am going to try to figure out how she did it, and return a similar version to her. It's really bright and fun. It's a collage of all different images which she has affixed with some sort of super glue. Inside is a sticker, A good rule of thumb...Start slow and taper off... so funny, I've already started slow, so the tapering off may be just around the corner. It looks like a Susan Branch design; I love her whimsical style,, so I am pretty certain I recognize it.  The next envelope was from Cathy. Pretty in Pink I love the lettering. The white on the pink really pops, and t...

Easter Baskets filled with chocolate or at the Grand Floridian at Disney World, it is Easter egg hunts and decorated Easter Eggs. While Fi and I were waiting for our afternoon tea, we enjoyed the Easter eggs completely made out of chocolate. Tangled Cinderella's sugar spun shoe The lobby smelled divine. The scent of chocolate permeated the air. All of the eggs were handmade and completely edible. While Fi and I were enjoying this, Onz and David were hard at work in Ireland, making sugar cookies. Easter Sugar Cookies So festive I love the bunnies and the soft colors on the eggs, so pretty! She has promised me a lesson! I can't wait. Maybe she will serve me up some of her scrumptious cinnamon breakfast rolls. Yum! Lovely with a latte!

Interspersed between the 30 million blooms at Epcot were absolutely incredible topiaries. These are among my favorites. What's not to sing about when you are at Disney? The Three Caballeros I loved the colors in this one. The characters look so happy. Yay for Springtime! Happy Easter! With the Beauty and the Beast  movie coming out, there was a definite homage to the characters. I love that Cogsworth is dancing! Lumiere and Cogsworth Let's dance, shall we... Beauty and the Beast It wasn't all romance though... Dragon in the Water... Even the tongue was made of flowers. Those were just a small sampling of the Topiaries scattered throughout Epcot. Incredible doesn't begin to describe it. If you are ever thinking of going to Disney, the Annual Flower Show elevates the experience to a higher level. Disneyworld is celebrating their 50 year Anniversary in 5 years. There is construction going on throughout the entire complex..it's on...

On our last day at Disney, Fi and I took a stroll around Disney Springs. My favorite store to browse in was the D Living Store, an homage to Beauty and the Beast.  The result of the collaboration between the marketing, creative, and merchandising staff is enchanting. It is as if a stage has been set for us to step into Belle's shoes. One of the staff members crafted this paper rose with the french lyrics of Beauty and the Beast song. paper rose Here's a glimpse into Belle's bedroom. Doesn't it exude a feeling of french elegance? Every detail is just perfect. A cup of tea, and a book before bedtime Before leaving the store , we had to check out the library. The trompe l'oeil was fabulous, with lots of little Disney references hidden among the stacks. Plenty of reading materials here. I loved the library ladder and the Cogsworth clock. Even shopping at Disney is a feast for the eyes. There is absolutely no doubt that details matter. On our wa...

Spring is here, and it's in full bloom at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. I love spring, when the flowers are starting to emerge from the ground. My dad was a landscaper, so I grew up around gardens and flowers. We would joke that we could smell the pansies coming in on the trucks and we would be the first gardeners there.  I was excited with the advent of spring, but even more so when my daughters surprised me with a mother's day/birthday gift to Disney World. What an amazing gift! Panorama at Epcot Epcot was brimming with color, topiaries, flowers, and charming vistas...beauty in every direction. Just a touch of color A butterfly garden... And of course there was Tea... Time for a Cuppa You would think this was as good as it gets. But no, the piece de resistance had to be afternoon tea at  Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian. No wonder they say Grand! I have been lucky enough to enjoy tea parties with the girls and...