Daffy days in Dallas

I've been traveling this week and have not had a whole lot of time to create. Couldn't even find a really decent art store that would cause me to need an extra suitcase for the trip home. Just this one little drawing. My big accomplishment this week was FINALLY figuring out how to upload images from my iPad. This has been plaguing me for months. Sometimes it's the little things that make life good. Life will be truly grand when I get back home to my sweetie tomorrow!

Hope everyone on this side of the pond, well, at least within the U.S., has a great holiday weekend... And a great regular weekend to everyone else. And don't forget to check out Paint Party Friday!

The earth is still laughing...

For some reason, I've been really loving this quote lately. Perhaps it's because we've had such a beautiful spring this year. Although we have had quite a bit of rain-- from humid drizzly days to big bang thunderstorms and even to powerful hailstorms--  it's been well worth it as we are now surrounded by beautiful, lush gardens filled with bright, colorful flowers.

As part of my relaxing day yesterday, we had a very laid-back date night last night. We went out to one of our favorite restaurants and sat outside, basking in what was left of the beautiful day as the sun began to sink. It helps that this restaurant has the best sangria in five states at least.

From there we stopped off at the garden center and bought some pretty pots of hanging daisies. I just love daisies. They really are the friendliest flowers.  We also got several containers of gorgeous lilies in deep, dark colors.

The highlight of the night for my sweetie was when we stopped to get some of his birthday gifts. We are now the proud owners of yet another new television and Blu-ray DVD player that streams Netflix, Pandora, connects to your Internet and Smartphone and, I'm hoping, will pop some popcorn and brew me a cup of tea before it's finished. Of course, I have to laugh about our getting all these electronics just after we were talking about how beautiful it is OUTSIDE. But I guess we're ready for that next rainy day. And he only turns 40 once. In the meantime, I'm still breathing in the gloriousness of the gardens before the brutal summer heat melts them away.

Linking to Sunday Sketches for some great inspiration!

Relaxing in the peaceful jungle of linkland

Perhaps I am revelling too much... No doubt it will backfire.  But for the moment, I am savoring the fact that my daughter will be going home from school with a freiend, spending the night and won't be back until late tomorrow evening.  My sweetie has a busy weekend with work.  I will have practically the whole weekend to myself.

No doubt, by tomorrow evening, I will be anxiously waiting for him to return home for date night.  But this evening, I have plans to relax with a big cup of tea and a few art books I've been dying to have time to pour over. I'll also have all the time in the world to draw inspiration from all the artists at  Paint Party Friday. (Isn't it amazing how rich the internet community is???  I sometimes I picture myself swinging across the vines of a lush jungle linking from one glorious site to another...)   And tomorrow, I'm spahh-ing it up with several appointments, not the least of which is a desperately needed haircut.  Next week, I will be traveling which will be hectic. So, this weekend, I'm going to luxuriate in some quiet alone time. 

Happy Mother's Day

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

For some great inspiration, check out what else is happening at Sunday Sketches!

Lovin' the letters

Inspired by Joanne Sharpe's LetterLove class!  Lots of fun lettering and color.  My favorite things!

Linking to sweet Sophia's Sunday Sketches.  Please take a peek at what my brilliant artist friends have been up to this week!

The Graceful Envelope

Each year, the Washington Calligraphers Guild sponsors the Graceful Envelope Contest, which draws participation from some of the most amazing lettering artists from around the world.  This contest, in its 18th year, was originally created and sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution's National Postal Museum. In 2001, the Washington Calligraphers Guild took over as sponsor and, starting in 2003, the National Association of Letter Carriers has co-sponsored. 

Its open to all ages (separate judging category for children) and there is no cost to enter.  I'm not sure how many people enter, but I've been amazed at the talent and creativity of those whose entries have won in past years (each year's winning envelopes can be linked to from the Graceful Envelope Contest page).  According to the website:

Designs that incorporate postage stamp(s) into the theme are encouraged. Judges look for skill in lettering, effective use of color and design, and creative interpretation of the theme.

This year, I decided to join.  Not in the hopes of having a winning entry, but just I love the idea of this contest and I wanted to be part of it and to show my support of it.  This year's theme focused on creating a graceful envelope around something that begins with a D.  Pretty wide open there, huh?  So broad that it took me a while to come up with a theme that was meaningful, but I ultimately settled on the the idea of donors. Here is what I submitted:

I had a lot of fun with this and can't wait to see the winning entries!

Please check out what my friends at Paint Party Friday have been up to this week!