Cyclamen

This winter has been brutal, to say the least.  It seems like the snowiest and coldest winter ever.  To give myself a little boost, I sometimes head to one of my local favorite nurseries.  Their greenhouse right now is filled with wonderful indoor plants.  I came across this beautiful cyclamen that I just couldn't pass up.  It's frilly edges and lovely pink hue are just what I need.  

Amaryllis

Before Christmas, I wrote a post hoping that an amaryllis bulb would bloom in time for me to use in a Christmas day arrangement.  It didn't bloom on time and I improvised and used a poinsettia instead.  I planted the bulb before Thanksgiving and it bloomed about a week after the new year.  Oh, well.  With all my waiting did come a big payoff.  The one bulb ended up producing two stalks that produced 4 blossoms on each stalk.  That one bulb gave me 8 gorgeous blooms!  And much to my surprise, the blooms were red instead of pink.  I'll share with you what I did with the flowers next week.

Winter Floral Arrangement

This is the wild arrangement I created for the Christmas brunch I hosted.  The evergreens were harvested from my own yard and my in-law's yard.  I purchased some holly and curly willow from a local grower.  The poinsettia came from a local nursery and the pods are from a friend's garden.   

Watercolor Flower Painting

Hello 2014 and hello to you!  I hope that you have enjoyed the holidays.  I enjoyed the break with my family and friends and now I'm ready to get back into the swing of things.  I wanted to share a painting with you today and a bit of myself.  Prior to flowers and children, I earned a degree in art history and worked in public relations and marketing for the arts.  The year I married my husband, I suggested to my newly retired father-in-law to take a class at the art center that I was working at.  My father-in-law always had an artist within him, he just never pursued it.  He began taking watercolor classes and 12 years later he is showing and selling his work regularly and now teaching painting classes himself.

Over the holidays I received a gift from him of a painting of one of floral designs.  I love his interpretation of my work and I wanted to share this special gift with you.  Happy New Year to you all!  I hope you take time to reflect and learn from the past and pursue what is in front of you in the future.