What's Blooming at My House. . .

Well, they aren't really blooming anymore but I just loaded my pix and I wanted to share. Those of you that have known me for awhile know that I LOVE Calla Lilies!!! They are my most favorite flower and they just conjure up all sorts of memories and emotions for me. Since moving into the new house (can you believe it has been 5 years now!) I have really missed my calla beds that I grew for over 15 years at the old house. I have planted them here but they barely grow and never bloom. This year as they started to poke their heads up out of the ground again, I prayed "please dear Lord, let them bloom this year. I really need to see the flowers this year after the year I have just had". I don't know why, but I am always surprised when God answers these simple and unimportant prayers and just gives me the desires of my heart. So this year in February I got my first blooms here and I cannot tell you the joy it brought me! I immediately got on the phone and called Gary at work . It actually brought tears to my eyes!  

Delight thyself also in the LORD:

and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Psalm 37:4

 This spring my beloved callas produced 21 blooms of hope and joy for me! Sadly, this past week I pulled the last withered flower from the plant. There will be no more blooms this year. But I have faith that next year they will return and be even more prolific than they were this year!

So, That's what has been blooming in the garden, now let me show you what's blooming inside. . .

This year I have started collecting markers. This is a new obsession for me. I started doodling this past summer when I was too sick to do anything else. The problem with collecting something new is trying to figure out how to store your new collection. As we all know I am a little anal and need to have everything nice and tidy, organized and labeled. I try a few methods of pen storage and none of them fit the bill. I finally asked Kathie, my friend and owner of "The Occasional Artist" if she could order me in one of the display racks for the Copic markers. As luck would have it she had an extra one in the shed. That day after class I went home with a new marker rack. I could barely wait to get home and fill it all up!!! As soon as I got home that is exactly what I did. It took me a bit to get it set up just the way I wanted it and of course to get it labeled. But once it was done I was just so happy!

 I just love this thing - it is just perfect for me and I actually use all of my pens now because I can see them all. I have them set up by color so I have no trouble at all finding the perfect color of green I need to color in my leaves. Or the perfect color of pink for a flower I am coloring. This rack also has a large open section that is the perfect place to put my pastels and my water color pencils. Kathie, I know you are reading this and. . .

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!

 This is a little doodle I did for my granddaughter London today. Yesterday I was doing a little doodle and when I finished it, all I could think of was "this would be so cute in London's room. It totally matches all of the bedding I made her". So I showed it to Bryanna and she loved it. I told her I would have to draw it again so that it would fit into a standard frame. She suggested I add her name to it somewhere when I made the new one. I suck at lettering! But I am trying very hard to teach myself. So, I accepted the challenge to add her name to the new doodle. It's far from perfect, but I am pleased with how it turned out. And even nicer is that Bryanna was happy with it and willing to hang it on her wall! I really wish you could see all of the little details in this doodle. I did a lot of tone on tone texture with my new Glaze pens and some glitter with my favorite Sakura glitter pens.  Hey, while we are talking about markers, did you know Kathie is offering the new 25th Anniversary Collection of 36 Copic markers for $225 if you pre-order them? That's right, I have to get my order in, I really want those. Have you seen them? They all have black barrels for the 25th Anniversary!

Well, That's all for tonight folks - I hope you enjoyed seeing what's blooming around my house. What's blooming at your house? If the answer is "NOTHING" draw yourself some blossoms!

Til we meet again. . .