Holiday Lover: Easter

I adore holidays.  I love all the fun that they bring.  I love the feeling of looking forward to festivities, the excitement of decorating, and enjoying time with friends & family. I dreamed about the idea of being able to make holidays so very special, when I had a family of my own and that is now a reality. Granted, the baby is not actually aware of the difference between every other day and holidays, but there is no reason to hold back.  Go forth and celebrate.

Beyond all of my blessings, this particular Easter, I am aware of the blessings of protection and safety.  On Good Friday, tornadoes swept through our town, destroying many homes, taking two lives, and injuring others.  We were merely miles away from the detrimental storms that overwhelmed our community.  Images and news reports affected us deeply, as we were reminded that life is fragile and priceless.  It has been beautiful to see so many people join together in helping each other and we look forward to learning of how we can help ourselves.

I can not forget to take a moment and acknowledge the real purpose of Easter, while it's become a holiday of bright colors, decorated eggs, family gatherings, and pretty baskets, it's one of the most important times to remember the greatness of the resurrection of my Lord.  Without His death and resurrection, I would be lost and incomplete, living without the abundance of his blessings and joy.  So, thank you Jesus for taking my place and for the glorious triumph over death.

Now, moving on to the festivities...

I was inspired by this and decided to make my own Easter tree using these cute little designs from Spagats    

I am already thinking of how I can make a tree for just about any occasion or non-occasion.  It was so easy and very fun.  Hudson even helped my pick out the branches, well, as much as a baby can help.

Decorating eggs is always my favorite activity, I suppose it's the artist in me.  This year, I wanted to try some cool natural dyes, but simply didn't do it.  I did, however, attempt to use my acrylic paints on the eggs, which didn't really work very well, but it was fun.  Next year, I will have to plan out ways to make the most beautiful eggs ever.

Finally, I can never stop taking pictures with my cute little family...

so here are some of our very first Easter family photos ever.

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Looking forward to the next holiday...

Raindrops as Art

I've been spending some time looking at my collection of paintings, thinking about how I can grow as an artist and in this process, I fall in love with my work, all over again.  One of my absolute favorites is this, "Rain Sounds."  Being an English major and one who delights in rainy day accessories, I combined all the things I love to create this whimsical piece, where letters are falling as raindrops, from a salt shaker, yes a salt shaker.  Good thing this little girl is safe from all those vowels and consonants under her bright pink, over sized umbrella and her feet are protected by her radiant yellow rain boots.  Don't rain boots always make you happy?  Is it even possible to see a fun patterned pair of galoshes and not imagine splashing through the deepest puddles?  Have you experienced this joy?  What accessories brighten your day? What things bring you back to the carefree days of childhood bliss?

Interesting in cards, prints, and more? 

It's all here, at Red Umbrella Arts

Scrabble is A-R-T

Friday evening is usually game night around here, as long as the Hudson baby cooperates. Tonight's game was Scrabble.  I'm a big fan of this one, being a lover of words and equally,  a lover of winning. 

This week, the delightful spelling game brought me just a little more than letter-combining, word creating, competitive fun.  Tonight, Scrabble also brought me a little bit of inspiration.

  

There are two boys in my life, one holds my hand, while walking beside me and

 the other I hold tightly in my arms.

A few of my favorite things: words, buttons, paintbrushes, ribbons, and the color pink.  

Honestly, this might have been more fun than actually playing the game.

A combination of all the things I love the most, 

the ones who have my heart 

and the art that drives me.

Another perfectly lovely Friday night, and in case you are wondering... I did win the game.

P.S.  Many Scrabble inspired projects to come, I promise.