Just a quickie post today. I created this little 3.25″ x 4.5″ mini book in an online class by Joanne Sharpe called Art Sparks 1 through Ruzuku.com. I filled it with some of my favorite quotes which I’ll be sharing with you over the next few weekends.
If you don’t know about Joanne Sharpe, she is a super talented artist and instructor. I’ve been a big fan of hers for a long time and just love her work. I highly recommend her classes as they’re so much fun!
Hope your week is going great so far! I created this new angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. I tried something new this time and added a zentangle design to the wings. I kinda like it, and then I kinda don’t.
Also, with the lighter color background, the white detailing got a bit washed out so I used gold for more contrast. Would love to know your thoughts, just leave me comment below.
Growing up, Easter was a fairly big day of celebration. I remember how excited I was to color Easter eggs with mom the night before. Easter morning we started our day with breakfast and then off to church we went. For us kids, the highlight was getting back home to the Easter baskets filled with all kinds of goodies.
Mom would always get us something new to wear. Whether it was a new shirt or swimsuit, it was always exciting. Then it was time for the infamous Easter Egg Hunt in the garden which was a thrilling event! I held on to these wonderful family traditions with my kids and we all have a lot of fond memories and more in the making!
My kids are grown now but I still make them some type of basket. I’ve switched it up and gotten pretty creative over the years. This year I was going to try making these cute wafer decorations which can be found at SmartSchoolHouse.com. My Pinterest Easter Board is full of inspiring ideas on celebrating this Easter holiday.
What are your Easter Traditions?
I wish you and your family a Joyous Easter!
Thanks for stopping by. Share the Happy!!
“Easter is the only time of the year when it’s safe to put all your eggs in one basket..” ~Unknown
This is my newest angel, Isabelle and she’s painted on 9″ x 12″ 140lb Watercolor Paper with professional paints. She’s a little larger than some of my other ones which I think I like more. I painted her with bright, fun colors and lots of love 💖
Since I painted an angel with a little puppy, I only thought it was fair to also paint a cute kitty. This is my latest creation in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. Cats have the coolest personalities. My sister once had a cat that was raised by her dogs and he thought and acted more like a dog than a cat, lol. He was an awesome cat to say the least!
Hope this post finds you doing well. Wanted to share my latest angel with you that I created in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. My colors are getting a bit brighter as spring officially begins this weekend! I love seeing all the beautiful new blooms!
Meet Flora, my newest angel. She’s painted on 9″ x 12″ 140lb Watercolor Paper with professional paints. Flora is painted with bright, cheery and happy colors and is made with lots of love 💖
My newest angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. This is my first puppy. I wasn’t sure how she would turn out, but she grew on me. Hope you like her.
My newest creation in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ Watercolor Journal. I completely panicked in making this angel. My white Posca Pen ran out of ink shortly after starting the outlines. I had a pretty good groove going on and didn’t want to stop so I switched to my white Uni-Ball Signo Gel pen and it worked beautifully. It makes a broader line but the gel ink is also bolder. Just like the Posca Pen, if you make a mistake you can quickly erase it with a little water and a brush, but the ink has to be wet. Once it dries it’s permanent.
Last week I wrote a post about the history of Valentine’s Day and learned we had a “Mother of Valentine, “Esther A Howland. I found her very interesting considering she was born in a time before women basically had rights and as a result the odds were not in her favor. Despite that, Esther persevered and moved forward with her vision. Below are some of the highlights of Esther’s lifetime accomplishments below:
1828 Esther was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her parents were Southworth Allen Howland and Esther Howland.
Her Father, owned the largest stationary and bookbindery business in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Esther attended college at Mount Holyoke Academy the same time as Emily Dickinson did.
1847 Esther graduated college at the age of 19 and received a Valentine card from one of her father’s friends which was decorated with lace and cut out flowers. During this time, Valentine Day Cards were imported from Europe into the States.
Esther loved the card and thought she could do better. She talked to her father and he bought her supplies to make her own cards. She created a dozen designs.
Esther gave the samples to her brother for his next sales trip for their father’s business. She hoped for $200 in sales which would be worth around $6,380 today. But to her surprise he returned with over $5,000, worth $159,501 today.
Esther knew she couldn’t handle these orders by herself so she employed friends, primarily women who were said to have been paid liberally and had pleasant working conditions. She used a guest bedroom on the 3rd floor of her home for her new business. She set up an assembly line to create the cards and inspected each one.
1850 The Worcester Spy published the first advertisement for Esther’s Valentine Cards and she became officially known as a businesswomen.
1870 Esther incorporated her business, New England Valentine Company (N.E.V.Co).
In red ink, Esther began stamping the letter “H” and price on the back of her cards. She also included in red ink, the letters for her company “N.E.V.Co.”
Esther’s business grossed $100,000 annually the equivalent of $3,190,024 today.
Esther expanded her business and made cards for Birthdays, Christmas and New Years. She also created May Baskets and Booklets.
1866 Esther suffered a knee injury and became bound to a wheelchair.
1874 Esther moved her Valentine factory from her home to Harrington Corner.
Esther passed away in 1904 at the age of 76. Although she was considered “The Mother of Valentine” she never married.
Flowing Waters Art 