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May — How are things? We had cooler temperatures and rain over the weekend and the gorgeous hydrangeas are loving it! I can’t get enough of the view outside my studio window and I’ve taken to sitting on the screened porch in the mornings with my cup of coffee and just staring out at the yard. (We also have three, or maybe four, baby bunnies whose cuteness almost makes up for what they and their mama are doing to the dahlias.) It’s refreshing to forgo internet scrolling for just soaking up beauty, feeling an outpouring of the heart instead of stuffing more into my already overstimulated mind. But let’s not overlook what’s good about the Internet — the best thing, I think, being the connections it facilitates with other people who share our interests. My Instagram friend, Jana Cline Harris, held a get together for regional collage artists in April. Jana rented an Airbnb here in Raleigh and fifteen of us (photo below) shared a lunch and an afternoon of camaraderie and art making that extended into an impromptu pizza dinner and plans for Share the Art Love 2024. Meeting these women and hanging out together (in person!) was a truly beautiful thing. Another major (for me) April event — I opened a booth space at Peak Boutique in Rolesville, NC. This “brick and mortar” version of the Muse and the Magpie allows for a variety of offerings and merchandising that an Etsy shop just can’t. The booth is an ever-evolving composition of original art, up-cycled small furnishings, vintage, and gifts. One thing I’m learning is that I can’t single handedly produce all the inventory I need to fill even this small space. I’m rounding things out with resale items that compliment my art and handmade pieces. In June I’ll be adding cards and stickers featuring meaningful quotes by women and beautiful floral art by my goddaughter, Anna Christensen. My cousin Kathryn and her daughter Anna formed and run She Said It Cards, so I feel like I’m still keeping things personal. We’re kicking off summer with our youngest, Caroline’s, High School graduation in June. We’ve already been enjoying related celebratory activities, including the Senior Awards ceremony (pictured below.) Since we all missed out on the fun stuff when Maddie graduated in 2020, we’re truly savoring the opportunity to celebrate this milestone. That’s my spring update. In the next couple of months I’ll be (re)starting a Christmas collection, looking for ways to keep developing art techniques I explored during The 100 Day Project, and hoping for us all to have many opportunities to bask in beauty and celebrate this summer.
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