Hello Everyone,

Here are some pictures  of my Art I will be bringing to the “Wall to Wall Art Fair” at the Troy Community Center on Livernois Rd. in Troy, Michigan, October 27, 2018. Entrance is free, hours are 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Iris With Dew Drops

Gourds In Autumn

Country Road

Treasured Memories

Heart and Soul

Fantastic Colors, Basket of Blessings, Vase of Memories

I would like to offer you 10% off of any of our products. Just mention you saw this discount offer at the show & I will be happy to give you 10% off. Also, if you can’t make it to the show and would like to order anything on-line, please  contact us and let us know you saw this offer & we will honor that.

 SALE ENDS Midnight 10-29-2018 

I am looking forward to seeing you if you can attend.

Happy Creating,

Vicki

Item #1  I have everything packaged and ready to go. I have made seventeen more of the small framed originals, each is a different design. They are in silver, or a little darker wood frame than is shown, a few are in white frames, and a few are the copper color frame. These are pressed flowers. I paint right on the flower to preserve their color. Everyone loves these as they look nice on a shelf, desk, or dresser  anywhere in the house or office.  Makes a special gift.

Item #2  The packaged “Sayings and Art by Vicki” are printed from one of my original flower or fern designs, I added one of my inspirational “sayings”.  I cut papers and used stamp pads on some, some I have hand painted a little flower with a gel pen,  all designs have one of our mats in back of the design. These hang on the wall and are an inspiration to see everyday. You could also put these on a desk or dresser or someplace too with a stand.  Makes a nice gift.

Item #3  Our bookmarks are all done as well and on their stands. I design them or Tom has graphically designed some from my designs, Tom makes the tassels, I laminate them, and Tom cuts all of them. There are two stands, one entire stand of bookmarks has scripture on them. Our bookmarks are beautiful. Teachers love them along with our cards. It’s always nice to have a bookmark you enjoy seeing every time you open a book.

Item #4  Package of our All Occasion Gift has five note cards the same and a bookmark. Our hottest seller. People love them as a gift, also makes a nice house warming gift or wedding or shower gift for the winner of games.

Item #5  Boxed Note Cards – twelve of my pressed floral designs printed. Four each of three designs. People love our cards. It’s nice to send someone a note card.

Item #6  Our 5 x 7 Greeting cards are reproductions of my Original Watercolors. We are excited about this new product. Tom does an amazing job printing them. They make a special card to send for birthdays, weddings, anniversary’s, get well, thinking of you; any occasion. They are available to purchase as one card or comes in a box of ten, you pick the designs.

Item #7  Thank-you note cards – Packaged and comes in a package of eight. They are reproductions of my Original Watercolors. Tom  prints these beauties, they are so special. I love them.

Item #8  Fifteen Christmas cards in a box at a reasonable price. Each card has a special message. Tom prints these, they are beautiful. 

If you are interested you can check out our prices.  Let us know if you’d like to order anything. 

Next post I will be showing you some of our Art I will be bringing.

I love the Fall and thinking about the Holidays coming up. I actually start thinking of Christmas very early in the year and shop the whole year now and then, I wrap my gifts very early, in August or September, I’m actually half finished – my craft room / gift room desk is getting full again of gifts I just purchased so I will be wrapping them this week-end. I love getting everything ready for the holidays very early on because then I can really enjoy the holidays. I can then avoid shopping in the sometimes very cold and snowy weather around the holidays.  We mostly do all the cooking and have a lot of company over, if my shopping is done, I like to concentrate on the cooking and company.

I love creating, crafting, painting; especially around the holidays. I love color, beautiful designs, and most of all I enjoy giving and sharing all that is good, all that is inspirational.

Hope you too find whatever it is that makes you happy.

Hope you can come out to see us Oct. 27th at the Troy, Michigan Community Center for the “Wall to Wall Art Fair”.

Happy Creating,

Vicki

255 “Garden Lilies”

I had to paint another picture of my garden flowers before summer ends (see my Watercolor Gallery).  I have so many pictures that I want to paint. We have just returned from Frankenmuth and Frankfort in the beautiful state of Michigan, and I have taken so many more pictures of beautiful flowers. I will probably continue to paint flowers on and off the entire year.

Fall is fast approaching. I will be getting ready for my Art show coming up Oct 27th at the Troy Community Center. I will be posting what I have to prepare for the show – the show is called Wall to Wall Art. It is hard to find one day, indoor shows of which I am looking for – no tent to put up and just on Saturday. Hope you are having fun attending some of the great Art Fairs that Michigan has to offer.

Happy Creating,

Vicki

Image #250 “Niagara Falls”

It seems I love doing a lot of things. High on the top of the list is painting a scene from a picture I took on vacation. There is something so relaxing, so enjoyable, painting and thinking of past vacation experiences. I mostly think of Tom & I walking, sight seeing, enjoying each other’s company, and the beautiful surroundings.  Tom and I took this trip two years ago, our third time to Niagara Falls. We discover something new each time we go. It seemed this time we were able to get a closer look by standing right where the waters fell and also had a wonderful walk right next to the Falls. This picture was taken looking across the Falls. I think I captured the beautiful sight that I remembered. It is really something that each time I paint nature I am in awe of God and how he created it so much better than my paintings.

I truly hope you will be able to have many days to relax and enjoy a little bit of God’s wonders – nature.

Happy Creating,

Vicki

I love to zoom in on some of my favorite flowers; like pansies, columbine, clematis and others to capture the intricate detail of their beauty when designing.  Tom will then cut beautiful mat colors making these flowers look awesome.

For some of these designs, Tom has printed black and white prints. He will then cut a white or black mat which looks so striking.

I thought you’d like to see more of our 10 x 10’s, so I wanted to post all of them.  Hope you visit our gallery. I had fun making these.

I am going to be at the Troy Community Center on Livernois Rd. in Troy, Mi. 48083, participating in the Wall to Wall Art Fair Oct 27th from 10-4. It’s free for shoppers! I’m excited to once again participate in an Art show. I have missed having direct contact with you all and other Art enthusiasts and plan to participate in a few indoor, one day shows, in the future. It’s a little early for me to let you all know, but I’ve had some people ask me if I am going to do any shows this year.

Happy Creating,

Vicki

119 “Wings in June I”

120 “Wings in June II”

121 “Wings in June III”

“Wings in June” I, II, and III were a joy to create. Butterflies were made from pressed lily petals from my son and daughter-in-law’s wedding to create “Wings in June I” and “Wings in June III”.  Rose petals and gerber daisies were pressed and used to make “Wings in June II”. 

The three 10 x 10’s look spectacular framed with matching outer mats (either black or pewter metallic frames are available). See our Pressed Floral gallery.

I am trying something new. I am trying to make my blog posts shorter. I look forward when I can post my blogs twice a month like I’ve tried to do and hope you like the change of shorter blog posts. I know how busy people are.  I love communicating with you!

Hope you get a chance to enjoy a little bit of nature. Happy Creating,

Vicki

253 “Nesting”

252 “Blown Glass”

251 “Pretty Vases”

Hope everyone is having a great Summer. Happy Belated Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dad’s! We had a great barbecue with our son and his girlfriend…  ate indoors due to the heat and later joined our daughter and family at Olive Garden; heard from our son who lives five hours from us; then ended the day going to the theater to see the movie,  Incredibles 2, a treat from our son. What a great day, making wonderful memories. We also spent the day before Father’s day with our other daughter and twins at a library (their first library visit) and ate at Panera.

Well, Summer is here with –  most of the time good weather, some of time too hot of weather, and some of the time unpredictable weather, along with Bridal showers and Weddings!

My favorite gift to give the Bride-to-Be is 2 bath towels – the color the couple needs – and one of our pictures to coordinate the colors. So for this shower I purchased beautiful and soft grey towels and painted two pictures for the couple.

I asked my friend what colors were in the couple’s bathroom.  Tiffany blue and grey, wow, I love those two colors together. I wanted to paint glass for awhile now, and Tiffany blue vases against a grey background seemed like the perfect picture, so I plunged right in, put three of my vases in front of me and began painting. I painted one of the vases a viridian hue. My second attempt of painting the picture turned out a little better. I will also post my first attempt. I generally only have to paint one picture for me to like it, however, I wanted to change the colors of the flowers a bit for a more harmonious look. I really love the vases though but thought the flower colors looked better my second painting.

I also asked the mom what scripture verse they were having read at their wedding, or their favorite verse. It was a verse I felt would perhaps go better with another picture I was also thinking of painting them – Philippians 4:13. So I painted a bird’s nest with three robin eggs in it. Having asked my friend what frame they would probably like, Tom cut his silver metal pieces of frame and framed the pictures, he made a “cut out” on the bottom of the mat to insert the scripture. I thought they turned out beautifully. The Bride to be and her finance loved them and were so appreciative and said, “Oh, those are our colors too!”

We wanted to give her a print of the original since it was going to be for a bathroom, so Tom printed a giclee print, (the very highest quality printing), then we sprayed a fixative on the painting.  This was a custom project, so that’s what custom orders or projects are, something different than we ordinarily do. So the originals of “Nesting” and “Blown Glass” are still available – see our Watercolor Gallery. I thought my first attempt of the vases, “Pretty Vases”,  would be great for a  5 x 7 Greeting card. We are also offering “Nesting”, and “Blown Glass” as 5 x 7 cards.

This is the first time my Watercolor Paintings (as prints) will be in a bathroom if the couple chooses to hang them in the bathroom. We have had our Pressed Florals (as prints) in the bathroom, in fact I have one in our bathroom and it works fine in the bathroom.  I’m sure the prints of watercolor will do well in bathrooms also, but of course I would put neither the originals of my Press Florals or the originals of my Watercolor paintings in a bathroom.

We also enjoy framing wedding invitations for a unique and ever lasting remembrance of a special memory – this makes a wonderful wedding gift. We have gotten over seventy orders to frame wedding invitations since I started Nature’s Best – see our Custom Services page. They turn out absolutely amazing. Each one is so different, so beautiful.

If you’d like Tom to frame a wedding invitation, just send us an email and we’d be happy to contact you.

Enjoy your Summer & Happy Creating,

Vicki

Do you have piles of beautiful meaningful cards you’ve received but don’t know what to do with them?

Ribbon boards my daughter Susan made for me for my Greeting cards

These ribbon boards were such a wonderful gift to me one year from my daughter Susan. I have them hanging in my craft room and look at it and the cards daily. It makes me so happy. You’ve probably seen ribbon boards in the stores; maybe you have one;  maybe you’ve made them too. The ribbon is criss-crossed so the cards can fit nicely. Almost all the cards are from my children and their families.

Because I filled these boards I am now working on putting the cards I receive and also Tom’s cards in a 3-ring notebook, like the one pictured below.

A 3-ring binder was made to hold precious cards

I made this book when my mother-in-law became ill. She moved here from Arizona and we were so surprised and happy for her when she received so many get well wishes from her friends. I had 12 x 12 decorative paper I cut down and simply attached the cards to the paper with my ATG gun. I used our 3-hole punch and inserted the completed sheets to make the book.

All my other cards I receive I put in the drawers I showed you on my blog post on March 14, 2018. I don’t ever throw any papers or cards away. I save them, recycle parts of them to make cards I send to others. I use my stamps, stamp pads, embellishments and have fun creating many wonderful cards. Last year I made 100 of them and gave them as gifts, it’s one of my favorite things to do.

As you know we offer our 5 x 7 watercolor cards. I so much love sending those also.

Have fun sending your Get Well Wishes, Birthday greetings, etc. It’s so fun to care & share isn’t it?

Vicki

P.S. Don’t forget about the ART sale we are having, ends June 25th. All Art is 20% off!

Tulips in Holland, Michigan

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all you wonderful Mother’s!!  I hope you had a happy celebration with your family.  Tom & I met our son & family in Holland, Michigan and had a wonderful time with them. This picture was taken at a place where they grow thousands of beautiful tulips in Holland, Michigan.  They were all in bloom and  it was so special to see so many varieties and colors. We stayed in Holland a week for the tulip festival and visited many wonderful sights. I’m sure I will be painting some of the pictures I took while visiting.   

Mother’s Day Special (belated)

To celebrate Mother’s Day

we’d like to offer you any of Vicki’s Pressed Floral Art or Watercolor Paintings

20% off. Offer will end June 25th.

So if you have been wanting one of our pictures, please send an email to us and we’d be happy to send you a very special picture at a very generous price.

Happy Spring to you all,

Vicki

Tom and I headed out to the Detroit Institute of Art last month and saw the Monet exhibit. I love the DIA and this trip to see Monet’s paintings was well worth it. We not only saw some of Monet’s originals, but among his paintings were those of his close friend Renoir’s. This was a real bonus because I have always loved his paintings also. We  got a glimpse into their lives, and I could  picture them talking about art, sharing many of their favorite “plein-air” sights, and basically loving art and their surroundings.  Monet painted many pictures with his wife among gardens, fields, etc. I love to know the stories behind the paintings and also about the Artist. I began to listen to some YouTube videos about him – very interesting and surprising too. His work is very inspiring.

We saw many other paintings at the DIA that were very interesting and beautiful. This is our third trip to the DIA since we’ve been living in Michigan, twenty seven years now. Here are a few of the many beautiful paintings they have there:

– Link to DIA website –

The one stop at the DIA I looked forward to was our lunch at the Cafe. I remember the really good salad bar. I took way too much food. I had a bit of a scratchy throat that day and cold, so I brought my favorite tea that I take when I start feeling that way. I have that tea everyday when I get a cold and it really helps and feels good going down and soothes the throat.

Salad Bar & Tea at the DIA

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favorite things I used to take care of the twins, my daughter’s children. They are 7 months old now. I started taking care of them when they were 3 months old in January. My last day to take care of them is May 4th actually.

Play mat for tummy time and hanging toys that they learned to reach on their backs

Double boppy for twins

Rubber ducky bath

Bottle holder & blender to mix formula with wire ball to help mix it

I also read them many wonderful books.  I started to sit them in a baby’s chair and they would hold a book. I had two CD’s of children’s songs we would listen to daily and learn hand signs. I also bought a double stroller at a multiple’s moms to moms sale and gave them a ride often in our home – circling our entire main floor several times (it was too cold to go out). All this and more kept me busy between feedings and nap time. If I had one word to describe my time with them it would be “joy” (and the second word would be exhausted!)

Tom started to cook dinner a few months after I started watching them which made a huge difference. Many times “Grandpa” would make them laugh and he would spend time with them.

I’ve lost 4 pounds and 2½” around my waist since I started watching them – yes – just what I needed! My doctor calls it “the twin diet.” I have 11 more pounds to go before I reach my goal weight. I now have lost 47 pounds. When I lose 11 more pounds I will share my weight loss journey with you.

I think Spring is finally here in Michigan. What a relief! Hope you are having nice weather.

Enjoy your days, hope all is well with you all and hope you have time to enjoy a little bit of nature.

Happy Creating,

Vicki