Peony flowers are my son’s fiancée’s favorite flower and I wanted to create an original watercolor design which I knew I would use when printed for a tag for their soap favors at their wedding shower. Tom also printed thank you cards for them with the same design.
I love the color of this peony and I am so pleased at how this design turned out.
Hope you can enjoy beautiful flowers found in beautiful gardens.
Happy Creating,
Vicki
I had so much fun making these soaps for my son and fiancée’s wedding shower. That was my first time making these soaps. I loved all the different ways you can create soap, the colors, and also the fragrance you can add! I made them for favors and bagged them, first putting plastic wrap on them, then putting them in a plastic bag with fill, and finally adding a tag I made.
I love having special soaps in a dish. These shea butter soaps feel so nice for the hands.
Happy Creating,
Vicki
It’s been awhile since I posted anything on my blog. I had a wedding shower in my backyard in July for my son and daughter-in-law. We planted new grass since May, which was 1/3 of our yard, worked on our garden, and I made many things for the shower. The weather was wonderful. So happy I was able to have that for them. My daughters Leah and Susan helped so much planning and doing so much to make it happen. Now I have some time to get back to Nature’s Best stuff!
Loved painting this cross. The gladiolus flower in the middle of the cross was from my photo library. My son and daughter-in-law grow beautiful flowers.
Hope you are having a wonderful Summer. Stay cool!
Happy Creating,
Vicki
I’m looking forward to warmer weather here in Michigan! I remember one year raking the leaves, cleaning up the garden a bit when 4 baby rabbits jumped out of their home Mama Rabbit dug under dirt and leaves in the garden. Bunnies and rabbits are so adorable, I love to see them hopping and running in our yard.
Meet Wildflower. I named her that because when running wild in the field if there are flowers to find, there she will be, filling up on all those scrumptious flowers. I also think she may be carrying a few babies! (all this is made up). Many times my paintings have a story behind them as I am creating them!
My next Spring painting is “Pretty Peony”, my soon to be daughter-in-law Molly’s favorite flower. As I was painting this I remember she had told me about The Peony Garden in Ann Arbor where she loves to visit when the Peonies are in bloom. I believe the garden is called Nichols Arboretum.
So, there you have it – so excited to share my paintings with you and can’t wait till I start my next one!
Hope all is well with you and you are filled with hope and find joy in the beauty of God’s amazing wonders.
Happy Spring!
Vicki
What? Wait – Valentine’s Day has past! I had fun creating and painting these three designs this week that will turn into cards available next Valentine’s Day. As I had just finished painting my two new Christmas cards for this year, I wanted to also paint our Valentine cards we will offer next year.
I usually try to stay a year ahead when I think of making cards as this is only step one of the process. They are turned over to Tom, my husband; to scan, print, cut the paper, and post in our SHOP page on our website.
I’m ready for March and warmer weather!
Until next time – Stay well,
Vicki
One of our favorite meals is salmon and vegetables. We have this at least once a week. Tom thought of how to cook the salmon, it just melts in your mouth with all this delicious flavor. It seems a little complicated unless you do it in steps. I have written everything out for you.
First prepare the vegetables you are going to eat with your salmon and put them in a steamer and have them cooking while you are preparing your salmon. We usually eat asparagus or fresh beans with the salmon. Make sure you turn your vegetables off when they are done.
Now get all your ingredients you need to prepare your salmon. We like this wild caught (frozen) salmon from Kroger. I thaw two pieces of the salmon ahead of time. Cut four of those smaller carrots, cut 3/4’s of onion, cut one clove garlic, use sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley. I put the amount I use of the thyme and the rosemary from the containers and put them on the counter, the parsley on the counter is what I put in the pan. Now coat your salmon (while you have it on a plate) with olive oil, I like to use my hands. Sprinkle dill (not dill seed), garlic powder, and pepper on the salmon. ( You will use the 3/4 cup of water when cooking, that is explained in the next step).
Now coat your pan with olive oil and put in all your vegetables. Sprinkle just the dill weed over the vegetables. We have the gas on quite high. Your pan will be uncovered at this point. When the vegetables are wilted and a little browned, add your 3/4’s cup water to your vegetables, then put your salmon on top of the vegetables, cover your pan and cook for 3 minutes. Yum, I can smell it in my mind.
Tom likes to put some fresh lemon on his salmon. I don’t, but I like to put fresh lemon in my water. I like to put fresh parsley tops on my salmon while eating. Oh my goodness, just thinking of this, my mouth is starting to water. This is sooo delicious. I’m so happy Tom figured this recipe out! Enjoy!
In a few days I will complete painting two new Christmas cards for 2022, I’m so very excited! I hope you can follow along my painting journey with me on my Artist Blog or my Business Facebook page – Facebook.com/NaturesBestArtist – please subscribe. I will reveal my newest Christmas cards in late Fall.
Can you guess what the entire design is of the one showing the ivy leaf and berries? How about the snowy pine trees – what do you think is in the entire design?
Creating to me is like playing in a sandbox when I was a child, or like playing school when I was a child, or coloring in my super large coloring books when I was a child. I love being inspired with the world around me and God’s wonderful nature and blessings.
Hope you are all having a warm and cozy winter if you live in the cold areas of the country and having peaceful days keeping healthy.
I will try to post every Tuesday.
Vicki Achard
I started painting animals A – Z and was going to make a string of “Alphabet Animals”. I was making it for my grandchild for Christmas. I had so much fun! I started to think how toddlers and children a little older than that would love this as wall art. They would be able to see this every day and it would be such a good learning tool for them.
I collaborated with Tom, my husband and he arranged all the animals in order, created this beautiful border and alphabets on the bottom. I thought displaying the whole alphabet would be so beneficial to the child, also I wanted the space filled up! Inside story – I had mentioned an animal to the right of the letters would look great. I had to go on an errand, and as I was driving I thought, hmm, that alligator I painted would also be nice on the right side of the letters, but it’s painted the opposite way of how it would look good by the letters. So I gave up that idea. How nice though I thought, the alligator starts with the beginning letter of the alphabet and the zebra would be on the right, the animal that starts with the ending of the alphabet. When I returned from my errand, Tom had done exactly the same thing I was thinking of, and also he was able to turn that alligator around! I was shocked we had the same idea, but didn’t communicate that to each other! I can’t wait until Tom mats and frames this!
I love working with Tom, it’s been a lot of fun since 1998, 3 years after I started Nature’s Best. What has been best for us working together is staying in communication. I know because sometimes it gets so busy it’s hard to do, and then that’s when trouble comes! I have learned patience, another key element in working together.
My grandchild (don’t want to spoil the surprise and tell you which one in case my children are reading this), but I decided to give at a different time. I actually painted something else as a Christmas present for this grandchild, and can’t wait to give this other painting to my grandchild and family.
I love Christmas and making gifts and giving. I hope you are having fun preparing for this holiday.
Happy Holidays!
Vicki
Offering an 8 x10 limited edition pressed floral art print called Bountiful Wreath – the last image left of an edition size of 20.
Happy Holidays!
Vicki
Hope you can watch this video. I will show you how to make five tags for your Christmas gifts with materials and tools you may have in your craft room. I will add these five to my already made twenty totaling twenty-five. I like to start in September making my bags and October making my tags. With the decorations, meal preparations, and any other activities that will happen during the holidays, I like to have my gift wrapping done so I can enjoy everything else about the holiday.
Happy Fall and happy creating,
Vicki