Inspire and uplift your loved ones and friends with these 5 x7 wall hangings. Can also be put on a stand on a shelf, desk, or dresser ( stand not included). All come matted with one of our quality frames.
MI, IN, IL, OH, WI , free shipping over $25.00 & over. We also have porch pick up if you prefer. With the 20% discount and 6% tax total cost is $16.96. Sale end’s Wednesday November 30th.
If you’d like to make a purchase, please send me an email, VickiAchard@NaturesBestArt.com Thank you.
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
I had fun making these four Get Well cards. I used my Shape Cutter Plus by Fiskars to cut and frame the design on the card. I cut it on an Alvin GBM1824 self healing mat.
I used my oval and rectangle shapes for all my designs.
This photo is just showing you what one card looks like before I put color on it and adhere the design. All these designs are from what I call my “decorative art collection” or papers that for some reason or other didn’t make it to the final print stage. Sometimes they were printed as a “trial run”. Nothing gets wasted in my craft room and I love making cards with these papers to create designer handcrafted meaningful cards for your caring and sharing.
I used a piece of burlap behind the sentiment and used a Tim Holtz Distress ink pad – color, Tea Dye and Memento Rich Cocoa for color. I use a stencil to make the leaves by Stampendous called Etchling stencils ET019 Ivy NR, I bought it years ago. I used Memento Bamboo leaves for color on the leaves.
My four completed Get Well Cards. Stamps Used: Get Well Soon had no name on it. getwell SOON is from Studiog.
I also made five sympathy cards the same way. Stamps Used: With Deepest Sympathy by Stampabilities, May you find comfort in your loving memories. by inkadinkado, You’re in my thoughts and prayers by Stampendous. I buy all my stamps from Michaels or JoAnn Fabrics.
These handcrafted cards will be posted on our SHOP page on our website. (Give Tom a little time to get them posted.)
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying the Summer!
Until next time,
Happy Creating,
Vicki Achard
I wanted to show you my finished paintings I started on my video posted June 23, 2021 – Materials & Tools I use to Paint in Watercolor. I started the paintings and talked about some materials I was going to use to complete the paintings. The video was made to give you some ideas as to what tools and materials you could use to paint in watercolor.
I hope you can watch this video on my Artist Blog or YouTube channel to help you start your watercolor journey as well as my video posted May 26, 2021, Paints, Palettes, Brushes, & Paper.
Until next time,
Happy Creating,
Vicki Achard
Watercolor is such an exciting journey. Since I started painting, 2015, I have picked up various tools and supplies to get the end result of a painting I have in mind. In this video I talk about using masking fluid, toothbrushes, sponges and lots of other materials. I hope this helps you to accomplish how you’d like your painting to look like. I also show you what I found to help squeeze that last bit of paint out of your tube paints.
I will show you in this video what I will use to begin these two paintings in progress. I hope to complete them in about two weeks and will post the end results on my Artist Blog.
Until next time, Happy Creating,
Vicki
Painting glass is fun and challenging at the same time. Painting in steps is key. I set up a still life, changed the colors of two of my bottles, added masking fluid to keep some of the highlights, put my first glaze on, added the shadows, then painted deeper darker colors of the bottles, took the masking fluid off, and put in a few more highlights – that’s it! This is my second painting using my new Winsor/Newton Cotman student grade paints. They did well, however it was my first time using my “hot” press paper (not rough, but smooth) and couldn’t quite figure out at first if it was the paints or paper that didn’t like a lot of lifting. I came to the conclusion that it was the paper. I plan on painting a lot more glass now and then. Maybe I’ll try my cold press paper instead to see if I like painting the look of glass on that better.
Until next time,
Happy Creating,
Vicki