Artists are different. 

Artists are in a perpetual search for inspiration... for beauty, joy, light, magic. 

Artists are inventive, expressive, adventurous, and intuitive with an overwhelming desire to share their world. 

I am such an artist. 

Each Friday, I'll share with you a few beautiful, delicious, intriguing treasures I'm grateful to have discovered.

Or simply things I'm just grateful for... Period.

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♥  "Old Glory," the American Flag

♥  Tennessee Waterways 

This week a few artist friends and I spent a couple of days painting the beautiful Caney Fork River near Rock Island, Tennessee. Our home state is full of amazingly beautiful lakes and rivers. To be a landlocked state, Tennessee has nearly 17,000 miles of clean, warm water streams and rivers just calling to be floated, fished, or painted.

            "Nature is the Art of God."   

                      ~Dante Alighieri

♥  Outlander

For decades friends and acquaintances who learned how much I love the 1940s WWII era, have suggested I read the Diana Gabaldon book serious Outlander. When it was first suggested in the early 1990's, I was deep in studies at graduate school and worked two jobs, and reading for fun was not a luxury I could afford. Once I started reading for fun, I gravitated to non-fiction, and this is where I stayed.... until the Starz original series Outlander was produced for television. I'm hooked. 

It's basically an epic adventure centered around a married couple deeply in love, living in the 18th century in Scotland. I visited Scotland years ago and fell in love with the country. I also have deep and wide Scottish heritage, so that was a draw. And little known to many people, I love history and dream of time travel. 

The first two seasons of the Outlander series are being offered on Netflix. After watching these, you'll be compelled to either purchase all four seasons on DVD or invest in the Diana Gabaldon books. I purchased both. 

As much as I love the TV series, it's not for all audiences... including me! I can't handle gore or violence, and there is a lot of that. I read the books so I would know what to expect and then fast forward through the scenes I can't watch. I also listen to the Official Outlander Podcast and learn all the post production magic, special effects, and gadgets from the art department on how torture or battle scenes are filmed. No actor was harmed in the filming of Outlander. 

♥  Assorted Vintage Teacups

Love 'em. Can't get enough of 'em. And I scour thrift stores, yard sales, and antique malls for beautiful and unique teacups, saucers and salad plates. In my mother's generation, a newly engaged young lady would register for her china pattern... her one china pattern. How do you choose just one??? They are all so lovely. 

     
(And what is lovelier than a vintage teacup, fresh flowers from the garden, and a good book?)

♥   Instagram

Being a visual learner and artist, I love a beautiful photograph. And that is all instagram is... a platform for people to share their beautiful photographs. If you aren't on Instagram, it's time you tried it. With a simple search using a hashtag, you can find whatever beautiful photos you want to see. 

Here are some of my favorites...

#farmhouse   #countrycottage   #illustratedjournaling   #vintagekitchen   #1940sfashion

#chickens    #historichomes    #castlesofinstagram      #coastalliving   #heirloomgardens

#preppy      #pyrex            

And some of my favorite accounts are...

@goatsofanarchy   @vintagebelly   @americanlighthousefoundation   @draperjames    

@yourdailydoseofcows   @littlebritishcottage @mayandberry   @applefoxfarm  @inslee

@theddaydarlings  @shellys_bits_of_bliss   @vivienofholloway  @lillypulitzer  @sugarpiefarmhouse

Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.

~Alfred Painter