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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Without even trying the theme this week appears to be Pink...it embraces my soul like no other color can.  My favorite color!!

“If hot red is for anger and rage, pink is the color of a soft burning – hot enough to light up the dark corners of sadness and grief, but cool enough to be tender, innocent, open.”

♥  National Watermelon Day ~ August 3

You can set your clock by it. Every year at this time I purchase my new 17-month Lilly Pultizer Jumbo Agenda with stickers. It is fun, practical, and gives me lots of space to be organized. Even more than New Year's Eve, at Back to School time is the season of goals, plans, resolutions. And why not be cute and plan in a Lilly Pulitzer Flamingo Planner? I get the Jumbo size for lots of room, but it comes in a variety of sizes and prints. Sometimes I even splurge for extra stickers and matching pen.

Being self-employed, I have to document how I spend each hour of each day in order to maximize productivity and account for cost of production when it comes to creating and pricing paintings and lesson plans. It's not my most favorite activity, so the colorful, charming planner definitely makes it more fun. And it encourages daydreams of Palm Beach! 

♥  Royal Albert Teacup, Saucer, Biscuit Plate

I heard a rumor Millennials don't care anything about Grandma's bone china or silverware. Did you just clutch your pearls? I did!  Say it isn't so!!  And then tell them to call me. I want them. I love bone china!! And not just one set, how boring!! I want a cup, saucer, and biscuit plate in every pattern...especially Royal Albert. 

This delectable, enchanting "Blossom Time" ensemble was purchased for a mere song at Goodwill last week. I'm quite pleased with my purchase.  

♥  Vintage Beauty Book

Oh, and if I'm to flash my southern belle card and go all girly-girl for the afternoon drinking tea from Royal Albert bone china and eating pink macarons, why not indulge in an hour of reading for the sheer pleasure of it? I purchased a vintage, British beauty book from 1953 called Jane Gordon's Beauty Book.  

I'll add this one in with my collection of vintage etiquette books from the past century. Now those are a fun read!!

So far what I've learned about beauty in England in 1953 is that a lady's waist should be at least 8 inches smaller than her bust and at least 10 inches less than her hips. You should do 10 minutes of exercise each morning when you awake and many of the suggested exercises can be done in bed. 

Remember successful slimming depends on three things: diet, exercise, and fresh air. And don't be surprised if your reducing diet fails you when you are stuck indoors all day. Your lungs will fail to be well aired.

And by all means, treat yourself to a new girdle!! 

"I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure and wearing lipstick. I believe in pink. I believe happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day, and... I believe in miracles."  ~Audrey Hepburn

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A special announcement: 

The Adventure Awaits! Illustrated Travel Journaling Workshop was so much fun at the Hermitage, I want to give you a heads up for the location scheduled in August. We'll spend August 24 at the Belle Meade Mansion and lunch at The Harding House. 

For those more interested in a weekly painting class, the August session of Creative Spirits in Spring Hill begins August 8.