View from our window Sunday morning at one of our favorite “retreats” – Conneaut Lake, PA June 2019
Open.
Open your eyes
to the beauty of a new day.
Open your ears
to the music of nature.
Open your mind
to others’ ideas and beliefs.
Open your hands
to offer support and kindness.
Open your heart
to love and be loved.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Flox in the Morning Sunshine on my Walk – Mars (Pittsburgh), PA – May, 2019
I went far,
and I came home.
And I realize
I am experiencing
the same sun
and the same earth,
the same sky
and the same air.
And the world
feels more like home.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Spring has Sprung!
Today is the first full day of Spring, and oh how ready I am to welcome it!
It may still be a little brown and chilly outside, but I put the snowies away and brought out the flowers and bunnies and birds.
I got this sweet tray and floral and bunny from my friend Anne’s Farmhouse Primitives shop at Berry Vine Gifts.
The amazing candle is from Antique Candle Co. in the most luscious fragrance of Country Pear by Cotton Stem. It is one of the most wonderful smelling candles I have ever had!
These little bunnies are from a recent trip to Hobby Lobby.
And I love this Springy green wreath I also found in Anne’s shop at Berry Vine Gifts. It replaced the cotton stem wreath I had here for Winter.
And what do you think of this fun little stack of books I made? I’ve been seeing them on Instagram on a few feeds I follow, and it turns out I had everything needed to make them myself. In fact, I might be making more to sell at Berry Vine Gifts and through our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop. So many possibilities of quotes and personalized messages can be made. For my first try, I did my favorite life message, “Cherish the Moments.”
Welcome Spring!
Breathe in the fresh air.
Soak in the warmth of sunshine.
Bloom and blossom like the flowers.
Whistle a happy tune with a spring in your step.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
September Sunset, Butler, PA
When the clouds of life
try to block the
badass dazzling
bright light
of your beautiful soul,
Bust on through
and sparkle
and shine
and glow
wherever you can.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Goldfinch – Mars, PA – April 2018
Showing Your True Colors.
If you could show your true color,
what color would you be?
Yellow is the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness.
Yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy.
Bright yellow is an attention getting color, and when used in combination with black, it creates one of the easiest color combinations to read and see from long distances. This is why school buses, taxi cabs, and traffic signs are painted yellow and black.
If you were a color – would you be yellow?
If I could be as beautiful as this goldfinch that visits our backyard, I sure would be.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
A Rainbow of Umbrellas Shading the Sunshine at Pittsburgh Three Rivers Arts Festival – June 2017
May the shelter you seek
from sunshine or rain
be as bright and cheerful
as this canopy of colorful umbrellas.
And may you always remember
even the most beautiful flowers
need both sunshine and rain
to bloom and grow!
Cheers & Hugs in Rain or Shine,
Jodi
#Pittsburgh #ThreeRiversArtsFestival
P.S. Got lucky and spent a beautiful sunny day at our local arts festival Saturday with a couple of my favorite girls. The festival is sadly known for bringing the rain every year, and it has been living up to its reputation ever since. Poor vendors. Bring on the sunshine!
Partly cloudy?
Partly sunny?
Sunshine on a cloudy day…
What could be more divine?
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Do you happen to have A SONG in your head about right now?
Sunshine on a Cloudy Day.
Open your eyes
and look around.
I bet you will see
sunshine can be found.
…even on the cloudiest of days…
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Watercolor Iris Painting – 7×9
When its dreary and rainy,
but you’re dreaming of bright and snowy…
think of flowers,
remember the sunshine…
paint purple puddles,
imagine they are irises.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Cloudy with thoughts of…
cottony comfort
feathery fluffiness,
delicate dreams.
Cloudy with the opportunity to…
embrace the breeze,
find comfort in the shadow,
feel the freedom to fly.
Cloudy with a chance of…
clear thoughts,
a bright future,
a sunny attitude.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 