The Best of 2023: My 12 Favorite Plants and Garden Projects

In winter and early spring, it’s easy to forget how abundant and colorful my garden is during the growing season. I jog my memory by looking through photos and coming back to my blog posts.

Delighting in Dahlias: Dreaming of My Garden in the Depths of February

Over the last couple of weeks, our snow was slowly melting. Two weeks of predicted snowstorms never materialized. What was left was nearly gone and then this week we were hit with snow, sleet, freezing rain and more snow. Now everything is white again.

garden, inspirationAnne ButeraFebruary 25, 2023dahlias, dahlia tubers, growing dahlias, growing dahlias from seed, dahlias in the garden, watercolor dahlias, garden inspiration, painting inspiration, winter garden planning, winter garden dreaming Comments

October 2022 In the Garden and the End of the Growing Season

In October you never know what you’re going to get and the hooks by my back door reflect just how changeable it’s been this month.

gardenAnne ButeraOctober 15, 2022garden, October Garden, Autumn garden, autumn, gardening, dahlias, tomatoes, sungold tomatoes, late blooming flowers, end of the growing season, end of summer Comments

August 2022 in the Garden

In June when I wrote to my Joy Letter subscribers I said that June was my favorite month. Right now, though, I’m thinking August might be.

October 2021 in the Garden, Thoughts on Joy and a Nature-Filled Vacation

I’m never certain if I’ll have flowers blooming in my garden in October or not.

Celebrate Summer Joys: August in the Garden, Week 3 of a Month of Gratitude Practice

If July’s garden stars were purple poppies, August’s are sunflowers.

Celebrate Summer Joys: Color, Week 1 of a Month of Gratitude Practice

Did you end up writing a Gratitude List after my post last week?

Are you ready for today’s prompt to help open your eyes to the beauties and joys of summer*?

This week I want you to focus on COLOR.

Five Beautiful Books That Are Inspiring Me During The Creative Retreat

Sun streams in through the window and I curl up on a comfy chair in my studio, a book balanced on my lap.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

In reality…

Growing Inspiration: Dahlias

Dahlias! Oh, dahlias. They’re one of those swoon-inducing flowers you’re sure to see when scrolling around on Instagram or Pinterest. Other than sunflowers, they have the biggest flowers I know.

Getting Out of the Box

The other day my cousin Sarah* shared a post on Instagram which was a part of a longer piece she shared on her blog. In it she wrote “stepping out of the box I decided I was going to do something to treat me.” Although her words were about the importance of doing something for yourself, what kept running through my head was idea of stepping out of the box.

gratitude, joy, magic, creativity, lifeAnne ButeraOctober 11, 2019mindfulness, mindfulness practice, beauty, beauty is not insignificant, being open to change, being flexible, being present, cats, rescue cats, black and white cats, greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, animals help us be present, Magical Mindfulness, Jools Sinclair, Sarah Venema, studio, art practice, art studio, gratitude practice, gratitude, transformative power of gratitude, joy, Joy Lists, art by Anne Butera, anne butera, nasturtiums, dahlias, spiderwebs, gardening, gardens, cooking, fall, autumn, autumn in the garden, making soup, making bread, making art, sketchbooks, nature, healing power of nature, magic in nature, observing nature, beauty in nature, stepping out of the bos, stepping out of the box, getting out of the box, boxes we create for ourselves, schedules, routines, liitations, breaking free from limitations, self care, self-imposed limitations, creativity is self care, treating yourself Comments

a little goes a long way

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been enjoying practicing yoga with Adriene, whose free videos I watch on Youtube. She often says “a little goes a long way.” It’s an encouragement to add yoga into your life, even if only in a small way.

I’ve been thinking about the idea of a little going a long way, not just in terms of yoga, but in all areas of life.

The End of the Season in the Garden -- Reviewing and Planning for Next Year

We’ve been having cold nights for a while now. We’ve even had snow. Except for a few hardy growers, my garden is finished for the year.

At the end of the season (and in truth, even during the season) I’m looking forward to next year’s garden.

garden, art, creativityAnne ButeraOctober 26, 2018gardening, reviewing the garden, end of the season garden review, garden planning, garden flowers, zinnias, nasturtiums, cut and come again zinnias, dahlias, artist's garden, garden assessment, planning for next year Comments

Honoring Seasons, Transitions and Change

Last week the weather shifted dramatically from summer to full-on autumn. Suddenly the days were cold. Dark. Wet. I layered on sweaters and hats and scarves. We turned on the furnace and brewed pot after pot of hot tea.

I felt lethargic, melancholy. It was hard to get out of bed in the morning. I made soup and baked bread. I wrote Joy Lists. But nothing seemed to help. I was uninspired and discouraged in my art, too. All I wanted to do was snuggle beneath my quilts and crocheted blankets to wait for the sun to come out again.

notes from the studio