Posts in life
Resonate with Summer's Rhythm: How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Magic
Resonate with Summer's Rhythm: How to Slow Down and Enjoy the Magic

Two weeks ago nights were in the 30s and there was danger of frost. Summer weather quickly arrived and today heat index values could reach 105.

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joy, life, magic, seasonsAnne Buteraenjoying summer, summer days, summer's rhythm, slowing down, enjoying each day, enjoy the magic, the magic of summer, summer bucket list, summer joys, summer joy list, summer joys list, fun to-do lists, inviting joy into your life, inviting play into your days, Clara the dog, skillshare, Skillshare, sketchbook class on Skillshare, summer sketchbooks, summer sketchbook class, garden, summer garden Comments
May 2021 Garden Tour
May 2021 Garden Tour

How can it be a month already since my first garden tour?

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garden, lifeAnne Buteragarden, spring garden, Clara the dog, rescue dog, rescued pitbull mix, garden dog, garden tour, monthly garden tours, may garden tour, rosebuds, walking onions, chives, clematis, clematis flowers, columbine, butterfly weed, cherry tree, Juliet cherry tree, raised beds, raised bed gardening, cinder block raised beds, strawberries, strawberry flowers, blueberries, blueberry flowers, growing blueberries Comments
Shake Up Your Self-Care and Recommit to What Truly Brings You Joy
Shake Up Your Self-Care and Recommit to What Truly Brings You Joy

Back in November I vowed to fall in love with winter. And I did, for a while.

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art, creativity, joy, life, sketchbooks, fabricAnne Buteraself-care, winter, sketchbook, play, fabric design, Spoonflower, spoonflower contest, spoonflower challenge, recommit to self-care, dreaming of spring, garden dreaming, seeing the beauty of winter, rescue dog, February, Feeling sick of winter, feeling weary, feel your feelings, botanical fabric design, nasturtiums, watercolor nasturtiums, nasturtium fabric, vining nasturtiums fabric design Comments
Shift Your Perspective and Recommit to Your Heart
Shift Your Perspective and Recommit to Your Heart

I stumbled into my shoes, pulling on my hat and coat before rushing two wagging dogs out the door.

I was still wearing my nightshirt.

I wasn’t wearing any socks.

I hadn’t even put on my glasses.

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joy, lifeAnne Buterajoy list, Joy Lists, Joy List, writing joy lists, journaling, skillshare, Skillshare, win a year's premium Skillshare membership, rescue dog, dogs, change to begin again, shifting perspective, perspective, fresh start, joy, learning lessons, lessons from a rescue dog, give weight to the good, love, give weight to love, give weight to beauty, beauty, goals, dreams, recommit to your dreams, recommit to your goals, recommit to yourself, shifting focus, end of the year, new year Comments
Finishing My 10 Year Painting Celebration with Gratitude
Finishing My 10 Year Painting Celebration with Gratitude

Bright sunshine and warm breezes. Clear blue skies and crisp snow. Cold, dark, wet days. This month I’ve tried to be present for it all.

November has been a gift. A strange month, but a gift, too.

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life, joy, inspiration, gratitude, creativityAnne Buteragratitude practice, gratitude, joy list, Joy Lists, seek joy, transformative power of gratitude, writing joy lists, 10 Year Painting Celebration, 10 year painting celebration, 10 years of learning to paint, 10 years of watercolor painting, 10 years of learning watercolor, 10 Years of Learning How to Paint, being a beginner, sketchbook practice, committing to gratitude, committing to a sketchbook practice Comments
10 Year Painting Celebration: Nudging You Toward Your Dreams
10 Year Painting Celebration: Nudging You Toward Your Dreams

My heart raced and I held my breath. I felt a flutter in my stomach as I sat down with a set of watercolors, some paper and a brush to paint for the first time.

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art, art classes, creativity, inspiration, joy, lifeAnne Buteracreativity, painting, watercolor, learning to paint, learning to paint with watercolor, self taught artist, self-taught watercolor artist, teaching myself to paint, teaching myself to paint with watercolor, 10 years of learning to paint, 10 years of learning watercolor, 10 years of watercolor painting Comments
Embracing Stillness: Lessons Learned Waiting at the Vet
Embracing Stillness: Lessons Learned Waiting at the Vet

This year I’ve gone to more vet appointments than I can count. I guess I could count them, flip back through calendar pages and tally up appointments for tests and surgery and treatments and more tests.

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gratitude, joy, life, seasonsAnne Buterastillness, embracing stillness, quiet, embracing quiet, waiting, waiting during medical appointments, pets, loving animals, veterinarian appointments, rescued greyhounds, retired racing greyhounds, rescued cats, joy, gratitude, gratitude practice, unexpected gratitude, embracing gratitude, unexpected joy, pandemic, struggles, mindfulness, inactivity, gift of stillness, gift of inactivity, magic of the seasons, changing season, autumn, beauty, noticing beauty, distraction, being distracted, filling time with distraction Comments
Enjoying Autumn
Enjoying Autumn

This week has been beautiful. Bright sunshine. The bluest skies.

There’s no mistaking that autumn is here, but it’s my favorite kind of autumn. And my garden is still blooming.

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garden, life, magic, paintings, seasonsAnne Buteraautumn in the garden, Autumn, flowers, joy, inspiration, Inspiration, focus, focus on beauty, refocusing, honeybees, aunt honey rose, The Poet's Wife Rose, roses, zinnias, watercolor zinnias, watercolor sketchbook, skillshare, Celebrate Autumn in Your Botanical Sketchbook Comments
Beauty is Important
Beauty is Important

I am filled with a swirl of thoughts and feelings. Maybe you are, too.

These days. They’re hard. This year has been hard. It continues to be hard.

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art, fabric, garden, joy, life, magic, studioAnne Buterabeauty and joy, beauty is not insignificant, beauty is important, slowing down, being gentle on yourself, being gentle with ourselves, being gentle with yourself, end of the season, beauty in endings, noticing beauty, creating beauty, fabric design, tea towels, tea towel calendars, 2021 Tea Towel Calendar, watercolor surface pattern designs, botanical watercolor surface pattern designs, monarch butterfly surface pattern designs, monarch butterfly napkins, monarch butterfly tea towels, monarch butterfly placemats, botanical watercolor tea towels, botanical watercolor napkins, botanical watercolor placemats, watercolor paintings, studio, botanical artist studio Comments
How to Keep Going When You Feel Insignificant
How to Keep Going When You Feel Insignificant

Last week I wrote about committing to self-care during the month of September. As I sat down to write to you today with the intention of expanding on the idea, it seemed so silly.

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lifeAnne Buteraself-care, what you do matters, September 11, feeling small, united we stand, artful blogging magazine, magic, what you do is vital, feeling discouraged, current events, change of season, overwhelm, dealing with overwhelm, keep shining your light, united in hope, united in beauty, united in joy, how to keep going when you feel insignificant, keep going, nasturtiums, watercolor nasturtium painting, watercolor nasturtium flower, yellow nasturtium flower painting Comments
Why Committing to Self-Care Is Important (Especially Now)
Why Committing to Self-Care Is Important (Especially Now)

September is here. How did that happen?

During this month we often get our first killing frost, turning my garden to blackened mush and ending its season of painting inspiration. Is it any wonder that I mourn the coming of the fall?

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life, seasonsAnne Buteraself-care, september, summer days, savoring summer, summer, prioritizing self-care, peaches, tomatoes, gardening, being present, being present as self-care, slowing down, connecting to nature, connecting to plants, paying attention, being fully present, garden bouquets, changing the calendar, changing season, holding onto summer Comments