Posts in life
A Day in the Life of a Botanical Artist: Inside My Spring Studio and Garden
A Day in the Life of a Botanical Artist: Inside My Spring Studio and Garden

Before I dive in to talking about what a typical day looks like around here, I want to take a moment to thank you for sharing your experiences with online subscriptions and communities in last week’s post.

Read More
garden, life, studioAnne Buteraa day in the life, a day in the life of a botanical artist, what it's really like to be a working artist, what it's really like to run an art business, spring, sketchbooks, garden, spring garden, seasons, running an art business, being a botanical artist, being an artist, daily schedule, daily schedule of an artist, in the spring garden, in the studio, springtime in the studio, springtime in the garden Comments
Why It's So Important to Create Time and Space for Yourself During Difficult Times
Why It's So Important to Create Time and Space for Yourself During Difficult Times

At the end of 2021 when I was starting to plan for 2022, one of my goals was to take an art sabbatical at some point during the year.

Read More
business, blogging, lifeAnne Buterashowing up, showing up for yourself, showing up for others, spreading joy, seek joy, seek beauty, blogging break, art sabbatical, art business, finding joy, finding light in the darkness, creating beauty, create beauty, spread joy, you do you, fulltime artist Comments
Surviving Winter: 11 Ways I Bring More Joy and Warmth into Cold Days
Surviving Winter: 11 Ways I Bring More Joy and Warmth into Cold Days

Wednesday morning I woke up and checked the temperature. Negative 19 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of negative thirty-two. It was our second day in a row of bitter cold.

Read More
joy, life, seasons, booksAnne Buterawinter, making it through winter, how to get through winter, how to bring more joys into my days, surviving winter, books, garden planning, garden dreaming, gardening inside, indoor garden, growing an indoor garden, crochet, winter garden, seed catalogs, growing herbs, reading, book recommendations, dogs, cats, making soup, finding joy in winter, warming up in winter Comments
10 Ways to Invite More Ease into Your Days and Why it Matters
10 Ways to Invite More Ease into Your Days and Why it Matters

When I think about the word EASE, I imagine serenity and calm. I picture being able to do hard things with confidence. I see myself flowing through my days with lightness, finesse, grace.

Read More
inspiration, joy, lifeAnne Buterainviting more ease into your days, why it matters to invite ease into our days, what does it mean to live with ease?, how can we invite ease into our lives, 10 ways to invite more easy into your days, 10 Ways to Invite More Ease into Your Life, changing our perspectives, choosing a mindset, what does it mean to choose a word for the year?, setting intentions, letting go of anxiety, release yourself from busyness, free yourself from anxiety, how to free yourself from anxiety Comments
Saying Goodbye to 2021 and Welcoming 2022 with EASE
Saying Goodbye to 2021 and Welcoming 2022 with EASE

Wednesday morning dawned with a blowy, snowy storm. Most mornings after breakfast and coffee I start my day with a walk.

Read More
life, seasonsAnne Buteraword of the year, year in review, 2021 Year in Review, 2022 Word of the Year, EASE, winter, OPEN, Roots and Refuge Farm, stickers from Roots and Refuge Farm, Writing a book, writing in my journal, looking back, looking forward, planning, planning for next year, planning for the year, quitting instagram, Kickapoo Meadery, Kickapoo Meadery mead labels, Skillshare teacher, Skillshare Class, skillshare, sketchbooks, Dana Barbieri, Embroidery, embroidery patterns, 2 Million Blossoms magazine, art shows, Viva Gallery, Viva Gallery in Viroqua Wisconsin, Viroqua Food Co-Op, Anne Butera, Matthias Minnig, papier-mache, paper mache, Craft Industry Alliance, dreaming big Comments
Finding Solace in the Garden's Beauty: Why I Grow Blooming Plants Indoors
Finding Solace in the Garden's Beauty: Why I Grow Blooming Plants Indoors

One of the first things I noticed in the oncology waiting room were two huge Christmas cactuses filled with blooms, even though it was late January.

Read More
life, seasons, garden, houseplantsAnne Buteragardening in Wisconsin, gardening indoors, indoor garden, houseplants, garden inspiration, houseplant portraits, painting inspiration, free gifts, printable art, printable gift tags, printable watercolor houseplant gift tags, watercolor houseplants, watercolor blooming plants, watercolor holiday plants, growing an indoor garden, garden tour Comments
Savoring the Quiet Gifts of December and the Winter Season
Savoring the Quiet Gifts of December and the Winter Season

I cut handfuls of dead flowers from my garden this week. Their shapes are interesting. Petals twisted. Leaves furled as if frozen in motion.

Read More
art, life, seasonsAnne Buterawinter, December, Gifts of December, Gifts of Winter, Winter Reflection, art exhibit, art display, art prints, botanical art prints, sunflowers, sunflower print, sleeping garden, subtle beauties, seeing the beauty of winter, nature, seasons, word of the year, being open to change, be open to the magic Comments
Granting Yourself Permission to be Quiet in a Noisy World
Granting Yourself Permission to be Quiet in a Noisy World

“Thanksgiving is not just a day, it’s a lifestyle.”

Read More
joy, inspiration, lifeAnne Buteragratitude, gratitude practice, thanksgiving, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving as a lifestyle, giving ourselves permission, being quiet in a noisy world, following your own path, following your own rules, following your own guiding star, being true to yourself, lean in to your quirks, joy, alternatives to black friday, alternatives to cyber weekend Comments
October 2021 in the Garden, Thoughts on Joy and a Nature-Filled Vacation
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.

Read More
art, garden, joy, lifeAnne Buteragarden, garden tour, garden tours, garden video, monthly garden tours, inspiration from the garden, embroidery kits, embroidery patterns, embroidery, marigolds embroidery kit, marigolds embroidery pattern, dahlias, watercolor dahlias, dahlia flowers, dahlia watercolor, night scented tobacco, vacation, summer vacation in autumn, Beaver Island, dogs, nasturtiums Comments
New Beginnings: 10 Ideas for Welcoming a Changing Season and Embracing Your Dreams
New Beginnings: 10 Ideas for Welcoming a Changing Season and Embracing Your Dreams

September is here and I’m relishing the seasonal shifts.

Read More
creativity, inspiration, life, seasonsAnne Buteracreativity, change of season, changing the calendar, change to begin again, fresh start, welcoming a new season, embracing change, 10 Ideas for Welcoming a New Season, 10 Ideas for Embracing Change, Anne Butera's Skillshare classes, Skillshare Class, Banish Fear and Make a Plan to Pursue Your Creative Dreams, end of summer, beginning of autumn, acorns, collecting acorns, new beginnings, embracing your dreams Comments
Celebrate Summer Joys: August in the Garden, Week 3 of a Month of Gratitude Practice
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.

Read More
garden, gratitude, joy, seasons, lifeAnne Buteragarden, garden tours, monthly garden tours, what's happening in my garden, what's happening in the garden, rescue dogs, Pitbull mix, rescued pitbull mix, pit bull mix, rescued pit bull mix, garden dogs, celebrate summer joys, A month of gratitude, a month of gratitude practice, a month of joy, sunflowers, summer garden, late summer garden, nasturtiums, dahlias, zinnias, japanese beetles, japanese anemones, canna, stars of the garden, garden tour Comments
Celebrate Summer Joys: Engage Your Senses, Week 2 of a Month of Gratitude Practice
Celebrate Summer Joys: Engage Your Senses, Week 2 of a Month of Gratitude Practice

Noticing beauty needn’t be limited to seeing it. Last week we focused on COLOR, something we experience with our eyesight, but this week I want you to awaken your other senses.

Read More
gratitude, joy, seasons, lifeAnne Buterasavor summer, savoring, savoring each day, savoring summer, slowing down, going slow, how to slow down, taking things slowly, engaging your senses, all your senses, noticing beauty, gratitude practice, gratitude, embracing gratitude, A month of gratitude, committing to gratitude, joy, Joy List, Joy Lists, celebrate summer joys, a month of joy, a month of gratitude practice Comments
Celebrate Summer Joys: Color, Week 1 of a Month of Gratitude Practice
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.

Read More
garden, inspiration, joy, seasons, gratitude, lifeAnne Buteracelebrate summer joys, gratitude, gratitude practice, summer joys, color, celebrating color, focus on color, savoring color, savoring summer, noticing color, garden colors, zinnias, zinnia flowers, geraniums, pelargoniums, colorful leaf geraniums, orange pixie tomato, nasturtiums, butterfly weed, sunflowers, dill, borage, wild bergamot, commissioned paintings, watercolor paintings, watercolor paint, watercolor paint swatches, mixing watercolor paint, mixing colors, wild bergamot watercolor painting, calendula flowers, dahlia flowers, dahlias Comments
Celebrate Summer Joys: Inviting You to a Month of Gratitude Practice
Celebrate Summer Joys: Inviting You to a Month of Gratitude Practice

Summer is speeding past and before it’s gone I want to make sure I savor all the things I love about it.

To remind me to slow down and savor the days, I’m devoting the month of August to gratitude and joy.

Read More
joy, life, seasons, gratitudeAnne Buterasavor summer, savoring each day, savoring summer, Joy Lists, writing joy lists, gratitude practice, gratitude, A month of gratitude, a month of joy, printable art, printable joy list, printable gratitude list Comments
You Can't Do Everything (and Why That's Not a Bad Thing)
You Can't Do Everything (and Why That's Not a Bad Thing)

Piles of fabric line a shelf in my studio closet. Sewing patterns fill a drawer. I love wearing handmade clothing. I love to sew. Most of my fabric has been matched up with sewing patterns — some bought especially for specific projects — but it’s been a year or more since I’ve done any sewing.

Read More
creativity, inspiration, lifeAnne Buterago with what works, you can't do everything, you can't do everything and why that's not a bad thing, do one thing at a time, creativity, inspiration, summer, sketchbooks, online art classes, Dana Barbieri, a class with Anne Butera and Dana Barbieri, a conversation with Anne Butera and Dana Barbieri, a video chat, inspiring women, conversations about creativity, crafts, craft projects, letting go of pressure, letting go, letting go of craft projects, letting go of ideas Comments
What's Going on in the Garden July 2021
What's Going on in the Garden July 2021

The purple poppies have been stealing the show around here lately.

Read More
garden, life, seasonsAnne Buteragarden tour, july garden tour, monthly garden tours, gardening, vegetable gardening, garden dog, garden dogs, garden tour video, in the garden, summer in the garden, what's going on in the garden, what's happening in the garden, garden news, garden joy, Wisconsin gardening, wisconsin gardening, japanese beetles, japanese beetle damage on roses, help me identify this plant, 2 Million Blossoms magazine, garden video Comments