Looking Forward to 2013...

Private Commission
Acrylic on Canvas
Beth S. Macre©2012

So 2012 is almost over. It has been an extremely busy year for me! There have been some ups and downs, but I want to focus on the positive.  Hoping for the power of positive thinking to work for me during 2013.  One major change for me during 2012 was my decision to retire from teaching after 29 years and start working on my art full time! That was a very hard decision for me, but it was a very much needed change. (I just hope that our politicians don't throw us off that "fiscal cliff" that they keep warning us about.  Its very difficult to be self employed when the economy is in free fall.  ...oops...I'm not supposed to dwell on the negative...) This year I was very busy with commissions, so I have been very blessed to have a good year for the first 6 months of being 'self employed'.Personally, I have had some challenges, but nothing compared to what many people have gone through.  So, I'm optimistic that this year will be even better!  I have to have faith that it will, and if that means I need to make more changes, then I will. Sometimes change is what it takes to move forward.  So, here's to the New Year and better times for us and our country. 

Private Commission
Colored Pencil on Uart Board
Beth S. Macre©2012

Beth ♥

Custom Tile Commission

Merry Christmas Eve!  I'm excited about the possibilitiy of having snow on Christmas tomorrow! That rarely happens around here!

Just wanted to share a custom tile that I created for an out of state customer.

Beth S. Macre©2012
Custom Tile

I take a photo and turn it into a custom tile that looks like your (or a loved ones) house. 

I take wet clay and create a tile and cut out pieces that create the house image. 

It's like drawing in 3D.  

If you would like to order a custom tile, you can contact me about details and we can work something out.  

Check out my Etsy listing for custom tiles here: Hearthomes 

**The tile shown here is larger than the size in my Etsy shop listing.

Beth ♥

What have I been up too?

Angela Wren Nursing and Allied Health Building
Arkansas Northeastern College
Pen and Ink

I have been working on several commissions for Christmas. Obviously I can't reveal what I'm working on until after Christmas, but I can share a commission that I worked on for several months this summer and into fall. Our local college built a new building dedicated to nursing education, thanks to a local family who helped the college with the project in honor of their daughter, who was a nurse.  The building is a memorial to her life and is named after her.  The original was presented to the family at the dedication of the building.

Beth ♥

Relaxing after Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is over now and the black Friday sales are going strong...I guess. I don't participate in shopping the day after Thanksgiving anymore.  When I was younger, we would go out shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but that was before all of the Midnight (and now earlier) sales became so popular.  We used to get up (not early) and go out to the mall and spend several hours shopping. But I am not about to go out at midnight on Thanksgiving and shop.  I guess its just not for the non-shoppers...like me.  I like to enjoy the holiday a little bit longer and relax while I visit with my parents at their house. I will be back to the studio in a couple of days, working on Christmas commissions. Shown here is one that I finished and the recipient has already seen it so, I'm going to post a picture of it now.    It is an 8 x 10 pen and ink home illustration.  I have a few more to finish before Christmas and several more to do after Christmas! Thank you to my customers and hope they keep coming!

I think I'll do my shopping online...later.

Beth ♥

Colors of Changing Seasons

This year the trees in our yard have had pretty colors.  I was afraid the dry summer would keep the trees from having nice colors.  Over the last week, I have managed to take some picures of the trees before the leaves dropped.  But one tree has really kept its pretty leaves longer than the rest.
This morning the frost was covering the leaves on the ground.  So I don't expect the leaves on the red tree to be around much longer.  But I've enjoyed it while it lasted.

Next post I'll show what's been on the drawing board. Enjoy the color while it lasts!

Beth ♥

Traditional Sunday Naps

Sunday naps are the best kind of naps.  I remember growing up, Sundays, of course, were the day of rest. Stores were not allowed to be open, unless it was a grocery store...and they were only allowed to sell necessities, like food.  So my memories of Sundays usually involved an afternoon nap...after church and Sunday dinner (lunch) was eaten and cleaned up.  I never was into watching sports and we didn't have hundreds of channels back then, so there was not the distraction of tv, definitely no computers or cell phone distractions...yes we actually survived without cell phones and internet! (which is probably why earlier generations can be so creative...we had to be creative growing up, to keep from being bored!...but that is another whole blog post.)  So, what was left to do on Sunday afternoons?  Take a nap...of course!

I bring this up because that is what I did today...I took a long Sunday nap. i don't have a photo of myself napping (thank goodness!), so I'm sharing a photo of my great-nephew when he was a newborn. Now they (babies) know how to nap!  I've been so busy for the last couple of weeks that I have not slowed down enough to relax much.  I finished a large commission Friday, almost finished unpacking from the Art Festival last weekend, and went to Memphis Saturday for our monthly CPSA meeting, so today I just let myself relax and take a nap. It was so nice. Even after getting an extra hour of sleep, I felt like my body just needed the rest. After I woke up, I actually felt like doing some cleaning!  Just a little bit...after all, it is Sunday, which is supposed to be a day of rest! This week, I took advantage of that.  Tomorrow brings the start of a new commission, more projects, more cleaning, and busy days ahead getting ready for the holidays.  Hope you enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon nap today!

Beth ♥

The Art Festival...

 

...is finally over.  We traveled to Georgia this past weekend to participate in the John's Creek Art Festival.  The whole week before the festival we checked the weather predictions daily.  Everything sounded like it would be great weather.  We got there Friday afternoon to set up the booth and we were tired from the drive, but we managed to get the tent up, but we were extremely hot and tired by the time we were done.  But that would change throughout the weekend. Saturday we opened to nice weather.  It was a little cool, but very nice most of the day.  By closing time at 6:00, it was beginning to get a little chilly.  We were a little worried about predictions of wind overnight, but during the night it was fine, but much cooler.  Sunday morning, we arrived and began re-setting up the display and some light rain began.  It didn't last long, so I felt we would be okay...but over the course of the day, conditions deteriorated.  Apparently the storm of the century was traveling up the East coast...Hurricane Sandy decided to move in a little too close to the Atlanta area.  The last couple of hours of the show, we were dealing with gusting winds, which is not good when you are in a tent!  The photo I am sharing is from Saturday, when the weather was good.  Sunday, I didn't take any photos. I was too busy trying to stay warm and hold the sides of the tent down!

Even though the weather was disappointing, to say the least, I enjoyed the show, meeting new artists and seeing others that I had met before.  As usual, the Splash Festival organizers did a great job! But I am glad its over. We were both exhausted from trying to keep from blowing away with our tent! Now back to work on commissions.

Beth ♥

October is almost halfway over? Time flies...

...when you're having fun!  Doing what I love, so the time goes by quickly!
This week I have been busy on two major projects, both that need a lot of attention.  In 2 weeks I will be traveling to John's Creek, Georgia, to a new art festival, to sell my clay houses and other "Hearthome" creations.  I'm excited about it, but I'm feeling the time pressure to get enough done in time!  I haven't gone to an art festival in a couple of years, so I want to be prepared!    I'm also trying to finish a pen an ink commission that needs to be finished now! So that will be my priority this weekend, then back to building more houses.  The photos today are small samples of what I'm working on.  The pen and ink is just a small part of the large drawing. 

Stage  2, 3, & 4...The making of a Hearthome
Sorry, no photo of stage 1.

 

In November, I will be concentrating on Christmas commissions. So if you want to order a painting, pen and ink, or custom clay house, now is the time to order.  I will not be taking any more orders after the beginning of November.  My daughter is graduating college in December, so I will be going to celebrate with her in the middle of December.  Yay for her! She is almost to the finish line and already has a job lined up! So proud of her!

Beth ♥

Sophie...The Newest Member of our Family...

...is this cutie pie. This little girl was given up by her owner and I had the opportunity to adopt her, so I scooped her up right away!  She is 3 years old and already housebroken, which is great, but she is a sweetie pie too.  We bonded quickly and she follows me wherever I go in the house and will sit near my drawing table or work table while I work.  It took me a while to decide on a name that fits her personality, but I've decided on Sophie. 

Since she was a rescue, we have some issues with her being a little aggressive. I don't know what she's been through, but she is very protective of me.  I just hope that Lexie (my 11 yr. old Maltese) can get used to having a young sister around the house all the time.  She is used to getting all of the attention, but Lexie does sleep a lot! She is older and wants to be left alone most of the time.  Guess I'll be watching ''The Dog Whisperer" on YouTube to get some advice.

Looks like a face I would like to paint!
Have a great week!

Beth ♥

Colored Pencil Workshop Fun...

...I know that probably doesn't sound like a lot of fun for some. But we had a good time at the workshop. As I mentioned last week, I attended a colored pencil workshop this past weekend in Memphis. We experimented and played with colored pencils, paint thinner, watercolor, rubber cement, and enjoyed spending time with like minded artists. Kate Lagaly was our instructor. She is an award winning colored pencil teacher/artist who is very creative. I thought I would share a few photos of my experiments. None of them are finished. We tried so many different techniques and pictures to choose from, that I just barely got started on some of them. But I got some great ideas! And I enjoy being the student too!

This drawing of the boy is done in several steps.
Step 1:  Drizzle rubber cement on watercolor paper.
Step 2:  Paint watercolor washes on top of the dried rubber cement.
Step 3:  Drizzle more rubber cement and let dry.
Step 4:  Paint more watercolor washes.
Step 5:  Add another layer of cement and paint (optional)
Step 6:  Remove rubber cement with a rubber cement 'picker upper' (not sure the technical term! )
Step 7:  Transfer drawing onto paper.  (We used a white Saral transfer paper)
Step 8:  Start adding colored pencil values and color mixtures with colored pencils.

Here is a link to the Memphis CPSA blog: Click here.

 

The next one is just colored pencil on a light colored matboard.  There are no watercolor layers.  This is how far I got on it.  I'm not sure that I will have time to finish it, but I may work on it more, just a little bit, to get the swan to show up better. 

 

 

 

Now back to working on a pen and ink drawing for a customer and creating more clay hearthomes.  I will be at John's Creek Art Festival October 27 & 28th, 2012.  So, I have a lot to do!

 

Beth ♥

Pallette of Color for Early Fall

Cindy's Pallette
Oil paint

The weather is finally cooling off and beginning to feel a little 'closer' to fall.  At least we aren't experiencing 90's and 100's everyday like we were for so long.  I love this time of year. I have been busy creating and doing some much needed fall clean up around the house and outdoors.  So I haven't posted on my blog lately.  But I'm going to change that!  Even if its just a simple photo post for the day. 

The photo today is of the oil paint pallette of an old schoolmate's.  She is a longtime dear friend who has a heart of gold.  And now after all these years, I find out that she also is a talented artist.  I knew that she played around with painting, but I saw her studio recently and I realized how talented she is.  Maybe later she will give me permission to post some of her oil paintings.  This pallette was in her studio and I took a photo.  I thought it was very interesting and a little like early fall!

I'm preparing to go to a colored pencil workshop this weekend. I am looking forward to that because I haven't given my colored pencils much time lately!  I love colored pencils.  Most people don't understand the interest in colored pencils for professional artists, but unless you have tried the professional brand colored pencils or unless you have seen some of the amazing artwork that can, and is, being created by colored pencil artists, you would probably question it. It is not just a school supply anymore. There is even a International Organization ( CPSA ) that is devoted to promoting Colored Pencils.  I am a member of that organization. I am also a member of the Memphis Chapter of the CPSA and we are having a cp workshop this weekend.  In the workshop that I am going to, we will be learning about experimenting with unusual surfaces and techniques to add to the colored pencil experience.  I will post some pictures next week about my experience at the workshop and hopefully something that I learned...or learned not to do! 

Have a nice weekend!

Beth ♥

Watercolor and Ink and Inspiration

If you keep up this blog, you know that I like to use a variety of art materials.  I like that it never gets tiring or boring to me.  Maybe it means that I'm ADD?  Anyway, it can be a blessing or a curse.  Most of the time it is a blessing.  This year I started playing around with some pan watercolors to go along with my pen drawings.  I can also add dry colored pencils on top of that if I want!  So its all good.  Before I go into the studio to glaze more of my little clay houses, I thought I would share this little watercolor/pen sketch of my daughter and her dogs, that I created when I went to visit and dogsit for my daughter earlier this year.   Below is a photo of the 2 'granddogs' that were the inspiration for the card. It's hard to get them to pose together, so I took advantage of this shot.  While I was dogsitting for my daughter, I wanted to paint something and this is what I came up with.  Its was just a fun little quick whimsical painting.  I want to do more watercolor when I have time.

Beth ♥

Shopping and Exploring in Memphis...

Saturday was back to school tax free shopping day in Arkansas and Tennessee.  Not that I need to do back to school shopping, but I was in Memphis for a CPSA meeting.  I mention the tax free shopping, not because I took advantage of it, but because there was a lot of traffic and people out shopping.  After the meeting, my husband/chauffeur, and I went out to eat and set out to find 2 directors chairs for my Art Festival Booth.  While I was in the meeting he did some searching to narrow down the places that I would have to go (he is a good assistant...especially since I hate to shop...especially in this heat!).  He found one store that had one director's chair (on sale).  Unfortunately when we returned to purchase it, there was no chair.  Either it sold, or it wasn't there (in the storage room) to begin with.  But the nice clerk at the store looked on the trusty computer to find that another one of their stores indeed had 4 of the director's chairs.  So we plugged in the address into my 'smartphone' to find the other store.  Thankfully, we found the store, Pier One, and they did have the 2 chairs that I wanted and I completed my shopping for the day. Unfortunately, my purchase didn't qualify for the tax free shopping. But I am happy with my chairs and think they will fit into my Art Festival Booth perfectly!

On the way out of town, we decided to stop and take some photos of the very low Mississippi River and area around it.  I had not been down there for awhile. They have made some improvements and are still working on adding some features to the park along the river.  I decided we need to go back when it is cooler, but I took a few photos. 

The Memphis Egg is at the Welcome Center at Mud Island.  It says the "Birthplace of Rock and Roll".  Too bad it wasn't there when "The Firm" was filmed in Memphis! Tom Cruise could have hidden behind the egg!

Beth ♥

Oh! It's August?

Hello August! I can't believe it's already August...although it has felt like August since June...or maybe even May.  It's been hot and dry here, like most other areas of the country.  But other than the heat, it doesn't seem like August, because I'm NOT getting ready to start back to school!!!! I have to remind myself all of the time that I will have time to create this fall!  Fall is usually my busiest and most stressful time of the year.  This year I should be able to enjoy it because of my retirement!  I especially look forward to enjoying the weather when it finally begins to cool off.  I'm going to make a list of fall favorites that I can especially enjoy this year and share as it gets closer to Fall.
The projects that I'm working on now are private commissions that are almost done!  For now, that's all I can share.  I hope to be able to share the details about a month from now.  I did spend a couple of days working on some clay houses last week. They are in the kiln today and I will be glazing some of them this weekend so I can list them in my Etsy shop.  I will be working on those and some whimsical paintings to get ready for the holidays and the John's Creek Art Festival that I will be participating in, October 26 & 27th!  It is a new festival this year and it should be fun! Till next time...

Have a great weekend! 

Beth  ♥

Do you like one flavor or want a variety to choose from?

When it comes to ice cream, I usually stick to chocolate or variations of chocolate and vanilla.  But Rocky Road is a good mix of both of those plus a few nuts in the mix for a change.

As an artist, I create things that I enjoy creating.  Because I was a high school art teacher for 29 years, I have taught a variety of techniques and media to my students.  So now I find myself wanting to work with several different media and styles.  I have always enjoyed drawing with pencils, ink, and colored pencils.   I also enjoy painting with acrylics and oils.  But I also enjoy working with clay, creating small whimsical houses, like I have often posted about here.

I really enjoy working with a variety of media.  I have been able to sell these things in all of these different media. I get requests from customers in all of them.  For now, it makes me happy to be able to create using this variety. This variety keeps me busy.  My dilemma is whether too much variety is confusing to customers.   I like a little realism and a little whimsy.  If I limit myself to one style or media, I think I limit my sales and risk getting a little bored doing the same thing all the time!

So my question to fellow artists and to potential customers...Is a Variety of Art Media and Styles too confusing?  Does this affect my 'art style'?   If you have any input, please share.  I am curious what other artists think and if anyone else struggles with the same thing.

Beth ♥

Happy 16th of July!

Well, I was going to post on the 4th of July, but that didn't happen! I've been a little preoccupied lately...in a good way!  After my vacation to Florida, I had to get busy on some private commissions. (I haven't even blogged about my trip!)  I've got a couple of large commissions to complete, so I've been busy working on those.  Hopefully by the end of August I can post more information about them.  Here is a quick small watercolor painting that I did while on my vacation on the beach.  It was a gift for our host for the week.  So, this painting was for Dottie.

Other than the commissions, I've been doing some rearranging in my studio and have even expanded to a bedroom.   I really could use one of those professional designer/organizers to come in and redesign my space!  That would be so good.  It's difficult to try to stay organized when you are so busy and some things just do not have a good place to be stored.  I am trying to get rid of things that I do not use anymore, which creates another pile in another room, where it waits to be donated.  I've been busy pinning studio ideas on Pinterest, so maybe eventually I will get the studio organized.    Maybe I should take photos of the before...in case there is an after!

Summer is going by quickly, but this year its okay! I look forward to NOT going back to school and having that time to create instead of sitting in hours and hours of in service that is not related to what I teach! So my retirement will not sink in until time for teachers to go back to school.

Beth ♥

My New Kiln!

Now that I am working from home, I needed a kiln at home, so I can fire my mini clay houses. I know that I am going to like having a kiln here at home, so I can fire a load of houses any time I need to. My new little kiln, to match my little houses, came in 2 weeks ago.  I have used it twice. Once for a greenware firing and the 2nd time was for the glaze firing.  It was so fun to open it this morning to see how the glaze firing turned out..  It turned out perfect.  And the little size of my kiln is just the right size.  So I am ready to continue creating lots of little houses and tiles.  Its a good thing, because I had a custom order for 3 houses, a tree, and a fence, that I needed to finish and ship.  Here are some pictures of the kiln with the first load of glazed houses. As you can see, there is plenty of room for many more houses, and there is room for another shelf.   So I need to get busy filling up my Etsy shop!

Beth ♥

Happy Customers and Colored Pencil Artists

Recently I've completed a few custom clay house orders and I am working on another.  Even though I post a lot of examples of my clay houses and my owl paintings lately, I am also a colored pencil artist.  I have had the pleasure of meeting some excellent, award winning, artists through the CPSA national organization.  Recently, Ranjini Venkatachari, a colored pencil artist ordered this custom clay house (Art Studio) from me.  I've been familiar with Ranjini's work through an online forum for a few years, but got to meet her last year at the CPSA convention.  She is a very nice person, as are most colored pencil artists!   Anyway, she wanted a little house that looked like an art studio, like the one in my Etsy shop, but personalized and in her colors. I also added the Heart Magnet with her initial, because she just celebrated a birthday.  So she received them in the mail the other day and she blogged about it and posted a picture of them in her blog. I added an easel with a sign with 'Ranjini V's" studio on the tiny painting, where I used the primary colors that she used in one of her colored pencil paintings that she had posted online.  After I mailed the package to her, I found out that the painting that I was looking at had been featured in an article in a Professional artist magazine!  I thought that was so cool! And she is, not only featured in one magazine this month, but two!  Her art is also on the cover of the June 2012 issue of Ann Kullberg's CP magazine.
So, I just wanted to give Ranjini a big thank you for both, ordering one of my HeartHomes and for blogging about it!

Beth ♥

Making Hard Decisions

I've taught art in the same district for 29 years.  The last 25 of those have been in the same classroom at the high school level.  I guess I must not like to change things up very much.  So, for me to make this important decision, was very difficult.  I made the decision to retire from teaching.  I have been thinking about it off and on for a year or so.  Although I have, for the most part, enjoyed my little home away from home.  I have spent more time in that classroom than I have been home.  I really enjoyed getting to know my students who loved to come to the art room to create and explore and enjoy the process of learning.  It was a blessing to see so many students enjoy my class.  But, it was time for a change. Change is good.  I retired from this job, but I plan to continue to be an artist, hopefully sell some things along the way...hopefully a lot of things!  But I know that I will probably continue to teach art in some way.  I don't know what or how yet, but creating art and teaching art seems to be my purpose...and I cannot give up that part of me.  It will just be in a different place. I have some ideas rolling around in my head.  For now, I will continue to create in my home studio that is bursting at the seams with supplies that are begging to be used.

Beth ♥

Summer break is almost here!

Clay Owl Sculpture
by me...

I call it summer break, but I really don't just sit back and do nothing! Actually it is not really a break from work, just from the rushed schedule of having to be at work at a certain time and meeting school deadlines.  After school is out, I start on my "To Do" list.  It starts out very long. Most important items at the top of the list and the least at the bottom.  I never get through the entire list, but I usually get the most important things done.  Among some of the things that I do are cleaning and de-cluttering around the house.  I do some deep cleaning that does not get done as much during the school year because of lack of time and energy.  But most important is the time that I have to work on extra art projects of my own or commissions for other people.  That list is growing as I write this! And that is a good thing!  One of my goals is to replace my dead laptop!  So hopefully those art commissions will help me reach that goal!  My need for a new laptop seems to get pushed down on the priority list quite often.  But that is just the reality of having a family and having a kid in college!

I recently created a clay sculpture of an owl (to go with my owl painting series), but it looks a little crazy. But that is how I feel this time of year trying to get everything done for the end of the school year.  Everything happens so fast at school, and so much is going on that it just boggles my brain. So I thought I would share this photo of my owl sculpture, just so you would understand!  I'm looking forward to time to paint and work with clay, just to clear my mind!

Beth ♥

The Busy Time of Year...

...is usually at the beginning of the school year and at the end of the school year.  That is the case this year, as well, but it never really seemed to slow down all year long!  It has been a very busy school year, so it has gone by very quickly!  Only a few more weeks until summer break and I plan to spend many days in the studio! I do plan to relax and recuperate from the school year too. But I have several projects already lined up for this summer and want to try out some new ideas as well.

We just had the district wide 'All That Jazz' art show, so I have been busy working to get student artwork ready for that.  I haven't had the time or the energy to work on anything except that.

For a class demonstration, I created this 3D Owl out of newspaper and plaster strips earlier in this semester, as an example for my students, who were creating their own sculptures.

For more information about this art class project, click here:
Working with Plastercraft on my Art Class Blog

This was the first owl that I created. After I did this one, I decided to start painting some owls on canvas that I have shown here in previous posts.  I've also made a couple of little clay owls that are not complete yet.

So, I'll be pretty busy with the end of school activities over the next few weeks.  I'll post something if I have time. But if not, you'll know I'm overwhelmed with end of the year paperwork!

Beth ♥

Collage Mixed Media Project

Ideas for Summer Projects
Summer break is almost here! I will have more time to create! If you are looking for a summer project to work on, a collage with mixed media is a fun project!

Mixed Media Collage

Today I thought I would share a mixed media project that I created for fun and as an example for a student project at school.  We often use old donated magazines in the classroom. This project is a mixed media collage, using magazines and acrylic paints.

Arkansas Home Theme
Since I create my little clay houses and clay house tiles, I decided to go with a Home theme and Arkansas theme to create a house with a fence and tree.  I used a stack of one of my favorite Arkansas magazines (At Home in Arkansas) to cut out Arkansas details, words, maps, and colors to put together to create my image.

Supplies I used:
Canvas Board
Old Magazines
Acrylic Paint and Brushes
Drawing Paper
Glue sticks
ModPodge

After cutting out words, patterns, colors and shapes out of the magazines, I began arranging the pieces that I had. I went back to the magazines when I needed additional colors and images.
I created a house shape with strips of magazine cuttings adding some details with paint.  For example, I decided to create a tree and needed some leaves but I did not have enough so I cut leaf shapes out of green paper to create the rest of the leaves. I wanted an owl in the tree so I drew and painted a little owl on drawing paper, cut it out and glued it into the tree.

The sidewalk on the bottom edge of this piece was made up of map pieces and words pieced together. Cutouts of flowers were also added to create flower beds.

ModPodge was brushed on top of the entire piece after I was finished adding pieces. This helps to seal the pieces of paper to the surface.

Becoming a night owl...

'Night Owl...almost finished'
Acrylic on Stretched Canvas
11x14
SOLD

Well, actually I've been a Night Owl all my life. I enjoy staying up late and I used to be able to sleep in late, but now I just can't seem to sleep in anymore.  But I was referring to all of the owls that I've been enjoying painting lately. I recently painted a picture for my niece for her new baby's nursery which included a woodland theme. So looking for ideas for woodland animals, I came across many owls. So I put some owls in her painting and have done several additional owls, because they are so fun to do!  I do love whimsical style art, so naturally I love doing the whimsical owls.  I have plans to do more whimsical animals.

Beth ♥

Spring Time and Clay Time

A few colorful clay houses to go along with the Spring Bloom photos from last week.  Spring came early this year. The weather has been warm for awhile so the azaleas and dogwoods already started blooming. I took a drive around some neighborhoods with pretty blooms.  I just wish some of these were in my yard!

Beth ♥