December Flowers

There have been several surprises here in the land of The Springs this week. First and foremost the plant world is  getting a bit confused by this very warm weather that we have been experiencing, as a result, tobacco flowers, calendula flowers and azaleas are in bloom!
Here are some pictures of these hardy and beautiful flowers.

This year I had some very beautiful journals printed in a limited edition. They were created with Mark Gavin at the amazing paper company Ecojot. www.ecojot.com. We used one of my botanical drawings created in Photoshop to make the covers. In the illustration,  I included a saying that my grandmother Isabelle embroidered. Her love of botany, plants and beauty inspired me on so many levels. This piece of embroidery was framed and hung on a wall in her farmhouse in West Virginia. Since I can remember this embroidery has been a part of my life, the saying is 'Don't Hurry Don't Worry and Don't Forget to Smell the Flowers.'  These journals make great gifts for the holidays! There are two sizes for sale 5x7" for $11 and 6x9" for $16. If you are interested in purchasing a journal please contact me at mariabowling@me.com.

A portion of the sale will be donated to The Retreat in East Hampton, N.Y. where shelter is provided for victims of domestic violence. www.theretreat.org.