I’m getting ready to “spring” right into art fair mode… starting this weekend with a fun pop-up in Central Illinois. I’ll be spending the weekend with my very first art fair friends… yes, they were right across the aisle from me many years ago! They were the seasoned veterans, and I was the unknowing newbie. They took me under their wings & we’ve been friends ever since! But I digress… they will be selling many of their own homegrown plants, and I’ll have an assortment of pottery! If you live in Central Illinois, this is the closest show you’ll find me at… so I hope you can stop by!!!

If not, my next three weekends are also booked with art fairs… with Schaumburg, Hinsdale & Sandwich for the Northern Illinois Pottery Tour… chronologically in that order. Mark your calendars!

While we’re enjoying some beautiful Spring weather outside… a couple of my cactus inside are experiencing some “seasonal confusion?” My Thanksgiving cactus has decided to give me one more bloom… and my Easter cactus is almost a month too late! Beautiful whenever it happens!

Before the rain… some beautiful little white flowers blooming on textured green leaves.

Another flash of color with some pretty flowers in one of my stamped & soda-fired vases. Just “fulfilling the destiny” of any good vase on another Floral Friday!

We had April showers, so now we have May flowers! That, plus the fact that my cousin Kim helped me plant hundreds of bulbs in my front garden last Fall. And now after a long Winter of waiting… it’s all paying off!!! Thanks again Kim!!!!

Some of the brightest flowers along the lake… more crabapple trees in bloom.
But this dark magenta color is CRAZY!!! So vibrant it almost doesn’t look natural?!

More orchids blooming… and I love how the backlighting is kinda making them glow!!!

A little early morning sun illuminating another Spring tree in bloom along the lakefront. So many pretty trees blooming as a gift from Mother Nature.

I hate when I come home and find broken flowers in my front garden… presumably from someone, or someone’s kids, or someone’s dog…. trouncing through the flowers I’m trying to grow out there. Luckily, I have plenty of mini vases to give them a little “extra life” after being broken off the plant.

In between the clouds & the gusty winds, I managed to get a fun bike ride in this afternoon. A beautiful day with a lot of Spring flowers all over on the trees along the lakefront bike trail. It was pretty… and a pretty challenging ride!!!