The Veldheers Tulip Gardens operates the only in the USA authentic Delft ware factory, DeKlomp Delft Factory, where you can watch the entire process from the molds, to firing to painting! And it always warms my heart to frequently stop by there and talk with the Veldheer family, all three generations tulips growers, and their artists Deb and Tua.

Fall, such a cherished muse for artists, is an amazing opportunity for kids to craft! As an educator, in addition to using art as beautification of our surroundings, I strongly believe that any creative time has other significant merits and benefits! These fall crafts will help your child to develop an ability to focus, concentrate, analyze and, in addition, to develop such an important quality as observance (a huge surviving skill!)

I learnt that apparently it is quite an ancient tradition to celebrate uniqueness of personal characteristics through a similarity with a certain flower. In addition, in 18-19 centuries those specific flowers’ symbolisms were used in secret communication between people. How beautiful is this?!

That was a phenomenal, but very hot summer day, exploring unknown to me remarkable places around lake Michigan and capturing as much as I could. When I brought home the four paintings that I did there, I never considered them as final, and was planning to make some final touches in my home studio.

The color choice and brush strokes create a symphony of an intoxicating allure. The foreground bursts with hues of crimson, fuchsia, and sunlit yellows, each petal meticulously rendered to capture the soft, velvety texture of the flowers.

Using dancing brush strokes, all of my paintings are done in an impressionistic way celebrating the sensation and feeling more that representing a portrait of a natural scene.

My father leaned down to the window of the taxi and said a phrase that changed my life:

“Buy a notebook and start a diary. Write down everything that happens to you during each day, ok?”

It appears that flowers and spoken/written words have an extraordinary value in the life of humanity. We think so. And hence, the idea of a tulip book was born a year ago.

When you ask the locals in the Holland area (Michigan), they proudly call themselves Dutch. Yet practically none of them speak Dutch or were born or ever lived in the Netherlands or carry a Dutch passport. They call themselves such because their ancestors came from the Netherlands. They are proud of their ancestors’ origin. I love that!

Take these four easy steps in one sitting to bring joy to your cherished parents or grandparents for an entire year!

Whether it is an anticipation of the winter blues or struggles dealing with life changes in general, fall could be a fabulous start in taking steps toward developing the ability to see possibilities in changes.