Brides and Babies

A friend and colleague, and, in fact, my former art student, is moving on.  She is getting remarried and moving out of state, leaving the high school where she spent 4 years as a student and 4 times as many years as an English teacher.
I am very happy for her, to say the least, but sad that she is leaving.  Even though we taught in different buildings and didn't see each other that often, we team taught a summer program for several years, contacted each other via school email, and caught up during faculty meetings. 

Before she left, she asked me to make her wedding bouquet and a growth chart for her niece whom she planned on visiting this summer before moving out of state.

I created a bouquet similar to one I have in my artfire shop minus the butterfly.  She saw the growth chart also in my artfire gallery, and asked for one for her little niece.  I had previously started one with fairies and butterflies.  I asked her if I could just continue on that one for her niece and she was in agreement. 
After putting the finishing touches on the growth chart and the bouquet, both are complete and ready to send off to my friend.

About a week ago, on the 4th of July, I sought refuge from the unbearable heat and opted to stay inside to create a handpainted child's rocking chair for my nephew's wife.  Her baby shower is in the beginning of August.  I checked out the patterns of linens and other items she had on her baby registry and followed with a similar theme on the rocking chair.  I actually began this rocking chair idea with my daughter's first pregnant friend and it was such a hit that her other friends are waiting for their rocking chairs.  And as luck would have it, the second friend's baby shower is 2 weeks following my niece's shower, so the chairs are beginning to line up in my den.  I'm planning on putting one in my artfire shop as soon as the local baby boom quiets down!