Hi friends,

Come join me in my watercolor class held at Bayside Artisans Shoppes on Independence Boulevard in Virginia Beach, our next class will be July 8th from 6-8p.m.!

On our last class, I gave the students the choice to either paint 1 or 3 hydrangeas on the watercolor paper! Although I might not always offer a choice of a design, students always enjoy following along and learning more about watercolor so I encourage you to attend the next class! To register, please click HERE.

For the class I got to wear one of my vintage favorite prints, "Flamingos in Palms"! What a great way to celebrate the arrival of Summer! 

Make sure you read below, let's admit it, there are so many benefits of painting! 

•  Painting improves memory and concentration ~ While it might not be obvious but your brain is essentially working out whenever you paint, which means that painting boots the memory function and sharpen the mind. When painting, parts of the brain responsible for memory and concentration are engaged!
• Painting develops your creativity ~ when painting both left and right side of the brain are stimulated. Even as a beginner, learning how to paint will strengthen your mind as you try new techniques and master new skills. Painting classes hep further boost your creative spirit! In painting we use our left side of the brain to tackle logical challenges, for example how you should set up your paper and paints and getting ready to paint!
• Painting is an all brain exercise, triggering dopamine activity in the brain and strengthening the mind, so spending time indulging your creativity is basically like doing a fun physical workout but in your brain, lets call it a fun fitness class!
• There are endless benefits of painting ~ studies show that people who practice creative activities regularly such as painting are shown to have less chance of developing Alzheimer's and dementia. Therefore not only is your painting hobby sparking joy and making you feel better due to the dopamine release which is an hormone responsible for important body functions including movement, memory, pleasure and motivation, and is also looking after your health and safeguarding your brain functions in the future!

You will also enjoy meeting and connecting with other students in the class. Believe it or not there are many benefits of socializing and having this time for yourself.

Make sure you register HERE and secure your spot, there is limited seating available. Hope to see you there!

If you attended one of my previous classes, I would love for you to leave a comment below about your experience. These comments help me be better prepared for the next class!

Thank you,

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

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xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

Hi friends,

Who else is obsessed with hydrangeas? Many believe that these flowers originated in Japan. In Japan legend has it that the flower became associated gratitude and a heartfelt emotion, an apology after a Japanese emperor gave them to a girls family who he was in love with, to make up for neglecting her in favor of business and how much he cared about her. 

The meaning of Hydrangeas:

• The pink hydrangeas are associated with genuine and sincere emotions of the meaning of love and symbolize true feelings making them a great fit for spring and summer table arrangements or wedding bouquets because of their shape resembling a heart! 
• Hydrangeas come in different shades of blue, pink, green, white and purple.
• Hydrangeas are associated with an apology since they go back to ancient history of that legend where the emperor earned forgiveness by offering these flowers. So when you owe someone a sincere apology, you can convey your feelings by offering them and arrangement of blue hydrangeas.
• The flower has many meanings, from heartfelt emotion to boastfullness, to gratitude. Each culture has their own interpretation of the flower according to their stories and beliefs.
• Green hydrangeas can show your appreciation of the deep connection you hold with a friend while these flowers convey sincere emotions and deep understanding so if you have a friend's birthday coming up, then you can give them these wishing them prosperity and good health. 
• Victorians considered white hydrangeas as a negative plant used for boastfulness, bragging or vanity. Since they produce massive flowers but very few seeds, these magnificent blooms were also given to women who turned down the man's love interest as signs that they were cold or frigid. So women who grew these in their gardens were thought to be unlikely to find a romantic companionship.
• If you have a friend who is going through a difficult time, you can give the purple hydrangeas since these convey a deep understanding. 
• Alabama designated the hydrangea as the state's official flower in 1999.

Follow these steps to prolong the beauty of your cut hydrangeas:

• Once you cut the blooms outdoors, place them directly in a bucket with water, once they are inside boil a pot of water. Remove it from the heat, cut the hydrangea to the right length and place them in the water for 30 seconds. Use alum to help preserve the hydrangeas by cutting stems to length dip the end of each stem into about 1/2 inch of alum powder them place them in the vase in room temperature water. OR if you don't want to use alum, put one table spoon of bleach (to kill bacteria and one tablespoon of sugar ( to feed the blooms) into the vase and mix with water, then add the flowers.
• Revive wilted hydrangeas, change the water and use the boiling water method above. 

Hydrangea Uses:

• The leaves of the hydrangeas are poisonous if ingested because they contain cyanoecic glycosides which release dydrongen cyanhide when chewed, however the roots ar used for medicinal purposes. Hydrangea root can be used as an antioxidant and is also used to treat kidney problems.
• This beautiful flower is a favorite among florists and home gardeners everywhere! Because they produce magnificent large blooms and beauty, they are great to use in many different occasions, including heartfelt moments, apologies and thanks.

Hydrangeas facts:

• The name hydrangea comes from the Greek words hydros, meaning water, and angos meaning jar, which makes sense since these flowers require so much water. However if you water too much, you can kill these flowers. The signs of watering are yellowing of the leaves, wilting, leaves falling off or slow growth.
• Hydrangeas bloom in different formations. The most popular is the mophead hydrangeas whose flowers grow in big ball clusters. Panicle hydrangeas which grow well in cold climates have flowers that grow in cone-shaped clusters. Lacecap hydrangeas, which grow well in the shade, have clusters of tiny blooms and larger blooms.
• Hydrangeas are often given o the 4th wedding anniversaries to symbolize appreciation and heartfelt emotion.
• The largest diversity of hydrangeas species exists in eastern Asia which includes Japan China, and Korea.

For the love of hydrangeas

Maybe you did not realize that hydrangea colors had so many specific meanings but these brilliant blooms are highly commendable to give to someone since they convey so many sentiments. Whether you choose to give them as a plant or floral arrangement to a friend, your recipient will surely appreciate and admire your magnificent blooms! 

Make sure you join me on my next watercolor class, today we will be painting hydrangeas!

Go HERE to see my hand painted hydrangeas in products!

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

I am so excited to featured Jessica from @ivoryandnoire this Saturday on our #Vintageflowersandtea home tour! Below are some facts about her.

Jessica Pearsall is an interior designer and founder of Ivory and Noire. 

Why is her little corner of the internet called Ivory and Noire? Black and white was her all time favorite color scheme until she discovered blue and white!

She is married  to her best friend and she is a proud mamma of two children and a fur baby.

She is fluent in English & Spanish and for a while was conversational in Arabic.

She is a coffee snob, and loves a great cup off coffee, along with a great glass of wine and a tasty cocktail. 

She loves creating a beautiful table but what she loves even more is sharing how she created it and where she found the good stuff!

She started Ivory and Noire to teach and inspire women to entertain stylishly in their own homes.

She loves layering colors, patterns and a bit of chinoiserie on every table she sets.

She’s done everything from flipping homes to designing residential and commercial interiors in the US and abroad.

She's also thrown her share of milestone celebrations.

She has been featured in Entertain and Celebrate and also on the Houston Chronicle!

She enjoys taking workshops in subjects like art and calligraphy.

When Jessica is not traveling to some part of the world, you'll find her trying out new restaurants, dancing salsa with her hubby and snuggling up for a movie night with her two kids and little Cocker Spaniel.

To see her website click HERE

🌸If you would like a chance to be featured, on Instagram, tag your photos with #vintageflowersandtea and follow along with all of the hosts below:

@diga_linda
@thevintagepagoda
@classicsoutherntraditions
@southernskiesnrisingtides

Features happen on Tuesdays and Saturdays, so keep posted to see who will be featured next.

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

This print is so special to me since I am Portuguese and grew up by the ocean. This design print is inspired by the Vincentina Coast in the south west part of Portugal where it's  majestic beaches and cliffs by the ocean, meet the country Cape of St.Vincent.

I wanted to design nature where the blues of  the ocean meet the clear blue skies of the South of Portugal. 

If you are looking for sunshine, beautiful beaches, cliffs and a resort lifestyle, then you would love it on the Vincentina Coast of Portugal. 

I hope you love this print as much as I enjoyed painting it!

These designs and colors reflect the happiness and fun of my original watercolors and digital illustrations.

CLICK HERE to see this collection!

Happy New Year 

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

Take a look at the Transfer Ware Porcelain China Blue and White Fine Art Print Collection by Diga Linda on the blog. The latest print release, I release a NEW print every 2 weeks.

Dear friends,

The last few weeks have been so different from anything we have ever seen before. it's hard to imagine such quick changes we have to do to our daily lives and the worry and anxiety that we are all going though just thinking about how cautious we all have to be to stay healthy and safe! We hope and pray that our family and friends here and far away will stay safe too. 

Many things are changing and being on the internet -online is new challenge right now for school distance learning and for other events as well. We know that although it's not possible to have the Azalea Festival at school, the good news is that Landon will still be having it but online this time. 

To see a list of all the vendors that will be participating look HERE

This festival will be different from the previous 65 festivals and what we need to keep in mind is that because it's online, we have an opportunity to make it very special and meaningful for the community. We will not have to worry about the weather conditions and if people can go shopping in a day where the rain does not stop. Also vendors do not have to worry about sett up and take down, although that part I really enjoy for some reason. I love making it all pretty so you can come visit! 

We are so thankful to the Landon faculty and staff for all the work that is being done in order to support our school kids. Landon opened it's doors to 22 students in the fall of 1929 just months before the beginning of the Great Depression. It was with a great commitment, dedication and courage that the school persevered back then and it's with that same spirit of strength that the school will persevere again this time. This year is specially hard for our Seniors. I know for I have one and he will be missing a lot of fun events, but memories will be taking shape in a different way. There will be social events taking place but online this time and when this is all done, he will remember all those moments. People have the opportunity to connect so much online with Facebook, Instagram and with so many other social media platforms.

We hope that you will be excited about this festival coming up just as much as I am. See you here in another blog, talking more about our festival coming up.

 Follow me for updates:

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

I am thrilled to be collaborating with a charity organization next week from February 3rd -8th. They are a non-profit organization.

“Make-A-Wish ^® Mid-Atlantic grants life changing wishes to children with critical illnesses in Maryland, Washington DC and northern Virginia.”

During those days, I will be donating 50% of my net sales. Please use discount code "MAKEAWISH" so that I know that your purchase will contribute towards the charity organization. Below is the newest art print "I Love Butterflies" that I just released and will be available on greeting cards and art prints, just perfect for Valentines! Remember to check Facebook and Instagram for announcements and spread these wonderful news with friends and family. Together we can make more wishes come true for kids.

WATCH US LIVE HERE of February 3rd at 8:45a.m. on FOX45 BALTIMORE

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

For more click HERE

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

Mother's Day Shopping Party with Ceci Mason

This Saturday, we're celebrating all of the moms in our lives. Come shop new items and enjoy sips and snacks at J. Crew Montgomery Mall. I will be there with my art pieces. 

Click HERE for more information!

Hello friends, I am going to be at J.Crew this afternoon from 2-6pm. So come see my paintings at the Montgomery Mall in Bethesda.

Click HERE for great information, we would love to have you!

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful

There is more to coastal Florida than swanky chain resorts looming over the ocean taking up swaths of sand with their Guests Only beach lounges. True: when choosing a chain hotel you know what to expect. But the real fun is staying in an independently owned and unique place where real people – families, mom and pops, small business owners – have put their own creative spin and hard work into giving you a true Florida experience.

Can you tell our readers about your mission and what inspired you to start your blog?

Our mission is to guide you to these under-the-tourist-radar destinations. The best places to swim (free parking by the beach, where to find a guarded beach, a dog beach, can you drink on the beach?) play (the best beach bars, when is happy hour, can you arrive by boat?) and stay in coastal Florida.

We began this blog after discovering just such a quirky peaceful paradise set under lush palm trees, overlooking a lagoon right down the street from one of Florida’s top beaches: Siesta Key. The Siesta Key Bungalows has free kayaks, a heated pool, and our bungalow had rich-hued wood floors that sloped slightly with age (the floors there are all tile now!) We fell in love. 

After spending the happiest of hours at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar listening to live music surrounded by cheerful people drinking sunset-colored libations, our idea to spread the knowledge of just such a perfect vacation experience to fellow travelers was born.

How would you describe your blogging style?

I would describe our blogging style as a conversation with a good friend who knows you well and wouldn’t steer you to a cookie-cutter experience. Our recommendations are based on personal experience and/or many hours of research as well as speaking with locals and others who have visited the destinations. We are committed to never giving a bad review; if we don’t like a place, we don’t talk about it.

How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up an running?

Writing a blog can sometimes feel isolating and even intimidating. It’s me at the keyboard trying to squeeze the best words out of my head. What makes me an expert on this stuff, really? But hearing the kind words and praise from our followers and readers who visit and love a place we’ve recommended – a couple have even gotten married in a location we wrote about! – keeps us motivated and enjoying this avocation we’ve chosen.

What type of networking do you think is better to enhance your traffic to the blog? 

To keep visitors coming to our blog… We’re not big on SEO or stats or buying ads (at the current time we have no advertising on our blog at all.) We just want to put good content out there and give our readers value for their visit. Maybe we’d be bigger if we paid closer attention to all the technical background of running a blog and striving to get views. For now we’re just happy to be here!

 Our best audience is our loyal and enthusiastic group of followers on Instagram. We’ve encountered so much positivity, fun comments, and supportive people on Instagram. We are often contacted for more personal and detailed recommendations, which we’re glad to give.

What are your goals for next year?

Our goals for next year are to spend more time in the Panhandle, visit the Everglades area, Olde Marco Island, and a couple of tiny towns even WE had never heard of until recently! Stay tuned and keep visiting our blog for more to come!

Thank you so much Marybeth, for sharing your Coastal Florida Travel Tips with us. I am already making a list of these places that I would like to visit! 

To see more of Marybeth, follow her beautiful and inspiring Instagram

Also check out her lovely website  and Pinterest

😍 By leaving a comment, you are supporting my small business.

😍 Thank you so much for reading and I want to invite you to subscribe to my newsletter on top of the page for the latest and the greatest news.

You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and more social channels when you click ➡️     https://linktr.ee/cecimasonart

xo Ceci Mason founder and artist

 Diga Linda ✨ Say Beautiful