Heartful Art poster at Minneapolis Yoga Studio ... fun discovery by my daughter

Here's a link to the poster she saw: "Breathe in Breathe Out"

Tulips of Grace by Raphaella Vaisseau, in honor of my Daughter and Mother's Day

My most recent tulip painting reminds me that I first started painting tulips because they were my daughter Cate's favorite flower while she was growing up. We lived in Minnesota then. Tulips were the first sign of Spring. Their stems would burst through the icy ground, sometimes still snow covered. The tulip buds would blossom like a song happy to be sung.

Over the years I've painted many tulip garden paintings and still they remind me of the hope of Spring and my daughter's love. Mother's Day is coming soon and my thoughts turn to mothers everywhere. My Mother has a gallery of my tulip paintings as well. I guess for me, tulips and Mothers go hand in hand.

Cetacea by Theresa Foley - a Key West novel

Theresa Foley (of cat rescue fame), is my friend, my teacher (writing and hypnosis), and also a published author of five books, including Cetacea (my personal favorite), Love Prevails, and 3 collections of short stories by Key West authors. I've added Cetacea to my website or you can buy it on amazon.com. If you like Key West, dolphins, mystery books, and/or people making a difference, Cetacea is a good read. If you really love Key West, you may want to get all five of her books. Enjoy!!!

New paintings by Raphaella Vaisseau debuted at Tringali show

photo by Nancy Chapman, reporter for Englewood Edge online newspaper

AP Economics Writer, Martin Crutsinger reports Retail sales rise 0.3 percent in February

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Retail sales posted a surprising increase in February as consumers did not let major snowstorms stop them from storming the malls. The advance, the biggest since November, provided hope that the recovery from the Great Recession is gaining momentum.

The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales rose 0.3 percent in February, surpassing expectations that sales would decline by 0.2 percent. Read full story on NPR

FACES - Etsy Treasury curated by Raphaella Vaisseau of Heartful Art

I'm happy to share my latest ETSY Treasury with you.  It's a collection of artists I've discovered while browsing the many shops of artists creating art from all over the world. Enjoy!!!

Dallas-based M3 Girl Designs making "The original, interchangeable, bottle cap necklace"

I just learned of these girls, Maddie and Margot Bradshaw, who started their own company and a year ago reached the $1 million mark (see video). Here's their website. Their facebook group page is "Snap Caps by m3 girl designs" - check it out, be inspired.