Peony Love, the latest digital set from Marcella Hawley

Well, hello there! We’re so happy to see you today for the release of one of my favorite illustrations as a digital stamp set — it’s our “Digis on the 5s” for May 5th. Anyone who knows me knows my affinity for Peonies, and if you share that love, that passion, that .... dare I say, addiction .... then this set could be just for you! Plus, it’s highly versatile, because you get two images and two sentiments, all sized at a generous size that can be enlarged to easily make a frameable print, or reduced a bit to make an A2-sized card.

A little background from my garden, because that is the place from which so much of my inspiration springs. Every year when the peonies bloom, I am compelled to run out there and take photos of them in all their various stages of opening, it fascinates me, my good friends!

In my terrarium-like garden, where peonies have to duke it out for space with purple columbine, daylilies, ferns, celandine poppy, and lots of wonderful hardy geraniums.

Here’s a tender moment with Peony ‘Festiva Maxima’ and Geranium phaeum ‘Samobor’ — which just takes over everywhere, but it is so very precious and its variegated foliage is practically evergreen. We need plants like that in our Midwestern winters!

I’ve shared many of these images in the past, so I won’t go on and on about it, but here’s a snap I particularly like, featuring a number of Klehm Nursery peonies, that I’m holding over a field of wild anemones that are trying to take over my yard. (They are so darn sweet that I’m letting them...)

If you see above that I’ve mentioned Klehm peonies — and we know that I love, love, love the Klehm family and was involved with creating their catalogs for many years. Here is one of the first illustrations I created for the Peony section of the catalog, which I art directed, designed, and illustrated, in 1994. (Right now you can get your Klehm fix here at Klehm’s Song Sparrow — the BEST mailorder plants and the largest selection of hybrid peonies. This is an unpaid testimonial, they truly are the best people with the most unique and wonderful plants.)

I was having some fun with that lettering and the artistic tilt to the petals...  even though I had yet to ever grow a peony on my own, or to truly inspect one up close at that point.

Well, since the early 90s, I’ve come a long way, baby! Presenting: Peony Love, a luscious halo of blooming peonies in every shape, form, and fashion!

In this digital package, you’ll get a total of four images: two sentiments, the gigantic and highly detailed peony wreath, and then a small accent peony. Folks, the images are large enough to blow up and retain a lot of detail, but I have sized these larger so that you can really get in there and shade with your markers, pencils, and paintbrushes! Feel free to use the single peony on a card by itself, as a few of our designers have done. Or, spend an afternoon coloring the wreath and bring it into glorious, colorful life. Peony Love is one of my favorite illustrations of all time, and it was truly a labor of love to draw and stipple and assemble in my mind and on my drawing board.

Oh and hey! Since we have an international group of customers, we have a special ALTERNATE sentiment that is available upon request if you buy this set. You will automatically get “To the world’s most awesome Mom” — but if you put a note in with your order, you will also get “To the world’s most awesome Mum”.

Come and see some lovely examples of the possibilities of this set with our infectiously fabulous Instant Gardener Cheryl, and two bubbly Bloomies, Kathy and Christine!

 

Cheryl Scrivens

Kathy Jones

Christine Okken

Be sure to check back on FRIDAY for even more cards using this set! Thank you so much for coming by today, now I’d better run out to the garden and see what new peonies are opening up to share their gifts with us!