Tucked away in my mailbox last week was an overstuffed envelope from a dear collector who lives locally in town. She has been supporting my creative endeavors since I first started showing my wares at outdoor flea markets 6+ years ago! I believe Karen Z. discovered me at Denver's Ballpark Market, which I believe is a thing of the past these days. My whimsical holiday characters lit a spark in her collective passions, and she has been acquiring a piece here and several pieces there ever since. Before she put her "Johanna Parker Spring" collection away this year, she snapped a few photos and mailed them to me! What a treat :) I thought I would share them with you..... Enjoy, and thank you Karen for your thoughtfulness and for believing in me! It's always a pleasure to see how my collector friends display their cherished collectibles in their personal spaces....

~ Johanna

* Here, Karen has my Spring characters grouped in front of a mirror for a magnified view. (Great idea!) She has included a pair of my illustrated spring party hats that complete the spring family.

* These few original spring characters take me way back! The sunflower girl and large spring chick were some of my first spring creations, and I believe the little spring egg cup was one of my first from this series of cup characters....

* You may recognize this sweet pair from my Spring Gallery page...... They are some of the few spring originals that I have created over the last few years..... I admit, I took this year off from creating spring as time just flew by. Perhaps next year I will release a few more one of a kinds.....

* Another close-up reveals a spring chick candy dish design that I licensed to Bethany Lowe Designs a few years ago. This piece is now retired, but it looks like Karen snatched one up at one of the last Spring Flings!

Spring Designs © Johanna Parker Design ~ Photographs courtesy of Karen Z.

Whenever I see mom's cell number appear on the caller ID log, I know she usually has some juicy news! As much as I work, she gets out much more often to skim the various magazine racks for sitings as I call them. And, every once in a while, one of my product designs will make the editor's cut with a surprise appearance in one of our favorite magazines. This time, my "Spring Sign with Bunnies" is featured as a "country treasure" in the March 2009 issue of Country Sampler Magazine! How fun to see it in print and a treat to get a little complimentary exposure. I am grateful for that. Anyone interested in one of these whimsical signs can make their purchase through Primitives by Kathy, and as of today at least, they are selling for a super price.... just $5.00!....Snag one while you can!

~ Johanna