Oct from Janet - Drivel 3

 

A nice ghost from Janet - and a clear address. The ghost looks like it was done with the white Sharpie Creative Marker. She got a nice effect with the texture. It would have required patience to fill in around the lettering and still make it look nice. That tiny little bit of orange that you can see around the lettering is  one of those secret tricks to make your work look extra cool. In theory - you just leave a little space - which seems like it would be easy. But, it's not. It's is the smallest possible space and you can't go over. It's about the width of a hair. Leaving hair-width strips of color between two other colors is a technique that illustrates how patience and precision may take time, but it's sooo worth it. It's not a guarantee that you will love the end result. If you haven't resolved something like a clunky layout - then you might end up with a clunky end product. But, you can still admire that part where you invested patience and precision.

***

We never have to endure drivel on the first of the month because it's sign up day. Now we are back to drivel. Let's go see what is in that folder of things called *For the blog*

This is something I already posted and I did at least one envelope with this type of lettering.

LINK to lots more

Oct from Maggie - December exchange sign-up

 

Maggie's been busy with her watercolors. This one inspired me to watch a bunch of videos on using the wedge brush - since I have a couple and have only used them once or twice. I am writing this on Nov 6 and I just finished up all my Nov and Dec envelopes. I put my Dec exchange envelopes inside the Nov envelopes to ease things for the USPS. I'm sure that having 26 fewer envelopes during peak season will be appreciated. <eye-rolling> 

Time for the December exchange sign-up.

Today through December 4th is the window to sign-up. Lists are sent on the 5th.

If you participated in the November exchange - just shoot me an email that says: SIGN ME UP - you do not need to retype your address and info.

Let me know if it is your [Birthday] month or if you are willing to be on [2 Lists].

If you were not on the November list - or only sign up occasionally - or are a new exchanger - please send your information in the following format:

Jane Doe

123 Oak Street

Ames, IA 50010

janedoe@aol.com

[Birthday]  [2 Lists]

If you are new - here is a link with details about how the exchange works.

LINK to details about the exchange

Oct from Mary - Drivel 2 + not drivel

Mary fills her envelopes with goodies - and the stamp coordinates nicely. Toads probably eat spiders. If anyone wants to read an unbelievable amount of details about the food chain - I have a book to recommend - with reservations -- it's not for everyone - it's way too detailed - unless the complexities of things eating other things is of interest to you....and it gets into some really tiny things. Tiny - but they gang up on trees - and can kill a trees - but sometimes there is something else that will keep the original tiny thing reined in. Way more complex than one would imagine.

The Secret Wisdom of Nature by Peter Wohlleben. He wrote The Secret Life of Trees as well as other books about scientific stuff that is not actually a secret any more.....

***

Here is a good photo to illustrate drivel as we proceed to day 2 of our drivel. At the Des Moines airport, I saw this map. It's probably 30" high and 40" wide. Most (or all) of the DM airport is pretty generic. Maybe on the way back I'll look to see if I can find anything interesting. Once I get to O'Hare I am always so impressed with how many lovely features there are. There is an underground tunnel that has been there since at least 1990 - when I first saw it - and I still enjoy seeing it - and notice people taking photos. Lots of photos if you Google *O'Hare tunnel light show*

Here is what you see in Des Moines. If there was a contest for the most pitiful sign in an airport, I would submit this one.

A close up - in case you want to know where we ship all our soybeans. 

And here is what you see in Chicago. And the colors are always changing. It's like they are dancing across the ceiling. And there is nice, subtle music - that is not quite *twinkling* sounds - but goes well with the light show.

I watched some videos people have posted - they're OK - but not quite as cool as being there in person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0f2N7PooIQ

And then I found this - the name of the piece - I'm glad it is considered artwork:

"Sky's The Limit," a 744-foot-long kinetic neon sculpture that was built in 1987.

It's about a 2-minute walk.

The Des Moines map is drivel - the O'Hare tunnel is not.

Oct from Leslie - Drivel 1

 

Leslie achieved just the right level of creepy and the PO didn't attack the envelope with a Sharpie. This one gets the steal worthy label, too - and it's well within the range of something I could get done. The hard part will be locating some of those stamps. They are no longer on the website - so - I need to drive around to all the sub-stations and see if anyone has any. Maybe I can get my son to make some calls for me.

***

Here I sit on October 25th, in Chicago, wishing I had taken photos of the October mail that had arrived before I left for this impromptu trip to spend a week doing things to help my daughter and family. It's heartwarming (to me) and frustrating as all get out (to my daughter) that my grandson will not eat store-bought pumpkin muffins. He only eats the ones we make from scratch. Mom and dad think they taste exactly the same. He will not even try one. 

To be honest - it takes me back to the days when my daughter was home from college and threw a college aged fit when I pulled out a pan of store bought lasagna. At least she remembered the incident and after she hatched her own offspring, she made a point of extending a sincere apology - explaining that she had a new appreciation for what moms endure.

I am drinking coffee and have nothing to do for over 3 hours - so, maybe I can come up with something more interesting. We'll call this series *Drivel*

Oct from Juliana - Mid-life bag

 

This one, from Juliana, is delightful. I like the way the scull is hovering in the background and the clouds are hovering in the foreground. Very nice effect. The details are so good. I'm going to put this in the steal worthy category even though it seems unlikely that I will ever have the time to devote to something like this.

***

Yesterday was my daughter's birthday. Nov 27th was on Thanksgiving day in 1980, so, no matter what the date is, on Thanksgiving, I always feel like observing her birthday. 

Remember those very clever stamps I posted yesterday? I followed a link to the designer and found that the company is still turning out very clever stuff. Since my daughter is 44, I thought the bag on the left  would have been an ideal gift for her. I wonder what kind of person would want the one on the right.

This is the flip side of the green bag. 

There are many clever and well designed items at the website if you feel like surfing. 

The name of the company is Dorothy - and they had this to say about themselves:

Spoiler! No-one who works at Dorothy is called Dorothy. <snip>

Prior to setting up Dorothy we worked in an ad agency together before taking a leap of faith to see if we could make money out of our own ideas. We started selling our own designs in 2010 and quickly realised that this crazy notion might not be so crazy after all.

LINK to Dorothy

Oct from AmyG - Cool stamps

 

Here is the first of the October envelopes that arrived at my house. It is from Amy Garten (not to be confused with Amy Fox). I had not heard from AmyG for a while so it's nice to have her back in the exchange. The extra texture she added is very nice. On the inside, there was a card with just texture. On the back of the card she said she was still pursuing watercolor and neglecting her lettering. To be honest - that style of lettering is legit. Some would call it naive. It's nice and legible for the PO. It's also disappointing that some rogue postal worker attacked it with a Sharpie. Grrrr

***

I found these *stamps* in an article from 2021, so I have to do some research about the designer. Each stamp is a graphic image representing a classic book. Like The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick or Madam Bovary. I love-love-love designs that tell the *whole story* with a minimum of elements. 

If you are intrigued, you may see all of them up close at the link.

https://mymodernmet.com/dorothy-stamp-book-prints/

Oct to Kate and Sharen - Donald Sutherland stamp

I had mixed feelings about Kate's, but it grew on me. The style on Sharen's is one that I enjoyed doing with nibs and ink and was curious if I could do it with a marker. It's OK. The overall design needed something else. 

***

Here's a Canadian postage stamp. In Canada, unlike the US, they will issue stamps. to honor people who are still living. I like the design of this one, especially the proportion. It would have been lovely on Sharen's envelope. I'll add the blurb that went with the article, written in Dec of 2023. He died in June of 2024.

I emboldened my favorite part of the article. The article is from linns.com - Linns is (I believe) the place to go for stamp collecting.... I've known about it forever, but somehow had never visited.

Actor Donald Sutherland, whom Canada Post honored on a stamp issued Oct. 19, 2023, would like you to send him a postcard franked with the stamp. 

During an interview that aired Dec. 12, 2023, on the podcast Q with Tom Power, produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), Sutherland said fans have been sending him letters in envelopes franked with the stamp.

“People have sent me letters just because they wanted to send me a letter with my stamp on it,” he said.

After the interview, he followed up with the CBC with an invitation for anyone to send him a postcard franked with the stamp. Those interested can address the postcard to Donald Sutherland, General Delivery, Georgeville, QC J0B 1T0, Canada.

Sutherland told Powers that he considers the stamp his greatest achievement. 

“When they showed me this stamp, I felt that everything had come together,” Sutherland said. “You know, when you’re 88 years old — very nearly 89 — it means a lot, a stamp, because we grew up writing letters … . The stamp for me is everything, just everything!”

Oct to Patty and Juliana - Bertha Benz

This is a direct appropriation off Pinterest - although I can't find the original image to give the designer credit. It's probably just as well, since the original is so much better than what I did. The only thing I got right was the wreath. 

Since I was out of tulip stamps, I wondered if a gray-scale version would look nice. I botched it. The wreath is wimpy. I think I enclosed a note that I would not be including it on the blog - but it might be OK to run the two for comparison.

I have some stamps to share. This one, from Germany is honoring Bertha Benz, wife of automobile inventor Karl Benz, who 

played a pivotal role in the history of automotive transportation with a groundbreaking journey of approximately 66 miles in 1888.

It is a great story - part of which I have copy&pasted from the website:  

Determined to showcase her husband’s invention, she embarked on an automobile journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany without his knowledge. The journey tested both her determination and the capabilities of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.

During the trip of over 12 hours, Benz encountered rough terrain, equipment malfunctions and a lack of fuel stations. She resolved an issue with the ignition system by using a garter to insulate a wire, and she stopped at pharmacies for ligroin, a petroleum solvent used as fuel, when the vehicle’s supply ran low.

Despite the challenges, her journey was a resounding success, proving the viability of the automobile as a mode of transportation.

Benz was born May 3, 1849, and died May 5, 1944, two days after her 95th birthday.

*** 

The part where she *encountered a lack of fuel stations* cracked me up. Seems like something she might have considered before she took off. Her ability to resolve issues is impressive.

I do wonder, though, what *inspired* the trip. Did something happen where she had one of those - I-need-to-get-out-of-here-before-I-say-or-do-something-I'll-regret moments? Or maybe she was just eager to help her husband with his project. Either way, it's unexpected that a guy from that era would send his wife on a test drive. Unless - he needed some peace and quiet.

I'm sorry this is so long - but, I was proofing the post and got curious about whether there are any Benz family members in the current news. I found a couple answers to my questions. From Wiki:

The world's first long distance automobile trip was undertaken by Bertha Benz using a Model 3. On the morning of 5 August 1888 Bertha – supposedly without the knowledge of her husband – took the vehicle on a 104 km (65 mi) trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother, taking her sons Eugen and Richard with her. In addition to having to locate pharmacies along the way to refuel, she repaired various technical and mechanical problems. One of these included the invention of brake lining; after some longer downhill slopes she ordered a shoemaker to nail leather onto the brake blocks. Bertha Benz and sons finally arrived at nightfall, announcing the achievement to Karl by telegram. It had been her intention to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Benz Motorwagen for travel and to generate publicity in the manner now referred to as live marketing. Today, the event is celebrated every two years in Germany with an antique automobile rally.

 

Oct to Grace - Farrow & Ball

This one pleased me - not 100%, but enough that I will probably do some more. I think that's a Miro font. It's all over Pinterest.

***

Yesterday, writing about acrylic paint and reiterating that the rule for art supplies is *the good stuff is more expensive* --  I wondered if I had ever mentioned Farrow & Ball paints. I did not find it in a search on the blog so here's an introduction to some pricy paint for your home. Or maybe everyone already knows about F&B, sometimes I'm clueless about general knowledge. The expense of F&B is justified in that it is a more durable paint and manufactured with environmental awareness - not sure any paint is all that friendly to the environment unless we go all caveman with our painting....but that topic is too complicated for this blog.

Since I majored in painting, I have an emotional connection with paint. After I graduated, I morphed into a graphic designer. I much preferred doing all commissioned work. That's a much better deal - for people like me. I'd rather take on a commission instead of investing in a bunch of supplies and making art and then looking for customers. Not my cup of tea. I actually learned to enjoy the process of working with people who had a *vision* but needed someone else to produce it. 

I know plenty of artists who would never take a commission - they prefer to produce work for themselves without any input from others. I respect that point of view. We need both ends of the spectrum filled as well as the middle. I wonder if artists end up on a bell curve. Maybe we cluster at the ends and there is a dip in the middle. I can see myself becoming famous for this theory which finally explains why artists feel misunderstood. We defy the bell curve. That's radical. I suspect there are some statisticians who will very upset. 

I discovered Farrow & Ball paint about 5 years ago. Maybe all of you already know about them - but if not - here's a link to their website. They also have videos that feature interiors using their products - both paint and wallpaper. 

Farrow&Ball website

Farrow&Ball videos

This is Patrick O'Donnell - their Brand Ambassador. 

LINK to a tour of Patrick's home

 

Oct to Irene - frosting painting

This could have been a lot better. I'll refrain from listing all the things that bother me. The whole point of this blog is to spend some time puttering at our desks on things that will be going away. We're almost done with my Oct envelopes and then we'll enjoy seeing what arrived in my mailbox in Oct.

This article about an artist caught my eye because the title said she was inspired by frosting. 

My first thought was - Oh my gosh - That looks exactly like what I did when I had my first encounter with acrylic paint. It was in 8th or 9th grade - and as I recall, the art teacher had this new-fangled paint - called acrylic paint. I did some little paintings that looked just like this. My mom had one of them for a very long time and I did not keep it after she passed away. 

I was curious to know if my memory was accurate, that when the art teacher presented the new-fangled paint, was it truly new at the time. It would have been 1965 or 1966. I Googled and discovered that yes - acrylic paint for artists was introduced in the 60s. Acrylic paint in general was developed much earlier and used for different purposes before it was formulated/packaged for the fine art world. 

Golden was one of the first two companies to produce acrylic paint for artists and interestingly - they are  still in business and favored by many as the best. Golden is expensive. As we all learn, there are no bargains in art supplies... unless you make art out of found objects - but even then, you'd want to invest in the best adhesives if your next step is gluing things together....

LINK to full article about *frosting* artist

 

Oct to Leslie - pop-up cards

I liked this idea when I did one like it for Kate, in June - so I tried it again. I chose a name with no curves. Of course, any name can be done with no curves. S is usually curvy. It's one of the easier ones to un-curve. No - that's not right - any letter is easy to do in a block format. These letters look like jelly beans. They were fun to do. The shading is a nice touch to make them look a little 3D.

***

Here is something fun to try. Elod Beregszaszi has a website where you can purchase files and print out cards - cut and fold - and make pop-up cards. He also has YouTube videos with demonstrations if you are new to pop-ups. 

CAUTION - if you become obsessed with pop-ups - and spend hours upon hours cutting and folding you will probably do serious damage to a joint or more than one joint. I blew out my elbow when I was in my 50s and have had to be very careful to limit my cutting ever since.

LINK to a YouTube demo

LINK to the main website It looks like Elod has one free template to download. I did not try to download it - so can't guarantee that it will work. Scrolling down - it doesn't look like he has updated since 2021 - so this might be a defunct website - but I am leaving it in - because there are probably a lot of pop-up ideas if you care to Google them and when this post pops up I might need an idea for chore avoidance. 

 

Oct to Susan and Ming - owls and guidelines

These two were done ahead of time. They are based on Ed Emberley doodles. I didn't really notice how different they were until I saw the images next to each other on this page. I tried to do lots of owls on Susan's because we have corresponded about owls. Sadly, the tree was too wimpy and then I made the bats too big in relation to the bats - not that they could ever be proportional - but they're *off.* 

It occurs to me that I need a little list of guidelines that I refer to before I start my envelopes each month. I make the same mistakes over and over. Perhaps a more disciplined approach for how to instill more discipline into my process would be in order. This sounds like whatever they call that thing that looks like a snake that is in a circle, swallowing its own tail. 

Now that the comment feature on the blog has been freed of its glitch - feel free to leave comments. I still have to OK them before they appear - but I think more comments will be good for the blog. My perspective is sometimes really annoying - even to me. I do have a guest writer coming up. It's one of our favorite topics.

Maybe I should get a print of this owl and stick it on the wall in front of my work space to glare at me and remind me to look at my guidelines. 

 

Oct to Cindy - Danish paper museum

There is a BONUS POST today - probably after this post. The order keeps switching. The USPS has released a few of the 2025 stamps designs.

Does everyone recognize where this idea came from. It's one of Rachael's designs that's been done several times with variations by me as well as others. Since my favorite thing to do with the new opaque Sharpie markers is the tap-tap-tap flowers and leaves and because those markers go so well with the stamp - I figured this would be hard to mess up. I like it - but it seems like it is in the wrong season. It looks like springtime.

*** 

Our add-on today is on-topic. Paper. 

Where would we be without paper? Obviously we all have a thing about mail, but maybe some of us have a thing about paper as well. I wonder how many people take paper for granted. 

Paper people have banded together in Denmark to build a paper museum. I can't imagine anything that would have been better than this design - a giant sheet of *paper* with a single fold - for the roof.

Lots more photos at the link - LINK to paper museum

 

BONUS post - 2025 USPS Stamps

Sorry - no images - you will find them at the link.

LINK to USPS 2025 stamps

The USPS posted a sneak peek of some of the 2025 stamps and I found out about it yesterday through a comment left by *Bull Terrier's Mom* - I'm so curious as to who that is... I'd love to know - if you'd care to email me. I won't tell anyone else - unless you want credit.

Bull Terrier Mom was curious if I was excited about any of the new designs.

YES!!!!! The new international stamp is a compass  - I LOVE it. I LOVE the new LOVE stamp because it is black/white/red - one of my most favorite color combinations - plus it is Keith Herring which is joyful and bold and inviting to the free-er styles of lettering. I LOVE the leaves and flowers - always beautiful and perfect for any style of lettering. I LOVE the baby animals - adorable, nice colors - can't wait to use them. The year of the snake and the green moth stamp are both beautiful. Betty White will be useful if anyone needs a purple stamp. The winter scenery and Appalcian trail stamps include good colors - they are more photographic - so don't really have little drawn details that I find useful - but the colors are good. Allen Toussaint will be great to have on hand because we always need some nice basic black options.

I think that's all of the Forevers. I clearly like them all and am looking forward to seeing the rest of them. 

I guess I ignored the flag stamp. There have been so many flags over the years - it's hard for them to come up with anything that's as good as the ones that were wildly exciting. I seldom do flag themed envelopes. This one is generic. Now I want do some research and figure out which one is my favorite flag stamp. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

***

Well, that took 2 minutes - there is only one flag stamp that appeals to me at all.

I like the look of it - but, I've always wondered if the flag was unfolded if it would be the right proportion. It looks like it would be way too wide for the height.

Oct to C, Carolyn and Christy

This is an alphabet that ran in a Better Homes & Garden's publication during the same time that they were buying content from me. I can't remember the name of the woman who designed this style. Maybe I can find it. I believe this is the first time I have tried it and if I do more I will make the letters larger. It's highly adaptable. You don't have to use a witch hat and a broom. You could use a Christmas tree and a candy cane.

Below are the envelopes that I couldn't find and decided that it was better to have lost them - but here they are - so I am tempted to delete them - which I will do - if I find something better to insert here.

***Real time add-on: I might have to change the name of the blog to Grrrrrr. 

That's an overstatement. And I am just writing this at an annoying time - 4:12 a.m. I've been waking up too early and having a heck of a time getting back to my schedule. The people who see me in person - thank you - the people who read the blog - for letting me whine on the blog so they don't have to listen to me. 

I wonder if there is a place on the internet where a person can just post their whining. If there isn't maybe I should start one as a public service.

 

Oct to Mary

The concept on this one is everything I look for in a concept. The execution does not hit the mark. A certain amount of sketchiness is OK - but this is way too sketchy. Overworking a drawing is at the other end of the spectrum. There's a sweet spot in the middle - which is not where this one ended up.

And how many times have I said this --- it's very hit or miss if your first time on any design is going to be a keeper. I always do a rough draft on scratch paper - and probably penciled this. The markers are the new opaque Sharpies - and they are tricky. They don't make sharp corners - which sometimes is not a problem but other times it is. The non-sharpness on the party hat is OK - but the non-sharpness of the M is a real problem. 

I know what I should have done. I should have masked off the M shape with non-stick tape. Post-It makes tape - which I love - but I also save all those strips that the USPS sticks on our. mail. They are removable and perfect for masking.

I deeply regret that I did not do a better job on the confetti - no excuse whatsoever. Another fun touch would have been the balloon float up a little higher so that it was just. barely off the edge of the envelope. That would have been adorable.
 

Maggie, Jackie, Lynne and Jessica - coffee pot buildings

Four more - that seem a little drab. I really like the Underground Railway stamps - and will continue to look for better designs that complement them. 

I didn't add any white to this one - and wish I would have.

These two show that the lighter marker is drying up. 

I don't prefer one over the other. It would be nice to get three tones.

And now, after all that drabness, here's something to perk things up - 

Chuck sent more coffee pot buildings.... 

I like the one on the top left with the window. There's something about serving through a little window that goes well with the whole concept.

 

Oct to AmyG and Nanski - 2024 Graceful Envelope winners

GOOD NEWS

I finally discovered that there was a button to flip to allow everyone to leave a comment on the blog with ease. Even I was unable to leave comments - and I had no idea why - until I found the button.

I had Mary give it a try - and it seems to be working just fine. So, if anyone has been frustrated by the comments not going through, please try again -- and hopefully it is now working.

Keep in mind, you will not see your comment, instantly. I still have to OK the comment before it posts to the blog.

***

These two were somewhat inspired by that one to Phillip (yesterday) which had designs on the lettering done with nibs and white ink. These are done with gel pen and they are OK. Seems like they could have used a little somethin' else.

The add on today is a reminder to go look at the 2024 Graceful Envelope winners. Maybe I already posted this - but - it's still in my to-do file - so, I'm going to err on the side of maybe-repeating myself.

This one was third place - I would have given it first place. I love the first place one, too. 

LINK to Graceful Envelope 2024 winners

 

Oct to Phillip and Amy - stamp coordination

The envelope to Phillip had been in a stack for a very long time. It was supposed to inspire me to get my nibs and ink out again. That might be a lost cause. Then there is the quest for a coordinating stamp. I think the one I put on Amy's envelope would have been better. I liked the softness of Amy's and colors on the stamp look nice with the name but the stamp is just soooo heavy compared to the name. Adding big chunks of black to the name seemed too dangerous. 

What's the opposite of being a drug addict or an alcoholic. That seems to be the generic word for someone who keeps doing something that is destructive. I do the opposite - don't do something that should have been done - coordinate the lettering and stamps from the very beginning. What's the deep disturbance behind that lack of foresight? It reminds me of my dear friend Jackie whose artistic skill was way ahead of mine. After we had exchanged mail art for a while, I found out that she created beautiful envelopes AND THEN went to the PO to find a stamp. I had one of those *head-exploding* moments when I learned about her process. She said that part of the enjoyment (for her) was walking up to the clerk at the PO and asking for a stamp to go with her artwork. To me - that's the same as those people who have those crazy suits that look like a flying squirrel and they jump off cliffs and *fly* down to the ground.

I guess I am a plan-resister-holic. There is a plan that would work - but I am addicted to not following the plan. What do you call a plan resister? Rogue?

 I'm editing the first 2 weeks of Nov posts - on Nov 3rd - and pondering the Nov exchange envelopes that I will be doing. I am going to be vigilant about choosing the stamps first and we'll see if there is a better outcome. ***Spoiler alert: I did manage to choose all the stamps first and it is definitely the way to go.

Oct to Juliana - Ann Carrington & Cheekwood

Lynne was the name I found that worked out beautifully in horseshoes. The next name I tried was Juliana's and I'm pleased. I'm still looking for something else to pull off the stamp to make it more interesting without being cluttered. Some of those green leaves might have worked

Apologies for the redundancy - here's a 4.5 minute video featuring more found object art. Flowers made out of spoons - by Ann Carrington. Once again, I feel like I already posted this - but I can't find it on the blog -- you'll just have to put up with me as I slog through the place where I file things to add on when I don't have much to say about the envelopes. The artist had an exhibit at Cheekwood.

LINK to spoon flowers, etc

The video is just one of several about Cheekwood - which may have a ton of stuff that interests some of you. Here's the blurb off their channel. 53 videos that I would watch if I had nothing to do.

Cheekwood is a 55-acre botanical garden and art museum located on the historic Cheek estate. Originally built as the home of Leslie and Mabel Cheek in 1929, Cheekwood is one of the finest examples of an American Country Place Era estate. Since being converted into a museum of art and botanical garden in 1960, Cheekwood has presented world-class art exhibitions, spectacular gardens and an historic estate unlike anything else. Each year, Cheekwood welcomes over 300,000 visitors, making it one of the city’s top cultural attractions, with over 20,000 member households. Visitors enjoy family activities, programming for all ages and year-round festivals celebrating the four seasons. From 250,000 blooming bulbs in the spring to one mile of holiday lights in the winter, there’s always something to see at Cheekwood.