Spring is taking its sweet time here in the Northeast this year. Even on the cusp of May, I'm hunkered down in my studio with my Icelandic sweater and a cup of hot tea, though I know we'll be longing for cooler days again soon enough.

I've been reveling in pre-spring rituals these last few weeks, both at home and at the studio. A lovely visit to the Orchid Show and the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at NYBG is always on our list at this time of year.

Greetings for the New Year! We've been enjoying a very wintry few weeks here, and I've finally been able to spend some time cozying up and recovering from a very bustling holiday season. I've been reflecting with much gratitude on 2013 and looking forward to what the year ahead will bring.

I hope that the beginning of September has treated you well. Despite the strangely tropical weather here this past week, the seasonal shift is still perceptible, and I've been spending just a bit more time working by lamplight in the studio.

In case you missed our latest newsletter (subscribe here, if so!), I'll be out of the studio this week for a little jaunt to the Pacific Northwest. Our twice-yearly trip is always a treat, and extra-anticipated during this abundant season when local markets are overflowing with fruits and flowers, and making pies and going sailing seem like the only natural ways to spend the day.

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I have an inexplicable interest, obsession perhaps, with old buildings. Places with history. I live in one, I work in one. I send handwritten letters to people who used to live in them, after snooping around to find them on the internet.

We've been spending nearly every spare moment in the garden lately. Our little plot receives a great deal more sun than last year, due to the willow tree situation, so I've been dreaming up ways to take advantage of it.

It was just perfect to spend the afternoon in the warm, damp gorgeousness of the orchid show at the New York Botanic Gardens this week.