Saturday, April 6, 2013

Cherry Blossom Trees



I grew up in Washington, DC, and there, with the arrival of spring, comes the arrival of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.  I have fond memories of my dad taking my sister and me to see the blossoms and visiting some of the monuments located in the area.  It is truly a sight and event to behold.   The cherry blossom trees, originally 3,000 of them, were gifts from Japan back in 1912.  Each year, the  National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the enduring relationship that the US has with Japan by celebrating the Japanese culture and traditions, while paying homage to the beauty of the cherry blossoms.


 This year, Erik Abel was named Official Artist for the festival and his work illustrates a prominent cherry tree overlooking the Tidal Basin, with the Jefferson Memorial and blooming trees in the background.

  


 I love the bold, yet simpleness of this piece of art.









 It's fun trying to recreate the cherry blossom trees. Printing out a tree pattern from the Graphics Fairy blog I quickly added dots of pink acrylic paint to the branches.  How easy was that?






                     






 I loved it so much that I did another one.





                                             








And then I mod podged them onto canvas panel boards, and finally framed them using a couple of old frames I had previously spray painted.




                                             (please excuse the wrinkles created from the mod podge)



I love how the cherry blossom trees turned out.    So much that

                       I chose a corner in my bedroom to hang them.



Oh how fun that was to do!






Take a little time to enjoy,











Visit thecsiproject.com













 





Linking to these fabulous parties:
    The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday , The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday ,Graphics Fairy for Brag Monday , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , Pursuit of Funtional Home for Monday Hop , Kathe With A E for You're Gonna Love It Tuesday ,    The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday , A Stroll thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday , Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop on Tuesdays , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday's Treasures ,Ginger Snap Crafts for Wow Me Wednesdays ,  Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,The Shady Porch for Rock and Share Wednesdays ,  DIY by Design for Swing into Spring , Glued To My Crafts for Crafty Thursdays, The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays , No Minimalist Here for the Open House Party on Thursdays , Stone Gable for Tutorials, Tips and Tidbits on Thursdays ,  Happy Go Lucky for Shine on Fridays ,    My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday , French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday , 504 Main for Tickled Pink Fridays ,  Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special, A Bouquet of Talent for Life on Lake Shore Drive on Saturdays , Classy Clutter for Spotlight Saturday , Crafts a la Mode for What To Do Weekends , One More Time for Share It One More Time Saturday ,