Peony Inspired Sketchbooks

Happy Summer! I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful time of year. I don’t know about where you live, but it has been very hot and humid here in Ohio lately. I am ready for some low to mid 80 degree weather soon hopefully! It has been almost too hot and muggy to be outside except if I am in a pool or the lake! My hydrangeas are looking very crispy and sad as well. However, I will take this heat wave over any gray and gloomy winter day for sure:)

Anyway…enough about the weather! Let me tell you a little about what my family and I are up to so far in June. This year marks the very first summer that my family and I have been able to actually live in our cozy little island home. We began the building process back in May of 2021 when we purchased some land that was down the street from my parent’s cottage on Lake Erie. The lot we purchased was filled with trees and lots of vegetation. I loved that it was next to an amazing historic part of the island. It took us four years to get the trees cleared and our home built. It was an insane process of building on an island but we did it and are happy we did (most days!) We are still working on customizing our new build and adding character through millwork throughout the home. It has been a long but very worthwhile process that seems like it will never end…lol. I plan on sharing some updates in the next couple of blogposts.

For this post I would like to share with you are some sketches and photos I have taken along the island the past couple of weeks especially of the stunning Peonies along the island. I was very inspired by them and painted multiple sketches in my summer sketchbook. I hope you enjoy them:)

Peonies by the lake. Doesn’t this look like.a wonderful place to drink a cup of coffee?

What a lovely little peony garden located in the historic part of the island.

One of my sketchbooks titled “ Peonies and Sailboats” inspired by the gorgeous peonies around the island and the adorable sailboats that were on the water especially seen during sailing camp.

A beautiful garden that included peonies at a historic home on the island.

Peonies in front of my neighbor’s home on the island. Seeing these gorgeous flowers brought me so much joy each day. I wish Peonies lasted a lot longer!

Quick break from Peonies lol! Here are some Poppies. I look forward to seeing these bloom at their beautiful island cottage each June.

Thanks so much for stopping by and checking out some of the sketches I have been working on. I have a brand new sketchbook designated for documenting summer memories and it is making me so happy to work in every time I am at the island house. It has become a visual diary of my time at our island home. Have a lovely rest of your day!

xo

Michelle