Tag: American Illustrator

My Abundant Life 6-23-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 23rd, 2026

Midsummer Night’s Dreams

“Now is the high-tide of year,

And whatever of life hath ebbed away

Comes flooding back with ripply cheer

Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it,

We are happy now, because God wills it.”

James Russell Lowell (Poet & Former United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom; February 22nd, 1819 to August 12th, 1891)

“Life is to be enjoyed, not saddled with…”

Tasha Tudor (American Illustrator & Writer; August 28th, 1915 to June 18th, 2008)

“‘Take joy’ from each day. This is a catechism we should all embrace to experience Heaven on earth.”

1st Commandment of the Stillwater religion

“I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything splendid or wonderful or exciting happens, but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”

Lucy Maud Montgomery (Canadian Author; November 30th, 1874 to April 24th, 1942)

“Learning to BE present has afforded me the capacity to be enlivened by the smallest of pleasures to the same magnitude as something splendid. To BE alive is the magic.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 222 to 224 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 6-6-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 6th, 2026

The Bath: Secret Heaven of Self-Absorption

“If I were a psychiatrist, I think I would like to inspect my patients’ bathrooms before investigating any other area of their lives.”

Mark Hampton (American Interior Designer, Writer & Illustrator; June 1st, 1940 to July 23rd, 1998)

“…provide a place for private pampering for a sybaritic mood that might otherwise be frowned on. Hidden from the scrutiny of others, these rooms are secret havens of self-absorption.”

“My bathroom is a temple of renewal and meditation.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 196 to 198 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 6-2-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

June 2nd, 2026

In Praise of Modesty

“Style is to see beauty in modesty.”

Andrée Putman (French Production Designer; December 23rd, 1925 to January 19th, 2013)

“Meditate on modesty for a moment. What if she isn’t the self-effacing, shy, retiring, nerdy virtue we’ve thought she is? What if Modesty is really passion restrained? What if modesty is a virtue so full of her own smoldering sense of self that she isn’t distracted by the glitz?”

“…the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it.”

Oliver Herford (American Writer & Illustrator; December 2nd, 1860 to July 5th, 1935)

“People with an authentic style know what they are, but even more important, they know what they are not. They don’t care about labels. They care about personal expression.”

“I definitely know who I am not. However, this still leaves me a bit a loss to my style.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 191 to 192 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.

My Abundant Life 5-31-26

On By Heather HoustonIn My Abundant LifeLeave a comment

May 31st, 2026

Child’s Play: Introducing a Touch of Whimsey and Wit to Your Surroundings

“Oh, the fun of arriving at a house and feeling the spark that tells you that you are going to have a good time.”

Mark Hampton (American Interior Designer, Writer & Illustrator)

“May has been a fun month to rediscover my authentic style in all veins of my life.”

–Ban Breathnach, Sarah. “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy”. Grand Central Publishing. (1976). Kindle Page 184 to 188 of 501.

I challenge each of you on this blog series to post comments so we all can grow together.