the white house.  the smithsonian.  the kennedy centre.  the capitol building.  lincoln memorial.  those are all must-sees when you visit washington, d.c. ... we saw all of those and more at the end of last year but my favourite was taking a stroll through georgetown, a town full of cafes and shops in old historical buildings ... although a lot of the stores are well-known chains and franchises but if i close my eyes i can almost imagine that once upon a time they were all quaint little shops with old country charm and hand-made goodies ... 

we started the morning with breakfast at "le pain quotidien", an international chain that was founded in brussels which literally means "the daily bread" ... the breakfast was delicious, healthy and cozy ... we ate on a distressed wooden table as long as the length of the room, sharing it with other breakfast goers ... in addition to the fabulous food, it was the little touches that made it so memorable ... the lady that sat across from us ordered a cup of hot chocolate ... a steaming hot bowl of fresh milk was served alongside a little jug of warm melted chocolate ... mmmmm

georgetown was founded in the 1751 and predates the establishment of the district of columbia by more than a century ... situated along the potomac river in northwest washington, dc., it is home to georgetown university and the "old stone house" - the oldest building in d.c. ... you will recognize the names of many current and past residents of georgetown (many of whom are politicians) ... when we walked by john f. kennedy & jackie kennedy's old house, i got this sense that i was surrounded by history and memories ... 

i have to admit i'm not a huge shopper or a designer labels kinda gal ... the photographs and family videos i take are my souvenirs ... and with the exception of this trip, i tend to buy art books or prints ... however, i had a great time window shopping in georgetown ... not only were the buildings and facades beautiful on the outside but there were many beautifully arranged window displays and stores ... to top it off, we found every excuse to sit down for a cup of coffee and indulge in ice cream  

it's been one week since the one of a kind spring show in toronto and i finally have a chance to sit down and reflect upon this great experience ... yes without a doubt it was exhausting ... from the months of preparation, the logistics of move-in, the long hours, the move-out, the unpacking (which is still ongoing =P) ... but would i trade the experience for anything?  certainly not!  it was great and i am very thankful for the one of a kind show, etsy, all the wonderful people i met and especially my family and friends for their support!

in this digital era where one's portfolio is online, the drawback to the convenience and the worldwide reach is that you don't get to see your audience's facial expression as they see your art for the first time ... the best thing for me about the show was being able to obtain first hand feedback and see the smiles from visitors as i explain the concept or story behind the art ...

my most memorable moment was a little girl who came to visit my booth with i believe her mom ... she flipped through my portfolio, looked around, lingered for a while and eventually they went onto the next booth ... when they came back later in the day, i immediately recognized them ... she browsed through the various artwork again and eventually decided she wanted a print of my newest piece titled "spring meadow" ... i was expecting her mom to reach for her purse but instead, the little girl took out her own wallet and handed me her money ... i was so touched ... i wanted to give her the print as a gift ... i explained to the girl that the lamb in the rocking chair was knitting a sweater using her own wool ... their smiles were priceless ... to think that maybe my art will eventually make its way onto her wall is so very flattering ...

above is the piece that the little girl purchased, my latest artwork that i created just for the one of a kind spring 2014 show ...

coincidentally and very unexpectedly, i placed 3rd in the "a day in the country" competition ... very thankful for those that made it happen = )