Dear Friends,

Happy Spring! Once again, St. Francisville is abloom with azaleas, dogwoods, wisteria, cherokee roses and too many wildflowers to name. What a relief, after a recent bout of two weeks of nonstop rain. For the first time, I truly understood how people are affected by lack of sunlight. However, the dreary weather inspired me to create some cheerful new paint colors.

I'm happy to report that I've added a palette of 14 new "Coastal Colors" which are inspired by the Mediterranean, Carribean, Bahamian and Floridian coasts: Clear colors of the sea and festive colors found in seaside architecture. To read a description of each color and find out how to get samples, please visit our online brochure:

Water, like color, is closely associated with our emotions. Water makes up most of the human body and water covers most of the earth. The moon's energy, which also affects our emotions, influences the tides of the oceans. It's no wonder when we vacation, many of us choose trips to the beach.

However, did you know that water has consciousness? A consciousness that can actually be changed? When water freezes, it becomes crystalized. Dr. Masaru Emoto's book Messages from Water is a compilation of experiments and accompanying photos demonstrating this theory. When a water molecule crystalizes, pure water becomes pure crystal, but contaminated water doesn't crystalize as beautifully. Emoto's book shows this with several photographs taken of tap water in various cities. The difference was astonishing. The crystals of water from Vancouver were beautifully intricate, while the water crystals from Paris and London were foggy and misshapen.

The vibrations of music affect water. Messages from Water also contains photographs of beautiful, intricate crystals taken from distilled water while classical music like Beethoven, Mozart and Bach was playing. However, when playing heavy metal and other popular music, the hexagonal structures were broken and ill-formed. Imagine what effect music must have on the human body which is 70% water!

My favorite experiments show how different words effect water. Emoto took clear glass bottles of distilled water and on one, he put the words "Thank you" and on another, the words "You fool!" He did this with both Japanese and English wording. In each instance, the "Thank you" crystals were stunning crystals while the "You fool!" crystals were distorted. I don't have to tell you what happened with words like "Angel", "Demon", "Hitler" and "Mother Teresa". More proof that we must be careful with our words!

There are many more experiments with incredible photographs, but the most empowering was when he took samples from a polluted lake in Japan before and after a group of people were led in prayer for an hour alongside the lake. The "before" crystals were so distorted they didn't even resemble crystals. Yet just moments after praying, they obtained some of the most beautifully formed crystals of all. You can see some of these photos for yourself and order the book via their website:

If you're planning a trip to the Floridian coast this season, be sure to stop in "My Serendipity", a new store opening late April at 9045 Bridge Road in Hobe Sound. Owner Billie Haffey's description of her shop sounds more like a Parisian salon. She'll be serving libations, fine chocolates and other goodies on the courtyard and showcasing fine slipcovered upholstery, Bella Notte fine linens, French antiques, enlightened reading, music and much more. You'll see our Full Spectrum Paints both inside and out. My Serendipity will also be stocking cans of our most popular colors and will have other colors available within 24 hours.

The Magnolia Cafe' was the heart of St. Francisville for over 20 years. It was a second home for most of the locals. Tourists drove for miles to dine there, and on weekends it attracted some of the country's top musicians. It was a devastating blow when it was destroyed by fire last December 29th. The only thing left standing was the front exterior wall. However, the folks of St. Francisville once again showed their incredible spirit of community by banding together with fund raisers and numerous donations to help the employees who no longer had jobs. Owner Robin Marshall is planning to re-build and I'm honored to be helping with the design of the new building. I'm pleased to divulge that the new Magnolia will have many of it's original features, but of course, as long as we're starting from scratch; there will be many wonderful improvements. You'll see our new color "Tuscan Sun" bathing the walls when it re-opens this October. In the meantime, the Magnolia is serving lunch around back at the Birdman Coffee Shop.

I hope this Spring season finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy. Come see us in St. Francisville, it's never been more beautiful!

.

P.S. For more information on St. Francisville visit: