You Make Me Smile, 58 x 75 inches, by O.V. Brantley, 2009.

January is one of those months during which it is easy to get down in the dumps. The weather is cold and gray. The glitter and happiness of Christmas is over. The drudgery of work seems amplified with the next vacation a long way off.

We owe it to ourselves to remain optimistic. Not feeling optimistic? Fake it! Optimism, like everything else  in life, can be learned. A good first step is to smile at everyone you see today. Try it. It certainly can’t help.

I am lucky to have a person in my life who can make me smile no matter how bleak things seem.  I wanted to capture that quality like lightning in a bottle so I made a quilt called You Make Me Smile. Today I share that quilt with you.