(because it's winter and it's cold and we're supposed to be hibernating this time of year and drinking tea by the fire in our cozy old chair reading our favorite books but we can't because something always seems to come up?)
(instead of picking up the five T-Rex's and their gazillion friends one more time and it's only 10:36 a.m.)
(That doesn't include yelling at someone or getting out your juicer that you don't remember how to use because it's been 5 years since you last bought a big bag of juicing carrots?)
The easiest self care you will ever do. Seriously.
All you have to do is buy a Steel Cow Dahlia friend (cow, pig, chicken or sheep etc.) Take it out of the box and hang it on your wall.
(You won't even have to touch it again if you don't want to. Trust me - my kids leave legos and taco socks and kinetic sand in corners (and not corners) of the house like they are three perfectly normal children and I have to touch these things all the time - whether I want to or not. And even if I did love that small little taco sock the first time I put it on my kiddos foot, with each time I fish it out from under his bed or pull it out of an old raisin container that's now under the couch, I love it a little less and less until there is such little love left for it I threaten to throw it outside and let the mice live in it.
But the walls? They don't touch the walls. They don't even notice the walls. They may or may not climb them, but generally speaking the walls are my safe space and they are just for me. So - chances are you won't have to pick up your print from the floor once you hang it on the wall.) 
It’s our new Trademarked tag line for our new line of floral inspired art- and it’s perfect.
No matter what you have going on in your life - it's pretty easy to take a break from the chaos and look at some pretty flowers.
We make all our prints by hand with love in Iowa and as soon as you take them out of the box they’re ready to hang on your wall and give you a quick boost of self-care.
No juicer or broom required.
And they won’t wilt or fade like real flowers. (I love real flowers. In fact - I grew all the Dahlias and flowers on these images and I know the power of real flowers - these are just our way to share with you our version of fresh locally grown flowers!)
Beauty inspires and motivates us. It’s why we can't stop looking or listening or touching or thinking about beautiful things. (It’s why I have spent more hours than I care to admit looking at Cafe au lait dahlias on Pinterest and why I have actually set my alarm to go online and buy that gorgeous KA dahlia cutting or tuber before it’s gone - oops, did I say tuber, I meant tubers - don’t tell my husband…)
I believe that beauty is essential to life and to happiness (and it’s not just me - google it - it really is true.)
And I am so thrilled to share this collection with you. I’ve been working on this project for awhile now - it combines the art of my animal paintings with my new obsessive love for growing flowers!
I hope you love them as much as I do - they are so sweet and fresh and will cheer up any space, making you happier and more motivated (something we all need this time of year especially after the last two years we have all gone through.)
These prints are not only perfect if you want to freshen up a wall in your home but they are also perfect Valentine’s Day gifts as they are a fun way to give flowers in a non-traditional way!
(It’s also true that giving a gift sometimes feels better than receiving one)
In the Steel Cow Dahlia Friends collection all of my animal paintings are adorned with the sweetest Dahlias. I have grown each and every flower in these images - and they are filling me with such happiness right now.
(I am writing this in Iowa in January when everything is cold and white outside. It’s -9 F, which means you can throw a glass of hot water out into the air and it never makes it to the ground because it evaporates mid-air. Really. I just tried it with my 3 year old. It means that when you breathe in deeply, your nose sticks together and your lungs hurt. It means there are no flowers in my garden - but there are flowers in these prints and that’s why I am smiling right now instead of being grumpy and mad.)
As you may or may not know, I have been obsessively painting cows for over 20 years, and I started growing flowers in the spring of 2020. I have grown dahlias for two seasons and just like with the cows, I am obsessed.
I will write a short blog post shortly about my experience growing dahlias - it's limited, but I have started anyway! It's so rewarding and I am already looking forward to next growing season with the new 40 some varieties of dahlias I have picked out (again...shhhh to the husband!)
There's so much that goes into these images. So much love, so much time. So much thought. So many years of looking at animals and images and so many years of painting.
And so many mornings of watering, weeding, fertilizing, and nurturing the flowers.
I truly believe these are the best artworks of flower animals in the world and I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
They are on sale now and The Girls and Friends are excited to bring you happiness and joy.
p.s. As with all of our prints, these babies are printed, stretched and made by love by us in our Iowa Studio.
p.s.s. I'll be coming out with a whole line of flower art in the next couple of months - so if you would rather wait and have something of ours with just the flowers and not the animals - They are coming soon!!!
p.s.s.s. In case you are interested these are some of the dahlias represented in the Steel Cow Dahlia Friends Collection: Cafe Au Lait, Sweet Nathalie, Jowey Winnie, Diva, Roque Starburst, Robin Hood, Cornel, Rock Run Ashley, Nicholas and an unnamed white ball variety.
You can find these dahlias by doing an internet search. Word to the wise - if you want to grow dahlias try to buy dahlia tubers from individual American farms as they tend to be healthier and prettier!
Josh Miller
Author