And That My Friends, Is What I Call, A Great Weekend

Oh my goodness!!!

Did this weekend really just happen?

This was one of the most perfectly relaxing weekends ever!!!!

 

It started out perfect when I went to work on Friday.

I was certain we were having a St. Patty's Day party

in our classroom, but I was wrong.

But I didn't care.

Another teacher made me a party hat, I went and bought some

kid friendly (that means stuff I wouldn't normally eat) snacks

and we had a St. Patty's Day party by crackie!!!!

 

My Party Hat clearly shows that I am always down for a party!!!!!

 

Nothing says 2 year old party like Cheese Puffs and Sugar Cookies!!!!

 

Kids were happy when they woke up from their naps

and I didn't feel like I had let them all down.

Next year I will remember we don't normally do

St. Patrick's Day parties;)

 

So once I was home, the weekend had begun.

The sun was still up, the temps were comfortable,

I poured a glass of wine and headed outside to

find my husband.

 

Cheers to the weekend and St. Patty's Day:)

 

Saturday started off with a fabulous visit from our lovely post lady.

When I saw her car coming up the drive, I knew I had goodies arriving.

I had been anxiously awaiting a necklace I had bought from the

amazing Danita's Etsy Shop.

It was a Frida necklace she had made and I wanted it badly.

 

Isn't it pretty in it's little pouch and the cute little post card with it too?

Love this lady!!!!!

 

I had to put the necklace on immediately and hoped that the spirit of Frida

and some inspiration from Danita would send me straight to my

studio ready to create, create, CREATE!!!!!!

 

Isn't she just the most precious little thing you have ever seen?

God I love Frida!!!!!!

 

I had also ordered two books to help with my creative process.

The first one is called Daring Adventures In Paint by the wonderfully talented

Mati Rose McDonough,

The other is by the equally amazing and talented

Flora Bowley

and it is called

Brave Intuitive Painting

let go. be bold. unfold.

 

These two books are filled with great ideas of how to get in touch

with your own style and learn to let what is inside of you come out

onto a canvas as art.

 

I was so excited, I didn't know what to do first,

read my books, work in my art journal, work on a piece i am making for a friend or

work on my LifeBook 2013 class.

I started reading but then all I wanted to do was start making art.

So that's what I did.

First I did a few pages in my art journal.

 

 

 

Then I decided to get serious.

I have a friend I have wanted to make an art piece for.

She said something to me a few weeks ago that stuck in my head.

After a while, I realized this was actually a little snip of inspiration to create a

new piece of mixed media.  So I went to my studio and set myself to work.

 

Several layers of papers, layers of color, some molding paste for texture,

a transfer or two, a sketch and then....

 

 

I topped it off with a layer of beeswax which I have never done before.

That was a lot of fun and I do need much more practice, but now the finished

piece has not only color, but it feels good and has a very earthy smell from the wax.

 

 I used some of my old patterns I inherited from my mom for some of the

under layers.

Used some of my stamps and a few of my transfers

and was so proud that I could draw my elephant free hand:)

 

Wish you could tell I had sealed this in the beeswax but you will just

have to take my word for it.  I need a lot more practice with this technique

but I really enjoyed it.

 

This is how happy i am after all is said and done and all that is left

is cleaning up.  What a great day in my favorite "space".

 

The only thing left to do was to make a wonderful dinner.

I had started dough for french bread earlier in the morning so all I had to

do was put that in the oven.

 

Two lovely loaves of french bread.

 

Next was to start up some homemade pasta sauce with garlic, olives, peppers we preserved from

our garden last summer and some Italian Sausage.

Oh my goodness, the kitchen smelled so wonderful!!!!!

 

 

My sweet hubby had been watching his beloved NASCAR Race while i was spending

amazing time in my studio and kitchen.  At last it was all ready and we came together

for a lovely Italian dinner on a wonderful Irish Holiday.

 

 

What more can one ask of a weekend?

(only that the snow falling outside right now is enough to keep me from having to go

to work in the morning ;) )

 

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and that the week ahead brings you so much

happiness and love you think you are going to burst at the seams.

Make it a great one!!!!

Hugs and kisses

Deb

 

 



Wow, Now That Was Fun!!!!!!!

So this past week, I spent a lot of time being creative. 

I made a lamp for a friend for a birthday gift, I doodled a lot on my lunch breaks.
Did some sketching and painting with water colors in the evenings and on our snow day.
Altered the cover and back of a new small journal I bought to sketch and paint in.
Cooked up some pretty yummy recipes.
Found some new artists who inspired me and gave me some ideas.
Took some pictures with my real camera and not just my IPod.

It was so much fun spending so much time doing something that I LOVE!!!!!!  Many of my sketches were sketches of other artists paintings and creations.  But they were a good way for me to practice and try to work closer to finding my style.  Obviously from the list above of things I did, I am still all over the map with what I am doing, but oh well.  Being creative is being creative right?  Today I am going to start and hopefully finish a mixed media project I want to give to a friend.

The best way to explain what I have been doing is showing it in pictures.  So that's what the rest of this post shall be.  My girl drawings and Little Frida painting were my interpretations of Danita.'s artwork.   She is an amazing artist I came across thanks to my LifeBook 2013 class I am taking.  I just can't get enough of her work and just love, love, love her style.  I even wrote to her and asked her for some guidance in how to go about finding my style.  She was so kind to write me back and gave me some helpful tips, including that while copying her work was a good way for me to practice my art, it would not help me develop my own style.  I know this is so true, but I just so enjoy the process, that until I feel confident in my own ability, it is at least a way for me to do something.  I am strongly considering doing her online workshop too, but maybe I can get my hubby to give that to me as a birthday gift:) Hint, hint!!!!!!

"Reading" Lamp idea came from

Shabby Creek Cottage 

 

 Just as daylight was breaking, a beautiful blue sheen was cast across into the world

from the freshly falling snow.

 

Poulet Chateau was not showing much activity

as the chickies don't like the snow 

 

 But Beauty sure does love it!!!!!!

 

Something about all that gorgeous snow in the trees and surronding the house

makes it feel like a magical place to me.

 

  My Danita inspired Flower Child.

 

 With the electricity out, my creative spot became a seat in

front of the woodstove.  Boots drying on the hearth and natural

light being my lighting. 

 

Decided to start working back in my Art Journal I had started last year and had

stopped working on in March.  Oddly enough, the last day I had made an entry in

it last year, was the exact date that I brought it back out this year to work in.

First entry, my Little Frida painting.

This journal was for an online class I did called

No More Excuses by Gina Rossi Armfield.

I found all kinds of excuses not to complete it, but that is okay.

I have picked it back up and back on task now:)

 

 My new small journal with watercolor paper pages.  Loved finding this at

Hobby Lobby but not crazy about the plain brown cover.  No worries

I just altered it to a nice inspiration cover and back:)

(MegPie, notice your lovely gift of amazing slippers right beside me!!!)

 

 

The new cover. 

 

The new back

 

 My "Little Frida"

Thanks Danita for loving Frida as much as I do

and bringing these cuties to my attention.

 

 The sun finally came back out and the snow started to melt.

Poulet Chateau is once again loud and active.

 

Waiting patiently for me to let them out and about!!!

 

 Love me some blue sky

 

 Looks like I need to fill up some bird feeders!!!

 

A little something I am working on for someone

 

 

Yet another Danita inspired girl.  I just LOVE her work and would buy every single

piece if I could afford it!!!!

I am anxiously awaiting a Frida necklace I bought from her Etsy shop to arrive.

 

 

 

So, there you have it.  My amazing week in pictures.  Here's wishing you a fabulous Sunday, a Wonderful Mother's Day to those of you in the parts of the world that celebrate it today and a great week to everyone.

XXOO