3-D Magazine Flowers

While I was playing in my art studio yesterday, I made these really fun 3-D flowers out of magazine pages.  I was going to use them on the wall hanging but decided the painted flowers looked best.  They were so fun and quick to make.  If you made them out of colored paper they would be so bright and pretty.  I was just trying to recycle old magazines. I think they would be so cute in the right spot.  I tried to find the tutorial that I watched so that you could see how they are made but I couldn't find it.  If anyone finds it let me know and I will put up a link. 

Have a happy Friday :)

Sweet Dreams

I played in my art studio today and finally got to work on an idea that was bouncing around in my head.  I have been saving the brown paper that companies use as packing material.  I decided to use it to make a banner to hang over my bed.  Other than time, it was virtually free since I recycled materials I had and a little paint.  Now I am thinking of making some valences for the windows that will match since I have more paper. We shall see how motivated I get since I would have to make three.

The three little flowers at the bottom of each scallop are punched out and backed with yellow paper. The bigger flowers in each scallop or punched out of scrapbook paper with an added button to middle.  For the leaves I used a heart punch and cut it in half  after I painted book pages green.  The rest is just acrylic paint and pencil.  I ran a dowel across the top flap to give it stability and ribbon to hang it.

A just "ok" day of painting

I spent some time in my studio yesterday.  I really would like to get to the point where I am painting a little everyday but it feels like my life still has too many distractions.  I will set aside time in my studio and that will be the time someone decides they need me for whatever reason.  The days I don't have studio time planned, no one will call for days.  I find that very weird. 

I felt out of sorts while painting yesterday and didn't like the direction that the painting was going but felt like I needed to follow it through.  When I got up this morning and looked with fresh eyes, she had started to kinda grow on me. I still can't figure out what to do with the mouth.  Sometimes just starring at a painting for days will give insight.  I think I will set her aside and see what comes to me. I know it is not right yet because I have an unsettled feeling about it.  When it is finished I will feel it in my gut. 

Busy Days

It has been a busy two weeks of two birthday celebrations for family, buying and planting nine trees, six Chrysanthemums, transplanting two hydrangeas, buying two new recliners, totally rearranging bedroom to fit the recliners in it and hosting my art group at my house. I was wondering why I was tired, I guess I know why.  Whew!

I had fun making food for the ladies and the above picture is one of the recipes I tried.  I am having to show you the package pictures because my phone camera decided to take black pictures of mine.  It was a week of things not working right too. My mover broke and the vacuum cleaner.  Kinda important things to have working when you are having people over for the first time. Oh well, I think they love me anyway.

Anyhoo, back to the bundt.  I made mine with mini bundt pans but you can use any size.  The pumpkin cake was from a mix but any cake mix will work.  I think I might make a big one for Thanksgiving. 

Since it has been so busy we took a day to lay around and rest.  I did a simple journal page as I was catching up with some TV.  My October journal is seriously lacking in pages.  I don't think I have ever had such a tiny signature. That is going to change for November for sure.

Let Love Grow

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13

And may the Lord make your love grow

and overflow to each other

and to everyone else,

just as our love overflows toward you.

I just want to say that I really am feelin the love towards you all today.  I so appreciate that you show up and read about what is going on in my life, as humble as it is.  You all mean a lot to me and if I could give you all big hugs I would.  Thanks for who you are, even the ones who don't leave a comment.  You are loved!

Jesse Reno class

I spent yesterday taking a class from Jesse Reno.

He is a very talented guy and was very gracious to all of us trying to learn his style, which in my opinion only one person in the class came close (hint, it wasn't me).  We all made valiant efforts however.

 This is how his painting started out.  What was interesting was that he did his in portrait style and the rest of us did it in landscape.  Maybe it had to do with the size of the tables we were working on.

 Here is is again in process after chopping or blocking out a shape.

 Then he changed it again.  He said he will go through this process a few times before he gets it to his liking.

 I can't believe that I am going to show you my feeble attempt, but here goes.  This was the start of my painting.  Now keep in mind, he had us drawing with our eyes closed a good portion of the time. I can't say that I would be a very good blind painter. 

This was how mine turned out.  I don't think I impressed anyone, least of all me but now looking at it I can see what I would change if I did it again.  Jesse has been painting like this for 10 years and says that he paints 10 paintings in a week and works on all 10 of them at the same time.

I think what I got out of the class was to be looking at size, shape, contrast and variation when creating a painting like this.  That is the mind part; the other part is just practice, intuition and having fun.

Birthday faces

OH MY GOODNESS!  Can they be any funnier?  My grandson turned 3 and we had a party for him at Chuck E Cheese.  His Auntie and Uncle ( my two middle children) took him into the photo booth for some face time.

Photo Tinting

I took a photo tinting class at Art & Soul in Portland, OR.  These are just a sampling of what we did but Oh my, did I learn a lot.  Everyone in the class was so nice and Suzie Wolfer is an amazing teacher.  She brought everything we would need to class so all I had to do was show up.  That is my favorite kind of class.  Then she had so many techniques to show us and let us try.  And, she wrote it all down so we didn't even have to take notes if we didn't want to.  I love her!

This barn scene was done with a black and white photo and Marshals Photo Oils. Everyone in the class agreed that this product is the best for phototinting and gives the most dimension and subtle color.

Please keep in mind these are my first time trys and I was trying out the product more than I was trying to make a final, perfect art piece. 

This truck was colored with Peerless watercolors 

This was the technique that really got me excited because it was done with Portfolio water soluble oil pastels.  I have had a set of these forever and never knew what to do with them.  They blend so well and I am pulling them out right away and doing some experimenting of my own. 

Sunday I am taking a class from Jesse Reno, so I will have more to share on Monday. 

Have a great weekend everyone.

Fish Tacos

I had this strange craving for fish tacos.  Where that came from, I do not know but without tortillas in the house I had to get creative.  I got on-line and printed out the first recipe I found and then it was fish tacos for dinner. YUM!

Here is the recipe if you are so inclined:

3 cups all-purpose flour

2. teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup hot water

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly.  Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.  With your hand or large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of this large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough.  If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl add to a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape.  The dough is ready to roll out but is best to let it rest.  cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for about an hour or so.

Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10-12 balls. 

Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch think.

Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet.

Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side.

I cooked some onion and already cooked tilapia fish while I was cooking the tortillas.

Once the tortilla was cooked and the fish and onion hot I added lettuce, salsa, hot sauce and sour cream.

Of course, you can add whatever sounds good to you.

They were so delicious!

Bon appetit

Inspired print for sale

Witnesses

I was inspired by the verse that I blogged about yesterday in Isaiah 44:8.

Do not tremble;

do not be afraid.

Have I not proclaimed from ages past

what my purposes are for you?

You are my witnesses

is there any other God? No!

There is no other Rock - not one!

I am selling prints of the painting above on my Etsy site and donating 50% of the sale to Open House Ministries, a local Christian charity that provides housing, training and support to families. This is something I can do.

Sing your song

Isaiah 44:8

Do not tremble,

do not be afraid.

Have I not proclaimed from ages past what my purposes are for you?

You are my witnesses -

is there any other God? No!

There is no other Rock - not one!

It seems that the same message keeps coming up wherever I go. We are His witnesses and He has a purpose for each one of us. Even if we don't feel adequate to fulfill those duties, that's OK, He will give us all we need to be used in a way that brings Him glory.

I can just hear the voices starting up in my head with, "what where you thinking anyway, you can't sing very well, you can't paint very well, you can't do anything very well. There are lots of other people who can do it better than you. If you say you are an artist or a singer or a writer then someday, someone will find out that really you are just a big fake." Have you ever had thoughts like that run through your brain? I fight them all the time but what seems to drown them out is the one voice that is quiet and gentle and loving that says, "It doesn't matter what other people say or how inadequate you feel, you are the person I have chosen to use right here, right now. All I need you to do is let go and let me do what I know can be done and leave the results up to me. You are my hands and feet and I am the Creator"

We are his witnesses, so if you sing then sing, and if you paint then paint and if you write or bake or ______ then do that. Don't worry about how good you are at it. God will use our offerings in powerful ways that we may not even know or imagine. But whatever happens give Him the glory and praise, it really is not about us in the first place.

Be Brave

I spent a little time in my art studio today playing around in my journal.

I was sent a link to the Brave Girls club site, by a friend. I really love to see what they are doing over there. We all need encouragement to be brave because life is hard. I grew up thinking that if you made good choices that life would be pretty good; then I grew up and found out that life isn't about having all your ducks in row but doing the best you can with what is given to you. I have had quite a few curve balls sent my way that I didn't expect and I have been rocked to my core at times but through it all I have had my Saviors hand to hold onto. You truly appreciate peace and strength and joy when they come as a special gift. I am in a time of peace and quiet right now after a few years of heart wrenching struggle and pain. I know there will be another mountain to climb at some point but for now I am enjoying what I have been given. If any of you are in a place of pain, reach out to the Lord and take His hand and be brave dear one. It won't last forever and you will make it through. Keep praising the Lord, He will bring you through whatever your struggle is.

Sleepless nights

Still not much creativity going on over here. My poor September journal is practically empty and it makes me a little grumpy to say that. I am in a much better place when I am creating but sometimes it just isn't possible. This week has been about helping out the people that I love and that is a good thing too. I did take some time to create this one page this week and so it is my one offering to the creative world, such as it is. I am hoping to get back in my studio tomorrow so maybe I will have something to share by Monday. Hope you all have a great weekend