I'm a self-taught mixed media artist and have been creating art and a positive atmosphere in my life for as long as I can remember. I live in sunny South Florida, which serves as my inspiration for my use of bright fun colors with a whimsical flair.
My goal is to inspire and empower you to find your inner happiness through creativity, as I have in my life. This website includes different tips and techniques that will hopefully inspire your inner muse to create.
Welcome and join me on a wonderful journey in creating art!
I recently started taking online classes at Udemy.com. One of my favorites is by Broderick Wong, a very talented, award winning watercolor artist. I love his energy and enthusiasm, he keeps things interesting. I’ve been learning a lot of new tips and techniques in his class, and just having lots of fun. These are a few of the pieces I worked on in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8″ Watercolor Journal.
I’m still fairly new to Udemy.com but they offer a big variety of online courses covering many subject matters. Not to mention, the classes are reasonably priced especially with the sales they have. I highly recommend you check them out.
I wanted to share with you some fun Halloween decorations that you can easily make. I love vintage images and had purchased these at a show I was at, but you can find tons online. Please read the instructions first before beginning so you have an idea of what you will be doing. The supply list is at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
Decide how you want to hang your plaques. Based on the type of plaque you have you may want to attach a picture hook to the back or you can drill 2 small holes in the top corners and sand them if needed.
Apply a good coat of gesso to each plaque, front and back.
Find images online and print them on cardstock. Cut them out and set aside.
Paint each plaque in a coordinating color. Let dry overnight. Sand edges for a worn look and wipe off dust.
Steps 6, 7 and 8 are the instructions for hanging with wire. If you used a picture hook in the back of your plaque, skip steps 6, 7 and 8. Another alternative to the wire is to use a piece of fabric or yarn which you would also skip these 3 next steps.
Cut 11 inches of the jewelry wire. From the back of the plaque, put one end through the hole, coming out of the front of the plaque and coil the end with the pliers to knot it.
Slightly off center at the top of the wire, wrap the wire around a pencil, 3 times and slide the pencil out.
Feed the other end of the wire through the second hole from the back of the plaque, coming out in the front. Cut off any excess wire and coil the end as in step 6.
Glue your images on to the plaque with Aleene’s Tacky Glue.
Add a piece of torn autumn fabric to the top of the wire and that’s it!
Supplies:
3 Vintage Halloween Images
3 Wood Plaques fitting your images
Gesso
Acrylic Paint: Black, Orange, Red or any of your choice
While I loved doing the Color Lovers Challenge, I really missed painting my angels. Before we get too far away from summer and hues of blue, I thought I would post Ariana which I made in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. I love all the blues and violets in this one. What do you think?
Well, I made it! 30 Days of Color Prompts. I really enjoyed this art journey. I found some of the prompts to be easy, while others were a real challenge and took me out of my comfort zone. But as a result, I found new colors that I fell in love with 💖 I also learned new techniques and had a few happy accidents, lol.
Thank you for joining me on this wonderful adventure! These are my last 2 entries. If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post.
Day 29 Clouds/Sunset or Sunrise
For this prompt I’m used my sunrise art I previously made with bright fun colors. This is a mixed media piece made on wood using pyrography, also known as wood burning. I painted it with acrylic and watercolor paints and added fabric and a few rhinestones for a little bling.
Day 30 – Artist Choice
This is the last prompt, Artist Choice. I thought I’d try painting something new. So I painted the night sky in watercolor with a little scenery. I added a little shading with colored pencils and of course, glitter for twinkling stars.
In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links:
With the frigid cold months approaching, it’s always nice to sit down with a warm bowl of soup. I always go into soup mode during the fall and winter seasons. It’s pretty warm down here in the south, but thankfully the temps do cool off enough to enjoy delicious soups.
Soups are especially tasty when you’re feeling under the weather. There’s a certain magic to eating a warm bowl of soup. No matter how bad you feel, you always feel better after eating a bowl.
There are many types of soups. Some are served cool or flat out cold while others are served warm or very hot. The consistency also varies depending on what’s in your soup. Personally, I like a soup full of flavor and hearty enough to satisfy my appetite.
You can buy lots of soups in your grocery store. But that’s all processed food loaded with salt and a lot of other ingredients you can’t pronounce. Not to mention ingredients that shouldn’t be in your food in the first place. Making soup is fairly easy and most definitely worth the effort.
The internet is loaded with tons of recipes. I find vegan soups taste just as good or sometimes even better than non-vegan. Forks-Over-Knives has a ton of delicious soup recipes on their website. Whether you’re vegan or not, these recipes serve as good place to start with and then just add a few of your own ingredients.
One of my favorite soups is made in my Vitamix Blender which has a program setting for hot soup. If you don’t have a setting for hot soup on your blender you can still make this soup using your blender and then warm it on the stove for a few minutes.
Creamy Veggie Soup Recipe
1 Carrot, roughly chopped
1 Stalk Celery, roughly chopped
4-5 Large Pieces of Fresh Broccoli, roughly chopped
1 Tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 Zucchini, roughly chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 Cup Raw Almonds
2 Tbsp Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
1 Tbsp Organic Red Miso
1/8 tsp Organic Cayenne Pepper (optional)
1 Cup Water
Place all ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth. If your blender doesn’t have the soup feature, then warm the soup in a small pot on the stove for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl.
Extras
1/2 Hass Avocado, sliced
Fresh Organic Cilantro, chopped
1 Slice of Ezekiel Bread
Top your soup with sliced avocado and cilantro. Serve with a slice of bread and enjoy!
Try creating your own variations with this soup, like adding some cooked black beans outside of the blender for texture. There’s lots of options, be creative and add what you love to eat.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“In every moment of our existence, we are in that field of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices.” ~Deepak Chopra
The last week of Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge which runs 30 days. Just a few more to go! If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post. These are my latest creations:
Day 26 – Favorite Color
My favorite color is blue, for my love of the ocean. So for this prompt I did an abstract and added a fun quote “We do not stop working and playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop working and playing.”
Day 27 – Contrast
The prompt was contrast so I decided on painting the night sky in watercolor. No words, no quotes, just the magic and mystery of the night sky.
⠀
Day 28 – Apple/Orange/Lemon/Pear
I took today’s prompt literally. I made a whimsical watercolor painting of an apple, orange, lemon and pear and added texture to each one. I added a quote: “Eat Well, Live Well, Be Well.”⠀
In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links:
This is a new poem book written by a wonderful young lady, Allison. I enjoy reading her blog and I’m sure you will to. I recommend hopping over to her site to read more about her new book release and giveaway on her blog: A Farm Girls Life
I wish her Great Success with her 3rd Book!!!
Seeing Beyond {My Poem Book + a Giveaway + More Exciting Stuff} — A Farm Girl’s Life
Hello, my friends! I WROTE ANOTHER BOOK! AND… OTHER EXCITING STUFF! In this post I shall reveal my newest poem book, introduce you to my editor, and start a lovely giveaway to kick off the book launch! You ready for the most exciting post I’ve made all year? Okay, I’ve hyped it up enough. LET’S […]
I joined Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge which runs 30 days. We’re in the home stretch with just a few more days to go!! If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post. These are my latest creations:
Day 22 – Winter
I painted a watercolor snowman for winter, it was the first thing that came to my mind, lol. I made the trees out of paper I previously made and decorated them with garland and baubles. I added a quote by Lucuis Annaeus Seneca: “True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
Day 23 – Analogous Colors
For this prompt I used a violet/blue, blue and green/blue for the painting. I was short on time so I had to get this done pretty quick. I played with lettering and added glitter for a little bling.
Day 24 – Red and Green
When I think of red and green, my mind goes straight to Christmas and the holiday season. I made an 8×10 canvas with acrylic paints, added stamped images and Christmas cut outs and accented it with gold ribbon.
Day 25 – Excitement
Today’s prompt is excitement and my mind goes to fireworks and all the shimmering sparks in the night sky. Although my art may not necessarily evoke a feeling of excitement for the viewer, I can assure you that I was very excited as I played with new techniques and mediums. I had so much fun with this one.⠀
In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links:
The mind is very powerful. It can create a happy life for us or an unhappy one. But it all comes down to what thoughts are you planting in your mind.
Mindfulness was and still is a big movement. But how often do you mind your thoughts? There is a constant chatter going on in your mind every minute of every day. Experts guesstimate that the brain has an average of 60,000 – 80,000 thoughts per day, which translates to 2,500 – 3,300 thoughts per hour. This in itself is mind boggling, so how can you be mindful with so many thoughts all the time?
Sadly, the majority of our thoughts are negative. It’s how we’re programmed as human beings. So how do you keep your thoughts in check? Because it’s very easy to have your negative thoughts take control of your daily life, which if left unattended day after day, will create an unhappy life.
Here are a few ideas ideas to help you plant seeds of happiness:
Before getting out of bed, visualize what a great day you will have.
Get up 30 minutes earlier and have some quiet time to relax your body and mind.
Everyday write down at least 3 things you’re grateful for.
Write down positive affirmations and repeat them to yourself throughout the day.
While exercising repeat positive mantras in your mind.
Read inspiring quotes and start a collection of them to have on hand.
Take time off from social media.
Take a break from your phone and set times to check in.
Go for a walk or hike outside, enjoy the sunshine and reconnect with nature.
Listen to a good Life Coach or Motivational Speaker.
Spend a few minutes every morning visualizing where you want to go in life and the person you want to be.
Meditate daily. If you’re not sure what to do, then start with a guided meditation.
Create art like painting, sculpting or drawing Zentangles.
It’s normal to try something new and go right back to your old habits. But pay attention when this happens and make the decision to get back on track. The choice is yours, sow some positivity.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Share the Happy 💖
“Whatever we plant in our subconscious mind and nourish with repetition and emotion will one day become a reality.” ~Earl Nightingale
I joined Jodi Ohl’s Color Lovers Challenge which runs 30 days so I’m posting several days at a time. If you missed my earlier creations, I’ll have links at the bottom of this post. These are my latest creations:
Day 18 – Energy and Movement
I painted a little ballerina in watercolor and added the quote “Dance is an art, paint your dream and follow it!”
Day 19 – Ice Cream
When I was a kid I used to love the fun ice cream flavors like cotton candy, blue raspberry and mint chocolate chip which is still my favorite. So I decided to create an abstract in colors representing all the fun flavors from way back when. I added a fun quote: “You can’t buy happiness but you can buy ice cream. And that’s kind of the same thing.”
⠀
Day 20 – Water/Ocean
I painted the ocean with watercolors and then made a sail boat out of paper I previously made. I added a quote by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “My soul is full of longing for the secret of the sea, and the the heart of the great ocean sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
Day 21 – Earth
It was only a matter of time before an angel popped up in my challenge. But I like to think we have a greater power watching over us, so for this prompt I painted an angel holding the earth. I added a quote by the Dalai Lama: “It is our collective and individual responsibility… To preserve and tend to the word in which we all live.”
In case you missed my previous pages, just click the links:
Flowing Waters Art 