This was truly a labor or love. I created this mandala with a lot of small areas that took a bit more time to paint than I expected. But I finally finished. It’s painted on 8″ x 8″ 140 lb, Cold Press water color paper. I chose this color scheme because it reminded me of summer and this will most likely be my last piece done like this because I’m slowly switching gears for fall. I’m really looking forward to the cooler weather!
I sketched the design in pencil and then painted it with watercolor paints. Next I used a Sakura .005 pen to outline my design. I added shading with colored pencils and highlights with a white posca pen.
It was very relaxing creating this piece as I had to really focus on what I was doing with all the small areas. I hope you like it!
I took an online class by Joanne Sharpe called Art Sparks 1 through Ruzuku.com. It was such an awesome class. Joanne is a very talented artist and an excellent instructor!! I love her work and have been a big fan for a long time.
I can’t go into detail on how this was made but this little book measures a whopping 2.25″ x 3.” I’ve never made anything this small, so it was quite a challenge. But it really pops with lots of colors. And of course, I couldn’t resist adding a little bling to the pages with Stickles. There are lots of mistakes, lol, but that’s what makes it unique.
I had lots of fun playing and experimenting with new techniques Joanne teaches in this class. I highly recommend taking Art Sparks 1. She also launched Art Sparks 2 & 3 which are available on Ruzuku.com as well.
the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful
Since I was little I always gave thanks for everything that came my way. I even gave thanks when things didn’t go according to plan or when things really went sideways for me. It was in these situations that I assumed there was a lesson to be learned, so I was grateful for that.
A few years ago I read an article where the writer practiced the art of daily gratitude by writing in a journal. I thought this was a really nice idea, so I started my daily journaling practice of gratitude. The idea is to write down 2-3 things everyday that you’re grateful for. It could be something as simple as seeing the sun rise or something more personal and deep, it’s up to you.
You don’t need expensive supplies to start, just a pen and a notebook. I normally practice my gratitude journaling at the end of the day. It helps to ground and center my mind after a long hectic day.
If you want to add a little pizazz to your gratitude journal, you can add art to your pages. It doesn’t have to be anything super detailed, fun doodles work great and it’s just plain fun. It’s a good way to unwind.
Another idea is to start a gratitude jar. Same concept as the journal but instead of writing in a notebook, you cut pieces of paper into 1″ – 2″ squares, write what your grateful for on the paper and drop it into the jar. This is a fun way to involve the whole family, especially the kids. It’s a beautiful practice to do everyday.
This is my second whimsical girl that I created in my Jane Davenport’s 6″ x 9″ Mixed Media Journal. I created Princess Rosalia using primarily watercolor paints, watercolor pencils and watercolor crayons.
To make this painting, start with a light pencil sketch. Once you’re happy with your girl, you can start painting her with the watercolors. Always remember that when using watercolors, begin with a light wash and go darker by adding more layers. After the paint has dried, use colored pencils that are slightly darker than your paint colors to outline your girl.
Using a Sakura Micron 005 pen, outline her eyes, nose, earrings and necklace. With a Gel pen, outline the rose crown in her hair. Add a few highlights with a Posca pen and a little more detailing and shading with colored pencils. Last, add stickles to her hair, earrings and sleeves for a little bling.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal page!!
Life today seems crazier than ever. There’s a lot making us unhappy and even a bit snarky. Sadly, the snarkiness tends to run downhill and hit our family and friends right in the face. It’s easier to be angry, afraid and unhappy. It’s kind of how our brains are wired.
But I find it hard to believe that we would rather feel these negative emotions on a daily basis versus being positive. Life has been throwing a lot us curve balls lately and nothing is going according to plan. But when you find yourself going down that rabbit hole of negativity, what do you do?
I recently came across a quote by a great life coach Brendon Burchard: “We can all have a bad day. But if we choose to live there, we’ll have a bad life.” This is so very true. Years ago I would fall into that rabbit’s hole, and honestly, I would be there for a while. It wasn’t until I started reading life changing books about letting negativity go that I got better at stopping these thoughts in my mind and changing my perspective.
Even with all the years of practice and the knowledge I’ve acquired, I still fall down that rabbit hole every now and again. But when I catch myself, I quickly climb out. I no longer hang out there. When you’re filled with negative thoughts, you can’t go forward and take in the happiness waiting for you on the outside.
One of my practices is to put a spin on a bad situation and get something good out of it. You know, find that silver lining in the cloud. It’s always there, but sometimes you have to look a little harder to find it. You can also go outside for a few minutes and soak up some sunshine, meditate or create art. There are lots of things you can do to change your mindset and “Choose” to be positive.
So, how do you get out of that rabbit hole of negativity?
I bought one of Jane Davenport’s 6″ x 9″ Mixed Media Journals a little while ago and thought it would be fun to fill it with whimsical girls. I created Amelia, my little movie star using watercolor crayons and watercolor pencils. Since DickBlick.com is still accepting submissions for their Watercolor Art Challenge until 7/31 I thought I would enter her. There are a lot of beautiful paintings that have been submitted, but you never know.
To create this whimsical girl, start with a light pencil sketch. Once you’re happy and she resonates with you, start painting her. With watercolor paints, you always want to start with a light color wash and build up layers as you go. The more layers you build, the darker your color will be. When she is completely painted and dry, you can outline her with a Sakura Micron 005 pen.
I created highlights with a white Posca pen and added a little more detailing with colored pencils. I finished her off with a little bling on her collar with Stickles.
Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy creating your journal page!!
With a little more extra time at home these days I’m paying attention to my surroundings more. I’m really noticing how looking at certain things can make you feel.
A few years ago a good friend introduced me to Feng Shui and I thought it was interesting but was very skeptical. The more I looked into it, the more it caught my attention. There are many books on the subject. But a lot of them get too technical and I just wanted a simple place to start. I have a few favorites that I’ll share at the bottom of this post. The main idea is to have good energy flow in your home. “Yes, this is a real thing.”
As we go through life, we collect lots of “stuff.” Whether it’s gifted to us, purchased as I’ll get to it some day, or a memory from a special time in our lives it really starts to accumulate. When too much “stuff” accumulates in our home, energy can stagnate. The funny part is most of this “stuff” we never even use or remember having because it’s simply put in some corner of the house and forgotten.
As I’m walking through my home, I see certain areas where the “stuff” has accumulated and I don’t like how it looks, much less how it feels. So to get the energy flowing again I’m decluttering those areas. I’m working on either giving away the “stuff” in good condition that some one else can use or tossing it. I only keep the what makes me happy.
You can easily get overwhelmed when starting this process, but take small steps. Divide a room into sections. Do one part of a room, then move to the next part and so on. If you have more time, keep going and knock more of it out. But by breaking it down into sections, it makes it more manageable and thereby more doable.
The most important key is to keep things decluttered and organized once you finish a section. It makes you feel good and keeps the positive energy flowing through your home and ultimately through your life.
I was on my walk/run the other day and completed my best time ever for 2 miles: 24 minutes, 34 seconds. I was ecstatic and amazed at what I accomplished.
When I was little, I suffered from respiratory illness. The word “running” was not in my vocabulary since my lungs could not handle it. I was constantly told “you can’t do it.” I eventually adopted this mindset and when things would get a little tough, I’d give up because I believed everyone was right.
Fast forward to now, I just read the book “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One” by Dr. Joe Dispenza. He talked about rewiring your brain to change your body. An idea that sounded impossible but I’ve come to realize is very possible.
I loved what Dr. Dispenza wrote so much that I’m continuing to read another one of his books titled “Becoming Super Natural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon.”
I also started meditating this year. I have to say, it seemed odd at first, but the more I practiced, the more I grew to love it. It truly is a wonderful reset!
This morning I went on a walk, and I noticed something. The running segments that I had been doing were getting longer and easier each time. I also noticed that when I start my running segment my mind switches gears. I go into a kind of meditative state and instead of saying to myself “Oh this is hard, I just have to get to my marker and I can stop.” I now say “This is easy; I got this; no problem.” My focus is no longer on making it from one marker to another, but rather the act of running and the ease of it. This helped me to break my negative thoughts and now I end up running past my markers without realizing it!
I made a decision to silence these negative thoughts because if I can reprogram my mind to make my body stronger (something I was told my whole life wasn’t possible) what else can I achieve? The possibilities are are endless!
What I’ve learned from Dr Dispenza has been mind blowing. I highly recommend you check out his website: drjoedispenza.com and his books. They’re amazing!
What would you like to achieve or change in your life?
This is a quick post I wanted to share you. Laly Mille at LalyMille.com is a vary talented artist in France who creates beautiful art that’s very romantic and dreamy!!! Laly was kind enough to create a FREE mixed media tutorial for her birthday celebration s few weels ago. I encourage you to hop over to her site to and check it out!
This is the painting I created from her tutorial. I had lots of fun.
Flowing Waters Art 