Flourish Painting

Flourish

I started this painting with something completely different in mind but couldn’t stop thinking about beautiful blooms. So here it is, Flourish. It’s painted on a 10×10 inch canvas with vibrant and happy colors of blue and pink. It has lots of texture and of course a little glitter for some magic. Flourish is available in my Etsy shop. I have more coming so stay tuned…

Have a lovely day!

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Bloom

I finished my second painting in this series, Bloom. It’s painted on a 11×14 inch canvas with bright happy spring colors and lots of texture. Plus a little bit of glitter for spring magic. Bloom is available in my Etsy shop. I have more coming so stay tuned…

Have a blooming day!!!

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Abstract Painting Spring has Sprung

Spring has Sprung Abstract

This is my first finished painting in this series. It’s painted on a 9×12 inch canvas with bright fun colors and lots of texture, ready for spring! It’s available for purchase in my Etsy shop. I have more coming so stay tuned…

Have a great day!!!

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Art Journaling Flower Bouquet

I came across this painting recently and thought I’d share it with you. I created this flower bouquet quite a few years ago in an online class by Lori May who is a talented watercolor artist. So many things went wrong when I was painting it but I remember having such fun in the course!

Hope you enjoy my flashback. Have a great day!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Alaia

I’ve been busy working on my studio space so I haven’t created much art lately but I did finish the last angel in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. Meet Angel Alaia.

I have to say, there’s a certain satisfaction in filling an entire journal with art. I have a total of 44 unique angels in this journal, each with their own personality. Now I need to work on the cover. So stay tuned…

Hope your week is off to a great start!

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Watercolor Journal Angel Valentina

Meet Angel Valentina. I love painting angels in my Strathmore 5.5″ x 8.5″ watercolor journal. It’s a nice creative warm up to get the day started.

What is your favorite way to warm up for a creative day?

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Thoughtful Thursday Best-ever Beefless Stew

Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com

With the cooler temps finally here in the South, I wanted to try a new vegan soup recipe. But I wanted something really hearty that would be filling and I found it. This is a recipe for “Best-ever Beefless Stew” with portobello mushrooms taking the place of beef. If you’re not a fan of portobellos, I’m sure you could use another type of mushroom that would taste just as good.

I gotta say this was one of the most delicious and satisfying stews I’ve ever had! A few things I would change to the recipe is to add a little salt and pepper to taste and it also calls for fresh parsley as a topping. But I wasn’t too crazy with flavor of the parsley with the stew. I would recommend giving it a try anyways and see for yourself, you may end up liking it.

This recipe was published in the latest Forks Over Knives, “100 Best Plant-Based Recipes,” 2021 and it can also be found on their website “Best-ever Beefless Stew.” It was really easy to make with everyday ingredients.

Forks Over Knives  100 Best Plant-Based Recipes  2021 image 0

If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of this issue, it’s available on the Forks Over Knives Website.

Hope you’ll give this tasty recipe a try 😊

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“Health is the first form of Wealth. Invest in yours by eating whole, unprocessed foods.” ~ Dr. Axe

Custom Keepsake Ornament

With the loss of my little Cocoa this past summer and being stuck in bed this entire holiday season, my thoughts were on her a lot. She was quite a character and loved to rip our presents open. You can see her ears flying madly as she shredded the paper on this gift. This was serious business for Cocoa, she made us all laugh 😂

So to keep a reminder of Cocoa at Christmas, I made this ornament. It’s a beautiful way to remember those we’ve lost whether our furry kids or family and friends. It’s also a great way to create a custom keepsake for special moments. This started as a simple paper mache circle ornament, but wood would work just as well.

Round Paper Mache Ornament - Christmas Ornaments ...
Paper Mache Ornament

Supplies

  • 3.75″ Paper Mache Circle Ornament or Wood Ornament
  • Gesso
  • Acrylic paint in coordinating color to match photos
  • 3.5″ circle photograph of your loved one
  • 3.25″ x 2.5″ rectangular/freeform photograph of your love one
  • Golden Matte Medium
  • Posca Paint Marker .7mm
  • Sakura Pen .005 or other Waterproof Fine Tip Marker
  • 14″ Trim of your choice
  • Stickles – Star Dust
  • Aleene’s Tacky Glue

Instructions

  1. Paint your paper mache ornament with gesso and let dry.
  2. Paint your entire ornament, including the edges with the acrylic paint using a 3/4″ flat brush. Let dry. Give it a second coat if needed.
  3. Print and cut your photographs to fit the ornament. The approximate sizes are listed above.
  4. Using the matte medium, adhere your photograph to one side of the ornament. Apply a coat of matte medium over your photograph to seal and protect it. Let dry. {Note: depending on the ink you use to print your photo, you may want to test the matte medium on a sample photo to make sure the ink doesn’t bleed.}
  5. Follow step 4 with the 2nd photo on the other side. Let dry.
  6. Add any names, dates or sentiments with your Sakura pen.
  7. Using the your Posca pen, add little stars and doodles. Let dry.
  8. Accent one side of your ornament with Stickles and let dry. Then repeat on the other side if desired. Let dry.
  9. Last, using Aleene’s Tacky Glue, adhere your trim to the edge of the ornament and cut off any excess. Now you have a beautiful keepsake of your loved one or that special moment.

I hope you enjoy creating your custom keepsake. Keep in mind, these would also make great gifts too 😊

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Valentine’s Day Canvases

I’m having a lot of fun creating these smaller canvases for Valentine’s Day. There are a lot of layers and work that goes into each one. They’re literally labors of love and I accent each one with glitter for a little bit of Cupid’s magic. Each painting is sealed and protected with a matte finish and comes ready to hang and are available in my Etsy Shop.

Hope you’re having a great weekend!

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Change Watercolor Portrait

I finished this portrait last night and named her “Change.” Just as caterpillars change to stunning butterflies, sometimes we also have to change to stay on our life’s path. Change isn’t always fun but can lead us to great things.

Have a fabulous day!

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“Change is the law of life, and those who only look to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” ~John F Kennedy