I recently joined Jodi Ohl’s Abstract Interactive online course to further my knowledge of art. Painting abstracts takes me out of my comfort zone but Jodi is an excellent instructor and artist which makes it easier. This is a 10 week course with lots to learn so I’ll be posting a more paintings from the class.
I have to say I’ve been having a lot of fun playing with colors and learning to paint abstract art. The funny thing with abstract art is that everyone sees something completely different. These are my first three paintings I did on paper. What do you see?
When I was a kid and the teacher would bring out the scissors, paper and glue I knew it was going to be an awesome day because we would create some type of art. Sometimes it’s fun to go back to the basics and cut out pictures and simply glue them in a journal.
I’m not a textile artist but I look in awe at the quilts others make. I came across these photos in Quilting Arts magazine and decided to make journal pages from them. These were images of quilts created and designed by Jean Impey. They were simply stunning!
I onced used a hand wipe to clean inks from my studio table and it looked pretty cool at the time so I kept the wipe and let dry so I could use it for my art. It ended up finding a home in my journal 😊 The leaves and the heart were made using the recycled wipe. I thought they went well with the images and background color.
Hope this quote and happy journal layout inspire you in way today.
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.
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
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.
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
Paint your paper mache ornament with gesso and let dry.
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.
Print and cut your photographs to fit the ornament. The approximate sizes are listed above.
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.}
Follow step 4 with the 2nd photo on the other side. Let dry.
Add any names, dates or sentiments with your Sakura pen.
Using the your Posca pen, add little stars and doodles. Let dry.
Accent one side of your ornament with Stickles and let dry. Then repeat on the other side if desired. Let dry.
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 😊
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.
I just finished reading “The High 5 Habit” by Mel Robbins and really loved it. In her book, Mel explains the importance of supporting and cheering on your family and friends throughout life. It’s something we all do without giving it much thought. Yet when it comes to ourselves, we’re overly critical and rarely if ever do we give ourselves credit for how far we’ve come on this incredible journey called life.
This simple concept of high fiving yourself everyday may seem silly at first but I can tell you it’s absolutely mind altering and in a very good way. Mel doesn’t just talk about starting this habit with easy to follow steps. She goes further by explaining how this affected her own life and then gives you the science behind why we do what we do and what we need to do to change.
I highly recommend reading this book which is available on Mel Robbins website or on Amazon. “The High 5 Habit” is a well written book that will help you understand yourself better and learn how to make positive changes in your life.
Hope you enjoyed this book review. Thanks for stopping by!!
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“Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding.” ~ Harvey MacKay
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
You may or may not have noticed I’ve been MIA for the last few weeks. I ended up getting pretty sick just before the holidays. So Christmas and New Year’s celebrations skipped my house this year. It felt strange but was necessary.
I’ve had people say to me, wow that’s a terrible way to end the year. But I don’t see it that way. Life threw me one heck of a curve ball. Instead of going crazy during the holidays trying to get everything done, I was forced to take it easy. It was the most chill holiday season I’ve ever had. And when someone says it was a terrible way to end the year, I say no it was great because I made it through it all and I’m still here ready to make this a better world, one day at time!
It’s taking a little more time than I expected to get my mojo back. My creative muse has also taken a hiatus. But I’m slowly getting myself rolling again with short workouts and super healthy eating habits. I’m grateful that I can continue to share my happiness with all of you 💖
Today I start a new course called Interactive Abstracts with Jodi Ohl. I’m really looking forward to this class and getting my creative muse back on track. With all of the rest I got I feel blessed to be more focused on what I want to accomplish this year. So you can expect great things from me in 2022!
When life throws you a curve ball, and believe me it will, don’t fight it. Go with the flow. Life is perfectly imperfect. Sometimes these curve balls give you a lot to think about. So find that silver lining in the cloud. Pick up the pieces and move forward with gratitude which is the best attitude!
I hope your holidays were awesome! I wish you the greatest success in 2022!!!
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“Gratitude: It’s not happiness that brings us gratitude. It’s gratitude that brings us happiness.” ~Unknown
For those of you celebrating Christmas, hopefully you’ve set up your tree by now. The tradition of Christmas trees began in Germany in the early 1600’s. When German and other European settlers immigrated to America in the early 19th century, they brought this beautiful tradition with them. Although Americans found this tradition a bit odd at first, it became popular.
The first trees were decorated with apples, candy canes, cookies and pastries in assorted shapes of flowers, hearts and stars. Dyed popcorn also became popular as pieces were strung together with nuts and berries into large strands and hung on the tree.
The trees were originally lighted with with candles but this presented problems like keeping the candles on the branches for starters, not to mention accidental fires. But in 1878, Frederick Artz invented a clip on candle holder. This worked well, but you still couldn’t leave the tree unattended or lit for a long time. Luckily with the introduction of electricity into homes, the candles were replaced with electric lights that could keep the trees glowing for days.
The first Christmas tree farm in America was opened in 1851 by a woodsman named Mark Carr. He cut down trees in the Catskill Mountains and sold them in New York City’s Washington Market.
This tradition of displaying and decorating a Christmas tree has grown in popularity over the years and has become a cherished tradition by many. I hope you enjoyed this little snippet of history. Wishing you all the best this holiday season!
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“Christmas is doing a little something extra for everyone.” ~ Charles Schulz
Flowing Waters Art 