Tag Archives: Happiness

Studio Update

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I’m starting a new practice this year. I’m playing with different color combinations and various mediums on 9×12″ watercolor paper. After the painting is done I’ll add notes on the back of what I did, the colors and mediums I used and what I discovered about the process.

This abstract was made with watercolors, acrylic paints and inks, alcohol inks and pen. I was very happy with this color combination, it turned out pretty nice. What’s making me laugh though, is how everyone sees something totally different.

What do you see in this painting?

Have an amazing day!!

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“Art is the only serious thing in the world. And the artist is the only person who is never serious.” ~Oscar Wilde

Travel Art Journaling

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While on my holiday break I enjoyed working on inchies for my art journal stash. I love taking these on trips because everything fits inside a small ziploc bag. All you need to bring are the tiles and 2-3 different sized Sakura Micron pens.

I do a little prep work before the trip like cutting the watercolor paper into varying sizes. Then I’ll splash paint on a handful of tiles while leaving the rest plain. That’s it! When you have a little spare time, you can create some really interesting and fun pieces of art. There’s no mess and it all easily fits into your purse or bag. I love bringing minimal supplies and creating on trips because it helps to keep the creativity flowing😊 Plus this would also be a great idea for kids to use their creativity on trips!

Hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by!!

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“A true artist is not one who is inspired but one who inspires others.” ~Salvador Dali

Simplest Things Journal

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I added a few new pages to my Simplest Things Journal before taking my break. I had 4 similar tiles and wanted to make them a home in my journal. These first two were quite interesting. I kept waffling the idea of merging the two designs, I twirled and flipped and flipped and twirled the tiles until I came up with this layout.

I ended up extending the patterns from the tiles into the journal to make them look like they merged into one. I thought it turned out pretty cool looking. So I did a similar design with the next two tiles shown below. Although these two weren’t merging I extended the design from the tiles into the journal. Plus I didn’t want to cover up all the sparkly glitter ✨

Well I’m off taking and taking a much needed break but I’ll be back after the holidays.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and all the Best for the coming New Year!!! Thank you so much for your love support, it means the world to me!!!

Lots of hugs,

Maria

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Art Journaling

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I needed a change of pace so I went to my art journals. I got carried away with this one and went crazy with color. The paint was flying in the studio as the colors exploded off the pages. I think I had more paint on me than in my journal😂

I added some wording to each page and it was just really good medicine, exactly what I needed. That’s the beauty of journaling, it doesn’t need to be neat or pretty. It can be a total explosion of color. It can be anything you want it to be!

So if you find you have some time over the holidays, take a much needed break and just have some fun. You’ll be less stressed and much happier for it!!

Hope you enjoyed this post, thanks for stopping by!!

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“Color! What a deep and mysterious language, the language of dreams.” ~Paul Gauguin

Thoughtful Thursday Words of Wisdom

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As you know I’m a collector of inspiring quotes and came across this quote by Marilyn Monroe which is featured on one of my watercolor art journaling pages. It’s a gentle reminder to be true to yourself and be uniquely you as only you can be!

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.” ~Marilyn Monroe

Don’t forget there’s still time to take advantage of the Exclusive Sale going on now my Etsy Shop, just enter code MERRY25 at checkout to receive 25% Off Original Paintings and Christmas Ornaments (Sale ends 12/15 at midnight).

Thanks for stopping by!!

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Photo by Egor Kamelev on Pexels.com

Thoughtful Thursday Happy Thanksgiving!

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Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope that you’re enjoying this Thanksgiving holiday surrounded by family and friends, creating special memories.

I’m so very grateful for all of you who are following me on this creative journey! Thanks for your love and support, it means the world to me 💖💖

Wishing you a Very Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving!

Thanks for stopping by!

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Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Thoughtful Thursday Guilty Pleasures

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Photo by Craig Adderley on Pexels.com

With Thanksgiving only a week away most of us will be indulging in all the delicious holiday delights. Sadly, our waistlines will be bulging as a result 😂 But have no fear, I have a few tips to help get you through the holidays. What you want to do is limit your calorie intake the week before Thanksgiving so when you go over on that one day, it’s not detrimental to your waistline and you won’t miss out on any of the delectable food. So here are the tips:

  • Plan your meals for this coming week. Eat clean and lean. Load up on salads, veggies, juices and all things healthy. You can do it! It’s only for a few days😅
  • Eat well portioned meals and don’t over eat.
  • Avoid refined sugars like desserts and candies. There’ll be plenty on Thanksgiving!
  • Steer away from carbs like breads, potatoes and pastas.
  • Add more fiber to your diet so you’ll feel satisfied and full.
  • Schedule workouts to burn some extra calories and keep your stress levels to a minimum.
  • Drink plenty of water.

Planning is key to losing or maintaining your weight. After your grand Thanksgiving meal, go for a nice walk and enjoy the great outdoors. It will make you feel good and help burn some calories so you’ll have room for pie!

If you do put on a little weight, follow these tips for the week after to help bring you back down. Stressing over what to eat and not to eat doesn’t make the holiday enjoyable. So eat in moderation and savor every bite. Then get yourself back on track!!

Hope this helps get you through the holidays, thanks for stopping by!!

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Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

Thoughtful Thursday Words of Wisdom

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I’m a collector of inspiring quotes and came across this one which I wanted to share with you. I added it to one of my abstract paintings with bold autumn colors. It’s a motivating quote that rings so true:

“Your success is measured by the strength of your desire; the size of your dream; and how you handle disappointment along the way.” ~Unknown

You can set all the goals you want but if your heart’s desire isn’t in it, if you can’t envision your dream or get discouraged after a few bumps in the road you can bet your bippy, you won’t be successful at it.

Hope this inspires you in some way today. Thanks for stopping by!!

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Inchies

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  • 2.5″ Square Inchie
  • 2.5″ x 3.5″ Inchie
  • 2.5″ x 3.5″ Inchie
  • 2.5″ x 3.5″ Inchie

I needed to take a little break so I made a few inchies. Creating these mini pieces of art is the perfect way to destress and unwind. And for some unknown reason, I find drawing the tiny little circles very calming😊

I like to paint a handful of inchies in advance so they’re completely dry and ready to use when I feel the need. I store them on my desk in a handmade ceramic bowl. The designs were made using a Sakura Micron Pen and of course I couldn’t resist adding some glitter✨

How do you destress and unwind?

Hope this inspires you to create art this weekend, thanks for stopping by!!

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Handmade Little Monsters Journal – Take 2

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  • Pearl and her entourage
  • Fluffy Muffins and her BFF, Jams
  • Agnus and her eclectic brood

Not sure if you saw my earlier post where I started creating a handmade little monsters journal inspired by  Margaret Peot’s book, “Inkblot”.

The idea is to create ink blots on your paper and then turn them into some type of image using your imagination. My inkblots are all weird but somewhat cute little monsters and these are my new pages. I don’t know what’s more fun, creating these little monsters or coming up with the fun names for them 😂🤣

  • Pearl and her entourage
  • Fluffy Muffins and her BFF, Jams
  • Agnus and her eclectic brood

Hope you’re enjoying these, thanks for stopping by!!

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“You have the greatest magical power within you, it’s called imagination.” ~Nitin Namdeo