Tag Archives: Review

Thoughtful Thursday Arteza Watercolor and Mixed Media Journal

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I recently bought a pack of 2, 8.25″ x 8.25″ Arteza Watercolor & Mixed Media Journals online. They’re beautiful journals with a hard cover. Each journal has 68 pages of 110 lb, cold pressed, double sided paper. They also contain a ribbon book mark and an expandable pocket on the inside back cover.

As most of you know, watercolor is my favorite medium and normally I paint on 140 lb cold pressed watercolor paper. I thought it would work well enough since it is marketed as being “Ideal for Watercolor Techniques & Mixed Media.”

I’ve been using this journal for the ColorLoversChallenge and was really bummed when I saw how badly it handled water for my first full watercolor painting. Notice the clear clips on each side in the photo below. The paper was curling so bad that I had to let it sit overnight with heavy books on top to flatten it out and then use clips the next day to hold the pages down for the photo.

The painting below was made by coating the pages with gesso and then painting with acrylic paints. The paper still buckled and curled but no where near as bad as with the watercolor. That’s partly because the gesso and acrylic paints add weight to the paper to keep it flatter and there is less water/moisture involved.

But watercolors are my favorite medium so I had to improvise if I wanted to continue using the journal for the challenge. I came up with the idea to paint on 140lb watercolor paper, cut it to size and then glue it into the journal as in the photo below. The perk with doing this extra step is that if you don’t like your painting, you can toss it and do another one before gluing it in. This way you’re always happy with the end result 😊

Bottom line is these are well made journals with quality paper that has a slight texture to it. However, I would not recommend these for use with wet mediums because they just don’t handle the water and moisture well.

Out of a 5 star rating I give these a 3 ⭐⭐⭐

I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with colors in the challenge and it’s been a bit of a challenge working with this new journal. But I love an adventure!

I hope this review helps you before making a purchase and if you have any other questions about these journals, please let me know.

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14 Ways to Show Your Love

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We all know that we should express our love every day to those we hold dear, but Valentine’s Day is that 1 day to really shine. Without spending a lot of money, here are 14 Ways to Show Your Love to that Special Someone in your life:

  1. Make a nice breakfast.
  2. Take over and do their chores for the day.
  3. Go for a nice walk together.
  4. Do a yoga or other exercise class together.
  5. Go out on a picnic.
  6. Watch a movie with candy and popcorn.
  7. Bake a special sweet dish like the vegan brownies from last Thoughtful Thursday!
  8. Make a handmade Valentine’s Day Card.
  9. Create a surprise “Love You” display on the kitchen table with candy, flowers.
  10. Order a “To Go” meal and have a candlelit dinner at home.
  11. Create a romantic music play list and dance the night away.
  12. Leave little love notes for them to find.
  13. Give them a Spa Day at home with candles, chocolates and bubble bath.
  14. Spend quality time together talking with no distractions and really listen.

“Where there is Love, there is Life.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

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Photo by Michaela at ElaVegan.com

Zucchini Brownie Recipe Review

Many moons ago when I tried eating vegan, it really wasn’t the tastiest, at least not the recipes I tried. I’ve been vegan now for the past several years and can say that the recipes have improved tremendously. Some recipes are so good you can’t even tell they’re vegan and not made with eggs, milk and the usual ingredients. A lot are even better all plant based.

You may have seen Zucchini Brownies for sale in health food stores and restaurants. The thought of making something as delicious as a brownie from a vegetable didn’t quite appeal to my taste buds at first. But being a chocolate lover I finally gave into my curiosity and tried one at a small restaurant. To my surprise it was so delicious and moist, I pretty much inhaled it, lol.

Since I love to bake, I figured someone on the internet must have a pretty good recipe. Lo and behold I came across ElaVegan.com hosted by Michaela. She is a very talented vegan food stylist, recipe creator, photographer and writer.

Michaela’s Zucchini Brownie Recipe was absolutely delicious as are her many other recipes which I highly recommend you try. The recipes are written with easy instructions, lots of photos and helpful tips. She also puts a tab at the top of each recipe for a quick print. Even if vegan isn’t your thing, it’s a delicious alternative to healthier meals. I highly recommend trying these delicious brownies!

“Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.” ~Josh Billings

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