Photos of the Week

Enjoying more snow-covered nature...........

Excited for Christmas yet? I'm finally starting to get really excited for it myself- even though I'm still living in my in-law's home and I'm not able to travel to AZ to see my own family.  At least I have my husband home for quite a while.........he got recently lost his job and is on the hunt for a new one. That's stressful, but it has it's perks too.

In some ways I'm glad we're being forced to have a more simple Christmas with fewer presents than usual.  It helps me focus more on what's really important and I've let go of wanting more stuff all the time.  

Magnolias and Feathers

I saved these magnolia seed pods from our last trip to southern california - ya, about a year and half ago- yikes.  It was time to make something pretty with them!  Hello gold spray paint and girly ribbon!

I tried spray painting some feathers too.....

So the plan is to use these as Christmas Tree Ornaments or a string them up for a Christmas Garland.  It may take me another year-and-a-half to decide which one to make!

A Look at my Sketchbook

Here's what I've been sketching lately........................

crazy designs & Christmas greenery,

geraniums and cosmos,

and other tropical plants!

What's in your sketchbook?

Photos of the Week

Some wintry Christmassy photos..........

Well, my day got off to an awesome start with me dropping a gallon of liquid detergent on the front step and it exploding every where...... and then my boots fell apart.  sigh.  One of those days I suppose.

Sometimes it seems like it's harder to be happy when you are supposed to be the most happy- like around Christmas time.  I think it has to do with expectations.  If I expect my life to be perfect, then yes, I will be disappointed.  But I don't want to expect things to go wrong all the time either.  So here's to finding that happy medium, hoping for better things to come while being content at the same time.

Silver and Gold Juice Lid Ornaments

We sold our house and closed on it yesterday!  The weight on my shoulders feels about 20 lbs lighter!

So now I have more free time for Christmas Crafty Adventures. I can't decorate as much as I normally would- living in my in-law's basement has it's limitations- but I've come up with some easy and economical Christmas Ornaments made from juice lids!

Materials:
Metal Lids from Cans of Frozen Juice Concentrate- washed and dried
Paper cut-outs or stickers in shapes of choice
Glue Stick
Gold Spray Paint- I used Krylon Brilliant Gold Indoor Paint
Small Nail
Hammer
String

Step 1:  Using a glue stick, glue paper shapes to the top of the juice lids or put stickers on if you have stickers.

Step 2:  Hammer a small nail through the top of the lid to create a hole to thread string through for hanging.

Step 3:  Spray paint one side of the lids and let dry.

Step 4:  Peel off the paper or stickers.  If you have any residue left, lightly wash it off by rubbing it with your fingers under warm water.

Step 5:  Cut small pieces of string and thread through the holes created with the nail.  Tie string together and hang on a tree!

Crochet Baby Boy Hats

Today I am venturing to post something baby-related, even though that is still a sensitive subject for me.  I don't know if that will ever change, but I press on, loving the child I do have and the other children placed in my path.

These two little hats were made with joy.......

for a precious little boy that was adopted by my sister and her husband a few months ago.

My faith was strengthened as I witnessed the miracles that love can perform!

Photos of the Week

Another warm week in Herriman.  Perfect for walking and exploring! 

As much energy as I have, sleep and pain are battles I still fight daily. I had hoped my surgery would have taken away more of the pain and kept it away longer, but not so.  So I try to focus on the good stuff, like going on walks, seeing Christmas lights, and taking my kid to the Lego store.  Man that place is cool!

Everyday is a Good Day When You Paint

Did anyone else grow up watching this guy?

source:http://pixgood.com/bob-ross-funny-quotes.html

Call me cheesy, but I have fond memories of those times. I was always fascinated with the way Bob Ross would turn something that looked like it was going to be a disaster into something amazing.  It was magic to me.  And the image of that fro will never be forgotten!

Please enjoy a little video tribute to that happy man.  And yes .......it is a good day when you paint.

                   

Custom Portraits and Kissing Armadillos

I've had lots and lots of watercolor projects going on lately- mostly custom stuff for gifts.

Like this watercolor portrait of my newly married brother-in-law and his lovely wife.  These make really awesome wedding presents!

I went through a lot of photos to find one with the right lighting for this one, but in the end it comes down to a lot of tracing- so I'm not as technically talented as you may think :)

Check out my Easy Watercolor Portraits to see the process!

And lastly..................the Christmas Kissing Armadillos- made for a lady in Texas!

How to Paint a Leaf in Watercolors

I know it's a little late in the season for fall decor, most of you are already thinking about Christmas  by now, right? Well, lets give one last hoorah for fall with some Watercolor Leaf Art! You can impress your Thanksgiving crowd with your artistic skills! 

Materials:

watercolor paper- 5x7

leaf

pencil

watercolor paints

paintbrush

gold acrylic paint (optional)

black ink pen

Step 1: Grab a fresh leaf off a tree or from the ground and lightly trace the outline onto some watercolor paper in pencil.

Step 2: Optional- if you want to add a cool golden effect to your leaf, start out by painting in a few areas of the leaf on your paper in some gold acrylic paint.  You can water the paint down or leave it nice and thick.  Your choice. Let this paint dry.

Step 3:  Pick a color scheme- like greens and yellows for one leaf, or reds, oranges, and pinks.  Paint in the remaining areas of the leaf with these colors, varying the shades throughout.  You can paint on top of the previously painted acrylics in some areas or paint around it in others.

Step 4: With an ink pen, trace the outlines of your leaf to give it some definition.  Let the ink dry before the next step so that it doesn't smear all over your paper.

Step 5:  Now look at your actual leaf from outdoors.  With your pen, recreate the veins inside the leaf and.....you're done!

Photos of the Week

These are scenes from my new stomping grounds, which used to be my old stomping grounds.............kinda confusing I know.  We lived in this area before we bought our first home and, for the time being, we are back! It's more rural out here and there's more nature to photograph!  Yay for me!