Vacation time!

Hi bloggers, I'm getting ready to go on a two week vacation.
My sister treated me to my first manicure/pedicure today...yes I am a girly girl who has never had a manicure, lol!
We have a few more things to take care of, then it's off to sunny Greece!
I will be checking in while away, but not sure how much time I will have. I would love to show some photos, we will see though.

I thought I would leave you with this cute Youtube video that was forwarded to me. Check out how this couple decided to walk down the isle on their wedding day. Enjoy!

Rain Rain Go Away!

What is with this lousy weather? The entire weekend has been rainy, or ready to rain.
In fact,the entire season has been like this, and every once in a while, we get to see a few minutes of sun! (insert sarcasm here). Since I can't do anything about this, I may as well make the best of it. Hey, at least it keeps me inside where I can paint or draw :-)
Believe me, it is not easy to look on the bright side, when I love summer. However, in one week, I am off to Greece, for a well deserved vacation. I haven't been in 9 years!

From the time I decided to go, I had 2 months to get in shape. No problem, I thought! I would do yoga, go to the gym, swim, walk, and watch my diet. Well, you can guess where this is going right? haha! not a chance...I swear this was easier to do when I was younger. Now I understand why women complain about that stubborn belly fat! I thought it would melt off with a bit of exercise, and salads every day. Oh well, I will keep reminding myself that my relatives love me no matter what I look like in a bikini, lol!

Speaking of salads, I thought I'd share one of my favorite ones with you. It is delicious, easy and healthy.

Pink's Berrylicious Salad

Spinach or a mix of baby greens
Slices of yellow pepper
Sliced vidalia onion (adds interest, but not necessary)
Any, or all of the following: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, tangerine slices
Any of the following: walnuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pecans
Dried cranberries
A wee bit of Brie cheese for protein, and because its good! (goat cheese works as well)

Dressing: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinaigrette (or your fave fruity salad dressing)

The dressing is really simple. Add olive oil to the greens, peppers and vidalia. Don't be stingy with the olive oil, its good for you :-)
Then add balsamic vinegar to taste, and mix well. Then add some of the raspberry vinaigrette for sweetness. Now toss in your fruits, nuts, cranberries and cheese, and enjoy!

Avocado and dried fruit are also nice in this.

Ok, must get back to painting :-D

If not now, when?

That question is directed at anyone who tends to postpone or procrastinate their life away. I went looking through my piles of art related stuff and came across a painting on a vintage page I did maybe a year or so ago. It was not very well done, it was an experiment, but I had wanted to start a new series. Well, that obviously didn't happen, lol! Until this weekend that is...I found it, and asked myself one of my favorite questions when I find myself putting off things that need to be done..'if not now, when?'. So I sat down and created a few of my girls, on beautiful old book pages.



There is an assumption that we have all the time in the world, when the truth is, it can be gone in a second. Instead of living in fear of that thought, it serves us well to remember that nothing is promised. So let's commit to looking at our excuses for not doing the things we want to do. If you hear that evil little excuse that says you don't have time, ask yourself, is this true? Sometimes we don't have time, it happens, don't beat yourself up for that. Life can be hectic, especially for those of you with children. You may have to sacrifice temporarily, until things settle down, and they will. But don't put things off until it is too late. If you have a passion for something, fit in a few moments a day working towards it. I cannot stress enough to people how important it is to add some joy to your life every day. Do one little thing that feels good, even if it is simply sitting quietly by a sunny window, enjoying a cup of your favorite beverage.

Creating art makes me happy, and this weekend, I fought those excuses, and got to work. I ended up with lots of new art, and a feeling of accomplishment. Tomorrow, I will have to fight procrastination again, but if I keep painting daily, it will become a habit, and then the excuses will become so quiet, they may as well not exist. At least I'm hoping :-D
Have a wonderful day!

Illustration Friday - Hollow

We are the hollow men....
is the first line from T.S. Elliot's poem titled 'The hollow men'. This week's Illustration Friday topic was a tough one for me to illustrate. I had a hard time deciding how to show 'hollow, so I went with this quick sketch, and I mean 'quick' sketch. This will never be mistaken for fine art, haha!
I made a commitment to attempt each weeks theme, and I wasn't about to be beaten by a little word.
So here are my 'hollow' men (and one woman) trudging off to work.

New Art, and other news

I love cupcakes!! so naturally I had to do a painting praising them :-D

Today I finally got around to updating my Etsy shop, it was getting quite stale. It's been a busy few weeks, and I feel pulled in many directions, which I am sure many of you understand. There is so much to do, and focusing on one thing is a problem.

This weeks word for Illustration Friday is 'hollow' and I was hoping to have something to submit, but this one has me stumped. If nothing comes to mind, I may have to pass.

Now for some good news (for me at least)...one of my prints made it to the July issue of 'Pregnancy and Newborn' magazine! What a great feeling to open up this magazine, and see my American Beauty print!
Here is a pic of the page, and the magazine. I'd like to say thanks again to Shea, for choosing my little American gal.




That's it for tonight, I have some new ACEO mermaids I finished today, but I will have to show them another day...thanks for reading my blog dear friends :-)

Illustration Friday - Shaky

This weeks topic for Illustration Friday is the word 'shaky'. It took me a while to figure out how to illustrate this one, but eventually came up with this quick little drawing showing how some of us would feel if we didn't get our morning coffee.

I would recommend joining Illustration Friday, it forces you to stretch yourself artistically. This is out of my comfort zone, but maybe if I stick with it, the ideas will come much easier. It's also a good way to kick your butt if you find yourself in a slump :-)

Happy 4th of July!!

It's been a while since I picked up my paints,(not including my journal page posted last week) so I finally started this one last night, in honor of Independence Day, and refused to go to bed till it was done. I had planned to do this one as well as one for Canada Day on July 1st, which I never got done - Sorry to my Canadian friends :-(
Just call it good old fashion procrastination, or fear, you choose, lol!

Anyway, my sister likes her except for the pink background, so what do you all think? Should I add touches of cream paint to make the pink not so obvious? or leave it?

Today is the first time I can see the blue sky, we've had such a crappy last week, with thick grey clouds and rain, so I'm off to the market to enjoy the sunshine.
Have a safe and happy weekend everyone!!

Illustration Friday - Worn

I've been wanting to join 'Illustration Friday' for a while now, and finally did. The word for this week is 'worn' and this is my interpretation. It is a small mixed media drawing in my art journal.

The first idea that came to my mind for this weeks topic was a young woman worn out by life. It was only after I finished, that I noticed what the collage paper used on her dress said. Very appropriate :--D

Back to Art

Hello everyone! This is just a quick update. Shining Star is one of my last folk art paintings, finished a couple of weeks ago. The second one, is still unfinished as I can't stand her face! so will have to redo it.
Tonight I finally got off my lazy butt and attempted to finish a background I am working on in one of my classes. I'm already behind in the lessons! (I'm taking Julie Prichard's Layer love to improve my backgrounds, and because it's fun!)

I just finished a coffee and the biggest biscotti you have ever seen, so I feel a bit sluggish. Darn those sugar cravings! I couldn't just have half, no, I went to the freezer and removed the other half. This is a short update because I am going to be walking my parent's beagle tonight, they are on vacation for 2 months, so I am the lucky one who gets a very energetic 8 month old puppy. Maybe I can burn off those calories, lol!

Thats it for now, I'm putting on my running shoes, and preparing to be dragged behind a super hyper dog, help!!

Sweet Caroline, the Raccoon

Last night me and a friend went to visit one of her relatives, who had raised a raccoon by hand since it was a baby. Of course it now lives in the wild, however,Caroline the raccoon comes by the house every night after dark, to enjoy the treats left out for her. She is a playful little critter, and after she ate her peanuts, she proceeded to wrestle with my pant legs, play with the dogs, and stuck her face right up to mine! I had this tiny fear in the back of my head saying what if she bites my nose, haha! but she didn't. We fed her marshmallows that she loved, and I got to snap a few photos as well. What an interesting experience! Her hands are just like a human's and she showed no fear when she saw us strangers.


She loves to get belly rubs :-D


Then when driving home a little after midnight to the city we live in, would you believe a raccoon ran across the road in front of us? what are the chances of that?

I thought I'd mention that some Etsy sellers are having a Treasure Hunt on Monday, in which you may be able to win some ACEO cards. I am not part of it due to timing issues, but I think it's a great idea. Take a look at Pam's blog here on Monday: http://alwaysartistic.blogspot.com/

Red White and True

Here is my latest little yankee girl. I think I am still sad at selling the one I did last year, lol! or maybe it's the fact that I love all things Americana. There is another one coming soon, that I planned out in my sketchbook. I find it strange that as much as I may love an idea I have sketched out, it could take days or weeks to sit down and do it. And yet, the minute I put paint to canvas, I don't want to stop until it is done. I wonder why the resistance?

Maybe I should re-read 'The War of Art' by Steven Pressfield , which I would highly recommend to any of you artists, or writers who may find yourself blocked. He said something that rang true for me, that the thing that you most need to do is the thing you resist the most. I know exactly what that is for me: anatomy. I dread studying this, and keep postponing it, even though it must be done if I expect to become a better artist. I made a promise to myself that as soon as the weather gets better here, I will take my sketchbook and instruction books outside, and get to work.

I will never be a realistic artist, it's not my style. I love whimsical and folk art too much! But any time you improve yourself, it can't help but show up in your work.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as I have discussed it with a fellow artist and friend. She disagrees with me, and says to throw away the books and learn by doing.
Do you think it is better to jump in, paint, and let your art go where it wants to? Or do you like using books and classes to learn new things?
I believe your style evolves by 'doing' however, I also think it is always a good idea to be aware of certain techniques that you will only learn from other sources.
What do you all think? Feel free to share your favorite books too :-)

Carnival love

As I mentioned in my previous post, an old friend came to visit, and instead of going for lunch then heading for the mall I had something else in mind...

Since I was a child I have loved traveling carnivals. I remember how excited me and my best friend Christine would get when they were in town. The two of us would walk downtown and spend the day there playing games, eating cotton candy, and enjoying all the rides. Our parents had no fear of letting us go anywhere ourselves back then, times were different. I am so grateful to have been a child of the 70's, when you didn't have a cell phone attached to you at all times, and your summers were spent outdoors playing with your friends, not instant messaging them.
Here I go getting carried away again, lol!


So I asked my friend if she would mind if we stopped by the carnival for a bit, and she agreed. I took my camera since this was the perfect opportunity to get some reference photos for possible artwork. My pictures didn't turn out that great, thanks to some huge dark clouds rolling in, but at least a few turned out ok. It was nice to walk around and see all the bright gaudy colors of the rides, and see children enjoying themselves. Then we did what big girls do, and headed to the mall, haha!

It is now Sunday night, and I had a busy weekend. Not much time for art, although I managed to finish one folk art painting. I just got back from the movies, where I saw 'Drag me to hell'. We expected it to be a scary movie, instead it was a comedy, although I'm not sure it was supposed to be. On the way home we stopped at a video store, where I found the first season of 'The Tudors' for $12!

Then I checked my blog and see that I was given 'one lovely blog award' by sweet Carole
at Art Plus. As with the other blog awards I've received, I don't feel right picking who to award these to. There are too many worthy blogs, and I can't choose, so I will graciously say thank you for thinking of me.

Quiet Friday Evening

This is crazy. I should be cleaning my house, since a friend of mine will be dropping by tomorrow. Instead I went online, and of course, found more interesting blogs to read. Does it ever stop? You people out there in blog land are extremely creative, and fascinating, I can't help but get caught up, almost like I know you. I figured I may as well write a blog post since I can't seem to get off my butt.

Today the rains finally stopped, it felt like forever, but it was only a few days. I took my camera to work, and snapped some reference photos of flowers. There is a greenhouse there, and in the summer I like to sit inside on a bench surrounded by tropical flowers. It's a wonderful peaceful place, somewhere to get away from everything and everyone for a bit.
Does anybody know what the yellow flowers are in the photo here? I should have photographed the whole tree but I didn't think of it at the time.


Tomorrow an old friend is visiting, and I will spring a little surprise on her. Normally we go for lunch, then the mall, but these days the thought of being inside a mall just depresses me. Besides, I can't spend any money, since I went a little crazy with my art supplies. oops!!
Anyway, I won't tell you what I have in mind yet, because I plan to take lots of photos, and blog about it afterwards, so it is a surprise for you too. She will think I have lost my mind, lol!

Meet the Bee Girl

I seem to work better under pressure. In my previous post I wrote of how I was stuck on a painting, unsure how to proceed, and gave myself two days to work on it. So I sat down yesterday, and let the painting go where it wanted to, and here is the result. I wanted to create art that mentioned the alarming rate of bees dying. I used to buy honey regularly from a woman until last year, their entire population of bees died, and they won't be replacing them. Anyway, that is the idea behind this painting. If you are wondering, that is not a sun on the right hand side, it is a big sunflower with a sad face, lol!

Now I am off to watch the Bachelorette, got to love reality tv :-D

Sunny Days are here!!

Today was meant to be a work on art day, but the sun streaming in my windows beckoned me.
I was sitting on my computer since I woke up, trying to catch up on various classes and art groups that I am a part of, and could feel my stress level rising. It was becoming too much, trying to participate in groups, update photos, and so on....
Oh, and as if I didn't have enough to work on, I went and joined another online class last night! Yeah, so who is to blame for my stress? :-)

So I took a little break, and sat in the sun, with my folder of art ideas. The goal was to organize myself, so that I would know what to work on today. There is nothing like a little sunshine to melt the stress away :-D

I've been working on a new painting which I started two weeks ago. I haven't touched it since then, because I am afraid of making a wrong move and ruining it. I know this is not what art is supposed to be about, and that we should enjoy the process and not worry about the end result, but I can't seem to move forward. The last time I was stumped like this was 2 years ago with my Frida's Day of the Dead painting. It took me 2 years to get back to it, change it's direction, and it ended up being my most popular print.

I have no desire to put this one aside for two years, so I will just jump in after I finish my blog post. The painting you see with this post is a sneak peek of the background. Now let's see what I can do with it :-)


*******I thought I'd ask this question here, even though it has nothing to do with art...my father is 70 and he has what appears to be rosacea, even though I have read the info, and it generally happens to light skinned women under 50. If anyone out there could suggest any natural remedies it would be greatly appreciated. He has had laser a couple of years ago, but it came back worse, and the creme the dermatologist gave him burns, and it too made it worse. I gave him coconut oil to try since it is anti inflamatory. Symptoms are, red blotches on skin, especially on his cheeks and nose, and acne. I feel bad for him, he is leaving for a 2 month vacation, and his skin looks awful. Thanks everyone!