growing old friends

A dear old friend of mine asked me recently to paint a picture of her.  I was so thrilled she would want me to, and her birthday was near, so I set to work.  But, as I started working I just had to paint one of friendship instead.  The quote says, it takes a long time to grow an old friend.  How true this is.  My dear friend and I don't see each other often, but it doesn't matter.  We are ever so close, despite our lack of time together these last years.  When I gave it to her she instantly shed a tear of joy.  There was so much expression in her face and her hug so tight...I knew it was the most perfect gift from me to her.

And my dear old friend, her name is Jodi!, said to show this off, so showing off I am!

Happy Happy weekend to you all!!!

Etsy Banner

I have slowly, SLOWLY, been working on getting an etsy site up.  I just cannot find time to do anything!  Let me tell you with three girls, hubs always gone, a house, a dog, cats, a bird, dirt, working out, cooking, errands, cleaning and cleaning and cleaning... Finding time to do these little things that are important to me are hard!  But, pecking away at them I am!  Do you want to know how I paint?  Seriously, I have taken over part of the kitchen now as my studio space. You may be able to guess this, but I spend a lot...A LOT, of time in the ktich!  so, why not fit in my "arting" too.  Yes, I used arting as a verb.  I have no issue with this!!!  Now, back to my little life revelations... So, in between dishes, and washing veggies and cooking wonderfully complex meals for my gaggle (ok, not so complex) I make a mess of my own. From time to time, or very often, my kids are like...are we going to eat soon???  Yes little mini mes, we are, as soon as I am done with this hair!  haha..  My middle Maddy has taken to helping me cook, so I am starting to rely on Miss almost 10 year old to do lots of the cooking!  And that is a little piece of my life!

oh, I hate how freaking tiny these banners have to be. So hard to do anything awesome sauce...really!

Now, on to something that just makes me so happy...

Have you seen these?  Here is one I just love!

Drool...

Paint Party Friday, and LifeBook!

So, If you're having fun with LifeBook, you may see I just made up my own assignment.  I really wasn't into the lesson, and although I do want to learn from everyone and learn all styles to figure out my own, it just wasn't a priority right now.  I had sketched this face a while back from Tam's faces, and I thought she was perfect to play in with the second lesson of the yin and yang of sorts.  I started with a very clean sketch, and moved to painting my way, with mostly my fingers.  Very loose. Very quick, and very messy.   She does represent me in so many ways, and she represents many sides of myself.

More completed Styrofoam heart fun!

Many of you might remember my instagram pic of the top one.  Maddy got in on the fun and helped with the second, and she made some of her own too.  They are really fun, and if you are beginning to figure me out, I love using landfill in every way possible.

All you do here, is take a piece of cardboard for your base.  Yay!  Then gesso, and paint as you wish.  From a large cup, we cut out heart shapes.  Glue down, and then weigh down with heavy books until dry.  Styrofoam likes to pop back up!  Then, tear or cut, little shapes from left over pieces of styrofoam, and glue down again.  Then pour in your gel medium, or mod podge works great, and paint and glitter to your hearts content!  I stamped the board and edged with watercolor crayons and water!

So, if you must get styrofoam, and it does seem to happen more than I care to admit, then make some fun stuff out of it.  Remember those ice cream cones.  I made them in the same way.  You can see them HERE!!!  Happy creating!!!

Mini Photo Shoot Failure

The funny thing about working with three kids (your own three kids), one of which is really young, one of which is really not wanting to take pictures, and one perfect model is that no matter what, you're not going to get what you want.  So I had this brilliant idea to do an impromptu shoot after school, before sun down, and being that is was a nice wintery day, not freezing!!! ...I thought we could pull it off.  Ha!  So, the little old abandoned barn I eye almost daily on a quiet street was suddenly a speedway during traffic time!  The barn was crazy close to a street with no side walks, the kids weary, I finally said heck no, this is not worth the risk.  Ok, we will find some brick wall really quick.  Moan...groan... "Ugh, Mama, I am totally coming off a candy rush.  I am crashing!!!" Oh geez!  Well, too bad because all I want for Valentine's Day is a little foto shoot!  "Ok, Ok.  Maddy, I need some of your candy to wake up!"  "I want CANDY!!!" screams toddler.  UGH...

After too much of this, and finding nowhere possible, we drive home.  URG.  So the threesome sit on the ugly step in front of our ugly door, and... I got one picture.  Ha, I am not really content with this in many ways, but I'll take it.  It was starting to get way too cold to bother.  As the kids run in I yell, You know we're totally doing this again!  ...we know we know is all I hear as they slam the garage door.  Ah me.

Heart and Stuff

This is today.  Pretty simple.  A bit tiring.  Paige needs something more to do. I am going to bribe the girls this evening for a mini photo shoot.  It may happen, and if it does, I will be happy with today.  If not, it is just another day and that's ok with me too.  Hubs works all day, and work is a blessing at this point.  I really have never cared for the big V day, but little treats here and there are a fun too!

I yes, I have officially blown my awesome eating for the day.  Hubs did bring me my fav treat and I ate three!  Oopsy!

Two Girls, Two Journals, One Week!

 

 Do you remember this phone shot? I posted it not too long back.  I had a date with myself at Barnes and Noble and got my fav soy latte and grabbed Artful Journaling and I was very happy.  I posted this pic and that Darling Kristin, you know her... Kristin aka Twinkle Twinkle was like oh my goodness, I went on an alone date that same day to Barnes and Noble and got a drink that looked just like yours and grabbed the same magazine.  Well, of course you did!  So we decided to give artful journaling a try.  Given our busy lives, we agreed on a one week art journal that we would do at the same time, and then see come together one week later and share what we came up with. Fun, right?  ...here is my One Week of artful journaling!

and now you must go visit Kristin to see her gorgeous journal.  You know hers is gorgeous right.  She is very gorgeous, and I am very very messy indeed!  Isn't fun to see what two people did with one concept, we both wrote a lot about parenting and love, and what totally different books we made!

oh, and my book was made from a J Crew catalogue.  Pages glued together, gessoed, and then loved!