Getting Through Winter

 

  There were lots of snowstorms not only here in the US but also places in Europe, so I do hope you all fared OK and didn't lose power. We lucked out again and got just two inches of snow but I know that the NE coast from below Delaware and up through New England got hammered 😞! We must keep reminding ourselves that this too shall pass and spring is coming. We got through January, right?

 I've had lots to keep me busy and inspired in the art room. My new goodies from Joggles arrived!

 I used a GC given to me for Christmas and ordered from the new Dina Wakley release (the white journal is the only older product). I just can't get enough of her things!! My DW kraft journal is almost filled but unfortunately they were sold out at Joggles. I opted to try the white journal because I find I am loving this square format  6" x 6" size. The pages are very heavy cotton rag watercolor papers and will stand up to anything I throw at them😁.

 This is the first page I did in the new journal using mostly the new supplies. I used a paint over technique on the Church Doodles face stamp as taught by Dina on FB. Her "Art of Dina Wakley" page has tons of free art videos and demos, and in honor of her newest release she shared a video a day for the week:) Art classes (both free and purchased) are THE only reason I go on FB.

And now another kind of art break before going on to another journal page. Back in November my hubby and I went for the first time to the Reading Public Museum (less than an hour's drive from us) to see a special exhibit of Katharine Hepburn's clothing from her stage and film career. She has been my #1 favorite actress for as long as I can remember and this exhibit literally brought me to tears. I'll share some of the too many photos we took in next week's post. 

 For now I have this painting from the museum to share for T Stands For Tuesday:

 See the glass in the gentleman's hand? Cheers!

 As we went up to the second floor for the exhibits these stunning stained glass windows took up the main wall:

and here's a pic of the description in the brochure:

 In addition to the Katharine Hepburn exhibit there was a special exhibit running called Medieval to Metal: The Art and Evolution of the Guitar. It was a fabulous exhibit- room after room of guitars from the oldest harp like instruments all the way up to the present styles!! Alas I have no photos cuz I used up my phone space and power on the Hepburn exhibit, but we spent much time there - so interesting and cool! Please go here if you wish to read a bit about it. We liked this museum so much that we will look for any new exhibits that come and will definitely go. There is a really nice walking park there as well so perhaps we'll picnic😉.

 And now here's one more journal page:

 I chose to do another piece of art around my word of the year "intention". The quote is by Mike Fotheringham. I used all Dina Wakley supplies except for the white Posca pen. I will join Art Journal Journey one last time for the theme of "Let's Face It" (new theme coming for February); Try It On Tuesday (theme is "Add a Quote"); and Paint Party Friday.

 Will be by to visit and see what you've been up to. Take care, and stay warm 🤗.

            “Art should be something that liberates your soul.”      Keith Haring

 

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

 

 How's everyone? You really know it's winter on bitter cold, grey days like we've been having, and it's continuing. Luckily very minimal snow - just some snow showers here and there. And poor Florida-yikes!! It got to below freezing at night in some places, and not very warm during the day either. I guess we all know what that means... the prices of citrus fruits and drinks will be going up again😬. I guess you all have noticed wherever you live that prices of everything keeps going up - and on a weekly basis at many of the grocery stores. All we can do is hang in there. And let's warm up with some soup!

 My ticket for T Stands For Tuesday (where we link anything beverage related) is this mushroom zucchini soup I made for myself-yum!! The lemon water was a nice accompaniment. I say for myself because hubby hates mushrooms and is not a fan of zucchini either. He doesn't know what he's missing but hey, that's just more for me😁. All I did was sauté the mushrooms and zucchini in some olive oil along with chopped garlic and herbs de Provence. I then added vegetable broth. That's it! Cheers!

 I happen to love Valentine's Day and like to send cards out to friends so I was thrilled to finally have my Simon Says Stamp order arrive:

 I had won a GC from them and I added to it for a few extra goodies:):)  And yes, Elizabeth- you're right, I do tend to be lucky and have won lots of art supply giveaways 😁! 

 As you can see I started playing a bit by die cutting, and even stenciling. I love that hearts die because it works not only as the die itself, but then all those punched out hearts can be used as well. As you can see at the top right I  already have a little baggie of the hearts I have collected after die cutting 😉. My cards are just about done now 💓.

 Here is a spread in the Dina Wakley Kraft Journal:

 My pages were made using DW stencils, paints, Scribble Sticks, and sentiment stamp. Also used- Posca pens for the spatters.

 Art Journal Journey's theme this month is "Let's Face It" so I have one more journal page for it:

 I began with a grid base and a few colors- something I haven't done in awhile. And this is the completed page:

 Dina Wakley face stamp, sentiment stamp, and paints. Leaf stencil is by Tracey Scott. Posca pens for some mark making/doodles.  I just can't seem to get enough of Dina Wakley products nor do I tire of using them (more on that next week;).

Linking with Paint Party Friday too!

 That's it for today. I've got some more art making to do, what about you?

" Every one of us has an essential contribution to make, and we can do so only by taking the risk of being uniquely our own selves."     Carol S. Pearson

 

 

A New Week

 

   Happy new week everyone! I hope those of you here in the US have gotten your extra day off this Monday as it is a federal holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. day.  

 This also happens to be my hubby's birthday and thankfully we were able to have a birthday dinner on Sunday with my Mom, Todd and Kyra before the snow started! Again we only got 3 " but it also mixed then with rain and freezing rain overnight so it was a heavy slush to shovel. Anyway, I have two pics for my T Stands For Tuesday ticket:

 I had totally forgotten about taking any photos so luckily Kyra got a few good ones- at the end of the meal:). I made a vegetable lasagne along with salad and garlic bread. His cake request was for chocolate- but a one layer with no icing so I made Chocolate Domingo cake which has sour cream in it so it's very moist. And of course Bill wanted the annual birthday photo of him with his son:) 

So excited that finally one of my goodie packages arrived!:

 I won a GC from Pink Fresh Studios so I chose this stamp and die set, and here is the first card I made using it:

 I love this loose floral bouquet along with the sentiments in this set. I used alcohol inks to color it in and added glitter glue to the small pink flowers. I plan on making more like this using different colors. Joining in at Try It On Tuesday(theme is "In With The New").

 Some journal page art:

 I was just practicing some watercolor leaves on a scrap of cardstock, and when I finished this I didn't think it was too bad so I stamped over it lightly with an Impression Obsession Graph stamp (to hide the flaws😁) and put it on a kraft journal page.

 

 I've been having fun making art around my word of the year- "intention". A quick and easy page using Dina Wakley stencils, paints, and tissue paper face. Joining in with Art Journal Journey (theme is "Let's Face It"), and Paint Party Friday.

 That's it for me this round. Have a great week!

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”    

      Martin Luther King Jr

Staying Creative and Staying Inside!

 

 Hi Peeps! Winter has finally arrived with a vengeance in our parts 🥶. We got our first snow- thankfully only 3 inches, and a few days later a bit of freezing rain before it turned to rain- all day long. It's been quite gloomy and dismal, and this week is promising to be our coldest yet- barely making it to the 20's F for the high of the day(not to mention the wind chill factors which make it even colder)!! Yeah, I know, tis the season... so I'll just spend more time in my craft room 😁. 

 I was hoping to have some new supplies by now but that darned mail system is holding things up so I'll have to be patient. Hopefully next week I can share. I had won two gift certificates from two different companies - Simon Says Stamp, and Pink Fresh Studio! And of course I simply had to add a few extra things;) Hence the idea for this new journal spread:

 It's in the Dina Wakley Kraft Journal. I only have a handful of pages to complete before this journal is full. Mostly Dina Wakley products were used  along with a Tim Holtz Snarky Small Talk sticker, and Paper Dolls. On the right page I used a stencil for the black leaf and cut around the outer edge. Joining in at Art Journal Journey for the theme of "Let's Face It". 

That spread was done similarly to this page:

 Let's now hop on over to T Stands For Tuesday where we can share any type of drink related post. I have a new recipe to share:

 Apple Oat Pancakes! My hubby doesn't like oatmeal which happens to be my go to breakfast in the cold months. He knows it's good for you but just doesn't like the consistency (he also doesn't like cream of wheat, or risotto). So I thought I'd incorporate oatmeal into a healthier version of pancakes. He loved them!!  And I think you will too so I'll have the recipe at the bottom of this page, and I will also have it linked (along with all the recipes I've shared on the blog) below my header under the "Recipes" Tab.

 And, as for my new header pic- it's an index card I made around My One Word for 2022 -Intention. I haven't been choosing a WOY for very long- only since 2015. My process is to begin noticing some of the words that present themselves whether I'm reading a book, a Law Of Attraction card, or a daily quote during the month of December. I'll write them down and just think over them to get a feeling about which one is right for me to focus on for the new year. Then when I read an email from a newsletter I subscribe to and it was all about "intention" that just sealed the deal 😀. Here's a bit of what I read about "intention" from the newsletter by Jodi Cohen:

 The intention is the end result you wish for. There is a difference between intentions, goals, and resolutions. The goals are steps to get there. The resolutions are the disciplines that help you reach your goals. Be clear about your intentions and then act as if you have become the one that lives that life you desire. 

 

 Finally, I leave you with this abstract art I did in a journal around my word:

  Linking  to Paint Party Friday this week too!

 

Thanks for stopping in. Let me know if any of you try the recipe below:) Stay warm and safe! XO

"We cannot stop the winter or the summer from coming. We cannot stop the spring or the fall or make them other than they are. They are gifts from the universe that we cannot refuse. But we can choose what we will contribute to life when each arrives."    Gary Zukhav

 

                                                     Apple Oat Pancakes

 2 cups warm milk (or almond milk)     2 cups Quick oats     2 eggs, lightly beaten

 1 apple, grated      1/3 c. flour       2 Tbsp. sugar       2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

 1 tsp. salt          3/4 tsp. cinnamon      

Heat the milk, add the oats and let cool. Add remaining ingredients, stir until combined. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter for each pancake in a heated skillet that has some oil or butter in it. When lightly brown on bottoms, flip and brown the other side. Serve with syrup. Makes about 15.

Happy New Year!

 

 

 Happy 2022 everyone! Hope you all enjoyed a lovely holiday season. It was a mostly quiet time for hubby and I and we enjoyed his having time off by watching lots of movies. I did have our traditional New Year's Day meal of pork and sauerkraut with my Mom, Todd, and Kyra. And the dessert was a cake I made with a wrapped, hidden quarter in it. Whoever gets it in their piece has good luck through the year. I let each person one at a time choose where they would like me to cut out their slice ( I should have taken pictures of my butchered cake 😂) Todd was the winner!

I'm going to begin with the last three journal pages I did for the December Creative 6 Day Challenge on Instagram:

                                                                   Day 4 (Sparkle/Shine)

       

                Hard to see the shine but over the fiber paste areas I sprinkled champagne glitter dust.

                                                                   Day 5 (Wonder)

 The image is a digital piece I created using various components from Paper Whimsy. I made a print of it to glue to my collaged and painted background page. I will link this to Art Journal Journey with this month's theme of "Let's Face It" hosted by Erika.

 And the last one- Day 6 (Spirit) All my pages were done in the Dina Wakley Kraft Journal::

 For T Stands For Tuesday I'll share the soup I made the other day for dinner:

 A nice big pot of Italian Wedding Soup. All we needed with it were some warm rolls and a glass of wine. Cheers!

 The first pic I added at the beginning of this post is a tag I made for Tag Tuesday (theme is Time and Clocks):

 

 And lastly I want to share a few of the lovely cards I received for Christmas. Believe it or not, there are cards still trickling in, and some of what I sent (weeks ago!!) are just being delivered. Glad to hear from people so I know.

  On the top left is a fab tip in page and darling tree ornament made by Elizabeth. I love that embossed tree so cleverly done on a paint chip card, and that ornament is now on my small tree which is filled with handmade ornaments only. Thank you dear Elizabeth!! The Paris card with the piled packages came from Erika- and though it wasn't handmade I absolutely loved it because of the Paris scene- and Erika knows how I love France. Thank you Erika for your thoughtfulness! The two lovely cards on the right were from friends who don't blog now but have been exchanging handmade cards with me for some years now 💓.  

 So... do you have or choose a word of the year?  I do and have done for some years now. I go through a little routine to find a few words that speak to me. And then I wait for one of them to show up in different ways within a few days. It never fails me that the word finds me. If you saw my new header I created that postcard around my word 😉. In my next post I'll talk more about it and share more art around my word, along with some special surprises I received over the holidays. 

 Linking my art to Paint Party Friday later in the week. Looking forward to catching up in blogland again!

" What the new year brings to you will depend a great deal on what you bring to the new year."     Vern McLellan