Happy November!

 

 Halloween is over and now it's on to thoughts about Thanksgiving and yes, Christmas too. I'm just pondering holiday card ideas right now, what about you? 

 Our son Todd and his wife Kyra just celebrated their 1st anniversary on Oct. 30th. Hard to believe it's already been a year since the wedding! Here's a selfie they took on their way to a nice dinner to celebrate:

 Kyra wanted me to see that she chose to wear the earrings I bought her for her wedding day💓

In honor of their anniversary I made this card which I will link to the Wednesday Simon Says Challenge (anything goes): 

 I chose their wedding colors for this card- cream for her dress, navy stamped sentiment (the groomsmen color), burgundy (the bridesmaid dresses) and orange autumn colored leaves (the colors in the flowers and table decor). The sentiment is a Hero Arts rubber stamp. I used Midnight Blue Memories die ink to stamp the image. Silk leaves, ribbon, flower, and cream notecard and envie set -all from Michael's.

 For T Stands For Tuesday it's a ticket to Paris!:

 The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was recommended by fellow T party goer Lisca. I rarely read fiction but of course both the Paris and library theme really peeked my interest. Also it does blend in some history. It took me a few months to get this book as it was quite popular at our local library- and even with 6 of them in the library, there were holds put on each of them for many weeks! I guess that tells you something 😉. I am more than halfway and enjoying every bit of it so thank you Lisca for your description and recommendation! On this day I was reading with my cup of lemon ginger tea in my Paris mug of course. Cheers!

 There was a 6 Day Creative Challenge on Instagram recently so I decided to join in. I have done these each time the host had them and found them quite fun to use the prompts and follow- or not follow the guest artists video inspirations

 For my first project I combined day 1 and day 4 and made a journal page. A close up of the background:

Tim Holtz Collage paper was glued to areas of a watercolor paper before swirling a mix of Paynes Grey acrylic paint, Dina Wakley Night paint and white acrylic paint. Black and white paint spatters were added as well.

 I used collage papers and hand dyed fabric from my stash as well as another dimensional glitter sticker cat. After the stitching I glued it to my kraft journal. 

 

 For the owl prompt on day 5 I made a coordinating page:

Here I used torn tape to mask the outer edges of the kraft page and painted using the same colors as above. Vintage images are from ARTchix Studio.

 And here is my painting for  Day 2 with the prompt of gourd:

 I loved the inspiration video by Kristin Peterson for her quirky, loose gourd so I pretty much followed her guidance. I painted it on Dina Wakley watercolor paper using acrylic paints. The spatters and light wash around the gourd are Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays. I also used watercolor crayons and a graphite pencil.

 Just finishing up my page for the silhouette prompt so I'll share that next week. Not sure if I'll do the jack o lantern prompt or not...

 and to end this post I have another project from the free Lifebook 2022 Taster Session lessons from some weeks ago (sorry, the lessons are no longer available):

 For this lesson (sorry, I can't remember who to give credit for this lesson) the entire page was covered with scraps of papers, colored tissues etc. Bright colored paints were applied. Then after the heart outline and corner outlines were drawn, black gesso was painted around the shapes. It was all finished by creating lots of doodles with Posca pens.

 Joining in at Paint Party Friday with this post. 

There are some new themes up and coming on the blogs I like to participate with so I hope to get to them next week😄 Until then...

“Fear not November’s challenge bold—

We’ve books and friends, 

and hearths that never can grow cold:

                                       These make amends!”         Alexander Louis Fraser

More Art Lessons

 

 Hi all! For those of us in the Northern hemisphere it is autumn and we are being delighted with the gorgeous rich colors of the season- along with some very fluctuating temps from high to low and now today - to high again. I find myself changing clothes at least twice a day lately. How about you?

 During a few of the cold days I tried out some new art lessons. Above is a card using just the 6 Van Gogh watercolor pans I won in a giveaway from Soma:

 

I watched a You Tube Tutorial by Ellen Crimi-Trent on painting autumn trees then went up to my desk to play! It was so much fun just playing and mixing up these colors to get the colors I wanted for the trees, grass, and trunks! I may end up using this for some Thanksgiving cards. And I enjoyed this so much I then grabbed my Dina Wakley Blue Media Journal, turned to a watercolor page and recreated a similar scene using the same watercolors:

 It inspired me to write a haiku which was added to the page in Photoshop😉. These were two completely different watercolor papers so you can see how different the colors took to them. Joining in at Art Journal Journey (theme is "My Favourite Colour Is October"). 

 For T Stands For Tuesday I have two photos I took during a visit to Tea By The Sea in West Cape May, NJ:

 I love this store and visit every time we get to Cape May! There is so much to admire but the walking areas are narrow and as there were others in the shop I just captured these two photos- especially for the T gang. I know some of you will especially appreciate the cat items😸. I almost wanted to get a nice sized tea pot just to have reason to buy one of these delightful cozies- but then - which one??? Cheers!

 Another art class I took was a free online class - Abstract Color Challenge. Laly Mille offered it for a week and I'm so glad I took the time to follow along and play!

 We began by choosing a color we really like but maybe have some trouble using it in our art. I chose  green/blue teal -like paint color by Amsterdam. We also gathered papers, crayons, inks, etc. in that chosen color along with gathering some items in a complimentary color, and some neutral papers as well:

 

 Above is the first steps. It was suggested we work on 4 or more substrates at one time. Mine are 5" x 5" 140# watercolor papers. I can't tell you how difficult it has been to try and capture the true color of this deep teal- it has always come out looking more blue than it is...

 I ended up not using any of the complimentary orange color. After layers and layers and moving around the orientation of each one as I worked I ended up with these:

 

 Do you see what I ended up with? I call this series "Mystic Lighthouses". I had NO intentions of anything in particular, NO theme in mind at all- yet in the end I still created something around my love of the ocean 😂

 A few detail shots:

And a pic of each one individually:

  And that's a wrap for this post! Thanks for popping by. Happy Halloween to those who celebrate👻

 Happy to be joining in at Paint Party Friday this week.

"Autumn leaves shower like gold, like rainbows, as the winds of change begin to blow, signaling the later days of autumn."     Dan Millman

October Musings

  All I can say is brrrrr!!! We went from a week of summer and then as of Sunday the temps plunged into the 50's by day and 40's at night. Finally put the heat on for the first time this season and put away the flip flops, trading them in for warm socks and shoes. How are things in your neck of the woods?

 Just finished a Halloween tag to join the Simon Says Monday Stamp Challenge (Spooky/Halloween); Try It On Tuesday (Halloween); the Simon Says Wednesday Stamp Challenge (Not A Card); and Tag Tuesday (All Hallow's Eve):

 Manila tag, Tim Holtz paper Doll, Tim Holtz Small Talk Occasions stickers- Ranger Ink. The  ribbons and pumpkin, spider, and cat stickers are from Michael's. I edged the tag with Staz On Stone Gray ink.

I was able to do a few more of the free Lifebook Taster Sessions 2022 lessons offered by Tamara LaPorte before they were taken away and here is one:

 This one was called Pan Tuition and the tutorial was from Jenny Manno. I LOVED this one!! Lots of layers and mediums- gesso, watercolors, watercolor crayons, gesso, Stabilo All pencil, charcoal pencil, and a fine black Pitt pen. When finished this just reminded me so much of the beautiful Tuscan countryside in autumn. It's been many years since I was there but the scenery is still fresh in my mind.

This was added to a page in the Canson XL Mixed Media journal. Joining in at  Art Journal Journey for the theme of "My Favourite Colour is October".

 For T Stands For Tuesday (where anyone can join anytime so long as you link something drink related- a piece of art, a beverage, a photo, etc. anything so long as it relates somehow to a drink):

 Back in Cape May where hubby and I were treated by friends to dinner in honor of our anniversary. We went back to Viggiano's in West Cape May after enjoying it so much back in May: 

 We all shared an Appetizer sampler to start. This was my meal choice- a pasta with blush sauce, scallops and shrimp- absolutely delicious! Pasta was perfectly al dente, the sauce light, and the seafood tender. We enjoyed a nice full bodied wine with our dinner along with glasses of water. And then came that dessert....

well, what's left on the plate anyway😂. Bill had to have the Tuscan Zucchetto cake he had in May. We did all get a bite before he finished it up, and the restaurant owner kindly treated us all to a glass of homemade Limoncello to end our grand meal. Cheers!

 I  went back again to my square kraft journal to create this page:

There had recently been a lot of rainbow inspired art on Instagram and so I was compelled to make one too. Paints are Dina Wakley as is the journal and chipboard bird. The quote is by Maya Angelou.

 Joining in at Paint Party Friday🎨! Have a wonderful week ahead, and stay warm and safe.

" Don't die with your music still inside you. Listen to your intuitive inner voice and find what passion stirs your soul."   Wayne Dyer

Autumn Is In The Air

 

 Hi peeps! Much of last week still was quite warm (up to 80 F on Friday!), so much time was spent outside cleaning up the yard, cleaning out some of the flower pots, and washing and putting away our hummingbird feeders. I am already missing those sweet tiny birds😔. The leaves are fast falling now and colors are changing. I've finally started changing curtains and adding some fall decorations. I don't do Halloween since there are no kiddos around anymore. It's gotten a bit cooler today so I guess it's time to change around my clothing too. 

However I have a few more pictures from Cape May to remind me of summer:

 One of the marinas. Photos courtesy of my hubby. How I love seeing the boats...

For T Stands For Tuesday:

I could live on Caesar salad and they make the best at Hemingway's! I had it several times the week we were in CM and each time it was my complete meal. This eve. it was with warm fresh bread and  olive oil along with J Lohr Cabernet Sauvignon -  just perfect. Cheers! 

A few sunset pics (also courtesy of hubby) before I move on to the art:)

 

The colors are especially stunning in September!! (No filters)

 For Art Journal Journey (theme is My Favourite Colour Is October) I made this page in the Dina Wakley Square Kraft Journal:

The leaves focal point are from Dina's latest release on tissue paper called "Things That Grow". I glued them to card stock to make them sturdy and painted them with watercolors. I also used Dina's newer Gloss Sprays. Washi tape and sentiment are Tim Holtz.

 

 I had done the background awhile ago on a dark denim page in Dina's Blue Edition Media Journal and wanted to finish it so I just added a collage tissue figure glued on card stock then used Posca pens to outline and add the words in the circles.

 Also I've been trying to squeeze in some of the Lifebook 2022 Taster Lessons. Tamara LaPorte has kindly left the free lessons up for another week so I hope to get a few more in😉

 This was a super lesson by Toni Burt. I hadn't tried sketching or painting any kind of face in so long, yet this totally drew me out of my comfort zone and I LOVED doing this!! I kept to the color palette she used and pretty much followed the steps along with her. Now I want to do another similar one but with other colors- a really fun way to loosely sketch and paint!  I was thinking the flowers and colors looked like autumn leaves and was going to link to Art Journal Journey but though I might be pushing it a bit😏.So here's to Paint Party Friday!

 That's it for this week. Looking forward to seeing what you all have been doing. Thanks for stopping by!

 "Those who find beauty in all of nature will find themselves at one with the secrets of life itself."    L. Wolf Gilbert

Back After Another Beach Vacation

 

 Hi Peeps! Again it's been awhile as I had a long, full week in Cape May towards the end of September where we celebrated our 38th anniversary. And we couldn't have asked for a more perfect, sunny and very warm summery week! We only had some rain one day and it was actually a really nice very relaxed day spent mostly in our room to rest a bit ( we tend to take full advantage of our time from morning til night everyday!), read, and watch a movie.

 I'll share a few photos along with more in future posts so this doesn't get exceedingly long as of course there is new art to share too😉

 Most of the days we walked the full length of the promenade which stretches almost 2 miles and at the end you can see the lighthouse in the distance.

 We arrived our first day just in time for lunch so before even checking in we went to the Ocean View Restaurant where we usually go for breakfast. Their lunch and dinner menu is extensive and very reasonable as well as delicious. (You can click the link to see the lunch menu.)

And this is my ticket to T Stands For Tuesday:

 I chose the Mediterranean Salad wrap and hubby had the Club Deluxe which both came with fries, coleslaw and a pickle and we both had coffee. 

 Each year people owning special micro cars come in to Cape May, have breakfast at the Ocean View and allow the public to admire their cars and ask questions. They visit elderly care facilities and schools to talk and show the cars as well. We were fortunate to be there on the day they came:

 The lot with the tent up is part of the Ocean View restaurant. We should have taken more photos cuz these are such fun and unique cars! I would drive one in a heartbeat. But they are very compact and honestly we got a kick out of seeing how some of the large owners managed to get inside:) Some even had their dogs along for the rides!

 And now let's get to some art!  I'll start with another lesson from the Ocean Alchemy online class I'm working through. This was from the Stone Inspiration lesson:

and some detail pics:

 I am thoroughly enjoying using my watercolors again! The lessons may be on the back burner for a bit as I am now working through some of the free Lifebook 2022 Taster Sessions . You can still sign up but once all the lessons have been  presented they will go away. There are LOTS of lessons and I won't get to them all but am picking and choosing the ones that appeal to me the most.

 This journal page is from the first lesson by Tamara Laporte called "Rainbow of Joy":

 She presented her lesson using watercolors. I instead chose to use Dina Wakley Gloss Sprays as my medium and made mine a bit differently. Anyone else doing any of the lessons? 

 There are some new blog challenges and it's been awhile so I made an effort to create for those challenges as well. First up is a journal spread again in the Dina Wakley Kraft Journal:

I used  some brand new Dina Wakley stencils, stamps and Gloss Sprays along with some older ones. I also her washi tape, Mineral Paint, and Words tissue paper. Posca pens for spattering and doodling. To me this deep green Fir, along with Sage Gloss sprays, and Mineral bluish grey paint remind me of autumn. Hence I am linking to Try It On Tuesday (theme is Autumn Blessings) and Art Journal Journey for the theme of  "My Favorite Colour Is October" with guest host Tracey this month. I'm sure my next entry will be much more colorful😉

 There is a new theme at Tag Tuesday which is  Purple and Orange and a new theme at the Simon Says Monday Challenge (Not a Card) so I made this tag:

As soon as I read the tag challenge colors I knew I had to do something Halloween themed! I covered a manila tag with patterned paper from my stash then spattered it with both an Orange Posca pen and Dina Wakley Tangelo Gloss Spray. Word tag, brad, pumpkin, witch's hat, and bats are all Michael's. Paper Doll is Tim Holtz.

 Whew, and that's more than enough for one post! Thank you if you stuck around to the end- much appreciated!  I will also again join Paint Party Friday, and am looking forward to catching up with everyone again. Keep well 🤗

   "Nature always wears the color of the spirit."       Ralph Waldo Emerson