Creativity is Happiness

Emma

2012-02-09T10:40:00.000-08:00

This piece is inspired by my Emma. She is my daughter, my friend, my sister...so special to me.

I believe she was heaven sent to be my girl.

I'm planning to start a big painting today. I've never really gone big before, but I really want to go for it.

One of Misty's assignments this week is to paint BIG. I have a 22x30 piece of arches watercolor paper gessoed and ready for color!

Sending light and love to you my painting friends!

Jenny

A milestone....

2012-01-28T13:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday!

My daughter reached a major milestone yesterday. She took her last high school exam and she has graduated!!! I'm so proud of her, she's worked so hard. She's looking for a job now to start saving for college and her upcoming trip to Europe. My son keeps asking if he can have her room when she's gone for extra lego storage.

Here's what I've been painting this week. It's been good therapy. I've had a few teary moments thinking about my baby girl growing up and moving on.

Sending love to you and yours, Happy Painting!

♥Jenny

ps: Misty's class rocks! She is so amazing, I'm so glad I signed up for her class!

The Graduate♥

Hi ♥

2012-01-21T08:02:00.000-08:00

It's Saturday! The boys are snowboarding and the teenager is soundly sleeping so I have a few moments to myself! I want to paint but the house needs some major help before I have to run off to help a friend load up a moving truck. Hoping I can get something done today. I'm behind on visiting blogs too. Sorry.

I'll get to it, I miss my bloggy friends.

Sending love and wishing you a happy day!

Jenny

Open Studio!!!

2012-01-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

So happy to be kicking off the start of the new year with Misty Mawn's latest online offering!

Misty is so amazingly gifted and she has put so much goodness into her class.

Here's a few pics of what I've been working on so far.

I think you can still sign up if you're interested, check it out HERE!

Happy Weekend!

♥jenny

beginning stage of a painting

Letting go of 2011...

2011-12-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

painting in progress

journal cover for my niece

this was my fortune the other day!

really hoping that fortune comes true♥

I'm spending this New Year's Eve at home with my hubby and my kids. We had chinese take out and I'm hoping I can stay awake till midnight to share a kiss with my sweetheart and bang pots and pans with my kids when the clock strikes 12.

2011 was a year filled with love, friendship, heartache, loss, and art, always art.

I have no resolutions to make. I will simply keep trying to be a loving wife, mother, friend, and artist.

I'm excited to kick off the new year painting with Misty Mawn in her latest online offering. I know it will be amazing! To my friends who left a comment on my last post, "Thank you" This Christmas was especially difficult. I still feel like I'm having a little trouble functioning. I miss my friend♥

Thank you all for your friendship! I wish you much happiness in the coming year!

I'll be back next year with more art to share!

Much Love,

Jenny

i am here

2011-12-24T11:33:00.000-08:00

i am here

i am here, i am still here. my mind is wandering and jumbled. i’m stumbling but i am still here. i have been witness to so much love this week. i keep thinking i hear something but can’t seem to focus, then i realize i left the water running and now it’s spilling out onto the floor.

i am here at the hospital, i try to be strong. i am holding his hand now but he’ll soon be gone. he is ready to leave now but still holding on. he’ll wait for his son before he moves on. i am here in a circle around a man we all loved. his son made it here just in time. we sing, we tell stories, we laugh, and we cry. we tell him that now it is his turn to fly.

then he is gone in the blink of an eye.

away with his soul

to the heavens he’ll go

and happily meet

in reunion sweet

I am at peace with the passing of my friend. I'm looking forward to spending a Happy Christmas with my family. I haven't wrapped a single present yet but I'll get there.

Wishing you all very Merry and a Healthy Happy New Year!

♥

My week in paintings...

2011-12-16T14:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

I finally did my first little bit of Christmas shopping today. It'll be a small Christmas this year but a happy one no doubt. I'm off to pick up kids from school. Hope you're taking time to paint.

Much Love,

Jenny

Weekend paintings...

2011-12-11T22:56:00.000-08:00

Not much to say tonight...here's a few paintings I worked on this weekend. I'm starting to feel the stress of Christmas just around the corner and as usual I'm not ready. I know they say time speeds up the older you get but this year seems faster than ever. I'm working on some homemade gifts for family and hoping to send out a few cards. The tree is up, the lights are glistening on the house, and the stockings are hanging over the fireplace. Christmas will come, ready or not. I'm not going to stress about it. I think I'll just make some hot cocoa and take it one step at a time.
Wishing you a happy week my friends!
♥Jenny

How it begins...

2011-12-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

Early stages of a painting...I like to see the process. Sometimes when I finish I think to myself, "How did I get here?" Nice to have pictures of each stage in the journey.

Love to you my friends♥

Painting every day!

2011-12-04T22:28:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday night and I'm wrapping up my week here with you. It's been a busy one. I finished helping my daughter send in her college applications, attended meetings at the high school, and got the paper work filled out and sent in to get my daughter her very first passport! I drove all the way to the passport office and realized I had forgotten my daughters birth certificate so I had to go back home to get it and drive all the way back. I had several moments like that this week. I was feeling like an old lady. I think I'm just feeling stressed about my girl going to college. I'm really going to miss her.

She has been a dream kid and never caused us any worry so we wanted to do something special for her graduation. She has always wanted to go to Italy, so we're sending her!!! She'll travel to Milan, Venice, Florence, Nice, Monaco, and Paris. The tour we chose goes to France too. We're feeling pretty broke right now but she's so worth and she'll never forget this experience.

I'm really excited that with all the busyness I managed to paint a little every day!

Sometimes it had to be after the kids went to sleep and I ended up staying up too late. I know I can't keep it up, I need my sleep.

I'm still so in love with faces. Hope you like these new ladies!

Sending love to you my blog friends♥

~Jenny

Breathing, Painting, Soaking it in...

2011-11-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

The more I paint, the more I feel, the more I see, the more I know myself. It's all I want to do. It's become like food for me, I need it to live. I'm so thankful for the community of friends in this space. I know my co workers and non artsy friends probably get tired of me always saying, "Hey, you wanna see my new painting!" I get so excited that I want to share.

I hope you're taking time to create. Here's of few pics of a new painting in progress.

Love to you,

Jenny♥

Thanksgiving light to all my friends♥

2011-11-23T15:09:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for many things...

My family, good health, good friends, my fur babies, my art supplies, a recent etsy sale, a roof over our heads in the cold winter, and so much more.

Sending love to you and yours and yours this Thanksgiving season!

I'm so thankful for each and every one of my friends in this blogging community!

xoJenny

a recent work in progress

WIP

2011-11-17T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Thursday! Do you know what day it is today???

Well, I'll tell you. It's the midnight premiere of the new Twilight movie!!!

I'll be there tonight with my baby girl. Wishing now I wouldn't have stayed up so late painting this week, I'm gonna be a zombie tomorrow.

Here's a close up of a painting I've been working on in the wee hours of the night.

Sending love to you, maybe I'll see you at the movies. ;)

♥Jenny

Can I get a do over...

2011-11-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Remember this painting just a couple posts back? Well, I wasn't in love with her...Her face looked too long, her coloring was too harsh, and I knew she could be so much better so I went to work.

I started covering over her with gesso and presto chango, she had a new face and background!

Now I'm satisfied, I just love her!

Delicate Wings

Here's another painting I just finished. I've been dreaming a lot lately and this painting grew out

of those feelings of wishing an hoping on a star. Both paintings are now in my SHOP!

Wish Keeper

And I started one more painting today before I had to start making dinner. I kind of like the expression she has right now, not sure yet if I'll do anything else with her.

Thank you to all my wonderful friends who left comments on my last post, sending you all hugs!

Happy Week!

♥Jenny

Painting, pottery, and my lucy...

2011-11-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

It's Friday!!! No school for the kiddos today and no work for me! Well, some work...I can't ignore the dust and dishes forever and it does feel good to have a clean house. I'm trying to clean, paint, play with my babes today, and share some art with you!

Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend a Saturday at the studio of an amazing local potter, Craig Martell. Craig is a master and makes it look so easy. He is have a studio sale soon! Those of you in the Salem area might be interested.

some of craig's work

After watching Craig it was my turn to try! Queue the ghost soundtrack here. :)

It was so fun, I could have played for hours.

I've been working on another Marie Antoinette painting too, I think I might do a series of them.

Here's a few pics of a painting in progress. I love painting! I never know how a piece might turn out.

My little Lucy was missing me on Saturday so I got a special treat for her. Vanilla ice cream is her favorite!

Sending wishes to you for a Happy Weekend! Thank you for your friendship here in this little space, it means a lot to me. :)

♥Jenny

My Art, Meet Rogene, oh and Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! Here's what I've been working on this week!

A friend of mine asked if I would be willing to donate a painting for her daughters school auction to raise money for the french club. I decided to do a french theme and since I love old fashioned ladies I did Marie Antoinette. I drew her first, then cut her out and put her in wax. This wax painting is addictive.

I needed a little break from wax over the weekend so I pulled out a canvas that already has some tidbits on it and started a portrait. I never get tired of drawing faces, love it!

I also want to introduce you to Rogene Manas today.

My friend Melinda took a class from her at Art n Soul and has nothing but wonderful things to say about it.

Rogene is offering a workshop in Eugene on November 12 that sounds fabulous!

Visit her blog HERE.

I feel like such a scrooge this year, we didn't even carve pumpkins. Somethings always gotta give.
Wishing you all a safe and Happy Halloween!

♥Jenny

Come see what I've been working on!

2011-10-21T14:49:00.000-07:00

TGIF Everybody!

I'm letting too much time pass in between posts, sorry about that. I'm popping in to show you what I've been working on lately.

The first few pics are the progression of a little 5x5 painting I recently finished. She started out looking like an alien. I didn't mean for her to end up with a veil. She started out with hair but my daughter didn't like it and I really didn't either. As I was covering over the hair with gesso it started to look like a veil so I went with it.

I love how she turned out! I added some yellow crackle to finish the piece. She'll be going to my etsy shop soon!

Close up of a work in progress

Played with encaustic today for my online wax class, LOVE IT!!!

Still refining this piece I shared in my last post.

I'm loving the online class I'm taking right now taught by my friend Judy Wise.
You can find out more about it
HERE!
I'm dreaming of one day have my very own studio where I can create all the day long!

Wishing you a Happy Weekend!

Much Love,
Jenny

It's a painting frenzy...

2011-10-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

So right at this moment, my kitchen is a total disaster...I've been in inspiration mode and painting like crazy while my house is getting messier and messier. I need to put my husband and kids to work. It's hard to trade the paintbrush for the vacuum when I get like this. I know there are women out there that seem to be able to do it all and still have a clean house but I'm just not one of them. Life is short and I wanna paint.

In progress, I was inspired to journal all over the canvas

The next set of photos is the progression of a painting I made this weekend. She really changed a lot along the way. I'm still not sure if she's done yet, we'll see.

Rain has been falling so every time I come back from walking my sweet Lucy I bundle her up like a baby to dry her off.

I'm so in love with my sweet pup.

Wishing you a Happy Week and inspiration to create!

♥Jenny

Art and SouL...Sort of

2011-10-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

A year ago I took my very first art class with dear sweet Judy Wise. I remember being terrified sailing into uncharted territory all by myself. It turned out to be one of the best things I've ever done for myself. This year the funds weren't available to take classes but I was still able to visit on vendor night to see a very special friend who was there from Seattle. It was a thrill to bump into my friend Judy and these lovely ladies too! So much talent, inspiration, and kindness glowing from these women.

Top Row left to right: Judy Wise, Jenny Wentworth
Bottom Row: Katie Kendrick, Dot Longmore, Stephanie Lee, & Misty Mawn♥

Judy Hugs are the BEST♥

This is my beautiful talented friend Melinda. We shared a meal with one of her art and soul classmates named Tina Colada. Is that a cute name or what. :) Lots of fun! Melinda is new to the blogging world so please visit her and make her feel welcome! You can find her HERE.
Love to you,
Jenny

Portrait painting in progress...

2011-09-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog Friends and fellow artists!

Just wanted to share a little progress of a painting I'm working on. She's not perfectly proportioned but I just love how she's turning out. I keep staring at her wondering what she's thinking. This is actually the same painting from the picture in the previous post. I've just kept adding more layers to her. I used golden acrylics, gesso, caran d'ache crayons, and stabilo pencil. Hope you like her too. :)

Thank you all for your encouragement on my last post. School is going great! Now I just need to worry about keeping the girls away. I've had girls showing up at my house wanting to see him! I'm so not ready for this. Girls seem a lot bolder nowadays.

Wishing you a Happy Weekend!

Love from Oregon,

Jenny

My darling boy and Lucy the dog

Jenny's Paint Box

2011-09-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

I have a tender heart tonight. I'm feeling a bit, well a lot of stress at the moment. So much to do this year to get my daughter ready for college next year and my little guy is in junior high! I'm dreading having to go to the school tomorrow to meet with my sons principal. I want to switch his math teacher and the school is giving me heck about it. I wrote a long letter to take with me illustrating all the reasons the teacher is not a good match for my son. If the school won't bend I may have to do a home study math program. I could really use some positive vibes over here. Would you please send some my way? :)

What would I do without my paint box. Painting has become my sanctuary.

My sweet boy wrote the words 'Jenny's Paint Box' I just love him!

Wishing you well and Happy!

With Love from Oregon,

Jenny♥

work in progress

Best coffee cake EVER!!!

2011-09-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

Hello All! I'm just barely getting into the swing of a new school year and still putting the house back together after many many summer projects. Just wanted to share an amazing recipe with you today. It really is the best coffee cake ever! I found the recipe on the pioneer woman blog and had to try it out. Warning: If you're counting calories this is not for you. :)

Mmmmmmm. You wanna make it don't you! You can find the recipe HERE. The recipe calls for whole milk but I used 1% and it still turned out great. I'll be back later in the week with some art to share. Sending love to you!
Jenny

Happy Day, I love my friends!

2011-08-15T16:25:00.001-07:00

I took a little time out over the weekend to get together with some dear friends: Judy, Melinda, and Ruth. Judy was our fabulous hostess and had the most delicious bounty from her garden to share! We all brought something yummy to eat and some gorgeous art to enjoy. It was just what I needed. Here's a few pics of the day. :)

Love this little mantra in Judy's studio, it reads "May beauty surround you"

Yum, goodness from the garden and homemade croutons on the salad! Thank you Judy!

Melinda made these red velvet cupcakes from scratch, they were ever so good!

I love how the bitty crumb on top looks like a heart♥

I love this encaustic piece by Judy.

Some of Judy's dolls, makes me want to play with clay.

Had fun looking through an old journal.

Melinda brought some amazing work to share. The picture doesn't do it justice. She's awesome!

Melinda and Judy adding a final touch to this beautiful creation by Melinda!

Melinda has been a busy lady. She'll be filling up a gallery soon no doubt!

Ruth with one of her gorgeous watercolor works. Wish I would've taken more pics, she is so talented!

And a couple of my pieces on the bottom left of this pic!

I'm such a homebody it was so wonderful to enjoy a day with these creative sisters!

Friends are the best! Sending love to you my bloggy friends, lets make some art this week!
Xo Jenny :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Meet Gillian...

2011-08-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this weeks ago but life has been all consuming lately with out of town visitors, family birthdays( including mine!), and some health issues. My sweet boy is recovering from pneumonia! Not to worry though, the medicine is working and he'll be bouncing off the walls again soon.

Today I want to introduce you to Mixed Media Artist, Gillian Lee Smith. I met Gillian in an online class this year and am so in love with her work. She's one of those multi-talented artists who can draw, paint, sculpt, who knows what else...She's amazing! I've been going back to THIS piece again and again. I would love to buy it if I could save up the money.

Gillian is also a survivor. She battled breast cancer last year and she's doing great!

If you have a moment I hope you'll take some time to visit Gillian HERE where she shares a bit about her story and how she's giving back!

Sending Love to you!

xoJenny

artwork & photo by Gillian Lee Smith

A quick hello...

2011-07-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to say a quick hello! I'm madly cleaning and cooking to get ready for a big BBQ here at my house today. We're celebrating my baby girls 17th birthday!!! It's gonna be a wonderful day!

Wishing you all a happy weekend...

Much Love,

Jenny

here's a little something i started yesterday. I had so much fun making her

because my little niece is in town and we had an art afternoon together♥

Neskowin...

2011-07-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pics from my time at Neskowin. If you've ever been to the Oregon Coast you know what a magical place it is. I was thrilled to come home to a special package from a dear blog friend...hope I get to meet her in person someday. I'm so thankful for this community.

I didn't paint at all last week so I'm trying to make up for it starting tonight!

Much Love,
Jenny

ps: the beauty in the 4th pic is my awesome sister and the little guy is my nephew.

Happy 4th of July!!!

2011-07-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

It's sunny here today as we celebrate our independence! My sweetie made his annual trip this weekend to get the good fireworks. He and my son can't wait for tonight, they're both a couple of pyros. I've got family descending from out of town so it'll be a fun day!

Here's some new paintings I finished this last week. The 1st one shows the step by step progression. She was a bit scary until I finally gave her some hair. It was driving my daughter nuts. She kept walking by saying, "when are you gonna paint some hair, she's freaking me out."

I started out with a background first this time. I usually can't wait to paint the face so it was nice to have a background already done. I need to start doing that way I think.

Next came the under painting, she looks a bit like humpty dumpty here.

a little color...

finally some hair, my daughter is happy.

refining the do.

a dress, pearls, and some words from my heart...she's done!

I named her Estelle after a friend of mine. She was a birthday gift.

I started this little lady in red late Saturday night. She was inspired by one of Misy Mawn's paintings.

Here she is all finished and in the shop. I really like her!
sold 7/19/11

I want to paint some more today but I must clean the house to get ready for company.

Wishing my American friends a safe and happy holiday!

Happy Painting my friends!!!

xoJenny

Paint, plaster, and more paint...

2011-06-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

It's Monday night here in Oregon. I finally broke away from the art supplies long enough to put away some laundry away and do a few dishes. I'm feeling like house work is is such a waste of my precious time lately. I just want to play 24/7. I have to be careful of not becoming anti social too, so I'm trying to plan a few friend dates here and there. It's good to step away and come back to the work with a fresh eye.

Here's the progression of what I've worked on this past week. She's not quite finished yet but I really like her!

This is the finished fresco on plaster I started last week. She's supposed to look like a an old roman piece.

On the homefront things are going really well. I just had my annual review at work and I am an excellent employee...phew. I get nervous about reviews every year but it always turns out great.

My boy was chosen for the All-star little league team and their 1st game is tomorrow, I'm so proud!

Lucy has made herself right at home and sleeps by me every night. She's my new baby and we're all in love with her. She and the kitty are close to becoming friends, I hope(fingers crossed).

If you've ever had a doggy before you know they can get a bit stinky! I've been giving her a bath once a week to keep her shiny and clean and stink free. This last pic is Lucy after her bath yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who visited me on my last post. I was afraid after all my bloggy issues that my friends might forget me. Each comment was like a little gift and I'm thankful for each and every one of you!

Love to you and happy art making,

♥Jenny

Thank you Joanne Rose!!! & around here lately...

2011-06-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday my friends! I want to tell you about a very special person today: The talented Joanne Rose. I met Joanne through my online class with Misty Mawn. As much as I love the classes I take, the friends you meet along the way really make it so incredibly special. Joanne is a talented artist and photographer. She's one who sees the beauty in the everyday and captures it on canvas or through the lens. Oh and she's also tech savvy! Thanks to Joanne I have my blog back!!! She offered to help get me back online expecting nothing in return, just happy to support another artist. Thank you from the bottom of my heart sweet sister.

This blog has become such a big part of my life and I really didn't want to let go.

Life has been pretty good here, making lots of art and taking another online class. I'ts the plaster studio workshop with Judy Wise and Stephanie Lee. Lots of fun so far, I can see this plaster business is going to be addictive. I'm making a big old mess over here. Here's a few pics of what I've been working on lately.

Sending love to you my friends!

xoJenny

This is Minnie. She is now flying off to her new home in Michigan.

SOLD

This little collage is Louise, I really like her!

This is a technique I'm learning in my new class, cracked plaster on muslin.

You're supposed to use burlap but I didn't have any so I improvised.

Some messy plastery layers. Just had fun adding and scratching away layers.

Is plastery a word???

this is the beginning of a faux fresco piece.

Love Love Love playing with my new plaster tools!

Blogger Woes...

2011-06-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Oh I am missing my blog and my friends here so much! Blogger has been completely bonkers lately. I haven't been able to comment on friends blogs and my own blog kept popping up a warning that my site could have malware!

I temporarily shut down and emailed back and forth with webmaster tools and have been informed that everything is fine. Please let me know if you encounter anything out of the ordinary. I really love my little bloggy here, but I'm thinking I may have to start a new blog/website with something other than blogger. We'll see how it goes. I have been spending some time with my paints and really feeling a pull to create, create, create! It's so hard to want to do anything else. I seriously think I need meds for ADD so I can concentrate at work.

Here's a few pics of my newest painting still in progress! I really love her and wrote a few words awhile back I'm thinking would go along with this piece. I hope you like her!

Sending love to you!

xoJenny

Something new needs a name...

2011-05-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Sending love to all you sweet sisters that left a kind word on my last post. I'm feeling better today. Something happened this week and the whole family is smiling...except the kitty. She is so ticked right now. We got a doggy!!! We've talked about it off and on for awhile but I never thought it would happen. My hubby has a coworker that mentioned they just didn't have time for their dog and were planning to take her to the shelter. Long story short, instead of going to the shelter she was adopted by us. This is so new to me, I've never had a dog before. She is sweetie and she fits right in with us. I'm hoping that she and kitty will be the best of friends eventually.

I need your help to give her a name. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. :)

Here's my precious boy with his new best friend. He's so good with her.

I promised I'd share a few art pics on my last post. I haven't had much time for art play lately, a little here and a little there. I've been playing with wax and texture and doodling faces.

I embedded baby's breath in the wax, I think it looks cool.

Here's the same piece with some color

Just a little face I doodled on scrap paper

I named her June

This one is a 3/4 portrait for Jane DesRossiers class

Her head is a little bulbous but I really like her.

I'm thinking about framing her for the house.

Thank you again for the love you share. I'm so thankful for my artsy sisters!

Sending love to you,

Jenny

You will always find what you're looking for...

2011-05-16T06:45:00.001-07:00

I'm trying, really trying to be conscience of what I'm looking for these days.

I'm looking for understanding. I'm looking for faith. I'm looking for kindness, always kindness.

Understanding for why loved ones have been hurt and why friends are suffering with sickness.

Faith to believe that ultimately it's for some greater purpose even when prayers go unanswered. Kindness in myself and others to lift each others spirits.

I know it's true that we will find what we're looking for. I'm choosing to look for the good.

There is so much to be thankful for.

I'm having a tough time right now, but I'll get through it.

I'll be back later in the week with a few art pictures to share.

Sending love to you friends♥

xo Jenny

A thankful mother...

2011-05-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Not much to say about our rainy mothers day... My heart was full with my sweet babes around me. I often feel it such a privilege to be a mother to these special souls. I feel the time passing so quickly and want take in every moment and make it last just a little longer.

For all that have been a mother in any way... Thank you for the love you share.

♥Jenny

my sweet girl made a mothers day painting for me

found this napkin in my lunch one day from my darling boy

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Giveaway winner!

2011-05-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday All! I got so busy I almost forgot that it was time to choose a winner!

A very Big Thank you to:

Since Rachel did not want to be entered for the giveaway then my friend Jenny Blair is the 10th comment and the lucky winner!!!

I'm so happy you all were here to play along with me!

Sending love and wishes for a Happy Sunny Weekend!

~Jenny :)

Around here lately & a Giveaway!!!

2011-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

i've been missing my blog lately...life is busy with baseball, leaving little time for the computer. We spent Easter weekend with my in laws just hanging out at their beautiful cabin home. i love it there!

Here's a little face I did while coloring with my son.

Of course we had to color eggs! I decided to make a humpty dumpty face.

Sadly, he was not put back together again...he was gobbled up with toast and jam.

I was able to squeeze in a little painting time and I really like how she's turning out.

I'm so excited too because I just got 4 new wood panels waiting to be drenched in color!

I was organizing my little studio space and clearing out things I'm not using anymore so I thought I'd pass them on to you! The last 2 photos are a pack of stickers and a stamp set that has never been used. Just leave a comment on this post and I'll pick a winner at random on May 6th!

Now off to put the kids to bed and hopefully watch Vampire Diaries! It's being recorded right now because my hubby is watching the Blazers playoff game.

Wishing you well and Happy!

♥Jenny

An interview and one of the many reasons I love Blogging♥

2011-04-18T08:41:00.000-07:00

Just one of the many reasons I LOVE blogging is the friendships with amazing people we might not otherwise have had the chance to meet. I was lucky to meet these lovely ladies last summer in London. We met through blogging and they were kind enough to meet up with me for dinner while I was visiting their town. If I had money to spare I would love to visit again. So many places to go and friends to meet. pictured left to right: Concetta, Amelia, and me

Today I want to introduce you to another friend and fellow artist/blogger I met through an online class, Trena Darby.

Trena is sweetheart and a talented artist. She recently asked if I'd be interested in doing an artist interview on her blog and of course I said yes! Thank you Trena for thinking of me!

You can read my interview HERE.

Wishing you all a Happy Week!

♥jenny

in the stillness...

2011-04-10T21:37:00.000-07:00

it's sunday night and the kiddos are asleep or at least they're supposed to be. any moment now one of them is bound to call out for a drink of water. we had a busy busy weekend with baseball for my son and prom night for my daughter. i was itching to paint and finally got a little time today! i've been fighting negative feelings lately about my work as an artist. i was a little stressed about a piece that i donated for a silent auction yesterday wondering if anyone would bid on it and what people would think of it. i knew i just needed to have some creative time and get over it already. a blog friend of mine has a birthday coming up so i decided to paint something for her. i wanted to do something with a bird and a little poem i wrote. i started out collaging bits of paper on a canvas board, then i added broken egg shells to the bottom. i wanted to add a ruffly detail so i cut off the edge of a ruffled blouse i don't wear anymore and adhered it with gel medium. i gessoed over it, added some color, bird, eggs, feather, and my poem. i wrote the words more than once trying not to slant the sentences but my writing always slopes to the left so that's how it will stay. i covered the piece with dorland's wax and left it to dry. i'm so happy i finished in one day! i hope the birthday girl likes it.

the poem reads:

in the stillness of morning

i hear the birds

and i know my voice

i also wanted to share with you these darling birdies that came in the mail the other day. my friend maki has made 1000 birds in an effort to raise funds for japan. if you would like to help maki help japan go HERE for more information.

thank you for visiting me, your comments lift me up and keep me smiling!

Much to love to you,

jenny♥

Art, friends, and a brownie recipe...

2011-04-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends! I have some beautiful local art to share with you!

My friends Judy, Ruth, and I went to an art demo in Portland the other day.

Pictured below is the work of Kristin Fritz. She makes these beautiful pieces using

brown paper grocery bags and walnut ink!

Here's one of her pieces in progress.

Next is the work of Tangie Belmore. Tangie works with collage, raw silk, and cement to create scrumptious textures. Her pieces are really large and it makes me wanna play with a giant canvas. This piece is silk and cement, even more beautiful in person. This is a collage process she was demonstrating. She buys gel medium by they gallon for the size of collage she does.

Here's Ruth, Me, and Judy. Not a very good photo(sorry)

I love spending time with these ladies! They are both Uber talented, fun,

and always inspiring! Be sure to check out their blogs.

Finally I want to share a yummy "semi healthy" brownie recipe!

Black Bean Brownies

1 package Ghiradelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix(or any mix really)

1 can black beans rinsed and drained

Empty mix into bowl and set aside

Put the rinsed black beans back into the can

and fill it with water til it just covers the beans

pour beans/water into blender and puree

Add bean puree to brownie mix, stir and bake

according to package directions.

After brownies have cooled I like to frost them with homemade chocolate icing.

This may sound a little strange but I promise they are REALLY good and a little healthier than your average brownie. You won't be disappointed. :)

Wishing you all a happy art filled week!

Much Love,

Jenny

Twilight Weekend and a work in progress...

2011-03-27T19:06:00.001-07:00

Yes, you know if you've visited me before that I am a twilight nerd. My daughter and I have read all the books and gone to the midnight movie premieres. Please don't judge me. :)

A dear friend of mine(also a twilight nerd) is expecting her 1st baby this summer and was in serious need of a getaway before being tied down with mommy duties. So we planned a fun little weekend drive to Forks, Washington! We brought along my friends mom too, she is so cute.

I think the sun came out just to welcome us.

This sign is in the window of the Fork's Visitors Center. They have a book inside they like everyone to write down where they came from. I flipped through and was stunned to see how far fans had come. People came from Brazil, the Phillipines, Australia, Germany, the UK, and all over the US.

Here's me, the wind was blowing so it was hard to get a good picture.

My darling girl Emma. They had cardboard cutouts in the visitors center that they let us use!

The truck in the background is from the movie. I think she and Jacob look really cute together!

Ok, this is not a twilight character. It's Damon from the Vampire Diaries. I have a teeny crush on him.

Here's Emma in front of Jacob's house

Beautiful La Push Beach. The tide was really high so we weren't able to walk along the beach.

Finally, I just wanted to share a little work in progress.

The face is just a little sketch I drew ages ago. I made a photo copy of her

and adhered her to the canvas along with some transfers. I'm just having

fun playing and getting messy with paint. I'm not really sure where she's going.

Thank you all for the well wishes on my last post. I finally went to the doctor and he said it was just a virus and I should be feeling better soon. I am feeling better, in large part to you my friends!

Sending love from Oregon♥

Jenny

I need sunshine

2011-03-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends! I'm finally painting again after a brief hiatus. Been feeling rather low the last few weeks, I think I have a bug. I may have to break down and go to the doctor which is one of my least favorite things to do. Please send feel better vibes my way. :)

My heart goes out to the people of Japan. I was out Thursday night and saw the awful news when I got home. We had tsunami warnings here for the Oregon Coast after the quake.

Thankfully nothing much really happened. I know you'll join me in sending prayers to Japan and to those still struggling in New Zealand.

Here's a peek at my newest painting! I've had a lot of fun with her. It's been so gray and rainy here that I have to try and make my own sunshine.

Wishing you well and happy!

♥Jenny

Jane

2011-02-18T13:11:00.001-08:00

I'm an old fashioned girl at heart...I have been reading Jane Eyre and watching the BBC version. I love the language, the clothes, the order of things. I often think I was born in the wrong time.

I'm swept away with it all.

In Misty Mawn's class she talked about finding what inspires you and painting it. That's what I've been trying to do lately. When I hear a song that touches me or a picture in a magazine, I'm writing it down/cutting it out and saving it for inspiration!

Jane Eyre is the inspiration for the painting I'm sharing here today.

I had so much fun playing with a larger canvas and the easel my husband gave me for Christmas!

I started out just layering images, transfers, and tissue paper.

I wanted to add text from the novel so I wrote a portion of the novel on tissue paper trying to emulate Charlotte Bronte's handwriting and adhered it to the canvas.

Next came Jane♥

Close up of some detail. Before I laid the color down I added some lace under the moth

It's hard to see but I like the way it makes the wings appear so delicate.

I made a miniature piece from a photo I took.

More closeups, I love these partial face pictures.

I really wanted a few photos with a part of me in them.

And here is the finished Jane! She's more vibrant in person, I didn't have good lighting for this one. After finally finishing this piece I felt a bit drained. I've been kind of a slug the last couple of days. Anyone else ever feel like that after finishing a piece of art? I'm trying to get back on track today, I've got to stop eating M&M's and exercise. It's pouring down rain here but I've got some good music playing to lift my mood.

Wishing you Happiness Today and Always!

Love,

Jenny

♥

One World One Heart 2011 Winner!!!

2011-02-17T09:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Day Fellow Bloggers! I really can't believe it's already February 17th, which means it's time to pick a winner for OWOH!!! I used the random number generator for the first time and the lucky lady is...(insert drumroll here)

Lezlei Ann Young, a mixed media artist and doll maker extraordinaire!

Thank you for being a part of this event Lezlei, I'm sending you an email to get

your address. :)

I did not have a chance to visit all the blogs since I've been crazy busy with Misty Mawn's class. The table and the floor where I've been working is a huge mess. I am a messy artist.

Today will be clean up day. I'm so looking forward to warmer weather so I can move my art mess back into my garage studio. It's just been too cold out there to play.

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who came to visit me and follow my little blog during this wonderful event! Your visits and words of kindness bring me so much happiness!

I also want to say a big thank you to Micki Wilde, I'm the lucky winner of one of her OWOH giveaways! Totally made my day!

Much Love,

Jenny

A painting from start to finish...

2011-02-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

It's Monday night. Dinner's on the stove, kids are doing homework, and I'm winding down with a little computer time. To all who've come to visit me for OWOH I say, "Thank you!!!" I really love making new friends. I'm slowly trying to visit everyone without ignoring my family too much. It may take me til the 17th to make it around the world. :)

I thought it would be fun to share the progression of one my recent paintings. The original just sold to a lovely lady in Seattle! If you're interested in being entered in my giveaway to receive a print of this painting you can leave a comment on the previous post HERE.

She started out with pencil

Here comes some paint

I messed up her mouth, so I covered it and started again.

Adding details and color

Some written words

a button from my dear grandmother's collection and the

#8 on her blouse because it's my lucky number

I will miss her now that she's flying off to Seattle, but I know she will be loved

in her new home.

Sending you love from Oregon,

Jenny♥

One World One Heart 2011

2011-01-30T22:54:00.000-08:00

Hello and Welcome!!! It's time for One World One Heart 2011!!! This will be my first time participating and I'm really excited! You can find details HERE!

Here's a little about me if you're a new visitor:

My name is Jenny and I'm from the beautiful state of Oregon. I've been blogging for a little over a year now. The last couple of years I've had a strong pull towards creativity. I love to stitch, draw, and paint, and I think I can finally say that I am an artist. Hmmm, what else...I love spending time with my husband and two children, I love to read(mostly fiction), I love going to the movies, and I love spending time with friends. Oregon is a Beautiful place to live despite the many many inches of rain each year. We've got amazing beaches, forests thick with trees, waterfalls, and the locally grown strawberries are the best.

Blogging and meeting other creatives along the way has brought so much happiness into my life and I'm so thankful for the friends I've made here in blog land.

I'm offering an 8x10 print of my latest painting pictured below. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post! Make sure you have a link to an active blog or someway to contact you if your name is chosen. I will pick a winner at random on February 17!!!

I want to say a Big "Thank you!" to Lisa at http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/ for all the effort that goes into this world wide event!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Much Love,

Jenny

Week 2 Painting

2011-01-20T12:54:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Thursday!

I just wanted to share a peek at what I've been working on lately

in Misty's class. If you're a facebook friend you've already seen these but I wanted to share them here too. There is sooo much information in this class I'm glad the class website will stay open until April(so generous!).

I feel like I'm really stretching in this class. Do you notice how the more you try to be in tune with your creative selves and your surroundings, you start to see things in a whole new light.

I think my eyes are changing.

I'm sorry if I haven't been blog hopping quite as much, I'm really trying to focus right now.

I'm trying to sneak a moment here and there to visit when I can.

Wishing you well and happy on your creative journeys!

Much Love,

Jenny♥

week 1 sketching

2011-01-13T23:30:00.001-08:00

Happy Happy Almost Friday!!!

This has been such a crazy week...

My blow dryer broke, my oven died, my dryer broke, and this morning the garbage disposal got clogged. I was able to fix the disposal on my own thankfully. You should see my house right now. I've got rope strung across the dining room with clothes hanging on it to dry. :)

I'm making do. I'm going to shop around for a new dryer tomorrow. It's so funny that as soon as I start part time work, everything goes on the fritz.

I'm so loving Misty Mawn's class! If you ever have a chance to take one of her workshops you won't be disappointed. This week we are working on drawing. It's been fun to play around with the pencils and I just recently discovered stump shaders from Misty's supply list for class. They are wonderful!

Here's a couple sketches I worked on this week.

Drawing is not one of my strengths but I'm excited to keep practicing and hopefully get better at it. Misty makes it look so easy. Watching her sketch in her videos is just like magic.

Much Love to you my friends!

♥Jenny

New Year changes and a WIP

2011-01-08T23:22:00.000-08:00

It 's my first post of the New Year! I've got some exciting news...

I cut my my work schedule to part time so I'll only be working 2 & 1/2 days a week!

I've really had a strong pull lately to be home more with my family and to have more time in my studio. It means less money, but I really feel good about it.

I'm also really thrilled to be starting a new class on Monday with the lovely and

talented Misty Mawn! I got a new sketch pad and some new supplies

and I'm ready to go!

I leave you with a few pics of a work in progress. She is 16x20 on canvas.

I am so thankful my sweetheart got me an easel for Christmas, I love it!

Hope your first week of the New Year was a Happy One.

Much Love to you all and thank you so much for

the kindness on my last post. :)

♥Jenny

2010 My Worst Best Year

2010-12-31T08:00:00.000-08:00

I'ts early morning...my children are still sleeping and my sweetheart just left for work.

I'm sitting here reflecting on the past year as it comes to a close. The good, the bad, all of it. This year has been one of major change for me. For several years I think I was in a bit of a rut, working full time, raising two kids, etc. I had kids very young and got so focused into motherhood I kind of lost myself along the way. If someone had asked me what my favorite color was, I would've drawn a blank.

This year was different.

After reading a book by Katherine Center about a mom who sounded a lot like me, I started to follow Katherine's blog. She wrote about a women's retreat with fellow creatives and it really sparked with me. I fell in love with the beautiful art and photography, and words of these amazing women. I remembered that I use to write poetry, and paint. I bought Kelly Rae's book, spent lots of $$ at the craft store and started to feel happier than I ever imagined possible. I started my own blog, started taking classes online and in person with Judy Wise, and felt surrounded by love and friendship in this artsy community.

I found me.

This year has also been very painful...losing loved ones, losing my kitties, and a devastating issue with extended family. I won't go into details, a bit too personal. I really don't know how I would have made it through without art and all of you. Each comment and word of kindness means so much to me. I'm so thankful to call you friends and was even lucky enough to meet some of you in person.

So even though this has been the worst year ever, it's also been the best. I'm happy, more confident, a better mom, a better wife, a better friend. I feel like anything is possible! Wishing you all happiness in the New Year!

Goodbye 2010, 2011 here we come!

Much Love and Thankfullness!

♥Jenny

WIP

2010-12-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! Hope you all had a Happy Christmas!

I was thrilled to get an easel and some big canvases from

my sweet husband!

Here's a peek at what I'm working on:

I started out with just a sketch on the canvas,

then I added some textured background

with old dryer sheets and started adding paint.

I'm trying not to think too hard and just play intuitively with it.

Happy week everyone, it's almost 2011!!!

Much Love,

Jenny

Wishing you all well and Happy!

2010-12-23T11:38:00.000-08:00

Wherever you are, whatever you celebrate...I'm wishing you well and very happy!

I'm thankful for all of you this holiday season. :)

I'm still busy getting ready for Christmas here, it feels like it came so early this year.

I have loved having decorations up, it's so lovely.

Here's a few pics of our Christmas:

the angel on the tree

my little nativity

our stockings hanging by the fire

snuggling in our snuggies

sittin by the tree

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

♥jenny

A message in the clouds...

2010-12-12T20:54:00.000-08:00

I was heading home one evening last week when something caught my eye in the night sky.

Do you see it? It's an arrow! The photo doesn't quite do it justice, it was kind of a moment for me.

I took it as a sign that I'm the right path, headed in the right direction. So often I think to myself, "what makes you think you can paint, there are so many people that are better at it. It's meant for someone else, not you." I frequently have to kick those thoughts to the curb because I absolutely love painting and creating. It brings me so much happiness, I never want to quit.

I love art, and all my dear artsy friends.

Big Hugs to you my friends, we're on the right path. ♥

~jenny

Giveaway winners!!!

2010-12-11T06:36:00.000-08:00

A big "thank you" to all that signed up for my giveaway! I wish I had something for all of you. :) I felt like I was able to connect with each of you as I carefully wrote out your names, cut them into strips and placed them in the little box pictured below. I'm definitely gonna have to do another giveaway in the future, it was a lot of fun!

I shook the box several times, opened it, and pulled out two names.

The winners are: Robin Norgren

and Jennifer Valentine!

Robin, you will be getting the book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Jennifer, you will be receiving the painting since you mentioned that it looked a bit like your grandmother.

I must apologize for posting this a little late, I was having a pity party last night.

Both of my dear kitties have gone missing. I thought it was pretty strange for both cats to have gone missing so I called the local chief of police. Apparently there has been a big coyote problem in my neighborhood and several people have reported missing cats. If you have pets, you know how I must be feeling. I'm still trying to hold out hope that maybe they will come home. I may have to send a last minute letter to Santa to bring my kitties home for Christmas.

Wishing you all well and happy!

Much Love,

Jenny

Creative Color Challenge...

2010-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to quickly share what I made for Louise Gale's

Creative Color Challenge Ornament Exchange.

I wasn't sure about taking on another task when I'm

already so busy but I couldn't resist.

I embroidered the ornaments on muslin, then

tea dyed them with cinnamon tea.

Then I used my handy glue gun to adhere them to

a mini canvas. Finally I added a lovely red ribbon around the border

with room left at the top to tie them around the branches of the

Christmas tree.

These ornaments will be shipped off tomorrow to Texas, Scotland, and New Jersey.

It felt good to sit and quietly stitch. I've had so much

focus on painting that I've neglected my needle n thread.

I'm thankful to the lovely Louise for this fun opportunity. If you haven't

heard, Louise is having an amazing online class called

Big Dreams, small wonders. You can find out more

Here.

Thank you to all that signed up for my Giveaway and a

Big Thank you to my new followers! :)

If you're interested in putting your name in there's still time,

just leave a comment here.

Wishing you all a Happy Happy Day!

♥Jenny

It's a Giveaway and my Blogging Birthday!!!

2010-11-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to be celebrating a whole year of blogging and art making!

This past year, discovering the joy of creating art and making new friends has

been one of the best I've had. Even though I've had some hard times, art has really helped me push through and kept me smiling.

I'm gonna get a little mushy here:

I love you as dearly as my real life friends. Your comments

and words of kindness and encouragement are an everyday reminder that I'm not

alone and that so many of us are kindred spirits. Thank you so much for you friendship.♥

In honor of my blog anniversary I'm giving away this advance readers edition of one of

my favorite books: Everyone is Beautiful, by Katherine Center.

I love this story and it really has a lot to do with my desire to make art. I know you'll love it!

I'm also giving away this little painting I made

on muslin stretched over a 4x5 canvas. She's really sweet,

I just love her.

To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment on this post.

Followers of my blog with have their name entered twice.

To have your name entered 3 times: follow my blog, leave a comment, and post about this giveaway on your blog. Be sure to let me know if you've done this. :)

I will be drawing names on December 10th, one winner will

receive the book and one will receive the painting.

♥Jenny

Waxy studio weekend...

2010-11-23T21:13:00.001-08:00

I have been in such a good mood thanks to my totally amazing waxy weekend!

After spending two art filled days with these lovely ladies it was hard to go back to reality.

Everyone got along so well and we all genuinely enjoyed each others company.

Judy is so kind and made us all feel so welcome in her home. We didn't want to leave.

Pictured top row from left to right: Barbara, Melinda, and me.

Bottom row left to right: Judy and Ruth.

Melinda and I were too giggly here to get a clear shot. :)

Judy taught us to paint a portrait made entirely of wax. Mine is pictured below.

This one is Ruth's(my table buddy)

She is a really talented artist and super fun too!

This one is Barbara's. We all decided to name her

Cindy. I love her.

This last one was done by Melinda, I think we all

did amazing especially considering it was something

we've never done before.

This a collage made by Ruth, sorry it's sideways.

It turned out beautiful.

Some waxy collages by Melinda.

I made this little collage. I was thinking of my husband when I

picked out the words. ♥

Imagine spending two wonderful days surrounded by Judy's

amazing paintings and her adorable little sculpey dolls.

The next few pics are all Judy's art.

Here's Judy nudging and encouraging us.

Ruth my table buddy working on a collage.

Me working on my portrait. I was cold working so close to the door

so Judy kindly covered my shoulders with a really soft jacket.

She totally took care of us. I just love her.

Happy Happy to have new art friends!

Judy and I.

I feel like I'm bursting with love, I'm on cloud 9! I feel so incredibly inspired by Judy

and these dear ladies and I learned so much!

Much Love,

Jenny

It's Friday and it's gonna be an awesome weekend!!!

2010-11-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! How's everybody doing? Anyone going to see the new Harry Potter? I have a brother coming to town next week so I am waiting to see it with him. I really wanted to go to the midnight premiere last night but I was just too tired. Things are so busy lately it all seems to be rushing past in a blur. I did squeeze in a little time to paint though. The picture below is a view of my very messy art table. You can see why my husband is very happy that the kitchen table has been reclaimed for dinner time.

This weekend I'm taking part in a mini art retreat with Judy Wise and a couple other artists

at Judy's studio!!! I'm so excited! I hope to soak in some amazing creative mojo.

Details on my upcoming giveaway will be coming soon...Stay tuned!

Wishing you all well and happy!

Much Love,

Jenny

Finally some painting progress...

2010-11-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

i was finally able to get back into my studio to play with my painting. i'm not sure if she's done yet. i'm really interested in faces at the moment. i have faces doodled on scraps of paper all over the house. i think i've definitely improved since my early attempts.

i'm still planning to do a giveaway here on my blog, i've just got a lot going on at the moment.

on top of the busyness of the everday family stuff, two dear friends of mine are having some serious health issues. it's got me really stressed out and feeling a bit helpless. i wish i could wave a wand and make them better. if you're the praying kind please say a prayer on their behalf. :)

i'm a bit behind on my blog hopping too, i'll be catching up in the next few days.

HAPPY FRIDAY TOMORROW MY FRIENDS!

♥jenny

2010-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a little piece of our rainy day at the pumpkin patch.

Tonight the kids were in serious concentration mode as they carved away at their pumpkins.

I think they turned out awesome.

Wishing you and yours a safe and Happy Halloween!

♥Jenny

WIP

2010-10-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

I was able to get out to my studio(aka: the garage) tonight to play with my paints!

I've noticed that I start to get cranky if too much time goes by without getting paint on my hands. I so wish I had more time to be creative. I'm workin on it.

Here's my current work in progress. My kids think she looks a bit scary without her eyes painted in. I really like seeing the progression of a painting so I thought I'd share what I've finished so far.

I'm thinking about doing a giveaway here on my blog in the next few weeks.

I feel really lucky to have been the recipient of some fabulous goodies and I wanna give back.

To those of you that have signed on to follow my blog: Thank you! I'm glad to have you here!

I'm so thankful for this blog community!

♥Jenny

A little more Art & Soul...

2010-10-18T19:10:00.000-07:00

Okay friends, here's a little more goodness from Art & Soul. I meant to post this earlier but life got pretty busy last week, sorry. The lovely lady in the picture with me is Teresa of

tickledpinkpaperink. She was one of my table buddies in class. When she sat down I introduced myself and she said, "I know you, you have a blog." Turns out Teresa was a fellow flyer in Kelly Rae's ecourse! I was so relieved to have a friend in class. Teresa is so easy to get along with and really talented too. She makes personalized stamps for her etsy shop. You can check out her shop Here.

Teresa made this darling owl in class, I just love it. I told her she should make prints and add them to her etsy shop.

Here's another lovely piece made by another classmate, don't know her name though.

Here's a shot of my painting in progress.

These next two were made by the talented and very kind Nellie. She traveled all the way from Michigan!

I was also fortunate to meet Lynn, and I'm so happy to call her a friend. She's one of those dear people that after just a brief meeting you just know is a kindred spirit. Click on her name to go to her blog and see her fabulous class pictures. Lynn also has an etsy shop full of her amazing textile art. Check it out Here!

For even more class pictures be sure to visit Judy's blog too.

Thank you so much for all your comments on my last post!

Much Love,

Jenny

Art and Soul♥♥♥

2010-10-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends!

I had such a wonderful time at Art & Soul this weekend and I got to meet

Judy Wise!!! She is a favorite artist of mine and it was so special to

meet her.

Here's a closer view of my piece. I drew her on heavy paper with graphite

and then painted her with acrylics, caran d'ache water crayons, and water color pencils.

Then I collaged her onto a wood board.

I'm really happy with how she turned out. I'm so thankful to have had

the opportunity to learn from Judy.

I'll be back later in the week with pictures of some of my classmates work!

Happy Monday!

♥Jenny

Brave...

2010-10-07T02:21:00.001-07:00

I've got something very exciting going on this weekend! I'm taking my first ever painting class at Art & Soul with the amazingly talented Judy Wise! I think I'm stressing about it a little. I had a dream that I showed up for class completely unprepared having forgotten to bring my art supplies. I'm also uneasy because I won't know anyone else in class. I'm telling myself to be brave. I will make new friends and learn some new skills and it will be fantastic. I had trouble sleeping tonight so I quietly crept out to my little studio and made this brave girl. I really appreciate all the kindness on my last post, means a lot this brave(yes, I am brave) girl.

Much Love,

Jenny

Happy, Happy...I finished a painting!!!

2010-10-03T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm in such a good mood! I love the feeling you get when you finish a piece that you really put your heart into. I've been working on this for while now, every time I had a moment to spare. It's hard to balance art time with family, house work, and my day job. Something always has to give. This week it was laundry. It piles up quick around here. Sometimes I just have to let it pile up or I will never get time to play with my art supplies.

The little poem reads:

the towering oak

through winters bitter slumber

remembers her friends

It's a bit scary to share poetry. I feel kind of like it's letting someone read your diary.

I wrote this years ago in High School English when we were doing a segment on haiku's

and I think it's very fitting for this painting. Hope you like it.

♥Jenny

Collin's bike

2010-10-03T12:22:00.001-07:00

Collin got a new bike! He is sooo excited about it! We went to dinner after we brought the bike home from the shop. Collin made this sweet drawing at the restaurant.

Hope you're all having a happy weekend!

♥Jenny

I won a giveaway!

2010-10-01T20:16:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share these gorgeous earrings I won from the lovely Louise at

Vingtage Inspirations. I feel pretty when I wear them.

Thank you so much Louise!

above photo was borrowed from Louise's blog

Below is a photo I took just before the school year started. Some of the last delicate blooms of summer. Change is in the air, fall is definitely here. I love the colors of autumn, the hot apple cider, visiting the pumpkin patch, and dressing up for Halloween. I will miss the warmth of summer though. I'm one of those people that always has the heat turned way up and I have a little space heater under my desk at work to keep my toes warm. I will have to get a heater for my studio in the garage for sure. I'm loving having my own space to play and create, it's awesome! Happy Weekend friends!

♥Jenny

The extra chair

2010-09-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

This is what I saw when I came out to my lil' studio last night. My adorable 11yr old boy wants to make art with me side by side. The sight of those two chairs seriously melted my heart, I love that kid. :)

Studio progress...

2010-09-20T22:20:00.000-07:00

Major progress going on over here! I started cleaning out the garage on Friday night to make room for a big table I picked up at Costco. I placed an ad on Craigslist offering a dresser, a bookshelf, and two fish tanks and by Saturday afternoon they were gone. I LOVE getting rid of things wed don't need anymore. I'm moving all my art supplies from my kitchen hutch out to the garage which will soon become my own little studio! I had fun playing around with my paints out there tonight after I got the kiddos into bed.

I usually try to draw something before I add paint to it but tonight I just took the paintbrush to the paper and went for it.

Here's a peek at my new table covered in an artsy mess. I'm working on a new piece that I will share when it's all done.

And here I am...Happy, happy, happy to have my own little Jenny space to get paint on my hands and create. I love art. ♥

Smile

2010-09-14T23:48:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share a smile with you today.

Wishing you all a happy creative week!

♥Jenny

Feeling thankful...

2010-09-06T23:08:00.000-07:00

I've spent the day cleaning and organizing my kids bedrooms, cleaning out closets, and taking outgrown clothes to goodwill. School starts on Wednesday and I wanted to set the house in order before the busyness of the school year ensues. As I was sorting through things I found some old letters my husband wrote to me years ago. As I read through them I felt the love wash over me. I couldn't believe I'd forgotten about these treasured words and I'm just feeling all lovey dovey now. I'm thankful for him and for our life together.

I took this pic with my phone the other night as we were falling asleep

These are my sweet grandparents. They were crazy about each other and were a wonderful example to me of real love.

We've had our ups and downs like any couple but their are definitely more ups.

Thank you to all who commented on my last post. Your thoughts mean so much to me. I'm thankful to you my dear blog friends.

♥Jenny

A Keepsake and a Thank you...

2010-08-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

Since my dear Grandma was unexpectedly called home I've been a bit broken of heart. Most days are fine and time really does lessen the pain but every now and again I just cry out of the blue. I regret that I wasn't able to see her before she was taken, that I didn't have a chance to tell her how much she meant to me. How the memories spent with her growing up are some of the sweetest of my childhood. How I used to wish we could move to California to be closer to her and my Grandpa.

I went to California for her funeral and was overcome when I walked into her home and she wasn't there. I knew of course that she was gone, but standing there among of all of her things I half expected to see her walking down the hallway to greet me. I walked into her room and into her closet and gently ran my hands along her clothes and could almost feel her there. I hadn't hurt so badly since I lost Grandpa. I crossed to her bed, fell into the pillows, and just sobbed. I know in my heart that she is happy, that she is with her sweetheart once more and I'm glad for that. I just really miss her.

My grandmother was quite the seamstress and loved to collect thimbles. I now have her thimble collection and as I was looking at them one day I had the idea that a necklace could be made from one of her special thimbles. I immediately thought of Jennifer Valentine and wondered if she would be willing to make a special Keepsake for me.

I emailed Jennifer with my idea and she was so amazingly kind. She wanted to know a little bit about my Grandmother to give her a feel of who she was and what she may want to do with the necklace. So I carefully packaged my little thimble and mailed it off to her to be made anew. After a short while the thimble found it's way back home. I was so excited as I opened the package and there it was, a beautiful necklace so lovingly packaged. It was just what I had hoped for, a link to my dear Grandmother, a beautiful reminder, a keepsake.

Thank you Jennifer Valentine, you will always have a special place in my heart.

Much Love,

Jenny

Grandma & I at my favorite beach

This is a shirt my Grandma made for me, the #8 is because I'm the 8th grandchild

Here is the thimble waiting to be transformed

Jennifer's packaging is as beautiful as her jewelry

The tiny vintage bound scissors mean that your ties will never be cut....the faceted vintage French stone is about how grandmothers add so many facets to our being....and the peaceful blue color is representative of the peace our grandmothers bring, and of the heavens, where you will see her again.
The little vintage heart locket with the rose represents her love of roses and the way you loved her and she loved you....there is enough room in there for a picture of her pretty face.
The unbroken circle represents eternity and the circle of love that enfolds you always as she looks upon you and holds you in her arms always.
The rose at the back of the necklace means that she will always be there, looking over your shoulder as you go about your day....even though at times you may forget.

-Jennifer Valentine

Happy 101...

2010-08-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Lil over at lilli boo has given me the meme Happy 101 award! I'm suppose to list 10 things I like and then pass the award on to 10 bloggy friends.

So here goes, ten things I like:

1. My handsome husband

2. My kiddos

3. Paint on my hands

4. Laughing with my girlfriends

5. Walking the beach in the early morning at low tide

6. Going to the movies and I like to be early so I don't miss the previews

7. Hot fudge on ice cream(yum!)

8. Getting lost in a good book

9. Playing dress up

10. Homemade strawberry jam on toast

Of course the list could go on and on, I like a lot of things. It was fun to really stop and think to myself, "Hey, what do I like?" One thing I could add to the like list is blogging. I have loved blogging and making new friendships. Thank you Lil for tagging me, this was fun!

Lets all make time to do something we like everyday. :)

♥Jenny

I'm passing this award on to:

http://lori-diane.blogspot.com

http://dianesalter.blogspot.com/

http://artandclasp.blogspot.com/

http://101birdtales.blogspot.com/

http://glitteringshards.blogspot.com/

http://ellasedge.blogspot.com/

http://kellyberkeydesigns.blogspot.com/

The Oregon Coast

2010-08-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

I'm signing off for a bit to spend some time at the coast with my family. I'm so thankful to be so close the Oregon Coast, it is absolutely beautiful there and it's one of my favorite places in the whole world. If you ever come to Oregon, take some time to visit the coast. Thank you so much for the kindness on my last post. My friend was thrilled with the gift. That made me so happy. See you when I return!
♥Jenny

A wedding gift

2010-08-14T00:02:00.001-07:00

It's midnight here and I just finished cleaning a major mess on my kitchen table. The above photos are gift I made for a good friend who's getting married. Her bridal shower is tomorrow and I'm so excited for her to have found her sweetheart. Now that I've finished it I'm really nervous to give it to her. That little voice inside is saying maybe she won't like it or maybe the other ladies at the shower might think it looks ridiculous. I actually really like it so I hope she will too. Ok, I really gotta get some sleep. Goodnight blogland. ♥Jenny

It's a small world

2010-08-12T21:35:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite photos from my summer travels with you all. I tried really hard to sleep on the plane on the way over but I was just so excited that I couldn't. We arrived early in the morning at CDG airport in Paris where my dear friend was waiting to pick us up. We made our way to his apartment and lugged our bags up several flights of stairs. So many of the buildings in Europe are so old that they don't have elevators. The apartment was adorable but very tiny. The kitchen and bathroom were kind of in the same room so we called it the Bitchen. We dropped our bags and then headed out to explore the city. We spent the next few days seeing all the touristy spots. I had my portrait drawn at mon matre after we walked around sacre coeur and we had an awesome picnic along the Seine. After a few days in Paris we took the Eurostar train to London. I absolutely l o v e London. I don't know if it was that I could understand the language or if it was being in the land of many of my ancestors but I felt so at home there. I could totally live there. It is so easy to get around on the London underground. One of the best parts about London was meeting up with two fellow bloggers Amelia and Concetta! Amelia hosted us at her home and we all shared lovely meal at her table. It was so fabulous to get together. Both Amelia and Concetta are amazing ladies. It was so fun to chat it up with them, I especially love their accents. I've been practicing speaking with an accent around the house. One of my favorite british words is rubbish. Try saying it with and accent. :) It was really hot while we were there and my hair was driving me crazy, so I found a shop in china town and got it cut. I was so glad I packed my sneakers(or trainers as they say in London)with all the walking we did. After a few fun filled days in London we headed back to Paris. We did a bit more sight seeing and then as I said in a previous post we got quite ill. At that point I was so ready to get back to my own home sweet home. I missed my husband and my babies so much. I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to expand my view of the world and get a few more stamps in my passport. To have shared the experience with the dearest of friends made it that much sweeter too. It's was just like we were kids again.

That's all for now my friends. Much love to you all, Jenny♥

Yellow

2010-08-06T16:18:00.001-07:00

I'm taking part in Louise Gale's creative color challenge! As you can see this week is yellow. I immediately thought of a yellow brick road and came up with this. I collected the stones from my yard and gave them several coats of yellow paint. I love how it turned out. I'm so glad I decide to take part in this challenge. Initially the word challenge made me want to run the other way. I love a good adventure but tend to shrink at the thought of a challenge. So I decided to think of it as The Creative Color Adventure. Check out the link in this post to find out more about Louise and here creative color challenge. ♥

Dress up day

2010-07-26T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here's my adorable mom and I on our way to the Renaissance Fair. I had invited my travel buddy but she's training for a marathon so she wasn't able to go. My mom was such a good sport to dress up with me. We had so much fun getting all cinched into our corsets and getting dolled up. It seemed fitting that my mom was able to enjoy wearing her creation. She is such a talented seamstress.

We really felt like ladies of the court.

My sweet boy came along too, he's dressed as a peasant farmer. He was totally into his character and even smudged a little dirt on his face and tried to mess up his hair to really look the part. He is so dang cute.

The best part of the faire was the sword fighting and jousting. This was my first time at a renaissance faire, people really get into it from the costumes to the way they speak adding an eth on the end of every word. It was a lot of fun.

Thank you to all who dropped by and left a note for me on my last post. I'm feeling much better now. It's so wonderful to be connected with all you lovely ladies.

♥Jenny

Lifelong Friends...

2010-07-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

This is my one of my very best friends and I playing in the snow. I think we're about 3 in this picture. We're safely home after our whirlwind adventures in Paris and London. I missed my sweet family and you dear blog friends. :)

This is us all grown up riding a doubledecker in London. London was great fun and I was lucky enough to meet some blogger friends in person! More on that note later.

This is my bff's brother and my pretty much my brother too, I just love him. He lives in Paris so we stayed at his apartment while we were there.

I feel like my blog and need to get to know each other again after so much time apart. I really missed keeping up with all your blogs as well. I will post again soon with stories and pictures of Paris and London and my blogger meet up. I also have some very sad news about my dress up day at Versailles...it didn't happen people. The night before our planned picnic at the palace my friend and I got violently ill, as in vomiting for 48hours and then some. The last few days of our trip we were totally out of commission and wondered if we'd even be able to get on the plane to come home. On the bright side I dropped a few pounds though.

I was a bit devistated after all the work that went into the dresses so I talked my mom into going to a renaissance faire with me today. Not quite a palace but it was fun and my mom looked adorable. She has most of the pictures so I'll post them as soon as she emails them to me.

Much Love to you all!

-Jenny

Sneak peek...

2010-07-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share a few pictures of the dress I'll be wearing in Paris! I'm leaving on Wednesday!!! Pictured below is the adorable corset. I'm not as slim as I'd like to be but I can't postpone my life til I'm thinner, so I'll be tying that corset as tight as I can. :)

This next picture is the bottom of the pantaloons, they're so cute!

And of course a peek at the dress. It will be a miracle if it's done in time. It is seriously going to be sooo gorgeous! I can't take any of the credit for the workmanship. I just cut out pattern pieces and sewed a pair of pantaloons. My mom has done the rest. She is in full on project mode right now. My mother is really an amazing woman. She made prom dresses for my sisters and I and made a beautiful wedding dress for me when I got married. I think she's as excited about this trip as I am. We originally thought about just doing a solid color fabric but then we found this brocade fabric and fell in love, and it was 50% off! My mom is also making a dress for my friend to wear. We are totally going to be princesses for a day.

My poor blog will be a bit neglected while I'm gone, but stay tuned for pictures and stories from the trip when I get home. Thank you to all my blog friends for your comments, it means so much to me. Here's a goodbye hug from me. xoxo

♥Jenny

A first for me...

2010-07-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

I was feeling brave today as I set out to meet an online blogging friend (Lori) live and in person! Lots of thoughts swirling around in anticipation for our lunch date: is it safe to meet a stranger, would she like me, would I like her, will she be as nice in person, will we have anything to talk about, and on and on. You get the idea. Of course I had nothing to worry about. Lori was so friendly and our kids are close in age so we had something in common besides artsy stuff. I admit I was a wee bit intimidated since Lori is such a talented artist and I'm an art newbie but she put me at ease with her lovely smile and sparkly blue eyes. Thank you Lori for taking time out to get together with me!

Much Love,

Jenny

Lets Hear it for the Boys...

2010-06-20T13:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Fathers Day yesterday and I'm feeling so thankful for the father

my husband is to our kids. For building snow forts,

having snowball fights,

playing catch, and coaching. I just gotta say, "He rocks!"

Happy Fathers Day to my handsome husband. ♥

I always want to say Happy Fathers Day to my Dad. I am one of six kids and I never fully

appreciated my dad until I had my own kids. Thank you for all the years taking care of us dad,

I know it wasn't easy. :)

Hope you all had a happy day!

♥Jenny

Thank You!!!

2010-06-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

Sending out a very Big Thank you to:

my friend Ellie at Ella's Edge for these lovely hand made

wallets and goodies (shown in the picture below) that she was

kind enough to share with me. Ellen really pays attention to details.

She made the twilight wallet for my daughter(Yes, we're both big fans),

and the wallet on the left has my artwork on it!

Ellen is a talented writer and artist and one of my very first blog friends.♥

And a big thank you to Averil of Art & Clasp. She had a giveaway on her blog and I was the
lucky winner of this beautiful necklace! This was so exciting for me because I never win anything. Yippee! The necklace was lovingly wrapped in the words of Robert Frost and tied with a delicate blue ribbon. The last picture shows the necklace in better detail. I am so loving Averil's jewelry! Check out her shop, I know you'll love it!
It's past eleven here so I'm off to sleep. Goodnight all! ♥Jenny

Practice Kindness...

2010-06-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

My walls have been looking a bit bare since I gave away a couple of paintings and I really wanted to make something not just pretty and colorful but a gentle reminder to myself and my family to practice kindness. In journaling this past week I remembered something that I'd completely forgotten about. I used to make drawings when I was a kid with captions that would say things like, parents shouldn't yell at their kids and and put them up around the house. Don't get me wrong, my childhood was happy. I was a very sensitive kid though, and I let my parents know by way of my art if I wasn't happy about something. As I got older I wanted to have art around my home that would remind me to be patient, kind, loving, etc. I really wanted to make my home, a happy home. So this is my first piece and it's hanging on my wall now. I hope the message will sink into the hearts of my family and anyone who is welcomed into our home. Kindness is a wonderful gift and best of all it's free! We never know how a simple act of kindness or a sincere smile will brighten someones day.

Happy Friday blog friends and thank you for the kindness you share with me, it's brings me so much joy!

♥Jenny

A little sunny in my step...

2010-05-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

So Saturday I had a lunch date with a few girlfriends in Portland. I was really feeling like I wanted a cutsie new pair of shoes to wear but feeling a bit of squeeze on the 'ol pocket book...I put the idea aside. Then I thought how cute yellow shoes would look with the scarf I was wearing and the next thing you know my old black ballet flats were transformed into these darling sunny shoes with the help of a little acrylic paint! I love them! They really did put a little sunny in my step. Good girlfriends + cute shoes=a very happy day!
In other news, my Kelly Rae class has started! It's giving me much to ponder so far and I'm trying to keep a journal of thoughts, feelings, ideas that come up along the way as Kelly suggests. I left a comment on today's class post and after I saved it I counted the other comments and was elated to see that my comment was #8! 8 has always been significant for me, it's kind of my lucky #. I was the eighth grandchild in the family and my grandmother made a shirt for me with a big #8 embroidered on it. I know it sounds kinda silly, but it made me feel like I was on the right path taking this class. A little nod from the universe if you will.♥
To all my fellow flyers that have come by to visit and been kind enough to leave a comment, "Thank you!" It means a lot to me. I'm so excited to see that the majority of followers now are people I've never met. I'm trying to get to every one's blogs and meet all my classmates, it's difficult working full time and having only one computer to share between myself, husband, and the kids. I'm so glad I started blogging and happy to meet so many lovely people. I'm off to a family BBQ with the folks now. Happy Day to you!
♥Jenny

Meet me in Paris...

2010-05-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

Hope all you mommy's had a wonderful Mothers Day! My sister was in town for a visit with her adorable 4month baby boy. My mom, my sisters, and I had so much fun! We all got haircuts and gave each other pedicures on Friday. Saturday we had an art night. I made the piece pictured above as a gift to a dear friend that I'm going to Paris with this summer. It will be my first trip to Europe! We are totally going to dress up in period costume and have a picnic in the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. I love dressing up so this will be like a dream come true for me. I'm in the process of searching for patterns to make an 18th century dress. I've really enjoyed all the comments from my fellow flyers in Kelly Rae's class. I'm so looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Learning to fly...

2010-05-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

I took a leap and signed up for the very 1st e-course offered by Kelly Rae Roberts! It starts on May 30th and I'm so excited to learn all that I can and meet some lovely new friends, I can't wait to get started! I'm not really in a position to leave my day job at this point but that's what I dream about for my future. I'm working on making a space for artsy messes in the garage so that my family will be able to eat dinner at the table. If you're visiting from class drop me a line, I'd love to meet you!
I also signed up for a class at Art n Soul in Portland this fall with the fabulous Judy Wise! I figure the Kelly Rae class is a Mother's Day gift to myself and Judy's class is an early birthday gift. Hope you all had a Happy May Day! ♥Jenny

Just the two of us...

2010-04-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

a little smooch at the ViewPoint Inn(The prom scene from Twilight was filmed here)

Brunch at Mother's Bistro in Portland, Love this place!

Hiking Multnomah Falls

I'm feelin all lovey dovey after celebrating my anniversary this

weekend! In the past we have always just gone to dinner

and a movie and it was getting a little too predictable. Last year I

decided I wanted more than that. I planned a surprise weekend

starting with a fabulous brunch at Mother's Bistro in Portland, then

off to hike Multnomah Falls, and lastly an overnight stay at the

View Point Inn. It was so much fun so we decided to take turns

planning a surprise each year. My husband took charge this year

and surprised me with a weekend in Bend, OR. What a great city!

It has a laid back small town feel with all the amenities of bigger city.

The restaurants are fabulous and the downtown area has so many

cute little shops. The sun was shining and it was so beautiful there.

I'm so happy that it's still just the two of us after all these years!

The eyes have it...

2010-04-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

I painted this awhile back in the style of Kelly Rae Roberts. The eyes have been bugging me lately so today I decided to fix them. I was really afraid to mess it up so I printed out a copy of it first to practice. I think she looks a little more peaceful now that her eyes aren't bugging out quite as much. The top pic is the before and the bottom pic is the after. This painting was so fun to make, I remember feeling so overjoyed when I finished it. There's just nothing like that giddy childlike feeling you get when you look down at your hands all covered in paint. Love it. ♥

Fill 'er up please...

2010-04-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Well I had a minor crisis the other day. So I'm driving down the road in my husbands old truck when all of the sudden the engine starts to die! I looked down at the gas gage and my heart sunk when I saw the old needle pointing the empty symbol. Oh great, what to do. As it happens I was about 150 feet from the gas station so I thought there was a chance I might be able to just coast on in. Yes, it was working I was going to make it. Then in the middle of traffic I was at a complete stand still. Thankfully the kindness of strangers is alive and well, a nice man pulled over and pushed me into the gas station and after refueling I was on my happy way again.

I got to thinking about how important it is to make sure we're not running on "empty", that we take a little time to remember who we are and how special we are, and how much we can accomplish if we believe in ourselves and each other. Thank you to my blog friends for your love and kindness. It means so much to me. I'm always so excited to get a comment or an email from you. It's a wonderful feeling to know that someone you've never even met cares about you and is so willing to extend friendship to you. You ladies keep my tank full.

Much Love,

Jenny

Over the river and through the woods...

2010-04-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

To grandmothers house we went! We returned home tonight from a lovely Easter weekend with my inlaws. They literally live in the woods. My kids call them "cabin grandma" and "cabin grandpa". Much fun was had coloring eggs, playing games, watching movies, and just enjoying each others company. It was a very wet and rainy weekend but beautiful nonetheless. Happy Easter!

New Moon at Midnight!

2010-03-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

We weren't planning on it but last night when on I got home from my book club my daughter Emma and I decided to zoom over to WalMart at Midnight for the DVD release of New Moon! I was super tired but Emma was so excited and she's such a good kid that I couldn't resist putting a smile on her adorable face. We left about 12:15 to avoid the lines and made it 5min before the store was closing! Emma was thrilled and it was good mother/daughter bonding. We're so excited for the next movie this summer! Happy Saturday to all.!

Practice, practice, practice...

2010-03-14T01:36:00.000-08:00

I should be have been doing a million other things today but I let the laundry and the dishes pile up cause I wanted to practice drawing. I work 5 days a week so my free time is limited. I should be asleep right now. I think I'm improving a little bit. The key is to not look at other peoples drawings too much, or you'll start those little conversations with yourself like, "uh, my drawings look ridiculous compared to these." I'm trying to just have fun and tell myself that I can do anything with a little practice. If there is something new you're trying to learn, keep at it, you're bound to succeed if you keep trying!

Fun with faces...

2010-03-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

My little brother is taking an art class and some of his drawings are amazing! He has inspired me to give drawing a try. In the first picture I'm just practicing features, I know it's kinda funny with just one eye, the second I did in pencil and crayon, and the third is just pencil. I realize these are very amateur, but I'm really enjoying it. I'm thinking about taking an online class. If anyone has any suggestions for a great online class, let me know.

Mail around the world...

2010-02-25T22:44:00.000-08:00

Yay! I have loved going to the mailbox everyday and finding lovely cards from around the world! I wanted to share a little sample of the cards I've received thus far. Thank you so much to all who sent these little works of art, and thank you to all who've taken the time to let me know that my cards were received and enjoyed! I've heard people say that math is the universal language but I beg to differ. Art has a such a wonderful way of bringing people together and can communicate in every language. Okay, that's all for now. Lots of love to my blog friends and fellow postcard swappers! ♥♥♥

Bon Voyage...

2010-02-15T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well the postcards are journeying toward their new homes. I really put my heart and soul into these cards. It was a lot more work than I thought it would be, but so much fun. I loved getting paint all over my fingers and feeling absolutely giddy each time I finished one! I received my first card over the weekend all the way from Germany! Thank you Tarijune! There are so many kindred spirits in the art world. Here's some pics of rest of my cards!