One Step At a Time, APR #83

This coming week's challenge at the Artist's Play Room is sea shells. Jenn lives up north where it's cold and freezing and possibly covered in snow, so it is no wonder she's thinking about warm waters, soft ocean breezes, and beautiful sea shells. And I haven't participated in awhile, so I thought I'd just jump right in!

Here are a couple sea shells I've been working on this past week. For those of you new to the art - this is Zentangle®. Creating beautiful pieces of art by drawing a series of structured lines. Just relaxing and enjoying yourself, letting the worries and stress of the day take a back seat for a bit. In the above two photos, the seashell spiral takes center stage to a plethora of flowers and other boardwalk/beach kind of items. These shells were super easy to draw and literally only took a few minutes to make. The longest past was coloring in the dark areas!

My last couple posts have shown you bits and pieces of this 11" x 14" tangle I am working on. It has taken me longer than usual to complete the drawing due to a lot going on in my personal life this past week. I finally finished most of the drawing last night and have started adding a bit of blue.

This piece will eventually be cut down into 16 ATC pieces for a swap I am part of. The swap theme is Black and White with One Color Accent. The last sheet I did had pink as the accent. I went to blues for this one and I'm just getting started with the color. Thought I'd show you a preview - mainly because I haven't posted in a couple days and I didn't want you to think I had dropped off the face of the planet.

Here is a look at the entire piece - with just some beginning pops of color. I will post another photo when I'm finished with the accent color.
Please take a minute to visit Jenn's blog here, where the week's challenge is posted. You have an entire week to artfully craft your interpretation of the sea shell - in any art medium you desire - and post a link to your work. I know Jenn would love to see you there! (And I love the name of her blog - Just Add Water, Silly!    I have a new art journal ordered, waiting for it to arrive so I can start on a more cohesive project. Stay tuned :) .

It's Spring!

Lately, my postman has been bringing me some incredible packages! This week's package came from my dear friend Cindy from Cottage Remnant. I actually met Cindy online, through a weekly challenge I occasionally participate in called Artist's Play Room. I say 'occasionally' because it's a challenge that is a real stretch for me most of the times. Cindy and I started talking back and forth on each others' posts and we ended up being friends. This week she sent me this awesome package of goodies celebrating spring!

There was this lovely card - Cindy's artwork - and I loved what Cindy wrote inside! 

And there was a collection of beautiful spring cards - again, all Cindy's artwork. Isn't she talented! Beautiful blues and pinks and greens. All Cindy's signature colors!

This is my absolute favorite card! These words remind me of a song called Blessed Be Your Name. I know the Newsboys sing it, but I prefer hearing Rebecca St. James sing it. I love this song!

It's definitely springtime. Where Cindy lives it's still freezing cold! Where I live it was in the middle 70's today.

But spring is definitely upon us. Flowers are blooming where I live. I have patches of beautiful pink azaleas growing in my  yard.

Easter will be here soon. The easter lilies are already blooming along our highways at home. I remember one year when my parents came to visit for Easter and my mom and I went out early Easter morning to pick a bouquet of easter lilies for the dinner table. We parked on the side of the highway and were jumping across a ditch to get to the flowers when a huge cow popped through the fence and scared us half to death. I am surprised neither of us fell into the ditch - hahaha! Every time I drive by that spot in the road, I think about that day.

Spring also brings Mother's Day, which is especially important to both Cindy and I. Our moms were both in the hospital last week. Her mom is now home, my mom is almost home.

Blessed. We are blessed. Cindy and I both. I am blessed to have such a wonderful friend - and one that I've never even seen face to face. I will one day, whether it be here on earth, or whether it be in heaven, one day for sure my dear friend, Cindy. One day for sure! Thank you for this wonderful, heartfelt package!

Now, back to the song. Blessed Be Your Name, written by Matt and Beth Redman during the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States, here are some of my favorite parts:

Blessed be Your name

in the land that is plentiful,

where your streams of abundance flow

blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name

when I'm found in the desert place,

though I walk through the wilderness,

blessed be Your name.

Blessed be Your name

on the road marked with suffering,

though there's pain in the offering,

blessed be Your name.

Every blessing you pour out

I'll turn back to praise.

When the darkness closes in, Lord,

still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Blessed be Your name.

Blessed be the name of the Lord,

Blessed be Your glorious name.

(Just some of my favorite parts, cut, taken out of order, and pasted together.

Please forgive me, Matt and Beth.)

Dream Garden, APR

The Artists Play Room is hosting a garden party this week. As artists, we are supposed to render a creative 'picture' of our garden. Well, to begin with, I have a black thumb. Nothing I touch - plant wise - grows. We also live in a very dry location - dry sand, hot temps, nothing much grows in our yard - except 2 goats, 1 dog, and  13 assorted cats and kittens. So, let me welcome you to my dream garden.

My first love - artistically speaking - is photography. I shot every picture in this post. I am currently taking a break from photography so I can focus on a different type of art in zentangle and art journaling.

Each March - April, this flower field blooms a couple miles from my house. The lovely people who live there open there fields up to whomever wants to come. At any given evening you might count as many as thirty cars there at one time - with every sort of photo shoot going on that you can imagine.

The one on the right is my daughter. I have actually planted seeds in our yard and tried to get something like this growing. A flower field is definitely something I'd include in my dream garden!

Statuary. Is that a word? My garden would have several statues. This one stands outside my mom's assisted living residence. I call her Lady of the Lake - she's my favorite! I would love to have her overseeing my garden!

This is my second favorite statue. This little guy is at the botanical gardens in the next major town from us. They were in the process of building a 6' version - I haven't seen it yet, but I think it might be too big for my garden. What a shame.

She resides in the same botanical garden.

Some cool trellises would be in order. Can you see Kali? She thought this was a stupid picture to take - probably still does, haha! - but I love this picture of her. Dreamy! And it fits my dream garden!

How about some lovely wind chimes? Can't you just hear the tinkling sounds? This shot came from Cedar Key, Florida, which this past week took a direct hit from Tropical Storm Debby.

Wherever you have flowers - you are going to have a few insects! May they all be so cooperative as this little guy to pose and have their portraits done!

This dragonfly was my first ever insect shot. I think he's pretty awesome :).

If I plant the right flowers, I can have lovely butterflies in my dream garden. (As you can tell from my photography logo, I like butterflies.)

I'd have some beautiful shrubs and greenery. Maybe even some ferns like this one I shot with my very first camera.


Beautiful flowers. In abundance. Lots of glorious sunlight - shining on the flowers, in the flowers, through the flowers.

We need just three more things in my perfectly dreamy -  resting in, and lazing around in - garden spot. A fountain with a magical fairy frog . . . 

. . . a swimming lake with crystal clear water and golden sunshine all year round, and . . . 
. . . a dolphin pool! (Taken at SeaWorld, Orlando.)


And that's it! I know this was a long post. If you hung in there till the end - thanks for sharing my dream garden! Oh, how I wish it were true!


Please visit the Artists Play Room and stroll through all our gardens! Perhaps you might want to share yours with us :).

Artist's Play Room #14

Having some fun here in the Artist's Play Room! Last week I thought that was one word. So I've learned a couple things this past week :). For this week's homework, Jennifer asked us to explore one color. We could use any form we wanted - but to focus on one color.

I'm relatively new in this artistic endeavor and most of you really don't know me. Well, now you know that my hair is pink! Pretty much my favorite color right now. I've been retired for almost 13 years and I don't report in to anyone, so I can wear my hair any color I want. For now that color is pink. It has been burgundy, purple, and blue at other times.

I did this little drawing in my small moleskine watercolor book. The tree itself is not my original idea. I saw someone else draw similar trees in a picture on pinterest. I tried to make mine a little more billowy and I'm calling them ice cream trees. They really remind me of those big marshmallow candies that I'm not allowed to eat anymore! I used watercolors from 4 different sets, Derwent Inktense Pencils, and At You Spica pens. Even though you can't see it here, there's lots of glitter and sparkle. Loads of fun! Check it out at Just Add Water Silly! You may even want to join us! If I can do it - you can do it! 

The Artist's Playroom #13

Earlier in the week I happened across a blog called Just Add Water Silly! Jenn offers a weekly challenge in the form of The Artist's Playroom. This week's challenge was to get back to the basics, grab a pencil or pen, and get to sketching.

I have to tell you that I really didn't want to try this. I can't draw. At all. I can zentangle some, but I can not draw. My daughter told me that maybe Jenn invited me to try the challenge because she wanted to challenge me! Maybe she wanted me to push my limits, and therein learn something. So I tried.

I began by studying other drawings on - what else? - pinterest :). From what I deduced there, I sketched out three basic flowers in my little moleskine watercolor journal. I figured I wouldn't go too big and bold the first time out.

After I had my flowers sketched out in pencil, I went over the lines with a 01 black micron pen.

I filled in my basic sketch lines a little and tried to emphasize certain lines. (I have no idea at all what I'm doing. Totally winging this thing!)

Then I watercolored. First I used some old metallic water color paints I found in a drawer. They don't even have a brand name on them. They sparkle - which I am all about the sparkle, so they are perfect!

Next, I used my Derwent Inktense Pencils (which I use on everything) and watercolored the flowers and leaves. Then I looked over my drawing, touched up lines that had gotten somewhat obliterated in the process, and pumped up the sparkle here and there.

Voila! And there you have it - my very first drawing/sketch/watercolored real thing ever! Yay!!!!!!
Thanks, Jenn, for inviting me to participate. You can count on me to be a weekly visitor :).

Feel free to visit The Artist's Playroom to see submissions from artists that actually know what they are doing :). It isn't too late to participate yourself!