Week 23 of Documented Life Project

This is GRATITUDE week.
Don't forget the SUMMER SALE!!

June Summer Sale!

All classes are on sale starting today for the whole

month of June! My prices on my classes are already really low 
so now is the time to stock up.

You can check out the classes on the right side of my blog--just scroll down to see them all--and you can go here to purchase.

Thank you all!!

Week 22 of Documented Life Project

This week was put a house in your journal. I just love to create this little funky wonky houses.  And I do love that Scripture too.

Week 21 of the Documented Life Project

This week's challenge was to stitch something on our journal page and I LOVE to stitch on paper with my sewing machine so this one was really fun. Just all sorts of fun stuff going on---stenciling, stamps calligraphy, CalligraFun and of course---stitches!

Better not be color blind to see this page!

Week 20--Documented Life Project

I had trouble thinking of a different way to use stamps which was the challenge this week.  I think I have done it all! So I carved a star, colored it with a Tombow and spritzed it--which is always fun to stamp that way. It makes it look like watercolor.  And I always love to use my carved alphabet stamps. So, this was another fun challenge for our journals!

Week 19 of Documented Life Project

It's always so fun to do do these challenges for the Documented Life Project.  This week's challenge was to record a random act of kindness that we have done. I couldn't think of a specific one that could be documented but I do strive to be kind everyday.  And sometimes that's hard!  That's why it's a Fruit of the Spirit. We can't really do that alone very well can we??

PEACE

IMAGINE--PERFECT--PEACE

One day...

Perfect

More letter doodling. I love to do this type of letter doodling. For me doodling consists of any type of

drawing that moves the hand and relaxes the mind. 

IMAGINE---PERFECT---PEACE

Peace-->tomorrow

Imagine

"Imagine---Perfect---Peace"

Perfect----->tomorrow's post

Peace--> day after tomorrow's post

Week 17---Documented Life Project

This week's challenge was to put some favorite shoes on the page. Well, that was easy for me because I love Keds and have worn them since I was a little kid.  I even wore then when they went out of style and you could barely find any cute colors. But now, on my goodness, Taylor Swift has endorsed them and the style are so cute. Even Kate Spade has styles. I guess what goes around comes around!!

Week 16 of Documented Life Project

This is week 16 and this week's challenge was to use some cardboard from some food on the journal page in a creative way. So I cut up a couple of boxes and collaged them on.  The dove is from the Ezekiel cereal box.  This is a fun project and a good diversion from the easel. Although I do love the easel-- sometimes I don't love the easel! It's a love- hate relationship I have with my paintings. I guess for me, learning to oil paint and to be a really good one is happy agony. Yep--that's what it is---happy agony.  All painters say "aye!" And probably writers, musicians, ....inventors...etc...

Little Brown Wren

I love to paint birds and this little guy was just so cute I had to paint him.  I found the photo on the Paint My Photo site.  I do appreciate this site because sometimes I just need a little inspiration and ideas and this site is completely copyright free.

DLP Week 15--Monochromatic

This week's challenge was to create a page in all monochromatic colors.
No, it's not belated St. Patty's Day but it ended up looking like it didn't it? Well, maybe I should have chosen blue as my color except I love green and I love spring.  I made some of the flowers from the deli paper and did a little calligraphy and spraying. It was fun!

Great quote

Yep! That's for sure!

Do you ever wonder who originates these quotes on Pinterest?  Sometimes they are really profound but sometimes there is no author on them.  This is one of those. So I just let Mr. Pinterest have the honors.
This is a vintage border from my early days and some lettering from yesterday.  Since I have been oil painting my lettering has somewhat gone to the wayside but I certainly don't want many years of lettering practice to fade away---no matter how much I want to be a good painter. If you don't use it you'll lose it. That's for sure!

Oriental vase

Switching gears from my DLP journal and pulling out my oil paints for our get together with my painting buddies. We are still painting from Greg Kreutz's book, Problem Solving for Oil Painters. He is a fabulous painter and teacher. We love his classic style of painting yet it's still enough impressionism to appeal to me.  We have fun on our painting days. We learn so much from each other.  Normally I am more of a high key painter than this (painting in brighter, lighter colors) but I like this classic style too. The vase is fairly high key as well as the apples so that was fun.

Week 14 of DLP

I am enjoying doing the challenges for the Documented Life Project.  

This week's challenge was write your name and embellish.

Fun!!

Color Drop Flowers

Here is another page in my calendar moleskin planner for the DLP project. I love making the fun color drop flowers and sewing around the edge. It's always so fun to finish off a page like that.  Today we will be given a new challenge for next week's page. Hopefully it's a fun one---!

And I just had to share this one from our grandson, Marc, who will be 5 in May.  It's a Ninja Turtle and they'rrrrrre back!
 It's been 25 years or so since my son, Zach, used to love to watch them on TV.  Well, what goes around comes around.

Documented Life Project

Since I started the Documented Life Project late and missed about 10 weeks I have gone back and filled my calendar in with more pages. I have really enjoyed doing the weekly challenges so far and love seeing on the extremely talented people on Facebook doing this project. 

Sometimes...

Sometimes I just need to do some calligraphy. It's good for my soul. This is an Italic variation I like to do that I learned from a  Connie Ferguson workshop.

I wrote it out , scanned, did some Photoshop magic and placed it on this old mixed media piece that I had saved in my files. It's always fun to do and gives new life to old art pieces.

Documented Life Project Week 13

This week's challenge was to have someone draw on your page. My grandson, Marc, had just sent us this precious little drawing so I just had to use it. 

This is such a fun project and gives me a diversion from the easel--although I do love the easel.

 The Documented Life Project

You should join in!

Put a Bird On It

I thought I'd better skip ahead and "put a bird on it" before it got to far ahead of me. He's a happy bird.
Week # something or other in The Documented Life Project. 

"Drawing the Girls" Online class starts today!

So excited about this new class. I absolutely love drawing these girls.  I am been trying to catch up on the Documented Life Project.  If you haven't seen this you should check it out! It really looks like lots of fun and a great way to keep your life organized. And it's free! I have been using the pages on the Moleshine calendar for my girls. Here are a few pages where I have used my girl drawings.

I haven't put my tabs in yet so when I do that I will show you. If you have signed up for my class I send you a BIG 'OLE THANK YOU!!!
And if you have any questions or comments please don't hesitate to email me or message me from within the Typepad class.  And don't forget to post your images your draw! I want to see your new friends!  Give them a name too!

DOTTI

YOU HAVE WON A FREE CLASS OF

"DRAWING THE GIRLS"

CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Thank you all so much!

Drawing the Girls Online Class GIVEAWAY!

Just leave me a comment and MAKE SURE you have included your email and on 

Saturday night I will get 'ole Mr. Random to pick one of you.

The Class starts Monday, the 17th!!!

So if you are the winner I will contact you and then you will be sent the class on Monday!

GOOD LUCK!!!

It's really a fun class!

Ellen's Shed

Here is another painting from Greg Kreutz's book, Problem Solving for Oil Painters. This was actually last month's get together painting project.  Since we don't paint at my Red Door Art Studio anymore while Zach is there running his Original Fuzz business we have been painting at Ortega Methodist Church.  What a wonderful church this is to set up tables for us let us stay as long as we like. And none of us are members of that church.  Just so nice.

Pears and Pink

Here is a watercolor that I did several years ago. My daughter has it now and actually every time I see it on her wall I say to myself that I would like to try and paint that exact same thing in oils. This is an image of the watercolor that I took and the glass is reflecting some background things but I thought I would try it.  I decided to start from a black background and see what happened.  So---here is what happened.

It'a pretty close. I made the vase a little bigger and when the oil paint dries I am thinking about putting a little texture with punchanella and script stamp.  Who who says you can grunge up 

an oil painting!?

The Copper Pot

Painting inspired by Greg Kueutz

 Once a month I get together with my painting buddies and we paint from Greg Kreutz's book, Problem Solving for Oil Painters. His paintings have a very classical look which is beautiful but not so sure that this is the style that naturally comes out of me. It is fun to try to emulate these paintings and try to figure out his colors and shapes. I think it is good practice. The copper was tricky.

New studio and some paintings

Well, maybe some of you on Facebook have seen my new painting space since Zach, our son, has his offices at the Red Door Art studio.  I do love this little space so far and I have actually painted a few paintings here too. I was nervous at first hoping it had the right "funky shui" feel so I could do some paintings. So far so good.

Here is one I did yesterday:

I actually set us a still life and painted it. I always feel good about myself when I paint from life. I actually think I do a little better too looking at it from life as opposed to a photograph.

Drawing the Girls

Drawing the Girls Online class starts March 17th. I really had so much fun putting this class together. The girls are fun to draw and really easy since they only look straight on. No 3/4 faces or profiles. All my girls look straight forward although sometimes the eyes might be averted a bit. That's the way I like them! These pretty little faces are a great journal element for any journal that you might have. It's a new way to doodle!

At the Annie Sloan Workshop here in Jacksonville, they warned that this paint was addictive. And-- yes it is-- that is if you have a desire to paint furniture. If you don't then all this excitement will just seem crazy.

 

I bought these two chairs at my antique store around the corner and thought they had a good shape but of course the fabric was dirty and yuck.  So I decided to just go for it.  The one on the right is painted with also Duck Egg Blue. The fabric painted just fine and so far doesn't seem to crack when I sit on it. Actually it's pretty soft.

So I decided to put dots on the fabric in Graphite color.  My dots got a little wonky but it's shabby chic so it's all good. After all if I don't like it I can just paint over it. No worries. The other color I bought was French Linen and it's a fabulous color too. Maybe I will do the other chair in that. 

I will put these in my new studio.

Or I will paint over them and try something different!

Stenciled Table with Annie Sloan Paints

This is my maiden voyage with the Annie Sloan Chalk paints.

 I painted the table in Old White in about 30 minutes or so. 

I then added Duck Egg Blue to the leg areas and stenciled 

the top along with some elbow grease sanding for the shabby chic look.

I haven't waxed it yet and still deciding if I should put the dark wax.
This stencil with the numbers might have been a bit busy but no problem---
I can just paint over it and pick another stencil.

Really fun and turned out cute! 
Next ---on to the upholstered side chair.  Yikes!
I'm gonna paint it-- fabric and all!

Oh my goodness--Annie Sloan Chalk Paints!

I went to an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint workshop yesterday to learn how to use this fabulous paint for furniture. I have always wanted to paint furniture but never wanted to do any prep work beforehand. Well, this is the paint that will do that. No prep whatsoever. We painted these sample boards with the easy techniques.  The paint colors are yummy (I bought way too many!) but I am going to try this and see what happens. So maybe I will switch from painting canvases to painting chairs and tables!  Maybe I will even paint some pears and poppies on them too!

This is Lucy

She just looks like a Lucy to me. I am having so much fun drawing the girls for the upcoming online class. I am even teaching myself a few new things. It's really fun for these girls to emerge as you draw them and each one will have a little personality. Lucy happens to be one that looks you right in the eye.
Most of my girls have a name and the name just pops into my head when I see them. She looks to be about 7 or 8 years old I think. Hi Lucy!