Randomness

This week has been very busy and I find I get super lazy on the weekend, I know I should be up doing more but I really enjoying sleeping in and laying around watching movies.

I did manage to try a new side dish and I made a pot of soup with rotisserie chicken, beans, pasta, celery and a packaged garlic rice and quinoa blend. It was pretty good.

The new side dish was sweet potato tater tots by Alexia. I like sweet potatoes, but they get cold so fast so I wanted to try them prepared a different way, they were crunchy and delicious.
I might try to make fries on my own, we'll see how motivated I am to do that in the future ;)

I have been doing my drawings each day, and last night I did a quick painting with my crusty Crayola watercolors. I accented with a pen,  she's scruffy and cute. I am going to continue experimenting with paint with no expectations. I can't be disappointed when I don't have a specific outcome in mind :)

winter hat with flower accent

Here are my other drawings, bunnies, cats and a raccoon.

  A floral accented forest monster and floral accented letters. 

I was thinking how cool it would be if an elephant could spray paint out of his trunk.

I also went to the movies and saw Promised Land, the performances were really great! Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, and John Krasinski all have their different strengths and it was wonderful to see them together. The acting was really superb but it got me thinking or dreading rather, what will become of our environment and Earth in general.  I try to do my part, recycle everything I possibly can, and be thoughtful in my actions. Anyway I won't dwell on this ......  :)

Also I got this cute mug from, where else, Target!  This will have to serve as my dachshund

fix for now. 

so cute and silly :)

They have a cute circus theme for Valentine's Days home decor. With cute plates and cups.

Look at those cute little monkeys

They also have this dog shaped candy dish, but I'm not sure I really like it.

It's ceramic and kinda reminds me of Johnathan Adler but...I'm still not completely sold.

See more here

Ok well that's all for now. Hope everyone has a wonderful week :) I'll be back with more midweek.

Artsy Fun

I mentioned in an earlier post, I wanted to get my art appreciation in on my long weekend.
I was successful, I love going to museums and examining different techniques and viewpoints, it definitely recharges the batteries. I got to see Kaw's Companion one last time. I know some people think he's stuff is weird or not really "art" but I love his playful take on pop culture.

that's me in front of Companion

I also went to the Amon Carter to see the Phillips Collection. It was pretty cool, even better it was free! I loved the first painting in the exhibit, Time and Timelessness (The Spirit of Creation)
by Augustus Vincent Tack. It is a huge piece that greets you as you make your way to the exhibit.

It looks amazing in person this small picture does not do the colors justice. He was inspired by the colors of the Rocky Mountains for this piece.

see more here

 

I also love looking at art museum gift shops, so much cool stuff you never knew you needed. Like little pocket shaped note pads. These are cool because they are pocket shaped and the paper is textured. I like smaller drawing pads because I'm more likely to squirrel them away in my purse which means I can get to them anytime. I choose these notebooks to do my drawing a day in.

see more here

Another cool thing I saw was a toy similar to a Mr. Potato head, if Mr. Potato head was abstract sculpture! These little guys were so cute and can be arranged in a ton of different combinations.

I thought it was pretty cool thing, maybe I will experiment with sculpture some time soon.

see the whole collection here

Here's my first drawing of the new year, I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things, by sketching on a daily basis. I really want to focus on my technique and come up with some new fun characters. I've got a punk rawk mermaid, a birdie in a winter hat and scarf and some other random creatures. I'm off to work on my #2 drawing and some other stuff too. Happy Wednesday!

 

New Year New Goals

I am taking advice from A Beautiful Mess, and making simple, achievable goals so I can implement new practices easier and be less likely to fail because they aren't complicated and lofty.

1. Eat 1 serving of fruit and veggies a day. A couple years ago, as I have said before, I went on a plant based diet kick, no processed foods, and no meat. I really enjoyed the flavors of food more and I had energy and felt better and lost weight. Since then I haven't really been planning meals or interested in cooking. I am hoping to change that in 2013. One serving of fruit is easy, I cut up an apple to eat at work later, it's filling and good for you. Then my one veggie at dinner will mean I have to start planning better for meals. We are thinking about what we are going to have in our garden so I am excited, it's always more fun to eat fresh produce that you have grown yourself. I know this will impact my life in a huge way because I have been successful before. I will eat less drive thru, and unhealthy stuff which will beneficial to my wallet and my waistline.

I like to add cute personality to everything :)

2. Set aside time to draw twice a week. I have noticed lately, even though I have been busier at work and distracted with the holidays, I have not been setting aside time for  myself to draw and just be creative. I am most creative in my sewing room, I just rock out to my ipod, there is no tv, so less distraction. I always feel creative when I am in my spot. Lately though I have been watching tv and trying to draw at the same time, it doesn't work as well. I know I feel better when I make myself separate and go to my special spot with no distractions, and my end result is better because I am focusing only on that. I know if I do it at least twice a week, it will be more of a habit and maybe I will get even more done.

Scribbly owl

3. Do more sewing. I got kind of burned out with sewing lately, mostly softie wise. But lately, I have been thinking more and more about different clothing alterations I want to do, or embellishments.
I have not wanted to sew clothes in a really long time,( even though I majored in fashion design lol)
so I am going to take advantage of that. Make my own version of things I see at Anthropologie for example: appliqued tops or embellished jeans.

sequined V neck and star printed jeans from Gap

Lace inset pullover

metallic star pullover

4. Plan for the future and enjoy the present. I really want to go on vacation, possibly to Europe this is going to take a lot of planning and a lot of saving, but I'm excited to have something I'm actively working towards. I haven't really been on a vacation since I was in school, I went to England for spring break. Life gets busy and often I don't take advantage of opportunities, so I'm going to try to start doing that more, hanging out with friends and doing crafts or having a theme party.  Just making more of a deliberate effort to enjoy every day.

I really love Dior and British cabs, I took this at Buckingham Palace

me (I'm on the far left) and some friends on a lion in Trafalgar Square

Find Joy in the small things concept sketch

two friends hanging out on a swing set, a concept I started working on last spring

5. Decorate and appreciate my space. I don't really decorate, I've been just kind of lazy and not really interested. I have done my share of DIY revamping and painting and I never really thought it was worth the effort until recently. I finally framed some prints I bought on etsy, and I'm excited to do more with my room, maybe even paint an accent wall! I have quite a few new prints from Christmas, and I'm slowly adding elements that I think will add to my happiness and inspiration. I'm also working on organization on my terms this is a slow but steady process lol.

I love Tim's Sally expressive use of color

What are some of your goals for 2013? Happy New Year Everyone!

A Crafty Christmas

Yes, I am a week late but better late than never :)

  I did manage to do a couple of crafty things during my Christmas break. One was decorating the clay ornaments I had made a couple weeks ago.
Sharpies worked really well on the baked Sculpey clay. My mom even helped me with some.

a little owl, multicolored star and gingerbread girl

We also mustered up the courage to tackle our mini canvases which was really fun. I don't think they turned out how either of us imagined but I'm still happy with them. I've always loved painting.
We are wanting to take another painting with a twist class again soon.

Mini art: Abstract heart is mine and Abstract view of a tree is my Mom's

 

Our painting with a twist sunflowers

Also this was the first year I received presents from Etsy, it takes a little get used to but my Mom and I  have learned a lot from doing things with my shop. I was like a kid in a candy store, it was so cool to see the way everyone packaged everything and actually have the items in hand to see the awesome craftsmanship up close.

Me and my Katie Daisy Print

I also got a print from Nan Lawson, I'm not normally a huge cat fan, but this little guy just makes me
smile.

sucha cutie

I have always been interested in ceramics, a few years ago I was lucky enough to take a hand building ceramics class and became even more enamored with the artistry of it. One etsy artist in particular has intrigued me for a few years. Now I can say I own one of her awesome pieces!

I love porcelian

As I mentioned in the last post I also got this awesome Mindy Lacefield print. Color makes me so happy and so does her mixed media art.

Did you get anything handmade for Christmas? I'd love to hear about it :)

Weekend Plans

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Since I didn't really take advantage of my long weekend last weekend, I am planning to take full advantage of my last one for awhile.
1. I'm going to see Silver Linings Playbook, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence play a couple of messed up people. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea but two of my good friends have said they really liked it and so I'm off to see it.

2. I'm going to Target and Half Priced Books as they are both having sales.

3. I'm going to bake. I need to do a test run of my grandma's cookie recipe. They are chocolate nut cookies that have vanilla frosting and sprinkles. I know it might sound weird and simplistic, but every part is a necessity and creates a symphony of flavor in your mouth. You have to refrigerate the dough overnight and the last 2 years I have failed to make cookies even remotely resembling hers, this year I hope for better results.

4. I'm make a list of my goals for 2013. A lot of them are the usual, get healthier, adhere to a budget, but I have done it before and I intend to get back there and be awesome once again lol. I am for the first time in a long time excited about the future, and that in itself is exciting.

5. Getting ready for my annual Christmas party with friends. We never have it on Christmas, one year because everyone's  schedule was so crazy we had it in July, but since then we have come closer to December each year and for that I am proud. I really want to have a theme party, not necessarily for this occasion, but this has truly inspired me.

OH YEAH

6. I'd also like to get my art appreciation in. This is the last weekend the KAWS installation will be at the Modern. AND the Amon Carter is having an exhibit with artists from the 19th and 20th century with quite a few familiar names.

Georgia O'Keeffe

7. Also work some more on some new projects and stuff that I've already started. I recently drew my first complete fox, late at night when I was super tired. More often than not, things do not turn out well late at night, but I'm happy with how this turned out.

winter fox

Ok that's all for now, hope you have a wonderful weekend and Happy New Year! 2013 is gonna be great!

Top 5

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, here's what I'm excited about........

1. You may have heard about people doing 20 or 26 acts of kindness in honor of the Sandy Hook victims. Replacing tragedy and hate with kindness and love, I think that's a wonderful way to honor people and to remind others that good is still out there. I am still thinking about what I want to do.
I found a good link for some suggestions though :)

2. My dear friend got my this awesome pie mold for my birthday. I have often wanted to experiment with these mini molds but I've never bought one. Now I have an excuse to experiment!

and it's start shaped too!

3. Speaking of baking, I went on a plant based diet kick a few years ago. I felt awesome, had energy and enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen. Not much of this is true anymore as I have fallen of the wagon and started eating fast food on a consistent basis again. But one thing I haven't stopped doing is indulging in the best brand I have found for heakthy baked goods. Immaculate Baking Company.

They don't use any artificial ingredients, and there organic and gluten free varieties. The ingredients they use are just amazing, and the pure flavor really shines through, no artificial aftertaste here.

I have only tried a couple of cookie varieties: regular chocolate chip and gingerbread spice but my favorite is TRIPLE CHOCOLATE! It's amazing!

And today I tried their gigantic cinnamon rolls, I would have taken a picture but I couldn't stop eating them lol

You will just have to take my word for it that they actually look like this out of the oven

Ok so a few years ago when I first discovered their line of products, I only saw them at my little local health store, than a larger health chain, now they are at Target and I saw the gingerbread ones in a huge pack at costco one year around the holidays. I encourage you to try them out with an open mind.

I'd start with the cinnamon rolls first :)

4. Matt Damon is one of my favorite actors, I really love Good Will Hunting  of course, and he's hilarious in all the Ocean movies and a great action star in the Bourne movies. Recently, I watched a family movie where he plays a dad in We Bought A Zoo. It was a really great performance, and good family film. But, I am really excited for Promised Land to come out. He plays a salesman for an natural gas company who travels to small farming towns to get the townspeople to let them drill.
Guess who plays the whistle blower farmer? John Kransinski! Yes, Jim from the Office. I'm really excited to see them go head to head. It's the same director as Good Will Hunting, so I've very interested to see how it will all play out. It's supposed to start playing everywhere Jan. 4th. Here's the trailer:

5. Zac Posen is becoming a judge on the next season of Project Runway. What can I say I love Zac Posen, he was just starting his label when I was in fashion school and I remember seeing his dresses on the front page of the the fashion section of my newspaper! He's very talented, young prodigy in the fashion world. He was 21 when he launched his label, his attention to detail is stunning. He really knows how to create dresses that add to a woman's beauty, and in this day and age it's hard to find a designer that doesn't have a gimmick. I'm going to have to expand on this some more in a different post, I need more room for more pictures :)

Happy Wednesday to you

Snow at Christmas

Snow at Christmas is rare, even more of a feat when you live in Texas.
The weatherman said maybe 1 to 2 inches but I was skeptical and then like clock work the big fluffy flakes started pouring in. It's a really great snow perfect for making snowmen. I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas!