And then the Sheep...

Little Tomato wanted to paint today too... so while she painted, I did another painting today!

* Yes, I do acknowledge I'm a nerd... 

Ostrich

I'm coming down with a cold and it is in the negative digits outside, so I decided to do a little mini painting while cloistered inside today.

I found an adorable series of "Zoo Portraits" on Pinterest by Yago Partal... and then fell down the rabbit hole onto the website, which is fabulous: https://www.zooportraits.com

I adored the Ostrich and decided to practice my painting skills on painting an ostrich in the hat & sweater.

I'll probably fiddle with the sweater & shirt at some point, but it was a fun exercise for a frigid day inside.

Happy New Year!

Painting in Progress

I'm diving into painting, and starting with acrylics.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

I've watched a YouTube video on the basics, and read a couple of articles that provide tips.

It is definitely a self-guided crash course in painting. But at least I'm having some fun doing it. 😋

'Girl with  a Glue Gun' in progress...

Taking a Stab at Something New...

I get antsy when I haven't been creative. It is an itch that just festers when I haven't gotten my creative outlet filled. This last month has been busy with holiday festivities, making treats, decorating for the holidays, and a cleaning/ organizing binge.. but I haven't MADE anything for a while.

And I'm getting itchy.

I've never been shy to try new media. I've delved into books, blogs, Pinterest, and YouTube videos and taught myself to sew, knit and crochet. While I obtained a foundation of basic art classes in school, I somehow completely missed painting classes. And now I'm itching to paint.

My mother is a painter. She paints every Saturday and has made several paintings which we have framed in our home. When she asked what I wanted for Christmas this year, I asked for painting supplies. I'm going to dive in. 😁

I have this picture in my head of a painting that I want for my craft room, which is really just the extra bedroom in our house. It's walls are lined with mismatched dressers and wire shelving, buckling and brimming with books and craft supplies piled high in cardboard boxes. Glue guns, dowels, paint... yarn, fabric, and spools of thread. It isn't pretty, by any stretch of the word. It certainly isn't a Pinterest-worthy space. Nonetheless, it is where I get crafty and it needs some wall art, dammit! 😋

SO. Today I bought a cheap canvas from Hobby Lobby and sketched an outline. After the holiday weekend, I'll throw on some YouTube tutorials and take a whack at painting! Wish me luck... 😳

'Girl with a Glue Gun' in progress...

Framing a Rabbit

I bought this brass bunny hook ages ago. Easily two years or more. I adore bunnies and originally planned to put it in Little Tomato's room. When that idea went by the wayside, I couldn't bear to return it.

So it sat on a counter.

Then in a drawer.

Then on the counter again.

It migrated rooms for years, and was never hung. I knew that if I gave it enough time, the right place would present itself.

A month ago, I shifted a couple of things on my mudroom chalkboard wall to make room for Ewegenia (my sheep bust, get it EWEgenia?... but I digress...) and I finally found the perfect place for the bunny to be framed, front and center.

Bunny hanging with her buddy, EWEgenia.
Ewegenia is accessorizing a hand-knit wool crimson cowl this season. 

I have officially screwed holes into the gypsum and given the bunny a permanent home.

See... as I have gotten older, I have realized that to make a house feel like a home, we need to invest in things that we love. 

We are constantly inundated with advertisements and TV series that show us the latest trends. Our society is about collecting things, and disposing of them with the seasons. Disposable cups, clothing that wears thin and unravels in a season, and furniture that 'bottoms out' and falls apart in the lifespan of a goldfish. Buying 'on trend' is an expensive, vicious cycle of buying new.

In the past few years I have thinned out these things. I still sometimes forget my reusable bags and cups when I leave the house. I still catch myself walking out of Target with something ridiculous more often than I would like to admit. It is a process and takes time to break bad habits, but it helps to remind myself that if I don't love it, I don't need it.

My favorite things in my home are the ones that hold meaning. The apple bushel painting and vintage schoolhouse desk that were in my grandparent's home, the wood carvings that my grandfather carved, the paintings that my mother painted, the obnoxiously large dining room table that the whole family can fit around - these are the things that make my house a home.

And so... when I do come across something that I love, even if I don't know quite where it belongs yet, it may just find itself sitting on my counter... or in my drawer, or my Pinterest boards.

For sometimes two years or more.

Holiday Deliveries... Puppy Chow!

The holidays are always a whirlwind, but it seems Christmas is sneaking up on me faster than usual this year. Perhaps it is the unseasonably warm and windy winter this year?

Anyhow, our house is finally looking like a house again, after the Harry Potter parties of 2017 took over our home. We have Christmas decorations in full swing, presents wrapped and under the tree, and I have just completed my holiday client gift deliveries.

I am a holiday baker. I don't know where I get the impulse, I am a terrible cook, but I do enjoy baking. This year I combined efforts with some colleagues and we made a few varieties of puppy chow... or do you call it muddy buddies? It is astounding how many varieties of puppy chow are out there. I have tried several varieties, though my favorite is a dark chocolate twist on the original (substitute dark chocolate chips for the semi-sweet variety).

The recipes we made this year were Holiday Classic (adding red & green M&Ms to the mix for a pop of color), Chocolate Churro, & Cake Batter. They were all fantastic, but I have to admit that the Cake Batter is sinfully good.

 I have included the recipe links below:

Holiday Original

Cake Batter

Chocolate Churro

We made the deliveries dressed as SnowLadies! I found some great holiday hat headbands on Amazon, bought a yard of red fleece and made a few quick (no sew) red matching scarves, and bought felt adhesive circles for buttons. We all wore white sweaters & black pants to complete the ensemble. It was a great time delivering treats together. 😊

In other news... I'm trying to get back into the groove of knitting. I have a 'Weasley' sweater in-progress for Little Tomato. The initial idea was to have it done by Christmas. That is VERY unlikely. I am not nearly motivated enough to meet that goal. I've decided that I'm not a fan of knitting sweaters. My knitting is usually hats, scarves, cowls, and stuffed animals. And since I've seen the hack of just doing a duplicate stitch over an existing sweater for the letter... I'm kicking myself for putting all this effort into just knitting the SWEATER. Ah well.

What are your holiday projects?