We made it! We arrived in Sandbridge yesterday afternoon and it is glorious! We have a perfect day on tap - hardly any wind, a high of 78 degrees, and just a few little puffy clouds at the horizon. I can't wait to see what photos I'll be able to take. I'm looking for lots of shots of people at the beach, mainly children, so I can build up a little library of "people photos" to use in future paintings.
Yesterday was a little blustery (as you can hear in the video) but today is calm and bright.
Now, it's off to the beach. Two days all to ourselves before my workshop begins - which will be a whole different kind of fun!
Painting from the hotel again - this time in Williamsburg, Virginia as we prepare for the final leg of our journey to Sandbridge Beach. This is done from a photo I took at the Cedarburg Corn Roast - an end of summer tradition In this small and charming Wisconsin town. Known for its festivals and winery, the corn roast occurs right before the Annual Strawberry Festival - an event where artists, music, and strawberries abound and the streets are filled with color and people.
After a day on the road, were are all checked in for the night. My oil paints and brushes are packed up tight for the workshop, but I got out my watercolors to see if I could still do something for the 30 in 30 challenge for tomorrow. So here's a little watercolor of my favorite poppy - "Icelandic Blue" - approximately 5 x 7 inches.
Here they are - the first 12 paintings I have posted for Leslie Saeta's 30 in 30 Challenge. It truly has been a little overwhelming to try to finish one a day. One thing I have found true - the more I paint, the more I WANT to paint. Thanks for checking them out!
Most of these can be found in my Etsy shop here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/gillyflowercottage
Today I went out to a nearby yacht club to sketch with a friend. It may be September, but we've been having some very lazy, summer-like days in Wisconsin - perfect for sitting by the water and drawing. So that was the inspiration for today's painting. This was done entirely with palette knives in preparation for a palette knife workshop I'll be attending next week. The workshop is being taught by Leslie Saeta, the brainstorm behind the 30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS CHALLENGE. I can't wait to learn more about her technique.
I decided to stick with another chair for today's painting, inspired by one of the great chairs at Anthropologie. Love that place - especially their furniture! I entitled this one Orange Dream because it reminds me of the Dreamsicles I enjoyed as a child. I was given 5¢ allowance every day as a little girl and that was just enough to get a Dreamsicle at Ray's, the tiny little grocery store on the corner.
It's September and that means a solid month of everyday painting for me. I'll be adding a new painting to my painting blog every day for the next 30 days as a participant in
California artist, Leslie Saeta's, "30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge".
Just add your email address to the bar in the top right corner of my art blog HERE and you'll receive email notifications for every new post. So, check it out. I'll need all the encouragement I can get!
Click here to head to my art blog and view Day 2 of 30 in 30!
It's September 1st and that means a solid month of everyday painting for me. I'll be adding a new painting to my painting blog every day for the next 30 days as a participant in
California artist, Leslie Saeta's, "30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge".
Just add your email address to the bar in the top right corner of my art blog HERE and you'll receive email notifications for every new post. So, check it out. I'll need all the encouragement I can get!
30 PAINTINGS IN 30 DAYS CHALLENGE - an online challenge
provided by an artist I've admired for awhile now. As of this morning there are 228 participants.
So, in preparation for this challenge, I've been gearing up to get back into blogging - but not on this blog. This blog is for crafting, making, tutorials etc. And I'm a little burned out on all that. I've been purging "stuff" like mad around here and I'm just not that interested in making more stuff and clogging things up again.
I have another blog that I set up last January. I haven't taken very good care of it, but the 30 in 30 Challenge has forced the issue. In order to participate in the 30 in 30, you need to link all entries back to a website or blog. This is going to be a huge commitment no matter how I look at it. Fortunately, the guidelines state:
"Understand there are no real rules for this challenge. If you miss a day, then paint two the next day. If you fall behind, please stay in the challenge! No one is counting how many paintings you have completed (except you), I promise! The only rule is that you must have fun and enjoy the process." - Leslie Saeta (the instigator of this challenge!)
So my reason for participating? I am making the commitment to spur on some accountability for myself. It's so easy to let a day go by without doing a little drawing or painting. And you can't get better without practice! Here's a little peek at some photos I'll be using for future painting possibilities
I'm still working out some kinks in my other blog, but will post the address in the next few days. I hope that some of you will transfer over to the new blog and "follow" along as I waddle through the challenge! I'll need all the encouragement I can get! Maybe some of you are signed up for the challenge too? If so, please let me know - I'd like to follow your efforts!
This Sunday, my mom will be celebrating her 85th birthday.
What do you get a woman who has everything . . . on her 85th birthday? I decided the best gift I could give her would be acknowledgement of the reasons why she is so special to me.
So I made a simple little accordion book, and filled it with 10 things I love and admire about my mom.
(There's a link to a YouTube video showing you how to make your own book, at the end of this post)
My mom is an avid reader, so I used a great old book cover for the front and back of the accordion book. Just tear out the pages and wrap the cover with some pretty papers.
Then, after deciding how many pages you want, fold a long piece of paper, accordion style. My book needed 10 pages, so I had to use several pieces of paper pieced together. Then glue your typed script or photos on each page.
Fill up the book with memories of the most wonderful things you know about the person you're making the book for.
My mom and dad - right about the time they met.
Once the book was complete, I wrapped it up with a little charm made just for mom, with a birthday sentiment on the back cover. She really is, one LOVELY lady!
A Christmas time lunch just a couple weeks ago, with my mom!
You can never repay your parents for the gift of life, but I think it's important to let them know how grateful you are for that gift and the many ways you love and admire them.
"Happy Birthday Mom!"
A little YouTube video showing how to make your own accordion book!
(This is a day on the road for us - on our way home from Leslie Saeta's palette knife workshop on Sandbridge - so today's painting is a "recycle")
It's April 1st and the day has started out great! I checked my email first thing this morning to find that my painting, "Purple Posies and Chartreuse", will soon be on its way to California.
I have paintings in my Etsy shop, but this painting sold from another site where I have my paintings listed . . . Daily Paintworks. Daily Paintworks is an exciting group to be a part of. There are some extremely talented member artists, weekly challenges posted by the site, and lots of great art tutorials. After joining, each member starts up a virtual gallery with tools in place to help you sell and promote your work using an auction format or prices you set yourself. If you're interested in improving your skills and being a part of a large community of creative people, it's a great place to start.
Purple Posies and Chartreuse - 24"x36"
And my Giveaway Winner is:
Christina!
Congratulations Christina - your Spring Note Card Bundle of 8 cards will soon be on its way to your door!
So, today?
Selling a painting is great inspiration for getting out the brushes!
For me, nothing says spring better than seeing all the creatures come out of hiding after months of dark, bitterly cold, and snowy days. We can finally look forward to the change of seasons! Hearing the first, brave birds singing their hearts out is a reminder that winter really is almost over here in Wisconsin.
So, I was inspired to draw some birds and rabbits in honor of the approach of warmer weather. The first two are sweet little birds - a robin in song and a wren gathering dinner. Included on each of the bird cards is a snippet of some fitting poetry by Emily Dickinson.
On the other two, I drew Belgian Hares, caught in a rare, still moment. One is just a simple line drawing, and the other is more detailed and distinguished profile of the hare. He is set in a vintage frame graphic I found at the Graphics Fairy.
Eight note cards are all wrapped up in a glassine bag
ready for use or gift-giving.
THE GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on this post by April 1st and I'll choose a winner via random.org to receive a free bundle of the 8 note cards - on its way to you on April 2nd! Please email your contact information or leave it in the comment itself! That's it! That's all you have to do!
And if you don't happen to be the winner, the spring card bundles
can be purchased at Gillyflower Cottage/Etsy. Sharing on Graphics Fairy's BRAG MONDAY
How does your book group keep track of what you've read? Does your group have a special system? Well, over the last 13 years or so, my book group is forever trying to recall the many books we have read together. We just never took the time to write them all down, but we always wish we had kept track.
And the years marched on.
That is at least 150 titles, and who could remember all of those without some sort of a system?
So, for our last book group gathering, I made a little book tracking system for each of us. It won't go back all those years, but there is a card labeled "aforetime" for some of our favorites from years past.
All of the cards fit neatly in a little folder made of cream card stock.
The cover reads, "Books we've enjoyed and some we've endured!" and is made with this Sweet Birds With Nest Frame graphic fromThe Graphics Fairy. (The font used is a mix of "typewriter" which is on my word processing program, and "The King and Queen" which can be downloaded free of chargehere.)
The whole packet slips into a heavy weight gray wool case with plenty of room for more cards - for the years to come.
Now we have no excuse!
Want to make your own Book Club Record Keepers? All the PDFs needed are available at my Etsy shop, Gillyflower Cottage. To go to the 20% OFF SALE click GILLYFLOWER COTTAGE.
Sharing on: The Graphics Fairy - Brag Monday Made For You Monday Market Yourself Monday
