A Fresh Bouquet

My neighbor grows beautiful flowers in her yard. She recently brought me this fresh bouquet that brightened my day!

I decided to sit outside and paint it in watercolor.

I had an unexpected visitor who was buzzing with happiness!

I am pleased how this painting turned out and plan to give it to my neighbor as a thank you for her kindness.

Whose day can you brighten with a little unexpected kindness?

Cheers! 🙂

Hello Friend!

My husband and I had to travel to Detroit, Michigan recently.

I messaged my blogging friend, Patty Anne who I knew lived in the area for suggestions on good restaurants.

Not only did Patty Anne have some great food ideas, she rearranged her schedule so we could meet in person! I was thrilled!!

Hello friend!!

We met for dinner and each of us brought an art journal or two to share. We had a blast! I so LOVE Patty Anne’s art!! Seeing her creativity in person was an extra special treat!

And speaking of treats, she made me this sweet little birdy in watercolor:

She even tied it with a bow and added a couple of her special flowers!

I am so touched by her kindness.

We were having so much fun that we forgot to take a photo of us together which just means we have to get together again!

I have been practicing art in “Patty Anne’s style” so I can make her a little gift.

Thanks Patty Anne for such an enjoyable evening. Your friendship across the miles was the highlight of my trip!

Cheers to Blogging Friendships! 🙂

PS. I do hope you check out Patty Anne’s art if you aren’t familiar with it! She paints with JOY!

A Perfect Day

I interrupt this weekly weird bird post to share a perfect day with you!

We had to make a quick trip to the lake yesterday to have our RV fixed by “Bob,” the mobile RV doctor! 😉

It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 80’s so I thought you might want to tag along with me for some lake time in Northern Idaho…

Priest Lake does look rather inviting with its pristine water but it is still a chilly 60 degrees.

I’d rather sit in a beach chair and enjoy the view, how about you?

The wild roses are in bloom and so Pretty In Pink

I even discovered a bumble bee enjoying them!

The Cottonwood trees were shedding their cottony seeds and it looked a little like snow falling from this brilliant blue sky.

My friend, Marsha showed me her amazing needlepoint she is creating of BIRDS! I can’t wait until she completes all the unique stitches and adds their beaded hats!

I hope you enjoyed this perfect day at the lake with me!

As the sign in our kitchen at home says… “A day at the lake is worth a month in town!”

Cheers! 🙂

P.S. I did see a “gang” of turkeys cross the road on the car ride home… perhaps they will show up in next week’s weird bird Wednesday! 

Lake Memories

My parents had a cabin at the lake where I spent many wonderful summers as a child.  One of the best memories was my mom making Huckleberry pancakes from the fresh berries we picked – like these that I recently made for my hubby:

My hubby and I still spend our summers at the same lake – Priest Lake, in Northern Idaho but in our little trailer by the lake.  The views are similar:

Our friends we’ve made – extraordinary! ❤

We love nature:

And our little piece of heaven on earth:

Happy Summer!

Cheers! 🙂

Leaf Notes

I know I left you hanging yesterday, like a leaf on a tree… LOL!  So here it is – the moment you have been waiting for – a before and after photo of my watercolor leaves!  😉

I finished them with gesso and added some “leaf” notes for my hubby and myself with pencil.  I thought these little reminders would be great to put on the fridge or left in unexpected places.  We all like to feel loved and appreciated!  🙂

The other images are gift tags I’m making for another project.  I painted these on both sides with watercolor and the gesso – here is an example of one I made for myself:

I added a little glitter to these tags too.  Other ideas are tucking them into a card for a friend, give as a bookmarker or use as a place setting at a special dinner, like Easter.  They are fun to write a message of inspiration on one side and a person’s name on the other side but you could do whatever you want.

Speaking of shapes, here are my leftover stencils:

One of the nice things about gesso is that it works as a glue so was able to complete their shapes by gluing there openings closed.  I could then use the negative and positive shapes on my gelli-printing plate!

The above is an example of using my positive and negative shapes with layers of Golden Fluid Acrylic paints.  Aren’t they just AWESOME?!

I will show you more of my gelli prints tomorrow – oh, the colors!!!  :-)))

Happy Creating!

P.S.  If you were to leave a “leaf” note for yourself or someone, what would it say?!  I’d love to hear from you!