Moving

Life has been very busy for me during the last month or two and it is going to get even busier!  We are in the process of moving.....twice.  My studio is packed and in storage and I am going through withdrawal!  Also, we will have to do without an internet connection for a bit.  But it will all be worth it in the end.  I will leave you (temporarily) with a new drawing I have just started in my new sketchbook.  It is going to be a collage of images having to do with things and places that are important to my husband and me.  I hope to be back to blogging soon.....

My New Sketchbook

This is my first sketch in my new Iona sketchbook....

The Sketchbook Challenge

I have been following the Sketchbook Challenge and have played some in my own sketchbook, but this month I decided to really join in.  The theme this month is Doodling and is such a great exercise!  I am filling lots of pages with pen and ink and plan to go back with watercolors and use them as exercises in color.  It keeps my skills sharpened while it is fast and easy and non-stressful. 

New Sketchbook

I got a beautiful new sketchbook for Christmas.......

It is a handmade, leather bound sketchbook by Iona Handcrafted Books in Austin, TX.

The paper in this sketchbook is Bamboo which is good for pencil sketching.  They also come with either Watercolor paper or Hemp.   I can't wait to start sketching in mine!!

Merry Christmas!

To all the wonderful friends I have made through this blog...

 Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!  

A New Page From My Sketchbook....

Ok, Ok Reta......Here is the boot!

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Christmas Decorations

I am way behind in my preparations for Christmas this year.  This whole year has passed by in a blur!  But I am finally starting my decorating by putting my tiny beaded Christmas tree on display.  I wrote this post last year and am going to share it again.  I hope you will enjoy it one more time.

 

l                                  

A Great Weekend Trip

We recently took a quick weekend trip to Natchitoches Louisiana.  It is a lovely city whose annual Christmas Festival  is well known for the beautiful Christmas lights and the food and craft booths set up on Front Street along the banks of the Cane River.....

We went the weekend before the big festival and it was probably good that we did.  The traffic along Front Street was bumper to bumper and the sidewalks were almost impassible and we were told that the crowds we saw were nothing compared to the weekend of the Festival!  Even though we missed the Festival and the fireworks, the lights were on and we enjoyed a tour of the city in a horse drawn carriage....

  we got to enjoy a famous and delicious Natchitoches Meat Pie (and crave more)...

We drove by the Steel Magnolia House....

and stayed in a lovely Bed and Breakfast within walking distance of Front Street....something we had never done before.  It was quite an experience and although we were a little uncomfortable to begin with (a funny story for another time), we enjoyed our stay,  the food was delicious and it is something we will do again.

Great Tutorials

If you haven't been following the Winter Artspark tutorials, its not too late.  As always, they are wonderful tutorials with great tips and techniques.  I love the letters in Lisa Engelbrecht's letter tutorial yesterday.

Lisa Engelbrecht

A New Page From My Sketchbook

I added this yesterday, but didn't like the way it looked in the photograph.  So, I deleted the post.  But after hearing from Diane, I decided to re-post the photo.

I Won!!

Last week, I was the lucky winner of Susan Brubaker Knapp's new DVD, 

http://www.bluemoonriver.com/WorkshopDVD.html

 My name was chosen in a giveaway on her blog, Blue Moon River.  I love this new DVD!  Susan is a wonderful teacher and explains her process for turning a photo into a realistic whole cloth painted quilt from beginning to end.  She covers everything you need to know about painting a whole cloth quilt and enhancing it with thread sketching and quilting.  Starting with choosing the right fabric, brushes and paints and the best type of photo to work from, Susan covers color theory and mixing paints for shadows and highlights and demonstrates her painting techniques and thread sketching. I would highly recommend buying this DVD for yourself!  I will be watching it again and trying Susan's techniques!

 http://www.bluemoonriver.com/WorkshopDVD.html

A Danny Gregory Film

I found this video on janeville.blogspot.com/ recently......To El and Back: A film about Butch Belair by Danny Gregory.   It is a really cool to watch.  It makes me want to get my sketchbook and paints and play hooky from work today.  But I won't. 

Another page from my sketchbook.....

Work in Progress...

A work in progress from my Sketchbook Project Sketchbook........

Inspired by my visit to the
Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston

Inspiration

We recently visited the Cockrell Butterfly Center in Houston....

We were able to watch butterflies emerge from their cocoons.

 

 We watched a beehive under glass....

The bees enter the hive through a tube that leads outdoors.

It was amazing to watch them!

The Butterfly Center is a great place for inspiration and a lovely place to spend the afternoon!