Doodles & Such*

I love being creative. I always have. Art, for a long time, was a very big part of my life. Drawing, Painting. Charcoals. Photography. Our house is full of pieces that I have created -- some hanging, some just waiting for space -- over the years. For a long time, it was a passion of mine. I was never GREAT, but I was decent. Decent enough that I loved doing it.

Then life got in the way. Full time job. Marriage. Baby. Lack of space in our tiny house for my easel & tons of supplies. Right now, I simply don't have three hours to devote to a canvas when there are other things that I NEED to be done around the house or in my life. But I missed it.

But a few weeks ago, during a class I was taking, I got bored. So I started to doodle. It wasn't great, but it was fun, and I realized that drawing, while not always my first choice for an art medium, could be the creative outlet I needed and was missing from my life. Inspiration from a new friend this past week, some amazing blogs & a quick trip to the art store on my lunch break was enough to get me back in the mood. So this weekend, I started drawing.

I haven't come up with anything spectacular, but, I am looking forward to some online classes that I am signing up for this week. I am rusty. Really rusty. I need a lot of practice. But I am looking forward to that practice. My goal is at least 20 minutes a night, for now, of just drawing. I can manage that. I can do that while sitting on the couch with the husband. I can draw while Lucas sits in his high chair and eats his lunch on the weekends. I can, and will, make the time for this.

It's a habit that I want to get back into again. Hopefully I will have things to share here.

Wish me luck!

Wine & Painting Class*

Hello! If you're here from ICLW, see my lame attempt at this month's ICLW post here. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you stick around!

Recently, a new art studio opened up here in town. As an avid art lover & someone who enjoys painting, drawing, photography & all things creative, I have always been bummed by the lack of art classes this town offers. Growing up in the Northwest, art was something that was engrained in my life from early on and an important part of growing up [for me, at least]. Any chance I had to take an art class of some kind, I did. And while I have all the supplies I need at my home, it's always nice to get out and do a class with other folks to branch out. Unfortunately, that had been somewhat non-existent to this point.

The new studio is literally called "Wine, Paint & Canvas." You bring your own wine [or, sparkling cider in my case right now] and they give you all the supplies you need as well as teach you how to do a painting. You sign up for the specific piece you want to do & everyone does the same thing. At the end you walk way with a beautiful masterpiece done by you! The painting are fairly simple & definitely focuses on beginner techniques, but a couple girlfriends & I thought we would try it out. All in all, we had a blast!

The class lasted a little over two hours and was PACKED. We had a great time just sitting & talking, while also checking each others paintings out. The girls did AWESOME & I was so proud of them! Painting can be difficult for beginners and I thought the other three did such a lovely job!

 

All in all, I THINK everyone had a really great time! It was nice to get out with the girls for a couple of hours and just relax, while also doing something semi-productive [and working towards that goal of mine to be more artistic this year!] I think we are all definitely planning on going back in the future, and the darling husband has even expressed going on a date night together post-baby. I foresee myself spending a lot of time here in the future for a quick, easy art class.

Check out everyone's finished product: 

I Heart Washington*

I am an Esty fanatic. I rarely buy things on there, but i love browsing through the shops & looking at all the wonderful items i wish i could afford to buy. I have been eying this necklace for a while, even more so now that i just returned from a trip to the wonderful Northwest. I have seen this shop featured on other blogs before [which is where i probably first stumbled upon it anyways] but i'm hoping to get one of my own, sooner rather than later.

Isn't it lovely? She creates these for all states, and if she does not have yours in stock, you can request one. She also does lovely bamboo creations as well. The price is steep at $55.00 but for something that is hand stamped and created, as well as high quality material, I think that's justifiable. And I love my home state enough to rock some bad ass jewelry.

Go check her out! Show your home state some love!

Photo Contest Update*

A couple of weeks I had mentioned that I had taken the plunge and was planning on entering some of my photography into a contest at the local art museum. I am happy to say that BOTH of my pieces made it to the display!

I didn't win anything, which is fine by me, but it was pretty awesome to see my work up on a wall. Because I was in Chicago during the opening night, my darling husband went down to the gallery for me to represent me. But this weekend, some friends and I went to lunch nearby and then went and took a look at my work.

It's small potatoes here, but this is still pretty neat. It is definitely motivation to look for other contests and be more aware of what I am taking photos of! My friends and I went down this past Saturday to do lunch and take a look, and I love how proud of me they were.

We had so much fun just browsing the other photos. I have such amazing friends, and am truly blessed to have people in my life who care so much about me! It was a blast.

Anyways, these are my two photos on the wall. The flower is obviously mine, and in the photo with the two photos, mine is the one up top with the blackhawk. I know. I'm totally big time. ha!

Hope For Tomorrow*

I got a new tattoo last weekend. I needed some sort of inspiration to get through this infertility stuff. Something that was important to me & a good reminder of what's to come, whatever it may be. I've always loved this quote.



Carl Kleiner

Because part of me is an artist at heart, I am always looking for new ways to be creative while seeking out new inspirations as well. Sometimes I'm just looking for things to *wow* me. Carl Kleiner is one of those artists who fits directly into that category. The work that he does is simple, yet amazing.

Check out a few of my favorite shots, and then head over to his website to see everything else.