A Crafty Pug . . .

Seriously?

 What kind of dog sleeps like this on the couch??  lol

He somehow figured out how to tuck himself into the back rest!

A View . . .

"What you really want for yourself is always trying to break through, just as a cooling breeze flows through an open window on a hot day.  Your part is to open the windows of your mind."

~ Vernon Howard

Rocky Needs A Tent . . .

This little guy never ceases to keep me on my toes.  And as much as I hate to admit it, he makes me smile sometimes.  

The other night he was laying on the couch and I threw a towel over his head.  To my surprise he loved it.  That would explain his love of hiding under things like the bed and couch. 

Maybe we need to get him a tent!  lol

Her Mind Is Jumbled But Hopeful . . .

I was up late last night sketching.  I miss drawing.  It immediately takes me out of my own head just as painting does but there is something different about it.  And the faces come out of my own imagination never knowing what they will look like or what their expression will be.  

It felt good to use the pencil again.  As always I try not to get caught up in being perfect.  My favorite part to draw are the eyes even though hers are closed.  When she felt done I spilled some words over the page.  

"dreaming of better days, always love forever, always hopeful, let us see light"

Wondering if those are her words or mine . . . 

New Grungy Love . . .

 Graphite gray . . . I am loving this color just as much as I thought I would.  It is the perfect shade and it has a nice shimmer to it.  Great for grunge.  

For this piece I decided to go back to some photo art.  I scratched up my "love" photo and incorporated it into this piece.  There is molding paste, scribbling, and scrubbed paint.  This time I used white paint to adhere the photo and it worked well better than I thought.  Read about the story behind this image HERE.

Grungy love. . . its my favorite!

Sharing this at Paint Party Friday.  Please do come by and join us!

A Little Love . . .

"love" is becoming my favorite word.  It often shows up in my art as do hearts.  I had been stalking this necklace for months in the jewelry store at the mall.  I fell in love with it at first sight.  Never would I have thought to buy it for myself.  It was too much of a splurge.  Lou encouraged me too.  I kept telling him no.  

And then the other day I realized that I have NEVER bought a nice piece of jewelry for myself.  How crazy is that??  Not that I didnt have anything nice but it was always given to me as gifts.  I never bought a gift for me.  And then there was a sale.  Well, I decided that I just had too! 

It felt weird and good at the same time.  You can't really see it too well in the first image of me so I thought you would like a close up.

What was the last frivolous gift you bought for yourself??

Brownies Fix Everything

Last night Lou made us brownie sundae's.  I am a chocoholic.  There, I said it!  lol  It is my go to food when I am stressed, sad, or anxious. (which is most of the time lately) My second is ice cream, preferably chocolate of course.  The combination of the two is just shy of perfection!

Despite the fact that this was made from a box mix it is the best I have found.  Lou is allergic to certain types of chocolate.  In most box mixes they use cocoa processed with alkali, this mix is the only one I have found that has unprocessed cocoa.  The brand is  "Dr. Oetker".  The best brownies ever!!  I found it in the health food store.  It is a brand that does not use chemical processing.  I do not go crazy when it comes to that but it is another good plus with this brand.  

Lou puts the mix in a muffin tin instead of a brownie pan that the recipe calls for.   Its makes 12 small brownies their own little muffin cups!  We used Breyers vanilla as it is our favorite and a little caramel sauce to top it off.  

Super yummy!!  We may just have make more tonite!
 Brownie's just make you feel better don't they??  lol

Hope you are enjoying some sweet treats this weekend as well!

xo

Don't Forget To Look Up . . .

You never know what you may find when you happen to glance up to the sky.  I stopped at the walk trail this afternoon not expecting much.  Just wanted to stretch my legs and get some much needed fresh air on this mild NY winter day.  Mild for us is like 45.  

I always have my iphone with me and instead of quickly walking along, I was scanning around for interesting images. I was trying to take the time to stop and look.  Surprisingly there were many cool things I found within a short distance.  And then  I happened to look up.  And there were all these tree tops joining together almost like an umbrella.  When I pointed the lens upward it was like a whole new world.  

It was a moment.  And want more of those . . . 

xo

Rocky vs The Snow

Lou shot this video last week.  It was Rocky's first romp in the snow.  This pug is fearless.  I mean more fearless than my Bosco.  Bosco was more like me, an old soul who lived a bit carefully.  This little guy is just here for the ride, the fun, and fears nothing!!  lol  Lou says he is like a jeep.  And in typical guy fashion Lou wrestles him to the ground when they play and Rocky's loves it.  Me not so much.  

There is so much we can learn from animals.  As I watch Rocky (like I used to watch Bosco) I am reminded that I need to just be in the moment.  Whether it is laying in the sun, romping in the snow or taking a nap.  It is all good. 

I want to live more like a dog
lol

Beauty Is Everywhere . . .

While out shopping at a local store the other day I was stopped in my tracks at the amazing sunset happening before me.  We had just stepped out into the parking lot and as we headed to the car I glanced up and saw oranges, purples, and pinks in the sky. 

Rarely do I take advantage of these moments.  But this time I grabbed my iPhone (one of the perks is the camera you always have with you)  and snapped away.  The colors change so very fast that if you pause, you could miss it.  Funny how I can't even tell this was shot in a store parking lot.  

I am glad I stopped for a moment to soak it in.

Wishing you moments of beauty today . . . 

Lost In Love . . .

So the new year has begun and I am having trouble shaking off the difficulties of last year.  I know I need to just move on, start anew but my anxiety is high these days.  I am not sure why.  

The only thing that keeps me focused and calms me down is creating.  I am not sure what I did without it in my life.  I need to get lost in something.  I need to create something from nothing, I need color, grunge, love.  

Yesterday I bought one of those olloclip lenses for my iPhone.  I love macro shots and this little lens clips on your iphone and allows you do shoot macro as well as wide-angle, and fishbowl.  The above image is a macro shot of a very small pendant I wear.  I used snapseed for the altering affects.  

What I loved most about it was getting lost for over an hour in the world of digital art.  

I loved getting lost in love . . . 

xo