Art Therapy #13

If you don't know, this is where Rae & Nancy make postcards and send them to each other. We have been busy and are slacking off a little.

My postcard above is cacti illustrations I did for a Minted wrapping paper challenge. That arrangement is slightly different with more white space. But I like both the drawings and the colors a lot. I can't wait to be able to buy some!

I love to make soup. Especially in a snowstorm. Trust me this is the best tomato soup ever. Of course this is the basic recipe. Like my grandma, I add a little of this and a little of that. I know I add more honey. The basic recipe is from the From Asparagus to Zucchini cookbook. A Madison guide to cooking farm-fresh seasonal produce. It is always a bit of a garbage soup. I may toss in any appropriate veggies in the fridge that need to be eaten. I also use my immersion blender to create a nice smooth soup. Perfect with a baguette from Batch Bakehouse. Closest baguette I have found to the ones in Paris.

Nancy's postcards are all wonderfully thoughtful. She has gone through some well thought out changes in her life. She is really brave and honest with her actions, although she would probably say she is not. But I think she is wrong. She is a friend of many years that I am lucky to have.

"Courage transforms the emotional structure of our being. During the process of rising we sometimes find ourselves homesick for a place that no longer exists. We want to go back to that moment before we walked into the arena... straddling the tension that lies between wanting to go back to the moment before we risked + fell + being pulled forward to even greater courage is an inexhaustible part of the rising strong." - Rising Strong, Brene Brown

Among many other things Nancy is writer. This is an excerpt from her book, Get Lost: The Adventures of Ruby O'Hara.

Nancy and I are taking October off. She is off to writer's workshops and visiting her girls. I am ever so busy with Minted and will start illustrations for a well-known retail store. I think we will be back in November. Until then.....

Gallery night...

Friday night was gallery night here in Madison. It is rare when we don't go. We headed out even though it was rainy and chilly. We made a point to get to hatcharthouse

I wanted to see Dave Watkins work. I would love to paint abstract art. October and November Hatch will be showcasing his work. He is an Milwaukee artist. I got to talk to Dave who has high energy and is really a fun (and talented) guy. For the show he was doing #fineartbombing. He had drawn quite a few small paintings and had them around the city. They are framed and attached with magnets. Eventually people steal them. I borrowed the one above so I could scan it. And we put it back in place over the weekend.

Here is more of his street art. He is someone to keep an eye on.

Save a Date Challenge on Minted

The Save a Date challenge just closed this Tuesday and it appears there is a very short voting period. Voting closes noon Tuesday Central Time. The above Save a Date is as minimal as they get. And what I would use if I was getting married. https://www.minted.com/design-rating/877967?filter=all&sort=designer

This one is certainly fun and young. Or young at heart. I like the mix of some of my doodles and good typography. I like just that tiny bit of red. https://www.minted.com/design-rating/873147?filter=all&sort=designer

Really like the tight cropping on this one and all the copy in the circle. Clean and contemporary. https://www.minted.com/design-rating/871583?filter=all&sort=designer

Fun and funky type. Lost of space for your horizontal photo. https://www.minted.com/design-rating/871607?filter=all&sort=designer

Perfect for a Fall or Winter wedding date. Or use it year round if you live where pine is everywhere. https://www.minted.com/design-rating/876303?filter=all&sort=designer

Thanks to any of you who vote. It is best to use the links in this post, then you go right to the card.

If you vote for mine plz vote for some others. Lots of talent there. And Minted doesn't like it if you just vote for me.

Haint blue, who knew?

Well I didn't. Since I am big on color I was surprised to learn about haint blue. The shade of blue seems to vary according to region or state. Some believe that blue chases away haints which are evil spirits or ghosts. Others believe the blue helps extend daylight as dusk begins to fall, or helps keep bugs away. Often used on porch ceilings or house trim, or in this case, this new fabulous kitchen.

I do love this shade of haint blue.

Here we have my post college roommate Rhonda, also known as Auntie Mame to the grand kids, who is a kitchen designer extraordinaire in Portland OR.

Doesn't this new kitchen just sparkle? And that haint blue ceiling is swoon worthy. When we eventually do our kitchen (and Rhonda has given me some ideas!) I will start with the blue ceiling. I deal with Seasonal Affective Disorder in Winter and think this blue ceiling with the right lighting could be very helpful. I like it when a room has a wow factor. The new refrigerator wrapped in a copy of an old Auntie Mame poster is just that.

If you live in the Portland area and are thinking about a new kitchen or house remodel do yourself a favor and get ahold of Rhonda. If nothing else she is a fun person to chat with.

Since we are talking about houses here is our new red couch for the man cave in the basement. I like it against the existing peacock colored wall.

The basement TV room has little natural light so I wanted to go bright. And I have always wanted a red piece of furniture. I don't love the lines. It is boxy but good, and just made it into our basement. It came from Room & Board in Chicago. Back in June we went and sat on all the couches and rated them for comfort. This one won. It took about 6 weeks to get because the red is a custom color. I cannot say enough about Room & Board. The furniture we replaced also came from them 18 years ago. It was all down and too soft for our creaky bodies. Great product, great service, thanks Timothy!

One last bit of info on pumpkins. Buy early for best selection. Wash them in 1 gallon of water, 2T of bleach and a squirt of dish soap. Soak for 15-30 minutes. Dry. Apparently they mold because of the dirt and mold that is on them. Happy Fall!

Art Therapy #12

I wrote this post and then lost it. So here goes again. This is where Nancy and I make postcards and send them to each other.

This is a piece of art that I did for a Minted Challenge. I seem to do things 3 times before I get what I want. I did submit another one that I liked better. But still like this piece.

I took this picture and then altered it on my iPad. I wish I could remember the app. I like the creepy Halloween look.

I love Nancy's more complex cards. She said: "Just making up stories in my head and then thought I would try the blackout poetry that Austin Kleon does. Nice.

In closing plz send someone a piece of real mail. You have no idea how it can brighten their day. Just do it, it takes less time than you think.

Minted Holiday Gift Giving voting has started...

Thanks for all who are following me on Minted. I won with my New Year's card! All very exciting for this newbie. Below are my latest entries. Take a peek and vote if you would like.

Lots in this challenge because it included note cards, notebooks and wrapping paper. I like this note card because it uses my Rae's Monogram font.

My note cards are simple because I like to write on simple cards. I guess I design for myself.

I like these one sided note cards because it is so easy to just drop a short note to someone. Great for thank you notes.

Personalized notebooks are in this challenge. This one would be great as a gardening journal or everyday use.

 Fresh, fun and floral. These notebooks are all personalized.

For your favorite cook.

And coffee lover.

Love these nail polish bottles and want those colors...

Last, but not least, wrapping paper. A little bit of pine.

This is my personal favorite, an all occasion paper in soft colors.

If you feel like voting that would be great. If you do plz vote for some others too. As usual, lots of great work there.

Art Therapy #11

This postcard happened because I want the new iPad. But I haven't really used the very, very old one all that much. So I thought I should apply myself. Plus the poor old iPad does not have much storage so I was also trying to delete apps. PhotoTropedelic is a keeper. You just open a photo you have taken and play with settings to add this kind of color and detail.

I spent a week drawing cacti for a client and for a Minted fabric challenge. So that was my postcard for that week. I enjoyed drawing these a lot. I really like black and white. But I will also do something with these in soft dirty pastels too.

Nancy has once again outdone herself. Her comment on this card was, "I don't know where this card came from... I can't even explain it." I am very taken with it. I love the bird and all the repeating circles. And the texture. Really love the texture.

Nancy says, "Continuing my efforts to motivate myself to write Get Lost through art. This little goddess is exactly the way I pictured her in my imagination (this rarely happens!).

From Get Lost: Chapter 13:    I opened another drawer. Inside was a tiny beautiful angel. Or maybe a goddess with wings. I picked it up carefully. The features were delicately carved: the colors painted in delicate strokes. I could see feathers on the wings. It fit perfectly in the palm of my hand.

The crow got added because it seemed right somehow for Lost Things and Wisdom.

Nancy said I could keep this card. I am going to post it somewhere in my office with space to write underneath. I am in lost mode. All kinds of things I cannot find. And our place is not that big! The first thing on the list will be my Youth. I lost that when the boy who bought the Miata drove off.

Festive Holiday Party Invitation voting...

Another week, another Challenge just opened up and voting on Party Invitations. For any of you who missed it I WON for the first time with 3 Christmas cards. Wilderness Christmas, Merry, Merry Christmas...Tree and Contemporary Ornaments! I am delighted and just uploaded my finished art for those.

Here are my entries into the Party Invitation Challenge.  I did 2 New Year's Eve designs. Here is this one.

And an Annual Party. Copy can be changed for whatever kind of party you want.

Holiday Open House, again copy can be changed for your event.

I think this one is my favorite... Ring in 2018! If you are so inclined, you can vote until noon on August 30th. If you do I truly appreciate it. And also plz spread a little voting love around. They are many good ones in this challenge.