Island Architecture

I am on the island for a couple of days with Little I. Yesterday we checked out the historic part of the island. Here are some of my favorite houses from the late 1800's. I am so in love with architecture!

Creative Art Ideas for Toddlers

Little I and I have been doing some art! 

Painting on a rock (nature's canvas!)

"Painting" with water on the deck (mess free!)

Playing with Play Doh!  So many colors!

Hello!  Hope your summer is going well!  Mine is flying by.  I can't believe how fast everything is going!  I will be back at work before you know it.

Little I and I have been enjoying our time together.  We have been playing outside, swimming, painting on rocks and paper, sculpting with play dough, playing with baby dolls (her favorite toys) and of course having dance parties!

Little I isn't really allowed to watch t.v. yet (we occasionally watch a Sesame Street episode in the morning) but she was totally captivated to watch this video by Beirut.  It has a sailboat and she calls every sailboat "Dada's boat" because the husband has a small little sailboat. 

Today we went to the zoo and saw her favorite animals which are the elephant and the monkeys.  The husband and I then took her out to dinner and we were happily surprised that she sat in her high chair the entire time and didn't throw food!  Simple pleasures in life!

Tomorrow Little I and I are going to gather some fun supplies for our trip back to the island.  I am planning on staying all of next week there so I want to make sure I am stocked up on art supplies!  I especially want to get more shaving cream and food coloring because the shaving cream paint works so well and the colors are so pretty!  I recently bought bath tub paint for Little I and was very disappointed in the results.  Shaving cream paint (simply shaving cream and food coloring!) works so well!  Another idea I want to try is freezing ice that is dyed with food coloring and then have Little I "paint" with it.  As it melts it creates a painting!  Usually the best toys are the most simple don't you think?

So that is my summer, nothing too exciting but relaxing!  What is your favorite thing to do in the summer?

Shaving Cream Paint

Little I and I are always looking for fun and creative things to do.  One thing I have discovered on Pinterest (my favorite thing in the world!) is how to create paint with shaving cream and food coloring. In the winter we did this in the bathtub but since it is summer out, we gave it a go outside.  It was fun and messy and most of it ended up all over Little I!  Overall a success!

I mixed the shaving cream and food coloring in a plastic muffin mold.

Shaving cream paint is so pretty!

Little I hard at work!

Finished artwork (with some painting and stamping by me at the bottom!)

Nature Walk Art

The other day I went on a nature walk with Little I and collected a couple of different items I found on our walk.

When Little I went down for her nap I drew them out on a piece of paper with pen (not pencil because then I would have been too worried about mistakes!) and then used watercolor pencils and acrylic paint to paint my drawings.  It was a great way to create art without stressing out about figuring out what I wanted to paint.  If you ever feel like you are "art blocked" this is an easy drawing and painting exercise.

Lay out your objects in front of you to draw.

Use pen so you don't focus on erasing mistakes.  Have fun and don't stress!

Queen Ann's Lace is my favorite!

Searching for the Muse

Lately I have been searching for "the muse."  In order to do this you must WORK and hopefully the muse will think you are worthy enough to give you some ideas.  This is part of what Steven Pressfield writes in War of Art.   I recently read this book and can't get it out of my mind!

So here are some of my recent little paintings/sketches.

This one is my favorite.  I really like how my leaves turned out!

The little bird on the bottom right is actually a transfer from the top bird. 

P.S. Do you like the teal and white painted rock?  I painted this last summer and I just felt it went with my little paintings.



 P.P.S

Here is my earthy "muse".  Coffee!  Oh how I love it so!  It always gives me ideas:)   What is your earthy muse?

Have a lovely day!  I am off to paint some more! Be sure to stop by later!  I will be posting some pictures of Little I's shaving cream paint experience!  So fun:)

The War of Art

Hello!  I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!  We watched the fireworks over the lake with my family at the cottage.  Little I was able to stay up for them and couldn't stop talking about them when we were walking home after the fireworks.  "Boom, Boom" is all she kept saying, so funny!


The husband, Little I and I are back from the island and I am trying to get back into my own personal art and art business.  My brother and I recently had a conversation about "art".  He graduated with a degree in professional writing and would like to someday write for a living.  He read a book that he highly recommended called The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (most known for writing Legend of Bagger Vance). Of course I downloaded it on my kindle immediately and began reading!
  This book is awesome for any person who feels they were born to do something creative in their life for a living.  Many of us want to do something creative whether it be painting, sculpting, writing, cooking, etc but put it off and procrastinate in doing it.  We make up excuses on why we cannot work on our creative endeavor thus making ourselves unhappy and feeling empty and sometimes this can be the gateway to destructive habits.  Pressfield tells us to WORK, who cares if the product is horrible.  The actual process of working and finishing something is very important to us as creative individuals.   Another really important point Pressfield makes is that often times we get our best ideas as we are working.  We should not wait until the ideas come before working.  I agree with this immensely!  Often when I am working on a painting or collage do I get my best ideas.  The creative gods or Muses smile down on hard work and whisper ideas into your ears!

There are so many more important insights in this book, if you get a chance you should read it!  I will probably be sharing with you more about this book in later posts.  I am so inspired by Pressfields no nonsense writing style basically telling me to GET to WORK and NO EXCUSES!  I really need this kick in the butt especially because I really don't have excuses on not to work on my own personal art anymore.  Did I mention I finally finished my masters!  Hooray!  I officially graduate in August!

Well I am off to paint a little before Little I wakes up.  It is currently 8 am here and she is STILL asleep!  Wow!

Have a great day!

Artwork I am currently working on inspired by the island!

Little Bird

 

While Little I was sleeping I was able to start a little rock painting.  Here is my little bird!  I still need to add some detail to the wings but I need a tiny brush to do this and of course I don't have one here on the island!  Oh well!   Today is rainy and stormy here on the island so maybe while Little I naps I can start another one! 

Beach Glass

I have been on the island since Friday evening when the husband, Little I and I took the ferry over.  We have been having a very relaxing time!  Yesterday my mom watched Little I while I took a huge raft out into the lake and just laid out for a half an hour.  It has been so hot this week (90s...with not much breeze)  The best idea ever was when we blew up a kiddie pool for Little I and filled it up with water.  She played in there forever and I was able to put my feet in, look at the lake and drink a lovely cold drink.  I just LOVE summer!

Another thing we have been doing is looking for beach glass.  It is EVERYWHERE and it feels like treasure hunting when you go look for it!

My mom, Little I and I went to a secluded beach the other day to look for beach glass.

My mom and Little I looking for beach glass

This is a picture of the rocks on the beach.  Do you see the glass treasures?

Literally beach glass was everywhere!  Can you find the treasures in this picture?

The beach glass is so shiny when it is wet from the lake.

This was some of our findings.  Beach glass that is really old has that frosted look to it.

My mom and I have collected so much beach glass since last summer when I found my very first piece.  Beach glass is so interesting because it takes about 50 years or so to create each piece of rounded glass.  My mom and I mostly find green, amber and white pieces which are common colors.  I have found a couple of purple pieces, cobalt blue and turquoise!   The rarest colors to find are actually the primary colors, red, yellow and blue.  I guess orange is the rarest of all though.

Do you see in the above picture the rock with the cross on it?  That is something I collect while looking for beach glass.  I have a couple of them.  I guess you could say I am pretty spiritual. 

Next to the cross rock is a piece of pottery with text on it. I would just love to know where it is from also! 

Have  a great day!