WOYWW #452

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! I don't know about anywhere else in the world, BUT...it's frosty here! Brrrhhhhh! Particularly for the South! It was 28 degrees this morning and let me tell you, that made this girl happy because that means I got to put on my treasured leather coat that was my father's. I had always loved that coat and when he passed away, my sisters made sure I got it! It's from the old school and it is VERY warm. They don't make clothing (or anything for that matter) like they used to. They used to last,  hence why it's still around, but today, it's all about greed and how much money can be made. I better stop, or I will get on my soap box! Anywho.....isn't nice to have something like that to treasure? What about you? Do you have a favorite something from a past loved one? Those are God's little blessings for you! Isn't He just the best?

So, today is WOYWW! Hurray!! Because last week....it was a "no show" for me! I have been extremely busy of late! This is big convention time for my elected officials. I do all the coordinating for those conventions, so it's all deadlines and building conference packages! I love it, but it's time consuming! So, if you are able to play along this week, go on over to Julia's blog Stamping Ground and check out the fun! You won't be sorry!

This week I will show you what's on my desk that I promised I would show two WOYWW''s ago! And dunt dunt duhhhhhhhh........

Helloooooo mama!!! LOLOL If you could have been in my presence when this package came in, you would have exited the building!!! LOLI have been lusting (I know, I know) after these guys for some time. I have some student grade watercolor paints that aren't bad, but after much research and lots of book reading from professionals, they convinced me that its important to really have professional grade to learn the true craft with! Soooooo, OF COURSE, I HAD to have them! LOL Thank you Santa Clause! LOLOL

So,these guys are just stinking gorgeous! I've been working on the swatch card that came with the set. At the time of this writing, I am now finished with it and I tell you, it's so handy to have that in your kit to refer to while painting! I have already started on some new bookmark ideas and below I have already started on a small painting.

In this picture, you can see that all I have done thus far is sketched out my "little birdie" scene (you'd have to zoom in to really see it, sorry) with that FABULOUS Pentel Graph Gear mechanical pencil that Santa brought me, but the next step will be to use my Tachikawa dip pen that you see above it to further sketch my "little birdie." I keep my nibs in that cute little Altoid tin you see there and OF COURSE there are my new GORGEOUS Schmincke paints at the wait!

Above my dip pen, can you see those cute little whales? They are dip pen and paint brush rest/holders! Aren't they the cutest! They are so great to have so that I don't have my dip pen or paint brush rolling around and getting product everywhere! That's important because I LOVE sticking my arm in things! LOLOL Also you will see two of my inks in cute little jars and next to them two "shading" pen packs from Faber Castell. The last thing to the right is one of my favorite coffee mugs from my "bestie" that says "Don't forget to be AWESOME!" I love having that to encourage me as I craft......and, of course....the fabulous coffee inside that mug helps! LOLOL

Well that is truly what is on my desk as of this morning! Trouble is......I CAN'T WAIT to get home to finish the said piece!! Ohhhhh to be a full time artist!!! Good on those of you who can do the thing you love most ALLLLLL DAYYYY!!! For now, mama's got to bring home the bacon! LOL That being said, I am a TRULY BLESSED WOMAN to have a Father in Heaven who provides for me with my wonderful job and because He knows the desires in my heart, provides that I may enjoy the gift that He placed on the inside of me! Thank you Father God! :)

Well I hope you all have a FANTABULOUS Wednesday and rest of the week! I am going to try to get around to as many of your desks today that I can and see what you have been up to!

Blessings

WOYWW #450

Happy COLD, brrhhhh..... Wednesday all my crafty friends!! I love it!! It's FINALLY cold here in the south! LOL And guess what????? It's SNOWING!! Yep! A cold front has moved across the southeast and our little ole town has gotten some snow! You guys above the Mason Dixon Line will laugh at that because, of course, it's not really snow....it's flurries! LOL Regardless, in the south, the danger for us is not so much the snow, but the freezing. We aren't equipped here in the south to drive in that kind of element, so, we pretty much shut down! Funny, but folks in the south already CAN'T drive, can you imagine on ice!! LOLOL  If any of my crafty friends are in it like I am...stay warm and safe!

Well, It's another WOYWW and I can't wait to show the goods on my desk today! You can always get on the band wagon by going on over to Julia's blog Stamping Ground and play along! You will love to see what EVERYONE around the world is mashing around on their desks!

So last week, you will remember that I shared some of my "Santa goodies" and how stoked I was? Well today, I will show you the results of what I was waiting on some of those goodies for! I have been in love with watercolor / pen and ink for some time and have been playing around with what I had on hand. But now that I have half of what I wanted Santa to bring me to achieve some craftiness, I have been able to do more. I still have one more thing that Santa is to bring me that will be arriving hopefully by next WOYWW and I will reveal it then. But that last little treasure will COMPLETE my newest "art addiction!" LOL

Many of you crafty friends are very familiar with Cee Cee over on Cee Cee's Creations and I just love her! She is an amazing artist who I love to follow! She had been doing some awesome watercolor line art that I fell in love with and because I have been fascinated with watercolor lately, I knew this was something that would fall right in line with what I had been doing and so the share's from my desk today are attributed to her creative share with us all! Thanks Cee Cee for your inspiration!

I did these bookmarks for some friends of mine and I just had a ball! I took some 140lb cold press paper and stretched onto a board that I bought over the holidays that my wonderful husband finished out for me so that I could get wet mediums and what not on it without its warping.....thanks hubs! :) Then I simply washed over with watercolor in colors that I just happened to be feeling at that moment. After letting dry, I cut down to the size of bookmarks that I wanted and then the rest of the joy began!

Now let me just say that I have always loved drawing even at a young age, but have never had lessons as far as painting my drawings....it has always been intimidating to me....therefore that is why this style is so yummy to me because the wash is in the background and I'm not actually painting the flowers! LOL I know, I know, easy way out huh? Going to have to face that fear eventually! LOL I used my brand new dip pen and my new nibs and I was like a kid in a ca
ndy store! I had so much fun! This is something I think I will be doing on a regular basis to have on hand for gifts on the quick! Much like I do my crosses! But, that being said, I am hoping I will grow in this and the plan is to take a watercolor class at some point in time this year and flourish further in this art medium!

After finishing, I went to a local print shop and had them laminated and will send them out to my sweet pals for a new year blessing! Hopefully the lamination will preserve the art and not have a reverse effect on it!! YIKES! LOL All three of these pals that I am sending these to are avid readers so even if they have these bookmarks through a couple of book readings, at least they will know I was thinking of them! What do you think? 

My last treasure, that should come in this week, will help me continue in this newest love and I am sooooo looking forward to it's arrival! I want to try all sorts of new things in 2018....for me....the sky is the limit!! How about you?

Well, happy WOWWW guys and I look forward to seeing what you all are sharing today!

Blessings

WOYWW #449

Good Wednesday all my crafty friends! Happy New Year! I haven't posted since last year....hee hee hee! Honestly though, it seems like forever! It was a wonderful Christmas season for me and my family and a needed break from ALL things! It was extremely busy as well, so I got NO crafting done over the holidays! And as I took several weeks during the holidays for vacation, I have been extremely busy catching back up on all things at work and at home! BUT, alas, it is a new year and I have big plans for my art crafting!!!! Notice I didn't say "resolutions" in there anywhere!! My experience when I use that word is that it turns south not too long after I make any statements! LOLOL Therefore, I will just say "big plans," and see how that all turns out! LOL I'm super excited however for the things in my head to come out on paper, canvas, tags, ATC's, journals.....whatever comes my way! Yay 2018!!!

So it is another Wednesday and the FIRST in the wonderful WOYWW fun! Happy New Year to all my "desker" friends! LOL If you want to get in on the fun for 2018 with all of us "deskers," just jump on over to Julia's blog at Stamping Ground and play along this year! It will be fun and you will meet all sorts of LOVELY crafters just like YOU! :)

So as I mentioned, I haven't been crafting much so I will show you what is on my desk from my holiday blessings, either to me or for me! As some of you will remember the Raskog Cart was my big gift to myself, but I did get a little extra money from Santa and managed to purchase a few things that I had been wanting for myself. And it was a "yippee fest" for me as it came in the mail!

So first off on my yumminess to myself is the AMAZING "Create Your Life Book" book! I couldn't wait to get my hands on that guy!!! I have been wanting to do the Life Book Class for years and simply have not been able to for financial reasons. It's always right after Christmas when we are ALL sacked out on the money train, right??? I love Tam and her amazing talent and truly want to do the Life Book stint some time! Maybe next year? So since I couldn't manage it yet again, I vowed to get her book. And I got a great price on it! Let me just say it is a lovely, lovely book and I recommend anyone getting this book as a great addition to your art book stash! She is such an inspiration not only art wise, but also spiritually....no matter what your faith! Her words ring true across spiritual realms! I think she is somebody I could TOTALLY pal around with! LOL

The next thing I will point out is the Tachikawa dip pen holder and then you will see some nibs that I bought to go with it! I have so been wanting this holder and I made it happen at also a great price. I long loved dip pens and the amazing art you can do with them and so I haven taken on another art adventure lately that absolutely FORCED me to get this guy....hee hee hee! I will be posting some new crafting in the near future to show off this fancy guy! Additionally I have longggggg wanted that Pentel Graphgear 1000 mechanical Pencil!!! That guy is the bomb!! I have other cheapo mechanical pens, but I wanted the "daddy!" LOL I am so stoked about that! I also got some lead to go with

The other treasure on my desk is the Da Vinci Squirrel brush! It is a size 0 for the "small" watercolor painting that I have been doing lately! My intent is to get a whole set of squirrel brushes, but hey, I have to start somewhere! LOL I am so excited to break this brush in! Woop!

The other wonderful item on my desk is that Cloth Paper Scissors magazine! What makes that magazine so special is that a true Christmas Angel gifted me that subscription this year! This person, and you know who you are, is one of the most precious people I know! She is a true "angel" who continuously expresses the Father's love for His people through her art and service to others! "Thank You" simply doesn't seem enough, but I'm am grateful for her and to her for her act of kindness to me! I look forward to a year of inspiration out of this magazine! Yay me!!! :)

The other menagerie on my "still clean desk," ha ha is my yummy watercolor palette, some gorgeous india ink for dipping and some Altoid tins that I plan to do some mixed media crafting with. A small one holds my nibs and I want to "craft it up," LOL and others I want to do for gifts! Also there are a couple of packs of Faber Castell pens in grays and sepia for shading. 

That's pretty much it for me today guys! I hope to share some of finished craft goodies next week. I pray you all had a beautiful Christmas and I also pray for peace, joy and prosperity for your coming year! And, OF COURSE, lots of CRAFTY GOODNESS!!! :))))

Many blessings to you all!