January
a time to
nest and rest,
recharge and reinvent,
watch and listen,
contemplate and create.
January
a time to become.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Watercolor done on 300 lb cold press paper following a tutorial posted on ArtistNetwork (I truly have a long way to go with trees, but cherishing the time spent on the journey!)
Happy New Year friends, and thank you for being here with me this past year at lifeinbetween.me!
I had fun with one of my Christmas gifts from hubby – my new art easel – one day this week on my holiday break and spent a little time watercolor painting.
I thought it was a good time to design a holiday thank you note,
so I goofed around with a few loose pine tree designs that I can copy and create cards from.
Wishing you a happy new year filled with many moments to cherish! Take the time to notice them,
to appreciate them,
to truly cherish them –
for it is these moments
that create a lifetime.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
My BFF Jill is one of the most generous and amazing gifters I know, so I could not let this week of gift sharing pass without sharing her gift to me (and many) that is also a gift I can give.
What is better than receiving a gift you can give?
The #givingplate is a plate meant to be given away. The recipient is asked to sign the back with a gold paint marker that is included,
fill the plate with goodies or a meal or any kind of gift,
and give it away.
The person receiving it is asked to do the same,
allowing the #givingplate to “tell the story.”
The story of its travels and those that gave and received it.
Jill spent several weeks going to a ceramic shop hand painting, glazing, and getting 20 or so of these plates made to share with friends and family.
The funniest thing about this gift is that it is one I almost did myself.
One day in early December, Jill and I were browsing at Home Goods, and I was looking at plates and started telling her an idea I had for a Christmas gift that is made by painting a message on a plate for people to give away and share. I asked her what she thought of the idea.
She said, “Don’t do it.”
At first startled, I looked at her smiling, and I knew!
She was already doing it.
Quite the sign of “soul sistas” I say, when out of all the gifts we could think to create, we both think of this!
Mine would never have been done so lovely, so I am super happy she did it, and I got it, and I get to give it away!
Who knows – it may end up in one of your hands/homes one day!
#payitforward
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
One of our Christmas celebrations last week was our annual McHendy Christmas get-together.
For this celebration, I painted some snowmen mugs and filled them with Rolo chocolate caramel candies, mini marshmallows, and the recipe for Rolo Hot Chocolate that I featured here a few weeks ago to give to everyone.
On white ceramic mugs purchased from the Dollar Store, I painted little snowman coal eyes and carrot noses with Sharpie Oil Based Paint Markers on one side, and wrote McHendy Mug and the year on the other.
After painting them all, I let them cure for 24 hours. I then placed them in a cold oven, set the temperature for 350 degrees F and “baked” for 30 minutes. I turned the oven off after 30 minutes and let them cool completely in the oven without opening it. I hope this works as it is the first time I tried. They are supposed to be able to go through the dishwasher.
Wondering what a McHendy Christmas Celebration is?
Well – when you take two besties and their families that have so much love they actually form one big family, you combine their last names to create a new one.
And you celebrate every year watching the “kids” grow, marry and add to the family, and count your blessings dearly!
My BFF Jill not only had these shirts printed for all the McHendys this year, she even created the McHendy family crest, which is full of love and meaning to both of our families.
We can be born into families, and we can be loved into families. No matter which way it happens, celebrate it, and cherish the moments!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I love making and giving handmade DIY Christmas and holiday gifts, so when I saw a similar snowman project created from logs, I fell in love with the idea and convinced hubby we should make these.
He was a real trooper and really did the hard work. He gathered, cut, and sanded the logs, drilled holes and assembled them with dowel rods and glue.
I broke out the sewing machine and created little fleece hats and scarves.
And Voila!
Stinking cute primitive wooden log snowmen!
We were thrilled with how they turned out, made about 15 of them, and had so much fun giving them away.
Handmade with love from both of us and sharing a little piece of our woods.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
One of my favorite Christmas gifts I made to give this year was a special family coloring book I made for Ella.
Ella is my cousin’s daughter, and we have a very special bond. She is very creative and artistic, so I was excited when my BFF Jill shared a fun site with me called ReallyColor.com where you can create your own coloring book pages from photographs.
Since I recently had the opportunity to do a family photo shoot of Ella and her family at Thanksgiving, I was excited to make some of these photos into coloring book pages in a special book for Ella to recreate.
Here are just a few of the pages. I can’t wait to see what Ella does with them!
Ella with Daddy and Mommy
Brother Mason and Daddy
Ella Tree Climbing
Mommy, Ella, and Mimi
Mason and Poppy (aka Oh Rob!)
Mimi’s Greenhouse
Check out ReallyColor.com and convert some of your family photos into a fun project!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
In beauty green will always grow
Through summer sun and winter snow.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
How lovely are your branches!
Are you singing with me?
Only a week until Christmas Day, but it’s time to begin celebrating already.
I think it’s more fun to spread the fun out over the next two weeks, so partying and gathering with friends and family is what we will be doing!
This is another of my little minimalist watercolor Christmas cards I was able to print and duplicate.
Just a simple little tree,
but filled with lots of joy and love and happy wishes.
Have a great Friday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
It is my last week as a Paper Players Guest Design Team Member.
For this week’s color challenge, I decided to watercolor some Christmasy mittens and hang them from some greenery and red button “berries.”
The sentiment is from StampinUp’s Endless Wishes stamp set. The greenery is cut from a Pine Needle Gina Marie die, and I simply mixed and matched some cherry red buttons to use as berries.
I hope you will continue to follow and participate in the Paper Players Challenges.
It has been a fun six months, and I so enjoyed challenging myself, sharing with all of you, and the wonderful ladies of the Paper Players Design team! Thank you all! It has been an honor and privilege to be a part of your team.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
In the meadow we can build a snowman…
and pretend that he’s a circus clown.
Or if there is no snow in the meadow,
we can paint on paper
as a playful caper
and be just as happy all around.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
(Are you singing with me?)
Another shooting…
this time at Inland Regional Center, a conference center in a community facility in San Bernandino, California that serves people with developmental disabilities.
Senseless.
Innocent lives lost to craziness and confusion and ugliness.
As I watched the non-stop coverage on the news – trying to understand – not allowing myself to become “desensitized” to the madness, I felt compelled to paint.
I wanted to just express my abstract thoughts and feelings in this concrete world.
Before I ever tried to paint, to watercolor, to create art,
I would look at abstract art and laugh, or dismiss, or discredit.
I thought to myself, and even said out loud, that anyone could “do THAT!”
It’s just paint splattered on paper.
But I’m drawn to abstract art now – like never before.
And I dare you to try it!
It is not as easy as it looks to the inexperienced critic.
It is actually much easier to paint and draw literally and concrete and exact.
But to paint abstract is to let the art speak your feelings, to let the paint “do it’s thing.”
So I brushed my paper with Prussian Blue and Permanent Rose and then a delicate mix of the two of them.
Then I splashed water on it all, expressing my confusion, my angst, my inability to understand our world’s inability for peace, for tolerance, for understanding, for love.
These two colors create such a beautiful tone when mixed together – like all of us.
But we can’t, won’t, don’t let it happen.
We fight it, we try to control it, we try to keep it separate, we try to make the rules, define the lines, keep it simple.
But life is not meant to be separated, defined by lines or be simple.
Life is about freedom… about being connected…
Life is complex.
But it is also loose and expressive and beautiful.
And so I created this abstract watercolor painting
that I have to admit I love,
and I am nervous to share for fear you will not – like – understand – feel – care – accept.
But I am being brave, and I am sharing.
It is my little expression of abstract thoughts in a concrete world.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
PS Thanks to Deb Riley, an amazing artist I adore and follow and would love to emulate. You have encouraged, enthused, and inspired me!
the creative life in between 