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A Book-Signing Event

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

Jodi McKinney, Author & Artist, McKinneyX2Designs, Berry Vine Gifts

A Book-Signing Event.

There once was a little girl
who dreamt of being a mom.

Her dreams came true
with two sweet little boys

who she loved so dearly,
and they grew into men.

The mom was so proud and happy,
but missed being needed as a mom.

She learned other things
in her life in between

like blogging and writing
and painting with watercolor.

Then the mom was blessed again
with an even greater gift.

The mom became a grandma
to two beautiful little girls

who brought so much joy and love
and inspiration to her life.

Encouraged by hubby
and friends near and far

The mom painted characters
and wrote silly rhymes.

Then she put them together
in books dedicated to her grandie girls.

The first was pure fun,
and the second devoted to her bestie grandma friends.

And now this mom has been honored
with the opportunity to share this joy

In a book-signing event
at a sweet local shop.

Please stop by if you are anywhere near the Pittsburgh area!
I would love to share this joy with you!

Author Book-Signing Event:  Jodi McKinney
Klaus the Mouse and Other Silly Animal Tales
and
Lucas the Lion and his Fun Rhyming Friends

Saturday, May 25th – 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Berry Vine Gifts
185 Bradford Road
Bradfordwoods, PA  15015

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS  Lots of fun handmade, home decor, jewelry, children’s clothing and gift items available at Berry Vine Gifts!  You won’t regret a visit to this charming little shoppe!

Both books are also available at Amazon if you cannot make it, but are being offered at a special price for this event!

My Second Book is Published! Lucas the Lucky Lion

/ Jodi / 74 Comments
Lucas the Lucky Lion and his Fun Rhyming Friends

My second book is published!  Lucas the Lucky Lion and his Fun Rhyming Friends is now available at Amazon.

Some of you may remember my first children’s book, Klaus the Mouse and other Silly Animal Tales.  I had so much fun creating it, much in part to the encouragement of this fun blogging community.

This second one was created as a follow-up to Klaus the Mouse in a way, as it evolved from friends asking for, and then me creating, characters based on my besties’ grandies similar to the watercolor paintings and rhyming stories in Klaus the Mouse.  It was a labor of love to honor these friends and their special grandchildren.

My first book was dedicated to my first granddaughter.  This one is dedicated to my second.  They are two of the greatest loves of my life!

Thank you Bubby for encouraging me every step of the way to publish this book.  Thank you Jim for that first request of Alex the Alligator and Liz the Lizard that put this whole compilation in motion.  Thank you Jill for sharing your family with mine and supporting me no matter what I do.  Thank you Joyce for your love and creative inspiration and for sharing the best of what family is all about with me.

In this book, you will enjoy reading and rhyming along with Lucas the Lucky Lion, who of course scored the cover spot because of his good luck, all the way through to Mason the fickle, pickle-loving monkey who is sure to tickle your funny bone.

And in this book, I left two blank pages at the end where I hope readers will consider drawing their own character and creating their own rhyme.  And I would love if they will share with me.  My email address is mckinneyjodi@gmail.com.

Thanks to all of you for your ongoing encouragement and support.  You’ve really contributed to making my dreams come true!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

 

 

Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey

/ Jodi / 49 Comments

Mason the Monkey 11×14 Watercolor

Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey.

Mason was a monkey that many considered fickle.
Instead of eating bananas, Mason loved a sour dill pickle.

He would often pay a nickel,
and sometimes even triple

for that tart, tangy prickle
of a pickle on pumpernickel.

On tasting leaves and seeds, he was truly noncommittal,
for his taste buds and his palate, they simply did not tickle.

He loved the pleasant pucker, and he would often stickle
over anything that was even remotely artificial.

Dilled cucumbers he claimed to be the official
absolute favorite and most nutritional.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Mason the Pickle-Loving Monkey is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book.  This new book will be special because it is going to feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends.  Mason is the grandson of Joyce, son of Nikole, and brother of Ella.

Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you. 

Other fun products, like pillows, canvas prints, tote bags and much more are also available at our Mx2D Society6 Shop.

I will begin putting my book together soon and let you all know about it!  If you are interested in my first children’s book of watercolor animals and silly poems, you can find it here:  Klaus the Mouse and Other Silly Animal Tales.

Ella the Elephant

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

Ella the Elephant.

Even as a baby, Ella was an exceptional elephant.
Her charm and her wisdom were immediately evident.

Not only was she stunning and delightfully elegant,
she was also most exceedingly well-spoken and eloquent.

As Ella grew she organized an annual innovator’s event
where she spoke about the things she was going to invent.

Carrying a book wherever she traveled and went,
Ella could easily recite the most informative content.

She understood the principles of what democracy meant,
and she cared very deeply about the environment.

Ella had a backbone that simply couldn’t be bent.
She clearly was destined to be the President.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Ella the Elephant is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book.  This new book will be special because it is going to feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends.  Ella is the granddaughter of Joyce and daughter of Nikole, and they are three very special ladies in my life, as are their guys.

I have one more special character to create before I begin putting this book together.  The poem for Mason the Monkey is already written, and I can’t wait to paint him.  Mason is Ella’s brother, and I’m looking forward to sharing him with you.

Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.

Evie the Egret

/ Jodi / 49 Comments

Evie the Egret.

Evie was the cutest egret
you ever will have met.

The way her big blue eyes were set
was in a way you couldn’t forget.

Evie’s fluffy feathers, even when they were wet,
created the most fantastic egret silhouette.

Evie was a part of an all-girl egret quartet
where she was featured playing the alto clarinet.

The other girls, whose names were Annette and Suzette,
played backup to the leader, a brunette named Claudette.

Evie was known to fret
and sometimes get upset

because her name wasn’t Yvette
or maybe even Paulette.

But Evie didn’t long regret
for it was silly to be upset

when you really were the cutest little egret
from the U.S. to Tibet.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Evie the Egret is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book.  This new book will be kind of special because it will feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends.  Evie is the first grandaughter of my bestie, Jill, and the second child of Jackie, my McHendy daughter, who first inspired me to start this blog.

I have two more special surprise characters to create before I begin putting this book together, so look for them in upcoming posts.

Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop, where you can also order a customized painting and poem of or for someone dear to you.

 

 

 

Ben the Brave Little Beetle Bug

/ Jodi / 42 Comments

Ben the Brave Little Beetle Bug.

Nestled in a rare and exotic Persian rug,
lived Ben, the very bravest little beetle bug.

Many of his friends preferred to stay snug,
but Ben liked to go out and dance the jitterbug.

To get to the club, that was named Jolly Jug,
Ben had to sneak past a tough, ferocious thug.

Doug was the meanest bug north of the wall plug.
He was known to pinch and swing and punch and slug.

Doug lived in a filthy, fur-covered shag rug
beneath slumbering Brutus, the beloved family pug.

Ben would wait patiently each night for a tiny little tug
from his dance partner and best friend – Lucy the lady bug.

He would carefully inspect Doug’s grumpy ole mug
to assure he was sleeping as snug as a bug.

Then he bravely would venture, without even a shrug,
to go dancing with Lucy and give her a hug.

You may not think dancing is such a brave chug,
but consider the diminutive size of a little beetle bug

and how far it would ultimately be just to lug
your teensy-weensy body out of that safe and snug rug.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Ben the Beetle Bug is another in a series of paintings and poems I am working on for a new children’s book.  This new book will be kind of special because it will feature characters that are based on the grandchildren of my best friends.  Ben is the first grandson of my bestie, Jill, and the first son of Jackie, my McHendy daughter, who first inspired me to start this blog.

 Ben also brings to mind and heart a dear boy and his grandma (Gem) who are regular visitors here at TheCreativeLifeInBetween.com blog who were huge encouragers for my first book, Klaus the Mouse and other Silly Animal Tales.

Prints and greeting cards of all of these paintings are available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy shop as well, where you can also order a customized painting and poem.

Playing & Creating – Enjoying the Journey

/ Jodi / 55 Comments

Playing and Creating.

Some leftover paint
mixed up for a pouring project
that I played with on paper
with a goal of creating a wave…

Turned out to look
nothing like a wave,
but so many other things
magically appeared.

I see a bird
and a dolphin
or a crocodile
and a fish.

I feel movement
and life
and freedom
and joy.

Art
imitating
life

While enjoying
the special time
at life in between.

Relaxing
while playing
made something
I would never sell or hang on a wall,

but I created
and learned
how things react
and mix and mingle.

Art – like life –
isn’t always about
the destination –
but about the journey.

Play and create today.
Do something that brings you joy
in that “in between” time you get to call your own,
and enjoy the journey.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Original Watercolors, Acrylic Abstracts, and Handmade Rustic Decor available at McKinneyX2Designs.  Klaus the Mouse available on Amazon here.

Orange Flowers for Benjamin

/ Jodi / 69 Comments

Orange Flowers for Benjamin 11×14 Watercolor 140lb Cold Press

Orange Flowers for Benjamin.

Some of you may remember my little friend Benjamin.  He is the sweet little guy, who reads my blog with his “Gem” most every day and was a huge inspiration to me in writing my book, Klaus the Mouse, and other Silly Animal Animal Tales (available on Amazon here).

Well, the other day when I posted my Blue Reflections painting, Benjamin told Gem,  “It is a pretty blue picture, but can my Jodi do orange too?”

Apparently, orange is Benjamin’s favorite color.  So, though I didn’t do the same painting in orange, I did paint some orange flowers I hope my Benjamin will enjoy when he visits here with Gem next week.

Orange is such a happy, cheerful color!

According to Color Wheel Pro:

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Nevertheless, orange is not as aggressive as red. Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect, and stimulates mental activity. It is highly accepted among young people. As a citrus color, orange is associated with healthy food and stimulates appetite. Orange is the color of fall and harvest. In heraldry, orange is symbolic of strength and endurance.

Orange has very high visibility, so you can use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design.

Well…. no wonder my Benjamin loves orange!

Wishing you all an “orange” kinda day!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

This painting and others available at McKinneyx2Designs.

Klaus the Mouse in Alabama

/ Jodi / 49 Comments

Klaus the Mouse in Alabama.

This past Thanksgiving weekend, I received the sweetest note, along with this adorable picture of 5 year old Eli, from my blogging friend Jenna at The Painted Apron.

Jenna’s note said,

“My grands love reading your book!”

Eli’s favorite is Rooty the Rooster!”

Eli – besides the fact that you are handsome enough to be in movies,
you surely warmed my heart hearing these words and seeing your photo!

And I have to admit….
Rooty is one of my faves too!

Thanks for sharing with me, Jenna, and making my day!

I love hearing about my little book being shared and bringing smiles from Mars to Alabama.

And if you love reading about new recipes, fun decorating tips, and creative art, you will so enjoy Jenna’s blog.  I hope you will check it out and follow along with me.  Tell her “Jodi sent you.”  🙂  She also has a great Society 6 Shop where she sells her artwork in fun, creative ways.

If you would like your own copy of Klaus the Mouse or would like it for holiday gift giving, it is now available at Amazon with two-day shipping for Prime members!  I tested it out and it works – came in two days!

Cock a doodle dooty!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

A DIY Rainbow Clock

/ Jodi / 35 Comments

A DIY Rainbow Clock.

My BFF Jill is an “all the colors of the rainbow” kinda gal.

She loves color – bright, bold colors.

So when I came across this idea on Pinterest for a colorful clock made out of a wooden plant stand, I knew this was the gift for her birthday this year.

I found this approximately 12″ diameter circular plant stand on line at Ikea for under $10!  It came with wheels that could be attached so that you can use outdoors and move your plants around I suppose, but I just tucked the wheels away to save for some other use some day.

I simply divided the circle into 10 pie shapes from the center with a pencil and ruler and painted them with bright beautiful colors of indoor/outdoor grade acrylic paint I found at Walmart (Waverly Super-Premium Plaid).

I hit the whole thing with a spray of Krylon UV Resistant Clear Spray after the several layers of paint dried.

Then hubby came to the rescue to cut out a piece in the back and drill a hole in the center to add the battery-operated clock works.

And Voila!  A fun rainbow bright colorful indoor-outdoor clock!  It’s TIME to celebrate YOU Jill!  Where has the TIME gone?  I love our TIME together!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi