Baby C Watercolor 030117 8×10 140 lb Saunders
I had fun a couple evenings this week playing in my new Art Studio painting one of my favorite subjects.
Wonder what she will think of these one day? Laugh? Cry?
Hopefully there will be more, and they will be sweet memories to her of a grandma that adored her – right from the start.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
These Little Piggies
When I kiss them
and rub them
and tuck them in
her little jammies,
I think about
the first wobbly steps they will take and then the walks that will follow holding mommy’s or daddy’s hands and later with a beloved friend or pet or me.
I think about
the times she will stand tall and proud on them for important things she believes in.
I think about
the times when she will vehemently “put her foot down” about something important to her.
I think about
her skipping on a hopscotch game chalked on the pavement or into the house with her heart fluttering from her first kiss.
I think about
her jumping rope in the playground or jumping off a diving board or from a plane.
I think about
her dipping them in and splashing at the edge of a pond or kicking them in the vast ocean.
I think about
her marching in a band like her mommy and daddy or in an important protest that could change the world.
I think about
her putting them gingerly on top of her Daddy’s trusting, sturdy feet learning to dance.
I think about her slipping them gracefully into delicate ivory wedding shoes to dance with the love of her life.
But for now,
I just kiss them
and rub them
and tuck them in her little jammies.
And I am thankful
for these little piggies.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Pink Orange & Gold Abstract Watercolor with Hearts 11×14 on 300 lb Arches Cold Press
In love with…
Pink and orange and gold
and dots and lines
and hearts and swirls.
In love with…
Fridays with my little C
and smiles and snuggles
and happy times.
Happy Friday!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Abstract Watercolor done using: Opera Pink, Quinacridone Rose, Cadmium Orange, Dr. Ph. Martin’s Iridescent Copper Plate Gold, and Dr. Ph. Martin’s Bleedproof White, Salt, Twine, and Black Micron Pen.
I am having so much fun creating a nursery at “Grandma’s house” for our new granddaughter.
A sweet little haven for her to rest if I ever decide to let her out of my arms when she is at our home!
I promised I’d show you how I turned bumper pads into a window treatment valance. Didn’t it turn out great?!
Almost everything in this room was a passed on from a friend, was given as a gift, is something I made, or something I re-purposed.
Thanks to our friends Sue and Rodney for “gifting” us with this beautiful crib they had outgrown from their two beautiful granddaughters.
And thanks to our BFFs Jill and Todd who gifted us with this beautiful rocking chair when we learned we were going to become grandparents. (Hope you don’t mind I painted and distressed it!)
And thanks to our sweet Joyce and “Oh Rob” for this darling antique child’s art desk with paper roll that will be so fun in coming years!
And a dear friend, Diane, who sent this sweet little hanging pillow months before our granddaughter arrived, but made me wait until her birth to open (and I really did!). What truth there is in this message! What joy!
I’m looking forward to reading many, many books – over and over and over – in the years to come.
And playing with the basket of toys generously passed down from a sweet friend and incredible young Mom, Stefanie.
Sometimes I just walk into this room and smile… thinking of the memories that are going to be created and the love that is already there from the sharing of so many.
I remember the days when this was a little boy’s room with blue marbled walls and baseball trophies. I reminisce about the two boys who shared a wall between their rooms and secrets I still don’t know about… Two boys who were best buddies when they were little, didn’t like each other very much when they were teenagers, and are back to being each other’s “bests” as young adults.
Creating a nursery at Grandma’s house…
It is so very much
home sweet home.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
My Sweet C – 8 x 10 watercolor – 300 lb Artistico Fabriano
I am typically a more “impressionist” style amateur watercolor artist. (At least that is what I consider myself.) I don’t necessarily try to exactly replicate something, but more try to interpret my impression of how it makes me feel.
As many of you know, I am a new grandma for the first time, and ECSTATIC doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about that!
So you are probably not surprised that the first subject I chose to attempt a watercolor portrait of is my sweet little granddaughter.
I didn’t do her beauty justice, but the process of looking at her picture and painting her brought me a lot of joy. It was a fun experiment. I was hoping it would be nice enough to give to my son and daughter-in-law for a Christmas gift framed, but I am not happy enough with how it turned out, so that idea didn’t work out.
I decided to post it anyway, though, as my first watercolor portrait. Hopefully I will look back some day and compare it to something much better.
My sweet granddaughter, on the other hand, is absolutely perfect!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
to be kind to those who are not kind.
They need love the most.
to offer help to those who struggle.
It is in giving that we receive the most.
to be a friend to the lonely.
They are often the best friends.
to sit with those sitting alone.
They have much to share.
to look for the good in others.
That is when we learn the most about ourselves.
These are the ways we can teach our children
to change the world.
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
Mother Nature must’ve known
my joy of becoming a Grandma this week
Gifting our sweet baby girl with
a 73 degree mid-November day to come home to
For no one else
in the entire universe
Could understand the immense love
and immeasurable joy
Except perhaps…
another
Grandmother ❤
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
There are truly not enough letters in the alphabet
or words in the dictionary
to describe how I’m feeling!!
Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Whale 8×10
After all the pink love last week, I had the pleasure of creating something blue and nautical for a sweet little boy we are preparing to welcome.
Prussian Blue, Cobalt Teal Blue, Quin Gold Watercolor Nautical Anchor 8×10
How lucky am I that one of my BFF’s had a grandson about six months ago and another BFF is having one within weeks of our granddaughter’s due date. Seems it will be one of the greatest joys in life to share motherhood and then grandmotherhood with life-long friends.
So yesterday was the “Ahoy It’s a Boy” shower, and I made a couple of watercolor paintings for this little guys’s nautical themed nursery.
I matted the 8×10 paintings with navy blue matting and framed them with white 11×14 frames.
It’s hard to take photos of paintings under glass without reflection and in good light, so these photos are a bit off in color, but I thought they turned out really cute, and I hope they will go well in this sweet little guys’s new room.
I thought it would be fun to make them into greeting cards too.
Can’t wait to meet you Baby Boy Griffith!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
I made this fun pink chex snack mix for our baby shower last week, but it is very also appropriate this month for Pinktober.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I have a few people very near and dear to me who are survivors – as well as the memory of a very special sister-in-law we lost at the age of 50 to breast cancer.
So Go Pink!
Celebrate… remember… create awareness… enjoy… by sharing this yummy treat with people you love.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Mix cereal, peanuts, and pretzels in a large bowl.
Place candy melts in microwave-safe bowl, and microwave on High for one minute. Stir. Return to microwave for one more minute. Stir. Microwave for additional 30-second intervals if needed until completely melted. (My microwave only took two minutes total to completely melt.) Pour over cereal mix to coat evenly.
Spread in single layer onto waxed paper or parchment paper, and let cool completely.
Once cool, break into pieces, and store in airtight container.
I made a triple batch for our party. I made one with white candy melts, one with light pink, and one with bright pink, then mixed all together.
You could also make this with milk chocolate, dark chocolate or any other color candy melts to match your party theme or celebration.
It is really yummy…. and really addictive!
Enjoy!
Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi
the creative life in between 
