Fall

Red Truck Christmas

/ Jodi / 41 Comments

Snowy Red Ford Truck with Christmas Wreath on Front Watercolor 11×14

Red Truck Christmas.

I can think of a few peeps who would love a new red truck for Christmas (one is the guy I’ve been living with for the past 35 years!).

But he already has one, and it was the model for my latest Christmas watercolor painting.

When I painted my previous classic red truck carrying a Christmas tree, my red truck man informed me since it was a Chevy, I needed to paint a Ford too.

So here it is.

It was fun to paint it this past Sunday afternoon en plein air.  Sunny and 77 degrees F outside in late October painting Christmas snow!   Gotta love it!

This painting makes great prints and cute cards for Ford truck lovers.

They will be available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop, at Berry Vine Gifts, and at the Mars Fall Craft Show on November 18th.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

To Notice the Last Glow of Light

/ Jodi / 45 Comments

To Notice the Last Glow of Light.

To feel the softness,
and experience the gentle breeze,
to notice the last glow of light shining through…

Even amidst the things that choked you,
the experiences that broke you,
the storms that turned your world upside down…

These are the blessings of life,
that give us the strength,
and give us grace…

To be courageous,
and brave,
to persevere and to grow….

Into the confident beauty
we were meant to be
and share with the world.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Where are you going, leaves?

/ Jodi / 54 Comments

In autumn the leaves come blowing, yellow and brown.
They rustle in the ditches, they tug and hang on the hedge.
Where are you going, leaves?  Far, far away.
Into the earth we go, with the rain and the berries.
Take me, leaves, O take me on your dark journey.
I will go with you, I will be rabbit-of-the-leaves.
In the deep places of the earth, the earth and the rabbit.

Silverweed, Watership Down

Currently reading “Watership Down” by Richard Adams.

Have you read this classic?

We are reading it in preparation for our upcoming book club.

Would love to hear thoughts from those who have read.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Tip Toe through the… Fallen Leaves – A Charlie Guest Post

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

Tip Toe through the… Fallen Leaves:  A Charlie Guest Post.

I’m trying to tip toe,
taking it nice and slow..

but these crispy, crunchy leaves
which are supposed to be up in the trees

are warning my prey
and giving me away!

Good thing I’m only sneakin’
up on Mom who is peekin’

through that silly camera lens
that causes her to spend

way too much time
thinking of silly rhymes.

(Good thing I come along every once in a while and give her a break!)

Woofs & Wags,
Charlie

Charlie is an adopted dog with brown eyes and a white-tipped tail who brings joy and laughter to his family and friends.  Charlie is a gifted writer, raving food critic, cat, chipmunk, and donut lover, and exceptionally photogenic model.  Some of his best friends are Mike the UPS Man, Cliff the Mailman, Jaeger the neighbor dog, and ANYONE who delivers pizza to the house.   If you would like to read more guest posts by Charlie, simply type “Charlie” into the Search box at the top right hand corner of this link: thecreativelifeinbetween.com.   If you would enjoy a companion like Charlie, please consider pet adoption.

 

 

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

/ Jodi / 56 Comments

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles.

It’s the most pumpkiny time of the year…….. (are you singing with me to the tune of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year?”)

Seems we just can’t get enough of it.

I know I’m having fun trying new things with pumpkin…. Like my recent Pumpkin Chili recipe!  YUM!

How about a new twist on old-fashioned snickerdoodles by pumpkin’in them up?

Oooo Laaa Laaaa!

They just taste like Autumn!

Hope you’ll give them a try.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles*

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
  • 3 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3 1/4 cups flour
  • For rolling:  1/4 cup sugar + 2 tsp ground cinnamon, combined

Directions:

Cream together butter and sugars with electric mixer.  Add egg yolk, vanilla and pumpkin, and combine.

Add next 8 ingredients, followed by the flour, and mix until combined.

Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Roll and shape dough into golf ball sized balls.  Roll balls in sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Place on baking stone or sheet and bake approximately 12 minutes until tops begin to crack.  Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking stone/sheet for an additional 10 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*Recipe tweaked very slightly from Cooking Classy

 

Autumn’s Kaleidoscope of Color

/ Jodi / 41 Comments

Flames of crimson, pomegranate, and persimmon,
ambered gold, chartreuse, and mossy greens

struggle to compete with the saturated sapphire sky
marbled with softly suspended cottony clouds.

The intensity of the beauty surrounding me
almost overwhelms my senses.

My eyes and my mind try to absorb it all
as if snapping photos in a continuous burst mode

trying to find a special place to store them
to remember on a dark, dreary day

when my heart can’t remember the bright warmth
or the splendorous display of Autumn’s kaleidoscope of color.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

 

Things to leave…

/ Jodi / 50 Comments
Autumn Leaf on the Lawn - October, 2017 - Mars, PA

Autumn Leaf on the Lawn – October, 2017 – Mars, PA

Things to leave…

Your mark on the world.
Your worries behind.
The door open.
Well enough alone.
Hurtful, unhealthy relationships.
Your sparkle on the world!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Full Moon Calling

/ Jodi / 44 Comments
Full Moon Raven Watercolor 8x10

Full Moon Raven Watercolor 8×10

Full Moon Calling.

When I saw a recent painting done by a favorite artist/blogger friend, Sharon Mann at Make Art… Magic Happens, I told her I loved it so much, it made me want to paint it.

Sweet Sharon encouraged me to do it!

And so I did – and here it is….. A painting I did at 4AM one morning last week when I couldn’t sleep.

Be sure to check out Sharon’s absolutely amazing original version of this, which she titled, Call of the Raven.    Sharon has a style very different from mine, but one I absolutely adore and admire.  I love the texture she creates.  I love the whimsy of her style.  I love the range of subjects she chooses to explore and create.  And to top it off, she is simply a lovely person!

Sharon was one of the first to send an absolutely amazing handmade gift when I learned I was to become a grandma over a year ago.  She painted a photo of a batch of my cookies and gifted me with the beautiful piece of art that has graced my kitchen wall for several years now.  She was one of the first few dozen people to purchase my first published children’s book – and then share it to her friends.

About a year ago, Sharon lost her husband and best friend.  It was a life-altering experience for her, and she took a break from blogging until just a few weeks ago.  It is so wonderful to have her back blogging and inspiring so many of us artist wannabees!

Thank you for allowing me to paint your art Sharon.  I enjoyed it immensely!  Thank you for your inspiration, encouragement, but most of all  your friendship.

Be sure to check out Sharon’s blog.  You are in for a real treat and a wonderful new friend!

Cheers &  Hugs,
Jodi

 

Autumn Art Sonnet

/ Jodi / 57 Comments

Autumn Art Sonnet.

I recently took my very first online art course at the gentle urging of my blogging friend Jill at Jill’s Art Journal.  Actually it is my first-ever any kind of art course.

The class was hosted on Carla Sonheim’s website and presented by the amazing Lendon Noe.  The short 2-week, 6-session class was on Meaning Making:  Inspired by Poetry.   They were short 20-minute recorded sessions that you could watch at your own pace and at a convenient time for you.

I LOVED it!  I learned so much from Lendon – about art, mixed media, poetry, and even about myself.

My first art love is watercolor, but I loved dabbling into the mixed media world.  And what fun it was to combine my love of words, writing, poetry, watercolor, and stamping.

In my art piece here, the lines are actually an artistic version of a Shakespearean sonnet, where verse is written in a pattern of AB AB CD CD EF EF GG.  You might notice that the lines are repeating in the same pattern.  I used a combination of Sumi Ink, Walnut ink, watercolor, water soluble pencil, and a splash of Dr. Ph Martin’s Iridescent Gold Ink.

I photocopied (directly on my photocopier) a sprig of burning bush leaves and berries from my front yard and gesso‘d it right on top of the “sonnet.”  I drew a trio of leaves directly onto the piece, stamped some patterns and words, and then “scribbled” a collection of autumn words on top with a Pilot Parallel Calligraphy pen.

I woke up early yesterday and created this piece after considering all the things I learned in the class.  It is my little mixed-media sonnet about Autumn.

The air is finally a bit crisp and cooler than it’s been in a long time this weekend. It is really feeling like Autumn.

And Autumn is quickly becoming one of my favorite times of year.  I wonder if it is because I am in the Autumn stage of life too…

Have a wonderful day – whatever season you are in or love.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

The Flowers of Fall

/ Jodi / 44 Comments

The flowers of Fall
are the beautiful leaves

that in the summer
produced the forest’s shade.

The emerald and olive and mossy greens
turn to persimmon and crimson and gold.

The joy of Autumn
is in the cool, crisp breeze.

that carries the memory
of warmth and life and growth.

A breath of air inhaled
full of brisk, invigorating possibilities.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi