Veggie Tale

BreesMimi Design Studio (BMDS)

Hi Everyone!

It's hard for me to remember a time when I didn't eat veggies, even when I was little there wasn't much in the veggie department I wouldn't eat.  But when my husband and I met some forty plus years ago, he wasn't a fan of vegetables, in fact the only veggies he ate were corn, tomatoes and onions.   He told me the story about how much he disliked peas and how he put them down the heat register in the floor to hide them!  Many years later his father discovered the dry, hard peas when he investigated a strange rattling sound..... coming from the heat register.  We still laugh about that one.

Watercolor sketching veggies

SO how did I get him to willingly eat veggies?!?  The answer was to smother the vegetables in cheese sauce.  Yep, I lured  umm, introduce him to veggies smothered with cheese and gradually weaned him from the sauce. He's a big veggie lover now, with the exception of beets.  Okay, I can live with that, because I Do have one vegetable I won't eat. Brussel sprouts.  Ewww! Gag. Enough said.

But why all this talk about veggies?

 I've been painting veggies for an online class with on of my favorite artist, Tracy Fletcher King.  Having fun with the sketching and water color.

Finished watercolor of fruit & veggies.

Here's a few of my favorite veggies/fruits, in case you can't make out what they are: eggplant, pears, apples, carrot and zucchini. 

Sometimes a process will inspire other things like the Index Cards below.

Hope you find some delicious inspiration today!  

Bee Creative,

Suzy

30 DAYS IN APRIL REVEAL

Hi Everyone!

Please join me for the reveal of Index Card A Day (ICAD) 30 Days in April.  This is the third  ICAD challenge I've completed in the last several years.  My first challenge was with Daisy Yellow's 60 Day Challenge!  Sixty days was a bit ambitious for a first timer so I scaled it back to 30 days as a personal challenge each year. Thirty days once a year works as a great starting point for the new year or whenever I feel I need a kick start in creativity.  If you've never heard of an ICAD challenge, please go over to Daisy Yellow Blog to see how this challenge works.  It's so much fun!

Meanwhile join me for the weekly reveal of my personal challenge on Thursdays. Just click on the side bar 30 Days in April ICAD and you'll see what I created each day and a glimpse into the "how" I made each card and the thought process behind it.  Enjoy!

I'd love to hear if you are interested in this process...please leave a comment so I know you've stopped by.  Have a great week!

Bee Creative,
Suzy

WEEK 3 ICAD CHALLENGE

Hi there!

This is where the rubber starts to meet the road in the Index Card A Day (ICAD) challenge in the month of March.  When ideas flowed freely in the first two weeks of the challenge now they aren't coming so easily, but I press on to the challenge of making a card each day for 31 days and finishing the race.  My first adventure into the ICAD was a 60 day challenge I did with Yellow Daisy and you can see the cards were much more elaborate collages where this time I've stuck to the everyday life theme.

Maybe you'd like to try a personal challenge of your own?  Making an index card a day does require commitment and as much time as you are willing to put into it.  I guarantee you will learn a great deal about yourself and develop your own style of art work.  If you decide to try it, please let me know, I'd love to hear from you.

Please click on the side bar link to 31 Days in March to see  Week 3 and the previous works for Week 1 and 2.   Thank you for stopping by and I'd love to hear from you, please leave your comment below.

Bee Creative!
Susie

Index Challenge Week 2

Hello there!

It's been very windy this week....in fact another week has just blown by! I'm working on 31 Day Index Card Challenge for the month of March.  Be sure to check it out!  If you haven't done a Index card challenge before, I would encourage you to try it.  A simple 3 x 5 index card will do, some pencils or pens or whatever media you'd like to explore and go for it!  Make one card per day, any subject is fine.  I'd love to hear from you if you are doing the challenge.  It's not too late to jump in and give it a go.

Please check out WEEK 2. Hot off the press....click on 31 Days In March (ICAD) link in sidebar.  Let me know what you think.

Have fun & Bee Creative.

Suzy

ON TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN

Hello There!
Welcome to Travel Thursday!

A few years back, maybe about 8 years ago, my best friend Bonnie and I took a trip to the mountains of North Carolina.  Our trip plan included a visit with my sister Anne and family (they live out in the country).

painting a mural for my niece Amy and a trip to Cheap Joe's in Boone. We took a day trip to the Biltmore House and a drive up Doggett Mountain where we lived once upon a time.

This is the story of Doggett Mountain.

My brother and I were starting our Senior year of  high school, a VERY large high school in a large city when my parents made the decision to move to North Carolina.  Not only did they move us City Slicker kids to the middle of nowhere, we were stuck on the top of a mountain out in the country in the middle of no-where on a FARM. 

The nearest town was down the curvy mountainside into the valley and the only thing there was the school. Another 20 or so miles into the mountains was a town that looked like it was from another century, seriously.  But back to the school....Kindergarten through High school all in one long hallway.  Did I mention that we had come from a VERY large high school population in the hundreds, multi-level building with a maze of hallways to a single hallway school house that housed K-12?  The Senior class had 24 students, that included my brother and myself.  It was shocking.  I couldn't believe I was there in the middle of no-where.

Not only were we "out in the country" we found they spoke a totally different language which I could barely hear due to altitude and where alien words were spoken like  'maters, taters, pokes....what on earth was a poke?? When asking directions we were told "it's about as fer as ye kin spit times 10"; or "its a fer piece up thar road".  WHAT???   We were seriously in culture shock and definitely "not in Kansas any more".  The only saving grace was the beauty that surrounded us.  We moved in the first week of October and the fall leaves were beginning to change, lighting the mountains on fire so brilliant and saturated with color it took my breath away.  As my Granny would say "it's beauty is beyond words".  If it weren't for that fact I'd have packed my bags and headed back to Florida.

We were from Florida (flat-landers) and there was much to learn from the country folks in "them thar hills".  I learned what real neighbors were like (helpful and kind), that there were poor people that lived in one room shacks with lots of little children and those who had the least were the ones who gave the most.  There was love for God, family, for each other and everyone was friendly and helpful. Lessons were not only in the single hallway of the schoolhouse but were learned from the land and farming it, the people who loved it.  Even though I was a miserable teenager stuck there on that mountain, I did come to love and appreciate the people, the community and land.

I learned to love the mountains through the fall days, and into the winter when the fields were covered in frost and the mountain streams and waterfalls would freeze over and the way the sun would glisten off the ice. The clean smell of mountain air, the cold stillness at night, the soft sound of snow falling and the beauty of the forest being covered in a blanket of pure white.  My heart longed to paint what I was seeing but I didn't have those skills, still I longed for paint and brush to capture the beauty of the seasons.  And although I was quite unhappy being stuck on the top of a mountain, that is where my love of nature really began.....on top of  Doggett Mountain. 

I'd not been back to Doggett Mountain since leaving it in 1973 until my friend and I visited in the spring of 2007. Thirty-four years had passed, things had changed. The schoolhouse was still there and what remained were the fond memories of the people and the beauty of the land, the serenity of the mountain.  

Oh and now I have my paints and brushes and I know just what to do with them! 

Happily painting memories!
Suzy

Handmade Sketchbook Journals

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to Sketchbook Tuesday! 
 I'm pumped up to begin sketching in a my new Sketchbook Journal made from an old children's book. Even though it was not one of the well loved books my children read, it is a book with fabulous illustrations I couldn't bear to get rid of.  

So I've re-purposed "Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm "into a sketchbook by replacing the pages with a selection of cold and hot press watercolor paper and mixed media paper .  

The first page in a new sketchbook fills me with a feeling of excitement but also overwhelms me with feelings of what if I mess up the very first page! Not this time! I knew exactly what I would sketch and with a feeling of joy as I sketched and then painted my palette! 

You might remember this hand painted cover of another sketchbook, it has been sitting on my shelf and not used after the initial pages I did in 2013. Something about it didn't seem right.  Turns out it just needed a few more signatures added to fill out the large spine.  

I l

Now it is a book filled with watercolor paper and mixed media papers for drawing, sketching and watercolor. 

 It was important to also incorporate some of the pages I'd previously done.

 and NOW the book is perfect for a new sketching and watercolor adventure.  

 My goal is to fill up both sketchbooks in 2015!  Won't you join me on my sketchbook journey?   

Sketch on my friends!

Suzy

Sketchbook Tuesday-Great Lakes

Welcome back to Sketchbook Tuesday!

Last week we visited Sanibel Island and I had plans to take you to Tybee Island Lighthouse but there's been a change in plans and we are heading up to the Great Lakes but don't worry, we'll circle back down to Tybee Island later in the Lighthouse Series.

I thought we'd start the Great Lake Lighthouse tour with a recent trip I took to Michigan to visit my daughter Amanda.  While we were there we visited South Haven Lighthouse on Lake Michigan.

It is a pretty interesting lighthouse located at the end of a concrete pier with steel beam structure that goes the length of the pier. The lighthouse is still active and maintained by the Coast Guard.  The day we were there it had been raining and the temperature was dropping, it was very windy out on the pier! It was a challenge to walk against the chilly wind and we took shelter at the base of the lighthouse to take in the views.

On our walk along the waterfront we took many photos!

  South Haven has a cute marina area with a dock filled with shops, wine tasting shops and a fake lighthouse.

Fake lighthouse.

I love architecture and am always on the "look out" for anything interesting especially features such as arches, cupolas and spires, etc.  I spotted this one on top of a building.

So naturally when I got home I had to paint it.

Well I hope you have enjoyed today's lighthouse tour and along the Great Lake Michigan!  Next week we'll visit another lighthouse along the shore of Lake Superior! Please join me again for Sketchbook Tuesday!

Have a great week! Grab your sketchbook and pencil and go sketch something!

Suzy

COME WITH ME TO THE SEA

Hi Everyone!

The prompt for Journal 52 WEEK 2 is Somewhere: A Simple Place.  This could be a place you love or want to visit or a fantasy place, a place that has meaning to your life.  What came to mind immediately was the place where I have lived near most of my life, the ocean.

Did I mention about trying to use up the supplies I have on hand for this journal project? My aim this year to use up some of the supplies I've accumulated and so, there may be some odds and ends used as embellishments.  I'm good with that, hope you will enjoy it too!

  COME WITH ME TO THE SEA........

Chelle asked us to build a frame around our page, add lines for text and to use magazine images.

This is how I made my page:

A very thin coat of Gesso is applied with a credit card to smooth it over the page. Gesso as a base for each page gives it "tooth" and allows colors to flow and not seep onto the next page.  I also put a piece of wax paper under the page to protect the others underneath from gesso seepage which can "glue" the papers together.

Most often I don't have a plan when I start but this time there was a sparkle of an idea in my brain (although I didn't think it through very well), that would include a starfish stamp, a painted wave, text and a border of some kind.  I thought if I laid down the blue and green in the shape of a wave cresting everything would fall into place from there.  Putting the writing on the page before more color was applied made sense.  I drew wavering lines for the text to fit in the blank space created by the wave shape, then wrote the words on each line.  Come With Me To The Sea was the title line so I printed it boldly, then the rest was written in cursive.  I used a permanent black ink pen (waterproof when dry) to thicken up the letters and lines some, and as you can see when the ink isn't totally dry it will smug! Lesson learned.

I had to hunt down (seriously) the starfish stamp and started stamping them on the page when I realized I'd gotten a bit ahead of myself and needed to create a border.  SO I dig through my box of scrappy stuff to see what can be use for the borders. Another option would have been to draw my own borders in or cut out magazine images.  A piece of a Teavanna bag caught my attention, the design was amazing, and neutral in color. BINGO!  I started cutting the tea bag into pieces fitting them together into a border that seemed to imitate driftwood.  Adding the coral seashells for a pop of color, sand dollars and some pearls to represent treasures from the sea.  If you zoom into the page you'll see the words: treasure, discover, timeless, laugh, smile and enjoy!   The dimensional flourishes represent the cresting waves and give the page a bit of interest.

Hope you enjoyed the process!  Let me know what you think about this page, I appreciate your comments.

Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-Key West Lighthouse

Happy New Year!!

Come join me as we continue our Lighthouse Sketchbook tour in the little latitudes known as Key West.

Welcome to the Keys

A trip to Key West is only a hop, skip and a jump from where I live.  About six hours if you stop along the way to have conch fritters and take in the views.

Conch Fritters

Today I'm sharing some sketches of Key West Lighthouse and some history about the lighthouse keepers.

Key West Lighthouse from a distance

I love the history of lighthouses and the KW Lighthouse is no exception.  Read about Barbara Mabrity HERE. Barbara was the assistant lightkeeper with her husband and six children. After her husband died she was appointed lightkeeper.  She was the first woman lighthouse keeper. You can read about the Hurricane of 1846 HERE, that wiped out the lighthouse and part of  Mabrity's family. And what happened when the Civil War came along and the area was occupied by the Union forces HERE.

Key West Lighthouse up close

 It is all very interesting historical events and I hope you will take time to read about these brave men and women who kept the lighthouses.

Come join me next week as we explore the west coast of Florida when we visit the Sanibel Lighthouse.

Until then, grab your sketchpad and get outside and sketch!

Happy Sketching,
Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-LIGHTHOUSE, PIONEER HISTORY

Hi Everyone!

Welcome back! Today we continue our Lighthouse journey along the coastline of Florida.

Jupiter Lighthouse Sketch from DuBois Park

When my friend Bonnie comes to visit we make a point of going out to paint en plein air.   A favorite spot is along the Jupiter Inlet in DuBois Park, directly across the inlet is Jupiter Lighthouse (click here for history of lighthouse).  DuBois Park is open to the public and provides picnic tables along the inlet side, a perfect place for viewing the lighthouse and an afternoon of painting under the coconut palms. 
Bonnie and I have been here many times to paint the lighthouse or just to sit and enjoy the afternoon sketching.

Jupiter Lighthouse

Check out the history on DuBois Park Pioneer Home, built on an Indian Burial Mound.  I love reading about the pioneers in Florida history.  I recently read a book called A Land Remembered by Patrick Smith, a historical fiction about a pioneer family in Florida. The story takes place in and around this area and being a Florida Cracker it was of great interest to me.  I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to anyone interested in pioneer life. 

Lighthouses will continue on Sketchbook Tuesday, please come by again. 

Happy Sketching!
Suzy

MICHIGAN TRIP JOURNAL PAGES

Hi Everyone!


I've been working on my Michigan journal pages.  I prepped a few pages ahead of time knowing that time would be limited but due to luggage constraints I left the journal at home.

Using Dylusions spray ink, I spritz the pages and glued in a Mitten map, the shape of Michigan and a bold date stamp for the opening page.  

Bountiful produce

Another pre-prepped page with pink and orange acrylic paint.  It reminded me of the bountiful produce at the Farmer's produce stands.  Loved seeing the fresh fruits and veggies, the biggest pumpkins and gourds.  It was a delight to this girl's eyes.

A little collage of photos taken of my daughter and grandson along with a watercolor I did of the Holland Lighthouse. We didn't get to actually go to the lighthouse because it was under reconstruction do to the shifting sands. I found a photo on line and painted from that. 

Let's celebrate! We had lots to celebrate on my visit.  My BFF's and my belated birthdays, daughter Amanda's birthday and baby Jackson turning 6 months old.
I should have gotten pictures of the birthday girls and boy! The background is paper I painted designs on and then glued into the journal.  I liked it so much, so why not use it?

At the Apple Farm with the Mommy Group picking apples for the very first time in my life!  What fun this was.  I kept the label from a bottle of water to commemorate the event.  I love the tree stamp, it was such fun to use colored pencils and a water brush to complete the look.

Thanks for joining me today! I'd love to hear what you think of my journal pages. Drop me a comment if you have time.

Happy Journaling!
Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-BEACON OF LIGHT

Hi Everyone!

Beacons of light dotting the coastlines reaching out into the night....Lighthouses! A welcome sight to weary souls in the darkness. 

It was a blazing hot day in July when Bonnie and I went over to Mayport to catch the ferry. I don't remember where we were going only that we got waylaid when we spotted the lighthouse.  Man it was hot out that day, a skin sizzler without a breath of air, we pulled our chairs from the trunk and I donned my Dad's borrowed straw cowboy hat (I know. Geeky perfection,right?) for protection against the intense heat. The lighthouse is just off the main drag to the very busy ferry entrance on a side street not heavily travelled.  There were a few cars that came by and gave us the once over, but not much to be concerned with (you know, the people that always want to see what you are doing, that makes me very nervous). We plopped our canvas chairs next to a 8-10' chain length fence (apparently the lighthouse is actually part of the Mayport Naval Air Station) and started to paint.

 Like I said, it was HOT and summertime, so eventually there would be cooling breezes from the inevitable afternoon showers.  We were just finishing up our paintings of the lighthouse and a little church when the skies began to darken and a breeze started to blow in from the water, large raindrops began to fall as we dashed to the car, laughing all the way. 

Each time I see these plein air paintings I think of that day in July, I can hear the seagulls, feel the warmth of the sun, smell the rich earthy dirt when it rains, and remember what a great day it was to be out painting with my best friend.
You can read more about this lighthouse by clicking on the link above (in bold). 

I would encourage you to seek out and visit a lighthouse on your travels, it is a wonderful way to spend a few hours painting or sketching and learning about an area's history. 

Keep Sketching!
Suzy

PLAYING WITH COLOR

Hello Everyone!

Old Set Up 

It's Sketchbook Tuesday!  Time to see what's going on in sketchbook land. This past week I received my online order of Koi Watercolors. I was looking for some lush, tropical colors and these fit the bill!   The colors are much brighter than my usual palettes of Winsor-Newton and Davinci watercolors.  I like BRIGHT colors because I live in the tropics where there is an abundance of tropical colors and Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box doesn't disappoint.  Love the compact size, even the 24 color size is small enough to fit my pared down art bag.  

Yes! Did you just hear me say paired down?  It is true! I've paired down my art supplies but stepped up the water color palette size.  Yeah, yeah, it is  possible to leave home without all the colors, but I don't have to with my new amazing Sakura Koi Watercolor Pocket Field Sketch Box! 

New Palette

It is just a tad bigger than my compact but it has 24 colors and comes with a water-brush too!!! Whoo hoo! Love it!! Throw in a few Micron waterproof pens and a pencil and I'm ready to go. 

So what has me so geeked up?  I'm getting ready to go on another adventure with my sketch buddy, Bonnie (see Sketchy Girlz blog). We're going to Michigan to visit my daughter and her family!  We've lot of exciting things to do while we are there....including celebrating my DD birthday (Happy Birthday!!) and baby Jackson's SIX month birthday! 

 Oh yeah, there will be ice cream and cake!  


All that AND an opportunity to visit a state I've never been to, with my BFF and traveling around with our sketchbooks too!! 

Should be lots of fun and adventure....we'll keep you posted.  Stay tuned!



Happy Sketching!
Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY-Word Prompts

Hi Everyone! 

Happy Sketch Book Tuesday!  About a year ago I was participating in a Lil' Journal Project that had to do with daily word prompts.  You may remember this page if you were following along at the time.  

Each day I looked forward to getting up to check what words I'd be using and making a list of word associations for each. Then I would sketch and watercolor my ideas. This was a new way for me to work and I found it extremely enjoyable.

Yes, the sketches are a bit amateurish and stick figure like, but maybe that is because the memories associated with the words brought back the days of my youth. Maybe you will think of some fun times you had when you do a word association sketch, go ahead, and check the prompts out here! Then pull out your pen and sketch pad and get busy! I'd love to see what you come up with!

Go Sketch Something!!
Suzy

SKETCHBOOK TUESDAY: FARMER'S MARKET

Hi Everyone!

It's Sketchbook Tuesday again and as promised last week, there are more sketches from last weekend spend with my BFF in town. 

After our experiment with Rice paper on the patio during the rain (read about it here), we were optimistic that the rain would stop and we'd be able to take a mini road trip to the Farmer's Market the next day.     Saturday we awoke to heavy darken skies but determined not to let a little rain (heavy humidity and heat) bother us, we packed up our art bags and took the 30 mile scenic route up the river to the Farmer's Market.  

Since neither of us had ever been to the market we weren't exactly sure what we would encounter. The Farmer's Market is held each Saturday along the river.

Even with threatening skies there was a buzz of activity as people gathered fruits, veggies and bakery goods from vendors displaying their farm fresh wares.  And though bakery items were a feast for the eyes, the smell of grilled seafood and specialty dishes was even more tempting. 

Our plan was to sketch at the Farmer's Market but we soon realized the storm was approaching rapidly, so, instead, I opted to take photos we could draw from later. Drawing in crowded, public areas is not for me, so I was just as happy snapping a few photos.  Yes, really it freaks me out to have people look over my shoulder....I'm working on getting over that fear. 

I leave you with a couple of sketches:

There is more to this adventure, but you'll have to come back next week to find out what happens.

Until then, grab a sketch pad, pencil and go have fun sketching! 

Suzy