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I miss the days of excessive thrifting. When I would go to the goodwills and salvation army and antique stores all in one day, several times a week, digging through junk to find my treasures. You know, before the pandemic when things seemed to make sense. I’d find a vintage dress, or maybe a skirt or odd houseware and either keep or sell it. It was always an adventure and the collector in me was satisfied…

Do you like vintage things? I love wearing something that comes with a story, a slice of history and a mark in time. The dress I’m wearing in these photos is probably from the late 1950’s… one of my favorite time periods. I’ve had it for years and I adore the fit even though its a bit snug in the bosom at the moment (thank you milk-filled breasts, until you are done and are left saggy and I am sad).

What is self care for me? Well for starters, it’s a time of peace and quiet when I reflect and definitely restore. Usually during this time, I enjoy beautifying herbal teas (or coffee, oooo so naughty… but because it makes me HAPPY) or just plain water – which I love..

Light some incense. Tunage or at least some shameless singing to myself is a must. Perhaps I am romancing myself, but with MYSELF, I can pull my hair back and wear unsexy pajamas.

After the mood is set, I get to my favorite part… my nightly facial routine. I never wear makeup, but I do so love to wash my face. Always with something natural… lately I have been using this locally made oatmeal soap bar, which I’ll use until it’s gone and try something new but similar…

Then I spritz my face all over with rose water. Ahhh… This moment. It’s when I find myself breathing out all the stress and in with all the good feelings in. Positive affirmations. Prayer. The natural and delicate scent is an instant chemical response. Right now I am enjoying rose water by Badger… it’s just so fragrant and has aloe in it.

I follow up with my favorite serums and oils. I often use frankincense and rose hip oil, but I’ve recently been enjoying Rosehip Treatment by Evanhealy, which is heavenly and comes in the cutest little vile. I finish with my handmade mango butter moisturizer, and one last spritz of rose water ’cause why not?

Then, unless the baby has already woken, I sit with the fam as they watch the simpsons or Naked and Afraid (or whatever) and enjoy a little mindless painting time. Nothing serious, nothing for sell… just to keep the skills up. I also often take this time to create my work schedule, make notes and research painting subjects.

Do you have a favorite self care routine you’d like to share with me? I’m constantly trying to find my groove and always looking for new methods to find inner peace. Leave a comment, I’d love to hear yours!

I can’t express how wonderful this simple wrap really is. The hubby and I took a couple to a local park for engagement photos and I wore baby the whole time! I was able to move around and get my shots (when I had the camera) without worry and she had a blast watching mama work…

It’s not too often timing permits a personal photo op but somehow, we managed to squeeze one in after our little engagement sess. I’m so happy Thomas was able to get these because now that I think about it, it’s mine and Meadow’s first real photos together. How is it a photographer never manages to get very many self portraits like that??

I also brought a bottle of my own milk to keep her entertained while we were on our walk. Kind of a funny thing to do but it was so sweet to watch her eat! Her eyes popped like the flow was different *dying*.

I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect Salmon (or should I say Coral?) hue for a little while. Especially after my big switch from Winsor & Newton paints to Daniel Smith, I knew I needed a new Pink/Yellow go-to for all my florals and accents…

…there’s dozens of ways to get there, and you can take it more red or more yellow… and use the white of the paper to make it a lighter value to get SO many options…

At the beginning of my switch I was in love with Opera Rose (so vibrant, so good for color combos), but i quickly learned of its low lightfastness and decided its not meant or me after all, not long term, much to my little heart’s dismay…

Ok so Pyrrol Scarlet is an interesting choice but for me, a bit too yellow already and I want some of the feminine vibes of the bit of blue that you see in the cooler reds… And Quinacridone Magenta is too dark for most of my uses.

I even played with raw and burnt sienna, which are technically yellows. Not what I’m looking for right now, but intriguing nonetheless…

So I’ve settled on Quinacridone Rose + Lemon Yellow as my go to, being that they are the brightest options and best lightfastness (permanency). After all, to make the tone darker, you can always the complimentary color (blue)…

Quinacridone Rose is very similar to Opera Rose, perhaps bit less intense but still that perfect sort-of peoni-shade of pink. In the Winsor & Newton world, it is known as Permanent Rose. Hold up, my old go-to!

Another good one would have been Quinacridone Red, which is so similar to Rose that it’s hard to choose. Red is slightly more orange so I’ll stick with Rose which is the cooler tone as I tend to favor anyway…

…well, Lemon was the easy choice, besides vibrancy, it has high lightfastness as well as transparency (very important for gazing)

I painted this Spring Beauty from a specimen my little daughter brought to me one day after school. I thought it was so sweet, I had to document it. I used professional watercolors by Daniel Smith on heavy weight watercolor paper. I’ve also been studying calligraphy, which I practiced here. Tough stuff.

This painting is now available!

The snow glows white over the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be seen… a kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the queen… or something like that…

I’m already missing my pregnant self. Thomas took these of me a few short weeks before the baby came. I really wanted summery, sun-lit, meadow-frolicking-filled photos but was blessed with a blanket of snow instead. I felt like a snow goddess. A very, very chilly snow goddess.

My mornings almost always start with a cappuccino from my Italian espresso machine and a bowl of hearty steel-cut oatmeal. Oh yes, with blueberries and walnuts and cinnamon. MMMM. It’s more than breakfast, it’s my morning zen and necessary daily routine…

After breakfast, I usually go on a hike. Movement and nature is so calming to me. I seriously would be lost without these habits… I’m lucky have a lot of wooded land to explore, and I’m also lucky to have a family that loves to go and play with me. Nothing beats a family picnic at the end of a good hike through the woods.

Now that we have the baby, I have been wearing her in the wrap I made from scrap fabric from walmart for only $4. SCOOOOORE. Yes indeedy. I wear her when I hike, clean, paint, potty……… sigh.

Sometimes we explore parks and trails too, anywhere we can find. I don’t think we’ll ever stop hiking as a family. It’s seriously so healing, especially during this whole pandemic. If you aren’t hiking in your life already, I beggin PLEASSSE take it up!!! You wont regret it! ::praying hands:: ::sparkling eyes::

Our little one was born on Friday, Jan 24th 2020! We are ecstatic of course, our other little ones have doted on her more than I could have even imagined.

I think a typical artist dreams of having a signature color palette. Colors you identify with and use on the reg, for convenience as well as for the sake of consistency. To have such a signature palette makes you feel confident. You don’t have to think about colors, you can just paint!

….I’ve been a Winsor & Newton gal for quite some time, ever since I got back into art a couple years ago… but recently I’ve made the switch to Daniel Smith pigments… I just personally think they are most delicious…

Above is an example of my go-to palette. (It’s available as an essential palette) Even though I prefer Daniel Smith, brand name doesn’t matter so much as quality – professional watercolor is the only way, and completely worth the investment. If you keep your palette limited, it wont be so costly in the long run, but a better product. And there are additional benefits. I especially like the idea of carrying less around with me as I travel. Also, taking less space on my desk!

…and although all that’s really important is your 3 primaries, these specific colors lend a perfect balance of one cool/one warm tone of each primary color… which basically gives you unlimited combos and mixes and access to ANY color! You know, I think having such a limited palette actually helps me understand color theory BETTER…

…I just the love salmons, mint greens/turquoises, and sepias I can make with this limited palette! I really feel at home with this current set. If you like the idea, you can even choose different brands or colors! Just choose 2 reds (one that has more yellow to it, and the other with more blue undertone), 2 blues (one more green and one more purple), and 2 yellows (like a lemon and an orange-yellow). Your should aim to mix cool/one warm hues together to get vibrant mixes…