A quote… and a mystery solved.

I came across the following quote on Pinterest awhile back:  “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was greater than the risk it took to bloom”.  It was attributed to writer Anais Nin.

This morning I decided to play around with one of my photos and this was the quote I knew I wanted to add.  I had seen a few different wording variations, so I searched via internet and discovered that Nin’s writings couldn’t be cited for these words.  Perhaps she said something similar, or perhaps she never said anything of the sort.  It’s unlikely we’ll ever know the answer to that, but might there be another written source for the quote?  Enter Detective Google.  This link explains (and verifies) that the quote was written by someone else, and somewhere along the way, it appears that mistaken credit was doled out.  Credit for this lovely quote rightfully goes to Elizabeth Appell.

Happy Wednesday!

 

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Slowly…. {Painting}

Not long ago, I mentioned a commissioned painting I’m working on.  It is going incredibly slowly – primarily my fault because the clouds are driving me crazy.  Large (well not all that large, but for me 22×28 is large) paintings are not my strong suit, and adapting to using larger brushes is making everything feel more isolated for some reason.  Thank goodness the recipient is in no hurry. Time to ignore the sky for awhile and move on (though constructive criticism is welcomed!).  The photo above is a small corner of the piece… work in progress.  

Up next… a new and easy dessert recipe :) 

 

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Blast from the past…a lesson from 17-yr-old me {Painting}

This morning I found an old painting (above), one I did at age 17… more than 15 years ago, eek!  While some things have remained the same, like my love for the color green and my interest in painting natural landscapes, other things have changed A LOT.  

Back then, I had this blaze-orange tacky-flowered Hawaiian thrift store shirt with patch pockets on the front.  I wore that thing everywhere, proudly.  These days, I know that I look terrible in orange, and you wouldn’t catch me in anything as ugly as that poor shirt… but I kind of miss that girl.  The older I get, the more I’m noticing a trend to overthink everything.  I remember sitting down to do that painting… I simply looked at the photo, painted what I saw, and was done and happy with it in an hour or two.  If I tried to paint that photo today, it would take me WEEKS because I’d zoom in on every tiny detail, working one section at a time to perfection – until overwhelmed.  I think this stems from a fear of failure.  At seventeen, I never thought about the outcome of a painting before or during the process.  Choices were made based on things I was drawn to, without much thought.  It’s a good lesson I think…while detail and thought can be very important given the proper context, sometimes zooming in on them takes away from the whole experience.  This post serves as a personal reminder to strive less for absolute perfection, enjoy being in the moment more, and quit overthinking!  Happy & Simple.

 

If your 17-yr-old self could teach you a lesson today, what would it be?

 

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Black and white {Photography}

Yeeeehaw!  I finally started a painting this week – though it is not one that I had planned.  It’s grayscale (not typical for me), but in the moment I knew it was exactly what I wanted to paint.  Change is positive, and this most definitely needs to be a year of change!  It may be awhile before it’s done, as I’m using oils – and both the paint and I are a bit pokey when it comes to doing our job.  In the meantime (since black and white seems to be my trend this week), I’m posting a photo I took in Utah a few years ago.  If you’ve never visited Red Cliffs Rec Area, I highly recommend it… striking views and wonderful hiking!

(click on photo two times to enlarge)

A big resolution I have for 2013:  to get back in touch with my artistic side – so you will likely be seeing more photos and artwork here on the happy & simple blog!

Ok, I can’t resist – I am posting the color shot as well!

Enjoy :)

(click on photo two times to enlarge)

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My owl obsession. {handmade holiday ornaments}

I have a slight owl obsession.  It began long before owls of all shapes and sizes began hitting store shelves, but now it’s worse than ever.  I set out with a plan to make one owl ornament ‘just for me’.

A dozen owls later….

I couldn’t help myself.  They’re listed on Etsy for anyone else who may have an owl obsession. :)

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Owl holiday cards + giveaway announcement

These fun owl holiday cards are now for sale in my Etsy shop.  Ceramic magnets and mini-ornaments will be added soon…and perhaps another holiday card or two.

Also, stay tuned for a giveaway coming up in the next week!

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Coneflower Art

Well, I haven’t finished (or started) a painting yet… but I did take time to grab a Sharpie and do a little scribbling. After scanning and adding color, the following image was born. It’s still in a rough stage – I’ll likely try out a few different color schemes and perhaps the addition of a butterfly and some texturing… eventually some form of this may appear in my Etsy shop. I’d be happy to hear any comments or suggestions you might have!

{Click on image to enlarge}

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Creativity + Mind-changing

A few posts back, I mentioned a painting I planned to do; in that particular moment, I was sure I knew what I wanted to paint.  This happens often.  I’m certain, then I find something I’m more certain about.  Over time, I’ve made peace with this… and I’ve learned to trust my gut, as it nearly always works out better in the end (and when it doesn’t, I get smacked with a valuable lesson and some good family mockery, ha).  So, needless to say – I now want to paint the photos above.  This afternoon was drab and wet after a rain-filled morning, and it was perfect for taking photos of leaves ‘pasted’ to the deck.  A little playing (aka post-processing), and the images above were born.  I suspect I really will paint these pictures (I have a fondness for woodgrain, leaves, and these watercolor-ish hues).  I’ll likely paint them on separate wood boards, similar to the last painting I did (below), and I like the idea of distressing/graying the wood first.  Sometimes it’s okay to change your mind.

 

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Painting Autumn

The foliage here in the lower half of MN is just starting to change and small slivers of warm color leave my eyes wanting more. I’ve been thinking of starting a new oil painting for awhile, but couldn’t decide on a photo until now. This is a shot I took last year, one that I don’t think I even noticed until I saw it today. It will take me awhile to finish this painting, as October promises to be a busy month…. I will post a photo when it’s done.

Update: https://happyandsimple.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/creativity-mind-changing/

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My secret garden

It’s unseasonably warm in Minnesota right now (80 degrees in March?!)  and it’s got my brain in summer/gardening mode!  As I was trying to think of inexpensive ways to give my rather bland backyard some personality, I came across a photo of the garden gate I built a couple years ago.  It’s really the only thing I like about my backyard.  I typically refuse to spend money on plans to build something, but in this case, I am glad I did (especially at less than 4 bucks!).  Anyone who has a few tools and knows how to use a saw should be able to make this with no problem.  I modified the measurements so I could recycle old fence posts and fit the tight space between my shed and fence.  It only took an afternoon to build, and I love the way it turned out – you don’t notice it’s there until you’re right in front of it.  I think of it as my secret garden entrance.  If I ever make another gate, I promise to take step-by-step photos.  Meanwhile, click here to see the plans I used (currently $3.95).  Please note:  I am in no way affiliated with the company that sells these plans.

While searching for inexpensive backyard ideas, I came across a great one.  Hanging mason jar candles for the fence.  I have made these before and hung them on shepherd’s hooks, but this idea is much better!  I’m going to put this idea to use on my fence posts for sure.

So simple and beautiful!  Click on the photo (borrowed from chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com), and you will be taken to the tutorial on the blog where it originated.  I’ll update with a photo of my fence post jar candles once I get them made!

Reading through the comments on the Chez Beeper Bebe blog, I was happy to  see folks making suggestions on what to do with the jars when it rains.  One suggested drilling holes in the bottom (make sure you know what you are doing if you use glass – you could also try a plastic jar, perhaps a peanut butter jar) and then placing a piece of screen over the bottom to block the sand from falling through.  I would suggest using pea gravel rather than sand if you try this approach.  One more idea was to simply use the lids to cover them when not in use.  Depending on what the lids are made of, you could secure the lid to the bottom with a magnet or velcro – or my suggestion would be to just keep the lid connected via wire so that it dangles when the lid is off.

A few days ago I purchased the hangers to attach to my fence posts – they don’t have the scroll design like the ones in the photo above, but they are simple and attractive – and best of all, cost me only $1.30 each at Menards (found out in the gardening section)!

Ahh, only a few months until the garden is blooming and fireflies are dancing….

 

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