Dandelion art

So I am completely obsessed with this picture I found on Pinterest, and have been trying to figure out how I want to duplicate it, while still making it my own.    

Since I am so completely obsessed with Dandelions (as you can see in my most recent ink) and for me, I think they represent such a beautiful thing.  They have one of the strongest roots in the world and have a great knack for survival.  Although it is a weed, it is beautiful and represents a real whimsical, childlikeness.

I since I relate more to dandelions than birds, I decided that I wanted to show a girl (or me, notice the big culo) that is just walking and in front of her is a tiny dandelion.  The spores represent different dreams and aspirations.

I want it to read that as the female figure walks, the wind catches her ambiance and fills all the air behind her, almost like the way a scent does when you walk past someone in the mall.  I wanted a very "Pocahontas," feel.  

I wanted to really convey how colorful this figure makes the world, literally by just being in it.  She fills it will all these aspirations and positivity, it flows around her, very "Lady Lovely Locks," style. 

Not done, but when I get inspired again, I will finish it.

Sharpie Mug

I've really been loosing my mind lately, partly because I am not working at the moment and partly because I am completely addicted to energy supplements.  So I JUST rearranged my room and gave myself back a desk (which used to be nightstand) for me to keep my Applebaby on.  This way I can stare at my new vision board and the TV.  We will see how long this lasts, but currently I am really diggin having a place to type away on my computer again.  Anyways...   

I have been really obsessed with Florida lately, maybe because I spent a good portion of the last year hating everything about 'Merica, and stumbled upon this little number from the FABULOUS Lilly Pultizer that creates beautiful prints in big bright colors (love LOVE color!).  I have been keeping it on my phone and my computer, hoping to be inspired to do something similar to pay homage to my home.  

So on Pinterest, I kept seeing pins about "Sharpie Mugs," and how it is so easy to make if you have sharpies... which coincidentally I always have a stash of kept in a mug (Tinkerbell mug, more specifically, the Disney character I most identified with as a child and now the one I just hope I look like forever) so I figured, "why the hell not?"

• White mug - make sure it is CERAMIC
• Sharpie marker(s)
• Glass cleaner + a lint-free cloth
• Oven

        So clean your mug with the glass cleaner, make sure it is dry, and begin your art!  I chose to do a sun, sand dollar, flamingo, stingray, palm trees, orange and orange blossom.  I colored in the blank space with my favorite color blue, which is also the color of the Gulf of Mexico on a beautiful summer day in the Sunshine State :) 

        Place your completed mug on the middle rack of the oven and crank up the temperature to 350 degrees.  Start the timer, when you start the temperature, to 30 minutes.  

         

When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and let the mug cool naturally.  Wait till it is completely cooled to remove.  Then marvel at your work :)

"Imagination is more important than knowledge."

~Albert Einstein

Room Facelift

So, in my effort to get "wedding ready," I have been taking a lot of energy enhancing things (no, not cocaine or meth) and as a result of that, I have become a super neurotic neat freak.  That side effect I can deal with.  Every now and then, I get the need the change things up a bit, so this is the almost end product of my speed rage.

I started collecting Disney & Harry Potter movies for my babies one day.  They are totally not for my enjoyment...

The corkboard I made with my Pi Beta Phi Lilly Pultizer scarf & Map of hearts 

I'm trying to be more simplistic.  Can you spot the little Ginger baby in this picture?

I decided to showcase all the self portraits and favorite quotes I made.  They are now all in my closet.  

My closet is quite colorful, and yes, it is too full.  I am currently selling items on ebay!

After watching "Million Dollar Decorators," I have tried out putting the books in my bookshelf at different levels and stacking them a bit.  Cook books, decorating & sex books.  Happy reading.

 I strung up blue Christmas lights on my curtain rod and have lights behind my mirror.  They create a very relaxing mood and I have them linked to a light switch.  The picture frames use to be over my bed, and I love where they are now.  My plants, Lilo&Stitch the Plumerias, Delilah the Dahlia and the smuggled in Tulips from Amsterdam are situated on a shoe rack that I bought from IKEA.  The "MAP," letters in the right corner are my initals and "my word," are from Sorrento, Italy (the city that smelt of citrus).

This is my final wall and I was going to make it my "travel," wall.  I am still, obviously, working on it.  In the left hand corner is my "scratch off map," which seemed like a great, fun thing, but ended up being a super stressful project (Europe is small, people!  Getting the coin to scratch off Spain and not Portugal took some skill).  I have a blank canvas that I still dont know what I want to do with (pictures of places I want to go or art?) and underneath that is my "to do list," which right now just consists of thinking happy thoughts.  The colorful piece in the middle is a collage I bought at an Art show in downtown Orlando, with the quote "Silence your inner critic." I reused the quote I had on the map I previously had over my bed and then I have my "1,000 places to see before you die," calendar.  This month is Scotland :)

Well, it is 12:29 am and my dog just got windy, so I'm going to put on my gas mask and go to sleep, leaving you with this MAPism quote...

Clean your room, clean your soul.

Pintrest pins I have actually duplicated

So I know I am not the only person (lets face facts, by person I mean "girl") that has boards and boards of ideas I have pinned on Pintrest without actually creating them.  So I have been really trying to get better about it and try out the genius ideas... most of them have been incredible successes!

1.  Cinnamon Honey Tea

This is an incredibly DELICIOUS and healthy drink!  You drink it at night before bed and in the morning 30 minutes before eating.  I find it is easiest to make at night, especially if you have to get up early.

1) Boil water at night (enough for 2 mugs) and add cinnamon to it (I figure 2 dashes per mug)

2) Once it has COMPLETELY cooled to room temperature, add the honey.  Honey will loose its nutrients if heated.

3) Drink one of the mugs and put the other in the fridge for the morning.  

Remember, raw honey is going to give the best results.  The website I got it off of states:  

"The enzymes in the honey  remove fungus and 

bacteria in your digestive tract. It also states that you should see inches lost before weight loss. But, you might hit a plateau stage after awhile. I have also read that continuing to eat it, the mixture will help to stop fat from being stored in the body."

The way I look at it is, if it works, awesome!  If not, no harm done.  Cinnamon and honey are both so great for you in so many ways and this drink is so tasty, might as well drink it!  Right now I feel great, but I have only done it 3 times so far....will put more results as I go!

2)  Make your own Febreeze

In a larger 27 oz bottle emptied out:  

• 1/8 Cup of fabric softener (I used Downy Citrus Spice) 
• 2 tablespoons Baking Soda
• Hot tap water 

 Combine all in bottle, shake well and use!  It smells AMAZING, but I'm a sucker for the "fresh laundry," scent!

3) Map of Hearts 

I use to have a map of only Europe above my bed.  I put it there because I had just been to Europe and was so obsessed with going back, I figured it would be like my dream board/wish board, so seeing it all the time and having it above my head as I slept would release into me a way to go back....which it did.  After coming back the most recent time (Winter of 2012 as opposed to Summer 2012) I quickly realized there were so many other places in the world I wanted to see.  Specifically Australia and New Zealand, to see all my wonderful buddies I met as I traveled!  I bought a map of the world and to replace the limited dreaming of only Europe and knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do with the Euro map...a lovely idea I had seen on Pintrest where you cut out hearts of places you lived/loved/visited/want to visit and put them all together in a frame.  Luckily, when I had returned home, one of my favorite frames had broke from my wall, but the actual FRAME was intact (I just went to Europe twice, you think I have ANY money left for crafts??).  I cut out a heart from some cardboard to use as a stencil and this is the finished product!  Super easy and is a great way to chronicle travel!  The most expensive part was the map ($7 at Barnes and Noble)!

Well that is the crafts I have made so far, but will keep this updated as I Conquer all my pins!  To see some of my Pintrest baking and cooking, just scroll down.  There is a lot!

Those who do not want to imitate anything, produce nothing. 

-Salvador Dali 

"It's a boy!"

My oldest buddy in the world, Adam, is having his first baby!  Thank goodness it is a boy, so it restrains me a bit, when it comes to clothes & accessories while also forcing me to be creative with my gifts.  After checking out the registry at Target, I was really into the bedding that Samantha and Adam picked out for little James Joseph.  A deep navy with chevron pattern and a dog silhouette (quite similar to the "pink" dog from Victoria's Secret).  If you know me, you know I am VERY weird about making paintings for people, because I don't want anyone to feel like that are forced to put it up or pretend to like it.  Since my parents were planning on buying the Orris' the bedding I was so keen on, I figured doing an extra little painting would be a fun, custom touch, and if they didn't like it, at least they still liked the bedding!

Adam and I when we babies!  This is before I started beating the crap out of him.  He is 6'1 now...and has not forgotten.

Such a fashionable and clever crib set!  This is not a pattern I would normally chose, but not I'm obsessed with it!  

Obsessed with Chevron and the fact I now considered it more than the name of a gas station.

 Finished product!

Can you tell I'm trying to be better about not being SOOO Anal about perfection with the paintings.  A chevron pattern was probably not the best choice to be "a free artistic spirit," with.