A Watercolor Painting Collab

My friend Terri proudly announced that she was starting a new hobby--watercolor! I only had encouraging words because making art is a good alternative to scrolling on your phone, it promotes mindfulness and creativity, and has been healing for me, personally.

To support and enable her, I suggested a collaboration. I call it Claire x Terri Creative Collab.  

On postcard-size watercolor paper, I made these painting on one side:

Spring Blossoms

Frozen Desserts

Under the Sea Creatures

I left the other side of the page for Terri's own watercolor paintings using the prompts I started.

I mailed these to her (she lives in Canada) with the hope that she gets excited about our team project.

However, these postcards never made it to her. Sigh.

So I sent her a new batch (praying with all my might that they would get to Terri this time around):

Then she sent me a message that the envelope arrived...TADA! She was also excited to start. 

On the left side is my fish.

And on the right side, Terri added her octopus. Isn't he cute? We call this piece, "Keep Swimming."

On the left side are a few flowers I drew.

And on the right side, Terri added more blooms. We call this piece, "Secret Garden."

On the left side, I painted an ice cream cone and a soft serve cone. 

And on the right side, Terri painted some lollipops. We call this one, "Sweet Treats."

She even said, "Thank you for coming up with this idea. I enjoyed it so much! We definitely have to keep this going." We're planning to do doodles next. 

If you have an artsy pal, why not try it out?

And that is how we turned some blank pages from blah to TADA!

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The Summer of 2019

Today is Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer. 

Sigh.

How did the season fly by so quickly? I'm feeling all sorts of blah because these carefree days are about to end. To turn this thought into TADA!, can I share some photos of my summer? 

Summer was all about traveling to new cities...

Hanging out by the water...

And being able to dip my toes in the sand.

Summer wasn't complete without cookouts...

And lots of frozen desserts.

Summer was filled with outdoor concerts... 

Movies in the park...

The kind where you bring your own chair and pack a picnic.

Plus bonus fireworks, too...TADA!

I also got to practice my art:

I took a hand lettering class led by the talented Miss Swetha.  

Inspired by Mother Nature, I made a few "Petite Paintings" using small scraps of watercolor paper.

I also took some floral design classes.

We used flowers like Huckleberry, Salvia, Solidago, Charmelia, Gomphrena, Celosia, Dahlias, Carnations, and Sunflowers.

Carefully placed in a darling mason jar accented with a raffia bow.

To make the arrangement last longer, I made this painting.

It's cover art for a greeting card...TADA!

Summer likewise required a visit to the farm...

And the farmer's market

And of course, I made a sketch of what I saw...TADA!

I hope you all had a relaxing summer!

A Summer Barbecue

Happy Fourth of July! Here's a collage that gets me all excited for a fun in the sun summer afternoon:

I hope you'll all have a wonderful day!

Purposeful Pinning

Hello there! There was a tiny phrase printed on my calendar last Saturday. It said, "September 22 - First day of Autumn". My heart sank a little. Don't get me wrong, I love Autumn and everything associated with it -- apple-picking, amber-colored leaves, thick sweaters, delicious scarves, and knee-high boots. But I have a love affair with summer, and parting ways is absolute blah.

Sorry for the melodrama. To make-up for it, let me tell you about my "Splendid Summer". It's a board on my Pinterest page. I put this board together because I joined a contest over at Oh Joy. The winner was to receive an iPad plus a few other goodies just by pinning images that defined "splendid summer". Instead of random images, I made the exercise purposeful by listing through pictures, "50 Things I'd Like To Enjoy this Summer."

I didn't win, but all wasn't lost. As I ticked off the items on my list, I felt I was making the most out of a fleeting season. Blah to TADA!

Number 50 on the list is, "Create a summer album", and I'm doing just that. All this week, I'll  share the things I've done this summer.

Today, it's all about the yummy things I ate:

I baked a batch of cookies (chocolate chip walnut)

I indulged in some shaved ice - this is a
Taiwanese kind with strawberries and
condensed milk purchased at the
Fulton Stall Market, South Street Seaport

Another kind of shaved ice, this
time Korean, called Patbingsu
from Paris Baguette

Instead of making popsicles, I bought some!
 They're gelato pops dipped in chocolate.
Found them at the Pop Bar.

Ate some lobster (lobster rolls
from Smorgasburg)

Grilled a few burgers at home

Took the annual pilgrimage to
Dairy Queen for a blizzard!

I wish you a delicious day! More photos tomorrow.

Props for Pops

If you've ever made cupcakes or muffins but don't make them

regularly, you're left with a stack of paper liners.

Well, I've got another idea for you!

Turn them from blah...

...to Tada!

Make a small hole at the bottom of the cupcake liner,

attach this to a popsicle to catch any messy drips & spills.

I got this idea from the fabulous Donna Hay.

It was such a Tada! idea, I needed to pass it on!

Gift Wrapping Ideas

Happy Monday Everyone! Last minute shopping and wrapping presents are occupying most of our time these days...Christmas is just a few winks away! This week, I'll be sharing some gift packaging ideas that are not only pretty for the recipients but pretty for Mother Earth, too!

Today's blah...these empty pint-size ice cream containers.

Tada! Washed clean and wrapped with colorful paper!
Finish off with a ribbon handle...

... or a delicate tassel.

Fill it with candies. Or stuff it with small gifts like cologne, warm socks and handmade jewelry. Then use this exceptional gift box again!

Candies Galore!

Halloween...that day when kids are allowed to take candies from strangers. And a lot of candy that will be, requiring them to carry a bag for all that loot! Yesterday, we made a bag from an old tank top. Today, we'll make a bucket out of these:

An empty ice cream container and yogurt tub...blah!

Clean it. Dry it. Cover it with felt (attached with a glue gun).

Tada! Easy, homemade candy bucket!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Going Bananas

It's Friday and I'm going bananas!
I mean that both figuratively and literally:

I've got some ready for a blah to Tada! transformation.

I turned them into banana bread, baked in muffin tins.

Very easy to grab as a quick breakfast!

And yet another transformation -- my version of a banana trifle! I cubed up some banana bread, sliced some bananas and put these in a glass, topped it with ice cream and some dulce de leche (you can use caramel or chocolate syrup, too).

Tada! Instant dessert!

Have a fabulous long weekend everyone!