Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Painting Party Tutorial ~ Part 1

& found a poster and liked it's looks. I liked that it looked easy to duplicate.

Blank Canvas. Ha. Ha. We used 8 x 10s and 11 x 14's.
Step 1) Dry brush/stipple yellow (or color of choice) onto the canvas. Or paint the whole background whatever color you want, or plaid, or stripes....go crazy. I didn't do this step with my example, I did it after I got done with the painting and decided the pre would be better and cut down on any smearing.

Step 2: Decide how many big and medium flowers and how many buds you want on your picture. I went with  3 buds,  2 small and 1 large flower. Simply paint an amoeba like blob with 4 rounded bump outs. 

Continue with the small flowers. The buds can be made by placing your brush perpendicular to the canvas and spinning in a tight circle.  

Step 3: Stems. With a tiny tipped brush or green sharpie, draw stems. Start at the base of each flower and bud and pull the stems off the canvas, intersecting where you want. Draw them as thin or thick as you want.  

Step 4: Begin adding leaves. Add them close enough to the flowers that they look natural, and connected to a stem...if you need to add a stem, do so. Add leaves onto white spaces. Fill in half of each leaf with solid green. Leave the other half blank. Leaves can be shaped like and eye or squished oval or rain or tear drop. 

More, tomorrow.

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ In The Eye of the Beholder

The painting example....

& and her friends had a fun night at a painting class a few weeks ago. The class is designed for friends to chillax and toss back a few glasses of wine (hmmm, seems like an interesting possible bad idea, but whateves) while a professional teaches the group, one step at a time, to paint. 

The four participants had both similar and radically different results and it was pretty cool to see the inner artist come out of each of their paintings. So, somehow, & volunteered me to teach a homemade version of this class at a friend's birthday party. Apparently, & likes how I paint flowers. No pressure. 

So we went to Hobby Lobby and took some pictures of flowers and pictures of pictures of flowers. And then she picked the one she liked the most. Fortunately, it was one I thought I could "teach". I changed/modified it on one of the canvases we bought. AND, as instructed, (did I mention I didn't go to the class with her and that I'm not exactly trained in the arts?) took stages pictures and wrote out the instructions. (I'll actually do a tutorial soon.) 

The party grew. From possibly 6 people I did know to 11, half of which I didn't. The first question after people started nibbling on the vodka soaked Swedish Fish (apparently, vodka soaked gummy bears are all the rage, but gummy bears are not vegan. However, Swedish Fish are...I tried one. Since I don't care for the lovely after burn of alcohol and hate Swedish Fish, one was enough....more than enough!) ...I digress...was "So are you an artist?" Gulp. Fortunately, my gig was volunteer and they were just covering materials. 

So, stay tuned. 

Scraps and Snippets ~ Lemon Chia Bars (Vegan)

Lemon Bars

8 x 11 30 to 35 minutes 350

1 1/2 Cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 flax eggs (4 TBSP water, 2 TBSP milk)

1 Cup sugar

2 TBSP EB

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/3 Cup lemon juice

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 Cup coconut oil

Zest of one lemon

1 TBSP chia seed

Glaze 

1 Cup powdered sugar

2 TBSP milk

1 teaspoon lemon juice

two drops almond extract

additional chia seeds, 1 tsp or so.

Bake 30 minutes, or until set up. Pour glaze over bars and let cool. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Safari Zoological Park

When Rob, my hubby, and the group from church went to Oklahoma to help with tornado relief they made a side trip on the way back to Iowa.

Fox News Story 2008 

I remember this story from 2008. The mama retriever raising tiger cubs. How sweet. And one of the sweetest parts is that this viral story kept this small zoo, Safari Zoological Park, functioning. 

Our family history includes zoos. Our kids loved animals, wildlife and museums so some of our fondest family memories include zoo visits. Since we live in the shadow of one of the world's highly rated zoos, the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo, our zoo bar is high. Rob happened to be on this Oklahoma mission trip with our son and daughter-in-law and this trip was indeed memorable. 

They paid for the VIP tour and got every penny of their money's worth. From the tiger catch-the-carcass display, and the nuzzling bear, to the hand's-on once-in-a-lifetime moments, they were able to pet a few critters and see behind the scenes. If you are in Kansas this summer. This little zoo is highly recommended by Iowa zoo lovers. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Scenes from Oklahoma...

A Lifesaving Storm Shelter. The flood plain is too high to allow for basements. 

Destruction. 

Rob and the copperhead.

One thing I didn't know about tornadoes even though I live in tornado country. Apparently, cars are extremely dangerous. 

If a tornado sucks up a car and it remains in there long enough it becomes crushed into a large rolling ball and can shoot out create secondary damage to homes, structures and even people. 

Our crew found a copperhead snake which unsettled the whole group. On a good note, they found some lost treasures and heard stories that reinforced their faith. And they were able to bring blessings to so many people and were blessed in turn.  

One family told them about a litter of kittens born the night after the tornado. The little girl carefully named them. 

One was named tornado. Another stormy. A third one was named destruction. And number four, she named hope. 

Faith, in spite of it all.

The team we sent went through an organization,  Service International and had a good experience. The organization was efficient and organized and the people they worked with were a blessing as well.  Service International provides equipment and work with local churches. 

Metal driven into a tree.

A found treasure

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ Where the Wind Blows...

My hubby just returned from the Moore Oklahoma area. 

This picture is of a survivor. One site that they cleared had dozens of bouncy balls scattered amidst the debris. 

He brought one home to remind us of the blessings we so often take for granted. 

Our home, the forever work-in-progress stands. Our health, though we feel the creaks of middle age, is good. Our family, though imperfect in all it's glory, is family and easily touched during our busy days and nights scurrying around trying to get things done. 

A portion of the affected area in Oklahoma is called the land of the Forgotten Tornado. Much of what my husband and his co-workers did was clean up in areas hit by a tornado the night before the one that rocked the news waves. 

The first day our church group worked hit 105 on the temperature gauge. And each day thereafter didn't drop below 90. The work was overwhelming. Hundreds of people scrambled around site after site, hauling, moving, sorting. Our team wondered about the difference they were making in the miles and miles and miles of broken dreams and homes. They reminded each other that they were making a difference to that one family. 

The work is in such early stages that they would tackle a huge pile of broken lives and sort them into four smaller piles by the roadside so those items could be disposed of properly. 

Every victim's entire household was able to be sorted into brick/concrete, wood, metal or miscellaneous trash. Very few items were intact enough to be placed into a container for rescued treasures. Our team found a few pictures and some kitchen items. And a whole bunch of bouncy balls that came from who knows where and saw who knows what while they rode the angry wind currents. 

My prayers go out on behalf of these victims who've lost the physicality of what was their lives, and to those in Colorado, and even more so for those touched by the deaths in the various tragedies that seem to crop up way too often and way too close together. 

Scribbles and Scrambles ~ When I'm 85...

Some of my patients crack me up.

Elderly does not mean demented or grumpy, drooly or frumpy.

I actually believe that some of my older patients are some of the most entertaining people I encounter. One little lady flounces in and looks like a million bucks. Seriously, I wish I had her style. Nothing she wears says grandma-wear, let alone great-grandma-wear.

Yesterday, I had a nice conversation with a octogenarian while we were waiting for a room to open up. I asked her about her summer plans. She smiled and said she was going to be in the area most of the summer. She babysits her great grandchildren every once in awhile. I asked about that, told her that I thought that could be kind of challenging. She laughed and she told me that her great grandkids don't come over that often, that she's kind of a last resort. I asked why. She said she'd spent years as a principal in a school and that was back in the day when a stern look or the threat of calling a parent whipped a kid right back into shape. "I'm kind of no nonsense." Then she laughed in the most delightful way and her eyes lit up.

"People asked me why I was a principal so long. and I told them I just loved it." Her eyes twinkled. "Every day was different and I never knew what to expect."  She laughed. "Those kids. So inventive and creative."

And that is what I want to be like when I'm 85. Loving people, thinking that folks are a real kick, worth a little corrective action when necessary, and creative. With a twinkle in my eye and a quick sense of humor.