HAPPY HALLOWEEN and HAPPY HAUNTING!!!!

I love the colors, the pumpkins, the kids, the costumes...everyone is smiling and has a sugar buzz!!!
My small sketch journal halloween page:

so much fun to create halloween spells....so off to work today and hope that some trick or treaters come by:

we've got candy and hope to take some pics ...yesterday it was a Halloween Canine Cruise my first 5k in 2 years...a struggle with my crapped out knees but I made it and the dogs were great!!!

Some of the runners were realllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyyy scarrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy....
We didn't dress up but will next year...just glad to finish!!!!

My step-daughter Jaimie, her dog Baer, my husband Mark, me and our dog Sophie!!!

so time to climb on my broom and zoooooooooooom off to work!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Thanks to Natasha for hosting this Halloween post!!!!  Trick or Treat!!!
dana

Autumn colors of Michigan for Pink Saturday....

a beautiful fall wedding & we luckily had an Indian Summer weekend !

Before this weekends hauntings begin a few photos that celebrate the colors of fall!!!  Beverly at Pink Saturday's is looking for autumn color....Michigan is a premier state to experience each season and autumn is one filled with color and pungent aromas in the air....take a breath and soak it all in!!!!

Our streets are lined with vivid reds and yellows in every shade...sometimes its mesmorizing to drive thru all this color!!!!!!!!!!

Even the bare trees have color...the golden glow of the sunset lighting them up magically!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds of cheers fill the air every Saturday as we are are proud football state!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The blooms have left the lake for another year....the water seems so much clearer in the fall??? curious!

ducks still swimming enjoying the still waters, no swimmers, no boats and NO jet ski's!!!!

and still a bright yellow gerber after two weeks of morning frost!!!  I have not been able to get anything to grow in this spot for 5 years of trying....and this little beauty is still blooming in October!!!!!

Happy Autumn...Happy Colors and Happy Haunting!!!!  Thanks to Beverly for hosting Pink Saturdays.

cheers, dana

Paint Party Friday and my background....

Yep, still in the works...I ended up using a map of Michigan, some acrylics and plan on adding my girl to it.  It needs some more work, I have some writing I plan on doing with tissue paper then using gel medium to adhere to the canvas. I did some words in the background but don't like them so will be covering them up.  I just have her sitting on top the canvas to give you the idea of where I am at.  I still plan on leaving it light so it pops off the canvas and doesn't just blend in.   Hope to have it done this upcoming week because after that on VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Going to the Keys, just taking a sketch book, watercolor pencils, basic watercolor pan paints (like elementary school type), waterbrush, and a pitt pen!!! Won't be doing a painting class, none going on while there and didn't have a structured enough schedule  (I don't like time planned days when on vacation - will have to make a separate trip I guess, yay) to plan a private session.

This past weekend had two of the g-kids overnight. It was great! Bonfire party, then painted pumpkins in the morning!!!! They were soooooooooooo serious. Landon is four and Nolan is 21 months!

We did Halloween cupcakes after that, it doesn't get any better than this!!!

Thanks to Kristin and Eva for hosting Paint Party Friday!!!  A great place to learn, grow, be inspired and make friends!!!!!

cheers, dana
make art, make friends - share art, share souls

happy haunting...check out Natasha May's button on my sidebar to join her Halloween Post!!!!



HALLOWEEN COUNT DOWN...

in process...

Busy doing the background for the bicycle girl,  yes...still!!! and a simple little journal page for Halloween!  Posting at Natasha May's Art World...click the button to the right to join in!  Paint Party Friday, tomorrow, will post the background for some suggestions...it needs....something...

cheers, dana

I am using ideas from Violette's book, Journal Bliss and techniques from Jane Lafazio's dvd, from art journaling to art.  Thanks Lady's!

I am still here but life is soooo busy...

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted in a couple of weeks....my bicycle girl is still sitting and waiting to be finished.  Last weekend we had a wedding that was a couple hours away AND we had INCREDIBLE weather SO...our first road trip on the Harley's!!!!  We left in the morning with temps in the low 60's and road into the 80's on our way to Lake Michigan!!!!  I am totally addicted to riding now!!!!  A beautiful weekend for an outdoor wedding and what a way to travel!!!!  We did 280 miles and I wish everyone could experience the ride we had!!!!

So, it was a busy week after that and I didn't have a chance to get into my art!!!  Now, for a couple days I have been looking at the bicycle cut-out and avoiding working with it....you know how you had something in your head and now you realize you aren't going to create that!  I start looking at everyone else's art and just figure I should go back to just looking not trying....hogwash!!!  I got a package in the mail that put my head back on!!!!  All the way from Belgium!!!!!

Nathalie Nayer had a giveaway on her blog and I WON!!!  Check out her blog http://nathalienayer.blogspot.com/  She is a new mom and a physician in the ICU - how does she find time and wow...her eye for color is amazing.  I love looking at her work, her sketches capture emotion in little creatures and her abstracts are again AMAZING is the only word I can think of.  I wish that my colors came together like hers - they pop and draw you in!  I try art journaling and always feel like a failure because my pages don't come out awesome...I need to keep in mind that these pages are meant to explore, vent, dream and share myself with myself!!!  So there are no critics, it is not for sale....just jump in and do it!  This book validates that and helps spark the push that I need so many times when trying to do "a painting".  So, today I have some time and AM WORKING ON MY AMERICAN GIRL!!!!  If she doesn't turn out, I will start again.... it is about the doing not masterpiecing!!!!

Thanks Nathalie and all of you that continue to inspire and encourage me!!!!

cheers, dana

make art, make friends - share art, share souls