More watercolour shells

I've decided not to do an Instax this week. With money being a bit tighter than usual, I'm saving my film for something that is really worth capturing. In lieu of that however I have been enjoying my day inside painting in my little sketchbook and baking (chocolate chip banana bread thank you very much). I love what I've been creating recently. They are all rough ideas; some I will be developing further and turning into original paintings (and prints) for my online shop, others are just experimenting.

I particularly love the last two paintings. Stay tuned for some more of these soon. Hope you have a happy Sunday :)
-Rhiannon

Watercolour Bliss - Flowers

I got a sudden urge to paint flowers the other day. It must be the lack of life around here at the moment. Everything is green or brown (mostly brown). In NZ we haven't had rain in over 30 days, the government has declared drought in most of the North Island and water restrictions are in place. Its pretty dismal for farmers so we are all hoping for a good week of rain to help ease the problem. All of this has made me realise how much I miss the colour of my garden...

I seriously love the end product. There are a few parts that didn't quite work out how I hoped but you can't get better without practice!

- Rhiannon

Watercolour Bliss - Shells

A little peek inside my watercolour sketchbook. With it being summer here, I love going to the beach and collecting shells. That's 'my thing' to do this year. It's therapeutic and gets me outside.

-Rhiannon 

Watercolour Bliss - Progress

I've made some pretty good progress with Alisa Burkes Watercolour Bliss class- read the first post here. I have always loved watercolours but having some direction and lessons has helped me immensely. Here are a few of my more recent experiments.

The two below were experiments about laying down backgrounds but continuing to think about colour. On top of that I drew a couple of shells that I am so happy with that I am thinking of turning them into prints. One thing I have realised- working with proper watercolour paper makes the whole process so much more enjoyable! I might treat myself to some more paper next month.

-Rhiannon

Watercolour Bliss - Colour Experimentation

I didn't realise how much time it was going to to take to begin to feel settled into our new house! I had such ambitious plans for this blog over the Christmas break but so far nothing has come to fruition (but I am working on it). I am a bit disappointed but I figure, you only buy + move into your first house once- so I am enjoying every moment. We've spend the last two days ripping the garden apart and doing countless hours of weeding so I thought this afternoon I would spend some time working on Alisa Burke's Watercolour Bliss class. I have been wanting to buy Alisa's class for well over a year now but never had quite enough money- then Christmas came and I decided I would buy myself a present.

I never follow things in order so I went straight to the section on colour theory and began following the tutorials- so far I am absolutely loving it. This is exactly what I needed to do today, Therapeutic and calming. It's also the first time I have sat down properly since before we moved and did some creative work- oh how I have missed it. I have so many ideas I can barely get them down on paper quick enough. Here are a few of my first experiments...

I have a lot more colour experimenting to do tonight. These exercises will also help me work out colour schemes for the house (which I feel totally overwhelmed by at the moment) so its a double bonus!! 

What creative projects are you working on this month?

Rhiannon xxoxx

I'm trying to move forward

Right now I have about 5 half written blog posts that I cannot seem to finish. Something about they way they are written doesn't sound right. I can't seem to find the words I need to articulate what I really want to say. I have felt like this for a while~ stale might be a good way to describe it. Anyway I have pinpointed that the move has seriously thrown me off course. It may sound strange to some but this move was a big deal and something just isn't working at the new place. It doesn't feel like home and I have finally realised why.

I am angry and I am resisting with every fibre of my being this becoming my new home. Because of the move my baby girl Spaz has run away and it's broken my heart. The last time I saw her was on the 6th May. At first I thought she might have been sulking somewhere; a bit pissed off for being kept inside for a week. But after a couple of days I realised that she wasn't going to come home. Something told me that she was gone. (Please don't mistake this for being pessimistic or loosing hope. I will always hope that she comes home to me). I miss her so much that it hurts to think about it. I actually begin to cry~ she was my first cat and I love her. I keep expecting her to be there when I get home from work and she isn't.

This, amongst other things, has made me resist turning this house into a home. I have noticed a change in myself too, not necessarily for the better. But I will not bore you with more details- let me get to the point. 

Whilst pondering upon all of this last night I got an email. I saw who it was from and decided to have a read through. I love getting updates from the amazing Leonie and thought it might give me the 'cheer-up' kick I needed. In a round-about kind of a way it did. You see Leonie is going to be making some changes to the pricing of her Goddess Circle. I have always wanted to join but kept putting it off because (amongst many other excuses) I had other things I should to pay off first.

The change in the pricing for this incredibly delicious collection of resources made me realise that Leonie was offering quite a remarkable deal at just $99 for e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g- for an entire year!! I didn't need to think about it for a whole lot longer before I decided I wanted needed to do this. There are still things I should pay off first but you know what? Screw it! It's only money- and this could be the start of something incredible. I have nothing to loose and a whole load to gain.

And guess what the first thing I will be doing is? Reading through the Sacred Space Crearing Kit. From there I have no idea where I will begin because there is just so much to read but I am excited. Very excited to see where this takes me.

Rhiannon xxoxx

P.S. I am convinced that Spaz is still alive, but has chosen to do her own thing. I will continue to hope and pray that she comes home; nothing is impossible.

100 things to do in 2012

I want to make 2012 THE year! It will be the year that my dreams and goals start to come true and so I needed to plan. What better way to plan for 2012 than with Goddess Leonie's 2012 Workbook &planner. Included in this workbook was a task to think of 100 things to do in 2012. The list isn't supposed to contain just your big goals like travel overseas (unless you wanted it to). So it was a task my best friend and I worked on in December last year and with 2012 already speeding by, I thought it might be time to share a few. 

Go to the zoo Y Go on a girly road trip Y Try a new vegetable Y Buy someone a present for no reason Y Do something to pay it forward Y Have a picnic Y Get a manicure & pedicure Y Swim in the sea Y Climb a tree Y Watch the original Godzilla movie Y Listen to a whole jazz album Y Knit a scarf Y Finish a large painting (larger than A3) Y Fly a kite Y Watch Marry Poppins again Y Play in a playground Y Blow bubbles Y Draw on a side-walk in chalk Y One random act of kindness a month Y Jump on a trampoline Y Buy a board game Y Watch ‘Game of Thrones’ Y Compliment a stranger Y Make an anklet Y Wear bright lipstick Y Write a short story Y Start a dream diary Y Tie-dye something Y Buy a pair of socks with a face on it Y Roast marshmallows over an open fire Y Make bread Y Learn yoga Y Build a fort Y Frame a picture Y Make a handmade card for someone’s birthday Y Make a dream catcher Y Discover a new band Y  Go rock-climbing Y Play Frisbee in the domain Y Have a water balloon fight Y Do a finger painting Y Enter a competition Y Cook dinner for someone you don’t usually cook for Y Eat chocolate dipped strawberries Y Go for a bike ride Y Play in sprinklers Y Drink a luxury Hot Chocolate with marshmallows Y Read a book from your childhood Y Research about something you never got round to doing Y Learn to knit Y Make something you can wear Y Make a curry Y  Buy some awesome tights Y Make home-made ice-blocks Y 1 date night a month Y Do a cartwheel Y Wear ribbons in your hair Y Take burlesque lessons Y 

Is there something you want to achieve this year? Knitting is a big one for me, and I've been saving it for winter when I can cuddle up inside on the couch. I really want to be able to knit my own scarf for winter :)

Rhiannon xxoxx

Finding My Muse In A Secret Garden

For those who don't already know, the talented Alisa Burke launched a free online class last week called Finding Your Muse. It is about learning to discover inspiration in what surrounds you every single day. It's about creating and developing your own style; reflecting your life in your work. It's about never having to worry about running out of ideas. It's about learning to open your eyes to patterns, colours and textures. It's a wonderful read, and inspiring on it's own. 

Bright and early on Saturday morning, with Alisa's words still fresh in my mind, I took my camera to the beach. Sadly I hadn't checked the tide forecast and it was super ridiculous high tide- not a speck of sand to be seen. Determined not to be defeated, I remembered a place I used to go that I called my Secret Garden. It is a strange little track not far from the beach that's nestled between two rows of houses. I say it's strange because it feels a bit like your trespassing since you're only three feet away from someone's back yard on either side of the path. But it is always peaceful, with nothing but the sound of birds talking and leaves rustling

The last picture of the lavender sparked a desire to paint pretty lilac stems- so that's what I did as soon as I got home. I re-used a canvas with an unfinished and lifeless painting and set out to make something organic and magical. I simply found shades of purple I liked in my paint drawer, began mixing and let the brush do the rest. I had no pre-conceived notion of how this was going to turn out, only that I wanted to use lavender as my main subject and purples. Here is what I have so far-

This piece is still unfinished and I'm really excited to see where it heads. I will have it finished for the Japanese Art Festival at the end of this month, where I will be exhibiting a small selection of my art. More about that soon :)

Alisa's class is so great for re-focusing on what is real and what inspires you. From this I have made a conscious decision to look that little bit harder each day to see if there is something fantastic hiding amongst the mundane that will cause a surge of inspiration and bring to life a new piece of art.

Rhiannon xxoxx

Self Love & Taking responsibility

I haven't managed to do many creative things so far this year. Instead I have been focusing on myself - becoming healthier, becoming fitter but most importantly learning to love myself. A few days into January I decided I needed to spend this month on just me. No blogging, no business planning, no commitments to anyone other than myself. I needed to get into a routine and prepare myself for all of the changes I'm going to make this year. I knew that it wouldn't be possible if I wasn't in the best mental and physical state.

It began when I bought a few of Gala Darling's 'Love & Sequins' chapters. At the time I could feel that I was starting to fall into the black pit of depression again and I knew I had to stop it from getting any worse. I have managed to pull myself out before but it never lasts for long, and after nine years of being at one extreme or the other, I needed to try something different. As it happened, it seemed that the planets had aligned or something because I read later on that day that Gala Darling was having a half price sale on her Love & Sequins book. I really believe it was meant to be, so of course I bought a few chapters. I read through the PDF's and listened to her MP3's and then it seemed as obvious as the nose on my face.

"...you have to start taking responsibility for your life. 100% responsibility." 

You might say, 'well DUH.'  But think about it; how often do you blame the person driving really slowly in front of you for you getting angry or irritated? Yes they might be driving slowly but you are responsible for how you react to it. They aren't telling you to loose your temper.

Realising this is what started my journey towards self love.

"Finding happiness is a life long mission. One I plan on enjoying and experiencing..."

I started to look at everything in my life as it was at that point: my mental health, my physical health, my relationships (positive & negative), my current job, my dreams and my future plans. I then started being brutally honest with myself, something that is very hard to do if it's done right. We spend our whole lives denying ourselves what is best for us because it's easier than changing - 'one more day of smoking won't kill me, another 6 months at my job won't hurt, staying 'friends' with that one person who keeps bringing you down'. I looked at e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g and by the end I was totally drained but I had clarification.

From there I started working on what needed to change - to start with my health and fitness. So I joined a gym and have already lost 5kg (11lbs) which I am ecstatic about. I am doing so much more physical activity during the weekends (rock climbing, bush walks) and I'm going to the gym 3-4 times a week before work (so I'm getting up at 5:10am) as well as changing my eating habits. My weekends, weeknights and everything in between is so full now but I feel great about it.

Here I am with my first free Saturday so far this year and I felt it was time to start sharing what I have been working on and how far I have already come. It makes me so excited to think that I can do this, that I can do anything I want to.

"A place to dream, feel safe. To feel comfortable and loved"

I will be sharing more about my journey in weeks to come, as well as re-branding, re-designing and working on everything in between.  I am hoping to be able to launch my new blog within the next 6 weeks so there is lots for me to do behind the scenes.

Rhiannon xxx

In The Sun - new pages

It is about time I shared some more of my In The Sun journal pages with you all. I haven't been able to do any this week sadly - I have been so busy! The links for the prompts are below each page. If you haven't already you should check out the flickr group too. There are so many amazing pages being created :)

06 // Ideal Vacation Spot

I have never been to Greece. My parents met in Cyprus many years ago so we have been back there twice but never quite made it over to Greece. It looks absolutely beautiful - in fact I would be happy to go anywhere in the Mediterranean

08 // Summer Date Ideas

My partner's job means that he doesn't have set hours. Some days he will work from 10am to 6pm but the next day he might work from 8am to 12am. This makes it really hard to have "date nights" organised in advance. So what we tend to do is go out for breakfasts on Sundays (his only day off) and spend time that way. Once a month we try to go out and see a movie, depending what is on.

20 //  Lazy Days [this was really freaky. I did this page about a week before Natty put up the prompt]
13 // Summer Wishlist

09 // In the summer winter time, I feel....

I get sad in winter, that's the honest truth. The lack of daylight, the rain, the icy winds and the overwhelming desire to hibernate until it gets warmer, makes me feel sad. So I try little things each day to lift my mood. My favourite one's are wearing bright coloured stockings and scarves. It brings a bit of fun into my otherwise black wardrobe.

I have got an incredibly exciting Friday Featured Artist this week so make sure you don't miss out!

Rhiannon xxx

Art on the go

The last two weekends, my friends and I have done 'art days'. It's been so much fun art journaling together. All three of us are taking part in Natty Maliks In The Sun e-course so we thought, why not have an 'In The Sun' art day. The first weekend we got very sidetracked and ended up playing Little Big Planet 2 on PlayStation instead. But the Saturday just gone, we were determined to actually do some work and we did! Here are a few fun photos from those two dates with my girlies.

First Weekend

The lovely Alyssa and Louise

Me and Louise waiting for our burgers [NOMNOM]

Lyssa and Me

Zeus giving Louise lots of kisses while she is trying to be productive

Zeus then moved on to get smooches from Alyssa

LOLLIES!! [and paint]

Second Weekend

The arty day started with painting our nails: a must!

Deciding that 3pm was a fantastic time to grab a coffee, we popped down to the local Siera Cafe

Then it got cold.... Alyssa's warm new scarf, my beanie and cuddly jumper. I love snugggling up

Rhiannon xxx

In the sun - free e-course

I have wanted to write this post for a week now but I wanted to be able to have some pages done to show off too hehe.

Remember the lovely Natty Malik? She was my first Friday Feature Artist [check out her interview with me here]. During the little interview, she shared with us that she is starting a free online course [how lucky are we?]. It's called In The Sun and its designed to welcome a season of warm weather for those lucky people in the northern hemisphere. Down here in New Zealand though, we are just coming into winter so I am adapting mine for the winter season which most of the time I don't appreciate. I'm using this project to focus on how to enjoy winter - even with all it's rain and icy winds.

My goal for this project is to experiment and not worry about the result too much. I want to try new things and learn new techniques. So far I only really like my 'alter ego' page. Focusing on getting things perfect is one of the areas I have to work on. I tend to stick to what I know because I know it works, but then everything ends up looking the same. Time to break out of my shell!

So far Natty has done 4 prompts and 1 technique. I had to play catch up on the weekend, so here are my first couple pages. The link for each prompt is underneath.

Prompt 1: An Introduction

Prompt 2: Self Portrait Collage
Prompt 3: Gel Medium & Tissue

Prompt 4: I want my [summer] winter to be filled with

Prompt 5: My alter ego

To check out more work from Natty's In The Sun students, check out her flickr group.

Rhiannon xxx