PAINTING UP A STORM!

I finished what is possibly my favorite painting last week. For some reason, trees are my favorite subject in most art, but I never thought I would be able to paint one to my liking. One day, driving to work, I had this idea for a painting. The sky was so beautiful, it faded from purple to blue to white to orange. I thought that it would make a perfect background for a painting and on that painting, I would put a naked tree. I wanted that tree to be small in contrast to the canvas, I wanted there to be round leaves in some places, I wanted the leaves to look like they had fallen off the tree and they were floating in the wind. Well, here's what came out of those thoughts:

I absolutely LOVE this painting. It is exactly how I wanted it. I may have to do another one that I can hang up in my own home :)

DECISIONS, DECISIONS.

Remember this painting?

I thought I really liked it, but the longer I had it up, the more I realized that I wasn't a big fan. The paint brush I used was too small, I didn't care for the purple on the black/white background, her hair went straight up in one place, etc. Well, tonight, I changed it.

This one will have to grow on me, but so far I like it. The color is kind of bright, but I love how the face turned out. Plus, that background? Love it.

NOVEMBER

November was, by far, the busiest month of the semester. I had stuff due almost every class for the first couple of weeks. The last few were spent working on a 52 page portfolio and a 40 page paper (we had to develop a Family Life Education program...very long and tedious). Thanksgiving break came around and those were the only things I could think of! I did however, take the time of paint something new...for the first time in a few months!

I was tempted to leave the painting with just the background because it looked really cool, but the face adds a little something-something to it.

WHAT'S TO COME

**all images from weheartit**

I haven't finished my latest painting yet even though it's been 90% done for a couple of months...

These pictures kind of show what the main idea about it is though and when I figure out what it needs to be complete, I'll make a post about it :)

I hope everyone's having a happy Thursday! The weekend's just a few hours away, thankfully!

P.S. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills finale is tonight! Sadly, I will be at work when it comes on, but I hope everyone is able to catch it at some point tonight!

Day 294

CHRISTMAS...STILL?!

First off, I am planning some big changes for my little blog :) Hopefully, I'll follow through with everything, but soon there might be a new name, new banner, and new layout. I still haven't picked everything out yet, but look for some changes soon!

Now, I hope everyone had a happy new year! I'm still riding the high of Christmas so this post will be filled with presents and of course more shopping!

my present to my grandma! the lyrics are from the song that my aunt sang at my grandpa's funeral :)

all of my awesome Mary Poppins present from my dad and step-mom. the snow globe plays "Chim Chim Cheree," the cup says "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," and the umbrella is just like the one she has in the movie! i felt like a little kid opening those presents :)

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Now, on to today's shopping trip!

I used up the rest of my Barnes & Noble giftcard, used some of the Forever 21 giftcards, and I could NOT pass up the Vera Bradley bag! I love it!

My favorite purchase of the day though was the earrings from Forever 21. I've been looking for some this color and for only $1.50, I had to get them!

I'm going to cheat again and say that this post is for days 273 - 278. I PROMISE there will be actual picture for each day next time!

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By the way, I suggest you all listen to this song on repeat. It is amazing!

DAYS 222 - 236

Day 222:

I started a new painting. I haven't really done that much to it, so when I'm done I'll be sure to post the stages and what it was supposed to be!

Day 223:

For some reason, while I was folding clothes at work on Tuesday, this song randomly popped into my head. I couldn't really remember the words, but I kept singing it the rest of the night.

Day 224:

On the way to work, the sky was so pretty! Yes, I know, it's not safe to take pictures when you're driving, but I have talent, so I succeeded :)

Day 225:

I had a lot of time between classes, so I took some pictures of the fall-like trees on campus. I wish I would have brought my actual camera, but I had to settle for my phone. You can still see how pretty the colors are though!

Day 226:

GREATEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR! This movie was so awesome. Everyone in it have now become my heroes. There was so much going on that it was kind of hard to follow, but when it all came together in the end, oh man! By the way, I totally called the ending, but we won't brag about that right now. I am definitely going to buy this when it comes out and make everyone around me watch it!

Day 227:

Sara made some DELICIOUS cookies. They were some double chocolate with pomegranate seed cookies...I don't remember what kind exactly, but I'm sure she could tell you. The pomegranate part was crunch and kind of tart which was paired well with the chocolate. I think I ate about 40 of them.

Day 228:

This day started out unsuccessful, but it turned out to be a good one! We set out in the morning to go to the flea market about 15 minutes out of Athens, but when we got there, hardly anyone had set up and we didn't see anything remotely interesting. So, we decided to head out to the outlet mall and do some shopping, but we didn't really know how to get there. We ended up driving through downtown Commerce and then finally making it to the outlet mall where we stayed for a good 5 hours. It was a pretty productive day in my book!

Day 229:

 So I technically didn't see this movie on Monday, but I did see it Sunday night when we got back from the outlet mall. It was an ok movie. I expected it to be much funnier than it was, so that was disappointing, but other than that it was pretty good. I thought the story line was really good, and the acting was good, but I gess I just expected more from it.

Day 230:

I started a new book: Lost. I read Wicked a while back and really liked it so I decided to try another Gregory Maguire book. This one includes some things from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, so I hoping it will be pretty interesting!

Day 231:

One Day Sale on a WEDNESDAY?! Crazy, I know.

Day 232:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 at midnight? Yes, please! It was so good! The only other midnight showing I've been to are the first two Twilight movies (go ahead and laugh) so I kind of expected this one to be about the same, everyone squealing when someone came on the screen and laughing at inappropriate parts...blah blah. But this one was so much better! I guess from the anticipation, everyone was deathly silent except at funny or scary parts. I swear, I was scared to drink anything because I didn't want to make too much noise, it was that quiet! It was a great movie though. The only part that I wasn't a big fan of was the entwined nakedness between Harry and Hermoine. That was NOT in the book and I didn't understand why the felt the need to include it. Other than that, I'm so ready for the second part!!

Day 233:

 PACKING TIME! I hate packing, I always try to fit too much in my bag. I just don't want to leave anything!

Day 234:

After a long day at work, I made it home finally. Before I got home though, I stopped by Barnes and Noble to pick up some books for Christmas. I bought two present and one for myself: Under the Dome. I've heard this one was pretty good, and it was cheap so I went ahead and got it!

Day 235:

We watched the last part of the AMA's and I LOVED the Backstreet Boys performance. It was a great ending to the show! I was a much bigger BSB fan than N*Sync back in the day, so I was so happy that they were on there. I wish they would make a comeback!

Day 236:

So I'm a little obsessed with making study schedule every week. This time, I had to make it for finals. I only have 2 this semester (WHAAT?!) so it was pretty easy. I doubt I'll actually stick to the schedule, but it's nice to have one.

**Sorry this was so long! I promise to try and keep better track of this and not put it off, I just got too busy last week! Next Sunday, you can expect a shorter one :)

*all movie posters from Google Images and weheartit.com

NEW

I finally painted something new :)

And it has a new home too!

P.S. I just finished Water for Elephants. It was so good! I'm pretty excited to do a review of it soon.

DAYS 58-60

Day 58:

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Since the last trip to Target, I had been thinking about getting Wedding Crashers. Target had it for only $5, so I decided to go ahead and buy it. I never seem to have too many movies!

Day 59:

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Yesterday, I got some advice from a lady that I work with about what to take for my eczema. She told me that she taked Evening Primrose Oil when she has a flare up so I decided to stop by Target on my way home and purchase some. I really hope it helps!

Day 60:

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Today, I went shopping with Kayla and we went to one of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby. I love going in there! I always find things that I would LOVE to have, but I rarely buy anything. Today was no different. I picked up a ton of things, but eventually put them back down. I did however, find a new print that I would love to have. It's so colorful and it would brighten up any room. Eventually, I need to find an empty space so this print can have a new home!

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

SPRING BREAK BABY!! WAHOOOOO

I'm so excited that Spring Break is here! I was really burned out from school (5 tests in 2 weeks...I think they were trying to kill me to be quite honest). But this weekend already has been pretty good! Although I didn't really do anything for my birthday yesterday, I will tomorrow with an old-fashioned slumber party! YE-AH! Plus today, I was able to go over to my grandparents house to see them. My grandma and I share the same birthday (pretty exciting!), so we gave her her card and I was able to see my grandpa and aunt :) After that though was awesome because I always love spending time with family. Although, I do have to admit that I get stressed out when 1. I have to make a decision about where to go out to eat and 2. when I think about how much money my parents have to spend to take all 7 of us out (thanks Mom! Love you :) ) AND thanks Mom for my delicious cookie cake!

the best kind of cake ever made.

This weekend was also productive because I finished two things I've been working on for a while. First off, I finished the fifth Harry Potter! YAY! I really really liked it, but I don't quite know if it beats the third. PLUS, Sara informed me that in addition to her reading a Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks book because I'm reading all of the Harry Potters, I could also add a Stephen King book to the list. Now, I have to decide on The Green Mile or The Shining (I'm currently leaning toward The Shining). Second, I finally finished my painting. I did the background a couple of months ago, so I'm glad that I can hang it up now and not look at the canvases sitting on my floor. The painting though, is very plain, which for some reason is what I think most of my paintings are.

the background

the flowerish thing i added (i dont quite know what you would call it)

how it will hang on the wall (when i pick a place)

Today, I received my first blog award :D It was the Happy 101 award from Chelsea Rebecca at TRIUMPHS and Blunders of a KOOKY Gal! Thanks :) I, too, am happy when you update! All of your posts are hilarious and always cheerful!

FAVORITE ART

First of all, in case you didn't notice, I have a new link thing that goes to my goodreads.com profile. That site is so cool! It lets you create bookshelves of book that you've read, the books that you are currently reading, and books that you want to read in the future. I just thought I would share that :)

Also, on a side note, the new Lady Antebellum CD is awesome.

There are also some pieces of art that I have hung up in my room that I really love. I think my favorite is one that I bought at Kirklands; its by Jack Vetrianno, who has some really cool paintings. This one is one that I picked up and could not put down.



I couldn't really get a good picture because my room is too dark and I can't take a picture with the flash on without the light showing up. But, if you want to look it up it is called "The Singing Butler."
This next one is one that I found on Amazon.com for pretty cheap. It looks like a real picture, but it is actually a sketch of Marilyn Monroe and James Dean. I love it! It is black and white except for the rose, which is a really unique touch.



Every year, UGA has a big poster sale that I can never seem to stay away from. This year, I bought three posters that are nice additions to my room. They're all foreign, but two are paintings and the third (top right) is a picture with Grace Kelly. I would love to put these in frames eventually, but for right now, they are just taped to my wall.




So that's all of the new art that I have in my room! :)

PAINTINGS :)

So I would have to say that painting is one of my favorite things to do and i encourage everyone to try it sometime :) I started painting last year and since then, I've done a few. I'm not talking about the whole "painting like Michelangelo," though, because I'm not that talented. I mainly like to do simple paintings that anyone can do if they really wanted to. My first painting was one of a tree. It sounds childish and random, but I like it and it now has a home in my bathroom!



I remember I did so many things wrong with this painting that I later learned from. Like first of all, you should ALWAYS paint the background first. Instead, I painted the tree and tried to cover the white with the blue sky. It was awkward. I also learned that you should paint the edges. I hung this one up and realized how strange it looked with the white edges.
My next painting that I did it one that I think most people like (that is why it is hanging in the living room :) ). I started out making something different but then I messed it up and had to paint the whole canvas black, including the edges this time! The thought then came to me to paint something that resembled leaves and I think the end product looks pretty good.



The next painting I did is my favorite. I kind of got the idea of the face from an eye drop commercial, but I personally like my version of it better :) Like the other, I messed up with this one. I tried to free hand the yellow on the top and bottom which didn't look right. I then tried to correct it with tape, but I made the borders too big. So I had to paint the whole thing over with the blue that is on the background and then start over with the borders and the face. This is now a proud resident in my bedroom!



This last painting is one that I did the other day because Hobby Lobby was having a sale on canvases (that store, by the way, is the best place to buy basically everything decorative). I wanted to make the color fade, and then do something with an outline. I, yet again, screwed up with the painting. I found a picture of an old fashioned phone online and sketched it. I then decided to sketch it onto the canvas before I painted it. I sketched it too dark and made a mistake which made me have to paint over it and make the fading different. I still like the background color the best, but I'm not too crazy about the phone. The base of the phone bothers me because the circle in the middle, but the painting overall still looks decent.



Okay well that's all of the paintings that I have done now! I'm in the middle of another one that I hope will look AWESOME, but I'll do a post about it when I finish :) (hopefully I won't mess this one up)