Kirkwood Spring Fling

Hey guys!! Last year I did this awesome show in Kirkwood. You can see the post here I wrote about it. Such a fun community nestled right in the heart of Atlanta. This year I am again signed up and bringing Tiffin and Joy! I can't wait to share all my new paintings and yarn wrapped wreaths with the show attendees.  I love to share my work in show venues. It's a great way to get feedback and feel proud and excited about my work all in one 12 hour day.

Finished this one up last night.She's a beauty painted on an old cabinet door.

I love the way all the wreaths turned out. I have lots of finishing touches and packing to do. I wasn't stressed about it, in fact I laid around all weekend saying, "I need to get in the basement and pack for the show." And well, I didn't. Because Lifetime television and porch sleeping were more important to my body.  And now my list is lengthening and Billy is out of town. Yep. That's the way the cookie crumbles for me these days. I've done so many shows though so once I get a little mock set up done packing up all the goodies will be easy peasy. Although packing a new car is gonna be interesting. The van was made for art shows, in fact I made my screens according to the van dimensions. George, well he's a little tricky to get things in and out of. Funny how I stress about weird things right? Not worried about the art selling or setting up, worried about putting it all in my car neatly.

Anyhoo....Hope you can come on by Saturday. Here's the website for the show with directions. Please be sure to say hi!!

Paint Something Part 2...READY for REGISTRATION

Last year around this exact time I launched my first painting e-course. It was a project I'd dreamed about for what seemed like forever. And then one day I was like, "Ok Jenni, put on your big girl panties and do it. You can...You can...." I had no idea the blessing it would become not only financially for our family but for me personally as an artist. Your taking the class allowed me an opportunity to open up in ways I never knew existed. I found something inside myself...a giant so to say. Because let me be very honest, putting yourself out there in this platform is not easy. It is a TON of work. But worth every minute because it made me think about why and how I paint the way I do.

Which brings me to this summer....Summer 2015. And the launch of Paint Something: Part 2. You do need to take Part 1 first because I will not be going over the basics of my paintings, but rather diving into the painting process. If you visit the website here it tells you ALL about each course. The cost is $99 per course with a $10 discount if you sign up for both at the same time. I can not wait to see more of you in the course. Part 1 will be available again in July as well as Part 2. it all starts July 6th. So what are you waiting for.....join me on this amazing creative journey! Sign up now!

Canvaspop On the Walls

I take a lot of photos. Crazy amount really. On my phone, on my Rebel SLR...I absolutely love to document our family life through photos. But then I don't always know what to do with them. And some are so sweet and the memory associated with those images are priceless. Like the one below.

This was taken during the great Georgia blizzard last year. It captures my kids to a tee. Mailey's outfit and sassy look, Will's "Abercrombie model face"...I wanted to savor this photo forever. It's not your regular print either. It's a gorgeous Canvaspop! You guys this company rocks. Their site is here. I love this 16x24 print folks!! It looks like I am outside with them taking the photo its so crisp and clean.  I really love the instagram prints here as well. Awesome idea for all those adorable photos in my phone right?

It's carefully wrapped around a wood frame and wired to hang immediately. I can't decide where I want to hang it yet, although the pink dining room makes sense. I can see it everytime I walk through the bottom floor of our home. My photos of the canvas here aren't as good as I'd hoped but on the original you can see the tiniest details of snow across the kids. The quality of print is better than anything I've ever seen friends!! I love that it's hand crafted. Gotta love an American company making an A+ effort.

And guess what friends? Liam over at Canvaspop is offering you all an amazing discount code and one of you will WIN a 16x20 canvas. Woot woot woot!!! Here are the deets:

You guys are getting a 35% discount on your entire order. Use the code CREATIVELIFE35. Now this expires May 15, 2015 and is applicable to the entire order of www.canvaspop.com.

For the giveaway, the code CREATIVELIFE will get one lucky winner a 16 x 20 canvas stretched on a .75" frame depth and includes the cost of shipping as well. That promo is scheduled to expire an entire year from now. That expiration date is April 30, 2016.

I am so excited for you guys. This is an awesome deal. And I plan to order a few more for our family home. Especially some of the fun ones of our dogs. hehehe....So have you all found any cool new products lately?

Moving to High School

Hey there! Well, those of you that have been following my blog for awhile know that 4 years ago I stepped into the roll of part-time art teacher here at Arbor Springs Elementary School. It's a non-certified part-time art teaching position. I teach 1st-5th grade Monday-Friday from 7:45-1:45. It's a sweet deal. It has however, it's been a roller coaster of an experience. I am not going to lie. Some-days I literally want to scream. Other days I can't catch a breath. And then someone places an "I love you Mrs. Horne" note on my desk and I cry. It has been a great place for me to come to my senses about what I want to do when I grow up.  Since being here I've updated my art teaching certification and added Family and Consumer Science. I have the best friends here....in-particular the front office staff Beverly, Donna, Julie and Rebecca.  Good grief when I told them we were all crying and hugging and smiling for joy together. You know you've got it good when you are treated like I was in that moment.

I'm not sure what I'll be teaching just yet. Northgate has I think 7 art teachers. It's kind of like a college in that you have so many awesome options. Like painting, drawing, sculpture, pottery, photography and Visual 1. The classes are 1.5 hours each, with 4 blocks in the day. 1.5 hours folks! I am totally geeking out over what I am going to do and teach and say. I already bought my 1st day of school outfit. Oh yes I did. At the Country Living Fair this past weekend. I'll show you when I wear it. My summer will be packed with getting my new room organized and lessons plans started. I love nothing more than writing an awesome lesson plan. I'm a geeko when it comes to that sort of thing. I just love ART!!!

For now, we have one more day of testing here, 2 normal weeks sort of and then one week with awards and goodbyes. It's going to go by super fast. I plan to make a giant painting with the kids to take to the high school with me so I'll always remember my time here with these little nuggets. It hasn't hit me yet the impact I've had here and what it'll really feel like to leave. Because even though I've only been teaching day classes here 4 years I've been teaching after school for 6. That folks is a long time to be in one school! I am one lucky gal to have been so loved and felt so supported. I am looking forward to embracing this new position. I have a feeling the biggest "oh snap" moment is going to be the high school kid's size. Right?  hehehe

Weekend in Photos

 My weekend started off like the above photo. I hadn't even gotten my coat off when the doggies literally "dog piled" me. It's blurry...I know. But I love it anyways. I'd been planning and scheming for months a huge Autism Awareness fundraiser with our Viking baseball team which got rained out that afternoon. For those of you that know me know I go at it 100% and when things don't go my way....well....let's just say I might have shed a tear or two and threw a tiny tantrum at the rain. So pretty much my entire body felt like that blurry photo. Awesome. But then my sweet hubby brought home a container of Cookie Butter from Trader Joe's. I love him.

And then I found a recipe video on Facebook which really helped my evening. It's called Cookie Butter Mug cake. It was inside that Wonder Woman mug until Lily, Lawrence and I ate it all up. I tried to find a real link but I guess it's only floating on FB. You guys have GOT to try this recipe. Just be sure to stir it well before popping it into the microwave. My Wonder Woman cup thanked me. The doggies thanked me too.

Saturday after a much needed workout at the gym due to the above Wonder Woman cup cake I got into my studio and crafted up the rest of these yarn wrapped wreaths for Kirkwood Spring Fling. I forget how fun it is to just craft ya know?

Lawrence of course wouldn't leave me alone, so I whipped him up a Super hero costume. What is it with dogs and clothing and their immediate humiliation face when dressed super cute? I think it's adorable. He does not. At all. After these studio shenanigans I cleaned up the studio, plopped on the couch and slept for a few hours then watched all sorts of stupid movies. Including Mama. Have you seen that? Good grief the things in people's heads they put on the big screen.

By Sunday morning I was near about stir cray cray from the NON-STOP RAIN. I mean seriously. I live in Georgia, not the African rainforest. Pretty sure my entire body is going to mildew soon from the rain. The sun....not seen it in about a week. I am not even lying. So I just put on my running shoes, got out the old headphones and took off running. It was truly liberating. At one point I stopped, turned my head straight up to the sky and soaked it all in. The sounds, the smells, the cool rain. It was beautiful. I didn't want to stop even though I was soaked. But my stomach said please stop and eat. (more Cookie Butter cake right?)

And then I had a friend come hang with me during Sunday Studio. I hadn't seen her in ages. It was so nice. We chatted and painted for 3 hours! It was supposed to be a group lesson, but the others were coming from the north side of town where evidently it was monsooning. Because ya know, we live in the newly established Georgia Rainforest.

I finished up 2 really cute bird paintings for the upcoming Kirkwood Spring Fling. After she left we did our family grocery trip and Sunday dinner. And then I went to bed and said a tiny prayer that this week we'd see a glimpse of Mr. Sunshine. Pretty please? So what's ahead for you this week?

6 Weeks in an Elementary Classroom....

After today we have only 6 weeks of school left. Wowsa...the time flies. How shall I round up the year in the elementary art classroom? Paint? Clay? Oil Sticks? Watercolors? Oh the supplies to be used!  Between standardized testing, field day, and award days honestly there are very few days where it will feel normal in here. I have so much left to feed these kids. Really I do. I don't feel done.

 The paint on the tables.

 The smell of the room.

 The placement of supplies for everyone to use.

 This is the happy room in the school. The room where brains are asked to throw a party. And stretched to the limits only allowed to say "I CAN!!"

 The room where spills and messes are routine and embraced as a learning situation. Where breaking a crayon means we now have 2. Where Sharpies come to die. Pencils are tested to the limits. And the poor pink eraser....he's stabbed, written on and rubbed to the core.

 These brushes get to party hardy on paper all....the....time. And barely take a bath.

Pretty sure the 6 drying racks chat all night about what's laying on them. Lots and lots of stories in this room if only the walls could talk.

6 weeks left to scatter joy on these munchkins. 6 weeks......

Flower Jewelry

Do you ever look back on some of the old stuff you made and wonder why you quit making it? Me too folks.  It makes me feel kinda like a creative failure to think I quit when I was ahead with a genius idea. Like what was going on in my head to make me think, I need to stop making these gorgeous flower cabochon necklaces that no one else is making because that is a very smart thing to do. Duh. I was recently at my friend Valerie's house and we were looking for something in her art studio when I came across a bin FULL of these cabochons. And it triggered this memory of these necklaces. And I said..."Why did I quit making these?" I've personally never seen anyone use them like this in  necklaces. I have seen a lot of uses for these flowers, but not this. I mean really....a LOT of uses. So Valerie...if you are reading this can I buy that little purse of flowers from ya? Because I am thinking it's time to make some necklaces.