Allspice & Acrylics: Taking Risks, Getting Messy...in AND out of the studio!

Hey!

Raising Awareness and Feeling Proud!

On a really exciting note, I just got an e-mail saying my Buzzfeed post about Why Ostomies are Awesome has gotten over 1,000 views! I am so touched and honored by all the feedback I'm getting and can't believe that my story is touching so many others. It sort of makes all the crazy surgeries worth it, and that at the end of the day, I'm left with bags - so what. So thank YOU all, because YOUR feedback has inspired me as well!

Touring the Convatec Plant in Greenboro, NC (They make all the wonderful ostomy supplies)

I got to visit with the other Great Comebacks Recipients - awesome, inspiring ostomates and cool cats!

The National Ceremony for the Great Comebacks Awards was in Nashville where we spoke in front of hundreds of wound care nurses...but more importantly, I got my first pair of cowgirl boots!

It was scary for me to write that post for Buzzfeed. My question to you is - what have you recently done, finally, after being scared or intimidated for a while? And how did it turn out?

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T. S. Eliot

Affirmations...

Speaking of inspiration - I love affirmations, inspiring quotes...I love what the power of words can do. Affirmations are wonderful, whether you write you own, repeat a word to yourself over and over again, or just find a quote you like online.

I keep affirmations everywhere...these are posted above my computer:

Then I cut up a few of my favorites into strips and put them in a little red box. I keep it in the art studio so every time I enter, I go in and pick one out!

And that becomes my mantra for that time :)

Today I got...

"I have single-minded concentration with me at this moment, like an athlete."

which was how I worked today, I guess!

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In the Studio...

So, since the magazine page I painted yesterday had dried (finally - I poured so much water and paint all over it!) I decided to use it - pairing it with the background I had made the day before.

I washed the photo out with gesso and water.

Then I colored it in with watercolor pencils, crayons and paint. And did some other fun stuff to it too :)

This is how I made the background the other day for the canvas:

Covered a canvas with newspaper, tissue paper, etc.

Painted over it with matte medium and water to make everything stick in layers - LOTS of layering!

Even MORE layering, MORE tissue paper, MORE matte medium...

Adding some more paint, dripping, color - basically whatever was in reach :)

Added some gold leaf, glitter, distress ink, puff paint to finish - tada!

I played around with where I would place it. on that canvas...

This is the finished product:

I sorta like the little romance connection between the lantern and the flower - not sure why I did that, but I think it's sweet :)

My little flower girl!

Enter Stage Left: The Lantern Seducer!!! (Dun dun dun...)

Lantern and Flower: The Love Story :)

I like how this came out I think. I always am a better judge when I've let it sit for a few days. Lots of layering though - whew I'm pooped!

Title is in the works - I'm never good at that!

But I did want to do one more thing - Brandon and I picked up some fun hardware stuff at Lowe's - so I got this jar of stuff that he suggested - I'm calling it stuff because I forget exactly what it is - but it was cheap and I highly recommend it - it was so much fun to use!!!

"Stuff!" at Lowe's!

Basically, I just dipped my fingers in and fingerpainted onto the canvas - it was more like playing in a sand box actually - the texture becomes sandy and molded - should be so fun to paint over when it dries!

Smacking this onto a canvas literally took me three minutes. So definitely buy this stuff - it's cheap, and apparently it created awesome textures to paint on!