Every Day In May - May 31 - Eggs

An egg shortage?  According to the sign at Whataburger, yes.  So I went to Costco and bought a carton of 18 eggs and paid a dollar more than usual.  Last year there was a shortage of peanut butter, also with a corresponding increase in price.  The year before, chocolate.   What will it be next year?

Every Day In May - May 30 - Bird Feeder

This is my hummingbird feeder, which I just refilled and hung above our hummingbird bush.  It is not only non-leaking, but pretty too!

Every Day In May 29 - Faucet

The slightly rusty water faucet in my kitchen garden. . .

Every Day In May - May 28 - Yard Ornament

All things grow with Love

This is in my front garden - it's a little bird perched atop a rock.  I found it at Target several years ago.  I love the truthful sentiment.

Thursday Tea Time - Another visit to The Steeping Room! Cocoa Spice Pu-erh

This week - The Steeping Room Cocoa Spice Pu-erh  

Cost: $8 for 2 ounce
Caffeine:  Yes, medium
Type of tea:   Pu-erh
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Mix ins:   Plain or just a little bit of honey  Honestly, this is really sweet enough to drink as is.
Fragrance:   sweet chocolate and coconut
Ingredients: All Organic - pu-erh, cocoa nibs, dandelion root, yerba mate', coconut, long pepper, cardamom, vanilla.
Opinion:    I had read about this tea in The Steeping Room restaurant reviews, wherein it was the accompaniment tea.   I don't know how I overlooked this in the sales display -- it has everything that rings my bells - Cocoa, coconut, chai, yerba mate, vanilla.   And it it does!  I had brewed mug and got distracted, so I poured it plain over ice for iced tea - WOW!   Hot, I like it with a little splash of Califia Vanilla Almond Milk and just a little bit of honey.  (Those seeds Clint at Hooked on Acupuncture put in my ears to help reset carb and sugar cravings really, really work!).  It has a nice chocolate flavor and then gives you a warming kick...And a nice buzz for awhile.  A tea to enjoy in the present and to get things done later!
Rating:  4.50

Every Day In May - May 27 - Something Fuzzy or Furry

Every Day In May - Something Fuzzy or Furry -- I snapped a picture from my garden of the Milkweed (Asclepias) pod seeds readying to take flight.  That could be more fluffy, but I'm using it for fuzzy.

Every Day In May - May 26 - "What's your sign?"

(actually the prompt was a sign...)

I am a March Aries, but always felt I had a good dollop of Pisces, too.   Since aquamarine is my birthstone, I wanted to give the astrological symbol a watery gemstone look.

Every Day In May - May 25 - an apron or something you use to cover when doing messy things

This is my favorite apron I use for baking (and cooking, too!).  It is an apron styled from a 100 pound  bag of Imperial Sugar.  The City of Sugar Land, Texas outside of Houston, was named because the Imperial Sugar company headquarters and  factory, or vice versa.

Every Day In May - May 24 - Key

Easy-to-find Texas flag key!

Every Day in May - May 23 - Interesting Building Detail

The door knob in Herzstein Hall, Rice University

Garden Update - Raspberries!

Evidently we are growing a new strain of Moonflower,
evidenced by the purple veins and stems
in the lower right corner 

I love to poke around the yellow-tagged Clearance/Reduced plant racks at Lowes -- and today I scored two Canby Red Rubus Idaeus raspberry containers marked down to $8.49.    Per the label we can train it to grow along the fence and/or in the space recently vacated by our hacked-down 50 foot Hackberry tree.  Even if we have to fight off the birds and squirrels as we do for the dewberries, it will make for very attractive landscaping.  And who knows, with a little help from the birds and the bees, we may even come up with a new berry, the Dazzle Berry!

Every Day In May - May 22 - Something that is attached or hangs from the wall

Our third generation living room clock.  We've been in our house for almost 30 years and this is the third clock we've had in this space.  The first was a schoolhouse clock, a wedding gift from my grandmother which wound with a key, then a pretty verdigris ivy wreath clock and now this, which we found at Tuesday Morning.

At least it has the Roman numeral for 4 as IV.  Have you noticed that lately clocks and watches have IIII instead?

Every Day In May - May 21 - Where I sit to read

...at this funky painted table in Galveston at Mod Coffeeshop, enjoying an Almond Joy latte with almond milk.

Thursday Tea Time - Yogi Goji Bear-y

This week - Yogi Green Tea Goji Berry 

Cost: ~ $4 at Kroger.   You can probably also find it at Target and Whole Foods.
Caffeine:  No
Type of tea:   Green, Herbal
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Mix ins:  Nothing!
Fragrance:   Fruity-raspberry
Ingredients:  Organic-green tea leaf, green Matcha tea leaf, cherry flavor, blueberry flavor, raspberry flavor, natural Lotus Flower flavor
Opinion:   This tastes wonderful without any sweetener.  The perfect, light blend for summer, iced or hot.  And the goji berry is a good support for your immune system, liver and circulation.
Rating:  5

Every Day In May - May 20 - Wallet

Marc by Marc Jacobs wallet.  Thank goodness it has a zipper, sometimes it's like trying to zip shut a suitcase full of receipts and loyalty cards.

Every Day In May - May 19 - Cupcake

Vanilla Crave Cupcake. . .
On our Noritake "Volcano" stoneware plate.
Made in Japan, purchased in Japan by a handsome young Marine officer, once upon a time.

Inking

I love shopping the clearance and red tag sections of art supply stores.  I find things I never knew I needed!

Like Talens Drawing Ink. . .

As I'm checking out, the clerk said he knew not to warn me not to use this for tattoos.
Huh?  Haha!  Nice kid.

But that probably explained why the Black and Indian Ink Black colors were already gone. . .

I grabbed six 11 ml bottles (Neutral, Sepia, Cobalt Blue, Yellow, Scarlet, and White-which was opaque) marked down to $2.25 - and apparently got quite the deal as when looking online, they are priced around $15 each.

The colors are very vibrant and pretty.
I just thought they would be cool to play with for watercolor fun.
On paper, not skin.

Every Day In May - May 18 - Lipstick

Le Rouge

Every Day In May - May 17 - Something you use to measure

My Dritz Point Turner and Button Gauge.  I've been painting things which have meaning or connection to me.  This could be considered "vintage," as I got it when I learned how to sew at age 10.  It's quite handy and I still use it!

Fig Update

Lots of rain this week and weekend...they need some sunshine to get ripening.
(Manicure:  "Mint Apple")

Every Day In May - May 16 - Favorite Recipe Ingredients

I love to bake, and many of my favorite (and trade-secret) recipes use butter and eggs!  The egg is also a wink to my first drawing class wherein we drew an egg.  Now I have watercolored an egg!  The circle and connection is complete.

Every Day In May - May 15 - Something You Throw Away

The tag from a Vera Bradley purchase.  However,  I usually keep the green cord.  I do reuse them!

Upcoming Jo-Ann's Pattern Sales

May 17/23 - 
Butterick - $1.99

Memorial Day Sale - May 22/25
Simplicity - 5 for $5

May 28/30 -
McCall's - 5 for $7 ($1.40 each)
Vogue - $4.99

Every Day in May - May 14 - Something I Use Every Day

My MacBook Pro - With the "Cosmic Flower" by Creative by Nature skin from Decal Girl.

Thursday Tea Time - Fig, Spiced

This week - The Steeping Room  Spiced Fig

Cost: $7 for 2 ounces
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Mix ins:   Plain or just a little bit of honey  Honestly, this is really sweet enough to drink as is.
Fragrance:   Definitely fig with a little bit of cinnamon
Ingredients:  Organic black tea, organic cinnamon, natural flavor
Opinion:   Ever since I tried Spiced Fig, this has been my go-to tea.  I've been making as an afternoon or late morning pick-me-up.   It seems to be light and perfect right now.  I even reuse the tea bag with Madagascar Vanilla, or vice versa -- outstanding combo!
Rating:  5

Every Day In May - May 13 - The Last Thing You Bought

Birthday flowers for my sweet friend, Regina -- Pink kalanchoe.

Watercolor Wednesday - Move over, Purple

Eggplants and Banana Peppers
Watercolor
9" x 13"

This is one of those paintings wherein the camera does not do it justice...Despite photographing outside, inside, different lighting, etc.  The background is really Cerulean Blue, the eggplants more purple, and their highlights blue-er.

That was the point of this class project.  Learning that cool colors can come forward.  Using split complements. (And that yellow/green/purple do not have to be Mardi Gras colors.)   Practicing working more wet-in-wet, particularly with the eggplants and dropping in reflected highlights.   And watching how mixing the yellow opaques will push away the color underneath.  Very, very cool!
I was very happy with what I did -- building upon using what I already knew and combining it with what I learned that day.  And how it is all starting to click.

Every Day In May - May 12 - Stairs or Steps

I had to be a little creative here, as we don't have a staircase.  These are stepping stones we put in last weekend to navigate the backyard "lake" especially after it rains.  Which we have had a lot lately!

Every Day In May - May 11 - A Hat

Fashionably all set to avoid the sun -- A straw hat which actually fits and stays on my head, with a J.Jill scarf tied with a bow around the rim.  I used salt (on the painting) to give it more texture.

Every Day In May - May 10 - Something You Turn On and Off

One of two (actually three) of my favorite lamp sets.  This and it's twin are on my bedroom dresser.  I love the "Tiffany for Target" stained glass.  I have it's taller torchere cousin in the living room.  Actually no one can believe it's from Target.  (And no, Tiffany has not designed anything officially for Target...yet)

Every Day In May 2015 - May 9 - Something with an unusual label

Something with an unusual label - I took to the next level, an unusual container and logo and name.
Lov is Beautiful tea

Every Day In May 2015 - May 8 - Something With a Handle

Something with a handle?   Here's  one of my favorite Chantal outlet sale finds, the 12 ounce ball mug.  

Friday Flowers - Island Style

Follow your nose along the Oleander Trail in back of Moody Mansion in Galveston, Texas!  So many different kinds of oleanders, such a wonderful fragrance, and a delightful place to sit and sketch in the little arbor with the bubbling background of fountains.  A hidden treasure just beckoning you to discover the beauty of Galveston's official flower.

Can you believe no Instagram filter was used?!

Double pink blooms

What a color combination!

"Mrs. Pearl Knox"

Every Day In May 2015 - May 7 - An Envelope

An envelope from one of my many stationery sets - Papyrus always has pretty, lined envelopes!

Thursday Tea Time - Sweet Triple Play!

Sweet & Steeped

The Steeping Room's Spiced Fig Black tea with Pure Beeing Honey (the jar fits perfectly) in my new Le Creuset Honey Pot from The Kitchen Chick.    Like them all on Facebook!
Save on postage and shop local to support independent businesses!
There is actually a You Tube video on how to use a honey dipper, but I must add the silicone one included makes it much easier.

Every Day In May 2015 - May 6 - Something With Bristles

Something with bristles ... my hubby's hairbrush!

Watercolor Wednesday - Watercolor Workshop at the Pearl Museum

I attended another great workshop with Evelyn Bouley at the Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts last week.

My painting of a blooming desert cactus turned into a medley of experimenting with different techniques, so I've taken close-up photos to show what I tried and learned.  And will use again in upcoming projects.

Actually I kind of like the sum of the parts over the whole piece!  I will probably turn them into cards or tiny paintings.  Or use as backgrounds for or parts of another project.  I rarely throw anything I've painted away, but instead find ways to recycle and repurpose my artwork.

Mix it up --
Alcohol spray and table salt!

Imprinting with bubble wrap --
Surprise!  You print before you paint over

Large-grained Mediterranean sea salt

Another example of using a spray bottle of alcohol --
the wetter the paint, the more fun the result!

Every Day In May 2015 - May 5 - Something Hot

A perfect day and way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, too!   I was surprised how much I liked how these jalapeños turned out.