The House of Kent

Wednesday, April 08, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - G is for Galveston Causeway

Welcome to Galveston!

This was our second year of participating in the UTMB FunD Run - how fun is it to be able to run (in our case, walk) across the Galveston Causeway?! And it is also very windy at the top!

Reach the top - take a selfie!

Watercolor Wednesday - A river runs through it

Five Mile Dam - San Marcos/Kyle, Texas
Watercolor
8 3/4" x 11 1/2"

Class exercise playing around with monochromatic/analogous colors for landscapes. I used Burnt Sienna for the former. This was really a good learning piece for me. From inspiration photo to sketch page composition, mixing color and the value in the details.

Heart-shaped rock from Five Mile Dam
See? It really is that color there!

Tuesday, April 07, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - F is for Farmer's Market

Galveston's Own Farmers Market (#GOFM) on Sundays, from 9 AM to 1 PM - 2508 Post Office Street. Arrive early, for many vendors will sell out quickly. I love to get eggs, fresh veggies and fruit, breads (cinnamon raisin rolls!),

Update: Now Phil, the Galveston Bread guy, has mastered bagels. I would tell you to get the Sea Salt bagel but it is one of the first to sell out and I end up missing out. And the ciabatta bread. Oh my!

goat cheese and soaps, juices, kombucha and honey...and so much more. It is truly a fun gamble to see what delicious and healthy goodies you will find, and helping to support the independent companies, farms and vendors. Win-Win!

Moon Dog Farms

(Oh my goodness, that Pure Beeing honey...I swear you will never buy any other honey again.)

Bestest honey EVER!

Monday, April 06, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - E is for Elissa

Tall Ship Elissa

E is for Elissa. Launched October 27, 1877, this National Historic Landmark has been designated one of America’s Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Docked at the Texas Seaport Museum. 2200 Harborside Drive Galveston, TX 77550 (409) 763-1877

Sunday, April 05, 2015

Happy Easter!

Qor watercolors -- Dioxazine Purple, Green Gold, Sap Green, Brown Oxide, Burnt Sienna and leftover previous combo of Raw Umber and Indigo for the tail and eyes.

Saturday, April 04, 2015

Garden Update - Roses!

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - D is for Dogs with Bagels

You can buy a copy of this book in Galveston at Maceo Spice and Galveston Book Store. A fun beach read by Maria Elena Sandovici, she just published a sequel, "Stray Dogs and Lonely Beaches"

Elena also has a blog which she paints a daily watercolor, "Have Watercolors Will Travel" often featuring stories and watercolors about and around Galveston.

Friday, April 03, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - C is for Cool Cemeteries

Galveston has several cemeteries, but my favorite is along Broadway (Avenue J). Lots of interesting headstones and angel statues. In a few weeks, the grounds will be covered with wildflowers.

Thursday, April 02, 2015

Thursday Tea Time - Trader Joe's Combo!

This week - Trader Joe's Rooibos & Honeybush Tea

Cost: $2.49
Number of tea bags: 20
Caffeine: No
Type of tea: Herbal - Rooibos
Steeping time: 6 minutes
Mix ins: Nothing needed. Perhaps ice if you want to make a terrific iced tea with this.
Ingredients: Organic Fair-trade Rooibos tea (Aspalathus Linearis), Organic Honeybush tea.
Fragrance: Sweet
Opinion: I like it, a lot. And the health benefits of both teas are bonus. Kudos to Trader Joe's for combining them and at a great price. Nice and pretty box, too.
Rating: 4

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - B is for Bishop's Palace

The Bishop's Palace

B is for The Bishop's Palace We went there years ago with my daughter's Girl Scout troop. Be sure to stop in the Gift Shop to get a pin for their vest/sash.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - A is for Acupuncture

As in Hooked on Acupuncture. I've been going to Clint McCallum since he opened over two years ago, and I have never felt better. Clint is a Licensed Acupuncturist, Chinese Herbalist and Nutritional Health Coach. 2505 Market Street, Galveston, Texas 77550 | 409-241-3199

Reflection

8 1/4" x 12 5/8"

mise-en-scène --

Early evening. The cold drizzle stopped momentarily. A truck idled in the parking lot, headlights illuminating a pale aureolin glow. . .

Learning to paint reflections in water. This was fun! I used many washes and layers of colors. I love the water play.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A to Z Blogging Challenge - "Give Me A G!"

My theme for the 2015 A to Z Blogging Challenge is "Give Me A G"
-- all posts Galveston Island related. Galveston's rebirth (again) after Hurricane Ike has been a reintroduction to all things fun and cool about this quirky and scrappy island just 55 miles South of Houston, Texas. For this year's challenge I will blog -and watercolor- about Galveston. Hopefully it will encourage you to visit and enjoy the treasures of this Island.

Monday, March 30, 2015

Bling it together

The closure on my favorite pair of Wit & Wisdom jeans came apart. I tried a quick fix with a few taps of a hammer and some hot gun glue, but that was only temporary. Fortunately for a girl who loves the rhinestones and all things sparkly, I happened to have a tiny rhinestone button which nestled perfectly into the front closure. And for the underside support to cover the hole, a clear flat button. A few quick stitches with needle and thread to secure and voila! Blinged and back together.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

The Lord will guard us, as a shepherd guards his flock. Jeremiah 31:10

Many times Lord, we fall from your grace. Yet like a shepherd guards his flock, so you guard us and come after those who are lost. When you seek us out may we be ready with open arms to be embraced by your loving care for us. May we know of your unconditional love for us and live as sheep always ready to hear the voice of the shepherd.

Amen.

Friday, March 27, 2015

Peep-itude

Strathmore Mixed Media Visual Journal, 5 1/2" x 8"

Evening sketching and watercoloring last night, a nice way to end the day. Qor watercolors.

Thursday, March 26, 2015

Thursday Tea Time - Creme Brûlée

Still enjoying all my new Steeping Room Teas!

This week - The Steeping Room Creme Brûlée

Cost: $7 from The Steeping Room in Austin, Texas
Number of tea bags/weight: 2 ounces
Caffeine: No
Type of tea: Tisane/Herbal - Rooibos
Steeping time: 3 minutes
Mix ins: Not too bad by itself, however, Natural Bliss/cream and sugar, make it pop
Ingredients: Rooibos, caramel bits (milk, sugar, glucose, butterfat, sorbitol syrup, emulsifier), artificial/nature identical flavor
Fragrance: It really does smell like creme brûlée!
Opinion: Advantages - is is rooibos/non-caffienated. Versatile, an iced latte is also a yummy option. Disadvantages - sorbitol syrup. But it tastes great and really does have the flavor of creme brûlée, so it can be enjoyed in the afternoon/evening without worry about getting too buzzy.
Rating: 4 - only because of the sorbitol syrup.

caramel bits!

Caramel-licious!

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Watercolor Wednesday - Just Gelli-in!

First Print

First "Ghost" print
The smaller circles are from wooden spools dipped into the leftover paint on the Gelli plate

Second "Ghost" print
Those other cool circles are from the ends of cash register roll tubes!

Rolling excess paint off the brayer and making another print!

Since it was the last day of class for the session, and since our teacher had attended a workshop demo using Gelli plates for printmaking - we could work on our projects and try our hand at this.

We used the 5" x 7" plate. But as I found out the next day at Art Supply, there are many different sizes and shapes.

You use acrylics, but the slow-drying type - High and/or Slow Flow.

Everyone's all turned out differently, with feathers, washers, leaves, sticks, paperclips, lace, corrugated cardboard...you name it, we used it. Strathmore has their own version of printmaking paper (we used the Yellow "Better" level), but Bristol Smooth paper works well, too.