Impressed by Wal-Mart?!

Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you were reading that title.

Remember when I was in Miami and found the Puroast coffee shop and brought back a box of their Vanilla Nut K-Cups?  After carefully rationing, I finally ran out last week.  I looked all around here locally and on their website since I returned without any luck.  Until I Googled last week and saw that Wal-Mart had them...online!  And for a few dollars less.  I could select free pick up in the store (hell no) or for a few dollars extra ($4.97 but when I got the receipt, I was only charged $2.48)  have it delivered.  The only drawback was the estimated delivery date of August 9.  August 9th?!   Okay.  Just as with Dutch Bros., I could order two boxes for the same postage cost as one box.  So I put in my order with Dutch Bros. and Wal-Mart the evening of July 28.  Dutch Bros arrived August 1, and Wal-Mart today, August 2, by Fed Ex yet!

...Along with shampoo/conditioner samples and coupons.

Not to be outdone, Dutch Bros. did send me a new sticker, which I promptly put on my sketchbooks.

Booked

In class yesterday we made a soft cover long stitch bound book.  Mine had two "signatures" - sections of dyed and folded pages.  I liked how it turned out!  The pink-purple cover is cochineal, the blue is indigo.  We remarked in class how nice it felt to hold them, the weight and the softness/organic feel.

Side view with the Japanese Stab Binding

Here's the inside --

Today I dyed extra fabric with Madder root and hibiscus.  Not as vibrant but still a subtle visual effect.  The paper pages were also more diffused and more suitable for showcasing writing or ink sketching.   (I will post those photos later)

Madder gave it the reddish brown color -
and grabbed on to the raw edges
This hibiscus dye bath stayed more purple-blue-pink

Finish Line

Galveston Regatta
6 3/4" x 11 1/4"

Finish me!

This was one of my first (uncompleted) paintings when I was just beginning watercolor in 2013 and using a limited palette. I found it while redoing my studio and decided to finish it today.   I quite like how it turned out after all.   #Winning

‪#‎WorldWatercolorMonth‬ ‪#‎WorldWatercolorGroup‬

Two for Tuesday - Matcha, Not so Matcha

I found these two teas at Target - glad to see that Target is carrying The Republic of Tea's Be Well tea line and interested to try a new tea/product line.  I picked up Get Matcha and Day is Done Bedtime Blend.

I love Matcha green teas, but often when you purchase them at coffee/tea shops, they are blended with sugar or sweetened almond milk or not non-fat regular milk.  Hard to watch the carbs and the calories when you don't know what you are drinking.   Target is carrying this and some of the others in their Be Well tea line.  Priced at $9.99 for 36 tea bags.  The bonus with this particular matcha - it won't turn "Kermit Green" and it has the added green tea and green rooibos for additional goodness and flavor.  I would suggest using two tea bags if using a larger mug. I rate this 5+

The eye catching display of the Beekman Farm Pantry line looked interesting (look at the end of the pasta aisle).  They had three teas, for three times of the day.  Clever!  I got the Day is Done Bedtime Blend.  An herbal, no caffeine tea, I liked the color and the tin design.  Alas, not so much the tea.  The ingredients sounded interesting - Lemon Balm, chamomile, nutmeg, peppermint, cornflowers - and the fragrance quite nice.   $5.99 for 20 sachets.  However, once brewed, to me it just tasted...odd.  I even just brewed another mug just to make sure.  Nope.  Not bad, but perhaps it will be someone else's cup of tea.  They do have a fun website and other teas and products.  And I plan to try their other items at Target, it's nice to be able to support American farmers.

I didn't try/get the other teas because they had citrus

Pressed for Purple

"Lori's Purple Oxalis"
5 1/2" x 4"

"Lori's Purple Oxalis" - watercolor on hand dyed watercolor paper, impressioned while still wet with the top of a plastic to-go drink lid.

‪#‎WorldWatercolorMonth‬

Netflix Stars - The Theory of Everything

3 stars - Interesting story, incredible performance by Eddie Redmayne.  Despite Jane's devotion and support of him through his illness, their relationship falters, as does the movie.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow

Rain Lily
12" x 10 1/2"

My first time watercolor painting on Yupo paper.  I like it!  I am excited to experiment with the different effects the paper will lend itself to.  Many thanks to Jackie Liddell for introducing me to this artistic medium.

Netflix Stars - Valentino The Last Emperor

4 1/2 stars
"An evening gown which shows a woman's ankles is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen."  I love his evening gowns and this documentary showcases his designs, particularly in the first half.  Gorgeous eye candy.  But the second half is a wrap up of his career, and a bit sad to watch as money takes over from designing from the heart couture.

Breaking rules

We watched Shirley Trevena's "Breaking the Rules of Watercolor" DVD and I was playing around with some of her techniques of using watercolor pencil shavings/against sandpaper and drawing on wet paper with wet crayons and pencils.  Here's a video snippet from Pinterest.  I like her attitude!

Got the foggy aspect - but also learned that those Derwent Artbar watercolor crayons didn't quite blend as well as I thought this time on this paper  -- Perhaps because the paper was damp/wet when I scribbled upon it.  Also to pretest.  I've seen some sketchbooks with the first page reserved for trying out the usual and favorite paints and pencils and crayons used, and how it reacts.  Here's what happened with the Artbars in another watercolor sketchbook.  Good to know in advance!

Gooseberry (broken), Baby Blue and Cool Gray

But then, who's to say a more bargain brand and price can't also perform well?  Here are Master's Touch Metallic Oil Pastels from Hobby Lobby's Clearance section, marked down from $9.99 to $3.59.  And you get four of each color/metal.  Just in case one of them tries to pull a Gooseberry and break. Actually it was more like a Kit-Kat bar and I shared two sets with two friends.  (And kept an extra set for me, just because, well, the Gooseberry, but also how much I loved how these worked and looked) They laid down smoothly and gave a great metallic sheen without being gaudy.

Now this is something that Shirley would appreciate!  I think it is great and inspirational to free yourself to try and have fun with new techniques and toys.
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Marbled

Pink and purple handblown marble
Watercolor
6" x 6"

Gorgeous iridescent hand-blown marble with threads of purple and pink from Hudson Beach Glass in Beacon, New York
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Urban Sketching - Watercolor - Rosenberg Library in Galveston

I did a quick sketch in No. 2 pencil and Derwent watercolor pencils at the Rosenberg Library and finished the touchups at home with my watercolors.  Second floor, looking towards the Non-Fiction section.
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Thursday Tea Time - Blue Velvet

This week - For Tea's Sake Red Velvet Party 

Price:  $7.99
Size:  1.4 ounce/40 gram
Caffeine:   No
Type of Tea:  Rooibos (Red)
Steeping time:  4 minutes
Mix ins:  Coffee Mate Sweet Italian Cream Sugar Free
Fragrance:  Fruity
Ingredients: Rooibos, rosehip, elderberry, blueberry pieces, lavender, rose petals, natural flavors

Opinion:  I found this at a new organic grocery store and restaurant in Galveston, Seasons - 2701 Broadway (where Frog and Home used to be - look for the green building with the black and white striped awning)  They had a wide variety of their teas in large and small tins, along with a sampler mini tin set.  This is the first time I had heard of this Canadian-based company.  There were some interesting flavors, but this caught my eye first.  It is a loose-leaf tea (yay! - I'm finding those have more flavor and larger pieces - less "dust")  First whiff is fruity.  However, after brewing you will get that red velvet flavor once you add some sugar free Italian Cream.  The lavender lends itself nicely without overwhelming, the rosehips give it a nice tang.  I would almost call this Blueberry Blue Velvet.  Very pleasant to drink after dinner as a dessert tea, without worries about caffeine.
Rating:  4

In my new tea glass from Australia
Pretty!

July Fry

Near record temperatures and Houston is going strong to beat July 1980 as one of the hottest Julys.
Map inspiration from Space City Weather.  And coincidently today is also National French Fry Day!

#WorldWatercolorMonth
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World Watercolor Month - Day 7

Peacock
8" x 4 1/2"

Just a quick project this afternoon.  I like how the feather "eyes" turned out.
#WorldWatercolorMonth

World Watercolor Month - Day 6

Peace Lily
10" x 7"

Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum), is a genus of about 40 species of monocotyledonous flowering plants in the family Araceae, native to tropical regions of the Americas and southeastern Asia.  They may also be known as Spath lilies.  Easy to care for, they are often found in offices and are given as condolence/sympathy plants.  Mine has taken quite well to being in an outside container, adapting to Houston heat and humidity, albeit in a shaded area.
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World Watercolor Month - Day 5

"Lineability"

Inspired by Oki Sato "Thin Black Lines" 
It's kind of a squared color wheel mixing and using the colors of Permanent Rose, Cobalt Blue and Lemon Yellow/Auerolin
#WorldWatercolorMonth

Happy Fourth of July!

and #WorldWatercolorMonth
Day 4

World Watercolor Month - Day 3

"Lunar Moonflower"

This turned out differently than I expected, but I like it!  Opening moonflower bloom surrounded by Daniel Smith Lunar Black, with the crazy granulation.
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Sketchy

This is the watercolor sketchbook I've been using for the World Watercolor Month this year.

I found it at Tuesday Morning as part of a zip-around sketchbook and brush portfolio.
Alas, this Daler-Rowney Classic Watercolour Wirebound Sketchbook seems to have been discontinued.  (Probably why it was at Tuesday Morning) It's difficult to find a 140 pound watercolor paper in a sketchbook format, and in this 10" x 7" size.  Hopefully they will bring it back or maybe there is a newer version available.  If you find something similar, post a comment!

#worldwatercolormonth