TUTORIAL: Quote Painting

I saw the quote:  "I will be grateful for this day" a long time ago.  I liked it so much that I wrote it on a post-it and stuck it on the corner of my laptop so that everytime I went on the computer I would see that and remember to be grateful.  Well, those post-it's don't last forever and it started to fall off.  I wanted to find some way to make that statement a more permanant fixture in my life (without getting a tattoo).  I have seen some drag type paintings around and figured out a way to do it for myself.

What you will need:

*Two contrasting colors of acrylic paint.  I chose teal and purple.

*White acrylic paint

*Paint medium

*1" brush

*canvas

*stencils

*foam brush

Prepping

Mix your paint with the medium.  I stick to a 2 parts medium to 1 part paint.  This will save your paint and also will make it easier to spread along the canvas. 

  Make a blob of each of the following: 

*First color(teal)/medium 

*Second color(purple)/medium

*Second color + white/medium. 

You want two shades of your second color.

 Start by priming your canvas with one of the colors you selected.  It will show through so I chose a bright color that would really "pop".

Next take your darker shade of your second color and dip your 1" paint brush in.  Start at the top of the painting and drag the paint down the canvas.  Repeat across the top.  You will want it to look jagged so experiment with different amounts of paint on the paintbrush as you go along.  After you finish with the dark shade, start again using your lighter shade.  Don't worry about washing off the paintbrush, it will help blend the colors.  Repeat across the top with the lighter shade.  Press harder so that it mixes a little with the darker shade. 

 Repeat on bottom of canvas.

 When doing the sides of the canvas, don't drag all the way on the corners.  Just lightly paint the corners and only drag partially, so as to just give the allusion of the "drag."

 Repeat again on the other side.

 Paint the sides of the canvas to match.

 Tape your quote/statement stencil to the canvas in the place you want it.  I used my handy-dandy Cricut to make my stencils, using the Zoo font!!!  Using your foam brush paint in the stencils.  I was going to use white, but decided on a really light shade of purple that I mixed up.

Hang on your wall and Enjoy!!!

Going Gluten-Free

Well, after a short hospital stay and some tests, I found out today that I have Celiac's Disease.  This came as a huge surprise, because it wasn't what the doctor had been looking for in the first place:  my symptoms were pointing to Chrone's.  I am glad that it isn't Chrone's, but I am not looking forward to following a gluten-free diet.  I'm going to do it, of course, because I really want to feel better.  Before I start my new diet I have to say "I LOVE PASTA!"  The common joke around this house is "What are we having for dinner?  Pasta or chicken?  Or chicken with pasta?"  I just know that any kind of pasta is super easy to make, and pretty hard to screw up.  But after looking on the internet today, I have found that there are gluten-free pastas for sale out there, and have found plenty of recipes to make my own.  So no worries for my family, pasta can still be served around here!  LOL!

The biggest concern I have is how I will adjust to the different taste and texture of gluten-free foods.  As anyone who knows me can attest to:  I am a really picky eater!  Not only does the food have to taste good, it also has to smell good and have the right texture.  Gluten-free bread and pasta will be a challenge to get used to for me. 

I am encouraged, though.  I have spent the day looking at gluten-free recipes, and have found some good ones to try.  I have also ordered some books on Amazon.com.  These include:  "The G-Free Diet:  A Gluten-Free Survival Guide" by Elisabeth Hasselbeck and "Gluten-Free on a Shoestring" by Nicole Hunn.  I look forward to seeing what they have to offer. 

I was advised to just eat as I normally would until I meet with the doctor in a couple weeks, so I will be able to have the BBQ ribs I asked for on my birthday!!!  And I still get to eat some delicious Christmas cookies, but I also plan to try out some gluten-free cookies too!

So good luck to me as I set out on a new journey!  Once I get going, I know I will start feeling better and it will all be worth it!

BTW:  Anyone who is already gluten-free, feel free to send me a message with a recipe to try!

Beautiful Poem!

Someone on a parents online group that I belong to posted this beautiful poem.  (They had found it on a different group and didn't know the author.)  It made me get a lump in my throat, but made me feel good at the same time.  I am not normally a 'poem' kind of person (unless it's Shel Silverstein), but I just had to share!  I think the poem speaks for itself.

A Better Person

If you close your eyes you'll never see,
just how much she means to me.

All I ask from this day on,
Is to stand beside her and cheer her on.

She'll bring you places that you've never been,
And show you love from deep within.

She'll melt you heart a little more each day,
until it seems her disability has faded away.

But it's still there, I'll tell no lies.
It sometimes appears to be in disguise.

You no longer see through rose colored glasses.
As this vision you once had slowly passes.

The child you once thought of as frail and weak,
instead has made you implore defeat.

Her health sometimes may seem uncertain.
Yet through it all, she has made you a better person.