guurrrl

Café des 2 Moulins Digital Painting

2011-07-29T12:20:00.004-04:00

I was so excited last night when I was looking for a new app to download on the iPad and......... one that I have been looking at for awhile happened to be on sale for Comic-Con! I used Artrage to create the following digital painting of Café des 2 Moulins.
A photograph that I took from the breakfast with Monsieur B last October was the inspiration.

Sisters

2011-06-28T16:07:00.003-04:00

This is my newest digital drawing. I used Procreate on the iPad2.

Lady GaGa & Rainbow Syrup

2011-05-26T10:20:00.003-04:00

I used the Procreate application for both of these drawings. I'm still not 100% sure if I am finished with either one of them. The first one I thought I was finished several different times and then I start working on it again. I am still not completely satisfied with the shading of the mouth and the texture of the hair. The second one was inspired by many things in my life. However I was listening to Lady GaGa's new CD, "Born This Way",while drawing and my favorite 2 new tracks are, "Highway Unicorn" and "Marry the Night". The, "Marry the Night (Jedd Remix)" actually makes me feel euphoric. I've had headaches for a little over 2 weeks straight. It has been nice to be able to have something to keep me interested while laying around.

Ro MaMa (Lady GaGa Drawing Completed)

2011-04-10T20:25:00.003-04:00

I completed the Lady Gaga drawing for my niece. The drawing was done using Stabilo ink pens on 60# drawing paper.

I also started a deviantART page using the name, "guurrrl"

Art

2011-04-07T11:52:00.002-04:00

This painting is with acrylics and ink. I'm still not 100% happy with this one. My lobsta suggested paint pens and markers to finish her up.

I was thinking of Japan when I was doing this one. I actually painted this one using SketchBook X on my iPhone.

A new favorite Instagram photo. By the way Marshmallow freezer pops do not taste anything like marshmallows.

I started this ink sketch last night. I am far from being finished but I'm having so much fun creating her. I didn't let myself use any pencil so It is interesting for me to see how my mind works and how a, "mistake" turns into a highlight, a shadow, something new.....

I started getting organized last night and plan on opening my Etsy shop back up. I plan on posting a survey on my blog to see what people think about the items that I plan on offering.

Happy Spring :)

Painting for my Lobsta!!! Yo Sara! :)

2011-03-20T16:22:00.002-04:00

I painted a watercolor for my girl Sara a few months back and just now finished it up. I scanned it into Photoshop to do the background. I'm really happy with it. I LOVE YOU LOBSTA!!! XO
Sara is always doing art for her friends and she requested that we do a piece for her collection!!! I can't wait until it arrives :)

365 Day Card Challenge

2011-02-24T13:29:00.002-05:00

I keep forgetting to spot on here that my cousin SJ is doing a 365 Day Card Challenge and she's blogging about it! Check it out ;)

Out of my funk

2011-02-24T10:55:00.004-05:00

I think I'm finally getting out of the funk I was in. Between the awesome Jack hat, I finally got my prescription lenses put in the vintage Dior frames I scored on Etsy, and I did some sewing this week!!!!

My new glasses transitioned in the ShhhhhhunshineTomato Pincushion ring drying for ReneeOliver+S Ice Cream dress for my cousin's baby

We found out on Wednesday that Divarooroo will have to have her right eye removed as soon as I have the money to do so.

Monday Design Hats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-27T17:31:00.002-05:00

This has got to be by far the GREATEST hat in all the lands!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Made by Mindy of Monday Design it is SO warm and thick and detailed!!! You must check out her designs they are incredible!!!!

The adventures of Divadoo and Reba the Racoon

2011-01-26T12:52:00.003-05:00

I like how she has to take a break before bringing the terror on again. Also I wasn't able to catch it on film but now that she has lost her vision she also bites the blankets or anything else around that is soft and fuzzy that she thinks may be Reba or Porky (the pig).

365 Challenge

2011-01-26T11:43:00.002-05:00

I keep forgetting to post that the 365 Day Challenge started back up and there are some AMAZING posts!!!!

We decided to make it more flexible this year to get more people up for the challenge! Create something every day, once a week, once a month.... Are you up for the challenge? Join us today!!! :)

Lynn's Paradise Cafe

2011-01-20T09:00:00.008-05:00

On Monday Mr. C and I finally had the opportunity of dropping in Lynn's Paradise Cafe for a late lunch early dinner. I had seen Lynn's Paradise Cafe once on the FoodTV's, "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" and had also heard about their annual, "Ugly Lamp Contest" at the Kentucky State Fair.

From what I hear it was a good time of day that we decided to go because there was not a line at all. We immediately sat at a table. (It was around 3:30)

The specials all sounded delicious and so did their regular menu items. I had a hard time deciding. I typically go with a special because I figure I can try a regular item any time however I decided to order a specialty coffee while I made my mind up. (It had hazelnut and almond syrup and was topped with whipped cream).

I chose the Fried Green Tomato BLT for lunch with a side of lima beans. Mr. C chose the Bleu Grass Burger (with bleu pimento cheese) and cheese grits. The server came back to the table shortly after we ordered to let us know that it was, "Lima Bean Day", and the lima beans were free so I got to choose another side. I also chose the cheese grits. (This would explain the guy walking around in the bean costume).

The food came out and it was NOT a disappointment. Everything was delicious.
Mr. C let me have a bite or two or three of his burger. The bleu pimento cheese was the BEST! (Nom, nom, nom). He also ate my cheese grits. They were also great I was just too full after eating my BLT and limas.

Lynn's Paradise cafe is decorated with a mish-mosh of ugly lamps, crazy lights, ticky tacky kitschy things, and you feel like you are at the Mad Hatter's table.

It reminded me of a place I would go to back home and I loved it. The service was excellent. We both want to go back as SOON as we can. The gift shop up front was full of strange and interesting things like bacon air freshener's and a spoon made for stealing tastings with an extra long handle.

I've heard that in the mornings the lines are extra long. I'm not sure about other times of day.

Bokeh: Penguin :)

2010-12-20T15:56:00.001-05:00

I used my mom's holiday penguin as a model.... we have success!!!!

KC Custom Barbie

2010-12-15T20:28:00.006-05:00

Years ago I made a custom Aurora Borealis Barbie doll for a very good friend and roomie. I received a couple of requests after that for a couple of our other friends and I created a doll for each of them. I really enjoyed it. It was really enjoyable creating something for people that meant a lot to me and be able to make something on such a small scale. I was joking around on Facebook a few months ago on how I thought it would be fun to make a Lady GaGa doll for my own collection and I received a couple of requests. Here is the first request completed and I'm so happy with the completed doll. This is what the doll looked like to start with:

Picture courtesy of Mattel Toys R Us

Here is the doll after I had completed the gown, most of the jewelry (I still had a lot more stones to add) and shoes prior to removing the standard painted face and hairstyle. Here is a photograph of the fabulous real Ms. Kristin Collins

Photo courtesy of Kristin Collins

.....and here is the completed custom Kristin Collins Barbie Doll

1st Bokeh Experiment: HELP ME!!!!

2010-12-15T20:09:00.004-05:00

Okay little by little I've been trying to branch out and learn more about using my camera. I have gotten better about taking pictures without having to use the flash but not always. I also have issues a lot of times with my subjects being quite shadowy but I guess it is all in the fun of learning! Tonight I decided to experiment with bokeh.

I love how a lot of these came out. However when I try to focus on an image in front of the lights I either focus on the object and then loose the blurriness of my hearts OR the image in front is blurry?

I'm not sure if I cut the heart too large or if I'm not using the right settings. I've got the aperture set on 3.5 and the ISO at 200. I'm highly grateful for any and all suggestions :) I'll keep playing I have a lot of fun just changing the settings and playing around. I get really excited when I actually figure out something that works.

Who likes sprinkles? Desktop Wallpaper

2010-12-15T11:23:00.005-05:00

Desktop wallpaper donut with sprinkles from Simple Desktops!!!

My favorite Christmas song is O Holy Night (to be more specific when sung by Levi Douglas) and Jesus Oh What a Wonderful Child by Mariah Carey (or the AAC Choir). What are your favorite Christmas songs?

Children's Christmas Gifts :)

2010-12-09T09:17:00.005-05:00

Have you wondered where all of the items went to from my Etsy shop? I saw this link from WNCAP and knew that there were children in need! Please visit the website. They are collecting gifts and or donations. The website lists the children's requests and contains the contact information.

I have been behind on the blog in sharing the last day in Paris. I also need to get on here to share with you the wonderful visit home over Thanksgiving to see Joseph / Jazz's quilt panel on exhibit. The exhibit, "A Tapestry of Lives", was a very moving and a beautiful memorial and testament of just a minority of those that have been affected by HIV/AIDS.

My surgery is scheduled for December 17th so hopefully I will get the blog updated by then. Please spread the word and shop for some children, make some beautiful gifts, and or send some money.

Thank you!!!!

Paris: Day 5

2010-11-17T11:17:00.006-05:00

Many of the next blog posts will be recapping from my travel journal of my recent trip to Paris, France with my dear friend Monsieur B.

I had breakfast at Cafe de Deux Moulins!!! (It was MY first time there even though, "the traitor" had been previously without me).

YUM - I had a baguette with the BEST buerre (butter I had ever tasted), apricot jam, and cafe. We took the Metro to Musee d'Orsay. (Oh yeah while in the Blanche station we saw an interestingly dressed woman.... as Monsieur B urged me to, "hurry and grab the camera".

Walking to the museum we came across so many of the doors I LOVE!

I absolutely LOVED the museum but unfortunately you could not take photographs inside.

The impressionist paintings were my favorites. Monsieur B took a breather and rested his feet. Two paintings that I had not seen before that I found interesting were: Adolphe William Bougereau's, "Dante et Virgile aux enfers" and Ignacio Zubago's, "Monooncle et mes deux Cousines".

We then took the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe. I tried to sneak into a photo with a group of tourists but Monsieur B got.... busted!!!! (Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!)

There were so many stairs to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. I literally thought I was not going to be able to make it up. I had to press myself up against the wall at one point, rest on my heels, and let people pass me by. (I really hope my back issues get fixed soon!)

When I got to the top the pain seemed well worth it. It was beautiful and wonderfully chilly! I was happy that the spiraling steps down were an easy decline.

We walked down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, eeeeeeeeeeeek, ooooooooooooh", I whispered to Monsieur B at the Cartier window. He laughed. I went into Guerlain and purchased Aqua Allegoria Herba Fresca. I had been wanting to purchase it for the last year but never could find it in person to smell it first. I love it! The store was decorated so beautifully, everyone was so gracious, and they packaged my purchase so pretty. Monsieur B waited for me ever so patiently outside.

We lunched downstairs from the hotel at Bistrot le Chat Noir. We rested our aching legs, anticipating what the night would bring....

Je t'aime Paris!

Paris: Day 4

2010-11-13T16:20:00.006-05:00

Many of the next blog posts will be recapping from my travel journal of my recent trip to Paris, France with my dear friend Monsieur B.

Photobooth

2010-11-10T10:36:00.004-05:00

Paris: Day 3

2010-10-25T14:35:00.013-04:00

Many of the next blog posts will be recapping from my travel journal of my recent trip to Paris, France with my dear friend Monsieur B.

I hope that you enjoy the photographs and stories. If you have any questions about any of the places or our journey please leave a comment. ;) It was a wonderful journey and I feel so blessed to have shared this trip with such a wonderful friend!!!

Monday, October 4, 2010 (Recap)

We had planned on going to a breakfast place called Coquelicot that I had read about on the Hip Paris blog. However after finding our destination we found out it was currently closed for renovations. So we ended up across the street at Cafe St. Jean. This happened to be a wonderful happenstance. I ordered pain au chocolat and really, really, really great cafe creme.

The croissant was flaky, buttery (mmmmmm buttery) and so delicious. [I wish I could have brought an entire suitcase home of coffee and pain au chocolats, chocolat croissants].

Monsieur B had an apple tart and cafe creme. He really loved both. We chit chatted about what we would like to do that day, we people watched, did a lot of, "mmmmmm-ing" over our petit dejeuner and let the caffeine wake up our brains.

As Monsieur B enjoyed his second cup of cafe I thought about how beautiful his cup of cafe looked and I started sketching his cafe creme with a green Sharpie in one of my homemade sketch pads. He then spilled sugar on my sketch pad. I guess he wanted sugar with his cafe creme, LOL. (I found some of those sugar crystals last week while browsing through the little sketch pads full of doodles and directions. I love those types of unexpected memories and souvenirs).

We went into a few of the shops while winding through the streets of Montmartre.

We spied a cat up in a window, a tattoo parlor, and noticed that even the construction workers dressed nicer. I admired the curtains, the way that the cobblestones each had their own delightful shade, and how my gray sweater tights made wrinkles reminiscent of elephant legs.

As we continued to walk we found the fabric shops! As to Monsieur B's delight I was a fast shopper, quickly perusing 2 shops and settling on 2 meters of hot pink cotton with white stripes.

We used our Paris Visite pass to ride the funicular ride up to the Sacre de Coeur. The view from the top was spectacular.

We enjoyed the music. I told Bill all about the ending scenes from Amelie and her peering down from the top of the Sacre de Coeur. I could hear the soundtrack playing in my head all day as we walked around. It was at the top of the Sacre de Coeur that we spotted armed guard number one.

We rode the funicular back down to the bottom and as someone tried to grab my arm I yelled, "NON!!!", loudly. It made Monsieur B laugh but it worked. Prior to this a friendly, "non merci" had done the trick.

As we headed to the cemetery we FOUND the Cafe de Deux Moulins from Amelie!!!

We continued our journey to the Cimetiere de Montmartre in search of Edgar Degas's grave.

While wondering the cemetary we talked to another wondering tourist. We sat on a bench, admired the beautiful tombs and head stones and then finally we found the grave of Edgar Degas.

As we walked back to the hotel we were noting restaurants that we may want to try out for dinner. (Stopping and gazing at the menus and noting particularly the restaurant that walked by nightly that never had any customers....) We stopped by our favorite creperie. Bonjour! Deux jambon y fromage s'il vous plait! :) We got our favorite crepes before stopping at the hotel for a quick directions grab and then into the metro for our next adventure.

We decided that we would spend the rest of the day at the Notre Dame, ride a boat on the Seine and end at the Eiffel tower because it was supposed to rain the next day. While in route on the Metro Monsieur B proceeded to get snubbed, kicked and the same man hit me (lightly) in the face with his newspaper twice. I found out later that he got agitated that either his bag got pushed by Monsieur B or Monsieur B's bag pushed him? The incident was actually pretty funny because we just stared at each other trying to figure out what that was all about.

We had remembered seeing the sign for the Batobus while we were walking around the Place de Concorde the night before. So we quickly found the Batobus, bought our tickets and my obsession for the Batobus began. The only drawback about the Batobus is that the only seating is covered. This is good if there is bad weather but bad if you want to be outside feeling the wind in your face. This is where we wanted to be. This portion is standing room only or sit on a metal portion that has bolts on it (not meant for sitting). Hence the reason why Monsieur B did not like the Batobus as much as I did. J t'aime Batobus!

Riding along the Seine I loved seeing the artist with their easels set up along the banks, we even saw lovers on blankets, people walking their dogs, people peeing? and someone peeping in the bushes? (I'm telling you the Batobus is great for people watching). The boat stopped at 8 different different major attractions. You can get on and off as many times as you would like. We rode the boat to the Notre Dame. We took a few pictures before going inside. I really loved seeing the Gargoyles.

While inside we lit a candle in memory of Joseph, listened to the echoes of many people whispering, and foot steps shuffling.

We stopped and looked at the memorial to Joan of Arc and the beautiful stained glass windows. When we were outside and walked through the gardens

we noticed more armed guards and I wondered if the Burqa ban had been passed.

The gardens were beautiful and we walked down the Pont des Arts bridge and looked at the many padlocks with names locked on the bridge. We then hopped back on the Batobus and headed back towards the Eiffel tower. (je t'aime Batobus)

While in line at the Eiffel tower we met a very nice group of tourists from the UK and the US. We also noticed a heavy military presence. We group told us that the Eiffel tower had been closed the day before and had only opened an hour before we had arrived.

I kept telling Monsieur B the entire time we were in line that I would go to the top with him but they were letting people got to the 2nd level. We purchased our tickets and climbed aboard the elevator. The view from the Eiffel tower was spectacular and very windy.

Everything was going well and I was taking lots of photos until I happened to look straight down and realized that the people looked like ANTS!

Suddenly my legs turned to jelly....

my forehead and hands began to sweat and I had to get down on my hands and knees.

Monsieur B really enjoyed this part, especially since I had been boasting about wanting to go to the top. He took the steps to go up a little further and I stayed below as he directed me to get his, "perfect" shot.

We stepped inside and got a snack to let me recover. I ended up with the loudest case of hiccups.

Have I mentioned how much I love the Batobus?

On the Metro on our way back to the hotel to rest before dinner we saw whom was nicknamed, "boy with the long green coat" enter the train. It was a really, "fierce" coat, not to mention his really, "fabulous" shoes and hair, LOL!!! [I had to say fierce and fabulous just to get under Mr. C and Monsieur B's skin a little bit! Love ya!]

We ate at Cafe de Luna on Boulevard de Clichy. I ate steak and frites. It was served with a side of sauce with tiny bits of onions that tasted like reduced french onion soup? I was so hungry that I devoured all of it. Monsieur B was so happy to see me finish a, "real meal".

Tonight was also the night that we had our first creme brulee in Paris! We really enjoyed sitting outside and the leisurely pace of the meal until the wind and light drizzle suddenly felt freezing cold. "l'addition s'il vous plait" (the check please)

On our walk back to the hotel Monsieur B got kicked really hard while walking down the street. I got really upset about this. I didn't see this happen and we have no idea why it happened. Between the twisted ankle, 2 kicks and all of the walking I know his legs were sore.

We had another beautiful fun filled day, Monsieur B fell fast asleep, I need to write out tomorrow's directions, my feet are killing me, my mind is racing..... I can't wait until tomorrow's adventure we are going to Versailles!

Paris - Day 2

2010-10-13T08:26:00.007-04:00

Many of the next blog posts will be recapping from my travel journal of my recent trip to Paris, France with my dear friend Monsieur B.

I hope that you enjoy the photographs and stories. If you have any questions about any of the places or our journey please leave a comment. ;) It was a wonderful journey and I feel so blessed to have shared this trip with such a wonderful friend!!!

Sunday, October 3, 2010 (Recap)

Morning came too soon or did it come too soon? My brain is still foggy! The shower felt like it was slowing me from the adventure before me. The first thing on our minds were, "caffeine, food, and cough syrup". (Monsieur B had a nagging cough).

We walked down Blvd. de Clichy to the creperie on the corner of Rue Lepic. (We ordered deux (2) Red Bull & deux jambon (ham) & fromage (cheese) crepes, s'il vous plait!) They were piping hot. The crepes were full of ooey, gooey, melted cheese. They truly are the perfect street food!

As we stood munching on crepes (nom, nom, nom). We spotted a pharmacy & crossed the busy intersection. We had an interesting conversation with the pharmacist about where we were from. Described Monsieur B's symptoms and settled on a remedy (a vanilla flavored syrup and saline spray).

It was now time to venture into the Metro. The Metro was a breeze (minus us getting on a train for one brief stop going the wrong direction until we switched). :) We only had one change until we got off at Palais Royal Musee du Louvre!

THE LOUVRE: It was the first Sunday of the month so the entrance was FREE and the lines were long. However this was a great opportunity for outdoor photos and sit in line by the fountains. The lines also moved a lot quicker than we expected and the signs suggested.

Highlights:

Monsieur B fought to the front of the crowd and got a picture of the Mona Lisa ("Way to go B")
I loved the art!!!!!!!
Paintings that remind me of, "Puppy Doo"
Monsieur B warned me about the slippery stairs because of their years of wear. (I have a habit of not being the most graceful creatures). Then a few seconds later he slipped and twisted his ankle. BIG OUCH.
Waffles so sweet and crunchy washed down with bubbly water ;)
It took us FOREVER to find Napolean's apartment... Ou est Napolean III?

After the museum closed we lay outside in the grass in the Jardin des Tuileries. I could have went right to sleep! It was very relaxing. The sky seemed suddenly bluer, we could see the Eiffel tower in the distance, couples seemed very much in love, people were reading, we laughed as I tried to take pictures of us and we just enjoyed..... being. (*Remember the grass... I still have the souvenir rash from the grass!!!)

We walked to a brasserie and ordered cafe creme and croque monsieur (ham and cheese sandwich where the cheese is melted on the outside of the bread). YUM!!!! NOM, NOM, NOM

We people watched, enjoyed our food, and rested our feet. We then headed to Place de la Concorde and I spotted YELLOW socks in a window!!!! (I had been searching for yellow socks high and low before leaving for Paris). However the store was closed. I also drooled at D&G from the other side of the glass.

We walked around the fountains and the Obelisk.

We could see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance. We continued through the park, back through the Seine just in time to see the Eiffel tower sparkle. :)

Back in Montmatre we found a kabob shop that sold huge bottles of water and had a super friendly staff, we would call them our, "friends", and we knew this would become a favorite stop.

At the end of our first full day my fears of the Metro had dissolved, my love for people watching, the creperie mademoiselle, and l'eau monsieur had set in. Merci beaucoup Paris!

I am getting, very, very, very, very sleepy and ohhhhhhhh MY feet hurt.

Paris-Arrival - Day 1

2010-10-11T13:12:00.005-04:00

Many of the next blog posts will be recapping from my travel journal of my recent trip to Paris, France with my dear friend Monsieur B.

Green Tea Delightfulness

2010-09-27T11:24:00.007-04:00

I made the package on the left.

Green Tea Leaves prior to adding water

I had tried the iced tea almost immediately in the package from DJ Nave in Oita, Japan. However it was not until Sunday that I tried the green tea. As soon as I opened the package I knew I was in for a treat. It had such a beautiful aroma. I will remember to take some better photographs in better lighting so you can see how beautiful the color of the delicate tea leaves are! The flavor is much more intense then the green tea that I have tried before. The flavor is very clean yet concentrated. Mr. C and I both had headaches yesterday and literally within seconds of our first sips of tea they eased off. I had my headache since Friday afternoon. So now I'm calling it the miracle tea! Mr. C really enjoyed the flavor of the tea as well.

The finished tea (YUM)

My sister had outpatient surgery on Friday. I went to her house on Friday morning and on Saturday evening. I wish I could have taken her pain away on Friday. We enjoyed our time for a little while on Friday watching movies with Mr. C and my niece. My nephew even sat still long enough to watch the second movie with us.

Clouds that I saw while stopping to get chicken broth ;)

Yesterday Mr. C and I finished up the Harry Potter marathon. I can finally say that I have watched all of the movies that have been released. I can also say that I am officially addicted! I loved every single one of them. The only thing that I hated is when I got to the end and wanting to see the next one. ;) I leave for Paris in FOUR more days!!!

I made a french macarons bracelet out of polymer clay yesterday while watching movies.

I sure will miss finding.....

...under my blankets!!!

Sketch Pads

2010-09-24T14:33:00.003-04:00

Last night I made some lightweight sketch pads that will easily fit in a day pack for my Paris trip.I stitched some fashion catalogs and paper together. I especially liked the one that I played around with the folds.

Here are all 4 stacked on top of each other.

Au revoir!