An unexpected (at least to me) cold front came through last week. It went from being in the 70s to being in the 30s. Spring Break beach weather it was not. However, there are many ways to have fun indoors when it's chilly outside. Watching cozy movies, playing card or board games, living room camping, and playing with paint are just a handful of ways to enjoy the indoors.
The Holiday Cottage
The Holiday is one of my favorite movies. To be honest, all Nancy Meyers movies are my favorites. She has a new one coming out on Netflix. I'm so excited! But back to The Holiday. I watch The Holiday more than once during the winter months and at least twice in the summer months.
Not only are the people wonderful characters in the movie, but so are their homes, and Iris's cottage is adorable! The rooms are filled with beautiful patterns and prop-your-feet-up furniture. It's a place you can snuggle on the couch with a blanket and cocoa and watch a good movie, which is what I do when I sit down to watch this movie.
I painted Rosehill Cottage watercolor on 130lb cold pressed paper. I started with a pencil drawing and then used a wet-on-wet base layer of color. After letting the paint dry, I slowly built up the layers of color using the wet-on-dry technique.
Chair Tents
Back in the day (the late 1970s to be more precise) my childhood best friend and I would spend many weekends building chair tents and watching Grease while eating bowls of popcorn. When the movie wasn't on, we would take the "camping" experience to the next level by laying a blanket outside the tent on the "water". We would have to jump from the tent to the blanket so the sharks wouldn't get us. It was so much fun! The simple pleasures in life.
I painted Chair Tents watercolor on 130lb cold pressed paper. I started with a pencil drawing and then used a wet-on-wet base layer of color. After letting the paint dry, I slowly built up the layers of color using the wet-on-dry technique.
Paint Smash
My brother and I grew up with a very artistic grandmother. She was in a traveling singing and dancing group in the 1940s and 1950s and she was an artist. She spent many hours throughout our childhood encouraging us to be creative - something I am so grateful for.
One of the ways my brother and I used to paint was to smash it. We would take acrylic paint (thick, not watery) and squeeze out long lines, dashes, and dots of paint onto a piece of paper then fold the paper in half (or multiple times) and gently press down on it, smoothing it out, then slowly open the page and to see what image appeared. We had a blast. I had so much fun doing these I had to limit myself because I could have kept smashing for hours.
How fun would this be to do with your kids? You could even pick your favorite from the bunch and frame it.
Featured Artist: Flaura by Laura Richards
Laura carefully preserves flowers in shadow boxes, jewelry, resin bowls, resin bookmarks, and more. Many brides have had their bouquets saved forever in a gorgeous display, special event flowers have been preserved in resin bowls, and unique pieces of jewelry are made with the most delicate flowers.
She's at different markets all around Pensacola but you can see her every Sunday at Bayside Market at Seville Square and Tuesday nights at Bands on the Beach.
Check her out on her Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/flaurabylaurarichards/
Upcoming Events
Saturday and Sunday, March 25th and 26th is the Gulf Breeze Arts Fest located in the school parking lots in Gulf Breeze, FL. They are open 9 am - 5 pm on Saturday and 9 am - 4 pm on Sunday.
Sunday, March 26th Bayside Market at Seville Square in Pensacola, FL will be open from 10 am - 3 pm.
Friday, March 31st the Pensacola Museum of Art is hosting a Nautical Watercolor Workshop. RSVP is required.
Saturday, April 1st from 2 pm - 4 pm I'll be teaching a two-hour painting class (2 pm - 4 pm) at Coldwater Gardens in Milton, FL.
Have a great weekend and make some memories!
Rebecca ~
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