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It’s December guys ! wow, just wow.

We are bringing you the last Color Challenge of the year at Lindy Stamp Gang. I love love the color inspiration but it is wearing its name perfectly this month: challenge !

Remember that to enter, you don’t have to use all 4 colors, you can pick 2 of them and go from there.
You can find all the infos about entering the challenge on the LSG blog. You can win a gift certificate 😉

We are now offering limited kits to help you in your choices colors, in case you are having a hard time deciding (you have three options: sprays, embossing powders, or both).

Find what my amazingly talented friends on the DT created as well for this month’s challenge over there.

This month, I came back to my happy place: my art journal. I am almost at the end of this one (the big Dylusions one) which makes me very happy (because I love finishing a journal and starting a new one !).

If you’ve been following me, you know that spray+stencil are what utterly lift my spirit.

I started my page with a sketch made in bed, I sometimes do that yes (sketching while watching tv). I was feeling very heavy emotionally and this Nixie emerged:

I made some splatters of Tibetan Poppy Teal (take the sprayer part off from the bottle, and shake over your surface. Be careful, it’s unpredictable).

Then, I mixed some beautiful Autumn Maple Crimson Magical Mica (part of the Autumn Leaves collection) with heavy gloss gel medium. It creates a wonderful sparkly paste. I applied it through the Pomegranate stencil from The Crafter’s Workshop. I decided to use that to give her a whimsical body:

I sped up the drying time a bit with my heat gun. I did not apply it very thickly so I would not have to wait too long.

The spraying fun started after: I used one of my favorite stencil (I think it was from Studio Calico) and sprayed Flying Monkey Midnight through it and aside (it is one of my favorite Flat Fabio color, one without the shimmer).
After that, I picked I’m Late I’m Late Slate (another Flat Fabio spray) to spray all over my spread, to bring everything together. It is a very subtle color so perfect for this purpose)
I used one of my favorite stencil, still from The Crafter’s Workshop, and sprayed the drops/tears with Tibetan Poppy Teal.

I am more of a Silver girl than a Gold one, I love our Cranberry Mist Burgundy color (part of the Holiday Wreath collection, now only available as shots… but you know what ? you can mix it up and put it in a spray bottle if you want)because of its beautiful strong silver sparkle, it goes so perfectly with the Flying Monkey Midnight and Tibetan Poppy Teal colors…

I worked on my Nixie’s face with Neocolor II (watersoluble crayons from Caran d’Ache) and white acrylic paint. I wanted her hair to pop, so I used Poinsettia Red Gold Starburst Shot (part of the Holiday Wreath collection as well, with touched of the Tibetan Poppy Teal shot to highlight it. Look at this gold shimmer !

I wrote her messages («Let this Sad Heavy Heart teach you» and a quote from Albert Camus saying «In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.»)

Done !

I hope you liked this step by step, and that it’s getting you inspired to participate in our Color Challenge 🙂

Here is the list of the products I used (click on the image to be redirected on its page):

Tibetan Poppy Teal	Autumn Leaves Magical	Wizard of Oz	It I’m Late, I’m Late Slate	Danny Zuko’s Denim
Holiday Wreath	Summer Of ’89 Shot Set

InLinkz.com

It’s Black Friday, one of the biggest day of sales in North America.

So today, instead of my usual Gratitude Friday blogpost, I thought I will do something a bit different: share the Love for what my friends are doing. Because most of all, it makes me happy to praise their work. Not just their sales.

My darling Mindy Lacefield is having a sale in her Etsy shop: enter BLACKFRIDAY2013 to get 20% off at checkout. She has a book now available, and of course paintings and prints, go check her out.

Mindy has a new class, Wild Surrender, beginning in January. It will be a 6-month one and I am already very excited about it !

The amazing Danielle Daniel recently included me and 6 others gorgeous artists in her «7 Artists 7 Totems 7 Stories» project, on her blog (catch my interview just here).

Her book, Sometimes I feel like a Fox is a pure work of poetry. Find it in her Shop, amongst her inspiring art.

My SisterFromAnotherMother, Micki Wilde, currently has two wonderful online classes going on, Paint Happy and Wilde & Free. For being in both, let me tell you they litterally changed me as a creative being, and as a human. She is also frequently adding goodness in her shop (I just received the last 2 paintings I ordered from her, they are presents for my girls’ rooms).

She did it again this year. And 2014 is even better than the previous years ! Leonie Dawson just released (like… yesterday) her 2014 «Create your Amazing year» workbooks/planners/calendars. You can choose the Life oriented one, the Biz oriented one, or a pack that has both. More info on her website. And you know what is new ? This year, you can order a printed edition from Amazon, so no more printing at home if you don’t want to. Have you used it before ?

My dear Lynda just posted plenty of new cuties in her shop. When I see a fox I think of her immediatly. She is the queen of whimsical cute animals.

My love, Samie Kira, is awing me with her strength and commitment. Enter HAPPYHOLIDAY in her Etsy shop to get 25%off, and it’s also available on her website for anything digital she offers AND it’s working for her online classes as well (woot woot !!).

You know I adore Lindy Stamp Gang, and being part of their Design Team has been on my bucket list for a couple years. Black Friday is our biggest sale of the year: get 30%off EVERYTHING. Now through Dec. 2nd. Enter BLACKFRIDAY13 at checkout. And we now make your life easier with different kind of sets (because we also have amazing embossing powders, glitters, shimmer-only and non-shimmery sprays).

More info on the blog.

Athena, who runs The Sage Goddess, is putting her knowledge on service of everyone needing it. It is no secret anymore who I used to be, and my current need to reconnect with it. I wish I was a millionaire to be able to hire Athena to guide me. She is having a sale, get 10%off your oder with code BLACK10 in her shop.

And yours truly (yes, me) too. Get 20%off your entire purchase (including original paintings) by entering BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout in my Etsy shop 🙂

Please  don’t be shy and share the love in the comments (I will have to approve it, as it may be considered as spam so don’t freak out if you don’t see your comment right away).

Hey there !

I am so happy to share with you today some painting you may have seen snippets of if you follow me on diverse Social Media platforms.

It’s still a bit hard for me to put paintings for sale, I  guess I take it too personally if nobody buys them but I am working on it.

(scroll to the bottom of this blogpost for more info on the sale !)

All these three paintings are Sprixies (these characters that look like nothing you know, or not exactly), created on 7.5×11” (±19x28cm) watercolor paper.

Prints are not listed in the shop, but know that it’s an option (the 8×10” print is $20+s&h). Contact me if interested.

«Reach Out» was made when I was feeling extremely lonely, forgotten, and a pretty deep sadness was filling my heart.
This is usually when I go deeper in my painting process. I lay it all out, on the surface, and cover it up with papers, and paint and goodness to bring the Happy back.

Don’t let the Sadness fills your heart for too long, it does not have to be so painful.

Find this special someone to reach out to.

Click below to see him in the shop

«Be You» is dear to me. I have a thing for Koalas, if you’ve been on my blog before you know it’s the nickname we give our little one (she is 6 ½).

As I never plan what I will paint (and if I do, it never actually turns out like I had in mind in the first place so I barely bother anymore !), I had no idea a koala-ish Sprixie would appear. But I went for it when I saw his ears and nose emerge in between the chaos that was the background.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

«Remember» is a bit less abstract as you can see 🙂

Elephants are known for their amazing memory, so I was not that surprised when he showed up, seeing that piece of paper that made its way in my first layers.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

I love Leelah.

I am part of my dear TrueSister Mindy’s year long class called True Free Spirit (more about that soon).
For our October project, Mindy shared with us a patchwork background painting and I instantly fell in love with it. Got obsessed with it, even. I am making them with the end of my palette (because you know, I hate to throw paint away so I either create painted papers with it, or now add them to a patchwork background).

She is also created on 7.5×11” waterolor paper.

Leelah is your reminder that no matter what, go for what sparks your flame, what makes you happy, what you are passionate about.

Click below to see him in the shop *with more of his backstory*

And now for the sale !
Enter BLACKFRIDAY20 at checkout to receive 20% off your entire order. Yes, you’ve read it right ! See you in the shop: http://InnerWorlds.etsy.com 🙂

Gratitude Friday is a weekly ritual I started in order to focus on all the small and big positive things that happened during my week. I invite you to join me, you’ll see how much being thankful can change your life. If you want to know more about it, read my introduction post.

I’m happy it’s Friday ! This week did not turn out how I expected it to… I missed two steps in thr stairs while heading to the Studio and injured my knee. I am writing from my bed. I am in pain, yes, feeling useless, yes, but it is an experience that forces me to count my blessings even more.

This week, I am thankful for:

• Not having broken any bone.
• Not having broken my latpop in the fall (which I was holding), and that it’s still working properly.
• My husband who rushed from work and was able to work from home for a day.
• My neighbor who came right away when I called her, crying.
• Parenthood and other tv shows.
• Seeing the progress Koala is showing with her reading skills.
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies (finally found a recipe the 4 of us like !).
• The possibility to buy/find great (Christmas/birthday/anniversary) gifts for my loved ones.
• Becky Higgins’ free live class, still on today for the last day (but it is part of why I fell).
• Cooking in advance at the beginning of the week… as if I knew somehow.
• Friends. Family. «I love you-s»
• Danielle Daniel’s «7 Artists 7 Totems 7 Stories» project. Her book. Her Light.
• Voltaren cream.
• Good book (I am reading «City of Ashes» right now, by Cassandra Clare).

It’s really the little things that, put together, makes it all a better week than if I had focused too long on the pity party that was crawling on the back of my mind.

What’s in your Gratitude Bucket this week ? 

If you wrote your Gratitude Friday on your blog, don’t forget to enter your NAME and URL below so I’m notified and can come to read you (you can also join by commenting this post): [linkme]

I am a self-declared foodista. You may know that food is one of my first passion. I started cooking school before discovering we were pregnant with our first daughter and had to withdraw from it before graduating, but it all happens for a reason.

If you follow me on Instagram, you know I am sharing pictures of my lunches on a regular basis. I know it is weird to some. I do it because it sometimes forces me to actually eat some lunch.

Last Summer, I discovered Trader Joe’s vegetarian chorizo. It is made out of tofu and spices. I had no clue what to expect but I try to find vegetarian options of meat things I like when I can so decided to try (come on, it is less than 2 bucks !). Oh my… this is good stuff ! and makes two to three different meals out of it, so it’s very nice. (and yes, we do cross the border to do most of our grocery shopping in the US. we live closer to Bellingham, WA than to Downtown Vancouver *to give you an idea*. So we can enjoy TJ’s).

I’ve always loved lentils but find them quite challenging to cook (I am known for me either hard lentils or mushy lentils). 
When you are vegetarian, you need to find other food that will give you the proteins you need. Lentils and legumes in general fall into this category (which makes me very happy).

I rarely measure anything so I apologize for those of you who do, this is more of a general guideline than a real recipe.

Ingredients*:

• One package of steamed lentils
• About half a soy chorizo
• Mushrooms (white or cremini), sliced
• Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• Spinach
• Bell pepper, diced
• Red or green cabbage, finely sliced
• Vegenaise to taste

Reheat the lentils according to the package (you may simply have left over you cooked yourself, it is totally fine).

Remove the casing from the chorizo, be careful the paprika stains so protect your cooking aread 😉 Scramble it in a heated pan, just to get it warm.

Blend the lentils and the chorizo, add your veggies, a bit of vegenaise (or mayo). It is just there to bring everything together so don’t go overboard with it. It is always easier to start with a little and adjust than the contrary.

Enjoy !

* I vary my veggies so it does not get boring (even if, to be honest, I sometimes eat the same lunch after lunch and I’m okay with it). You can switch the spinach for lettuce (my fav. is butter lettuce). Add sliced avocado. And really get creative with what you like and go from there.