hellooooooooooooo (after a long hiatus).

HELLOOOO DEAR READERS...

So this is extremely PATHETIC, but it's been over a year that I have even CHECKED this blog. So... I apologize profusely to the people who emailed me and I never got back to... and all the people who commented - you are all SO SWEET and AMAZINGGGGGGG.

SO MANY THINGS have happened since the last time I posted (wayyy back in 2013, when Mr. Potatohead and I had that fun little photoshoot). Well since then, I became a MARRIED WOMAN and have continually been working on my art in order to get better! Sadly, I don't really do many DIY craft projects anymore but I have been doing A LOT more painting & drawing, and since I got a job at an art studio, I have been steadily improving!

And that is why... I've decided this is going to be my last post on this blog. This blog has served me well in the awkward year between coming back from a foreign country and starting new and exciting adventures in life (aka. marriage and buying a home!!!) but it is time to move on. And I'm so grateful for all of you have been reading all along and leaving me little comments that totally make my day!

I always seem to launch a new blog in each huge stage of my life so this is also my official announcement that I actually started a new ART BLOG last month. This new one will focus specifically on my artwork (with maybe a few personal posts here and there), and chronicle my adventures in art! So if you are still interested in following me, head along to my new art website:

ART + SOUL

www.artandsoulcreativeco.blogspot.com

Hope we can keep in touch!

<3

Laura


P.S. below are some samples of some art that is on my new blog! ;) Enjoy!

burger blessings

The other day, my friends were trying to guess how many burgers I draw in a year... I said that I probably drew 15 this past year... they guessed I drew 50-70. In retrospect, I think they were probably right. I probably think of burgers so much that it has slowly become second nature to doodle them by default. Clearly, I'm obsessed. For Christmas this year my mom actually got me a burger-shaped chew toy meant for DOGS... (thanks? Or should I be taking offense? haha). 

So anyway, when I was supposed to prepare a Secret Santa present this week, not surprisingly the first thing I thought of drawing was a burger. In my defense, the present wasn't for anyone specific so that's why I decided to give the gift of art + burgers = two things that are very dear to my heart. haha. 

The verse on the burger is from the Bible and it's a good reminder for me of all that God has brought me through and all that I've accomplished through trusting in Him. When I rely on His great plan for my future instead of my own strength, I am constantly amazed at all the opportunities that He opens up for me - better than anything I could have ever imagined for myself. That being said, I think there's a misconception that if someone trusts in God, everything is all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everywhere but that's definitely not true. Relying on God is an ongoing learning process and obviously there have been times where I think, "Oh man... everything in my life is sliding into slug slime" (or something equally atrocious). Everyone goes through crummy times in life. But personally speaking, when I am able to reflect on all the blessings I've received I am reminded that God continually provides - from little luxuries like amazing burgers to bigger things like deeply-rooted relationships and moments of inexplicable joy and peace. 

I'm sure 2012 was full of ups and downs for everyone but whether you believe in God or not, I encourage you to think back over the events of this past year and reflect on all the blessings you've received. That way, when life smacks you in the face with a bucket of slugs (can you tell that I really dislike slugs?) you've got a batallion of blessings to remind you that you'll be okay.  

I'd love if you would comment with a few things that you're thankful for from this past year. It could be a momentous occasion or a little surprise that warmed your heart... like the one I received today! I had just ordered a drink in the Starbucks drive-thru line and I was pulling up to the second window, ready to pay. The cashier opened the little glass window and told me that the lady in front of me had already paid for my order and wanted to wish me a Happy New Year. That really made my day to receive such a simple, kind gesture from a complete stranger so I continued the chain and paid for the person in the car behind me... and hopefully it kept on going (until of course someone orders $100 worth of Starbucks... hahahaha). But really, I have to say that whoever started the chain of paying for a stranger's coffee is just awesome and deserves a burger and an awkward slow clap that turns into a standing ovation.

********************************

Anyway, let me know in the comments below... what blessings have you received this year? 

=)

-Laura

Christmas is around the corner...

 I've definitely been feeling in a holiday mood lately! Today while I was driving to work, it was raining when I left home, but somewhere along the highway the rain turned into snow. I didn't even realize it until a few minutes later when I noticed the streets were turning white with what I like to call God's dandruff. Later the rain came back and washed it all away but at least it was a winter wonderland for a few hours. =)

Since I'm feeling festive, here's a wintery doodle I drew this week plus a list of "Christmasy things" that I love doing (or just a random mishmash of recent photos that I sadly attempted to string together into some sort of cohesive blog post)... let's just say I tried. Anyways...

Stay cozy! ;)

I love...

lighting warm apple-scented candles...

snuggling in wool blankets with a lavender-scented pouch under my pillow (lavender is supposedly relaxing?)...

bundling up in a thick chunky knit scarf...

drawing wintery cartoon characters in my sketchbook...

making little clay penguins (for penguin snowglobes at work)...

drinking sugary caramel brulee lattes (with extra whipped cream!!!)...

and consequently, vandalizing Starbucks cups with creepy doodles.

I also like to collect men (GINGERBREAD men, that is)... like this one...

and this one...

...and THIS ONE...on my handmade UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER! =) It was actually my dad's sweater that I "borrowed" and never returned.

So that's my photo collection of random Christmasy things. I hope that was mildly entertaining. And by the way, Starbucks in no way sponsored me for this post (although I wouldn't mind if they did... in the form of FREE DRINKS...ha!) but I was looking at my doodle of the girl with the scarf and I thought, she looks like she needs a cup of coffee. And that was all the excuse I needed to go out and buy myself a holiday beverage.

I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

What are YOUR favourite Christmas sights, smells, or scenes?

my own little prison

I've been pretty unmotivated to keep up this blog lately, but ironically I've actually been drawing more this week. I work full-time now so I'm usually too tired to upload all my random scribblings (although if you're my friend on Instagram I tend to post more of my drawings there just because it's so quick and easy). But anyway, here's one quick sketch that encapsulates many things that are characteristic of my drawings... flower crowns, vines, little birds, and intentionally disproportional bulbous heads.

wanderlust

When I was making those peanut butter and jelly costumes last week, I had a lot of leftover cardboard. So as not to waste, I decided to doodle a quote and make a random cardboard sign. I chose one of my all-time favourite quotes, and of course it just had to be from one of my all-time favourite books (and movies!), Lord of the Rings. 

"All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, a light from the shadows shall spring; renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king."

J. R. R. Tolkien

image sources: leather luggage tag // the Shire // the rest of the images are mine! all mine! my precious...

It was one of those rare sunny October days so I took the chance to take some pictures outside (picture credit goes to my brother Lawrence!). Also, I couldn't resist including a cameo appearance from Lego Frodo Baggins whose pale plastic face is in a state of permanent angst (just like in the movie!). And by the way, don't you just love the handcrafted leather luggage tag? You can buy it on Etsy from Mesa Dreams. They specialize in leather and vintage native jewelry and everything looks amazing.

One more off-topic side note: Now that I look at these pictures again, I think it's time for a haircut since I'm starting to look like Hagrid from Harry Potter. If I had it my way I would get it cut short and get a whole new choppy hairstyle but I do want to keep it relatively long for the wedding next year, so I guess I'll just settle for a little trimming of the hedges ...hair. I think at this point my hair is so tangled and messy I need a lawnmower to attack it (on second thought... it looks like a lawnmower ALREADY attacked it).

Anyway, I just took an allergy pill (a pill for allergies, not one that gives you allergies, ha!) and it's making me drowsy so my mind is wandering now... and yes, now I do feel a bit lost. So I shall go to sleep and dream of legendary adventures, epic battles, and festive celebrations in the Shire!

Farewell my dear hobbits! 

oh deer me

Finally used my new PENCIL CRAYONS today. I've been surrounded by art all weekend at work - getting my face and clothes splattered with paint, and helping other people with their paintings - but today I finally had some time to do some of my own art. I've been thinking of drawing something with flowers, deer antlers, and antique keys for a long time, so I finally combined all these elements into an artpiece (although I apologize profusely for the sad, punny title). Anyway, before this I hadn't used pencil crayons in YEARS, so it was amazing fun just sketching away like a kid with my fresh pack of coloured Crayolas.

What do you think? Do you like the semi-creepy black and white version, or the coloured finished product?

 

In other random news, I just hit 100 followers! Yay!

=)



my song is love...

During a sporadic session of room cleaning (yes, it's still going on), I found this shirt that I drew a long time ago. I thought it would fit my musical friend Pauline (style-wise and size-wise), so I forced her to take pictures with it in my front yard before she could take it home. HAHA. What a friend.

I drew this with black and red fabric markers on a cheap cotton t-shirt. For those of you who don't know, I love birds (maybe not real ones when they release a certain white fluid from above), but I love cartoon birds and bird graphics, bird-print clothing, those little blue birds that fly around Disney princesses in the forest, and the thought of birds. haha. So that's probably why I drew this shirt long long ago. There's even a little songbird at the back! :)

dinosaur doodle

This little dinosaur brings back memories. He was created last year in Hong Kong during a particularly long and redundant school meeting. Now this little dino misses his home very much and has been a little culture-shocked ever since he set his prehistoric paws on Canadian soil. He now resides on a blank white wall in Miss Laura's room, awaiting the birth of other creature friends to save him from his solitude. 

My new job!

Oh my goodness! I had SUCH a sleepless night yesterday because I've been way too excited, so I might as well share the good news... I got a job!! :) And, even though I haven't even started working, I have a good feeling that this is a job that I'll love. 

I feel so blessed because it's a job teaching children at an art studio! I just want to share a little about how I even got the job because it was such a learning experience for me... in taking the risk to try something new. 

My degree is actually in Education but after my first year of teaching, I felt like something was missing. I did enjoy some aspects of teaching in a classroom environment (for example, eating "candy chalk" and fooling all my students into thinking it was real) but my mind was constantly thinking about what it would be like to have a job related to art. Of course, I didn't want to be too picky because I know the purpose of a full-time job is not necessarily to "have fun"... but I've always thought that if I'm going to dedicate so many hours of my life to working, I might as well work at something I am passionate about - something that I honestly, truly enjoy. It was tough though to even think about attempting to "change fields" because I have a wedding to save up for next year, but Mr. Potatohead and I talked it over, and we agreed that if there was any time to consider different job options, that time would be now. Honestly, knowing that I had his support helped so much in giving me confidence to start looking for jobs outside my comfort zone and not just jumping at the first random job I got (I actually first applied for a teaching job and got the position, but declined it). So, even though I didn't have an actual Art degree and I still had a whole lot of self-doubt, I started applying to art-related jobs instead of more teaching jobs.

Another thing you should know is that I'm a Christian, and for me, I have experienced so many clearly-defined moments in my life where I felt God had provided opportunities for me even when I doubted that any opportunities even existed. So this time, I just trusted that God would provide and during this period of job uncertainty (and a potential change in career!) I felt strangely at peace. I can get discouraged pretty easily and become self-critical but this time around - even though I wasn't even qualified for 90% of the job postings I looked at - I wasn't disheartened. I knew I just had to be patient. Finally, I found a posting for this particular art studio and applied. It's actually a miracle I got the job because although I seem to have a natural inclination towards art, I definitely didn't have the techniques and post-secondary art training that other candidates did. But after three interviews where I got tested on my painting and sketching skills, I got hired!!! I'm so glad they took a chance on me, and I think part of why they chose me was because of my teaching experience (IRONICALLY).

It's amazing because this job is a combination of both teaching AND art. As pictured below, in my  mind this somehow turns into a crazed psycho art teacher covered in paint holding a stereotypical teacher wand. HAHA. But really, that IS probably what I'm going to look at my new job, minus the teacher wand. I stayed up late to draw that cartoon because I couldn't sleep anyway! :)

This post has been quite long but I've actually already shortened my whole ESSAY OF A RAMBLE into this abbreviated version! Honestly though, I'd love to share with you in more detail if you're interested, so send me a personal email if you have any questions or if you want to know more... about anything, really! 

Or, just leave a comment below to say hi! It would totally make my day if you commented below with the phrase, "You're one crazy monkey!" That will prove to me that you are super awesome for having read this far, and it will confuse everyone else who only skimmed over this entry. HAHAHA. DO IT. Please? :)

Art Inspiration: Rifle Paper Co.

 So after about 4 days of on-and-off room cleaning, it's looking at about 25% done. You may think, "oh gosh Laura, that's it?" but for me, this is already a mini victory and one step closer to conquering the clutter! I stand by my word that I won't post any more DIY projects until I'm done cleaning, but I am allowed to post some ART right? haha.

While browsing nonchalantly on Pinterest - a highly-dangerous pastime for soon-to-be brides - I came across Rifle Paper Co. and totally fell in love with Anna Bond's cute yet elegant stationery. She creates all kinds of paper products for different occasions, and if you're a bride looking for some gorgeous invites, she can even do custom illustrations!

Now I'm pretty set on designing my own invites, but I'm not opposed to taking inspiration from others. I decided to try my hand at one of Anna's coaster designs since I had just found my tablet pen after a YEAR (room cleaning comes in handy after all!). 

Even though her designs are carefully hand-painted and I just drew mine with a tablet pen on Adobe Photoshop, I think it turned out pretty nicely! After my drawing was done, I used the texturizer tool (filter >> texture >> texturizer) and selected the canvas option to create that textured paper look. As a finishing touch, I added a part of one of my favourite verses about LOVE from the Bible (to read the full passage, see 1 Corinthians 13:4-8). 

I'm so happy to have found my tablet pen!! Now I can start drawing more on the computer! :) 

Just as a side note: I'm not trying to copy Rifle Paper Co.'s designs - it was more of an art exercise for me to see if I could replicate their hand-painted style using online tools. This was just for personal practice and that's why all the creativity credit goes back to Anna Bond! :) Even though I love how my version turned out, I wouldn't ever print it out to give to people because it's not my own design. 

I'm still learning so much about art. So... JOIN ME in celebrating the amazing work of other artists, and follow me as I develop my own style and journey along the road of artistic self-discovery! (Now if you said that last line in a deep, manly movie-trailer voice, it would sound so much more epic).

bookmark doodle

Today's doodle is from a bookmark I drew for my students this past year. Yes, I was a high school teacher for a year in Hong Kong (crazy!!!). I found some extra bookmarks lying around inside my still-unpacked suitcases so I thought I'd show you all. The school system in Hong Kong is so different from the one here in Canada. In my Grade 7/8 classes, there were 40 kids in each class! FORTY hormone-filled kids all experiencing the start of that wonderful stage of life called Puberty. Anyway, to keep them all entertained and attentive, I would often draw cartoons or comics on the whiteboard and on all my worksheets. At the end of the year, I printed 400 copies of this bookmark and gave it out to all my students. Mine were just printed on blue & white marbled cardstock, but you could definitely use brighter colours or even patterned paper. Bookmarks are so easy to create and reproduce in mass quantities but it's still a nice gift that can definitely be personalized. Plus, it's useful (at least for people who read!).

Speaking of reading, I am currently re-reading The Hobbit. Yes... my obsession with Middle Earth continues.

And in case you were wondering, yes, that is Lego Gandalf telling you to read more books. 

i refuse to believe summer is ending.

I've been struggling with INSOMNIA all week (which resulted in maniacal doodling at 3AM and the urge to start this new blog) so I guess you can thank my sleeplessness for that. For me, it's always during the late hours of night when my mind buzzes with the most ideas. During one of these evening escapades, I stumbled upon a quote by A. A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh!) and after inhaling Sharpie fumes for over an hour, I came up with a little doodle I was quite proud of.

Yesterday, it was a beautiful lazy Saturday afternoon so I took my artwork out for a stroll (along with my fiance Mr. Potatohead) and went looking for pretty weeds in the grass. I've always loved dandelions, thistles, and buttercups even though they're considered weeds... but I think weeds are just rogue flowers anyway, and I like how they pop up rebelliously in the grass (gardeners would disagree). 

Anyway, it was glorious to be in the sunshine... I love spending time outdoors and I only wish that Vancouver had a few more sunnier months. In the end, I got more "nature" than I bargained for because my carefree prancing ended with me stepping in dog poo. But on the bright side, I'm just glad I didn't lie down in the grass!

Here's my obese bunny Mikey making a cameo... and trying to make a getaway. 

We usually don't put him on a leash but when we do, it totally makes him look like a dog. When my grandma first saw him, she was so confused because when she was young, bunnies never had floppy ears pointed downwards (a characteristic of dunlop bunnies). She kept asking me, "are you sure it's a bunny?" because she was pretty convinced Mikey was a dog. hahaha. 

Anyway, I hope your weekend was as good as mine - enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

:) Laura