Mixed Media Monday - 3/100 for #the100dayproject

 

Officially it's Day 16 of #the100dayproject and I am currently behind by 10 paintings. *dramatic music plays in the background*

Here is 3/100. Trying out a loose artsy style. What do you think?

What nephew #1 had for breakfast this week - egg extravaganza

 

Is it Friday already? I haven't painted all week. Did journal a few times. But I did wake up every single morning to make breakfast for nephew #1. And I actually took photos so I can document them on a scrapbook layout (because if it isn't on a scrapbook page, it didn't happen...*winks*).

This week was all about eggs. Because they are quick to cook, are an excellent source of protein and fat and make a great receptacle for leftover food (allows me to stretch my culinary creativity by incorporating them to create "new" dishes...mostly omelettes with different fillings *LOL*). 

Monday: an egg omelette with crispy pork loin (leftovers).

On Tuesday I woke up an hour earlier so I made a little more effort. Defrosted a slice of sourdough sandwich bread in the oven, boiled 2 seven-minute eggs and made the kid egg mayonniase toast.

On Wednesday he had an egg omelette with pork, scallops, mushrooms, carrots (leftovers). 

On Thursday he had to leave for school 30 minutes earlier and didn't inform me. So I had 5 minutes and whipped up a simple egg omelette with 3 cheeses.

And here is this morning's (Friday) brekkie: 2 pieces of bacon with sunny-side up eggs and a salad (leftovers).

There you have it, what nephew #1 had for breakfast this week. I used up my leftovers and made eggs 3 different ways in 5 days...and the kid didn't have to eat the backup chia seed pudding in the fridge (in case I didn't wake up ) so let's call it a win shall we? *cue triumphant music*

So this is my undecorated paper bag stash

 

Remember how I told you that paper bags are hard to come by these days (since I usually decline paper bags unless it's already been pre-packaged for collection) and I get so excited when I do get one that I have to decorate it almost immediately?

Well, it seems that I have a hidden undecorated paper bag stash in my cupboard. Which I uncovered/rediscovered while decluttering. I guess we should be good for decorated paper bags for this year and possibly next year too. *winks*

What about you? Have you found any "treasures" while decluttering?

Workspace Wednesday - a cute upcycled box

 

Today's project was one of those accidental projects. You know, the one where your gal was decluttering, found a box and some stickers and immediately had to work on decorating the box. :)

This was the box.

And these were the cute distracting stickers. *winks*

For a fun little "scene"! :)

Hope your week's going great friends! :)

Make Stuff Monday - layout using packaging materials

 

On this week's Make Stuff Monday, I'm sharing a layout using some packaging materials. :) I'm sure you can guess the pieces I've repurposed. :)

Here's a clue. *winks*

And now I'm making it very obvious....hehehe.

You know how I love to fussy-cut. I think the circular shape makes an interesting photo mat. :

The layout features some of the food that are on rotation in our household because everyone loves them. 

(L to R: Sticky braised pork ribs in dark soy sauce, steak, salted egg yolk chicken, pan-fried pork loin in tomato sauce, pan-fried bean curd with minced pork, salmon teriyaki)

Lots of random bits from the scrap pile as usual.

Happy week ahead friends! 

Another Friday, another abstract florals piece

 

2/100 with all art supplies used pictured.

Hello friends! Can't believe it's Friday already! This week has been crazy. Mum had a minor surgery to remove some abnormal growth discovered in last September's colonoscopy so I'm back to my full household load of marketing, cooking, cleaning and laundry. I did wake up every single morning to make breakfast for nephew #1 (and the award for the best aunt of the year goes to.....*drumroll*.....me! *LOL*). 

Something's gotta give and that something is my progress on #the100dayproject. Officially on day 6....but your gal is just done with day 2.  Hopefully she can play catchup over the weekend. *encouraging music plays in the background*

Happy weekend friends! :)

Workspace Wednesday - my sourdough week

 

Happy Wednesday friends! Just sharing the week's sourdough-related photos. :)

Monday morning: Made Japanese-style egg mayo toast for mum and nephew #1 with last week's Japanese sourdough milk bread. And fed my sourdough starter (I usually feed my starter in a large mixing bowl, then put them in glass containers with ample space for them to grow).

Tuesday morning: Made a stack of sourdough pancakes with the fed starter (once they triple in size, they go in to the fridge to hibernate). Also made a levain with remaining starter.

Tuesday afternoon: Mixed dough, ferment, shaped dough then put the boules in the fridge for a 12 hour retardation.

Wednesday morning: Baked 2 boules of sourdough bread! 

And that my friends, is my sourdough week. :)

P/s: I'm thinking I might feed my starter tomorrow for some sourdough pizza...you know, to eat next week. The 5 day fermentation makes for a really tasty pizza crust. 

The one about overfeeding the nephew

 

It's been a month since school has been in full swing for nephew #1. His days start early and end late. Except for breakfast, he eats most of his meals out.

So when he does come back for dinner, he gets a lot of food. We might be overfeeding him. *LOL*

Like all teenage boys lifting weights, he likes loading up on protein of the animal kind. ;)

Found his old sticker album (both nephew #1 and 2 had sticker albums and they would spend hours arranging the stickers and trading with each other...fun times!) and added some of his stickers on this layout. :)

Playing along with Stick It Down.

Mixed Media Monday - what I'm planning to do for this year's #the100dayproject

 

So 2022's #the100dayproject kicked off yesterday (and I'm already a day behind but I did get started...*winks*) and this year I am working on mixed media florals.

Okay, who is NOT surprised? *dramatic music plays in the background*

There were so many directions I could have gone since there are an infinite number of things I want to paint/draw. But 100 days in a row is a huge commitment and there will be days when I have to "rush" through a project. While it would have been awesome to achieve some type of "mastery" over a new subject matter, I have to be realistic about how much time I can really fork out each day given the added responsibilities I have at home.

I decided to go with florals because I have done some decent abstract florals in 15 minutes or less with just watercolours. I added mixed media to the mix because I really wanted to play with as many art supplies as I can (I own a ridiculous amount afterall..hehehe)...and it would also allow me to work on different substrates too.

Anyway, for 1/100, I went for watercolour for the first layer (see photo for the "ugly" stage), then went in with Caran dAche Neocolor IIs dry (for the crayon scribble look), got a bit of depth with the Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle pencils dry (the pigmentation intensity is the same wet or dry which is why they are super pricey) and did my highlights with Schmincke white gouache.

Not my best work but I think I should get halfway decent by the time I reach 100, right? *optimistic music plays in the background*

P/s: Happy Valentine's Day friends! :)

This week's mish mash decorated paper bag

 

So I was rummaging my decorated paper bag collection for the tips post and found a partially decorated paperbag. Okay, it was just covered with the base patterned paper.  *LOL*

But it got me excited (since paper bags are hard to come by these days) so I had to get to decorating it immediately. :)

Even though it really looks like a mash mash of random stuff put together, I assure you that there is a method to my madness. *winks* I usually pick a "star element" that I must include (in this case, it was the girl holding the camera), then I pick out pieces from my stash to create a mat for my main attraction and then just add elements for texture and interest. :)

To create a seamless cohesive look, I added some gold shimmer mist to the completed surface. I also decided to leave off the handles for this decorated paper bag.

What do you think?

P/s: Happy weekend friends! 

One of my goals in 2022 is...

 

Can you guess what one of my goals in 2022 is? Clue is in the photo.  Additional clue is that I'm right-handed. *winks* 

Yep. I want to be ambidextrous. Or at least try to be more so. I already use my non-dominant hand to warm up with my sketches. Now I'm using it to stir-fry food and cut veggies (rough cuts so far) and carry stuff. Which is a lot less taxing on my right hand/arm/shoulder. Read: fewer medicated plasters required.

It is a lot harder than expected because old habits die hard. It is way easier to journal with my right hand because I can write so much faster. But writing with my left allows me to collate my thoughts and be more  mindful of the process which makes it more enjoyable too. I am also more careful when using a knife to cut my veggies so I actually get fewer "injuries". And when it comes to art, my non-dominant hand is less heavy-handed and loose marks look more natural.

About the photo: me trying to draw a bird in coloured pencils with my non-dominant hand. Looks very very rough (so I went with a blurry photo to spare you the roughness..hehehe) but at least you can tell it's a bird right? *LOL*

Workspace Wednesday - the sourdough explosion

 

So I tried a new recipe today - Japanese sourdough milk bread...and it did not turn out pretty. *LOL*

I think it was because I didn't roll the dough tight enough so there was an "explosion" at the top of the loaf. Such a rookie mistake. I have made Japanese milk bread before, just not this recipe...so I should have known better. Oh well, it looks a bit artistic eh? *consoling music plays in the background*

Nephew #3 saw the loaf and didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He said taste was what matters.  :) (Oh yeah, now I have an extra mouth to feed on Mondays and Wednesdays.)

I suppose he is right. There's milk and egg in it. And the slathering of melted butter. Well, we will know tomorrow. *winks*