Colouring and Activity Book

I hope everyone had a great Christmas/Holiday season.

Cover

Two activity/colouring books were created for some of my favourite children. These were given as Christmas gifts.

Portrait of Ana (Artist)
Pen and Ink

Portrait of Anthony
Pen and Ink

Girlish Giggles

Girlish Giggles

8" x 10" 

Coloured Pencil on Paper

Laura is giggling at something Anthony said. She is crazy about him. This was too cute not to capture.

This is probably my best piece, to date. I am very pleased with how it turned out. I was so afraid I would not be able to capture that look of mischievous glee, but, in the end, I did manage it.

She and my husband are great friends and he had called her "a monkey that belongs in a zoo" and she then said he was a "bum-bum", which in her mind is a swear word and she is not permitted to call people that, so she was giggling that she got away with it.

I considered adding a background but Anthony really liked it as it is and suggested I leave the background out.

People are always asking how long something like this takes to create. In this case it took approximately 34 hours.

Click on here to see print and card options:

Fun Fact's New EP

Click logo to go to FunFact's page.

FunFact! has a new EP out. For a limited time you can download it for free from their site. Feel free to download the EP and to share it with your friends and family.

Click to get EP free download

FunFact have at times been compared to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I, personally, hear several different influences in their music, including the Chili Peppers.

Here is a little teaser for you:

Kiiro the Gecko

Kiiro the Gecko
10.5" x 6"
Coloured Pencil on Paper

It feels good to be back to "my medium".

Some time back I made a decision not to draw from other people's photos unless it was a commissioned piece. However, when I saw Colored Pencil Magazine was using this image for their monthly contest, I could not resist. He is just so beautiful! Sally Ford, the photographer has graciously given full permissions to use her image.

I spent ALL DAY Sunday working on this image. I started around 9ish in the morning and worked on it until 11ish at night. I forgot to take W.I.P. photos, but this is what it looked like at the end of the day:

Work in Progress
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Photo by Ana Tirolese, taken with iPhone

My hand was pretty achy by the end of the day. I have not worked that long in years. 

I let my hand rest all day Monday and then worked on it Tuesday evening.  At this point I really wanted to complete the piece and impatience won over better judgement. I should have worked slower and more meticulously to achieve a smoother and more realistic end result. I used Koh-I-Noor's Woodless Pencils which are way too waxy for my liking. I don't normally use them for detailed work (more for backgrounds that I can smudge) but I needed greens they offered and Prismacolor was lacking. I should have stuck to Prismacolor and worked a few more layers.

These days I do not used printed references when I can view them on my HP Touchpad tablet. However, I had printed out the image on plain paper because my HP Touchpad was acting up and needed a hard reboot, which I could not remember how to do (and for some reason forgot that I could have Googled it). I didn't have photographic paper so I just printed the reference on generic printer paper. Some of the fine detail was missing in the printed version. (My son showed me how to hard boot my tablet and it is working now.) I should have waited. I could have done a better job with the gecko's skin if I had been viewing it on the tablet.

I really enjoy using the tablet for holding my reference photos. Not only is it environmentally friendly, cutting back on paper and ink being used, but it also allows me to zoom in on areas that I need to get a better look. This is great for my aging eyes.

The original painting does look much better than the photo and scan.  

Northern Delights Ukiurtatuq (Arctic Blend) Tea

Northern Delights Fine Inuit Herbal Tea
Ukiurtatuq Arctic Blend Tea
Found at Natural Selections

INGREDIENTS:

Arctic Blend (Ukiurtatuq)
Echinacea
Marshmallow Root
Peppermint Leaves
Elder and Chamomile Flowers
Cinnamon
Ginger
Cloves
Coltsfoot Leaves

There was a wonderful spicy aroma to this tea when I opened the package. You could really smell the cloves and cinnamon. It did not taste as spicy as I would have liked, but it still was flavorful and delicious. The tea was fairly mild, but pleasant. I will purchase more.

On the Natural Selections site it states that the Ukiurtatuq Plant was traditionally used to treat stomach upset and digestive problems.

Northern Delights Mamaittuqutik (Labrador) Tea

Northern Delights Fine Inuit Herbal Tea
Mamaittuqutik Labrador Tea
Found at Natural Selections

INGREDIENTS:

Bearberry Leaves (uva-ursi)
Peppermint Leaves
Labrador Tea (Mamaittuqutik)
Eucalyptus Leaves
Fennel Seeds
Coltsfoot Leaves
Ginger 

This delightful tea reminds me of chamomile with a hint of mint. It has a lovely mild flavour. Normally I am not fond of peppermint tea but this tea was not overwhelming or offensive to me. I really enjoyed it. It was perfect for a before bed calm-me-down.

On the Natural Selections site it states that this tea is the most widely used tea in the Inuit history.  I have no doubt that it is. This tea was originally used to treat respiratory troubles, aches and pains, and bleeding.

Wow, this is the perfect tea for me!!!

Tega Qi Goji Berry White Tea

Tega Qi Goji Berry White Tea
from Natural Selections

INGREDIENTS:

White Tea* 64%
Goji Berry
Dandelion*
Blueberry Leaf *
Red Grape Seed
Licorice
Raspberry Flavour
    *Organically grown ingredients
      Contains 96% certified organic ingredients

As you can see, this tea is rich in antioxidants. I found it to have a mild, earthy, flavour. It actually tasted like green tea to me. It was a pleasant flavour.

However, I cannot emphasize enough the purgative properties of goji berries. Goji berries are often used for its laxative effects. I wish I had done some research before drinking two strongly steeped cups! Live and learn. Yes, it does work.  

A few years back there was some hype about miraculous health benefits of goji berries. Most have been proven false, or at least, ineffective. Yet, there are some benefits to having some of this tea around (see above paragraph).  They are also rich in antioxidants.

Won Natural Selections Prize Pack!

I was pleasantly surprised when I received a call from Chantelle of Natural Selections to let me know I had won a prize pack of their products. Jennifer brought it over on Tuesday. Wow.

It is no secret that I love this company and the products they represent/sell. Everything I have purchased from  Natural Selections has met or exceeded my expectations. Please check out their site.

This is what was in my prize pack:

• Bar Soap from Ella's Botanicals - locally manufactured (Toronto)
• Wysicloths - just add water for a full size cleaning cloth, can be re-used over and over again
• Bathtub Strainees - special strainer for your bathtub, made from corn starch, once you've used it, place in your backyard composter! (Each lasts for months)
• Yummy Earth Organic Lollipops (2) - contains no refined sugar, Gluten free, dairy free, certified organic
• Assorted Northern Delights tea - from Labrador, assorted flavours
• Lip balm - Canadian made!

Jennifer and Chantelle do "home parties" for those in the London and surrounding area.  This is not an MLM company. The company was started and worked by Jennifer and Chantelle, right here, in London, Ontario Canada.

Please LIKE Natural Selections Facebook Page

Anthony's Birthday Revisited

Anthony turned 56 on August 3 this year. Here are some photos from his birthday.

Boston Cream Cake

Reading the card from Our Son

Looking at gift from Ana

I love it!

Laughing at funny card from Ana (it is musical)

I Heart Creepy

I LOVE IT! I wanted a Hawaiian Shirt!

  

Two Good Looking Men!

Writing music on the table.

What are you going to eat?

Don't Take a photo of my Double Chin

You're taking a photo of my double chin, aren't you?

Table Drawing

Table Drawing

Table Drawing

I feel so silly!

Garden or Day-Lilies

Original image is a 4" x 6" watecolour and ink postcard 

There are day-lilies (and other flowers and plants) planted in the landscape just outside our building to beautify our surroundings. I love the bright yellow colour of these flowers. They make me happy to look at them. 

This is an original, one of a kind, postcard painted with watercolour and ink. It is painted on pre-cut watercolour paper with postcard markings on the back. The original is for sale. Click on the FAA link, above, for more details.

Some items with the day-lily image on them:

Sunlight for the Soul Tote by Dollinha

Create photo bags from zazzle

Day-lilies Garden Mug by Dollinha

Make unique custom printed mugs at Zazzle.

TSP2013 - Video

Here is the the finished sketchbook project in one handy video. Please enjoy the lovely music being played by my sweet husband, Anthony.

The music is provided by Anthony Tirolese on his guitar. Anthony is performing St. Henry's Two Step written by the late Peter Chalmers.

Please feel free to share this video.

Links to sites mentioned in the video:

• http://tirolese.com/art
• http://www.flylady.net 
• http://www.arthousecoop.com 
• http://ticketwindow.ca/ 
• https://cozicentral.cozi.com 
• http://homeroutines.com/ and http://my.homeroutines.com/ 
• https://www.evernote.com 
• https://trello.com/ 
• http://www.lumosity.com/ 
• http://www.zazzle.com/Dollinha 
• http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-ana-tirolese.html 
• https://challenge.meyouhealth.com 
• http://www.instapaper.com 
• http://www.netflix.ca 

**FULL DISCLOSER** I do get paid to answer phones for TicketWindow.ca. Also, if you purchase any products from my Zazzle or FineArtsAmerica sites, I get a percentage of the sales, However, I am not sponsored by nor am receiving any compensation from the above companies for mentioning them on my blog.

TSP2013 - Sleep Time

Sleeping
Watercolour and Ink

Around 11pm it is sleep time.

With luck, I'll sleep the whole night through and feel rested in the morning.

This is my last entry in the Sketchbook Project 2013.

Click here to see my Sketchbook Project 2013 submissions in one place.

TSP2013 - Read for 30 Minutes

Reading on my Kobo eReader Device
Watercolour and Ink

Reading is my other great pleasure. I enjoy it so much that I run an online book club. Because I keep a fairly busy schedule, albeit, self imposed, I save my pleasure reading for bedtime. I set a timer for 30 minutes and read, usually on one of my eReaders.  If I do not set a timer I end up reading far longer than I intend. The electronic readers are easier to hold in bed, and the light is strong enough to read but not strong enough to bother Anthony while he sleeps.

I love that I can change the font size for my aging eyes, and that I can read a huge tome without my hands cramping up.

Click here to see my Sketchbook Project 2013 submissions in one place.

TSP - Brush My Teeth

Brush My Teeth - Toothbrushes and  Toothpaste
Watercolour and Ink

Before heading to bed I brush my teeth and wash my face. Here are Anthony's and my toothbrushes in their container on the bathroom sink.

Brushing your teeth is an important part of daily hygiene for good oral health.

I colour-code our things so we can easily see and grab them. I am red/pink/purple. Anthony is any shade of blue and our son is any shade of green.

On our calendar I use coloured dots buy appointments so we can see at a glance who has an appointment when.

Click here to see my Sketchbook Project 2013 submissions in one place.

TSP2013 - Shine the Sink

Shining the Sink
Watercolour and Ink

FlyLady says that the first thing to do is shine your sink on your way to take control of your home and your life.  I try to keep the sink shined throughout the day, but I make sure that it is well shined before going to bed at night. It is wonderful to wake up to a shiny sink and a clean kitchen.

I am using the purple cloth here to keep it dry and polished.

This was fun to draw.

Click here to see my Sketchbook Project 2013 submissions in one place.