Painting Bob Ross Style

It's been quite a while, my lovelies. How have you been? I've been busy! Lots of goings on here, but today I want to tell you about the classes I've been taking.

Four months ago, I stumbled upon a display at the front of my local Hobby Lobby. It featured a large, beautiful seascape oil painting and a few flyers for an art class that was going down at the end of the month. Fortunately for me, the class was happening on a Thursday, right when my little one would be attending preschool, so I decided to sign up. That was three classes ago now, and I haven't looked back. I love oil painting!

I have a wonderful instructor, Melody Panneton. She is certified to teach Bob Ross's wet-on-wet technique (you know, the "happy little trees" guy?), and I'm certain she can help anyone paint something awesome even if they've never held a brush before.

I've painted before, but it's all been self-taught and mostly with craft acrylics. I've learned all about adding depth, how to use a pallet knife, how to paint tree branches, and most importantly, how to step away and leave things alone instead of constantly fussing over my picture.

I find oil painting relaxing, and have decided to take it up as a new hobby at home. My husband has been very encouraging; he recently got me an oil painting starter kit for my birthday. For now, I'll be using painting instruction books for inspiration, but I'm hoping after I get a little more comfortable with my abilities, I'll be able to create my own art.

Well, that's all for this week, my lovelies. Come back soon for some more updates from your happy little painting apprentice!

If you want to see more of Melody's classes, check out her Facebook page and take a look in her albums. I'm pretty sure I'm in one of them!

A Tale of Love and Loss: Ashley and the Tacky Mirror

Life has been hectic for me lately! A couple of weeks ago, my husband was contacted about interviewing for a job in Montana. Shortly after that, we had a visit from my parents. Then our real estate agent contacted us about an offer to buy our house that we've been trying to sell for three years. At the moment, we have all sorts of irons in the fire, so no long posts for me today. Instead, I will present you a cautionary tale about procrastination.

While my parents were visiting, my mom requested that we visit the Hobby Lobby in town. Mom loves Hobby Lobby, but she doesn't have one very close to where she lives, so this was a special treat for her. Once inside, my mom, my daughter, and I began strolling the isles on the hunt for treasures. To make room for the Christmas items (don't get me started on that, I don't feel like climbing up on my soapbox tonight), they had put several items on clearance, including several decorative mirrors. It wasn't long before I spotted it - the gaudiest, God-awful mirror I'd ever seen. It was large, oval, and surrounded by ugly brass circles with obviously fake gems in their centers. What was worse, you could just sense the cheapness about it. Boy, I wish I had taken a picture to show you all. I called my mom's attention to it, and together we made fun of how hideous it was. On a whim, I checked the price tag. They had originally wanted $200 for this atrocity, but it had been marked down to only $25.

I began to walk away when I felt a change come over me. Mirrors are pricey, and $25 wasn't a bad price for a mirror that large, even if it was ugly enough to be tried for crimes against humanity. I glanced back. On a second look, I felt the mirror somehow had a kitschy charm to it. Honestly, the mirror's frame had a good shape; it was only the terrible brass and plastic gems that made it unattractive. I said to my mom, "Actually, I think I kind of like that tacky old mirror. You know, you could spray paint that frame and it would probably be pretty nice." She nodded in agreement. However, being my normal thrifty self, I said, "But I don't really need it."

Unfortunately, the more I thought about it, the more I really did want the mirror. After wrestling with the desire for a week, I stopped in to see if the mirror was still there. Alas, it was not. So here's my story's moral - if you really like something on clearance, don't wait! Snatch up that ugly mirror and make it yours!

Catch you next time!