AMANDA'S BASKETS: NEXT SET OF STRATHMORE WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

NEXT SET OF STRATHMORE WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED.

Today was a busy day. The temperature high was only in the low 40's so some of the walkways were pretty slick especially in the AM. And the recent torrential rains caused a lot of flooding in the parks leaving lots of dirt on the walkways which in turn froze over night. A messy affair.

Tomorrow and Friday are in the high 30's and low 40's but the weekend is looking like it's back to the 50's plus. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to warmer weather. Also, sunnier days. I think the constant stream of cloudy days is getting to me. Do you ever feel that way...like you really miss sunny days?

Remember the Strathmore Online Workshops? Well, the next set has been announced. You can check them out here. There are three different online workshops and all of them are free.

The first workshop is called the Sketchbook Fury - The Art Ninja's Guidebook. The instructor is Graham Smith and the beginning date is March 7, 2016.

The second workshop is called The Mind of Watercolor. The instructor is Steve Mitchell and the beginning date is May 6, 2016

And the third and final workshop is called Colorful Creations with Markers. The instructor is Will Terrell and the beginning date is September 5, 2016.

I'm actually looking forward to the third workshop. I have never taken any class, online or in person, about markers. And since I seem to be using them more and more this class could be helpful.

So, have you thought any more about your relationship with your family and friends? I hope so and I hope that you have discovered how important you are to both yourself and to others. Have you tried journaling about your feelings yet? I've been journal writing but not creating any art yet.

Tomorrow is another busy day. Hopefully, Lady J and I will be going to the thrift store and donating all the stuff packed in her. I love to walk around and check things out at the thrift store but considering how much I am decluttering, if I purchase anything, it will have to be quite a buy. And something I am looking for.

That's it for today...

Thanks for dropping by...

Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?