After cutting and drying the bounty of branches in our back yard for the last several months, I have been having a lot of fun painting the resulting wood slices. Having a basically unlimited number of tiny "canvases" at my disposal has really allowed me the freedom and permission to just pick up a brush and paint whatever design comes to mind. Since they are so small, it's been easy to do a few in a single sitting, as I have time. Continue reading

I meant this to be a simple and quick little post about thinking outside the box when it comes to art supplies. But right around the time I set my daughter up to paint outside, I received this amazing present from my friend in Alaska, so I have to share about that too. Continue reading

Just in time for the weekend, I've posted some new items for sale on my Etsy store, Our Backyard Studio! Hopefully I have all my i's dotted and my t's crossed. Although I have been selling online for many years,... Continue reading

Just a friendly reminder to myself - sharing in case you need it too! :) Continue reading

I try not to push art on my children - it is more that I encourage creative thinking, and try to provide as many supplies as possible for them to experiment with. Continue reading

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~Pablo Picasso so true... Continue reading

Venturing out today, we travelled up to Smokey Point to visit The Plant Farm. We have a small list of local nurseries that are our favorites, each with its own unique strong points. The Plant Farm has fish. Dozens and... Continue reading

After working at the store for the last two weeks getting it converted to Christmas, I now find myself faced with several days in what used to be my house, but is now a complete pig sty. Not only have... Continue reading

You know, for the first time in a long while, I have enjoyed my Monday. Though I no longer have a regular 9-5 style office job, Mondays have still managed to stress me out each week. This has been especially... Continue reading

We're getting good at these outings! Yesterday was gorgeous, but pretty freezing. The sun was lovely and toasty, but the wind messed it up and chilled anything and everything that was exposed to it. We got out of the car... Continue reading

A while back I wrote about our visit to Kayak Point park, and said I'd post some photos, then never did. Chris just sent me a whole huge file of my photos that I'd taken, so I was going through... Continue reading

Routine is great for toddlers. But it is great for me too. I have a certain list of things that I must do each day - whether it be 5 minutes or an hour, some time must be spent each... Continue reading