Twas The Night Before Christmas

Greetings Artsy friends. I'm so happy you've come. I hope you can stay a while, join me for a cup of tea/coffee and maybe an artsy chat. Lets get to know each other this year.
You can also connect with me on:

Facebook - Danine Mroz

Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio

Twitter - Sky @PrairieMroz

Pinterest - Danine Mroz

December is upon us and there is still so much to do. I don't know about you, but personally I love December. Even though I need a nap come January, I adore the hustle and bustle. It really is a special time! From the baking to making the house as festive as can be... I love it all.

So where to begin? Grab a cup of Coco and I'll tell you my December tale thus far.

"Santa Clause Is Coming to Town" 

It started, not with my tree as one might imaging, but with my chalkboard and decorating the front entrance with a gaggle of Santa's. To create my chalkboard art I always begin with a web search of the most interesting and\or appropriate quote, which is usually via Pinterest. I adapted this fun quote to suite the occasion quite nicely. I have to say, adding a chalkboard to our home has been a fun and easy way to change up the seasonal décor, keep track of appointments, or make announcements. For those of you thinking of adding a chalkboard to your home there are wonderful tutorials on line to get you started. And if you don't think you're crafty or artsy enough you can always order printables for a very low price off the net. It really is a fun way to add a splash of personality to your home. I simply LOVE my chalkboard!

My next project was my massive fire place mantel... it's wide and deep. 

As this is our first Christmas in our new home, 

I wasn't quite sure what to do with all that space. 

So, once again I took a gander at some very talented peeps posts 

on Pinterest and dove into my stash of 

Christmas goodies to see what I already had. 

"When, what should my Wandering Eyes Should appear? 

But,,," Tiny Trees, some reindeer, and oodles of candles... 

and my "Reindeer Forest" was born. 

I of course added a few new things to my already fun 

and quirky collection of critters,,, 

as I do every year, and Voilà!

What do you collect? Do you have a certain style? Colour theme? Do you have traditions? Do you bake? Travel? Volunteer? Tell me about your December... Or share your blog.
I'd love to hear all about it.

Here we go, "Walking in A Winter Wonderland"

Outdoor décor and crafting came next of course. Being the new kid on the block I didn't want to offend any of our new neighbours by copying their porch décor. So, what to do? I hatched a plan...  Thus, I began by collecting a large container, some florists blocks, wire, pruning sheers and then started gathering branches and greenery from my own back yard. I stuffed and fluffed some spruce, then wiggled and jiggled the branches, finally tied a big bow and plunked down some rather large Christmas decorations to complete my porchy décor. I'm quite proud of how it turned out, though I'm no Cynthia from next door (she's an Interior Decorator :D ).

 "Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree"
My second home made project was inspired by my daughter, who thought she didn't have enough room in her wee bedroom to have a small tree this year.

  As she has always had the largest bedroom in the house with
ample room for a full size tree. I felt rather badly that there was
something was missing from her room this year. It dawned on me that she DID have room,,, on her walls. I remembered something
that I had seen, on Pinterest of course, and I got busy.
I found some old necklaces, lace, ribbon, ornaments, scissors
and a large pin cushion frame. Working together with
my daughter we created a lovely tree to hang on the wall...
She loves it!

"It's Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas"!!

        Carols play and continue playing throughout the house throughout the month which continues to inspire me onward. I move onto decorating the 

tree and then help the kiddies (18 and 15) decorate their bedrooms. On top of that we make a 

batch of cookies and some fudge. YUM! 

"Rocking Around the Christmas Tree"

And here we are, there's not much left to do. Perhaps drink a little eggnog and attend a few parties, sign some cards and mail them away. I may even have time to do a bit of art,,, though I usually take a break from it to make time for the extra crafting and other seasonal activities. (Hopefully you'll come back in January when I get back to my canvas and art journals.)  Of course I'll finish up my Christmas shopping and finally wrap all those goodies for under the tree.

And that's a WRAP. hehe

"We Wish You a Merry Christmas,
We Wish You a Merry Christmas,
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
 and a Happy New Year"

See you in 2016

Exploding Doodles

Greetings Artsy friends. I'm so happy you've come. I hope you can stay a while, join me for a cup of tea/coffee and maybe an artsy chat. Lets get to know each other this year.
You can also connect with me on:

Facebook - Danine Mroz

Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio

Twitter - Sky @PrairieMroz

Pinterest - Danine Mroz

Holy Exploding Doodles Batman!!

I'm thrilled that so many people have joined the "Doodle" movement. Everywhere I look now I see Adult colouring books... Drug Stores, Book Stores, Craft Stores, Department Stores and Art Supply Stores are all carrying a large variety of doodle books. One of my favourite doodle artist has a few colouring books out. He goes by the name "Squidoodle" his work is that stunning... he can also be found on Instagram and Facebook under that name. Hint, Hint... they make great gifts and stocking stuffers. 

So, while colouring is a great way to de-stress and is a ton of fun, I would highly encourage you to give doodling a try for yourself. It's easy, relaxing, and very rewarding. Honest!  Remember the kid in school... the one who doodled all over every page and cover of their notebooks? You can be that kid. That kid didn't fret if their work was particularly good.  They were just passing time, making marks, zoning out, relaxing and having fun. And guess what? Research now shows that when a person doodles while listening to a presentation/lecture the information is retained at a higher level...

Tangles: Wist (left) C-Yeah (right)

Imagine that!  In fact some schools are now encouraging kids with ADHD to doodle. As an artist that thrills me. The other amazing side affect of doodling is increased hand-eye co-ordination and spacial awareness. Therefore all other work becomes better as well. Hip-Hip-Hooray!! 

You may be wondering where to begin... Well, wherever you are is always a good place. There are a ton of different types of doodles, from simple geometric patterns to large intricate designs. Of course we start at the artistic level that we currently are at. I have found Pinterest is one of the best places for step-by-step instructions on various doodle patterns. In fact, I have quite the collection of 'Zendoodle How To's' on my Pinterest site PrairieMroz. Simply choose 3 or more patterns, practice them and then create a "thread". From there you fill  in between the lines and your patterns comes together.

Another method that I have found is #1 - Draw a simple object using an "Elegant Writer" calligraphy

pen.  Give it it's basic characteristics and then draw lines within. #2 - Add water with a medium water colour paint brush and watch the magic happen. I love how the pens colours flow and bleed... let it move about the page. (Allow to dry). #3 - Colour with some watercolour crayons, such as "NeoColour", add water. (Dry) #4 - From there fill those spaces with your doodle patterns.
Some other objects you could draw to get you started; Owl, Bird, Cup, Cat, Dog, Star, House, Angel,,, anything that you can already draw basically. If you're stuck trace your hand. Most of all,,, remember to have fun.

I hope these quick tutorials help you along the way to a doodle/art practice.  At the very least, I encourage you to go grab a colouring book, some pencil crayons and a cup of  coffee then get busy making some art.
Thanks again for joining me.
You're beuatiful!

Horton Hears This Who

Hello friends, I'm so happy that you're here. I'm so blessed to have you in my life.

You can also connect with me on:

Facebook - Danine Mroz

Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio

Twitter - Sky @PrairieMroz

Pinterest - Danine Mroz

Hello Universe "I'm here, I'm here, I'm here"!
There was a time when I felt an awful lot like that little Who. Small and all alone, invisible to the world. But, one day something changed within me and I was finally able to find my Horton and I'll never feel small again.

So, What changed? Well,,, I did. I started to become self aware.
I made the conscience decision to "Let Go".  I let go of all the doubt, the negativity and all that was holding me back from achieving my dreams. This didn't happen over night and, in fact I'm still letting go of things to this day. The other big change was being "Grateful" for all things big and small.

I began to understand that by doing these two things "Letting Go" + "Gratitude" the Universe would recognize me.  With new found empty space, that was once clogged up by negative matter, the Universe could now fill it with shiny new things and I began to bloom.
A concept introduced to me in reading "The Secret".

When I made these changes I was finally able to find my Horton.  He came via the way of mixed media art, art journals and tangle art.  Thanks to the technical advances I have been able to use the tools at my fingertips to learn and grow. I've also been able to connect with people... Other "Whovians" if you will... and the Universe opened up to me.

Watercolour Shell Aug/15

Now a days I'm incredibly grateful when I learn new techniques and can share with all my fellow Whovians.  Recently I began playing with watercolour and at first I was a bit frustrated at it's unpredictability. But, now that is the thing that I enjoy about it the most. :D

I hope you've enjoyed our little chat. Please use the buttons below to share with your social media.
Cheers,
Danine

I'm BACK!!

OMG I can't believe it's been two years since my last post. Where does the time go?
I'm so very happy that you've found me. Please add me to your social media family and lets connect.
Instagram - Northern Gypsy @bees_knees_studio
Facebook - Danine Mroz
YouTube - Northern Gypsy

A lot has happened in those two years.  First, we moved half way across the country and relocated the family. I have to say, I feel as if we are all a lot happier. Secondly, I made the decision to make art a priority, and things are going beautifully. Thirdly, I began setting regular, achievable goals... short and long term. Yaa!

The move came due to some major restructuring at my husbands work which meant he would have to commute several provinces over. After a year and a half of commuting we finally made the leap and moved, hubby loves that his commute is now only 1 hours (6x per month) instead of a day. Our son is making great friends and fitting in very well at school. While our daughter made short work of finding work that suites her perfectly while she takes a year off from school. While I've been finding all I could possibly need and/or want right close to home. Happy family!

This year with regards to my art, I began doing some type of creating EVERY day, which I post to Instagram. I've also been trying filming some of my art journal practice for YouTube,,, which isn't as easy as it looks. I'll keep working on it and hopefully I'll  have a great channel before long.  The other major change that I have experienced this year has been making a conscience effort to connect with other artists locally and over the net. Instagram has been a fantastic source for making connections and ongoing inspirations.  I've been to a couple art conventions and taken few classes... and I love making artsy friends. :D While in Winnipeg, MB recently I met the fabulous ladies from "Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine" and learned a ton during the classes offered and through conversation osmosis. They put me in contact with an amazing local mixed media artist whom I already feel a connectedness to. There is so much talent out there and I always feel blessed when I'm included with these amazing people. I hope to  continue to make long lasting friends in the art community. Maybe with you.

Oh My... I almost forgot to mention.
One of the most incredible strokes of luck happened last week. I won an Instagram give away from Flora Bowley for an ongoing membership to her Studio Diaries. I highly suggest if you want to grow as an artist check out her programs and courses. There is a free sample month to the Studio Diaries on her site. Though I'm not here to advertise for her I will be reflecting on some of the themes, questions and exercises that I'm  doing from time to time.

Goals-- Short term; To make art my priority.
             Long term; To be published in an art magazine.

Going forward I want to continue to share my journey and work, inspire you to listen to your own muse, encourage you as an artist and above all else give you permission to play.

Question of the day... What goals are you currently working towards?