2021 Is Keeping A Heck Of A Pace!

Well, so far 2021 has been SUPER exciting on all accounts!  The day after the Capital Riots, this little Sugar Muffin came into the world.  May I introduce our first Grandchild, Miss Lucy Rose Hernandez.

We're hoping to visit soon, but with the pandemic and such, we don't want to take any chances with her or Alyssa's health.  Look at her little bear Snuggie and matching mittens!  So sweet!  Couldn't you just snuggle her for hours?! I swear, I can smell that baby smell from here.

Carmen's' birthday was just before that, on the 3rd.  I did this paint pour for her.  I felt like it was my first success in awhile.  The paint fluidity on these things is really tricky.

I also decided to refurbish our old end and coffee tables.  We bought these in '01?  The tops are laminated wood and did NOT hold up to 4 kids.  Rather than spend hundreds on new wood tops, I decided to just paint.  This is before.

And, after.  First, I scrubbed them down with Simple Green, then lightly sanded them.  Painted a coat of Sherwin Williams Super Primer, then it took 3 coats of "Breathe" paint.  Green little pumpkin knobs to top it off.  The screws didn't quite fit, so I decided to 'make things easy' by buying shorter ones.  3 trips later to ACE for screws...  I finally got the right size.  Thank God, ACE is right down the street.  The jury is still out on wether or not the paint will last on the laminate.  Paint technology has come a LONG way but I don't know that I trust it. 

LOL, the yoga mat.  I'm still hopeful that I'll use it again...

Then Melissa moved out with 3 days notice and the great room rehab started.  Which led to my office/ studio getting a once over.  We removed the bed and my cutting table came out from behind the doors.  SO MUCH more useful now!  The cute pendant lights were a Christmas present.

The books are now behind the doors and I got my spool bunting hung.

Home office section basically stayed the same.  The overhead lighting makes a huge difference while I'm on the computer or at the cutting table.  SO HAPPY to have them.

The big screen is awesome to watch painting tutorials on while I follow along!

Having a more open studio was like opening the flood gates for creativity.  Painting also helped get my mind off the fact that my youngest was moving out, I'd just become a Grandma but can't visit and the DC craziness that was blowing my mind.  That's a lot to fit in to 2 weeks...

The paint pouring was really frustrating me, so I gave expressionism another shot.  I was pretty happy with my first attempt in about a year.  Elle Byers posted 30 lessons in 30 days last year on YouTube that I plan to get through.  C. Brooke Ring has some great stuff posted as well.  She has a really dreamy color palette.

This is an original of mine.  It's giving me strong United Colors of Benetton vibes.  You can take the girl out of the 80's but you can't take the 80's out of the girl.   I saw a Benetton in Ireland and REALLY wanted to check it out for old times sake but didn't want to drag the kids through it.  Maybe next time.

This isn't exactly what I envisioned but, it's close.  Not sure what's wrong with it, maybe it's finished, maybe it isn't.  Perhaps the silver x is too bold.  I don't know.  Didn't mean for it to be a pastel Jamaican flag, but that's what I got.

Then, Melissa asked for a landscape for her new apartment.  I couldn't decide on dawn or twilight.

So, I did both.  Fairly pedestrian, but I'm proud of them.  I tried a landscape right before the lock down last year that was so bad, I basically quit painting.

And, the excitement doesn't stop there!  Bethany swung by on the way back from HER birthday weekend trip to announce her engagement!  We're so, super excited!  I can't wait to help with the wedding planning.  

That's still not all that I've been up to!  No moss growing on me this month!  I'll share the renovation on Melissa's old room next time.  Until then, take care of yourselves.