And the Winner is....

First of all, let me say how happy I was that so many of you participated in my giveaway. I must admit that I'm always nervous when I first post a giveaway, thinking: "What if nobody enters?" But you guys are great!! 

For the drawing, I thought it was very appropriate that I use my favorite little bowl that has a beautiful portrait... 

Janine, the painting is yours! Congratulations!! 

And for the rest of you, I have another giveaway starting on Monday. So, be sure to check back with me...

We had first a stormy and now a rainy Saturday afternoon. Perfect for reading, napping, a little crocheting, a bit of blogging, and maybe even some painting... and chocolate! :-)

Hope your Saturday is a good one!!

Of Lemons & Turtles

Daniel and I both love Moroccan food and one of the ingredients often is preserved lemon. It's super easy to make them and they do make those dishes taste wonderful!

The recipe I use is from the Arabesque cookbook. If you click here, it'll take you to an earlier blog post that tells you how to make them. Give it a try!

Before we left on our road trip, Daniel made chocolate covered turtles to give to all the friends we were going to be seeing - and one tin just for us... These delicious treats were somewhat time consuming to make (making the caramel took a long time of just stirring until the temperature was right). But, boy oh boy, were they worth it! (Click here for the recipe)

I am glad all of them are gone now because I couldn't stop tasting and eating them...

And then this morning I roughly (and very quickly) sketched out another little portrait. Truly little - I found this 4 x 6 inch cradled wood panel that hadn't been used yet. Can't have that, can we now?!

I had more planned for today's post, but this day is turning out way busier than I thought, so I'll save the rest for this weekend.

Wishing you a fantastic Friday!!

Maya - Finished Painting

I am so pleased with how this little painting turned out! So soft and somehow innocent.

Sweet Maya, the girl who loves butterflies (she's a little like me in that respect).  And butterflies love her. Seeing them always makes her happy, lifts her spirit, gives her wings!

She'll grow up to be a strong, kind and loving woman!

Maya
Acrylic painting on 6 x 8 inch canvas board

SOLD! Thank you so much!! 

Tomorrow, I'll have a little mix of things for you ~ some of it food-related, which is always good in my opinion. In the meantime, be sure to enter my giveaway if you haven't done so already. 

Wishing you a beautiful day!! 

Wordless Wednesday - A Day at the National Zoo

All photo credits go to Daniel! It was a wonderful day!!

(I guess this is almost Wordless Wednesday...)

A little face...

So, I had a different photo all picked out to participate in Wordless Wednesday when I realized it's only Tuesday. It's been a busy day... 

Still, this afternoon I painted a little bit on this sweet face. I was fretting over how the eyes aren't quite symmetrical, when I remembered that neither are mine... In fact I think most faces are a little uneven. Hopefully I'll get her painted "in color" tomorrow.

This morning I was quite busy trying to create new banners for my two Etsy shops. I am not well versed in Photoshop, which I used for this, but I think they are good enough to last until Daniel can help me create new ones this summer.

If you haven't yet, be sure to enter my giveaway (if you like the painting, that is), even if you have entered and won a giveaway before. There really are no restrictions! The more the merrier... To enter just click on the photo in my right sidebar.

Wishing you a wonderful Tuesday evening! I'll be back tomorrow with more photos from our recent road trip!

Giveaway No. 1 ~~ Sophia

Do you remember this pretty girl (click here for the original post about her)? Well, I've decided it's time for a few giveaways and she will be the first.

Sophia
Acrylic painting on 6 x 8 inch canvas board

To enter is easy peasy:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. If you are a follower, let me know and you get an extra entry.
3. If you somehow link to this giveaway, let me know and I give you yet another entry.

You have until noon Saturday, March 31 (Eastern Standard Time) to enter.

I am so grateful for you all and that's just one small way to say Thank You!!

P.S. If you are not able to leave a comment (there always seem to be problems with that), just e-mail me and I'll enter you.

Museum Inspiration

After we left Washington, DC, we visited our friend Sheila who took us to the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore.

What a place ~~ pure inspiration and so much fun!!

While we were not allowed to take any photos on the inside (you can click here to see more of their collections), the outside of the museum was equally captivating.

I thought you might enjoy some of the art and the museum itself!

Love this picture of the two of us! 

An artist is hatched...

Before I continue with some more photos from our road trip, we'll have a giveaway that starts tomorrow.

So, be sure to come back to visit!!

Cherry Blossoms

We took so many photos on our road trip, that I didn't quite know where to start showing you. So, I thought I'd begin with what was most stunning to me. The cherry blossoms!

I had heard about them, even seen pictures and have to admit, I didn't really see what the big deal was. However, seeing that many cherry trees in bloom at once, framing some of Washington's most beautiful scenery ~~ it was breathtaking! (Click here to read more about the history of Washington's cherry trees.)

Neither Daniel nor I had ever seen this before. Daniel's sister, Sue (whom we met up with in Washington), saw them many years ago and remembered them to be more pink. This time around, they were mostly white with just a tinge of pink.

This year was the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival and the path around the tidal basin was packed! Although not as much as I had thought since the cherries are blooming quite a bit earlier due to the warm spring we've had on the East Coast.

Of course, we did see and do much more and I have more to share with you. And not just in Washington. But all in due time...

Today, we have some good friends coming in from Ohio. They are on their way to Florida and are stopping for one evening here to see Savannah.

We are supposed to have storms and rain all afternoon, but I hope it'll let up enough for them to see our beautiful little town.

Tomorrow, I'll share some photos with you that will feed your imagination and creativity...

Wishing you a Happy Saturday!!