I Can't Stop, And I Won't Stop!

Hello, my little chocolate chip pancakes!

Happy May Day

Tucker with my mom's dog, Bentley

to you! I can't believe it is already May, this year seems to be flying by. Our little Tucker man will be two this month and this mama is a little sad about that. He is no longer my little baby and he is now a full-fledged toddler. He is curious, sweet, and stubborn. He is getting more adventurous everyday and while it is hard for me to see him grow up so fast, I know he needs to differentiate from his Mama (sorry for the therapist-speak, just finished taking Human Growth and Development, so its fresh on my mind!).

So, I have to admit something, just get it off my chest. I have an addiction...to buying art supplies. Guys, its bad. I never spend a ton of money and I ALWAYS use coupons, but it seems like I get one new thing every week. I am really working on reigning that in though. Is there like a support group for this kind of thing? I don't think I am alone in this! Please, tell me I am not alone!

Okay, so I whenever I need a little art journal inspiration I tend to peruse Pinterest (not that I need a reason to go on there!). I keep seeing a lot of Jane Davenport's girls and faces on there and I really love her work. I was at JoAnn's the other day and I picked up her book, Beautiful Faces for 40% off and I am so glad I purchased it! I love that she talks about the different supplies she uses in the beginning of the book. She also does an amazing job of breaking down the face-drawing process into small, do-able steps, which I appreciate as a beginning artist. I am about halfway through the book now and I thought I would share the faces I have done so far. The girl with the blue hair was my first attempt and she is ok, although I notice that the right side of her jawbone is small compared to the left. The other girl, who I think looks a bit like the little mermaid, is my second attempt. I feel like I never got the shading quite right on her, but I am still learning! I do love the way her hair and eyes came out though. I need to work on not being so critical of my work...

My mom also has taken up art journaling recently and asked me if I wanted to take a class with her at her local scrapbooking store this month, so I said of course! I have never taken a class in any type of art or crafts so it will be interesting. I am also getting a large Dylusions journal out of it so that is cool. The store where the class will be held is amazing. They have every kind of stamp you could ever want. The downside (for me anyway) is that the prices are pretty steep. I understand that they are a local business, but I just can't pay $22 for a stamp set when I know I can get it on Amazon for $10. This lady is on a budget! The picture to the left is a new stamp I bought when I was signing up for the class. She was $7 and I just couldn't say no. I did look at the price on amazon and it was not much cheaper, so that is good.  If you want to get this stamp on amazon, click here.
I colored her with copics, spectrum noir and tombow markers and cut her out and put her on a mother's day card for my grandma. I think she will love it!

Well, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and enjoy some sunshine if you have it in your neck of the woods!

XO, Alicia