ADULT PLAYTIME

Sometimes I just have to get out some paints and experiment.  Last week the urge hit and before I stopped, I had tried three different methods of painting on 12X12 canvases.  I don't think any of these are masterpieces, but I was okay with the results and my limited abilities.

Being vulnerable with you, and not looking for praise or criticism, I'll show them to you in the hope of inspiring you to get out your crayons (or any other media you like) and play for a few hours and see what happens.  The trash is always an option, or you may decide to take a class.  I did have inspiration photos of really great art, but I am not going to even go there and put them beside my afternoon of playtime stuff.

Here's the first one and my favorite

I have seen a lot of very serene coastal art that was a bit vague and was attracted to it.  This is my version.

Here was the second one

I had seen a gorgeous painting with just a part of a boat in it and thought it was worth a shot.  I wasn't as pleased with this one, but this was my husband's favorite.

Here's the third piece

I had seen a crab done on pallet boards and loved it.  I did an hombre background and drew the crab on another piece of paper, then traced that onto the canvas and washed the paint into the outline.  I think I will antique this one with some walnut stain and see how that turns out.

LATER...

After the original post I did go back to playtime and added some shading to the crab.  Here is that result.  Which one do you like better?

My daughter called these studies--pieces done before the real piece to try techniques (in my case abilities) to see which are successful.  I call them playtime for an adult on a Friday afternoon.

Thanks for the visit.  Hope you enjoyed our time together!

 

Robin

 Linking Up With
Coastal Charm
Cedar Hill Ranch
Savvy Southern Style
No Minimalist Here
StoneGable
The Brambleberry Cottage
Common Ground 
Fresh Eggs Daily
French Country Cottage 
On Sutton Place 

COFFEE LOVE

Maybe you've noticed I've been missing in action around here lately.  I'm going to blame traveling and having a good time.  In a four-week period, I was out of town for three weeks!  Wahoo!  BUT, I was never far from thinking about you and what I wanted to show you.  So here's a story I am bursting to tell you.

We went to the island of Kauai, Hawaii and toured a 4,000,000 tree coffee farm, that's 4 million!  It is the largest coffee estate in the United States and covers 3,100 acres of paradise.  It was a self-guided tour (my favorite kind).

A pretty humble little building for such a huge operation, but so charming.  Before beginning the tour, there was a tasting room that had at least 30 coffees to sample for FREE!  I am in heaven at this point of the tour.  I LOVE COFFEE like most people love wine.  

Side Note:  The story goes that I was given coffee in a bottle as a baby (that's the way my family rolled).  Later when my son would order coffee in restaurants beginning around age 7,  people would act like he was ordering something illegal--they didn't realize he was starting late in life compared to his mother!  I got some very dirty looks from waitresses.  As an adult, he roasts his own coffee and does a mighty fine job of it!  We talk and drink coffee a lot in our family--gotta start them young to get those coffee taste buds developed properly.

Now, on with the tour....aaaaahhhhh, cue the birds chirping and the music playing, this is coffee heaven...

Even the sidewalk had coffee cups imprinted....love it!

Oh, those glorious coffee beans...
I thought the trees looked like schefflera plants, don't you?

Of course, the trees look so healthy...they get to grow in Hawaii!

All along the path there was signage explaining something about the coffee growing, harvesting, etc. process.

Some of the machinery...note quite as cute as the trees, but, hey, this gets those beans ready for my tummy!

This was where the beans are sorted.

I loved how neat and tidy this place was too.
Everything grows like wildfire in Hawaii so the process of weeding must be monumental!

Okay, now true confession.  I was so enthralled by all of the free coffee samples I could try, I forgot to take a picture of the tasting room.  Also, I drink decaf due to a medical condition, but I just took an extra pill this day and drank the good old caffeine--the decaf didn't come close in this situation.  I'm being good again now, but this experience was worth the caffeine!

Another side note:  I also went to the big island of Hawaii and their claim to fame in the coffee world is Kona coffee.   I have tried it many times and this time I just finally said I don't like it.  To me Kona is a very flat tasting coffee without much of a finish.  Kauai coffee rocks!

I hope you coffee lovers enjoyed this huge piece of paradise.  Hope you read this post with a steaming cup of your favorite jo!  Robin

Linking Up With

Coastal Charm

The Farmhouse Porch
Savvy Southern Style 
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BABIES

I was at Book Club last week and we had two new grand babies on the way!  It is always exciting to hear of a new little one on it's way and we all celebrated.  

Well, today is the day I get to announce not one, not two, but three new babies at our house and several more on their way!  The babies are kind of shy, but one really liked having pictures taken and posed for me.  Voila!

Isn't my grand bird just adorable?  He's very outgoing and allows close-up pictures and even let me walk around to get difference angled shots!  His brother and sister flew away and his Mom was very unhappy with me--she just swallowed her big, fat worm and told me off!  I understand a new mother's nervousness and left her alone.  Then, I grabbed my camera and went back to take pictures, of course, I did.

I wish the nursery had looked a little better for the babies, but this was a surprise delivery and none of us were prepared.  I'm sure my grandmother friends will do a better job awaiting their blessed little one's arrival!

HAVE A WONDERFUL, FUN-FILLED SUMMER!  Robin

Linking Up With:

Common Ground 

Sunny Simple Life
Homemaker on a Dime

FLOWER POWER

I need to rant just a little bit.  It has been a cold, as in record cold, Spring here in the midwest.  Again this week, the first days of May will see our temps going from the high 80s to a frost or a freeze!  Crazy stuff.

Last weekend, I had a chance to go to the local botanical garden here and was just giddy about all of the wonderful tulips.  It was flower-power in motion--my mood lifted from cloudy to sunny and I snapped some goodness to share with you.  The pictures will explain themselves, but don't be too surprised if I add a comment here and there anyway--I am a blogger!

 

 I know these aren't tulips, but gorgeous phlox

 Again, not tulips, but beautiful!

Yes, tulips and wonderful sculpture

Hope your mood is lifted and your spirits are brighter!  And Happy Birthday to my wonderful son, if you're reading this (my kids are a little camera shy or I would have added a picture.)

Thanks for stopping by, as always.

Robin

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UNIQUE HOME FEATURES

The Spring Parade of Homes was held in Wichita the past three weekends and I wanted to share some unique home features that I found.  I should note that the first weekend of the parade I toured the most expensive home on the tour and didn't find anything I wanted to share here.  I was ready for the house to be "jaw-dropping" gorgeous, but I found most of the features out of scale--even for a large home--and very dark heavy paints, finishes and furniture.  Just not my style, but most regular readers here wouldn't expect that style on this blog.  

Sooooo, now that you know my bias, let me show you what I did like.  The first three photos are of kitchens.

Notice the cooking area and look up.  I thought this cabinetry was stunning.  I hope that high cabinet had a light to showcase the space.  Ohhhh, how I would love that pot filler too!

This is another area above a cooktop.  I am looking to make a few updates in my own kitchen and this is a definite possibility.  I love the white cabinets and the sea-blue accents.  Not crazy about the black tile at all.  Everything else is more cottage-styled and the black tile looks too modern for my taste.  Any thoughts?

This is a bamboo farm sink!  This is definitely a first for me.  Not sure it would wear well; look at the next photo of the sink's interior...

The top arrow is a good-sized scratch and the bottom arrow is a spot of some type on a dry sink.  Also, how would you sanitize it?  I'm a practical cook and this might be great in a kitchen that isn't used much.  I cook most days and like a clean disinfected sink!

The next three photos are bathroom features.

I've seen nooks in showers, but I've never seen the shower head recessed.  I like this very much.  I might set here to shave my legs--out of the water stream.  Notice the other recess on the left-side of the photo for storing bath products.

Loved the barrel-vault, tiled ceiling and the matching picture-tiled inset.  There was no window in this shower, that is a reflection from the opposite wall.

I had not seen a picture-framed tile accent wall behind a tub before and thought it was a unique feature.

What do you think?  Would you incorporate any of these unique features in your home if you could?  I would especially like to know what you think of the bamboo kitchen sink and if you have one, how it is holding up to everyday wear.

Thanks for stopping by.  Hope you enjoyed the features. 

Robin

Liking Up With
Coastal Charm 
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