kitchen table makeover!

I'm finally getting around to it. Gotta paint that ol' kitchen table some time. Here is a sneak peak to entice you to read more.

To see the the rest go to my dwellings page!

Trick or treat smell my feet!

Welcome back to the work week, y'all!!
Today I've invited a few moms over to make Halloween cards for our friends and family. So spoiler alert if you are a friend or family member!!

We are going to use:

Sponge brushes
Plastic disposable plates
Water
Silver paint- acrylic
White paint- acrylic
Metallic silver gel pin, maybe white too
Black 9x12 construction paper (I've already cut mine into a square shape)
Scissors
Paper towels
Babies feetsies

no babies were harmed in the act of stamping

I'm going to try to use his foot as the body of a bat - silver paint
My back up plan it to use his foot shape as a white ghost

I plan to write boo and or trick or treat smell my feet

Strategy I've used in the past for getting a good foot print:
Having another person help!
So I paint the foot rather than sticking his foot in the paint.
I paint foot, have paper ready, press from heel to toes. You have go to push those toes down at the end bc their instinct is to curl their toes. Emily did the straight down, whole foot technique and had better results. Some experimenting may help so cut some extra paper.
Have the card turned in the direction you like.
For example: we had the fold of our card faced towards us so that baby's heel was already in the correct position.

RESULTS:

 

And here's what went down the rest of the time :)

The Getty: Prepare to be impressed

So as babies will do, Tac kinda stole the show as far as memorable moments at The Getty go--more on that later.
So my sweet husband planned this adventure to get his artist wife to go to a museum--finally in LA. I have been planning weekends for the family full of outdoor, father-son, bonding opportunities bc well bc Tyler stays inside all day and comes home after Tac has hit the sack, then stays up alll night studying, then wakes up before the sun to begin again!- yuck! pretty sure that is a run-on sentence which is perfectly fitting, actually.

OK so The Getty.
I told a few folks we were going and they suggested the grounds and gardens as a main attraction. BOY, OHH, BOY. please keep in mind that one man one man amassed this collection of art and then basically constructed a beautiful architectural masterpiece to enshrine his private collection.
This place has its own street and exit of the 405. Once you get to the grounds from the interstate you park in an underground garage, take elevators to the tram level, and board a tram which carries you up the mountain. DID I MENTION YOU PAY FOR NOTHING EXCEPT $15 PARKING. Can you even begin to imagine leaving this kind of legacy? Me neither.

So now you have exited the Tram and boom beautiful rough stone architecture, polished stone walking surfaces, modern fountains (tac mistook for splash park material), beautiful landscaping, amidst magnificent sculptures. You probably think I am exaggerating. Guess what tours run throughout the day and all you have to do is show up and receive an ear piece/radio set and follow your guide.
There is also a family center- we did not make it there on our first visit.
Use your map people, bc there are several separate buildings categorized by the era of art living there. the rest is open outdoor space with more sculptures, fountains, eating areas, and VIEWS!........
Just like these:

 

And finally, some examples of the beautiful works to be found inside The Getty:

VAN GOGH , IRISES 1889

Cézanne, STILL LIFE:APPLES

Cézanne, YOUNG ITALIAN WOMAN...CEZANNE

Monet, ROUEN CATHEDRAL

Monet, WHEATSTACKS, SNOW EFFECT, MORNING 1891

J.J.-XAVIER Bidauld , VIEW OF THE BRIDGE AND...

J.B. Perronneau , PORTRAIT OF MAGDALEINE PINCELOUP DE LA GRANGE

Jean-Étienne Liotard, MARIA FREDERIKE

THIS IS THE LARGEST PASTEL I HAVE EVER SEEN! Maurice-Quentin de La Tour
LOOK AT THE DETAIL OF THE LACE SLEEVES! WITH PASTELS!! 

DEGAS, PASTEL

MORE YOU ASK: http://www.getty.edu/index.html

And now for the memory that took the cake. Tac pushing his stroller- he is just learning how to walk mind you.

Looking forward

In the works:
On baby, I love you page- Halloween cards. Here's a hint: trick or treat smell my feet!
On inspiration page- images I'm stealing fabric designs from!
On free art lessons page- yes! You guessed it! Some lessons. Also, I'm looking into creating some lesson videos. When I was teaching I was searching google non-stop for new lesson ideas and videos I could show my students! Youtube is an awesome resource-----assuming your school network doesn't block the entire site. Kiddos love online video tutorials-- way more than they loved the real thing (me) drawing or painting live in front of them!! Middle-schoolers......hey! Whatever works, right?!
Right now, on cravings I'm adding pics of the healthy fruit muffin recipe I posted. Fruit of choice - peaches!
You shall see that although I am a Martha Stewart wannabe, I am not a perfectionist and I like things simple! So my batter drips, I eat half of it before it makes it in the pan.....etc.
Surely, this is relatable right?!

What's in a name?

Meanwhile-----technical difficulties and such--
Let's come up with a new name for this blog. I mean I get it, artworks and art it works. I just feel that it is time to both expand content and the self. In doing so, we must start.....with the name.
Let's get organized too while we're at it- shall we?
Organization and brainstorming go hand in hand. Unless of course, you're the opposite and your ideas birth from chaos....or when you're driving, or showering....whatever works!
Hey what a great blog name--whateverworks. Well ok then. Done. And. Done./ just getting started.

Next: organize content into separate pages. Sidebar-- wait! That's a good name too. But who would it attract?! Double Sidebar- I want seperate to be spelled like that instead.

Clearly I'm going to struggle to find a new name. It's hard to come up with a short descriptor for my whole life! Whateverworks is not THE new name...no. not it.

What would the changing of my blog to whateverworks say about my personal evolution? I was going to say progression but decided not to set myself up with that description. Evolution: artworks to whateverworks...?
I think it says, I've been a middle school art teacher, married, and given birth and when I say whatever works I really, genuinely am saying (yes, even to you Miley Cyrus) whatever you need to do (unless it hurts someone else) you go on and get through it. Compassion- that's what I'm saying. But still, I don't think it's the right name.

So categories for the content of this blog--Also know as pages.
Artworks
Inspired
Dwellings
Baby, I love you
Cravings
Art lessons--free


Really, what am I going to call this thing?



I AM HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE THE NEW NAME! 
it's not revamptramp which came in at close second and was sadly already being used (kidding,here).

We decided to go with la-tee-dah
La is obviously for me- Lauren- . My code name is lala after all. Tee for my husband and son--Tyler and Tac. And dahhhh, well I guess that goes with my business name Tada!

And, I believe it represents what I like to do, which is to spruce things up!

So la-tee-dah it is. 

ODE to centsational girl!

Thank you censtsational girl after many years of wanting to paint furniture I have finally started DOING it! We moved to Pasadena and we are on a budget BIG TIME! SO with the help from the Afore mentioned blog I found on pinterest I have begun painting and refinishing.. I hate it and I LOVE it.

I love putting new living spaces together. At night when Tac is asleep and I have fed everyone I try to think of how to convince people to let me work on their living spaces for $$$.

here are some terrible before and after pictures.

Ok, technical difficulties with uploading pictures from my iPad...what the what?