New Year, New Ideas

Welcome, 2013! The vacation has been really relaxing and while I wish it could go on for a couple more weeks, the end of vacation only mark the beginning of something else. I jumped in the new year in the company of my husband and some very good friends and their little baby girl. It was nice to be among people I care about to welcome a year that I hope will be filled with positive energy and creativity.

Can you feel the celebrations?

Now, I have a rested head, renewed energy, and of course, a ton of hobby ideas!! One of the things I really want to develop is more experience/ understanding on how to crochet pieces of clothes. So during vacation, I crocheted my very first cardigan ever! I made it for my friends' baby. While it's not as big on her as I had anticipated (and so won't fit her as long as I wanted),  I am very satisfied with how it turned out. :)

First cardigan ever. I had fun making it! 

The other big hobby thing on my mind is to get going again with painting. I have not painted as much as I wanted to in 2012. But you guys won't believe what I received for Christmas from my wonderful husband... 

I received........ Every shade of green!

My Every Shade of Green

I can't wait to use my new colours. I already know which canvas I will start with!

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy year 2013, and i want to say thank you for reading these little pieces of my life.  :)

What are YOUR resolutions for the new year? 

My first watercolors

I like to try nearly everything that is related to arts and crafts. Some things I try once or twice, and then let go... and some other things I take up again every now and then. The mediums that came back the most often for me are probably acrylics, drawing pencils and polymer clay.

However, watercolors also recently entered my life, and I tend to believe it will remain in my favorite box for a good while, along with the 3 I mentionned above.

I, of course, heard about watercolors before, but for some reason always stayed away from them. I was never that attracted to the results I saw, and it seemed rather difficult to manage and control. I like vibrant, slightly unrealistic colors, for one thing, and watercolors didn't seem to allow this sort of color expression.

I was wrong.

I decided to explore the medium a few months ago and though I felt very clumsy with it, I was surprised to find out that I actually liked the feel of it. I tried a few techniques and I liked the way colors mix together and the role water plays in the creation. I discovered a whole new way to put my abstracts together.

And then I was lucky. I received a watercolor kit as present (thanks mom and dad!), and I only very recently got to try it. Here are my two first "real" creations with watercolors.

This one with the trees started as an abstract background.  I was experimenting with mixing and using water to play with the colors on paper. The lines and shapes it created made me think of trees... so I continued from there. I do often use vibrant colors in my creations. I find it gives them a hint of fantasy and a tone of deep happiness and warmth.

This next one was also an exploration of colors and water mixing directly on paper. The abstract result reminds me of a dense forest leading to a source of light, or opening into a warmer place.

What do you see in this abstract watercolor painting?

:)