Coles' Adventure and the case of the Rogue House Sitter

Cole in the Garden

It had been a while since I travelled, like most people Covid had us locked down and to be frank the staying at home appealed to the hermit tendencies within me. 

Getting a House Sitter

I had decided to get a house sitter, (someone who looks after your pet and home while you are away), deciding that I wanted Cole to stay at home and not leave the house empty. Travelling and arriving at my sisters seemed very surreal by the time I got there, as it was my birthday and two days later would be mums funeral. 

I had spent the previous week getting my place ready for a house sitter, and  he arrived 2 days before I was due to leave so I showed him round Barbados and helped him settle in and get comfortable with Cole, who got on with him from the word go, only to have him walk out on the day of my departure saying that Cole had barred his teeth at him, and he couldn't continue. 

He had also listed a range of other things that previous hosts had provided that I wasn't, such as use of a car, air-conditioned room, and sleeping in the master bedroom!  I couldn't believe he was walking out as he knew before he came what was to be included and Cole had been treating him like a member of the family from the time he arrived and was very comfortable with him.

Cole loves his belly rubbed

Cole's favorite toy

I was an emotional mess, to be told that he was leaving on the day of my departure, a few hours before my flight took off, leaving me to scramble around to find a kennel.  I went into automatic mode knowing I had to keep it together.  I managed to change my flight for the following day and found the last boarding space at the RSPCA.  I used Seans Pet Transportation and was very impressed at his calmness and he was able to get Cole in a transport cage backwards!  Cole was confused, suddenly he was being put on a lorry by a stranger wondering where the stranger he had just let in his home a shared his toys with went.

In the waiting room

It was traumatic at the RSPCA as well, after I got him checked in to lead him back with all the barking dogs scrambling at their cages on either side of the walkway, it felt like a prison.

Cole's home at the kennels

He walked into his cage in a daze, the cold hard metal floors, the noise, no comforts from home and the only food for 30 days would be a daily dose of hard kibble.  I was so upset leaving him and eventually made my way home.  This wasn't supposed to happen, Cole should have been frolicking in the garden eating the food I spent 4 days preparing in advance, having his treats and daily banana, and sleeping in his padded warm bed with the sounds of the singing frogs and the crickets melodiously in the background.

Cole and art appreciation

It is funny, I didn't realize how much I liked dogs until my son brought him home as a month-old puppy. He has been a constant companion hanging out in my studio or when I am in the garden, and he also is great at reminding me when I have spent too much time in front of the computer screen.

Skin and bones 

While he was at the kennels it seemed like he didn't eat, you could see his ribs and his spine, he came back half the size he left. He smelt awful and had some sores on parts of his feet and elbows and it was like he had been in a war, and since he has come home, I have just been spending time trying to get him back to health.

Cole On the mend

I am not sure I would be able to trust another stranger to housesit for me again, it was one of the worst experiences that I had been through.  Despite being an older traveler and having references a list reviews, they were just words, and he wasn't in the right frame of mind to look after Cole or have the experience claimed.

For now, Cole is on the mend, he is enjoying being back home and settling into his routines, yet I wonder sometimes when he looks at me if he remembers his experience. 

Have you had an experience from a house sitter or put your pet into boarding while you were away?

Ultimate Blog Challenge - Last Day of 30 Days!!

 

The 30 Day Ultimate Blog Challenge has come to an end with this being the last post. It has been great being part of the challenge, I did it alongside the current 100 Days of Foam Stamps challenge that you can see the daily or weekly stamps.

What I Learned From the Blog Challenge

Pace - I think that I learn to pace myself better, half way through the challenge I became stuck, I had wanted to plan my posts ahead of time but things got in the way and there were quite a few days where I had decided that I didn't want to do it any more.  

Self Care - After taking a week off I decided that I would just show up and share what I was doing at the time and if any other gems of inspiration came forth that would also be shared. - I have linked to other interesting posts for the days that I missed.

Meeting other Bloggers - I was glad I decided to go for it again and came out the other end having connected with some other interesting and inspiring bloggers, there was so much to learn from others and I will be spending time going over some of the posts that I didn't get a chance to read over the 30 days.

Celebrate Each Step - The other thing I learnt was to celebrate each and every step, writing blog posts can become overwhelming and when you celebrate the steps that you have taken you encourage yourself even more.

I Missed blogging - I also realized how much I missed blogging, I had let my posts generally slip, posting sporadically, and after the challenge I will be posting on a more regular basis about some of the creative projects I am really looking forward to it!

You can catch the rest of the Ultimate Blog Challenge posts that I did HERE

In conclusion - Overall, taking part in the challenge and sharing all my posts reminded me that I love creating, and sharing what I have been doing, teaching techniques and connecting with others.  I hope you have enjoyed visiting my blog and I hope you come back and see what other things I will be sharing over the course of the week.

Do come and join me on some of my other channels

Let me know what has inspired you on your visit to the blog and if you have been tempted to do a challenge of your own.  

Stay Blessed and Be a Blessing,

Amandax

Art in Barbados, Experimenting with Art

Cover by Lilian Sten-Nicholson

APRIL 2022 issue of the BARBADOS VISUAL ARTS MAGAZINE 

Free Online magazine

Every month Artist and Publisher Corrie Scott produces a online publication of all the art and creative events taking place in Barbados. It is packed with information about current Visual Art events happening around Barbados and by Barbadian artists further around the globe.  It normally comes out on the 1st of the month.

I have always found it a valuable resource to have and keeps you abreast of what is going on in the island.  Check it out HERE

Click on the link or the image to take you to the listings, so you can see all the amazing events that have been organized this month, with some of the events happening online. 

Experimenting Styles

I have continued to experiment in the studio in my art journal with the Neurographic Art, allowing myself to continue to be inspired.  Every image I create whether it is a portrait or an abstract scene, seems to call out for the essence of Neurographica.  I am continuing to be guided to see how it impacts on my style or adds to the stories being told.

Foam Stamps Art

This week I also shared my painting for the week from the foam stamps that I had created last week, I love this stage of their development where, you can see the video of the page creation below. 

If you would like to see the stamps daily you can check out my Instagram HERE

You can check out the supplies used to create the paintings and foam stamps HERE

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I am also taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and you can check out the posts HERE

Day 17

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Mixed Media Art Courses to Check out

SALE - Enjoy $10 OFF all courses until 30th April Click on the image to see the course.

Use the Code at the checkout - create2

Handmade Foam Stamps - Week 7, Challenges and More!

 

Here is the latest video which shows the most recent stamps created.  I am also now at the half way mark for the 100 Day Project, of 100 Handmade Foam Stamps.  

One of the reason I started to create my own stamps was the price of stamps and the lack of variety of the kind that I like, and having the stamp I needed for what ever project I was working on.  I kept seeing designs in my head and after practicing a few different techniques found a style that helped me create the stamps that I wanted to bring forth.

50 Stamps 

Here are the first 50 stamps, they have been organized, had a foamboard backing and image printed for easy identification.  I am on the home stretch with 50 more to go for the challenge.  I have probably sketched just a bit over 100 and there is inspiration all around when it comes to creating designs.

1-25

26 - 50

If you would like to see the stamps daily you can check out my Instagram HERE

You can check out the supplies used to create the paintings and foam stamps HERE

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I am also taking part in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and you can check out the posts HERE

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Mixed Media Art Courses to Check out

SALE - Enjoy $10 OFF all courses until 30th April Click on the image to see the course.

Use the Code at the checkout - create2

Arts and Wellness Café - The Pursuit of Growth

 

Welcome to the Arts and Wellness Café for the month of April where the theme is Growth and Peace. What areas of your life are you looking to make a change and what things have you put in place in order for you to get the results that you are looking for? I have found that when I organize my day to day schedule I achieve a lot more. I have over time learnt that I like both online and paper based planning, and coming up with a system which works well for me. Anything you go for will take time to be established in your work, but

I also share some art - mixed media paintings and textile work, share 'Tip for the week' where we consider how things would turn out if we wrote down our goals and in 'Quick Question' we look at the important creative lessons we have learnt, and there is more. I have put the time stamp for the sections for easy access. Let me know what goals you are working on in your creative practice and a lesson that you have learnt.

I have continued to explore a drawing style - inspired originally by Neurographic Art - you can check out my video below

I have since created more and find it such a therapeutic way of creating and worked on a painting that you will see in the video called Voyage

There is something about creating the line that has drawn me to adding this to my paintings, I love the effect you get.  I always encourage people to explore and experiment, try out different styles to see what you like and just go for it.

If you get a chance, check out the book by Brian Tracey - Eat That Frog, to look at way to organise yourself and you work.

Art Courses

All course have $10 OFF until the end of April when you use the coupon code create2 - HERE

Day 2

It is Day 2 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge you can check out the other posts in the tab at the top of the page or HERE

100 Day Project

You can catch the weekly videos of the stamps used each week HERE

Art Journal Page - Background Bonus No 5

Blessings for you and yours, welcome to the 31 Art Journal Series backgrounds bonus.  This is the last day of the 31 Art Journals.  I hope that you have managed to see something that has pricked your interest in creating your own art journal..

Over the month you have been shown a series of art journals made from different materials, and 31 different tips to encourage you to work in your art journal.  On top of that you have also been shown a series of background videos to give you additional tips to creating backgrounds.

When you think about all the Art Journal tips, decide which ones you already incorporate into your journal practice and which ones you can start if you need to, you don't have to do them all at once it can be done over a period of time.

Check out today's background video to see how you can create those backgrounds using a few simple materials, and as you look back over the posts it will give you a great place to start.  If you need to check out the 31 Art Journals you can go HERE

The Video

Here is another easy way in which you can create your own background pages. Just add color and play with your supplies on the page and before you know it you have a great surface to work on further.  Enjoy!

31 Art Journals - No 30 & 31

Art Journal no 30

These are great little journals that you can focus on doing specific things in or use it as a normal journal.

Art Journal No 31

This is a lovely journal made from fabric with fabric pages, and can be painted or stitched.  In the videos I show you the pages and how I have used the journals.

Remember that Hacking the Color Wheel begins tomorrow!

Hope to see you there, remember to start thinking about the different types of journals that you can create.  Stay blessed and be a blessing.

31 Art Journals No: 26 & 27 - PLUS Hacking the Color Wheel Countdown

Oh my goodness, the Hacking the Color Wheel class starts in a couple of days, really excited to be teaching.  We are counting down and the lesson starts on 5th November, so remember to sign up.  I am giving away quite a number of bonuses when you use my link HERE

Looking forward to seeing you on the course.

The Art Journals Videos

Take a look at the videos to see how they were made and inspiration behind the pages.

No 26

This Art Journal was made from a course that I taught on called The Journey Within and this is where I put some of the work that I did.

No 27

This is another example of creating a journal out of some of the things you may have around you.  I had an old bank book and decided to make use of it.  The pages were quite thick but I stuck them together and it leaves you with quite a sturdy page.

What is the most unusual thing that you have made an art journal out of?

31 Art Journals - No 28 & 29

Only a couple of days left for the remainder of the journals that I am sharing with you as part of the series.  I have so many more that I have lovingly spent time on that will have to wait for another time.

In the meantime, I have two journals that I want to pass your way as I try and keep to my promise of getting them all out to you before the end of the week.  

Journal 28

This is a journal in progress, and is how a lot of them start out.  When you are creating your journal you don't always have to have all the pieces or do everything at once, but each stage can be a meditative process.

Journal 29

This art journal is from the One BadAss Art Journal class that I taught on earlier during the year.  It was fun to teach as well as be inspired by the other teachers on the course.

Take a look at the videos to see the inspiration behind the pages and what they mean to me.  I hope you are motivated to add something that you may have seen in your own process.

Remember that Hacking the Color Wheel starts on Sunday and you can sign up HERE

Stay blessed and be a blessing.

31 Art Journals - No 24 & 25 Recycled Materials

Welcome to the series of 31 Art Journals.  For the next few days you are in for a treat and will be seeing two journals each day as we make our way through the rest of the art journals. definitely been a pleasure sharing and talking about the Art Journals, and so surprising how quickly time flies when your having fun.

This journal as with the art journal I showed you HERE is made from toilet roll tubes and card.  I have made lots of tags so that I can add journaling and there are also encouraging words placed throughout the journal as a reminder.

These two journals are made from recycled materials

and it is important that we start looking at the things that we have around us in a different way.  As creatives we can turn what some might consider trash into treasure, and I challenge you to think about how you can use recycled materials in a creative way.

This art journal was created out of a class with Jane Davenport called Frolicaholic and is also filled with encouraging questions and looks at encouraging you to see the gift that lays within.

How do you deal with your critic, what strategies do you use when you are in a 'flunk' and need to motivate yourself to get on with it?

Take a look at both the videos for these journals to see the pages and get an idea how each spread was developed.

Stay blessed and be a blessing, looking forward to hearing about your creative adventures!

31 Art Journals No 23 - Recycled Project

The Video

Welcome to Art Journal no 23, as part of the 31 Art Journal Series.  I am so pleased that you can join me in the last week of journals, I have 8 left to share with you that I will spread over the next week, each different in its own way and each created with love and more!

I really love this Art Journal that is made with recycled materials and has so many different elements to it to lift and encourage you.

I posted a while back just how the journal was made and you can see the post HERE

I love everything about this journal, it has so much yummy texture in it

I created lots of tags so that I can journal on them and each page has an encouraging word and sentiment on it.

There is so much that you can do with these recycled projects, and they are kind on the environment too!

Why don't you try one, you can start off small, check out the instructions on how to make them HERE and make sure you leave a comment.  I would love to see what you come up with.  Check out the video above to see all the pages.  Stay blessed and be a blessing!

31 Art Journals - No 22 - Brave Journal

Welcome to 31 Art Journals and Art Journal 22

Here is another one created from a children's book that has been up-cycled.  It is a hard back book which is great when you are adding embellishments and collage to the pages.

It was one that I created as part of the Brave Girls Club course that I did and it looks at providing us with encouragement.  It also serves as a pick me up when you stray from your positive self.

It is important that you have a journal that you can encourage yourself in and show up for yourself on a daily basis, and I think we also need to deal with the difficult areas that we often try and ignore as we solve the problems of others.

Think about what it is you really want in your life and where you want to go, where your gifts lay and how you can nurture yourself and in turn others

I really enjoyed creating this mini journal and you can make them any time and highlight different areas of your life.  What has been your favorite Art Journal from the series?

I want to remind you that I have a space to give away on the Hacking the Color Wheel Series 2 where I will be teaching.  There is an amazing line up of teachers!.  I have a great session for you to do, all you need to do for a chance to win a spot is to leave a comment on one of the art journal videos.  You can also sign up to the mailing list to receive information on courses, classes, free giveaways and more.

For more information click HERE