Happy Little Clouds

As you know - I pretty much didn't have TV from Nixon to MTV. If you don't know this story, you can read it here.

When we did get TV, I had a lot of catching up to do. I didn't see any shows during their time, which is maybe why now I still watch shows (like Breaking Bad) a year or two after everyone else does. It's normal to me.

But one of the shows I watched a LOT of after we got our TV back was Bob Ross' painting show.

Oh how I loved him.

He was so relaxed, so approachable. He honest to goodness made me believe I could paint realistic mountains and trees and rivers, even though I had never, at that young age, picked up a paintbrush. Odd to be riveted to a DIY show for a hobby I'd never done, but I was.

I love how everything about him was positive. Despite my dark Irish sense of humor and my taste in somewhat depressing literature, I'm a bit of a Pollyanna, which I attribute to being the youngest child. I much prefer laughing to crying, unless I'm crying because I'm laughing so hard, in which case I prefer both laughing and crying.

I also don't believe art is a mystery or reserved for people upon whom have been bestowed some special charm by our creator. I believe art is for everyone and that people who are art snobs can generally be lumped in with politicians and people who don't like butter or animals.

So Bob Ross was my spirit animal. A gentle soul. Generous with his art and his techniques, which is also something I feel very strongly about. Not hiding his light under a bushel, that one.

So when I signed up to host today's Mix-Ability challenge on Splitcoast, I used this man as my inspiration. My challenge is called Happy Little Clouds, and you can read about it and play along here.

If there was ever a stamp that was so perfect for sweet Bob Ross it was that "life doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful."

Actually, I bet perfection would be its own kind of curse. But that's for another day.

For this card, I used the retired Stampin' Up! set Bird on a Branch (get it on Ebay!) and my Brother Scan and Cut machine to cut out that perfect little bird.

I spritzed a piece of watercolor paper with water and then dropped Summer Sun and Groovy Guava reinkers on it and smooshed them around with a paper towel.

Then I fingerpainted the cloud with Bob Ross White Gesso and Basic Black craft ink. I drew the wire for the bird with a Faber-Castell Pitt Pen. The greeting is from Perfect Pennants from the new Occasions mini catalog.

Here's a painting I painted in the Bob Ross class I took at CHA - his method really is easy and fun

If you ever get a chance to take a Bob Ross method class, I highly recommend it.

But more importantly, just have fun, whatever you do. :)

Loveyameanitbye.