Sorry for the delay

O. M. G. !
It's been over 6 months? Already?
I kinda knew I was postponing for a long time but I cannot believe it took me so long to come back here.

BUT! I had some very good reasons to be too busy to write.

Doubled the size of my house by adding a second floor. 

Completely changed my kitchen

Changed my living room into a hall/stairway (and my bedroom into a living room)

And started a new health and wellness business.

 

Let's not forget that I still do graphic design, crochet, paint, make jewellry - and take care of three handsome-full-of-life-little-boys...

So... do you forgive me ;) ? I promise I won't leave for that long again, anymore.

What about you? What have you been up to since July?

 

Chillin'

My husband bought me the coolest gadget you can get when it's 95 degrees outside (and you can't eat normal "full-of-dairies-and-sugar-frozen-desserts"): an ice-cream maker!
I've been using it everyday, sometimes twice a day since then. It's a fantastic way to serve fruits to the kids, it's ridiculously easy to use, economic, nutritious AND delicious (and colorful)!

Pineapple Sorbet

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream (made with almond milk and agave)

Peach Mango Ice Cream (made with almond milk and agave)

Slushy Lemonade (with sparkling water)

New Kitchen

We've been working on the kitchen since April. I finally took pictures of the 'after' part so I'm able to show (and appreciate myself!) the great difference a change of color can make. We took off the "beautiful" wallpaper, wood stripe, country-style lamp and cabinet doors handles, replaced with new ones and changed the yellow and red for a less agressive grey. We also treated the cabinets with a special transformation kit and the result is fabulous.

I love my new kitchen! It's brighter, fresher... Now if only it could help me cook better ;)! Also, the computer is not in the dining room anymore - it went back to the office since it became an office again (after being my mother in law's, then my husband's and each of my son's room for a total of more than a year!)

We'll absolutely need to change the curtains, but I cannot find anything that I like. I'm still hesitating on the accent color. Orange? Turquoise? Lime Green? What do you think?

Next step: second floor. I know, we don't have any. But we're going to get one very soon. Incha'Allah.

Dining Room - Before

Dining Room - After

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

Summer So Far

Painting for the first time

Playing with water

Being patient

Being silly

Swimming with ducks

Camping in the rain

Garden of Happiness

I have a garden. Vegetables, flowers, aromatic and medicinal herbs. It makes me happy. Profoundly.

I love to go around and pick ripe veggies and beautiful flowers. Whenever I can, I put a bunch of them around the house. It makes me smile. Gratefully.

Painting with intuition

After reading Flora Bowley's book "Brave Intuitive Painting" in less than 2 days, I jumped on my painting material and decided to follow my intuition instead of my "already-made-idea", like I usually do.

The result is quite stunning. Not that the paintings in themselves are exceptional but when you think that I started from a blank canvas, with absolutely no idea in mind, and that I ended up with bright, colorful paintings that actually represent something, I think it's amazing.

I used my hands. A lot. Like both hands, full of paint. I also sprayed a lot of water, making a mess in my workshop. I used bubble wrap. Lids. Erasers. Stamps. Oh, and sometimes, a brush. Layer after layer, something eventually emerged.

I cannot describe the feelings it gave me. I felt just... so good. So me. In touch with my inner self, with everything that I am, the part people know, the part I never show... At some moments in the process, I felt I was laying a part of me directly on the canvas.

This way of approaching painting is very different from everything I used to do. But I'm now addicted to it and my paintings might have a totally new look in the future... 

Spring of Creativity

I felt a sudden burst of ideas lately, a rush of desire for creating and expressing myself through art - with the blossoming of the flowers, the chants of the birds and the warm breeze playing in my curtains, my creativity woke up from its long winter hibernation.

I bought an art journal where I draw, paint and paste almost everyday now. I feel that the time spent dedicated to my creativity is helping me to create a truer, more whole version of myself.

It's the Spring of my creativity. The Spring of my most authentic me.

Sixty Candles

My mom turned 60 last week and my father organized a surprise party for her. He asked me to make a card for everybody to sign instead of buying one. "It looks much better when it's handmade!" he said. You are right, dad: handmade is way better :)!

So I doodled a flowery and swirly 60, with all my love, for the best mom in the world.

It's my Birthday!

Well, kinda. I received 2 amazing books (one from my dear friend Marie, one from my dear self). I also bought some new stuff, including sketch books, pens, paint and brush.

Now will you excuse me, I have some reading/painting/drawing to do!

In Solidarity

I created this piece of art for a silent auction that will be held May 14th. All the money will go to Marie-Sol, a woman/mother/artist who lost her arms and legs after being affected by a bacteria in March. You can read her story (in french) and find out more about the auction initiative (also in french).

Colors of Morocco

 

 

 

  

Medina Polizzi

Coco Polizzi, a Rabat-born Italian architect, has created La Medina d'Agadir, an idealised Berber village, built using traditional techniques and materials, with workshops for 30 independent artisans. An amazing place to visit while in Agadir.