It would appear I have a bit of a case of the pretties
which is very odd because I'm not really a pretty girly girl at all
and have never really bought anything flowery before
but as I rapidly approach 45
I am finding I am drawn to some pretty things more and more
this has become a concern because now I am starting to worry
that I am going to end up all out chintz by the time I am 60
talk about shudder inducing...
but rather than panic just yet, I think I will blame the weather
because Spring has sprung
well not fully sprung, its more in a half crouch
but the studio is being flooded with lovely scents
and that sweetness must be affecting my brain chemistry or something...
I am therefore blaming my purchase of this Cath Kidston Hand Cream
on a combination of the glorious weather
and the endorphins left over from my second favourite day on the cleaning calender
that is known as
bash the living crap out of the duvets and pillows day
I do it twice a year and it is my sort of cleaning...
give me a five iron and a pillow and I am in heaven
I make all the appropriate beating up and karate noises
which may raise some eyebrows with the neighbours
but the fun overrides any sense of propriety and I highly recommend
that you throw in a few ka pows and take that you scoundrels
next time you are doing this chore
you will be smiling the rest of the day
guaranteed...
Of course there is a downside
and it is obviously that you will go and buy hand cream in a pretty floral container
bloody endorphins
because while the packaging is all lovely and it smells pretty
it has a screw on lid
which is hand cream torture for someone with my coordination
and I will now spend the next few months hunting for the lid
which will roll under furniture and go missing every single time I try to use it
I swore I would never venture down the screw top hand cream road again
but I have never been great at keeping up things I swear to
and it was fun to paint so maybe it will be worth
all the cursing and crawling around lid hunting that is to come..
Happy Paint Party Friday everyone... xx
This week I have blogged about...
53 comments:
Welcome to the "flowered" side of life..... :0)
blessings,
Cindy♥
Oh dear, flowery stuff with screw lids. Do hang in, I'm sure it's just a passing stage. You have me laughing again, which is always a good thing. Happy PPF!
teeeny, screw-y lids WHEN YOU HAVE LOTION ON YOUR HANDS... some ancient form of torture, i'm so sure!
xoxo, buf
Ha!
My college roommate was here for a visit this summer, and she looked around my house and garden and asked, "What happened to the girl who liked rust and brown and plaid?"
I'm 48, so that must explain it--
And I love your take on cleaning! I like it--forget the sweeping and dusting--I would much prefer bashing The living crap out of the duvets and pillows! Especially if I got to add sound effects!
I've never beat the hell out of anything as a way of cleaning it, but then I don't clean all that much. LOL Really. Not that we live in filth do not get me wrong. We don't. but as one ages one sees less dust so there is not the mad rush for the dust rag. I am three decades past yours now or four depending on where you start counting. LOL Isee or choose to see less dirt.
Your art on the other hand I see just fine and once again, I love it.
Thanks for the giggles...You are a real comedian ! sounds like fun...beating stuff with a golf club or how about a baseball bat ! Yeah...
Oh I hear you on the screw top rolling to the floor. In fact at my age it seems most everything ends up on the floor with me chasing after it. Wonderful painting from the floral side of life tho. HPPF
I think it's important to pamper ourselves. Happy PPF,
Rinda
I never pamper myself either, although when I do, I always say "why haven't I done this before?". I love your sketches and glimpses into your life.
Love your hand cream painting. Know what you mean about lids that hide in dark corners of the floor! Valerie
I so love your post, I am in that place where I find the pretties sneaking in too, although I am older. Like you spring is almost here, officially tomorrow 1 September, think I will try the bashing sounds like fun. There a teenage boy next door who plays the drums half the weekend I could do it in time dum de dum dum...
Lovely painting, nothing wrong with little pretty every now and then! Happy PPF!
Beautiful illustration...don't worry about that pretty feeling...by the time you hit mid fifties it will wear off, you'll be purging as though it has the plague. Seriously all the pretty stuff I accumulated is rushing out the door now!! Charity truck, gone, womans shelter, gone, friends sister starting over...more stuff gone..YES YES YES!! Feels sooo good!! I finally get the saying " less is more!" More time, less cleaning, fighting with things!! Still have lots too!!
My daughter brings bags of stuff in, and I push more of my stuff out...and it feels sooo good!!
Another humorous post that brings me so much joy!! Love the rolly lid. I swear my stuff grows legs and walks right under the couch all on it's own!!! That includes paintbrushes!! Go figure!!
Hugs Giggles
'Take that you scoundrel' - just reading you say it made me smile!! Cath Kidson stuff is very pretty but also very pricy - a new shop dedicated solely to her stuff opened here recently and it's nice to browse but I'll stick to Superdrug for my handcream, thanks very much!!
Perhaps going all chintzy is a natural progression in the same way as starting to wear 'slacks' and getting bubble perms and purple rinses seems to be - do we just wake up one morning in our 60s and think 'i'll just pop on a pair of nylon slacks and nip to the hair salon for a quick bubble perm?'!!
Beautiful illustration as always!
Love her stuff, although I have to admit its her designs I adore. Terrific take on them. Happy PPF and enjoy the weekend, Annette x
De très fraîches illustrations comme toujours Tracey.
Bon week end à vous ;)
I just love how you draw EVERYTHING!
Speaking of Kung Fu moves, I've just been to Pilates. I felt like Hong Kong Phooey half the time! It's great though. I feel really energised now :)
I enjoyed the luxury of your cream. A tip from a friend who has been there: USE IT. Don't save it for the next time you attack your pillows, it just won't smell as delicious in 6 months.
Lol! That is so funny. :)) I remember in the old days, we had neighbors beating their carpets every Sunday. But without the noises. :) FAbulous illustrations!
I love the way you painted this with a "nod" to the flowery style of the packaging but still staying true to your own less than "fluffy" style. NICELY done!
When's your birthday? I'm turning 45 next April....the 40's are so much more fun than I ever thought they'd be!
xx
Stephanie
Wow love the bashing day idea Tracey. It would certainly get rid of some pent up thoughts on that day... lol You create some fabulously fun and vibrant pieces with lots of humour added too. One to definitely follow and keep an eye on. Thanks for dropping by too. Take care. x
Ooh, lucky you! Autumn is creeping up on us over here. And we had a rubbish summer anyway - little inspiring weather at all in fact.
Hmm... I wonder - We refer to you in the land of Oz as 'down under'. So, do you refer to us poms as 'up over'? Or are we too 'down under' to you? Just wondering...
Am right with you Tracey on the flowery thing. We get that stuff over here and lately I have found myself warming to that floral theme - It's so scary! And sometimes, when I open my mouth, my Mothers voice comes out! EEK! Double scary!! And I LOVE your sketch - Triple scary!!!!
Lovely piece. Its amazing how you make such simple things like tubes with screw lids look so arty.
And I loved the idea of a bashing day and especially with the sound effects! Must try it soon. :)
I've never warmed to Cath Kidston or Laura Ashley, a bit too twee for me as well as the flowery thing. I have to say it again, your artwork knocks spots off Cath Kidston's. And I bet she couln't keep us all in tucks with such amusing posts.
I love everything you do!And I loved my tea!!! I have something I would like to send to you, could you send me your address @ mycupoftea@woh.rr.com
Blessings,
Donna
Tracey, as usual, your blog has been a veritable feast to the eyes! I loved your paintings of the pretty hand cream containers and your post about them. Most of all I loved the fly reel! Thinking of you I saved my chocolates container and will try to paint it next week. I've never tried that before so I may not show it.
You make me see you swinging a pillow and all the dust flying about...have Phantom take a picture! It sounds like a good painting. Where does that dust come from, anyway! I love your drawings and paintings. There is something about wanting to "nest" that seems to be spreading, I think it is contagious! I have been wanting to change my whole house to cottage style with painted furniture in white, sage green, and yellow, and I actually have bought some LACE fabric for flowing lace curtains!!! I wonder if there is an innoculation for this??
Wonderful drawing, flowery or not. I love how you make ordinary things into works of art :)
Very funny, picturing your Kung Fu cleaning day!
It could be worse, it could be me getting all flowery!
Another excellent post, and love the drawings, but I have a technical question - does it have to be a Five iron, or could I use a three?
x
I always like the looks of the Cath Kidston things, but never buy...too dear!!...nevertheless may be one day I could splash out and buy hand cream, hoping my co-ordination with the top is good. Love your drawing.
Fun illustrations ~ lively and colorful ~ enjoy ~ Wonderfully done ~ so adorable ~ Love it! (A Creative Harbor)
At 45 you're still a youngster. There are many more phases ahead of you girl, and when you get to nearly 65 like I am- you will look back and cringe or laugh about some of them. Happy PPF. Fabulous art as always.
Ha! The lid hunting! My girls are obsessed with lids for some reason, so all of my tubes and jars of lotions and potions and whatnot are almost always lidless. Such a beautiful "pretty!" I kind of wish paints came in tubes as pretty as this one.
"The sweetness of the lovely scents" has produced some very cute colourful paintings indeed!
I love this post. You make me laugh out loud. Tomorrow I plan to beat my duvet too, if that's what it takes to treat myself to a lovely handcream. As always, your watercolors are lovely. XO. Ps happy PPF
I have the same thing on my tiny tubes of L'Occitane cream. I'm always chasing the caps around. I think they're supposed to look like tubes of paint. I love what you do with watercolors.
So pretty! Love Cath Kitson and love it even more when painted by you.
lovely hand cream - looks like the type that smells good ---- "spring in half crouch" -will have to remember that for next year - and I too am afraid of the 'pretties' :D :D thx for an awesome post as usual :D
very feminine painting today indeed Tracey! It's so pretty!
You always have beautiful colors, but I have to say, this time, I love them even better! So sweet and cool and awesome ♥
I love your picure and the style of your work. I think the flowery thing is about wanting to pamper ourselves (or preserve?!) as we get older. In my fifties I just bought perfume for the first time in 18 years - only to be told it's nice but 'smells of old people'!
I have just recently started dabbling in florals, completely surprising everyone!! Maybe it was my longing for Spring, which appeared today perfectly, though Winter is forecasted to return for the next few days.
Love the colours in this and I think it is better than Cath Kidston's!!
PS...I think I would love cleaning done with ninja golf moves...I knew there was a reason I bought some golf clubs a couple of years ago!!
How did you paint these? I am interested in the technique...water colors with ink? thanks :)
I love to read your post first thing in the morning. Your artwork is beautiful and always inspires me to begin to create and your writing always makes me laugh out loud. The stages of life are wonderful but so predictable. Just a few pretty things aren't so bad but the bubble curls will never happen!!!!
Tracey,
I always love your new art, and your very funny posts. :)
I have been getting more scented lotions, too...
Must be contagious!
♥♥♥
Happy PPF!!
Mary
Mixed-Media Map Art
Love your work! Really enjoyed visiting your blog. :)
Oh dear...it starts with a pretty floral hand cream, and the next thing you know it's shower caps and doilies!
The only real antidote is to turn your music up really loud and then watch a rude comedy based mostly around fart jokes.
But your painting is lovely enough to almost make me want to buy some of that hand cream.
Pretty things rock!
LOL! love your post! I'll have to try your favorite way of cleaning next time ... ;-)
Oh it's always so enjoyable how you keep your eyes on the dull routine of everyday life and change it into an unique "adventure". I love your sketches and your amazing notes.
oh very pretty indeed!
Looking for the lid, I'm always looking for something, I guess that's what we all spend a lot of our life doing. Love the kidston products painting. You make real life always look better than it does. Blessings, Janet PPF
I'm in shock Trace...I didn't realise you were that old ;D
I'm now visualising you dressed in beige from head to foot having help putting screw lids on!
I may have to make a strong cuppa to help with the shock!
Think I like the idea of knocking the stuffing out of something ~ good therapy for sure :D
Now where's that five iron? xoxo
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