Rest & Relaxation at the Hotel Indigo San Antonio/Riverwalk.

Have you been to the Hotel Indigo in San Antonio on the Riverwalk?  My husband and I recently stayed at this hotel.  I heard about it through the money saving site called Groupon.  We knew we wanted to go to Texas to see my hubby (Michael's) mom.  She lives in Ingram, TX which is about
an hour away from San Antonio.

It was fun to get away and have a change of scenery.  Spending time with his mom, and her girlfriend.  It's hard when family is in another state.  You don't get to see them as often as you would like.

We visited a cowboy town http://www.banderacowboycapital.com/ and had a sandwich at a restaurant known for their BLT's.

We shopped at this fantastic store http://www.campverdegeneralstore.com/main/index.php which had exquisite art and jewelry, and so much more.  It was inspiration everywhere.

I found some watercolor crayons.

I'd heard about them but had never tried them.  It was great to have some time back at the hotel in the evening to play with my color crayons.  You just color in your picture, add water and TaDa.  Water colors happen.  Here is some art I made one afternoon, while enjoying our large rooftop balcony at the hotel.

The Hotel Indigo is a beauty of a hotel with all the amenities.  We loved that we were minutes from the riverwalk where we could walk to restaurants or hop on the boat that takes you back and forth along the river.  We bought a $15.00, 24 hour pass, which meant we could catch the boat for all our riverwalk activities.

We enjoyed the variety of restaurants and shops.  One night we ate at the Mexican Restaurant, Rio Rio and listened to the Mariachi band.  I have yet to travel to Venice, but, I understand that this riverwalk resembles the look and feel.

This is not a sponsored blog post.  

Hotel Indigo/San Antonio Riverwalk is a great hotel.  The staff is so very attentive, and the hotel is clean and beautiful.  The rooms are spacious and quiet.  They have lots of area's to relax and enjoy the sunshine.  A pool area, outdoor lounge area and a cafe/bar.  I liked the entrance of the hotel, it has this Tuscan feel. Do you remember the t.v. show Melrose Place?  It's like that.

Our room was beautiful and spacious with a wall mural that truly inspired me.  My husband and I really lucked out because we had a room on the third floor with a large balcony where we could privately enjoy the sunshine and moonlight each day.

The restaurant is small and only open at certain times of the day.  But, the food was delicious!

If you find yourself in San Antonio, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Hotel Indigo Riverwalk, They have other locations around the globe you might want to check out.  I know we will.

Thank you Hotel Indigo for treating my husband and I like special guests.  We will be back!

My Review Of EcoGecko Earth Globe Air Revitalizer - H20

It's usually at this point in February where I say, "Okay, enough winter all ready."  I'm so tired of dry skin, hair, air, dry everything.  We need moisture!  Our weather temperatures were cold enough where it felt like the furnace was running constantly.

I like to add moisture to the air as it seems to help my allergies, and my head feels so much better when there is moisture in the air.

So, I put a big stainless steel pot filled with water on the stove and turned the heat up high.  Problem is, I forgot about it on the stove and yes, you guessed it.  The pot had run dry.  What an awful smell that makes, not to mention it pretty much destroyed my good pot.

Today, my husband gifted me with this EcoGecko Earth Globe - H20.  No more ruining pots on the stove and possibly burning the house down.  I was very excited to give this a go.

I filled it with water, added a couple drops of the Lavender essential oil they included with the product, put the lid on, and plugged it in.  The water swirls in the basin and within seconds the air is filled with a nicely scented dewy moisture.

Oh my!

It's like a diffuser, but better, and here is why:

The Shimmering, blue LED light and whirlpool of water create a tranquil environment.
The Oil adds a nice aroma that freshens the air.
It has an adjustable speed that you can turn down or up for the whirlpool action.
Revitalizes a room of approximately 600 square feet.
Big basin for the water so it can run a long time.
Low cost to operate
Easy to clean and safe to use.
Air purifies as the water removes dust and contaminants from the air.

I have the silver one, and I would estimate it to be almost the size of a soccer ball.

Now, I just have to find the perfect place to put it. Most likely in a room we spend the most time in.


If you would like to order one for yourself, here's how.

Click Picture to Purchase
$64.99
$10.00 S & H
 (USA Only)

Weekend Art and Pet Photography.

I've been enjoying a very nice weekend playing with the pups. I love trying to get pictures of them that show their personalities. I'm finding that pet photography has become my new passion.

I also realized I haven't been working on my art on a regular basis and I'm missing the way it makes me feel. Being creative is so good for me. So I got busy and did these.

Yes, that's right.  I'm all about the fun! Who's with me?

A New Twist On The Chocolate Chip Cookie

Last night, my son surprised me by making Chocolate Chip Cookies with a New Twist.

He used the Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe listed on the back of their bag.

The surprising twist was that he added about a cup of mini marshmallows to the cookie dough.

This added a nice gooey texture and taste to the cookie. If the marshmallows were on the outside of the cookie it gave the cookie a nice chewy toffee taste and crispy texture. 

I encourage you to give it a try.

My family gave it a thumbs up.

Adult Coloring Book - It's Good For Your Soul. #smallproductlab

A quick post about something I'm working on.

On September 28th, I joined a free online course called #SmallProductLab. offered by Gumroad.

It is a short course that helps you to come up with a product, create product, set up selling of product and the launching of product all in a matter of days.  11 days, in fact.  I know, it's crazy!

Honestly, it is wonderful.  I'm learning so much from the course and from my classmates in our Facebook group.

Stay tuned, my product will be available for sale October 8th.  

Enter your email in the form at the top right corner of my blog to follow my shop, or

 https://gumroad.com/virginiajbailey

Thank you.

Get To Know Virginia J. Bailey Interviewed By Patience Brewster Artist Q&A Spotlight Project.

I was recently asked to be part of Patience Brewster Artist Q&A Spotlight Project. This was my first time I had heard of Patience work and so of course I immediately went to check it out. Patience is one very busy artist and wow, am I inspired with all she has accomplished.  Please visit her online shop and see for yourself her stunning works of art and Christmas Ornaments.

Now, onto the interview. I hope that you will enjoy learning a little bit more about me and my artistic journey.

As a child, do you recall a significant moment when you felt truly affected or inspired by any particular artwork or artist? I am a word girl..  Stories bring everything to life for me.  I suppose this is what also brought me to love art.  I get to look at a pretty picture and get a motivational verse all at the same time.

What memorable responses have you had to your work? It was only recently that I thought of myself as a true artist whose product was salable and not just something I made, and then gave away. This hasn't been an easy realization for me. I wrote and self published a book called, "Do Over,"

It is a romance novel with a message.  Basically, that message is to be grateful for all of it.  The good, the bad and the ugly. My book has not been a huge success, hardly. But, it is a piece of me out in the world that will always be there.  I like that.  Art is the same thing.  The first time I sold a piece of my art was such a thrill.  Someone in this great big world is walking around with my artwork on their backpack, or a painting of mine is hanging up in their living room, or someone is wearing jewelry that I created!  This is so incredibly exciting to me.  It validates me in a way in which nothing else ever could.  I was made to create and I am happiest when I am doing just that.

What is your dream project? My dream is to create a catalog of my very own products.  I love creating practical one of a kind gifts, but I also love sharing my favorite things with the world. So finding great products and sharing them has been a passion of mine for years.  One of my favorite products was L'Paige Lipstick I've been selling it on my ebay store now for nearly eight years.  It is a great lipstick! Lipsticks Here

What artists, of any medium, do you admire? (famous or not!)  I'm mostly inspired by artists who just do it! I am turned off by the artist who says it took a year for them to finish a painting.  A year? Goodness, I would have lost interest a long time ago.  I love simple, and raw.  Doodling is something I've done all my life and never really thought of as art.  I could never be tied down to one specific medium, I'm interested in it all: watercolors, oils, acrylics, clay, wire, etc.

As an artist, what do you hope to convey with your work?  I just want to share a message that resonates with me and what is going on in my life.  What am I liking, or needing right now?  I create for me, and share it with the world hoping that it will inspire them in their own way.


Thank you again Patience Brewster for inviting me to participate in your Q&A. It is a honor to be recognized in this blogosphere as a talented artist.  Thank you readers for being part of my journey and cheering me on.

Virginia

Studio Snapshot and Current Work

I have a spare bedroom where most of my paint and crafting supplies live. But truth be told, I like being around my family when I create. I can talk to them, ask them what they think as I go, even watch t.v.

My problem is I don't like messes. A clean organized space just calls to my creativity. So even though I often dream of my very own studio space just for art business. I have a feeling it wouldn't get used very often.

At home you will find me in our dining room or on the couch drawing in my sketchbooks.

Here are some photos of my latest works and some pictures of my living studio.

I've been working on creating some greeting cards to sell in my etsy store and at our retail store.  I really love the way these are turning out.

 

Here are some sketches I posted on Instagram and Facebook, but wanted to be sure to share with all my blog readers here.