Artist Renee Mak

April showers brought May flowers to Starbucks! Have a happy day and don't forget to slow down and smell the roses! Or any flowers that come into view... xoxo!

The creative journey continues! And as always... my little cup of Joe is beside me... keeping me happy along the way! I wish you joy, peace and rest on this last Sunday of April! xoxo

I feel very blessed today to be sitting in my local Starbucks enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee.  We had quite the storm last night and several of the stores in Valley Junction sustained  a lot of damage.  My little boutique & art studio has only suffered a wet floor, which will dry, and no other damage to anything!   I am blessed! Have a great week and don't forget to count your blessings! xoxo

Just hanging out at my home away from home this beautiful Sunday afternoon working on a fabulous upcoming event called  "Celebrate Creativity... Celebrate YOU!" Stay tuned for all the details and enjoy your weekend!!! xoxo

Happy Monday!  I finally finished this companion piece to two mixed media canvases I began  oh so long ago! {you can see the them  here } Words from a vintage book peek through glitter, stamps and drips of paint... as does my favorite polka dotted tissue paper! And as usual, the queen keeps watch! Here is the companion... now this tiny village is complete. Each are 10" x 10" on  1 1/2" gallery wrapped canvas. No matter how much I fall in love with my larger acrylic  paintings... I will always find room in my heart for these smaller mixed media pieces! To purchase these or other works of art by me, visit  Fuss It Up! Designs in Historic Valley Junction any Thursday ~ Saturday from 12noon to 5pm or as always... by special appointment!

Ahhhh... I love the very first sip! I'd like to say thank you to all my followers! I love to hear from you, you are special and   you always make my day! It's going to be a fabulous week... so be inspired, be creative and be blessed! xoxo <3

Ahhh Sundays... a day to rejoice, relax, reflect and get recharged for the upcoming week. And Starbuck is a perfect place for all of the above! A chocolate doughnut couldn't hurt either!!! Have a great week... xoxo

Perfect Sunday afternoon pick~me~up! Take a deep breath, exhale and relax. YOU are awesome! Have a great week everyone... and be creative! xoxo

Doodles~ Week Three! Part One... Part one of Stylized Faces was to create a colorful mixed media background. The lesson started by taking a blank piece of Strathmore Series 400 Mixed Media Paper and markers and writing a few words on the page.  It could be anything... and won't really show in the end. I wrote CREATE  LIVE  LOVE.  Then several other marks  with markers was added. After that I added paint with a brush over the entire surface, using several similar colors.  Paint and glazing gel was used to  color over the words without entirely blocking them out. Everyday items, like bubble wrap, a medicine bottle and a plastic lid where then used to stamp a complimentary color onto the painting. I also used the back of a Starbucks coffee sleeve and a handmade flower stamp to add interest and layers. This process continued until I added several more layers and felt the piece was ready for step two... a styli...

Hanging out... If there's one thing I like most about Starbucks,  it's making memories there with my kids! Of course that's always easy because my kids are so "special"... as you can see from the photo above, haha!   While we always have a great time, we also talk, make plans, dream  and sometimes even  do homework. They entertain me and anyone else who will give them attention.   Another important thing about our Starbucks time is the time and attention they get from me!  You can tell how much they love it! The only thing missing from this photo session is my oldest and leader of the clown pack... who will join us shortly over her Christmas break from FIDM.  I can hardly wait for that... my favorite Starbucks time is when we're all together! We always reconnect and have lots of fun hanging out at our favorite hangout... Starbucks! <3 Where do you reconnect with your kids?  I lo...

Today's not so guilty pleasure, hands down, goes to STARBUCKS! Just the sight of this little green and white symbol always makes my day. I begin  e ach day with my  VIA®  ready brew.  It really tastes great! And these tiny packets go anywhere... so if I have hot water and cream, I can  always have a Starbucks break! While many love the fancy, frothy flavored drinks, I prefer a good old fashioned cup of joe.  My daily order, sometimes twice a day, is simply a short brew with room for cream. I also love the seasonal, special coffees.  Right now the Anniversary Blend is brewing. Did you know that Starbucks is also one of the most globally  responsible  companies today with a goals and progress report page right on their website?  Just click the picture above for an update! There really isn't much I don't like about Starbucks,  but one of my favorite reasons for having Starbucks as one of my Not so Guilty Pleasures  is my...