Alice's Album

This is my grandmother Alice whom I named by biz after:)  AliceinParis! Here she is about 16 years old. I recently found a small Autograph Album of hers buried in a box of old photos. This album is almost 100 years old! There is a tremendous innocence to some of the entries by her pals.and incredible talent! This book must have been kept overnight in order to do this water colour sketch of the Brig o Balgownie in Aberdeen, Scotland.

And this corner of a page folded over:)And check this one out. Wow. There were bits of red pencil scribbles throughout. My father's handiwork as a kid. Ha ha.  

I had an autograph book when I was 12. I can still remember what some kids wrote in it. Are they a thing of the past? What a great memento to have.

 Follow me now at SHELAGHDUFFETT.COM

Follow me now at SHELAGHDUFFETT.COM

Spring will be here soon...

 We are still in the clutches of winter! One more week until Spring…. I went for a walk yesterday and the lakes are still skimmed with ice. Tonight we are getting a huge rain storm which will start as snow and then fingers crossed  will turn to rain. It is pummeling the East Coast of the US right now as snow. I am going to make this Lemon Lentil Soup to warm things up quickly:) I make it without the feta and dill but those would take it over the top! It is still DELICIOUS without.  Here is the recipe sent to my by one of my painting students, Judy. Thanks!

To be honest, I just dump everything in the pot together. No sauteing, I don’t use the oil and I also use a generous squirt of Siracha instead of the chili flakes:) Because I don’t add the feta and dill, I  only add the juice of one lemon. And I use the zest of the entire lemon, haven’t measured to see how much it was. Sooo very good. Enjoy
Please start following me at ShelaghDuffett.com I blog there and will shutting down this site at some point....

Starts with a Sketch

Actually it starts with an idea… then pencil to paper. I was looking through an old sketchbook and had a little trip down memory lane. I remembered doing these and it was interesting to see which ones became paintings. This one below for example…became this one! Available to buy here in my Etsy shop. There are loads of mini sketches and scrawls and ideas and things yet to be painted. I also have lists and thoughts and info I want to remember jotted down. Do you have a sketch book you drop your thoughts and creative bursts into?

Please pop over to ShelaghDuffett.com and follow me there.

 I will eventually be easing away from this blogger platform..

Breakfast of Champions...

or losers....haha. Tea and toast!  (with peanut butter no less) The clocks sprang forward last night. One of the harbingers of Spring, hooray. But sadly we are in the vicegrip of an Arctic freeze at the moment. -26 windchill this morning!!  The poor wee birds and animals.... It is very demoralizing. I find it almost impossible to motivate myself to do anything that requires being outside. 
I spent last night at a friend's house and she has branches of forsythia blooming on her table. Very uplifting. I think I will do that when I get home. Pick some and plop in a vase of water. They bloom and lift ones spirits! Other peoples houses always seem more interesting! Here's a mortar and pestle in her kitchen. I love how the light hits it just so.  Also.....I have a new WEBSITE and will be blogging there mostly! Pop by and visit! You can get updates via email. All my endeavors in one place...

 www.ShelaghDuffett.com