How is it that Thanksgiving is NEXT week? This year is flying by so quickly that I can hardly keep up. My kids just keep growing, life keeps moving, and our schedules keep getting crazier and crazier! If you don't follow me on Instagram you may have missed a few of the recent things going on our in our lives. Like.... My daughter is a Junior Girl Scout this year and is really blossoming into a wonderful leader. My son is 15, learning to drive, got his first job, and opened his first bank account. My latest doodles and designs; like the one shown above!! It's hard for me to get excited about Thanksgiving; which really isn't any different from any other year. This is the most hectic time of year for our family and for my job. We host a huge Black Friday weekend sale and it's very time consuming and exhausting to plan; however it's a great reward when the weekend arrives and our customers flock to our store looking for deals!! My "work day" on Black Friday actually starts ... [ Read More ]
Sprouts Grocery Haul | Organic & Natural Farmers Market
This post is a paid sponsorship with Sprouts Farmers Market. If you follow me on Instagram (@BackToCalley) you may have noticed that we toured our local Sprouts grocery store last week for a blogger/influencer event. We were guided by a dietitian, Abigail Dougherty, who talked about some of the plant-based options that are offered at Sprouts. My daughter tagged along on the tour and we both got to sample a variety of plant-based foods, drinks and desserts. As part of the campaign we received a gift card to come back and shop with so I thought it would be fun to show you what we brought home. With this weeks meal plan I am trying to incorporate some more fall veggies with a little more variety than our boring broccoli and green beans! Link to YouTube video embedded above: https://youtu.be/fmaJ9MXTiDU Funny side story, after I filmed the video I realized that I was missing an entire bag of groceries. Of course it was the bag with the receipt in it so I didn't even ... [ Read More ]
Creating Layers with Tombow Pens & Markers
These Tombow pens are just too much fun. The colors are so vibrant and I keep reaching for them in the evenings when we're drawing. Today I'm going to share with you my process for applying layers with the markers to achieve depth with only a few colors. I only have ten dual brush pens and twelve twin tone markers so my color palette is pretty limited. Applying layers helps me blend and create more colors. Supplies: For this project I used marker paper, Tombow dual brush pens, Tombow TwinTones and the Tombow Mono pencil. You can find all of these in my Amazon shop: https://www.amazon.com/shop/backtocalley (referral link) I found this picture on Pinterest as my inspiration (sorry the source is unknown, the pin leads me to nowhere). I loved the colors and the texture of the sea urchins. I started with a pencil sketch on marker paper with the Tombow Mono pencil and then outlined the shapes with the dual brush pens or twin tones. They both have one tip that is very similar in size ... [ Read More ]
Writing on Painted Rocks – My Favorite Markers
Affiliate links are present in this post. In the past I've usually stayed with paint pens on painted rocks but when I'm writing inspirational quotes I actually prefer markers. I've tested several different brands and styles but I'm in love with how the Tombow markers worked on painted rocks. I've been collecting and testing out the different Tombow markers for doodling and hand lettering this summer; but decided it was time to give them a try on rocks!! I love the bright colors and fine points that you can find in their different markers. All of these were on top of rocks that had been painted with acrylic paint and sprayed with a crystal clear enamel. "You are ENOUGH!" was one of the quotes in the 30 Days of Quotes painted rock challenge. I used their Mono Twin permanent black marker on this one. It has two tips; one fine and one broad. I used the broad tip on this rock. It's a really deep black ink and doesn't smear at all. If you just need a black color this is my ... [ Read More ]
30 Days of Quotes – A Painted Rock Challenge
I've heard from so many of you that you absolutely love the monthly challenges and since I didn't do a "monthly" challenge for August I wanted to surprise you with a new challenge for September! This month, you'll be challenged to paint (write or draw) inspiring quotes on your rocks! I've added 30 of my favorite and most inspiring quotes to the list. There's no order in which you need to complete these; but feel free to start at the top and work your way through the list. Have another favorite quote? Feel free to add to the list of ideas! 30 Days of Quotes You are enough! Smile! BElieve THere is GOOD in the world Dare to be different Spread kindness Joy Be Thankful Love You’ve got this You are strong I good friend is a treasure Just be you Just breathe Dream Big Be Awesome Today You can Be a Warrior The best is yet to come Don’t give up Collect beautiful moments Wake up and be awesome Everything is a choice ... [ Read More ]
Coloring Pages added to Etsy Shop
I can't keep all these fun designs to myself, I have to share them with you all! I have a free cloth diaper coloring page when you signup for my newsletter; just click here to sign up. I've also added a few other coloring pages to my new Etsy shop that are available for sale. Download, print, and color! It's super easy and affordable. Once you download you can print as many times as you like (for personal use only please). Inspired by my pug, Champ: Inspired by our love of air travel (and my flight attendant husband): I'm working on some more designs and coloring pages; but if you have a specific request just ask! More about my designs: I recently started turning my pencil sketches into digital designs using my iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Procreate App. While I've always considered myself an artist, the digital realm is all brand new to me! To shop for these items please visit my Amazon shop (referral link): Calley's Favorite Things! ... [ Read More ]
Painting with Tombow Dual Brush Pens
It should be no surprise to my regular followers to know that I've been spending most of my nights and weekends creating; but I haven't written much about my art yet. I had a few of you ask about the Tombow Dual Brush pens that I used for my coloring sheets this week. Over the summer I finally caved and got the July Tombow VIP Club box. I've been following Tombow (@TombowUSA on IG) all summer and finding new creators to follow on Instagram. They have all be so inspiring to see all the different uses for the brush pens. I originally got them for hand lettering; but quickly learned that they can be used in so many different ways. Journalling lovers use them all the time to decorate their bullet journals. Illustrators love the bright vibrant colors. I decided to give them a try as a watercolor tool! The items included in their July VIP box were exclusive to the box and weren't previously available for sale as a set. I received their new marker storage case (which is now ... [ Read More ]
FREE Cloth Diapering Coloring Page
Hello cloth diapering friends, thanks so much for visiting! While my own kids have graduate from cloth diapers, it's still my passion to educate and share our love of cloth diapering with others. During the day I spend my time working for Kelly's Closet managing their social media and marketing department. It may sound like a huge company; but in reality there are just 3 employees including myself! I colored this earlier today while waiting to take the kids to school using Tombow Dual Brush Pens. In the evenings when I'm not helping my kids with homework, leading my daughter's Girl Scout troop, watching soccer practice, or shuttling kids to and from.....I enjoy all things creative! I've recently started designing cloth diaper designs for walls and apparel. I have a big creative to-do list for design projects that are cloth diaper related; like this fun coloring page! All designs are created by me; original work!! You can visit my Etsy and TeeSpring shops anytime; I have more ... [ Read More ]
Easy (and Wholesome) Last Minute Family Meals for Back to School
A special thank you to Coca-Cola Florida for sponsoring this post and helping make our busy week a little more manageable. For a limited time you can save $2 off ready to serve meals with a Coca-Cola product at Publix, Wal-Mart, and Target stores in Florida. #CokeAmbassador #BackToSchool #Whatsfordinner Our kids started back to school last week. I love everything about summer and the laid back routines; so getting back into a routine is much harder on me than it is for the kids. They thrive off routine and have been ready for school to start again. With school starting back that also means my schedule gets flipped upside down again and the juggling begins. PTA meetings, Open Houses, curriculum nights, Girl Scouts, and homework take up our afternoon and evening hours. I try to be organized and plan meals for the week; but some nights are just too chaotic to try and cook a wholesome meal while juggling all the things! These are the nights that I'm thankful for ready to serve ... [ Read More ]
Peace, Love & Painted Rocks – iPhone Wallpaper
I may have taken my painted rock addiction a little to far? It’s now my iPhone wallpaper! Whenever I look down at my phone I’ll get a little smile thinking of one of my creative hobbies. It would be rude of me to keep this all to myself so I’ve created one for you to download. The download is available for the iPhone 6-8, iPhone 6-8 Plus, and the iPhone X. I’m sorry Android friends, I didn’t create any additional sizes for your phone and I hope one of these sizes will work for you too. Confession: I have a new hobby that is entertaining my evenings. My iPad and Procreate art app. It’s keeping me from actually painting rocks but it’s something new I’m learning to master. My first love will always be painting but this allows me to spread my creative wings and bring even more fun stuff to you. What other hobbies do you enjoy? Are painted rocks the only creative outlet for you or just one of the creative mediums you work in? In addition to painting on rocks I’ve spent the ... [ Read More ]