HELLO AUTUMN!
Happy Fall!
There’s something so magical about the Fall season. The crisp morning air, beautifully colored leaves on the ground, pumpkins decorating quaint front porches, scarf and boot weather, and of course all things pumpkin spice.
It goes without saying Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I’m trying to be more present and soak up the season with intentionality. Some of my favorite ways have been solving a Fall National Park puzzle while sipping a homemade pumpkin chai latte (recipe below!), going on walks in the early morning with my husband and dog to enjoy the cooler weather, and of course making homemade soup. Butternut Squash bisque loaded with gnocchi, kale, chicken, & Parmesan cheese is a favorite at our house. I love prioritizing eating seasonal produce and incorporating all the flavors of Fall in my cooking.
Love pausing to enjoy the pops of colorful leaves on the ground.
Homemade Chai Spice Blend:
*all spices grounded, stir well with a spoon to combine all the spice together
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoons allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon clove
A pinch of black or pepper
Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte:
1 teabag of Chai Rooibos tea (I use the Yogi brand’s caffeine free option)
1/4 cup choice of milk
8 oz boiling water
1/4 of a teaspoon of the homemade chai spice blend listed above
1 teaspoon of maple syrup
1 TB of puréed pumpkin (optional)
Steep the chai rooibos for 4-5 minutes in your favorite mug with the boiling water. Take teabag out and add in all remaining ingredients. Use a hand frother to blend ingredients well or a spoon. Enjoy!
You can garnish the latte with a little cinnamon. Another sweetener option instead of maple syrup would be either brown sugar or maple sugar!
Eric, Mira, and I like to start our walks around 7am each morning. We’ve noticed the air is more crisp and cool and we’re savoring it after a long heat wave in SoCal. Slowly our neighborhood is decorating their front porches for the season and it’s added such a charm.
As far as my work goes, something I’ve never done before but am so thankful to have prioritized this time around is batch filming YouTube tutorials more in advanced than I used to. My husband and I have two trips coming up, and with that I decided to get ahead and film 2-3 tutorials per week. It’s crazy to say that I have tutorials done into December already! I’m so excited for you to check out both the Fall and Winter tutorials I’ve been working on. I hope you enjoy painting alongside these and that they help you pause and take in the season In a creative, therapeutic way. Below I have linked 3 tutorials I have up on my YouTube channel so far for the Fall season with more to come with a new tutorial posted every Saturday!
3 YouTube Watercolor Tutorial Fall Videos:
1.) Assorted Fall Leaves:
https://youtu.be/exxcx5GsuY8?si=Jurmhb_4OiC7mowp
2.) Shenandoah National Park (Virginia) Landscape in Fall:
https://youtu.be/cquliRJiy1E?si=ysadssa9Wb1-f0y8
3.) Fall Birch Tree
Photo featuring my Shenandoah National Park tutorial on YouTube.
I have to admit, every time I go to the grocery store it takes some real self restraint to not collect all the heirloom pumpkins for our porch (I’m waiting to snag these for October so they last well). How cute are they?! I snagged some mini Trader Joe’s pumpkins to place around the inside of our home for now. The tiger striped pumpkins are my absolute favorite.
Something I’ve been working on behind the scenes is building my art licensing portfolio. This is been a long process and to be honest, I’ve struggled a lot with imposter syndrome when it comes to art licensing and making my own watercolor patterns. It required more tech such as working in photoshop in-depth and things that are not in my wheelhouse but I’m eager to learn. I’ve completed a few patterns and am almost done with those that I want to include in my portfolio. Looking ahead, I’d love to have a licensing agent and get my art on more unique products such as planners, stationary, stickers, baby clothes, etc. That’s the ultimate goal and it’s daunting but very exciting. So far I have my watercolor landscapes licensed with 2 puzzle brands I’ve loved working with: JIGGY and Micro Puzzles. I’ll link them down below so you can view my collection with them. Here’s a little sneak peak of a cute little fox I’m working on for a new pattern as well. Anyone got a name for our fox friend? Comment down below.
JIGGY Puzzle Collection:
MICRO Puzzle Collection:
Pssst… these make great stocking stuffers!
I’m sorry but this fox can’t help remind me of that old viral song What Does the Fox Say? and I can’t get it out of my head at the present moment. Makes me laugh!
The current JIGGY puzzle I have in the works on my puzzle board is of my painting of Yosemite during the Fall. Truth be told, past getting the boarders of the puzzle done first and then grouping the remaining colors in color coded piles, I’m the worst at solving puzzles but have enjoyed working on this one in particular. I love lighting a beezwax candle, getting my PJs on, and sipping a decaf tea or latte to enjoy while chipping away at this. Even more fun when doing so with family or friends.
This season rings in the start of the holidays approaching and for my family, lots of birthdays intertwined within these next few months. In the midst of the celebratory fun, I’m trying to remind myself to pause and enjoy the season in an effort to not let it slip by or feel rushed. This weekend we’re taking a day trip to our local mountains and I’m so looking forward to hiking in nature. We’re also looking forward to Fall potlucks, rewatching Harry Potter, and trying some new sourdough recipes in the days ahead. One of my ultimate craft projects to hopefully get to is to make homemade beezwax candles to enjoy from now through Winter. We shall see! From October through November, I have 6 different new seasonal watercolor workshops planned local in Old Towne Orange at The Potting Shed. If you’re wanting to try your hand at watercolor, I would love nothing more than to get to teach and paint alongside you. (Workshop photos & sign up link below). What are you most looking forward to this season? I hope you can find moments to pause and take it all in. Best wishes to you and yours this Autumn season!
Workshop Sign Up links:
https://www.kendravandruff.com/inperson-workshops-main-one-fCzQc
October 11th: Watercolor Birch Trees in Fall (10:30am-1:00pm)
October 25th: Watercolor Pumpkin & Ghost Duo (2:30-5:00pm)
October 26th: Watercolor Fall Landscape & Book Club (2:00-4:30pm)
November 8th: Watercolor Winter Northern Lights (10:30am-1:00pm)
November 8th: Watercolor Winter Sunrise (2:00-4:30pm)
November 12th: Wine & Paint Night - Watercolor Winter Cabin with Northern Lights (5:30-8:00pm)