Vincent van Gogh's Life And Work

After this unfortunate affair, Vincent van Gogh moved to Drenthe and devoted himself to painting and drawing. It was here when he painted the Potato Eaters in 1884. It was one of his many creations, but most of them were destroyed by Vincent.

In this same year he met Margot Begemann, the neighbor's daughter, and they fell in love. They took up the idea of getting married. Both families objected however and Margot poisoned herself. She was saved by Vincent who rushed her to a hospital.

The relationship ended and when Vincent's father died of a heart attack the following year, Vincent was stricken with grief, but his painting helped him through this difficult period.

Vincent finally gained some recognition. His work was shown to the public by being exposed in the windows of a paint dealer in The Hague in August 1885. By this time, Vincent had already gathered that he lacked in technique and traveled to Antwerp to improve the quality of his skills.

He decided to incorporate more color in his work and took exams at the Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp after which he enrolled in painting and drawing. By this time he was drinking and smoking heavily, eating poorly, overworked, and ill.

In March 1886, he went to Paris and moved in with his brother Theo where he continued painting and studying.

When Vincent moved to Arles in 1888 in the south of France, his work became brighter and more colorful and he finally found the style of painting for which he is famous at present.

A Wish Come True

Should you have not noticed it yet, summer season has started where TV is concerned. Many of our favorite shows and series have treated us to their season finale which left us hanging, wondering, and eagerly awaiting the next episode. We will have to practice patience though and meanwhile find something to occupy our time.

We can bring out our crafts and hobbies, but after several hours of having entertained ourselves it would be nice to be entertained for a change. Enjoying a good movie, show, or series is something almost everyone can appreciate. In that case it is good to know that plenty of movie channels are available catering to that desire.

If you don't have access to those then now is the time to correct that situation and switch TV service providers. Looking at the giveadish.com/Satellite-Dish-Promotions, that is not a costly endeavor at all. You most certainly get your money's worth and then some and there are offers and features galore which new and existing customers can take advantage of.

When you are more interested in sports or would rather keep up with what is happening in your neck of the woods, instead of watching movies, you are set as well. The available packages appeal to pretty much everyone's preference and wishes; just take your pick.

The genie is out of the bottle and you have no more excuse keeping yourself from making a wish come true!

More About Vincent van Gogh

After his marriage proposal was declined, Vincent van Gogh decided to become a minister. He taught at a Methodist boys' school, preached to the congregation, and studied for his entrance exam to the School of Theology in Amsterdam.

He was denied because he called Latin a 'dead language' of poor people and was unwilling to take the Latin exams. The same situation occurred at the Church of Belgium.

He voluntarily moved to an almost depleted and poverty-stricken coal mine in the south of Belgium in late 1878 where he preached and ministered.

It was there where he got the name "Christ of the Coal Mines". Since Vincent's life started to resemble martyrdom, the evangelical committees refused to renew his contract and once more Vincent was without a job.

He entertained the idea of becoming an artist and moved to Brussels in 1880. His brother Theo, who had become an art dealer, offered to support Vincent financially.

Even though Vincent had been drawing and sketching almost his entire life up to this point, he had no education in art and began studying art and taking art lessons on his own.

He was not very successful where love was concerned. After Eugenie Loyer, he fell in love with his widowed cousin Kee Vos-Stricker in 1881.

She too refused his marriage proposal and that was enough for Vincent to abandon his religious aspirations. After moving to The Hague in 1882, he fell in love with Clasina Maria "Sien" Hoornik, a prostitute and alcoholic, with whom he stayed for almost a year.

Under pressure of his family to break off this relationship, he left her in September of 1882 and travelled to Drenthe. He was severely depressed, but his dedication and passion for art helped him through these times of hardship.

About Vincent van Gogh

In Groot-Zundert, a village in North Brabant which is one of the southern provinces in The Netherlands, a second son was born to Theodorus van Gogh and his wife Anna Cornelia Carbentus on March 30, 1853. They named him Vincent Willem, after his grandfather and his oldest brother who was stillborn exactly one year before Vincent's birth.

Vincent's father was a minister and his mother an artist from whom Vincent inherited his talent and love for drawing and painting. Two more sons, Theo and Cor, and three daughters, Elisabeth, Anna and Willemina, were born into the van Gogh family and his younger brother Theo would become Vincent's best friend in and for life.

With so many mouths to feed, the family experienced financial problems, forcing Vincent to leave school and get a job at the age of 15. He got work at his uncle's art dealership Goupil & Cie. in The Hague, but was transferred to the Groupil Gallery in London in June of 1873.

Vincent enjoyed visiting art galleries and the writings of Dickens and Eliot. He fell in love with Eugenie Loyer, his landlady’s daughter, and proposed to her.

She turned him down after which Vincent had a breakdown. His anger and change in attitude eventually resulted in the loss of his job. At that point in his life, Vincent was adamant to dedicate his life to God and follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a minister.

More about Vincent van Gogh.
Vincent van Gogh's Life And Work

Supportive, Comfortable, And Relaxing Art For Babies

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Comfort and Harmony for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I enjoy being creative and I try encouraging our grandchildren to find their artistic ability at an early age, so they can focus on it and take it to the next level.

Since we all lead by example, I did some scrap booking in front of our 4-month-old granddaughter. She couldn't see it very well because she was lying down and can't sit up yet. At that time I wished we had gotten a mombo nursing pillow.

The mombo nursing pillow is excellent for comfortably feeding the baby, but also ideal for babies to lounge on. It has the Firm2Soft™ design which means that one of the sides offers a firm, supportive surface and the other side is soft and cushy.

It also comes with a soothing vibrating feature that comforts the baby. The choice in washable slipcovers for the nursing pillows is enormous and ensures your little one always has a nice, clean pillow to relax on.

Depending on your style you can choose from the Standard, Deluxe, or Nude™. See for yourself which one appeals most to you at Toys R Us and/or Babies R Us where they are also up for sale and don't forget to check out all the other mombo™ products and get some.

Visit and 'Like" Comfort & Harmony on Facebook and for the latest news and updates on the mombo™ products, follow Comfort & Harmony on Twitter.

I know our little one would have enjoyed it to the fullest watching art unfold before her eyes while being all comfy and cozy. There will be more opportunities in the future for her to enjoy art; she will be supported by it!

Cheese Art Choices

For those of you who like and enjoy spending time in the kitchen, all these different types of cheese offer a great opportunity for creativity.

The cheeses shown in the picture are just the tip of the iceberg; there are cheeses galore to choose from and there is no doubt in my mind you can not find one that is perfect for the work of art you have in mind.

Due to the many flavors, types, and textures, it also shouldn't be hard to find that particular kind which pleases your guests' taste buds. You can easily find and buy local and international cheese online or at the deli or in the delicatessen isle of your grocery store.

Whether you prefer sliced, hard, soft, or cream cheese, you will have no problems either finding some easy, cute, or intricate examples online.

In case you don't, put your imagination to good use. Keep in mind that you can shape cheese in any form you want and it doesn't take much to do that; a knife, spoon, or even a pair of scissors will already do the trick.

I think this is a great way of spending some enjoyable time in the kitchen and an excellent pastime for the children on a rainy afternoon. They can have an arty outburst of creativity with cheese and eat it too!

Steal The Show With Private Selection Upside Down Cakes

This post brought to you by Private Selection. All opinions are 100% mine.

Believe it or not, but a lot of art comes to fruition in the kitchen. Just like most other hobbies, those edible expressions of creativity take up a lot of time and what happens if you are short of that?

In my case that usually means we do without dessert. My chocolate pie or cinnamon bread for instance is too time-robbing. If you have a quick solution for dessert then please share since I would love to hear it.

I found a quick, tasty solution in the form of three delicious Private Selection Upside Down Cakes. The German Chocolate Fudge with caramel, pecans and coconut, Double Chocolate Molten with exquisite semi-sweet chocolate, or Amber Honey Apple Spice with apple slices drenched in sweet amber honey glaze only need warming, flipping, and they are ready to be served.

It's like bringing delicious homemade creations to the table since these gourmet desserts are premium quality without the premium price and contain only the best ingredients. The premium private label brand is available exclusively at your local Kroger Family of Stores and affiliated stores and you can find one near you by using this store locator guide.

You can now even get $1.00 off with the Private Selection Upside Down Cakes coupon during the 'Spread the Love' campaign. This campaign started on April 8, 2013 and the coupon is up for grabs on the Kroger website.

Disclaimer: Coupon ends 6/2/13. Official Rules. In order to load these coupons to your card, you will need to sign into your Kroger account or set up a Kroger account and enter your card number. Limit one use per digital coupon. Digital offers are not eligible on Manager's Specials, cannot be combined with manufacturer paper coupons on the purchase of a single item, and do not double. Not all items are available in all stores. A limit of 150 coupons can be loaded per household at one time.

When you share Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Facebook, it doubles the value of the coupon to $2. Don't miss out on this opportunity; go there, like 'Private Selection', and spread the word.

Find more artisan-inspired and gourmet ideas by following Private Selection Upside Down Cakes on Pinterest and rest assured that with the Private Selection Upside Down Cakes you are guaranteed to steal the show!

'Cheesy' Tidbits

Cheese has been around much longer than you may expect. Archaeologists found evidence of it as far back as 5,500 BCE, but suspected is that it was already being made around 8,000 BCE when sheep were being domesticated.

The variety in cheese is enormous, but they all start out with the same process by adding rennet to milk. This separates the milk into curds and whey and you got the very first cheese; cottage cheese which is nothing but curds with a little whey.

The curds are pressed into forms where the excess water is squeezed out. Molds are added to extend the shelf-life and the cheese is literally laid to rest. The time to age depends on the desired type of cheese, but the longer it ripens, the richer and deeper the flavor becomes.

The animal that produces the milk, the type of diet of the animal, the different molds, herbs, and spices which are added, and the time of ripening determine the taste and texture of the cheese.

I don't think there are very few households where cheese isn't brought to the table. With so many varieties available, there is always one that appeals to the taste buds of even the pickiest eater.

And who wouldn't want to sink their teeth into all those delicious, edible creations of art which are served?!

A Staining Guide and Better Backyard Sweepstakes for Outdoor Art

This post brought to you by Flood® Wood Care. All opinions are 100% mine.

Our oldest daughter is redecorating and cleaning up her house. While doing so, we came across a pallet she had sitting in her garage.

The first thought was to throw it out, but on second thought we decided to keep it.

I am glad we did, because I came across this chair on Pinterest which is made entirely out of recycled wooden pallets.

Since she hardly has any outdoor furniture it would be a nice project to take on and by using one of the Flood® Wood Care stains she would be able to enjoy it for years to come.

All Flood products offer optimal protection, bring out the beauty of the wood and other surfaces, restore, and can be used on all types of wood. With the Staining Made Simple guide widget she would have no problem finding that particular stain which is just right for her project.

The Staining Made Simple guide tells exactly what products are needed for your outdoor furniture, decks, siding, fences, and any other wood art project you like to create. The Flood products assure consistent, reliable performance, unsurpassed surface penetration, and superior adhesion.

Instructions for pallet and other outdoor projects are not hard to come by and when you decide to put your creativity to good use you should enter the Flood Better Backyard Sweepstakes which ends on May 17th, 2013.

Grab that chance to win a $1,500 gift card or one of twelve $10 gift cards which are given away daily. To enter, simply 'like' Flood® Wood Care on Facebook. Don't forget to share the sweepstakes with friends and family; it will result in more entries!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States of America and (D.C.) 18 years and older. Ends 5/17/2013. To enter and for Official Rules, including odds, and prize descriptions visit www.facebook.com/flood. Void in Puerto Rico and where restricted or prohibited. This Sweepstakes is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You understand that you are providing your information to Sponsor and not to Facebook.

Keep up with Flood Wood Care on Twitter. You will find helpful tips about staining and other ways to make the most of your outdoor living space.

That is easy enough, but the question is; do you dare to create some art for your backyard?