An Art Gallery

Chase Your Dream

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I have this odd fascination with dream catchers. I own several and keep them in various parts of my home. Originally when I created this piece the dream catcher was the only thing drawn but then I added the young woman holding it. The dream catcher represents our dreams the ones we have for ourself and our loved ones that we hold dear, the woman holding it out like a compass represents our courage to follow these dreams and not be afraid of where we may lead them.

The Inspiration Factor: A wise man once said “If you don’t have courage to build your dreams you’ll be building someone else’s” that was definitely the inspiration about this piece to encourage others to follow their dreams and take that chance.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

Creatively Low Carb

Eggplant Lasagna

The good thing about a low-carb lifestyle is feeling and looking your best, but the downside is definitely missing some of my favorite classics like lasagna. Could I find a way to marry lasagna and low-carb life? Challenge accepted! See, Atkins allows me to take some of my favorite recipes and reinvent them to suit my low carb lifestyle. In this particular recipe I substitute lasagna noodles for eggplant, and I got to say it was a delicious way to indulge and stay within my range of 22 grams of carbs allowed per day.

Here’s what you’ll need from your local grocery store:

  • 1 medium size eggplant
  • Salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 jar of low carb tomato sauce (I use Hunt’s at 4 grams of carbs)
  • 1 container of ricotta cheese (24 oz)
  • 1 Bag of Pre-Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Okay, so once you have all your ingredients slice and salt your eggplant until all moisture is completely extracted from it by patting it with a paper towel.

Next, place your eggplant slices on a baking sheet (make sure to drizzle a bit of oil or not sticking spray on the pan) and bake at 400 degrees until they start to brown generally about 25 minutes. Once your eggplant is baked and brown pull it out and let sit for two minutes before beginning the next process.

In a bowl, whisk the two eggs with about a cup or so of ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Keep mixing till mixture is thick.

In a baking/casserole pan layer the tomato sauce, eggplant slices, tomato sauce, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella cheese and repeat in this pattern until you’ve used all your eggplant and layered it to resemble a lasagna.

Bake and 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until mozzarella looks melted and slightly browned. Take out of the oven, let stand for 10 minutes and serve. Feeds about 8 people.

I really love this recipe because it’s not super hard to make but it’s also super filling a little bit goes a long way and you’re not left feeling hungry after eating it. It also gives you somewhat of a fix of having lasagna without the high carbs. Next time I will be trying this recipe with ground beef added into it and I will let you know how that turns out.

Bon appetite!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

An Art Gallery

An Ode to Artwork

Pencil, charcoal in my hand,

Help me sketch unheard of lands.

A woman’s laughter, a baby’s tears

Bring forth from my hand all the world’s hopes and fears.

This story I tell, which burns like flame on a grill from within

Inside this box made of inexpensive tin.

Come forth and touch hearts made of stone,

For this is my art I share with you and you alone.

So enter into dangers untold, and watch as images on paper unfold.

This is a talent that God has given so my gratitude to He and His son who is risen.

Ease yourself into my world and you will see hope and beauty lie within both you and me.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

An Art Gallery

My Funny Valentine

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I hand sketched this in 2011 when Katy Perry and Russell Brand were a thing. I loved them as a couple, I thought they were the perfect balance of beauty and humor all rolled into a neat little ‘A List’ package. It took me 3 weeks to get this just right and when I finally was satisfied with the finished product I posed it on several social media platforms including, my Formspring account. I can actually say I sent this image to Katy too on there which she absolutely loved and sent major praise to me for creating. This was my first celebrity recognition of my work where the subject of my work actually saw and appreciated it. It encouraged me to continue sketching and put my work out there for my celebrity subjects to see. I used pencil, fine tipped sharpie, and black, white and grey Prisma Color pencils for this piece.

The Inspiration Factor: I was listening to ‘My Funny Valentine’ and got the idea to sketch this based on the fact I thought they represented that song perfectly. Inspiration strikes me at often odd times and sometimes without reason. It’s a shame this picture lasted longer than their marriage but it’s still one of my favorite works.

Who is your favorite celebrity couple that has since split? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

An Art Gallery

The Third Wheel, Three Steps Behind

The Story Behind Why I Created It: I was pondering the media frenzy regarding Prince Harry’s upcoming nuptials to Meghan Markle. I read an article which was titled farewell to Prince Harry the Original Third Wheel. The original picture was very poignant, the trio was walking through flowers, Kate and Will up front and Harry a few paces behind looking pensive as if wondering when his turn would come. I sketched this via stylus on the app ‘sketches’ and chose bright colors to contrast the Prince’s obvious pondering of life as a symbol that the light of his life was coming.

The Inspiration Factor: Princess Diana has long been my idol in terms of celebrity. I kept a scrapbook chronicling her life and those of her children. After her death, I always kept tabs on her son and their charities, quite proudly. Watching them grow from the stoic boys who walked behind her casket via horse drawn carriage at her funeral into the amazing men they became today was a beautiful tribute to her living legacy. I see Diana in each of her boys, it’s amazing how she lives on through them. I would say sketching this was definitely a labor of love it took two hours to get just right but I’m glad I did!

I wish Harry and Meghan all the best on their upcoming nuptials and in the future.

Who is your celebrity idol? Leave a comment below I’d love to hear from you!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

Lists & Things

January Favorites…

…because sometimes it’s OK to have a favorite

Happy New Year Readers!

2018 has sure gotten off to a flurry of a start, literally, it’s been below freezing for 13 consecutive days and we got nearly two feet of snow where I live. I am also not wearing makeup in the picture above which is just so out of character for me so you know the storm was bad. That’s what I’ll be writing about tonight, that’s right, this posts for my makeup lovers! (Or even non makeup lovers for gift ideas for the makeup lovers in your life).

I got this idea from my favorite YouTube makeup artist, Emma Pickles. She’s truly the sweetest person on and off camera and I highly recommend her YouTube videos. For the New Year, I decided once a month I’m going to share with my readers something in my makeup bag that I absolutely love and write about why I love it!

This week I want to talk to you about Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation. For years, foundation reviews never occurred to me because I always used MAC studio fix or Revon Colorstay Whipped Foundations, both are fantastic so I never felt the need to change it up until I watched my favorite YouTuber Emma Pickles rave about this product in one of her tutorials. What did I have to lose? After years of wanting to try this foundation and being talked out of it every time by a overly made up Sephora employee I decided to take a ride out to Ulta and pick it up.

Let me begin by saying, for me to write about something on here and share it with all my fellow makeup fanatics and readers in general alike I got to really love it. So it’s definitely a very special product!

Here’s the 411:

• $39.00

• Full coverage

• 12 hour wear

• SPF 15

• Vegan

• Cruelty Free

  • My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love a good, full coverage, lightweight foundation and the first thing I fell in love with as far as this foundation goes is how light and natural it is! Also it’s used with all natural products so your not exposing your skin to any harsh elements found in other foundations.

Tarte has a shade system which helps you pick out the color which most matches your unique skin tone, mine was Medium Natural and I got to say I was impressed. In this picture I still have the remnants of my MAC concealer on but my cheeks are ALL Tarte and look how flawless they look?! This is a no filter photograph and look at the difference between my upper forehead and chin versus my cheeks/sides of my face. There’s no caked on, yellow or orange tones which drown out your natural skin tone. You look like you’re not wearing makeup.

The first thing I noticed was the texture. Despite it being very thick it doesn’t feel thick and is more like a cream than a liquid so a little definitely goes a long way.

The coverage, in my opinion, is medium coverage but it can be built up, not to mention it’s on the pricier side, which is why I gave it 4/5 stars (I’m a harsh critic with products). I recommend two layers for a more full coverage but natural look. The photo above I have two types of foundations but I can totally see the difference. The MAC has a darker tone (more yellow in person) while the Tarte is more (medium beige). I would also recommend using a moisturizer and concealer for under your eyes (which I didn’t do in this picture) prior to using the foundation but otherwise I think I found my new Go-to foundation!

I personally like to wear no more than two layers of the foundation, to balance out the color of my skin (cancel out the redness in my skin) and then use concealer to cover darkness around/under my eyes and any obvious blemishes. Never put more than two layers of foundation on cause otherwise you risk it looking cakey and creasing.

The finish is matte but if you’re prone to getting oily in areas I would recommend setting those areas with a translucent powder (NYX makes an excellent one!) to prevent the foundation from breaking up and making sure it sets properly. I didn’t have this issue but many of reviewers on Ulta and Emma Pickles herself did experience this the first time they tried it.

Have you tried this foundation? What is your go-to foundation? Leave a comment below and don’t forget to check out my Podcast ‘Are You There Friday? It’s Me Brittany’ available on Apple Cast and Google Play Music and Anchor. Episode 3, Nate Francis and I discuss animals, shelter, and the stereotypes surrounding vegans and meat eaters.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

Coffee and Confessions

On dealing with weight

Later on in life…

Me aged 6 enjoying some cake

Me at age 6 eating a piece of devil’s food cake.

Growing up, I remember that I was the girl that could eat three times my bodyweight in food and not gain a thing. Food is very important to my family and I, we eat when we’re happy, we eat when we’re sad, we eat when we want to celebrate and we eat when we need that quiet comfort after a long day.

For the longest time (well as far back as I can remember) food was always there for me. Different food would spark memories of different things, for example my Grammy would always make a hot milk cake that we would enjoy for every holiday. My Grammy has been passed away for almost 7 years but still when I smell that cake or one of my aunts make it, it takes me back to when she was alive and would bring it to wherever we were spending the day.

Me at age 12 enjoying an air show with my best friend.

My teens and childhood spared me from concerns about my weight I was always fairly petite, never weighing more than 115 lbs. Upon entering my 20s, however, I found that the food that I loved so dearly did not love me back. Namely, those Carb/Starchy/Sugary foods-I’m looking right at you Penne Vodka and Mashed Potatoes!

Marybeth and I, Spring of 2015

When I first was introduced Atkins by my cousin Marybeth I wasn’t sure it would work for me, I was very apprehensive and very skeptic that I would get the results that I really needed. But at nearly 145 lbs and only standing at 5 foot 1 inch, I needed a change.

Me and my husband Tom, at my heaviest.

While at first it was very hard to give up those tough foods, over the next couple months it became easier especially when I watched all the weight just fly off of me. By the summer of 2014, I had weighed less than I did in high school, a whopping 106 pounds. I felt great, I looked great and more importantly I got the self-esteem back that I felt my weight had stolen from me. Of course it is always darkest before the dawn, after visiting my doctor in the spring of 2015 he recommended I come off Akin’s claiming that it is not a permanent lifestyle and like a fool, despite what my body was telling me that it was fine for me, I listened.

Me, November of 2014 after staying on Atkins for 8 months. I weighed less than I did when I graduated high school!

I wish I could tell you that my battle with weight ended there but I not only gained the weight I lost back but tacked on an extra 11 pounds. That was three weeks ago when I got on the scale and I decided I’m going to take control back of my life. In those three weeks I worked very hard getting back on track and today I am proud to say I have lost those 11 extra pounds and I’m back where I was where I started just a few years ago. I weighed myself this morning and lost two more pounds bringing my total weight loss to 13 pounds.

Tom and I, Christmas 2017

This is my New Year’s resolution I want my body back, no I need my body back. My goal to lose 38 more pounds will not be easy but it’s definitely going to be worth it.

Join me tonight at 8 PM with Nate as we discuss this more in depth on tonight’s podcast. Download Anchor and call in to join the conversation, be sure to ‘favorite’ my station or leave a comment below! What’s been your greatest struggle?

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

Coffee and Confessions

Good Afternoon …

Beautiful readers!

Find me on Anchor

Find me on Anchor just search Brittany M. Schmidt and start listening for FREE today.

On behalf of Tom and I we’d like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New Year! I’ve got some exciting things to write about in the next few weeks but mainly I’ve been working on creating a podcast on the app Anchor as another outlet (in addition to blogging) I hope to get my brand going with weekly podcasts. Next week I’m going to write a review of Anchor and share with you the good, the okay, and the needs improvement about it! Being that it’s the holidays I wanted to embed my conversation with Nate and Tom in last’s night’s first podcast episode but alas I’m still learning. Hopefully by next week I will be able to give you a rundown on how to navigate it as it is still new to me so please bear with me and if you would like to listen to this weeks post which I recorded last night and posted a link on here I talk about my favorite Christmas movies with my husband and one of my best friends.

Just click the second link the one not titled sample because I didn’t realize I only posted a segment of the entire episode for what I posted to hear. There is a full length one directly above it that you can listen to and I really hope you enjoy it and if you do spread the word share my station. I will be sure to give shout outs to those of you who do so. Definitely keep checking in here once a week I will be discussing a wide variety of fun topics and sharing some Atkins friendly recipes that you and the whole family can enjoy. I really hope you all download the app and call in because I would love to hear all your lovely voices weigh in on each weekly topic. Each week I’m going to write about the weekly topic and then give a more in-depth discussion on it in my podcasts so next week I will be writing a review on Anchor and I will be discussing on Anchor my New Year’s resolutions which I am really so excited about because I’m not only going to be blogging which was something I made a commitment to do that I’m going to continue to do because I love it so much but I’m also going to expand to podcasting so my Friday nights are about to get very busy.

Happy Chanukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza and Happy New Year to all of you out there. I hope you are all surrounded by everything that makes your heart smile and brings you joy! See you next Friday!

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo

An Art Gallery

Tis The Season

For Panthers fan art

I created a lot of these pieces amidst a very big win against the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers are really in a good position to get hot during the playoffs and I sketched these freehanded and then edited them on the app ‘my Sketches’ where I used multidimensional colors to add more of a realistic flair to my art.

Without further ado I give you my Panthers art.

Sargent Peppers (2017)

Run CMC (2017)

Keep Pounding (2017)

 

I really hope you enjoyed my Sketches, next week I will be discussing my favorite Christmas movies. I will be trying to get a live podcast up and running so if any of you would like to chime in please download the app Anchor to join in, it’s totally free and totally fun to use.

Love you. Mean it.

Brittany

Xoxo