The 100 Day Project First 10 Days Mushrooms 🍄‍🟫 🍄

The 100 Day Project began for us on January 22, 2026. It will continue until May 02, 2026. I am joining many others in our community with Jessica Swift. I have been working on these last ten since we started. Others have been telling me to make a book once I am finished. That will be great and so helpful. My goal for this 100 day project is to be committed to learning and and identifying these mushrooms. I have even bought a 1$ tracking chart to keep up with the days. In the past I did the pantry challenges for making videos every day for 60+ days so I understand this type of challenge. I would get on some days and have to count from the last month to the next month to remember what day I was on. So I have placed the sheet of paper tracker on a clipboard with a highlight marker. 

This painting above is the Honey Mushrooms. There are many different types like the pic just below the Honey Mushrooms have different Latin Binomials. I first started out making a quick painting giving myself 20 minutes. However as they have progressed it’s becoming much longer. I started to try to incorporate other techniques and more of the habitats. This is on a small scale as well the book is like 5x5. So it’s a little more complicated or restricting working in small scale. Trust me next time these two challenges have taught me something I need/want larger scale journals. Watercolor journals. 

Each day I go back to the beginning of the book and try to remember what I have already written and drawn down on the pages. 

This background is liquid charcoal which I had recently learned about and love it. These are also the honey mushrooms. 

This is one of my very favorites we have seen many of these and I have bought them at the farmers market. We have Mande pizzas and French toast with the giant puff ball. They can be huge for sure. I know I have pictures of this mushroom but I couldn’t find them. I did many searches on my phone. 

The chanterelles are always delicious. They are so beautiful. 

The smooth chanterelles 

The small chanterelles not to size 

Here I started to get more creative to add more habitat in the scenes. These are the red chanterelles which are also tiny. 

This is another one of my favorites. I know I have too many favorites I just like and love so much. Dryad’s Saddle. The Dryads are the tree spirits however when the tree is dead it is thought that tree spirits are too. Greek Mythology. The Dryads saddle is great for the fae life. The fairy’s can live comfortably near the area. I also added a Jack-In-the Pulpit to the right. 

Day 10 is for today January 31, 2026 I made this one mostly last night as I was feeling rough after the EGD yesterday. The anesthesia really had me feeling like I was so tired. So far so good, the doctor said everything looked good but they would send off the biopsies and let me know in 7-10 days. Since I have had this GERD come about this was the reason for the test. I had missed the original appointment the last of December 2025 due to a snow storm that dumped over a foot of snow and we needed to be at the hospital at 5 am that morning. There was no way as the roads were rough my son Colby said as he worked doing snow removal. Anyhow enough of that!! The shaggy mane or lawyers wig is what I always think of when I see it. They are very easy to find or recognizable. The mushroom will start deliquescing turning to a black ink hence the Inky Cap name. 

I will be adding 10 days at a time for the 100 day project as the 30 day sketchbook challenge was just too much to add at once. A very difficult post I must say, but I persevered. Another purpose for the 100 day project is to also improve your art skills, learn so much and have a commitment. It truly will be an accomplishment to finish 100 days. Wish me luck 🍀 

Here is one of my own pictures of the Inky cap or Shaggy Mane Mushroom. 
 

Dusty today is going to the ice races and see his girlfriend. 

Today I am going to work on seeds and of course Day 11 for the mushroom project. During this time we are also doing a scribble project the purpose is to make art no matter the time so in 10 seconds you can make a mark or a scribble and you have expressed yourself. I will be sharing the scribble project tomorrow the first ten days. See you then. Happy Saturday. 

Much love and positive energy, 

Dawn Gallop 

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Today is the last day of the 30 Day Sketchbook Challenge 👏🏻

Day 1 Grass with Susan Yeates here I used a tiny pocket journal which I switched real fast as it was too little for me. Plus I like to watercolor so I really needed a watercolor journal. 

Day 2 Shells Colorful well I was still working in the tiny journal not for me as the watercolors just didn’t work well on the plain paper. Day 2 was with Susan Jimenez

Day 3 Gemma Lane I was getting in the grove here I used a mixed media journal here and added inks. I used my glass pen that Cody and Amelia got me for Christmas. 

Day 4 Petal with Ali C Board sunflower this one was right up my alley as I have painted a many sunflowers in my life. Loved it. These tutorials were all excellent. 

Day 5 was Favorite Food with Tricia Johnson I did pickles of course!!  I used one of our jars too to sketch from. 

Day 6 was something colorful by Ruth Ander. We were cooking eggs when I thought these can be colorful. I really enjoyed this one. I am in watercolor journal by this point. Which made me so happy. 

Day 7 is Circles with Sue Bulmer the dahlia which I grew for the first time last year. Lots of fun. Every single day the tutorials were amazing and so well done. 

Day 8 Something Square collage I had a ball with this one. I don’t have a lot of collage things here at the house. Most of stuff is a storage unit but I was able to make something. We live in a house now where it is the same size as my last studio. So no room for all my art goodies. I have managed to sneak a few things in here and there. Whilst my daughter complains there’s too much stuff in here. Oh my lanta!! She says. 

Day 9 Something you can hold in your hand with Kelly Herrick like an oracle card. I did a nebula. This is one of my favorites. 

Day 10 Vase Tish Reed I know I won’t say it again…..yes I will another FAVORITE!!! ❤️ 

Day 11 Seaweed with Erwin Ong I love painting things from the oceans. 

Day 12 Abstract marks with Kasia Hart. This one really is special it was the night I was spenders the night at Alexis’s house. Ledger was playing his hunting game while I was painting this. It was dusk outside very cold but they didn’t have any snow like we did. Just old piles of snow. While we were in his room I looked out the window and I saw the largest hares I have ever seen. Ledger said they are eating all his birdseed. Well as I was looking at the painting I saw a bunny. It was so magical. I always love abstract paintings. 

Day 13 In the Kitchen with Kelly Schaub this one I did on the plane just from memory. I thought about the kitchen full of fresh vegetables and cast iron. It’s not exactly correct but it was fun. 

Day 14 was with Missy Tripp Ronquillo Something with a B a blind contour drawing. I happened to have my travel art bag right next to me. We were in San Diego whilst these were being completed. Up till day 18. 

Day 15 Landscape with Kolbie Blume we had gone to Mission Beach that evening. So what a perfect memory. I didn’t have black in my travel bag but I used dark blue mixed browns. 

Day 16 Mouse with Jessica Swift she is the reason I joined the 30 day sketchbook challenge. I love being in her art groups. I painted this mouse like the one I had learned last year from Tam. I changed most everything about him but it’s too cute. 

Day 17 Something that Smells we were still in San Diego but I remembered last spring when the May peas were in full bloom smelling that fresh pea smell. I used a picture of mine to look at from last spring. I painted this one while on the last day in San Diego. It was magical on the back terrace in 70 degrees weather. Sunshine. 

Day 18 Bird with Alex Boon the morning I saw this bird on my feeder so I painted it. Gotta love that! 

Day 19 Ballpoint pen with Jennifer Mullin I had learned this technique from Helen Wells which I love her. She is great! Makes everything so easy. You just create flowers from whatever comes to your head. 

Day 20 Blind Contour Tropical Leaves with Jeanette Montero 

Day 21 Ribbon I wasn’t feeling it so I drew one of my usual little drawings. 

Day 22 Something you used today Time making a Zine 

Day 23 Paws and Claws Natalie Eslick I used Jewelees paw. 

Day 24 Nighttime with Linda Grover Gooch I used my Sumi inks for this one inspired by a Tarot card 

Day 25 Architectural details with Maizie Clarke this was a bar my oldest daughter and I were at while doing a show in Fond du Lac about four years back. 

Day 26 Words and Texts and Letters with Margie Woods

Day 27 a piece of pottery with Karen George. 

Day 28 Hair with Taylor Varron I used charcoal 

Day 29 Your town, city or village. With Gemini H this one really opened my eyes to need to take more pictures of the local things. 

Day 30 coming tomorrow…… I will come back and add it. Here it is Celebration with Sam Waters thank you so much this was a really great experience for me and so many others. The zoom meetings were awesome. 

 Hello my beautiful sketchbook artist. Welcome to my little blog. I didn’t want to well let me rephrase. I felt my plate was full and I wasn’t going to do this sketchbook challenge as I thought I’m not really a sketchbook artist or someone who sketches…….well let me tell you I am now!! I have always drawn my thoughts and ideas out on paper or in my watercolor journals. Now I have learned so much and it felt good to do these prompts everyday. The community is amazing. I am in the United States and our host and founder of the 30 Day Sketchbook challenge Sarah Yeates. She even has a book called Sketchbook Challenge 100 prompts for daily drawing. This has taken me to a new level of seeing things differently. I always see things I wanted to paint but now I am seeing things as to draw them paint. It was so much fun and so worth it. I would recommend it to anyone no matter if you have never drawn before or a master of art. It’s just wonderful!!!! 

 So I am going to share what I have done in these last 30 days. Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope you found some inspiration. Susan Yeates has a group you can join to learn more on her website. 

Take care and sending all the artsy vibes to you, 

Dawn Gallop 

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Gardening in January it’s in My Blood

Hello and welcome yes I bet you thought I was really gardening when it’s below zero outside wind chills in the -30s and a lot snow on the ground. Yes it’s that time of year I have been perusing the seed catalogs dreaming of starting. I have seeds plenty of them. However I will be ordering a few seeds from a few of the may catalogs that came in the mail. These few boxes I am showing you are just a few of the boxes. Yes head hung low I have a seed problem. Since I grow mostly heirloom I can save my seeds if there is no other type within a realm. Sometimes I get the mother plant or a cross or something I didn’t want. It might happen once a year and a lot of times it’s a pepper that’s actually really good. Win win! 

More seeds 

The tomatoes as you can see I never pile them on top of each other unless it’s cherry tomatoes. 

Broccoli is always a staple but this year I am not growing it because we have so much still left over from last summer. 

These are the sungold great sellers at the markets 

No shortages of sunflowers here I always love to have them they bring in so many pollinators and the yellow finches love to eat them. 

This is one of my favorite pictures, Bruce had taking in the summer of 2024. 

More peppers 🫑 

Mixed peppers anymore I get Bruce and Dusty to pick them or they will have me sit in a chair close by telling them which basket to place them in. 

This was priceless, when Brooks and Baker would come over they loved eating the cherry tomatoes. Their favorite is the Sungold. They picked them off and ate them right then and there. A grandma’s priceless gift. 

One evening I looked out the window and was so pleased to see this sky. Beautiful! The garden in full bloom. 

These were the first year I grew them. I was so pleased and satisfying of their success. Their beautiful flowers and so detailed. 

They came in many colors. 

One of the outfits Jane sent me. 

Riggs and Skylar helping me get some leaves for the rabbits. 

Now you can see why I am so excited for the garden season to begin. Usually I have already started my seeds by now. However pain in a problem I can’t control. Bruce says just start small which is what will happen. We depend on this food for our on existence. With an extreme low budget of $1,600 a month in America. It’s nothing. This is total and when someone says it’s only $30 bucks well $30 bucks is a lot. Then like last month when the water pump went out in the basement that was over $400 dollars and a few parts to go along with that. Here and there so it was probably more like a total of 450 out of the budget there is nothing left. It can be very difficult and frustrating. I just keep painting and not let it worry me. It’s my escape from the pain and the money issues. I am so very grateful and thankful for my family and the community I have in my art world. It helps me on so many ways and levels. I am so happy to be a part of the art community. It truly means so much. That’s the issue of why I haven’t started the seeds yet. Part of me wants to paint and not do my plants but part of me wants to do the plants. I say I am jaded. It’s very time consuming and it’s hard on me. Then in the same sense it’s what we need and it is very rewarding. To enjoy consuming the best nutritional foods and the tastes are phenomenal. I can’t even stomach a store bought tomato. I have no desire to. So there it is again the need for the garden.  I am hoping my plants will inspire me!!!!! I have been gardening over 40 years this year and I have said I am taking a break. My body is screaming take a break. Also the plants are very healing too. Well enough said just expressing my feelings, thoughts and opinions here. I will step down off the soapbox. Excuse me…. 

Yesterday was a great day I painted when I could and sat in front of the spice rack and wiped down the jars. I will leave out why I had to do this. It involved Cooper and a bottle of olive oil. Lips sealed! 🤐  Bruce worked on his class. Since his spinal cord injury he has to try to learn stuff he has to read it over and over like four or five times to sink in. We cooked in our pioneer princess last night one of our homegrown chickens and sweet potatoes. Plus we had bought these stuffed mushrooms from Aldi which were delicious. They are stuffed with cheese. Definitely worth getting again. Well tomorrow I have an EGD appointment. So not sure how the blog will go for tomorrow. We shall see. Sending all the love and positive vibes your way. 

Best, 

Dawn Gallop 
 

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