Sunny days call for lots of Shade.

Original drawing on the wood...then comes the colored pencil and then fabric. I love mixing mediums and I think if my studio was not upstairs and I didn't have a "get into everything" toddler, I would be up there mixing messy mediums a lot more. ha

"I Wish you Over the Moon" - new original fabric/colored pencil piece in the shop now. I really love how she turned out. She is a little different then most of my girls with her short hair. Come see her in the shop Here.

"Green Patch II" - original fabric on wood piece in the shop now Here

Slightly different from the first green patch piece but just as lovely.

I have to say it has been beautiful around here lately. We are joining the pool again this summer but I am a little concerned with my (and London's since he is so young) sun exposure. I have been sun blocking up with my ultra sunblock (blue lizard) and yesterday we were out working on the garden and I helped Scott a little bit with a leaky faucet. Then when London got up later in the afternoon we went out to play with chalk. I actually got slightly sunburned right on my clavicle/chest area where I had my first spot of Basal cell skin cancer in Nov. I am freaking out. Is the best sunblock not enough to keep my skin lilly white (and just as importantly London's)? I usually wear my gigantic hat but just got caught up in the day yesterday. I will have to figure out something more then regularly sun blocking and wearing big hats...the sun can not get through to me. ugh

Look what we did on Saturday!

The elementary school down the street - which I am assuming is where London will go when he is old enough - had a Spring Fling Festival. Here is Scott and London going down the giant slide. My camera was being a bit poky so I didn't get any really good shots. This was the only inflatable London got on..he could have cared less about the others and really just wanted to run around in the empty gym- oooh fun. Then we went into the cafeteria and had hamburger and hot dog plates (chips and a drink) for $3 buck each..such a deal and a fun afternoon. I love when Scott gets to be home the whole weekend and we can hang as a family! yay

Happy Spring (and my brother's B-day)!

Gathering - Apples - original fabric on wood piece that sold right away (to one of my favorite ladies). Here she is sitting pretty on the georgous moss in my front yard. Prints are available in the shop now.

Well it is the first day of Spring and my brother's 34th birthday. It is strange to that my brother is younger then my hubby by like a year and a half. He is my big brother and he always will be and it is just strange for me to think of that.

It is also Friday and I am looking forward to a weekend with the family (my husband and London) home and working on the garden. We plan on ordering our dump truck of really good dirt next week, so this weekend the frame will be built. We have scratched the original spot we were going to put the garden due to the lack of full sun. And in true yard fashion (and just like the last house) we will be putting our garden smack in the middle of the front yard. I can't wait. My herb garden made it through the winter and I have been using my herbs to cook with as usual. So fantastic to be able to use them all year round! I love being able to grow things!

Here are a few things I have cooked up the past 2 nights...yummm!

Plantains are a favorite of mine and who new that a ripe plantain fried lightly in a little canola oil at home is better then almost any resturant I have had them in (close 2nd to The Sugar Shack in Ocean Isle)

Orange Ginger Chicken

2-4 chicken breast

2 cups of Orange Juice

Nub of Ginger (shredded with a cheese shredder)

2 cloves of Garlic (shredded)

Dash of salt and pepper

Maridnade the chicken for at least 20 mins in all the ingredients then chop up and saute. Serve with Fried plantains and Jasmine rice...excellent dinner! (and simple)

This was my experimental Meatloaf and wow was is tasty!

Cranberry Turkey Loaf

1 lb of lean Ground Turkey meat

1/2 can of cranberry sauce (with whole cranberries)

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

1 egg

3 pieces of honey wheat bread chopped

zest of one orange

nub of ginger shredded

handful of fresh sage chopped

Dash of sea salt and pepper

Mix it all up and put it in a lightly greased bread pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 min. Served with garlic smashed potoatoes, remainder of cranberry sauce and green beans.

It turned out so moist and yummy, we will be making this one again for sure.

My little artist. We spent several hours outside yesterday making puddles and drawing in them with chalk. I ordered a toddler water table for him last night and I am sure it will be many more hours of entertainment when it gets here. We are ready for summer and afternoons at the pool. Won't it be so fun this year now that he is a little bigger and a little more independant. Well we are off to play outside and enjoy today's sunshine :)



Spring is here...Yay!

Featuring "the paper bead girl" aka my friend Vicki!

About a year ago I met this wonderful customer of mine named Vicki. She bought a few pieces from me and quickly became a friend. We actually began chatting on the phone here and there about this fantastic idea/invention she had. Finally after a little push of incouragement I help Vicki go from being a buyer only to a proud shop owner. I am in no way taking much credit b/c for someone who was convinced she had no artist talent..she sure did! Her shop has been very successful and her invention (paper bead rolling tool) has been such a hit. I think she has really help others who enjoyed making paper beads but did not have a uniformed or quick way. Also, I think she has brought the art of making them to many people who never would have tried otherwise.

Vicki's etsy shop is HERE or watch a video of her showing off how to use her fabulous tool HERE

Thanks Vicki for being such a wonderful friend, etsian, facebook friend, supporter and customer of mine!

xoxox

I always love these bowls and have almost bought them for myself several time (hee hee). I do not see them in her shop right now but I swiped a picture a few weeks ago as I have been meaning to feature her.



Here is her "Paper bead roller X 2" - she sells these things like hotcakes. I believe that she makes each and everyone of them (with a little help from her family) and they are patent pending..so don't go try to make your own, just order one from her for $16- What a deal!

Could this purse be any more unique and georgous. Really Vicki has out done herself. She has many other purse designs but this one is my personal favorite!

Here is a close up of a batch of beads she had made and are for sale. They are called Neopolitan and they totally make me think of Baskin Robins- LOL

I encourage all of you to hop on over to Vicki's shop and see all her goodies, you will not be disappointed!

I just put this one up in the shop. It is drawn in black and then digitally colored. I play around with photoshop here and there and am getting a little better. I think this print looks a little better in person. I am slightly obsessed with odd shaped images so I am sure there will be more of these.

She is called "The Looker"

I participated in a show this past Sat. I used to run a show called Starving Artist and I know that sometime you can put all the advertising out there to the world and sometimes the crowds still do not make it. Well, this show was very very slow as the weather was so crappy. It was about 40 degrees and raining cats and dogs. There was actually a 5 K that ran from there that morning and there were 150 registered...it think maybe 20 actually showed up to run. I had one good sale and made some good connections. Sometimes networking with other vendors or local folks with connections can make a slow show worth it. Anyway, here was my set up and I will do a little more research with the next show....I think when there is wine and cheese involved the crowd tends to buy more. And who doesn't like a glass of wine to sip on while sitting behind your table of art- ha ha.

Off to venture out in this rain...have a great Monday everyone!

Getting Ready!

I have a booth in a craft sale on Saturday. It has been since Nov. 2007 since I have done any shows and it has been a lot of work getting ready. I think I am pretty organized so far but I may have to miss my father-in-laws birthday dinner on Friday night b/c there are so many things I can not do until last minute. I have to set up my display and figure out which pieces I will hang and then get them ready to hang and put a hanging tag on them. All of which I can not do until Mr. London is in bed.

Here are a few shots of my art taking over the living room. It looks messy and is mixed in with London's toys but for the most part everything is very organized. LOL

Baskets of work...I hope that some of these sell...Im running out of room! :)


The basket on top has all of my 8.5 x 11 prints in it and the cardboard box has my smaller prints and signs for my table (pens, tape, calculator..etc.)

I have probably almost 200 original and I am not bringing any of my really big pieces...too much to deal with. Plus I really think that people are willing to part with a few bucks here and there but not so much a few hundred. :)

Well, I will take some photos at the show and post those either here or on flicker.

Wish me luck!!!

(art mixed in with my mini trampoline and one of London's toys)

High Hopes...for an Alaskan visit

"Wedding Day" Original Fabric on Wood piece in the shop now.

I love making my own handmade wedding gifts when friends and family get hitched. Thought I would make one for the shop. Also, I have had many request (usually by the couple) in my etsy shop for an original wedding piece depicting them on their special day or as a happy couple. Don't know why but I just love making them!

"Lil Bacon" - Original Fabric on Wood piece in the shop and part of my Mod Kitchen Collection

We tend to eat turkey bacon here at my house for the occasional breakfast or BLT. This one is for all you Bacon Lovers out there!

London and I played together the other morning. I usually love weekends when the hubby is home and doesn't have to work. He snapped a few shots of us, doing what we do. London is playing with playdoh. We get out all of his letter magnets and punch then intot he playdoh for the reverse letter...Oh so fun.

Now..yes I am in my PJ and planting seeds in my seed starter. Many are popping up already and are just waiting for the dump truck of good dirt to arrive...oh and the warm weather.

I did plant 2 blackberry bushes and 2 raspberry plants yesterday. Going to order my blueberry bushes in a few weeks and we will be that much closer to wonderful homemade goodies!

I am getting ready for a show in Rock Hill on Sat. My etsy shop will be a bit bare for a few hours (all but my prints). Hoping to sell a bunch as I would love to be able to buy a plane ticket to go visit my sister in Alaska (she leaves in about a month to go back for 6 months). I rarely get to go on trips far far away and I just know I would love to visit Alaska. Once London was born and I quit my job we have been on a very tight budget. Keeping my fingers crossed that my plan works out...maybe I will get to go in August. I've got high HOPES!

xoxo

My New ArtFire Studio

Well in looking to branch out a bit from etsy I have opened up an ArtFire Studio. I am just selling prints right now to start with. I may eventually sell some originals there as well. The site is still in Beta but is growing fast. They have some great features, one of them being the rapid cart. I have a link to it right here on my blog if you scroll down and look to the left. This means that you can buy prints directly from my ArtFire studio from my blog securely in about 30 seconds. I find that to be really cool! You can find my artfire shop Here. Feel free to come stop by, I am sure that I will throw in a few extras to my very first customer there!

We had a totally unexpected snowy night the other night (March 1st). Of course we had so much rain the few days before that the snow barely stuck out here. Scott and I ventured out late night after London had gone to bed to see how much was coming down. He did get the next day off of work but the roads were not bad out here at all - at least not compared to Charlotte.

We tried to collect snow to make Snow Cream with London in the morning but didn't really get enough to make any.

Scott and I on the front porch a little after Midnight.

It was quite chilly out and we kept capturing our breaths when trying to capture the snow.


"French Toast" - Original fabric on wood piece new in my Etsy shop now...part of my Mod Kitchen Collection. I am so pleased with the way this one turned out. Hoping someone snatches it up soon!
Alrighty, off to get the little man up and off we go outside to play in the sunshine and drawn with sidewalk chalk (a daily activity we enjoy).

2 Year ETSY-versary Sweet Sale

2 Year Etsy-versary Sweet Sale!
stop by my shop Here

Tomorrow is officially my 2nd Anniversary on Etsy, so I thought it would only be right to have a sale. Yay! I am offering 2 different sales and only one can be used per person / per purchase. The sale will start NOW and go until 8:00am March 4th, 2009 (EST)

1. Two for Tuesday Print Sale. Buy one print and get any 2nd one (of equal or lesser value) FREE (up to 1 free print per person). This includes ACEO's, 5 x 7's and 8.5 x 11 prints (sorry no postcards :).

2. Since it is my Etsy-versary I will give 20% off of any purchase of $50 or more not including shipping costs. This is by far the best sale I have ever offered so if you have been eyeing a piece or two in my shop now would be a good time to jump in and buy!

If you do purchase please wait to pay until I can send a revised invoice or if you pay I will just send you back the discount. Also if you buy one print and want a second for free you can just convo me or include in note to seller which print you want me to throw in.

I look forward to seeing you in my shop! Cheers