Merry Christmas

Making Some Progress...

Last week was my finals week. Now with all of the schoolwork out of my way, I have been busily working on finishing up some paintings for Christmas presents! Only a few more days... I think I can make it in time. I'm just worried about the paint drying before then!

A large autumn picture for my mom:

A winter painting for my grandparents:

And finally, a picture of a dog for a client (complete!):

Do you have any last minute Christmas preparations as well?

Hurry, Little Elves!

Now that the last art fair of the season is over, I have been frantically working on putting some Christmas presents together. Here's a look at what occupied my afternoon:

More pics once it is finished! :)

Snow and a Show

This weekend was my second craft show for which I'd been busily preparing for the last two months. My husband and I got up early on Saturday morning (isn't my boyfriend-for-life wonderful?) to pack my car up with merchandise and found the ground completely covered with snow. What a wonderful surprise! This was very unseasonable weather for the area and suited the day's holiday festivities very well.

The show was in the gym of the seminary I attend. It only took my husband and I about 20 minutes to get set up. Score! Before the show began, I was able to wander around and meet some fantastic artists.

Me in front of my display. I liked how it fit together so colorfully! :)
I was hoping that there would be a younger shoppers with the seminary and university in town, but was a bit disappointed that the majority turn-out was women with old-time country, traditional tastes. Not so good for the styles of the things I create.

Also surprising to me were the things that sold. Only one mini scrapbook and one mini painting sold, which were the things that I thought would sell quickly. Instead, I just about sold out of handmade cards.

The BIG surprise, though, was when a very nice young woman bought one of my large paintings for her daughter's nursery!
As if that could not be topped, I woke up the next morning to find that someone from the United Kingdom had bought another one of my paintings from my Etsy shop! :)
As exciting as it was to sell these two paintings, I was also sad to see them go. :(

Overall, I had a good time selling my items at the craft show. The biggest lesson I learned? It doesn't matter how beautiful your items are or how creative your display is if the venue does not suit your demographics. From now on, I will be scouting out some more contemporary venues geared toward my personal style.

Now that this is done, I'm off to write papers and start painting some Christmas presents! :)

Christmas Art Fair

These past few weeks have been VERY busy in my little studio... Not only have I been prepping for an art fair this Saturday, but I've been fulfilling custom orders and painting Christmas presents. Oh, did I mention that I'm in graduate school too?

Here are some shots of my practice set-up for this weekend. The lovely pegboards are courtesy of my wonderful grandparents. I don't know how I did the last fair without these for my paintings!


Some mini paintings with easel displayed on a little bookshelf.

I picked up a tiered kitchen basket from Hobby Lobby and am using it to create a spacial display for my mini scrapbooks.

After the fair this weekend and final papers due next week I will be feeling much better. Whew! :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

With the cooler temperatures beginning to set in, I have started to think ahead to the holidays. This week I've been working on some Christmas cards. There's nothing like curling up with a blanket, sipping some steaming hot coffee and piecing together some holiday cards. My husband even put some Christmas music on for me so I could be better in the mood for creating. :) I'm not usually fond of beginning Christmas festivities so early in the year (at least not until after Thanksgiving) but it has been great getting a head start on cards. I know finals week will have me super busy when the holiday season rolls around. :)

Here are some of my favorite creations.

I got a whole bunch done!



Have you started on any Christmas shopping, card making, decorating, etc. yet?

November

Since November is such a colorless month, I am constantly looking for colorful inspiration. Seeing a red cardinal against such neutral surroundings caught my eye while walking home one afternoon from school. Instant inspiration! :)

Treasures

The good/bad thing about selling on Etsy is that you find so many beautiful treasures that you want to own. Here are some amazing art pieces that I loved so much I had to cave in and buy them. :)

I would like to introduce you to this little fellow. Her name is Babette. :) Isn't she simply adorable? She is made entirely from unspun wool. I fell in love with her immediately!
Created by: MissyandMe

These earrings are even more vibrant and stunning as they look in the pictures! They're gifts, but I wish I had my ears pierced just so I could wear them. I'm going to have to head over to her shop later and buy a necklace for myself (*wink wink* to my husband!).

Created by: DoxyDame

A very lovely lady crocheted several headbands for me in a variety of colors. I was very impressed by how well they were crafted! This blue one is my favorite.
Created by: Tobywonkenobi

Finally, I received this photography print in the mail this afternoon! As soon as I opened the package I was amazed at the color quality. This woman has got talent! I ordered this as a birthday present for my dad, but I'm already planning which prints I would like to purchase from her next. :)

Created by: EyeShutterToThink

What are some of your recent finds? :)

Some More Fall Inspiration

Where I live, fall is pretty much over... Which means that it's time to scrapbook all the season's memories! Here is a beautiful layout made by Jessica that inspired me to get to work:

The detail in this layout is amazing - white lace in the background, laser cut paper, white stitching...

Jessica owns a lovely shop called Layouts From the Heart where you can see additional shots of this layouts. In addition to some more premade items, Jessica sells the BEST lines of flowers. In fact, the majority of the flowers that I use in my projects are from her store. :)

Etsy's Front Page!

One of my mini fall scrapbooks was featured on Etsy's front page early this morning. What a great way to begin my weekend! :)

Autumn is Here!

I know that it's technically been "autumn" for a while now, but this week it is finally starting to feel like it. It's been a bummer fall. With little to no rain, all the trees are dried out and brown. We missed out on all the color this year. :( The cooler temperatures this week, though, have inspired me to create my own fall colors. :)

A few weeks ago my husband took me to a pumpkin patch for some fall activities. That's one of my most favorite things about fall - spending time outside with my husband.
I used this picture to make a simple fall scrapbook layout. It has been such a long time since I've scrapbooked something for myself!

Then, looking at all of these photos inspired me to paint this trio of little pumpkins! For some reason, I love unconventional pumpkin colors. :)

Happy fall, everyone! :)

Some Inspiration

I am really inspired by ZudaGay's handmade jewelry... Check out her shop!



I can't get over how details each of her pieces are.

If you are interested in owning one of these treasures, head over to this blog for a chance to win! :)

Paintings From the Past

I was looking through some old paintings that I did when I was a freshman in college and came across these favorites:





I often wonder how I had so much time to paint back then... I guess you just make time for the things you love.

Do you still hold onto anything special you created when you were younger?

A Little Bird Told Me...

I had a great time making this little blue bird scrapbook album a few weeks ago and had to share.




Detail shot of front cover:

Although it IS hard to part with, this album is for sale at my Etsy shop. :)

Materials: Paper from Wisteria collection by Basic Grey, recycled cardboard, Prima flowers from Layouts From the Heart.

October List

I was inspired by Arian's recent post with an illustrated list of things to do for October and couldn't help but to make one myself. :)

1. Paint a fall picture - I love autumn beauty and don't want it to fly by before I get to enjoy it!
2. Study Greek and Hebrew - I need to seriously start reviewing what I learned in undergrad so that I can test out of graduate classes!
3. Read a good novel - Haven't read anything really enjoyable since this summer. Any suggestions?
4. Watch a classic movie with my husband - A new hobby of ours.
5. Play in the leaves :)
6. Girl time - Spend some time with some new girlfriends I've made
7. Starbucks - Perhaps I could combine this with #6 and kill two birds with one stone?
8. Get a pumpkin
9. Fall photo shoot - Something my husband and I do every year
10. Love life

Do you have any goals?

DIY - Paper Butterfly Embellishments

I love using beautiful butterfly embellishments on my projects! Buying commercial die cut pieces of these can get pricey... Here's how you can make your own. :)



You will need:
White cardstock paper, or colored paper of your choice
Printer
Watercolor paints/brush

1. Find a black & white picture of a butterfly whose license permits you to print and use. There are many pictures on the internet. I find that printable coloring pages work great.

2. Print your butterfly on white cardstock (or a colored sheet of paper, if you so desire).

3. If on white cardstock, paint your butterflies using watercolor paints. I use phthalo blue for my blue butterflies and a mixture of crimson and red for my pink butterflies.

4. Carefully cut around your butterfly and voila! Instant embellishment!

Happy creating. :)

Saturday's Painting

I painted this picture while I was at the art fair this weekend. It was fun to do a "live demonstration," plus I'm quite pleased with how this turned out. :)

(Please ignore my messy art desk...)

A Day at the Fair

This past Saturday was a perfect day to be out all day at the Wilmore Art and Craft Festival! I was surprised at how many people came to look... It was wonderful to meet so many new people. :)

Here is my humble little booth:



Thanks for coming to see me! :)

Prepping for the Art Fair

This upcoming Saturday is Wilmore's annual art and craft festival. This is the first art fair that I have ever entered and I am really excited about it!

I've been working on creating a shop front so that it will be easier to set up on the day of the fair.



Here is my display for some simple jewelry I made. I'm using the tea cup at the top as a place to store my business cards. :)


Come see me on Saturday! :)

Sunday Afternoon Painting

This week's Sunday afternoon painting is a simple yet bright still life.

What I really like about it is the texture. I painted over an old oil painting I did when I was 12 that had a lot of bumpy dried paint. It looks really good on this particular subject and gives it a worn look.

Detail shot:

I'm trying to think of a creative title... Any suggestions?