A Day With That Red Furry Monster

My Madeline turned two...can you believe it? Has it really been a whole year since this?
Madeline has a very strong affection for that lovable furry monster known as Elmo. Don't you love the tutu?! It was made by a friend of mine that I used to work with a LONG time ago. Now she's all grown up and creating cute and adorable kid stuff! Her shop is here.Funny how kids pick what they like. Lillian was SO into the Wiggles and when Madeline was born, we assumed that we'd be pulling out those tapes again. Strangely, she had no interest in anything expect Elmo and the occasional story about the monkey and the man with the yellow hat!Our little girl loves to jump so an Elmo bounce house was the perfect activity for her. She was jumping all over, singing, "Happy Birthday to Me...Happy Birthday to Me!"
Lillian had some of her girlfriends there too! As I took these shots of them, I realized that they are not even "little" girls anymore. How did that happen so quickly?!


These were her invitations. I loved the idea of the red fur envelopes, but I was covered in it by the time I was done! I'm heading over to put some of these in my shop, as birthday cards, but also as invitations. Some of you may know one of my other hats is that of a children's party planner. Business for all inclusive parties have slowed, so at least I can offer bits here and there. :)

I'm off to hug my baby girl...she's growing up too fast!

He is the Fred to My Wilma

Thursday was our 9 year married, 15 year "together" anniverary! He is the Fred to my Wilma! :) This picture is from 2006...taken just south of the Grand Canyon in a tourist attraction called Bedrock. I was last there when I was just three years old...it's SO much fun! It's the whole town, even has its own movie theater, and dinosaur for you to slide down when you are finished with work.

We love the Flintstones. When Lil was born she looked just like Pebbles. Her first birthday party was a Flintstones party and we were all in costume. Lil to the bone in her hair, me with the raggedy white skirt, and Awesome Guy in well, bright orange fur. My one friend told me the next day that after they left, her husband turned around and said, "Hey must REALLY love her." I love him for putting up with all my crazy ideas, some willingly, and some not so willingly. Teehee. The things we do to make each other happy!

The one thing I know is that this is a man that I can have fun with. Who puts up with my art supplies everywhere and doesn't blink when I make bunnies in October and Santas in February. Who dances with me on stage at the Big Bang in Tempe, and loves festivals and road trips. Who's so incredibly smart and can make me laugh like no other...especially when he quotes from movies at the just the right moment. :) He's a great friend, husband, and father. Love you honey!

Yabbaa Dabba Doo!


P.S. This is what we did for our date out! It was SO much fun!

Hello My Lovelies! :)

Thank you SO much for all the video love on the post below...I truly appreciate it and I'm glad you liked it! The painting isn't finished, but I'll post it when it's done. :)

Now it's time for that announcement that I talked about a couple posts ago. I am SO excited about this!!!

In an effort to become more serious with my painting (even though it's the most fun thing I do next to laughing at my little redheads), I applied to join the Prim & Whimsy Girls on ebay. I thought it would be a perfect fit since I can never decide if I want to glitter something or age it, and sometimes do both. :) They do challenges and swaps and that seemed like fun too. They even have some giveaways planned for YOU coming up in the next month!

I was nervous about applying, afraid they would say no...so you can imagine how ecstatic I was when I got an email saying I am now a Prim & Whimsy Girl! Woohoo!
The first challenge I've joined was to create something around the theme "A Bird in the Hand."
This is what I came up with. This girl is hopeful that her bird's eggs will hatch soon. Of course this could be taken as the whole "signs of spring" kind of thing. However, I was waiting on results from some scary tests done on Madeline and I was trying to keep from freaking out. She's okay, the tests have confirmed, but it was terrifying there for a while and I am so grateful it turned out the way I wanted! :)
As I painted this, I started to realize that this girl looks like a friend of mine from middle school! Her name was Jennifer and she and I would play the FIRST Nintendo Mario Brothers every day after school. We did it the "cool" way though. lol We turned down the volume, and turn up the radio (same station) while we talked on the phone. We could play all the way to the end every night in an hour or two.

She had beautiful curly black hair (think Diane of Anne of Green Gables), the bluest of eyes, and naturally rosy lips. Everyone called her China Doll because she looked so much like one. I haven't seen her since middle school, but here's to you Jen, wherever you are! :)

I've put two other things on ebay too, and a couple paintings on etsy as well. I just posted this one today, so it's not showing up yet in the search engine.

I hope you're having a great day! Lillian is on spring break and her only request was to go to the Phoenix Art Museum...that's my girl! :) I've never been, so it will be an adventure for us all!

Yeah! The circus is READY! :)

Faerie Enchantment, a blog I only stumbled upon yesterday (much to my pleasure!) is having a Carnivale Soiree. Awesome Guy's great aunts (twins) were in the circus when they were young. We only have 1 photo of them during this time, but I absolutely cherish it! Can you imagine the guts it took to leave their family and join a circus?! They had great training though...Gene Kelly's (be still my heart!) dance studio was right in their hometown! They traveled up and down the east coast in the Johnny J Jones train circus. They are gone now...how I wish I could of heard those stories!

I love these ladies...they accepted me right when Awesome Guy and I started dating and would look at me with so much love in their eyes that they dazzled me. There is more on the description on youtube, but enough talk...you've waited long enough already! The show MUST go on!

I hope you all realize how much I love you...I stayed up all night. :) Enjoy it!

Carnival Soiree

The posters are up all over blogland! This show is about to start! I am SO close to being finished on this one...been up all night! I found this wonderful blog only yesterday and having relatives that were once in the circus, I HAD to do something! I put a lot of work into it, so if you would please come back in just a little bit, I promise to give you an amazing show!

Featured Artist- Painter of the Past

Today I would like to talk about Suzanne, the Painter of the Past. I stumbled upon her blog over a year ago and loved the traditional, colonial type pieces that she creates. Over time, I have enjoyed her blog and paintings very much!To my surprise, she replied to a comment I had posted on her blog and mentioned that she used to live in Arizona. Better yet, she used to work at my all time favorite store, The Country Manor. I never called it that though...I called it the rooster store. Did you know I LOVE roosters? The are incredibly beautiful and this store was once full of them. It even had this at the back door...

I shared this story with Suzanne. I told her about my love of roosters, the store, and especially this door. I remember that I gasped the first time I saw it. When visitors would come into town, I'd bring them there and hear their gasps as well. I wanted to unhinge that door and take it home with me. It reminds me of the country life I lived on the east coast before I came to Arizona.

Wouldn't you know it? My next email from Suzanne said that she PAINTED that door!! Is that a small world or what?! I am so excited to know the amazing artist behind this door. If you visit her blog or her etsy shop, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!

Sadly, The Country Manor is no more. It was bought by a new owner who focused more on furniture and then it fell victim to the economy. Part of my favorite store lives on though, and I can visit her blog any time I want. :) Thanks Suzanne!

Giveaway II Winners :)

Hello Bloggers! :) I've missed you! I had work to finish and commitments I made at Lillian's school to meet, but I am back! Woohoo!


Before I go off to reply to your comments, I wanted to post the winners of my 2nd giveaway, the one for my blogaversary. :) Drumroll please......

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

;)

Dapoppins wins the print!

Ketelcopia wins the $15 gift card!

Congratulations ladies! :) I wrote all the kindred spirits that follow my blog, the comments I received, and then the ones who posted about it on their blog. Dapoppin's kindred spirit entry was drawn and #46, one of Trish's entries for posting about the giveaway, was the one other one that drawn! Thank you to all who entered! It would be so cute if you dropped by and saw these lovely ladies to congratulate them! :)

The next post will be a feature on a very sweet artist that I have one of those 6 ways to Kevin Bacon kind of connections! :) Who will it be? Can you guess? And then! An announcement that I am SO excited about!

Til then...I was writing a friend and thinking about all the scary economy stuff that is going on right now. It made me think of the depression in the 30's. Do you know what people did then to escape all their scary economy stuff? They went to the movies and saw Shirley Temple. She dazzled them, she shared her talent, and they left with lighter hearts than they came in with. That's what you are to me, my Shirley Temples. Too much television news and I hop on here to be dazzled, to be in awe of your talent, and I leave with a lighter heart than I came in with.

Thank you. Here is a little Shirley Temple for you! :)

Where I Create...

Hey all! :) The ornies are in the etsy shop and I'm going to close the giveaway for comments on Friday so if you haven't entered yet, seize the day! :)

Here's the song I was referring to! Jump to 5:30 :)


Have a great one!

Real Quick...the winners of OWOH

The winners of my OWOH giveaway are...

1. Print: Sharon of Wildflower House
2. Ornie: Vickie of Whispers of Inspiration

Thanks to all who entered! Have a great Valentine's Day!

It's a GiVeAwAy Part II :)

I had my first blogging anniversary!! I completely missed it! I thought it was a completely different date. However, that's no reason not to CELEBRATE!

I started this blog when I started painting. I've crafted forever, but was always intimidated by the almighty brush. I didn't feel like I had any control. Something made me want to try anyway. It was FUN, it was FREEing, and it felt GREAT. So I tried some more. People started buying my paintings and I happily sent them to their new homes...so grateful that someone else liked what I did.

I'm definitely no expert. I know that I have a lot left to learn and I'm excited to do just that. I know that I want to take this to another level. It calls to me, I stay up late to do it, truly to the point of falling asleep at the table. I LOVE it.

My story of the past year is here, so I won't summarize it for you except to say that I have had a wonderful time creating and meeting people that create. Now that I have this outlet, I don't know what I'd do without it...without lovely people like you visiting me.

In honor of this, I'm having another giveaway...yes two giveaways going on at the same time! Woohoo! Feel free to enter both...the other one is below.

I blog to share what I've made...and for that I'll be giving away:

A print from my etsy shop, you pick after you win. :)

I blog to meet people that create...and to encourage you to create MORE I'll also be giving away:

A $15 gift card to Micheal's, JoAnns, or Hobby Lobby...you pick after you win. :)

So here's how to enter. You can:

1. Follow my blog...it's to the right and oh so easy to do. And guess WHAT? Anyone who follows my blog will be automatically entered into any and all future giveaways I do...cool, huh?

2. Leave a comment on this post. That will get you a second entry.

3. Link to my blog using the badge above and earn 3 addition entries!!! Please comment here afterward to let me know so I can give you credit. I would appreciate this so much, you have no idea. I want to grow and meet new people that are as great as the people I know now. :)

Thank you...thank you for visiting, thank you for sharing, and thank you for being a lovely part of my life. :) And good luck!

Mummy Love

Meet my sweet mummy girl.

She's a very feminine mummy who takes a great deal of pride in her dress, uh, wrap.
See her hair so delicately done? She even adorned it with some "ribbon."

Her dress has delicate touches of pink and each wrap was tied ever so carefully. Look at her stripey stockings!


Did you know she died of a broken heart? She lost her love and just couldn't handle it. She thought she'd never love again. Her heart simply gave up.
She was wrong though...she has found love again...her heart has mended.

And she is hopeful once more.

Mmmm....

This is what I'm making for dinner tonight...I HIGHLY suggest it! It's probably the 6th or 7th time I've made it and it makes me look like a kitchen goddess to Awesome Guy!

Even though this is a great recipe, I CAN'T leave you without giving you something to look at!
First, the a Christmas painting that just isn't done yet...it's been sitting here for a while...long enough for me to figure out it needs some age, and crackle even! :) I got the idea from the Christmas carol, "Sleigh Ride" and is my idea of what a wintry fairy land looks like. Awesome Guy said he was surprised to see glittery mushrooms in the winter, but I told him that anything is possible with fairies. :)

Second, my first commission through etsy!! I thoroughly enjoy painting this way and would love to do more. It was especially fun to do this one because it was a remake of my first painting ever, almost exactly a year ago. It was really fun to see how I've changed since I started. The scan is not that great...the 3d banner cast some shadows...wish I knew that before I sent her off to her new home...I would have scanned her again!


Lastly, the rest of the ornies I made while I was on vacation in January. Can't go on vacation and not craft...especially while it is snowing outside! I had a great time and made so many different things...I'll share more in another post. :) Anyway, these ornies were a lot of fun to do...I used my trusty vintage hymnal and let the title decide what I would paint and as it turned out, some have a religious theme and some do not. They will be up on etsy soon, but if you see one you want before that...email me and I'll take care of it for you. :) Thank you for all the entries in my giveaway (below)...it is so nice to hear from all of you. :)

As my Madeline would say, have a HAPPY day!

It's a Giveaway!! One World, One Heart

***This giveaway is now closed!*** I DO HAVE ANOTHER ONE ON THIS SAME BLOG...click on my header to see! Thank you to all that entered...will be drawing the winners soon! :)
Mere

I'm hopping onto the Gypsy Caravan that is One World, One Heart! If I could live outside like Fanciful Twist, I would do that in a heartbeat. Something about being outside really relaxes me. Growing up, I was always out in the woods, breathing it all in.
I always wanted to be in a caravan...my first car was a Saturn and I swore I was going to make the trip to Tennesee to see the factory with all the other Saturn owners. Her name, was Ginger, after Ginger Rogers. She danced just as well, mile after mile with me until I had to give her up for a car that would fit a car seat. I cried when I traded her in, but in the end, my Lillian is better than any Ginger I could ever have! :)

Anyway, if this is your first visit, WELCOME! :) I hope you come back later and hang around. I'm happy to participate this year and here is what I am giving away:

1. Any 8x10 print from my etsy shop...you pick after you win!
2. This ornie, hand painted by me.This giveaway is open to everyone. Entries will be closed midnight Feb. 11th and drawing will be held on Feb 12th. Good Luck!

I also have another giveaway that I will be doing in the next day or two, in honor of my 1 year blogging anniversary! You are, of course, allowed to enter both. ***UPDATE*** My other giveaway is up...good luck! :)

Thanks for the visit, to new friends and old...may you always be happy and your iced tea always cold! :)

P.S. Here's a little Ginger for you!

Right Now...

Right now the girls are asleep.

Right now Awesome Guy is snoozing.

Right now even my Boston Terrier is snoring.

Right now I have tea brewing...English breakfast...to drink and also a little to dye some lace and muslin...
Right now I'm getting out a hammer, nail, wire and beads...

Right now I'm listening to Erica's playlist because she said it is great. And it is. Is your playlist great? Tell me and I'll listen to it during my next "right now."

Right now is my time...no distractions, no lovable little girl in my lap, no phone ringing or door knocking.

Are you up right now? Stealing a moment away from slumber to create? Tell me...I'll pour you a cup of tea...here you are.

Enjoy your right now...maybe this will help.

Horoscopes & Swaps

So there is a horoscope on my home page and it actually told me to check my blogs...see? :)
"Leo (7/23-8/22)

If you can, try to surround yourself with people who are down to earth and grounded today. These people have the kind of focus you need right now -- they can teach you something new about how to appreciate the smaller things in life and have a good time doing anything. These mellow types of people have a lot of contentedness in their life, and you could learn a lot from them."

Okay, okay...don't have to tell me twice! :) Hugs to all my blogging friends!

I've joined two swaps that should be a load of fun. First up is Little Tokens of Love Swap from Prim & Whimsy...my partner is the Yester Dayes...how fitting is that?!

The next one is still open if you want to join in...it is super cute because you have to hunt down your eggs to see who gave it to you! Kind of a Secret Easter Bunny...you hop from blog to blog until you find the egg that was sent to you...and in turn find some great new ones! Presented by Viv on a Whim

Okay...I'm off to do what my horoscope says to do! Sure there is laundry to be done, but why mess with the universe? :)

I Won Lisa's Giveaway!!

If you read my blog, you all know that I'm a huge fan of Lisa Lectura. How lucky was I to win 2nd place in her first ever giveaway?! We went out of town and the night I came back, I checked out Mystele's blog and saw that she had one 1st place...congrats Mystele!
I was so excited to think that it might have come while I was away that I went outside in my pajamas at MIDNIGHT to check my mail. My ornament had arrived! I can't even explain how beautiful this is and I KNOW how much work went into it. The print on the fabric is so colorful and the stitchery is PERFECT! I looked at it forever, flipping it over, looking at every bead, sequin, and stitch. And the felt is scalloped, again, PERFECTLY. I have no idea how she did that, but WOW! I love the colors combination too. I was simply blown away!

Mystele did a video to thank her and I thought I'd do the same. I thought I'd let you see Madeline's reaction to it since she is way cuter than I am!

It's now hanging up next to the other blog art I have collected...I love it so much! Thank you Lisa! I am forever grateful for such a treasure!

I totally believe in paying forward, so look for a giveaway from me. A few actually...but you'll see soon!

A Different Kind of Post

I've been on an adventure...did you know? Not an adventure I planned, but one I've taken nonetheless. During this adventure, there were moments of victory and hidden pitfalls that slowed me down. It may have taken more effort than it should have...in fact, it definitely did. In the end, it's those moments of victory that matter most. Like having a healthy Awesome Guy and two little redhead beauties.
Like dressing those little redhead beauties in embellished outfits...a bit of embroidery and a vintage linen tea towel.

And letting them know that any time is a good time to wear a fancy hat.
Like having such good friends that not only understand this principle, but can also share two of the most enjoyable hours with you among old and dusty treasures.
And teaching these fairly new treasures, that no matter what, every girl deserves to be treated like a princess.
We are all on adventures. Sure, there are pitfalls. Sometimes they are hidden and surprise you completely. Don't let them stop you...you never know what victorious moment is just ahead. With moments like that, surely there must be angels among us. :)

What's your latest moment of victory?