I've been having a "wicked" time...

Hello my pretties! :)

Here's hoping you are all having a great weekend! :) I've been so exicted for Halloween...been making all kinds of creatures. Even my hubby has gotten in on the act! He drew me a sketch and I can't WAIT to make it!

For now, though, I have a bunch of witch items all finished up and ready to go to new homes. Can you tell I'm reading "Wicked?" LOL

They are already up on ebay and etsy with ooodles of pictures...feel free to fly on over to check them out! I had a great time coming up with the descriptions...especially on the sisters...so I hope you'll at least go for the read and a good chuckle. ;)

In all the excitement, we made a video for you too! Come see how witches get their supplies...over at Potions & Cackles...your everyday store for things so very NOT everyday!



Have a mAgIcAl day! :)

Paint Here, There, and Everywhere!

I just adore Mystele...it's so nice to have such a great friend in blogland! Watch her work her magic in this video! :)

Allowing Yourself to Bloom! :)

Good Morning Ladies! :) I want to thank you for stopping by and thank you for all your recent comments! I save them all to reply to or come visit you on your blog. I really enjoy seeing what you are up to, in art and in life as well. I got so wrapped up in a visitor's blog yesterday, I'd like to find a way to feature those that follow my blog...there are just so many amazing women out there and everything you share is such a gift to me. :) Can you tell I'm loving blogland? :)

Anyway, I have another painting to share with you...it's different, but I think the way it came about it is kind of neat.

I was waiting in line at McDonald's when a gardener came up and started hacking at an oleander bush. It was a beautiful bush, flowering and round growing along an already bare fence.

He chopped and hacked this gorgeous bush into a rectangle, cutting off all of the blooms. I watched in amazement as someone was getting paid to make something look worse, not better.

It frustrated me because that bush is meant to bloom! It's meant to flower and be a source of beauty for us and whatever pollinating insects would happen to come by as well.

It made me think about how people do the same things to themselves. They try to fit themselves into a box. More often than not it is used as an excuse.

"I can't make art, I'm _____."

"I couldn't possibly do the thing I most desire most- I am a mom, accountant, woman, ______."

There were things that you were meant to do on this planet during this time, right now. You are fighting nature just like that gardener if you keep trying to put yourself in a box and have perfect 90 degree hair.

You were meant to grow in all directions, and you can flower in all directions too.

My hope for you, as well as myself, is that we not limit ourselves and try new things. The thing you may be meant to do may be something you've never tried before. How sad it would be if we missed any of that.

The result of my time in the drive through was some added inches to my thighs and oh yeah, this painting! Maybe the next painting should be a girl who is blooming!

Are you blooming? Have you found what you're meant to do? What thrills your soul? Are you at least having fun trying? I'd love to hear all about it!

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!

Blog Fun and Bits of Christmas

I need to acknowledge some awards and tags that I have gotten...I have to say that I'm very fond of all my blog friends and I wish you all a great holiday. My year has been BETTER for simply knowing you! Azul Valentina gave me the Marie Antoinette award...thank you Azul! :) If you love her avatar, just wait until you see her blog! I LOVE her paintings!
Ginger of Loves to Dream is such a dear...she was my first ever swap partner. She links to tutorials and list cool trivia in her posts just about everyday. Thank you sweet Ginger! :)


Pease Porridge of Hot Tamale tagged me with a me-me. It's been a while since I've done one of those! :)

1. In the picture above, the one in the middle is my ABSOLUTE favorite of hers! It's so icy...I can remember the cold snows of PA! :)
2. My ears are super small...they stopped growing when I was little.
3. I long to be a gardener, but I kill everything I touch. lol
4. I wish I could wear dresses like in the 1860's. I did once for a ball, and the weight of it got to
be too much, but it was still fun!
5. I love to dance with Awesome Guy...especially swing!
6. My favorite Christmas song is Frank Sinatra's Jingle Bells. Sa boo ba dobie. :)

Each year, we buy one ornament for Awesome Guy and I, and one for the girls. This is ours...isn't it great?! It's by Dani of Ambitions Design...if you read my blog even a little you know I'm a big fan! I couldn't believe all the detail that went into this...the picture does not do it justice, but there it is on the prime spot of our tree. :) Thanks Dani!
I made this for Awesome Guy's secret santa gift. It's a candle with a personalized cozy. I DO so much love my embroidery machine! :)

I made up some Christmas ornaments using a print of my Santa painting. They are on etsy right now. :)

Before I leave, how about that little bit of Frankie? :)

P.S. I see everyone commenting about how they are taking a break from blogging until the new year. Not me...I'm right here...this IS my break! lol :)

Twas the Night Before Christmas

I'm so excited! This is my first ever treasury! A big thank you to bebeandalice for finding such a neat way to tell this famous story!

P.S. I stumbled across a great drink last night! I'm starting to get a sore throat and our lemonade was a little sour. Too lazy to get regular sugar out of the pantry, I threw the little bit of cinnamon sugar I had left into the lemonade and WOW! was it good! :) Has anyone else ever had that? It actually tastes a bit Christmas-y! Let me know if you try it! :)

In time for Halloween...

I wanted to share the last few items I can list that will be able to arrive before Halloween before Awesome Guy gets home. This season is going so fast! I am SO not done making Halloween goodies! I'm actually REALLY excited about my next one!

On ebay, I have a woodburned painting that has a rustic and vintage feel. I love the way the wood soaks the paint up...it's almost like I have to scrub it in.

A little while back, I made this tin for Dani of Ambitions Designs. She's been so sweet and helpful to me, I wanted to thank her. If you haven't visited her blog yet, you are in for a treat! It's so good that I actually spent an evening and started reading at the very beginning!

I enjoyed making the tin so much that I made some to hold Halloween treats...they are on etsy. I wanted to make them look like they had been sitting in some haunted house somewhere. :0

Have a wonderful Thursday all! Enjoy THE OFFICE...last week was a great one! I have some neat videos to share with you next time!

Oh! And the girls' picked out their costumes...we'll have a Dorothy and a girly Pirate Captain! Madeline is practicing saying "Trick or Treat, " but it sounds more like "tweet tweet!

Just What Have I Been Doing Anyway? :)

Hello Ladies! :)

I wanted to show you what I managed to finish while I've been drowning in work, laundry, and leading Lillian's new Daisy troop! First, a bit of paperclay! I have witches in progress, but could just not NOT work on this little bunny couple!

I think they are called Make-Dos? It was really fun piecing this together. The candlesticks were once brass, but are now dark brown and aged. The egg they are sitting in was from Lillian's Easter basket. The bust is also made of Easter eggs. The couple are wearing HANDMADE lace that I bought at an antique store in Big Bear, Ca and dyed them with tea. The buttons are from Lillian's baby clothes...how fun is that?
The eggs were covered in vintage text, but the back was really fun. Those swirls are embossed and you can see the letters peeking through underneath. The bunnies are aged and softly tinted. I like that it would be good for Easter, but could also sit out all year because it doesn't scream holiday. It is listed on etsy as a set and they are more close-up pictures there too.

Next, my painting collage of Alice...all grown up!

Even though Alice probably would have loved to stay young and play in Wonderland everyday, she grew up as all little girls do. That does not mean, however, that she forgot about those times chasing that lovely rabbit! If you look at her skirt, you can see that part of Wonderland is always on her mind!

Even though Alice grew up, she still manages to sneak away from her adult life and visit wonderland every now and then. She leaves the laundry, the cooking, and the stress to travel to that other world, have a very merry unbirthday, and allow herself to be a little girl again...even if just for a little while. Here she is, contemplating yet another adventure.

Were you a little girl once too? Alice wants to remind you to always take some time out for yourself and allow that little girl to come out every now and then and refresh your spirits. After all, if you're not going to have fun now...just WHEN will you have it?

Happiness Is Where He Is

There are a lot of things this bluebird has yet to do and places she has yet to see. She spends most of her time taking care of the little ones in her humble nest. She loves her role and adores her family. Those things? Those places? They can wait. Right now, in this moment, she IS happy. It's the end of the day, the sun is setting, and her love returns to the nest. This is the life they are building together. And she knows, that no matter what she does or where she goes, true happiness is where he is.



This was SO much fun to do. I drew this on the wood on Mother's Day evening, overwhelmed by how sweet awesome guy was to me with all that he planned. He was SO tired by the end of the day. The card he gave me had a one bluebird on it and when you opened it, it played "Life Would Be a Dream." I think it is my favorite card from him by far. I wood burned the drawing with my soldering tip lol and then painted it so there was a sunset in the background. I LOVE doing gradients like that! The bottom is an altered raspberry and goes up to the flesh color by Delta. It is more orange than flesh to me, but I love using it for sunsets...it almost has a glow to it.

She's on ebay and I have a new item in my etsy too with another coming tomorrow...a silver frame that I painted and of course, crackled!

A big thank you to Adri for showing me how to do a light box. You like? I am loving it...even redid my singing church photo!

It's my Mom's birthday, so I am off to get the girls ready! Have a great day all!

Spongebob Applesauce & A Happy Life

Hello Everyone! :)

Today is a crazy day. Lil got the flu even though she got 2 flu shots! Her cough is so bad, she is going in for a chest x-ray today. Then I have a party plan due for a Star Wars party and I still have to clean the house and get it ready for my Mother-in-Law who's coming to visit. I'm lucky girls...she is great! :)

Before all that though...I wanted to say hi! :) I'm all caught up on what everyone is up to...my guilty pleasure of the day! I have a few things to share too! First is what Lil and I did for her snack day. It was her turn and since we aren't allowed to bring in anything homemade, we jazzed up this pear applesauce with some Vintage Spongebob! lol I started out so carefully, but it still looked messy. With 24 to do, I went to town and ruffled them up quickly. I don't know how you girls do it! :) Lil cut the circles and applied the stickers. I try to get her to be crafty because I think it's important to start that early, but also because I want her to craft with me when she gets older! :) I take her to tea for this reason too! Lucky for me, she likes both things! Here it is:

Next is my very first Esty purchase!~ This was so exciting! I fell in love with this magnet from Suz at ahh! surprise, delight, & joy!

I could NOT be happier with my purchase! First I got a sweet convo from Suz, then fast as lightning, my package came! There was even a cute glitter embellishment on the outside. Ever so carefully was my magnet wrapped in tissue and shreds with a nice note and even a bottlecap pin freebie! Thank you Suz! :) I adore it all!

The list you see with it has been on my fridge for years. I wrote it one day when I had figured out my priorities. I used to focus on Lillian first, but that wasn't right for me. I see it now that awesome guy and I are the trunk of our family tree, and our children are our branches. By nuturing the trunk, and the roots of our relationship, the branches are nice and healthy. I used to have my 1st priority be Lillian, and that wasn't good for the family...the trunk suffered. I used to think that once I married, I didn't have to work on my relationship with awesome guy anymore...that it was solid. It was solid, but it can't just be ignored...it still needs constant nuturing from both parties. So anyway, I figured it out, put it up on the fridge to remind myself, and all has been well since. The icing on the cake? When awesome guy came and filled out his part. He's not a professional fisherman, btw, just not sure what his ultimate job is. Oh, and the genie refers to my party biz. Didn't want to confuse ya!

So you can see why Suz's magnet was perfect for us! And for my little piece of paper on my fridge! :)

Have a GREAT day all and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

P.S. I still don't know what to get awesome guy...any suggestions?