Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my blog friends!
I wish that 2009 will be a very exciting and successful year for all of you, and I pray the economy gets back on track.
Lets have the best year ever!

New art coming within the next week :-D

Blessings to you,
betty

Thank goodness Christmas is over. I feel like I gained 10 pounds over the last few days! As much as I love the season, it is almost a relief when things get back to normal. No more running around looking for last minute things, baking, or visiting friends and family.
Today I am cleaning and organizing. There are way too many books and art supplies lying around cluttering the place. It's amazing how much better you feel after you organize. Once I am finished I can start painting again.
The only thing I painted the last couple of weeks was a Christmas gift for my sister. It's the painting shown above, which I titled 'Coffee and Kitties', and is very different from my usual style. I will have to figure out how to get a better picture of this, as it is too big for my scanner.

I would like to take this time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I have met the most wonderful people here, and I have learned so much from them. I want to say I appreciate all of you, thank you so much for stopping by my blog, and for the kind words. You have all enriched my life more than I can say.
May this holiday season bring you much joy and many blessings my dear friends.
Merry Christmas!!

Wow Christmas is almost here! This is one of my Blythe dolls



I love putting together my village. This is only a small part of it.



I love Santas! Here are a few of my favorite ones.

Look what I got in the mail today!
I love these 2 little paintings done by one of my favorite folk artists Mystele. I just love the vibrant colors, and all the shabbiness! A great addition to my Santa collection, which I would love to keep out all year...
I was so happy to receive these so quickly too, way to go Canada Post! There's so much complaining online about the slow service, but considering the time of year, they must be working super hard to make sure people get their parcels. Don't you just love when you get some goodies in the mail!

Now if that wasn't enough, I got a wonderful surprise from another lovely artist I discovered on Etsy whose shop is called Studio27.
Not only did she send me a beautiful unique card, but enclosed was 2 of her original ACEOs! I collect her 'everyday goddess' collection, which I would recommend to anyone looking for inexpensive original art. Take a look at this card called Magic in the Night Sky. Just $5.00 and free shipping as well! Very affordable, especially these days when people are worried about the economy, but still want to treat themselves to something beautiful. I have bought my share of art, and will continue to do so. Now if only I can create and sell more of my own, so I can indulge without guilt :-D

This lovely ACEO called Simple Pleasures is now mine :-D

More Christmas movies

Okay, don't throw tomatoes at me, but I really like the movie 'The Christmas Shoes'. It is a surprisingly well done movie, based on the song of the same title by the group called 'New Song'. I will admit to cringing whenever the song played during Christmastime, but the movie itself, is wonderful. It stars Rob Lowe as a workaholic father who has forgotten what is truly important in life. His life changes when he helps out a little boy buying some shoes for his mother before she dies. It is a sad story, but don't let that discourage you from seeing it. I love watching movies about people's lives, and how they affect each other. There is a sequel called
'The Christmas Blessing' but I have not yet seen it.

Another one I will mention is Noel. For this movie you better have kleenex on hand. Some may call it depressing, but I find it hopeful, a bittersweet story. Just a suggestion for those looking for something different from the typical Christmas movies normally found.
So many movies, it is a miracle I get any work done!

Some pages from 'The House of Wooden Santas'.

One of my Favorite Christmas Books

I purchased this book a few years back called 'The house of Wooden Santas' by Kevin Major and I continue to go back to it every year before Christmas. What drew me to this is the absolutely gorgeous Santa carvings thoughout the book. The story revolves around a 9 year old boy called Jesse and his mother who move to a small town. His mother begins to carve wooden Santas with hopes of selling them, but times are tough. The book begins 24 days before Christmas, so it is best to read a chapter a day. I wouldn't call this a children's book, as there is an awful lot of writing! Maybe it is geared toward kids 10 and older, but adults could definitely enjoy. It would be a great book to read to your kids. It is very hard to find but I see that amazon has used ones for 1 penny!!!
plus shipping. If you are looking for a non-traditional Christmas book for the whole family, this is worth looking into.

Here is a Youtube video featuring the carved wooden santas from this book

Seasonal Treats

I thought I'd blog about some of my favorite things. Tonight I sat down and watched one of my favorite movies called 'Prancer'.
If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend this feel-good holiday movie, perfect for the whole family. It is about a young girl who thinks she has found Prancer, one of Santa's reindeer. I love the innocence of the main character, her love of Christmas reminds me of myself when I was her age. Make yourself a warm cup of cocoa, turn on the Christmas lights, and snuggle under a blanket as you watch this wonderful movie.

I want this book!!



I am so excited to see Nancye Williams has self published a booklet on making your own dolls with polymer clay. At this moment, I have several doll making books in my Amazon wishlist, just waiting for some extra funds to drop my way :-)
I was sculpting dolls many years ago, but gave up in frustration. I would love to start up again in the future, and I want Nancye's book! Run over to her blog and check it out!
Speaking of blogs, I am rapidly adding more to my reading list...this is good and bad. I keep discovering so many talented artists, and spend more time reading blogs than painting! hey, there are worse habits right? Now I hope to one day make my blog more pretty to look at...

A little something to motivate you

Promises of Youth

An elderly man, in the final days of life, was lying in bed alone. He awakens to see a large group of people clustered around his bed. Their faces are loving, but sad. Confused, the old man smiles weakly and whispers, "You must be my childhood friends, come to say good-bye. I am so grateful."

Moving closer, the tallest figure gently grasps the old man's hand and replies, "Yes, we are your best and oldest friends, but long ago you abandoned us. For we are the unrealized hopes, dreams and plans that you once felt deeply in your heart, but never pursued. We are the unique talents that you never refined, the special gifts you never discovered. Old friend, we have not come to comfort you, but to die with you."


No, I didn't write the above. It had come many years ago from one of my weekly newsletters, and I wish I knew who wrote it. If anyone knows, please let me know.
I find this passage so beautiful, and heartbreaking. It is sad because too many of us let our dreams die. We get caught up in day to day living, and keep saying, maybe next year I will have more time, maybe when the kids grow up, maybe when I retire...but nothing is promised to us. What if tomorrow never came? Would you be satisfied with the life you have led? I know I would not. I am nowhere near where I want to be, but at least I am trying to take steps regularly, to create a more fulfilling life.

I have made so many mistakes in my life. So many wasted years... I used every excuse in the book to justify not sitting down to do the thing I most loved to do, Create. So what changed? I can't even pinpoint it...You see, the love of art and creating was never far from my mind. I may have taken long breaks without drawing, but I always came back to it. I guess I finally understood that this was the one life I was given and that time was ticking.... No more excuses.

Don't get me wrong, I am far from perfect. I have days, even weeks where I don't do anything productive, and that is ok. We can't be 'on' all the time, we would burn out. There is nothing wrong with taking a break from your art (or whatever your goal is), and we should never feel guilty about it. I do love my t.v. shows like "Survivor" and "Project Runway". I just make sure I get back to creating after taking breaks from it.

So is anything holding you back from doing the thing you most love. Don't make my mistakes, dear reader. Print out the above little story and post it on your fridge as a reminder. You and I don't want to come to the end of our lives, and realize that we never lived. Every day you wake, you are given another brand new shiny day, to use as you please. Try to do something for yourself even if it's just for 15 minutes. Most of all, have fun!

Don't let your music die inside you!

Lots of blessing for a wonderful day :-)

Newest Art

Quite a while ago I was asked to do a painting of this beautiful white cat. I was told I can do anything I like, because I am not exactly known for painting animals :-) Well I worried for a long time, not quite sure how to proceed, and this past weekend I was inspired to finally sit down and complete the job. I decided to make her into a fairy princess, and this is the result.

Well, time to go play with my new supplies!