Of Fairy Tales and Cats

Today as I was looking through some old work I realized I haven't painted a fairy tale in a very long time. Back then I was struggling with my backgrounds, and working on creating prettier faces in my art.
Then I discovered ACEOs, and Mixed media, so my fairy tale series got put aside. It's time to do a new one. I think I have done 6, and next on my list was Cinderella. We shall see if I can find time this weekend to continue....

Other news, I saw the musical 'Cats' a few days ago. It was fantastic! As I was watching my little artist brain was busy planning out what paintings I could make based on it. Inspiration is everywhere! too bad that the image in my mind was much better than the end result. I don't care for this painting at all, I think I made her face way too wide. Oh well, you can't always get it right. I still beeswaxed her though, and will have it on my bookshelf to remind me of the musical.


Yesterday I received the last of my OWOH giveaway prizes, so here is a picture I took- sorry for the quality, it was overcast when I took it...on the left is the lovely mixed media canvas by Sanna, and on the right is the cigar box of incredible goodies are from Carole
I got so lucky with this event!


that's it for now, I must continue cleaning :-(

Outside my comfort zone

I love shabby art, but have never been able to create like that. I tend to be very controlled in the way I work, which is something I really want to change.

I painted this cowgirl, and used the background techniques from Suzi blu's latest workshop to create a more shabby effect. I ended up making it too dark, so had to go in and add some stars and stamping to break it up a little.
I just put her up on Ebay, and if she doesn't sell she will go into my Etsy store. I've got too many original paintings sitting in my art room, they need some love too!

It was fun doing something outside my comfort zone, and I'm already thinking the next girl I will do in this style. What a nice change from my usual 'pretty' backgrounds.
How do you like her goofy looking cat :-)

I feel like a pirate!

It was a long and tiring week at work. I so looked forward to coming home and relaxing. Well, today was my lucky day! Look at all my loot! I came home to three packages of goodies, and a notice that another parcel was at the post office for me to pick up tomorrow :-D

I took part in the One World One Heart giveaway, and ended up winning a couple of prizes myself. The first one showed up today, from the super talented and awesome
Ostrich girl. I had an idea what to expect but to actually see it, what a generous giveaway! Sheri I can't thank you enough! It's better than I expected!

Next thing I found was my new Blythe doll, Star Dancer. I have wanted her since I first saw her, and she is perfect! Unfortunately I have not learned how to photograph my blythes creatively, so here is a simple picture of her.


And my last goodies of the day are two new yoga DVDs I had pre-ordered last year. They were finally released! I am hoping they will get me off my lazy butt. I did yoga regularly for years, until art took priority in my life. Now I barely exercise. Hopefully this will change, as my jeans don't fit me anymore, lol!



New artwork coming soon....I've got a new girl painted, I just have to scan her....

You are awesome!

I came across this the other day and thought I would share with my friends. This is a short film and it is wonderful! Take a peak, it will leave you feeling uplifted.
It just shows how desperate we all are to feel appreciated, and valued. How simple it is to change someone's day with our words.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

More Journal Pages

I am happy to say I have kept up with my art journal pages. They are so fun and easy to do, that I look forward to them. Especially in times when I just can't get motivated to paint anything, like now. Since I love poetry, and have memorized many over the years, I thought I would add this one to my page. The colors seemed to suit it. I have a long way to go before my pages look half as nice as some of the others I have seen, but I am reminding myself not to worry about the outcome. Just get stuff down on paper, play, experiment, and have fun.

Today I am hoping to finally do a few more ACEOs for the Bounty Challenge on Etsy. It has been several weeks since I completed an ACEO, and I think it's time to add some new cards to my shop.

So after this post, I will make a cup of coffee, and move my materials to the kitchen, where the nice warm sun is coming through the window. My art room is in a part of my house that gets no direct sun, and unfortunately in the winter, can be quite cold. I have been known to paint while wearing a hat, scarf, 2 pairs of socks and 2 sweaters, lol! I kid you not :-)

So you think you can dance?

Heck no!!! but this guy can :-)
His name is Nico Archambault, and he won 'So you think you can dance Canada'.
Last night we went to see him with the rest of the top 10 dancers on tour, and it was fantastic! We were quite far from the stage, so couldn't see much detail, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We had gone to Toronto earlier, and spent the day window shopping. Of course I had to drop into my favorite art store and pick up more supplies :-D

I also received the Pitt pens that I ordered online for Pam Carrikers upcoming class.
Looking forward to it!

I would like to say a great big Thank you to Veronica. I had sent her a couple of stamps she had been looking for, and in return she sent me a beautiful inspirational canvas! It was so thoughtful of her, as I expected nothing in return, it just shows you the wonderful people here in blogland :-D

An important note: for anyone who is saddened by the tragic fires of Australian, please take a look at this Etsy Shop, called OzBushfireAppeal. Various Etsy sellers have donated items,with all proceeds going to the Australian Red Cross. There are wonderful items added daily, so you can lend support and get something in return! I am happy items are selling so quickly!


Now I am off to try and work on some art journal pages, and hopefully start another painting. It feels like an effort to do anything today, it must be the dreaded February blahs....you will know soon enough if I managed to work through it :-D

hope your day is going great!

And the Winners are......

Hi everyone, I now have the winners for my One World One Heart Giveaway.
The numbers drawn were :
226, 313, and 149

So Congratulations to :

Couture de Papier, who wins the original painting 'Harvest Queen'

Tammy who wins the print of 'Petite Marie'

Lorraine who wins the print of 'Alice'.

I will be contacting the winners to let them know.

****If I haven't heard back from any of the winners after one week I will draw another name...



Thank you everyone for participating! I look forward to next year!

It's almost here!! OWOH Giveaway ending...

Hello friends! The One World One Heart great big blog giveaway is ending. I have decided to close comments tomorrow morning at 8am ET...That's February 12th. This is to give people in other parts of the world a few more hours to make a comment on my giveaway post, and be eligible to win.

(If you are just finding out about this and are curious, scroll down to the post dated January 20th for details, you still have time)

Tomorrow at approximately 5pm ET I will be using a Random Number Generator to choose 3 winners. The first name I draw wins an original painting, the next 2 names drawn win a print.
The winning names will be announced on my blog, and will be contacted by email.

I would like to say this has been a truly remarkable event. I have met so many wonderful people, enjoyed many new blogs, and had fun entering all these giveaways! I look forward to joining again next year.

Thank you every one, who has taken the time to comment on my blog. I appreciate your comments more than you will ever know. Good luck!

My First Art Journal Page

Hello dear friends! I was so looking forward to this weekend, after a crazy and busy time at work. I woke up to a very dreary, gloomy day.

This didn't bother me though. I was quite happy, because I planned to work on my Visual Journalism class. I have fallen behind, and wanted to take the weekend to go through my notes, and finish some pages. What a fun class! So new for me, but this is something I can see myself continuing. It felt awkward, since I have never done an art journal before, but with Pam Carriker's step by step lessons, I felt a bit more confident. My page is not perfect, but I can honestly say I am happy with the end result.

We tend to get discouraged if our first try at something new doesn't look like what we think it should look like.
I always believe that in order to grow in anything, you must practice practice practice. The beautiful artwork I see online didn't happen over night. The artists worked at it, learning from each mistake. Well, I hope to make plenty of mistakes in my Art Jourals :-D

Picture Tag

Hi everyone! I was picture tagged by the lovely Kim from 'Kim's art by the Sea', and I am to go into my picture file, and pick the 4th picture, of the 4th file. She is lucky, hers is a pretty picture, mine turned out to be a Christmas one, lol!

Oh well, it could have been something embarrassing, like some bad art. I sometimes photograph a painting when it looks so ugly, just so I can see the difference when it is done.

I was in this cute shop during the holidays, and snapped many pictures of the displays.
I won't tag anyone, but feel free to consider yourself 'tagged' and if you like, show us what is in your files, if you dare :-D

Nothing heals like art.
Here is a painting I started a couple of nights ago. I didn't try to plan everything out, I just let it flow, and am happy with how it turned out. It felt good to just paint, and not worry so much about the end result. Now if only I could do this every time.

As much as I love painting, I find I am getting too far behind on my art journaling classes. I think this painting should be my last one for a couple of weeks, so that I can work on my journal pages. There is so much to learn, and I am very impatient, so I tend to jump into too many things at once. Did I mention I also joined a doll class? There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Saying goodbye to the world's sweetest dog

Tonight I found out that our dog Frankie, was put down. Even though I knew that he was suffering, it doesn't make it any easier. He was 14, and so tired. His eyes just lost that spark, and it was a matter of time. I will miss him dearly. We had him since he was a 6 week old puppy. He was so energetic, constantly biting and jumping, we never thought he would settle down but he did. He turned into the most beautiful companion anyone could ever ask for. Sweet tempered, gentle, smart, it was hard watching him deteriorate.
I will miss you Frankie, rest in peace

Some blog love

I did not plan this post. It just came to me as I was checking out some of my comments. As many of you are aware, there is a gigantic blog giveaway called One World One Heart (scroll down for details). It has brought together bloggers from all over the world, and has made me discover people I would not have 'met' otherwise. It really became clear today, as I was looking through various blogs, that we truly are connected.

There is no separation between people, only perceived separation. I look at the pictures on blogs, and am struck with the fact that these people could be my friends, and neighbors, and family. I look at a face, and think, yes, we could be best friends, if we only lived closer. We all face struggles. It is only natural to think that only we know what we are going through, and we feel alone. But reading some blogs today I came across a woman who wrote a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to her beloved father who passed away many years ago. She showed pictures of all the grandchildren he never knew. I came across a blogger whose husband was dealing with cancer. Another lost her job and her family was dealing with uncertainty. I could go on, but you get the picture.

We really are not alone in this world, there are many that face the same issues as us. Maybe it is time for us to reach out just a little bit more. Maybe by doing so, you can give some comfort to someone who feels alone. And don't be afraid to accept a helping hand. Maybe we could create a more beautiful peaceful world if we just open to the idea that we are One.

One world, one heart.

Have a blessed day!