A Personal Thank You

A great way to say "Thank You"

Let's get real. Right now I am not making a dime as an artist. I've made my peace with it. However, I am really excited when I get a chance to paint. We have a friend who lets us use their beach house. They never take any money. This year I decided to make something they could hang in the house. The house had a complete overhaul this fall. Why not give a special touch and a fresh set of sea life paintings.

They are 5x7 each. I didn't want to do something too large in case they didn't like them. Just a simple little creatures. It was really special for me to paint these while staying there. I loved getting the feel of the house and letting that be my muse. 

Thankfully they did love them. I hope so. People always say they love my work, but what else are you going to say to someone's face? Like it or not, they were painted from the heart. So, here's to a not so common "Thank You."

Wouldn't it be awesome to figure out how to change the orientation of a picture after it was uploaded? opps...

Baby Shower Gifts

Still one of my favorite ways to welcome a new baby to the world. 

I love to make personalized artwork for a nursery. 

This was a commission for a friend of mine's niece. I hope she likes it. I loved the colors and the bedding that she picked out from pottery barn. I think the collection was called "Brooklyn." It wasn't hard to make a beautiful painting with that inspiration. 

And you can't go wrong with a sweet giraffe, turtle and birdie for a sweet baby boy!

Aunt Lisa's Paintings

My Aunt Lisa came to visit me this summer. We had a fantastic time. We made a trip to a craft store and she bought me three canvases to paint. She wanted art that meant something in her home. I kinda feel the same way. It is hard for me to pick up something from a chain and hang it in my home. I felt honored that she thought something I did would be special. This fall we went down for her son's, my cousin, wedding. I made sure that her paintings were ready for the trip. Each canvas is 2' x 3'. I didn't want to ship them. Not to mention that I wanted to see her face when she saw them for the first time. I can't wait for her to frame them and hang them in the perfect place in her home. I am sure I will add the polished pictures to this post. 

fancy C step stool

Every home needs a step stool, especially one with kids. This was a Christmas present for my sister-in-law. I did one for my mother a few years ago and she has asked for one ever since. It was our turn to have her name for Christmas. It was one person this year I didn't think about what to buy. She was happy to finally have her stool.

John Deere 4020

A watercolor and ink drawing of a John Deere tractor. My parent's asked me to do this painting for their friends. Their friend was a farmer and owned one of these tractors many years ago. This was commissioned when I was raising money for the "Keep Pounding 5K" I did in the spring. 

A is for... Airplane, Apple, and of course Alex.

A family at church adopted a baby boy. It was time for the shower and I wanted to do something special. my "go to" handmade gift for a new baby are hairbows. This didn't quite work. Then I remember, "Hello, I can do a picture." I tried to keep it simple and something that could fit in his room in the future too. At the shower today the painting received lots of Oh's and Ah's. Sometimes I think people are just being polite with their reactions. The best thing is when the mom really likes it and she did. 

"Mature" Hairbows

A few weeks ago my friend called wanting to know if I could make her some bows. Her problem was she wore a white shirt to work everyday and needed a splash of color. Looking at the cost of bows, she thought she would rather pay me to do them then give her money to the stores. So I gladly helped her out. 

I was really happy with the way the collection turned out. But it doesn't hurt when you have a great friend in mind when you are making the bows. 

 These are the satin burned edges that are oh so popular. And I must say, fun to make.

Here is the link for the tutorial for these roses. I pulled them tighter which made them more ruffly.

http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/2010/06/felt-rose-tutorial.html

 Who doesn't love a good flower?

These are gathered by pulling the existing wire or from a running stitch.

And of course an adorable model.