Kaleb's Horse

Here is the boy version of Hannah's horse posted a while back. That one was in hot pink, this one yellow, orange, and red...so cute in any color!

In Outer Space

This is one from Emily Horton's holiday gift order. Perfect for any little boy...don't they all love space? I personally love all of the color! I like that funky font, too!

Are You an Original?

They say that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", but I am not so sure. While I do look for inspiration in lots of places, I do my best not to straight up copy and always put my personal spin on it. I worry about not being an original, a forward thinker, a pioneer. Am I creative enough? Am I original enough? Maybe it is the new year coming and there are resolutions and reflections on my mind. Here are a few things I have been mulling over...

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple; awesomely simple, that is creativity.
~Charles Mingus

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.”
~Herman Melville

“The principal mark of genius is not perfection, but originality.”
~anonymous

“Art can make the old surprising, and the new and sudden soothing.”
~Eli Siegel

“Creativity is more than just being different. Anybody can plan weird; that's easy. What's hard is to be as simple as Bach. Making the simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
~Charles Mingus

Alli's Quilt

I am so excited to finally be able to share so many of these canvases that I have had to keep under wraps until Christmas. I am a terrible secret keeper when it comes to presents, so this has been hard! Like so many other people who make things, I love thinking about my creations being wrapped up and given as gifts. I hope they have brought happiness to you and your loved ones!
Lindsey Matheny (who had baby Ella and I hear is doing great! Congrats!) ordered this one for a family member. I used a photo of her quilted bedspread for inspiration. I love the pink and green and all of the pattern. I know I say this all of the time, but it is another favorite!! What can I say, I am a quilt person!

Technical Difficulties

I am having problems updating everything on the blog! I can post new items, but I can't edit the lists. Some of those orders over there are filled. Sorry! I am working on it! Is anyone else having the same troubles?

A Few More Snowmen

This is the last of the snowmen for 2007! I have done so many and in so many different ways! Who knew you could do so many things with a snowman?
The red and blue snowmen are for Carter's Sunday school teachers, Bob and Sally Centracchio. They have been teaching this class for as long as I have known them. If you've ever taught a Sunday school class, you know it is a labor of love. They are so good with the kids and just love being there! They are huge Red Sox fans, so I made this for them in the team colors!
The bottom one was ordered by Denise Skelton to be sent to out-of-town friends. She requested the neutral colors. Those colors with the snowman are sooo pretty and perfect for all winter...now if we can only get some real snow!

Christmas Break

I'll be taking a little painting/blogging break until after Christmas. I hope all of you are getting spend some extra time with your loved ones as well. Merry Christmas!

Brown and Blue Flowers

Heather Lee sent me the photo on the bottom of her friend's new bedding. She wanted me to do a 10x10 canvas to compliment the colors and the flower design. I came up with the Holly Sue canvas and fell in love with it! I already liked those colors and they worked perfectly with those flowers.
I liked it so much that when Emily Horton ordered brown and blue flowers for the Bratchers, I immediately thought of Heather's design. I modified it a little and used it again! They are both a little different and so, so pretty!


There is something clean and classic about this design, but still modern and hip.

Mrs. Candy's Pencil

One of our favorite teachers, Mrs. Candy Beaty, got a pastel pencil for Christmas this year. I did it on my new size of canvas, 4x12. I also added a beaded handle in lavender and pink to match the colors in the pencil. What a great teacher gift for anytime!

Mike's Birthday

My husband is 39 years old today! He is holding up awfully well, don't you think? I can say that being that he is almost seven years older than me:) Happy Birthday!

A Whole Lotta Welcomes!

I have done several "welcome" signs in the past few days. Most of these were for Christy Mize and Emily Horton. They ordered them all (I think!) as gifts. They are nonseasonal. What a great gift to use all year round!

I got some new sheer plaid and some cute dot ribbon. I was just waiting to use it!

I have a new size of canvas available. It is 4x12. It is kind of long and skinny...a big departure from the popular square! Emily let me experiment with some of hers! It will work better for some of the longer names.

Love the cheetah print ribbon with the maroon and tan canvas. There is my favorite black and cream again! I did a knot instead of a bow to keep it simple!

Technically, It Is Still Fall!

This one makes me think of fall with all the gold, brown, maroon, and hunter green. You know, it is technically still fall. The first day of winter is not until December 21. It sure felt like winter today! These colors are so rich and beautiful, they could be used anytime of the year!

Monkeying Around

New customer Denise Skelton ordered this sweet little canvas as a Christmas gift. She said the nursery was yellow, brown, and a little red with a monkey theme. I have never heard of a nursery like that, but I love it! That sounds so cute! Little Lincoln now has something adorable to match to hang on the door!
Denise had me send this right to him. She lives in Johnson City and Lincoln lives in yet another city. I am happy to ship canvases at no extra charge. I package them with colored tissue paper, a business card, and a little note from you. They are lightweight and mail easily. Keep me in mind for those out-of-town friends and family!

Beautiful Monograms

I have done several beautiful monograms lately. I love doing these...all those fancy fonts! The big H is part of Lindsey's order. That cream ribbon with the big black dots is one of my personal faves. The ornate letter on the plain background is just soooo pretty!
The center monogram is for the PreK teacher at Bobby Ray, Mrs. Nina Smith. She is taking this one to her in-laws out of town. She was right when she said, "They have everything and are so hard to buy for. A canvas will be something different". I love being something different! She wanted navy and maroon to match their decor. I did a simple know instead of a bow on this one.



















This bottom one is for one of the sweetest people, Mrs. Vicki Stoner. She ordered it as a Christmas gift, but I won't say for whom! She wanted cream and navy. I added a pretty patterned ribbon for a little extra spice!

Ella Claire Matheny

I have finally finished Lindsey's big holiday order. It felt kind of funny removing it from the number one spot on the "to do" list. I appreciate the order and really enjoyed doing it. I got to know Lindsey in process, and that is the priceless part.
This is for Ella's room. I can't wait to see it! She decorated in black and white toile with hot pink accents. I am sure it is gorgeous! I like this one so much because it is kind of different from what I usually do. I like the texture and the depth in the background. It was sort of a challenge to only use three colors!
Lindsey is at 36 weeks with Ella and has been put on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. She has developed high blood pressure. Please keep Lindsey, baby Ella, and Brian in your prayers.

John Deere Inspired

A wonderful new customer, Christy Mize, ordered this John Deere inspired canvas for a friend. You will be seeing more of Mrs. Christy's order soon!
She wanted that classic green and yellow with their family name. She also wanted the beaded handle. I hand picked all of my prettiest green and yellow beads just for this one! I love the beads!
So pretty!

Snowman Sale

All of the snowmen are spoken for! Thanks Alison, Mandy, and Paula W. Enjoy!

Do you need any last minute gifts? I have these five little snowmen for sale. The ribbon handled ones are $12.00 and the beaded handled one is $15.00.

First come, first serve! Just send me an email or give me a call soon!

Thanks!

The Crouches, Part 2

Okay, so I have been proven wrong. Brentt hated the pink! I happily changed it to blue. It does look awfully cute!

I Made the Paper!

I know it is small, but that is my sign on the side of the car. I do it every year for the Grand Marshal. I love helping out a good cause! Wooo hoooo!!

Christmas Tag

My sister, Ashley, loves these things! She has tagged me, so welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just answer the questions and "tag" another blog buddy! 'Tis the Season to be NICE!
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags ? Wrapping paper
2. Real or artificial tree? I love real, but in truth I have artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? during Thanksgiving break
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's day or close to that
5. Do you like eggnog? Love it!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Barbie Dream House
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
8. Hardest person to buy for? my mother-in-law
9. Easiest person to buy for? Lauren
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? a really ugly pin with feathers
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The original cartoon Grinch
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as possible!
14. Ever Recycled a Christmas present? Absolutely
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas ? turkey and dressing, chocolate covered cherries
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? all white
17. Favorite Christmas song? Holly Jolly Christmas
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Going broke
23. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Just personal ornaments. This year I so have a "candy tree"!
24. What do/did you leave for Santa? cookies & milk and something, usually carrots, for the reindeer
25. Do you make New Year's Resolutions and do you keep them? I try!

Okay, I am tagging a new blog buddy, Holly Sizemore! Check out her "Soccer Mom" link! Such a cute family!

The Crouches

I almost titled this one "Real Men Wear Pink" but I wasn't sure how Brentt felt about the pink! The Crouches are such a special family. They have new twin girls for a grand total of four! That's right, four girls.
Nicole and I went to high school together and now we go to church together. She is such a wonderful mom, teacher, and friend. She requested "girly colors" for her family canvas. All pink is about as girly as it gets!

The Willmores

One of the nicest people around, Candice Willmore, ordered a snowman family canvas for her home. She just said, "surprise me"! I used this beautiful aqua, lavender, purple, and lime ribbon and picked up those same colors in the snowmen.
I just love this entire family and was so happy to do this for them! Thanks Candice!

Christmas Card Preview

I sent off our Christmas card order yesterday! Yea! I love sending out Christmas cards...and getting them. I don't know why, but I always have. I especially like the ones with pictures! I hang them all together over the archway to our den.

I have kept a copy of all of ours throught the years. Mike and I look like babies in that first one. I am wanting to get them all framed together.

Emily took this one for us last Sunday at my parents' house. We were all spiffed up for church! I had to round everybody up before we changed into our "play clothes". Can you tell that Carter is not wanting to show his missing teeth?

Ma's Snowman

I try not to post gifts until after they've been given, but I don't think Ma checks my blog! Tabetha, if I'm wrong, let me know! My talented blog buddy, Tabetha Sullens, ordered this sweet snowman family for her grandmother, affectionately known as "Ma". She requested Ma in the center surrounded by her great-grandchildren snowbabies. I thought this was a great idea for a gift. I know my "Granny P" would love one!

Tabetha told me a little about Ma. She is still kickin' at 80! She sounds like a wonderful and much loved lady. I was honored to paint something special just for her. The little snowbabies are Lexi, Gage, Paisley, London, and Linley. I hope everyone has a "Ma" in their life!

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

If laughter really is the best medicine, I am feeling pretty good right now! I usually don't post silly things like this, but today I am making an exception. I found these two clips that are totally silly, but I literally laughed until I cried. Man, did it feel good! My entire family and I sat and laughed for five minutes straight. The links are listed over on the side of the blog. Just click on it and take a minute and have yourself a belly laugh!
Leave me a comment if you found it hilarious, too! Share your funny clips!
Have a good day!

Snowmen

Here is Julia Moore's beautiful snowman! You may notice that I took the snowman orders off of the "Orders to be Filled" list. I am putting the finishing touches (glitter and ribbon:) on them. If you have ordered a snowman, you'll be hearing from me soon for delivery arrangements. Thank you and enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

It is hard to believe that it is not even December yet. If I have this much Christmas spirit now, I don't know what I'll be like by the middle of December! I think the early Thanksgiving threw me off!
My fantastic new customer, Julia Moore, ordered this one. She wanted the stripes and I (always wanting to try something new:) did a little variation. I added the little dots in the stripes. She really liked it...and so did I!
Thanks Julia and once again, Merry Christmas!

A Day at the Zoo

We love to go to the zoo. While we were in East Tennessee, we visited one of our favorites, the Knoxville Zoo. Even though I was so sick, I still had a wonderful day. Here are some of my memories from the day...

Home Sweet Home

This is a more neutral version of the Home Sweet Home I did for myself a while back. It was lime green to match my fabulous new welcome mat:). I love it in tans and browns, too.
It seems like I have done several of these lately! Lindsey had two or three in her holiday order. Brandi Murphy also ordered one as a gift. I can't remember exactly who this one belongs to!
When I can, I do canvases in batches. Right now I am doing a batch of snowmen, assembly line style. I do the all of the light blue skies, the white bodies and snowflakes, the gray shading, all of the eyes, mouths, and top hats, and so on. It saves me a lot of time in getting out the bottles of paint and the right sizes of brushes. If you have a snowman ordered, it will be ready very soon:)!

Happy Holidays

Tis the season! This one is for you, Jaime Ashby! Everybody have a wonderful week...30 days until Christmas!

Florida Fun

Stephanie Keith ordered this tropical themed snowman as a gift for a friend. I am not sure if they live near the beach or if they are just big fans like me. Maybe someday I can retire to the beach!
I just appreciate all of my customers so much. It makes me feel so good when someone needs a gift for a close friend or loved one and they call me. I go to church with Stephanie and her family. They are just the best!

A Junior Auxiliary buddy, Jennifer Sain, needed a gift for her secret "Pumpkin Pal" at work. She drew Brent Estes and sometimes it is hard to shop for a guy, especially a surprise! She knew he was a Florida Gators fan. She asked me to do him a small snowman for his classroom in those colors. What a great idea! Thanks Jennifer!

Back in Black

I don't get too many requests for black canvases. I've gotten two in the past few weeks. Aren't they beautiful? I love the way the colors really pop against the dark background. A fantastic new customer, Julia Moore, ordered the top one for her front door. As a matter of fact, she hung it there as soon as I gave it to her! All of the metallics look so good on that black!

Brandi Murphy ordered this quote for a friend who works in the health care industry. She thought it would be something inspirational to hang in her office and keep her going every day. I used primary colors on the black for this one. I also used several small ribbons to pick up all of those colors again.

Happy Birthday

Candace Smith also ordered this canvas for her home. I thought it was a great idea! She wanted something to hang on her door when someone in her family was celebrating a birthday.
I used this pretty new shade of hot pink that had a coral tint to it. I also used the lavender, aqua, and lime in the present and cupcake. The ribbon I chose features those colors in the stripes as well.
It is hard to see, but all around the cupcake, present, and even all of the lettering are little dots. They started off a cupcake sprinkles, but now I think they look more like confetti. Either way, I like them!

Chilling Out

The Mansfield family will be vacationing in the Smokey Mountains for the next few days. We may be literally "chilling out". I've heard reports of snow up there already!
P
Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Candy's Girls

Carter's teacher, Candy Beaty, ordered a couple of little canvases for her girls for Christmas. They are for the doorknobs to their bedrooms. Leela's was done to match her pillowcase. Glenna's room in navy, tan, maroon, and hunter green. She loves to ride horses so we did the horseshoe on hers. I also did small dots to keep it fun and a little feminine!
These are perfect stocking stuffers!

Dots for Saylor

One of my very best customers, Miss Mandy Byars, ordered this polka dot canvas for her niece, Saylor Hodges. I hear Saylor is having a birthday!
All of the dots and letters in fun pastel colors just look like Saylor. I got to know her through art class. She was a joy to be around!
I used a dotted ribbon and a sheer ribbon to top it off. The big advantage to this canvas is that it goes with just about anything. As Saylor grows up and changes her room decor, this will still match!

eHappy Birthday Sweetie!e