For The UT Fan...

How about some orange and white?  I was sent all of these University of Tennessee words and asked to put them all on one canvas.  It took quite a bit of rearranging - and rearranging again - to get it all the way I wanted!  

I think it turned out pretty darn cute in the end.  I'd love to see it done for other schools as well.  Of course, you would have to send me all of your words, too!

SUMMER!!!

It's summer break!  There are times when I literally thought it would never get here.  It's here.  It's funny because I have a ton of stuff to do this summer and it will fly by before I turn around.  I guess it's just different stuff.  

We kicked off the season with a trip to Pigeon Forge for a baseball tournament.  It was as hot as blue blazes, but the boys played well and we had a good time.  Look at that beautiful clear blue sky.  It was like that the whole time we were there.  The sunset on the mountain as we were driving home last night was just amazing.

Between games we did manage to make our way to the pool.  We stayed at the Clarion Inn Pigeon Forge, which is right behind Firehouse Golf for those of you familiar with the area, and it has the coolest pool.  There's a water slide, splash pad, lazy river, and an indoor area with basketball and football.

Even Carter found some time to cool off!  His favorite thing was the hotel's amazing breakfast, which is included in your room price.  He loved the custom omelet station!

We spent an extra night to take it easy and do something fun with the kids on Monday.  We were talking about what to do and the Aquarium of the Smokies came up.   We realized that the last time we went, Lauren was in a stroller.  She didn't remember anything about it!  It really wasn't that crowded and it was air conditioned!  They both loved it and were fascinated in the shark tunnel.

I decided just to post a few past summer favorites today.  I am back to emails, orders, and painting today.  If you've got an order placed with me, I am most likely working on yours in some capacity right now!  I love all of the bright colored swirls.  The look so good with a name or monogram across the top in black with a black ribbon.

Coconut with an umbrella - yes, please!

This one has been done about 50 times and it never gets old.  It is usually done with green or brown, but looks great with any color combination.  Pineapples are just classic summer.

I will be shutting down for about two weeks to enjoy a beach trip.  I hope you have one planned, too!

There's nothing cuter on the front door than a monogram in cool summer colors.  Love this one!

Finally, this one was custom designed just for the season.  This song has been running through my head all morning!

Whatever you are doing, have a great summer!

End of the School Year

Well, the end of the school year is here and I have to admit that I am feeling sad.  Usually I can't wait for summer, and don't get me wrong, I still am!  As many of you know, I made a school change this year.  My first year at Centertown has been wonderful and it was just the boost that I needed.  I had a super sweet, super smart class and I will miss them.

The good news is that I have a very nice, restful summer planned and will spend some much needed time with my own children.  Then I am moving up with my fifth graders to the sixth grade!  I won't have all of the same homeroom students, but I will have them all again for Science.  Yay!

Here's proof that I have been painting!  All of these are finished and have been shipped.  I'll blog more details and color pics soon!

I really wanted to share my end of the year gifts.  I got the idea from pinterest, but took it and made it my own.  I ordered the tags and bags from this etsy shop.  They were printed and delivered in record time at a great price!

The friendship bracelets came from this etsy shop.  They were so sweet to work with and threw in one free bracelet to make my numbers work out.  I thought this was perfect for boys and girls.  I can't wait to hand them out tomorrow!

Here's the crew!  I love you all and hope you have a safe and happy summer!

May?

The month of May always just flies by.  With me being a teacher, my husband being a principal, and having two active kids, we rarely get to sit down together or spend much time together when we are not on the run.  I just have to put things on hold till June!

My sisters and I have birthdays in April, May, and June.  We did squeeze in a spa visit and brunch at Mimi's to celebrate.  Even though her birthday is in February, Lauren is not one to miss a girls' day!

Things are just crazy at school in May, too.  If you are a teacher, you know what I am talking about!  We are not on any sort of regular schedule.  There are all kinds of special assemblies and meetings.  Kids are being called out of class for this and that.  Everyone is on some sort of field trip.  Geez.

I did get to go on the History Club field trip to Centennial Park and the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville.  It was such a beautiful day and the exhibits were wonderful.  My favorite was the John Mellencamp collection of paintings.

I did want to share some artwork in this post.  I am betting that my posts will be fewer and far between in the coming couple of weeks!  Here is an aunt canvas that I did for Mother's Day.  Shannon had me ship it right to her aunt and I included a little note for her.  I hope she loves the surprise!

Here's another aunt canvas from Christine.  I also shipped this one right to her special aunt.  I just love the cream on white zebra print.  It is a nice, subtle background.

These two 5x7's (not a regular size for me...I was out of 5x5's) were also painted for Mother's Day.  I love the little saying.

This is a rich chocolate brown with cream writing and ribbon.  A perfect gift!

I'll see you guys in June!

I'm the Kind of Mom...

...who is a little wacko on her first Mother's Day as a mother of two.  I look exhausted in this picture (I was), my son is wearing a Darth Vader mask, and my daughter is eating her hand.  All I can say is that I am happy that I now sleep through the night.

...who lets her son have one of those annoying Donald Duck beaks at Disney World, makes sure her daughter has a Cinderella shirt because that is her favorite princess, and wears clothes appropriate for every single water ride.

...who gets in the creek with the kids and not just sit on the side and watch.

...who bundles up and spends a couple of hours in a huge refrigerator full of icy things to climb on. I will also put you inside my jacket and carry you for the last thirty minutes when you finally get too cold.

...who gets on her hands and knees to crawl in bubble dinosaur viewer.  Getting in was easier than getting out!

...who makes you go snorkeling because it is something I've always wanted to do.  You ended up loving it!

...who pushes you off a ledge above the forest because you were hesitant.  Every child needs a little push in life, right?  You ended up loving that, too!

...who drives you to Nashville and waits in line on a school night to meet your favorite book characters.

...who can't wait to jump in the inner tube!

 

...who still makes you have your picture made with her.  Always will!

I love you bunches, Carter and Lauren!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!

Families

A sweet couple at our church, Brandon and Stephanie, had a new baby girl!  Instead of painting something for baby Anna, I decided to do a family canvas for them.  I think it turned out so pretty and just love their names listed at the bottom.

This was an Et Cetera order.  I have a sample hanging in the store and someone ordered one just like it!  The bad part is that I never get to know who orders canvases from the store.  Whoever you are, I hope you love it!

It's Saturday and one of those really rare days where I don't have anywhere to go.  I'm heading out to the garage to do some unpacking!  Can you believe that I still don't have all of that done?

Row

All of the canvases I paint are special to me.  I don't always know the stories behind them, but I do paint each one with a lot of love.  Every once in a while, I do get to hear the story and it is a sweet one.  More love and care than usual went into this one!

Kayla Young is one of my best customers!  She emailed me with a special request for a very sick little boy.  She wanted something that would match his farm themed bedroom, but not necessarily "be farm".  I hope that makes sense!  Row was in the hospital and Kayla had the idea to let his class sign it so he could have a little reminder of all of his buddies.  Sharpie markers write wonderfully on the sealed surface.

Kayla especially wanted to include this Bible verse which I think is perfect.  Best of all, little Row has made a strong recovery.  Here he is with Kayla's daughter.  Look at those darling faces!  Thank you so much for the order and for sharing this photo with me.

Almost Summer!

The school year is coming to an end for me.  Even though this is one of the most enjoyable times of the year, it is also one of the busiest.  There is rarely a day, during or after school hours, that I don't have something extra going on.  Whew!  I'll make it!

Lauren is playing t-ball this year.  She takes it very seriously!  Are we at the ballpark every night?  Most definitely.

I've had a lot of emails about teacher gifts and getting them done in the next couple of weeks.  I'm sorry, but I just can't do that.  I know you all understand!  I do have some options for you.  I have adorable new gift certificates.  I adore getting gift certificates!  

I also have these wooden owl plaques that would be great for the classroom or for your special teacher's home.  I can get them detailed in your requested colors and personalized pretty quick.  They are $20.00 each.

I also have the two tin and wood daisy signs available for immediate personalization and delivery.  Like the owls, they could be used in the classroom or at home.  So cute!  They are $25.00 each.

Parker

One of my very best customers, Megan Clarke, wanted a special baby gift.  Her sister-in-law is about to have a baby boy!  How exciting!  

Megan decided on a trio of 10x10's.  I love the way all three of these look together.  The bedding was navy and white chevron print with this dark lime green alligator.  So cute!  I kept is simple and hopefully masculine!

Thank you so much, Megan, and congratulations, Rae!

I Am A Princess...

It seems like I do a lot of princess canvases.  These canvases also get the most "views" on etsy.  I thought maybe the the whole princess thing was just trending right now.  After using this verse several times, I got to thinking that maybe it wasn't just trendy and that it is not necessarily a bad thing.

Princess, in my mind, usually equates with diva.  I don't want want my daughter to be a diva.  When I look at it through a Biblical perspective, we are all royalty.  We are all beautiful.  We are all unique.  That's what makes a princess.

Thanks you, Karis and Kelsey!  Enjoy!

Diamond Monogram

Pretty, pretty diamonds!  I love this one!   This 11x14 would be perfect for the front door all year round.  The harlequin pattern is one of my favorites, but when you pair with this color combination...yum!

I usually add a forest green with this design, but it was requested to leave it out.  I wasn't too sure about that at first, but it turned out so well that I think I'll leave it out from now own!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Here I am at six-years-old.  A friend gave me this picture last week.  I haven't seen my six-year-old self in a very long time.  I would like to say this brought up lots of memories, but I don't have any memory of this day.  I was crowned a queen and I don't remember?  It just made me wonder about what my kids are going to remember about their childhoods.

Maybe she will remember wearing the big hat with her mom at the Mexican Restaurant.  Maybe she won't.

Hopefully they will both remember being happy and loved.  That's enough for me.

I got a chalk drawing for my birthday this year.  That's enough for me, too.

Happy birthday to me!