Austie

I had to keep this one a secret until baby Austie got here.  Her name was a secret!  I am so in love with this set of paintings and it was hard to wait!

Tiffany Gannon sent me the bedding because this coral color is a very specific shade.  I had to custom mix this one!  The prints exactly match the pillow and mobile that she sent me.  This piece is for over the crib.

I absolutely love this quote that Tiffany chose.  It mirrors the name canvas.  She requested for it to be vertical rather than the usual horizontal - perfect for a smaller space.

Here's everything for little Austie's nursery.  You can see her pillow and mobile in the upper corners.  Is that a match or is that a match?!

Finally, Tiffany also ordered three 4x12's with a famous quote from "The Help".  I just read that book and was so happy to paint these.

Baby girl is gorgeous and I know your nursery is, too!  Congratulations, Gannon family!

Time Flies...

Has it really been over a week since I last posted?  Where does the time go?

 

I've been busier than usual (if you can believe that!) and blogging is one of those things that fell by the wayside.  I hate it when that happens, but I've not had time to sit in front of the computer and paint or put my thoughts together in a while.

 

I just finished this really cute sports canvas and shipped it out last week.  It is designed the match the PBK bedding that you can see by clicking here.  It was requested for the forest green in that example to be switched to navy blue.  This canvas has a lot of steps and takes a while to complete, but I am always so happy with the results.

The big news at our house is that Carter started playing elementary school basketball!  

 

The kids both attend and I teach at Centertown Elementary School so we are all Warriors!  Carter has played in the Upward League for a couple of years, but this preseason tournament was his "professional" debut.

 

They ended up winning by two points in overtime.  I could barely teach today from the sore throat that I had as a result.  We get to do it all again on Thursday night.  I am looking forward to this season!

 

There's my son giving me a little look after their big win.  To me, he is still my little boy and in my mind he's small.  He looks so big on the court!

 

Way to go, Warriors!

Lots of Teachers!

Teachers keep me in business!  Not really - but I do paint a lot of signs for classrooms.  I love each and every one of them.  It makes me happy to think about my artwork hanging in school hallways.

This one just shipped out to Betsy Foster in Texas.  She wanted one with a Texas star and some western lettering.  I love this one!

Michelle Weber chose lime green polka dots with black lettering for her classroom.  I topped it off with black polka dot ribbon - so cute!

Penny Keele did her room in bright owls and wanted something to match for the door.  I think this is plenty bright and cheerful!

Here's a close-up of the owl.  I love this color combination!

This one shipped out to a Gators fan in Florida.  This 4x12 size is perfect if you have a smaller space.

Finally, some really pretty pale aqua a lime stripes and lettering.

I can't believe I'm already printing mid-nine week reports!  Enjoy your 2012-2013 school year wherever you are!

Pineapples and Pumpkins

I've painted several pineapples over the summer even though they are popular all year round.  This pineapple design with the black and khaki looks so nice on the front door.

This was an etsy order for that same design in lavender and purple for a business.  I had never tried it with those colors, but it turned out really cute!

It's that time of the year for me to switch from pineapples to pumpkins!  Here is that same khaki and cream polka dot design with a pumpkin instead of a pineapple.  It looks great with "welcome", a last name, a monogram, or a little saying.

Here's just the big pumpkin with some really pretty lettering.  This is perfect for all of you who are not as crazy about polka dots as I am!  This also makes a wonderful wedding shower gift and decoration for all of those fall weddings.

This large 16x20 pumpkin design has been very popular on etsy this fall - with the "welcome" and without.  This one looks so good propped up on the mantle.

My favorite might just be this classic pumpkin.  It works in the house, on the door, or in a wreath.  This design can also be done on just about any size canvas.

Love it with just an initial, too!

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Beauty Products

It's favorite beauty products day on Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life Series.  Now I am a bit of a beauty product junkie but still very budget minded.  Even though I buy most of my beauty products along with my groceries, I love Ulta and you can get some really great deals there!  Their tinted moisturizer is what I use as a foundation.  It's very light and just soaks right in evenly without having to use a sponge.  It works especially well when you have a tan!

My go to body moisturizer is good old fashioned baby oil.  I keep it in the shower and rub it in all over while I am still wet.  It keeps my skin soft and moisturized from my neck to my feet!  This new shea and cocoa butter formula smells great.  It also feels really good on your legs after shaving and leaves them a little bit shiny!

Mascara shopping is always so hard!  I found this one and now it is all I buy.  It is the Maybelline Classic Volum Express in Very Black.  It's thick but not too thick and doesn't clump.

 I also keep this St. Ives Apricot Scrub in the shower.  I do wash my face really well as night, but I use this scrub every morning.  It keeps all of the dead skin off and controls blackheads.  It is also a good "wake me up"!

 Most of my beauty items are pretty run of the mill, but here's a couple of my favorite splurges.  I have a Smashbox lip gloss set that is wonderful.  I like a light colored lip - just a hint of color! - with just a little shine.  I got a lot of color variety with this set.  It has a good texture and stays on well.

My favorite eyeshadow and blush set is this Too Face "In Your Dreams" set.  You've got all of the color combinations and directions all laid out for you!  Fool proof!  It is very high quality and really lasts all day.  This is really good for traveling, too.

Well, those are a few faves.  Let me know you stopped by today!

Sweetness

"Sweetness" is the word that comes to mind when I see these pictures.  The words to this little poem are just so special and perfect for a child's room.  Who wouldn't love to hear these words each night?

I did this design on a 10x10 in pinks and greens.  You can see that clicking here.  This one is an 11x14 and was done purples, lavenders, and greens.  I think it turned out so pretty!

This little girl is the sweetest thing I've seen all week.  She participated in the Little Fairest of the Fair pageant this week.  There were 50 contestants and she got in the Top 10.  I am one proud mama!  She walked like a little lady and looked so poised.  She also answered her question so well and didn't get nervous at all.  Way to go, Lauren!

Weddings...

I've noticed that the last two weddings in the newspaper have been weddings that I've painted for.  I love it!

This one was for Ryan and Penny Crouch's beach wedding.  It was designed to hang over a basket for guests to drop their shoes in as they entered the beach.

The mother-of-the-groom is also one of my fellow teachers and good friends.  She sent me this picture of the finished product.  It turned out perfectly!

One of my very best customers, Joy Black, ordered this one as a wedding gift for the Hitchcocks.  She requested animal print but not the usual zebra.  She wanted leopard!

I don't do that very often so I had to do a little research!  She also asked for some sage green.  This is a 10x10 and will look so good on the front door.  Thank you, Joy!

Congrats to all you newlyweds!

For The Bathroom...

Angie Williams is redoing her bathroom!  She sent me a picture of her new shower curtain to use as inspiration.  She sent it to me in a facebook message and it won't go through to blogger for some reason.  I really wanted you all to see how well it matches!  Oh, well!

She wanted this verse on a 16x16.  I kept this one pretty simple and it turned out beautifully.  It really is one of my favorites!

Next, she wanted a 10x10 with the flowers from the shower curtain.  I like the little touches of brown and the wide satin ribbon.

Finally, Angie had ordered these a while back with teal accents and lettering.  When she got the new curtain, the teal didn't match.  I took out that color and replaced it with chocolate brown.  They are still so cute and now they match perfectly!

Is It Really That Time Already?

I'm talking about Christmas, of course!  It is time for me to start getting ready for the holiday season.  I've already had several people ask me about or place Christmas orders.  I am happy to take them now!

Suzette York placed this holiday order a while back.  She was really on top of things!  Thank you so much, Suzette!  I love this three piece joy set.  The colors are definitely for the holidays but not too holiday - if that makes any sense!  They look great standing on the mantle.

This 10x10 Santa face is one of my favorites for Christmas.  I decorate is red and white with lots of stripes, polka, dots, and Santas.  I use little touches of other colors like aqua and lime.  This would fit in perfectly!  This size looks great on a door or in a wreath.

I will stop taking Christmas orders on November 10.  Be checking your lists and getting in touch with me soon!

Flower Garden

I've done this sweet quote from A. A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh several times, but never this way.  It is usually done in cursive over a plain or lightly patterned background and is designed for adults.

 

However, this one is made for a little girl.  The "little girl" part is important because she didn't want it to look too babyish.  I think I did a pretty good job on that part!

 

It also had to match this really cute flower quilt from Pottery Barn Kids.  The walls were pale pink so I used the green with large white dots for the background.  I love that little pop of aqua and used that for the border.  I think I did a pretty good job on that, too!  I can just picture that canvas hanging over the bed - perfection!