Girly Girls!

Oooohhh...I love all the pastels!  I especially love them this time of the year when I'm fall colored out and about to overdose on red and green!  It's always nice to expand my color palette just a wee bit.  This sweet 10x10 princess verse for Cassi shipped out a little while back.

This one of my absolute favorite quotes for the baby nursery.  However, it would be really special for any child.  I think it would be perfect for adoptive parents as well.  This is a really pretty color combination of hot pink, lime, gray, and navy.

Here's the same quote with hearts instead of dots.  Wouldn't this be cute with stars and in blues and yellows, too?  This 11x14 also features a purple, lavender, and pink color combination.

Here's two more of the princess canvases for a set of sisters, Maddie and Marley.  So sweet!

Nothin' But Love

These 11x14 song lyric canvases have become very popular.  I can see why - aren't they just the sweetest things?

They are perfect hanging with a collage of wedding photos.  They are also great for the husband (or wife's!) office.  They can also be done in any color combination.

I can do other songs - the lyrics just can't be too long.  I also love painting special Bible verses.  This one has always been one of my personal favorites.  It turned out beautifully for this couple's anniversary.

The Sparkmans

I do snowmen families a lot this time of the year.  This design is a little different from the one that I normally do.  I love it on the round canvas!

Also, all of the snowmen are in shades of gray.  This was done on purpose to match a snowman figurine that Katherine Sparkman already had.  She wanted me to use that as inspiration for her family's piece.

I know it is hard to tell, but there is a coating of teal glitter in the sky.  The whole thing really just sparkles!  Perfect for winter!

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Holiday Recipes

I make this grape salad for our holiday get togethers and always end up having to make another dish for myself. It is so good! It is also really easy. Here is the recipe:

2lb. seedless white grapes
2 lb. seedless red grapes
8 oz. sour cream
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and sour cream in mixer until creamy. Stir gently into washed grapes. Top with brown sugar and pecans. Serve immediately or chill.

Families

I've been doing lots of really pretty family canvases lately.  I used to do the last name in print all of the time.  Now I just love it in cursive!  It's funny how your taste changes over time.   Francesca Hale ordered this one as a wedding gift and wanted the colors of purple and silver.  I was worried it wouldn't show up on the black, but it looks great!

This one was ordered a while back and I've been saving it to share with these others in one big post.  The gray and aqua color combination is one of my all time favorites and they just pop on the white background.

Below if the black, khaki, and white color scheme that is just like the original that I did several years ago.  I guess it never goes out of style!  Joy Tubb ordered this one for her son who is getting married next year.

Here's a picture of my family from our Christmas card session last month.  Every time I look at it I am amazed by how much my children have grown.  I know I say that every year, but it is one hundred percent true!  

We've had a recent tragedy in our hometown and four teenagers lost their lives in a car wreck.  My heart goes out to their mothers and fathers.  Every parent should have the privilege and honor of seeing their children grow.  Instead of being sad when I see my babies not look so much like babies, I will just be happy, content, and ever thankful.

Beautiful Bathrooms!

Everybody has one...that toilet that you have to jiggle the handle or hold it down just a bit longer than normal!

Everyone also needs a little reminder every  now and then...wash, brush, scrub, and flush!

Even princesses!

Just a quick reminder about holiday orders - they all need to be in by December 5th to guarantee Christmas delivery!  Email me your details to brandie_bc1@yahoo.com as soon as possible.  I look forward to painting for you!  

Show Us Your Life - What You Make or Sell

It's my favorite day on Kelly's Korner!  We all get to show what we make and sell!  Not only do I get to show my artwork, I get to browse your links and go see lots of other wonderful products.

Well, I make and sell custom painted artwork.  I love to paint and have always painted.  I am thrilled that I have found a way to do what I love for a living.  It is always a pleasure to work with new and repeat customers and come up with the perfect design for them.

Here's how it works...you just check out the size and price guide in the sidebar, choose your colors and design by browsing the blog or using your decor as inspiration, and then email me with your details and any questions (brandie_bc1@yahoo.com).  I'll get back to you with any questions of my own and maybe a few suggestions.  After we've got that all settled, I'll send you a paypal invoice that includes shipping and get you on my to do list.  Easy as that!

For even easier shopping, you can visit my etsy shop!  I've got lots of artwork that's immediately available and on sale.  You really need to check it out!  You can get all the updates on sales and specials by becoming a fan on my facebook page, too!

How long you stay on my list depends on several things...I am a teacher and mom of two, there may be several orders ahead of you, you may have a complicated design that takes more time, etc.   If you need it by a specific date, you need to let me know that when ordering.

I didn't add any pictures to today's post basically because the blog is covered with them! There is a handy little search box in the very top left hand corner where you can type in a keyword if you know what kind of thing you are looking for.  There's also a history by month of past posts in the sidebar.

I'd love to hear from you all...let me know what you think!  Thanks for visiting today!

Recently...

Things are always busy for everyone, but it seems like things have been busier than usual.  School is crazy.  Lauren has started playing basketball, dances, and was in a pageant.  She didn't win anything, but she is gorgeous inside and out.  I love this picture of her!  Carter's basketball games and practices are keeping us on the road, too.

My mother had rotator cuff surgery.  She did really well and is recovering.  All four of us in the Mansfield house have had some kind of sickness.  Carter is just getting over the flu right now.  With some of my home time, I took on a project that had been sitting in my garage for a while.  This is my paint chest that was just plain wood.  I bought the little dresser for $45.  It was a different color of wood.

I painted them both cream, distressed them with sandpaper, and used a light brown wax.  I also replaced the brass drawer pull on the dresser with some colorful porcelain ones from World Market.  It not sits in my office and holds all of my art supplies.  I love it!

I've gotten most of my previous orders completed so I can focus on getting all of those Christmas ornament canvases started.  If you ordered one, they will all be finished and delivered by December 18 as promised.

If you are still wanting to place a Christmas order of any type, please get them in by December 5.  Thanks so much!!

Madison

Jamie Roller ordered this really sweet set of three for her baby girl, Madison.  She asked for the bird and the owl from the bedding to be on these two 5x5's. 

She wanted the name and the main colors of pink and green on the 8x24.  This size is just perfect for over the crib or bed.

I chose a design that definitely matched the bedding but also didn't necessarily look like a baby's nursery.  Hopefully Madison can have this piece of artwork in her room for a long time.

Here's the three pieces together - I love it!  This set was custom created to match the Hayley bedding from Pottery Barn Kids.  You can click here to see the quilt.  You can also click here and here to see previous designs also for that bedding.

Teacher Gifts

Alesha Pegg (who teaches right around the corner from me!) ordered this brightly colored canvas as a gift for herself.  I love and it looks so cute hanging on her door.  It would also look great in other color combinations or in your school colors.

This classic apple canvas was ordered as a Christmas gift for a special teacher.  I love the black background with the white writing.  It reminds me of an old-timey blackboard.

This is my favorite part...the name, grade, and year of the student giving the gift has been added down the side.  This special touch makes it the perfect keepsake.

It's not too late to order your teacher gifts!  Just be sure to get them in soon - especially if you aren't local and need them shipped.  Thanks!!

 

Last Chance!

Today is your last chance to order one of these beautiful Christmas ornament canvases.  They can be customized to fit any family's needs.

If you would like to order a canvas (or two or three!) for your family, here's the details...

• Orders must be placed by 8:00 p.m. tonight.  They will all be shipped or delivered on or by December 18.  If you need it before that date, please let me know when ordering.
• The colors and design is as pictured.  The only thing that changes is the number of ornaments.  More than four and the pattern just repeats.
• I only take orders by email - brandie_bc1@yahoo.com.
• The size and price guide is listed below.  This price includes delivery for local orders.  Please add $5.00 for each canvas ordered that needs to be shipped.

1-3 ornaments - 11x14 - $30

4-6 ornaments - 12x16 - $40

6-8 ornaments - 16x20 - $50

More than 8?  Just email me with your information for a price quote!

 

I am looking forward to hearing from you all!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Whole Life...

Isn't this saying just the sweetest thing?

 

Paula Smith ordered this canvas custom designed to match her new bedding.  The comforter is yellow, gray, and white in a flower pattern.  I chose two of the flowers and added them to the corner.  I think it turned out so pretty and will look great on the gray wall.

Speaking of my whole life...here's mine.  Everything I do is for them.  We had some wonderful new family pictures made for this year's Christmas card.  I love having new pictured made each year to capture our ever changing family.

Carter is looking more and more like a man.  Just comparing his picture to last year's really makes me realize how quickly time is going by.

Bethany Tramel at Tramel and Co. Photography took our pictures.  She did a fabulous job showing our personalities and was so patient!

My little Lauren is not so little anymore either.  She had her braces put on two days before our big picture day.  She was still ready to flash that smile!

Now the hard part will be choosing which picture to use on the card!

Show Us Your Life - Bloggers In Your Area {Connect}

I'm so happy to be linking up with Kelly's Korner today in an effort to connect with other bloggers in my area.  Even if you're not in my area, I'd still like to meet you!  My family and I live in McMinnville, Tennessee.  It's a small town in Middle Tennessee right smack in between Nashville and Chattanooga.

Here's a picture of our pretty downtown fountain and courthouse.

We go to Nashville probably once a month or so...more often during football season!  Maybe it is to celebrate an occasion with a nice dinner out, a concert, or visiting someone in the hospital.  I am really excited to be taking my daughter to the Nashville Ballet in December for the Nutcracker.  I also absolutely love visiting the Frist Art Museum.

We do have Vanderbilt season football tickets.  At our house, we bleed black and gold!  My husband and son love going to the games and it is something they can do together.  We'd love to make it down for a baseball or basketball game, too.  I just enjoy walking around on the campus.  It is gorgeous!

It is nice being as close to Chattanooga as we are to Nashville.  We sometimes take off for the day and enjoy Chattanooga's downtown parks, bridges, and along the waterway.  You can park and just spend the rest of the time walking around.  Our new favorite restaurant is Tony's.  If you like pasta, you need to check this one out!

 

For a quick shopping trip or just to get my Target fix, we head to Murfreesboro.  It's only about 45 minutes from our house. This is where our pediatrician's office is located, and my sister lives here.  With all of that and the constant need to run pick up some art supplies, we are in Murfreesboro quite often!

I cannot wait to connect with some other Tennessee gals:)! 

Turkeys And A Fox

 How about some fall cuteness?  I love fall and am especially all about the woodland animals.  I use them in my decorating year round, but especially enjoy them this time of the year.  There are owls. foxes, and squirrels all around the place!  My sister likes to decorate with deer.  My mom uses rabbits.  What's your favorite animal for decorating?

I did this 10x10 fox canvas with a little touch of chevron.  I think it is just adorable!  I can see this in a little boy's room or even in a classroom.  It's currently available for immediate personalization and delivery for just $25.00.

I whipped up these two cute turkeys for Pumpkinfest.  I'd never really done a Thanksgiving design before.  They both sold quickly and I ended up having to paint more - yay!  

Cooper

Okay, so I love everything about this set!  I had the name Cooper picked out if Lauren had been a boy.  The aqua/gray/orange color combination is one of my all time favorites.  It's always so fresh!  I also love polka dots and chevron.  Oh, my goodness!

This is going to be absolutely adorable above the crib!

I had never seen this quote before, but it is so sweet!  I also love the layout.

I can just picture both of these pieces in Cooper's nursery.  Thank you so much for this wonderful order!  Enjoy!

Show Us Your Life - Reading List

I am so excited about Kelly's Show Us Your Life topic today...Reading Lists!  I LOVE to read and read almost every night before bedtime.  There's always a stack of books on my nightstand!  However, my husband got me a Kindle for my birthday so the actual stack is much smaller now.  

I like mysteries - you won't find any mushy love storied here!  One of my all time favorite mystery series is Sue Grafton's alphabet series.  They feature a female private detective back in the 80's when you had to solve crimes or find people without a computer.

After I read all of those and am impatiently waiting for next one, I found a similar series based on numbers by James Patterson.  These mysteries also feature a female detective but these are in modern day.  They have a great cast of supporting characters and are very suspenseful!

When I'm not reading mysteries, I like to laugh.  Tina Fey's (love her!) autobiography made me laugh out loud several times.

I guess this is the closest I'll get to a romance novel.  This is fiction loosely based on the relationship between George and Laura Bush.  It was fascinating to get a look behind the perfect facade and see that all people have secrets and problems.  Great read!

I guess this is the next closest I'll ever get to a romance novel.  I admit that I read the first one purely out of curiosity.  After you get past all the oohs and aahs, there really is a good story there.  I found myself flipping through certain parts to find out what was going to actually happen to the characters.  I read all three within a week!

I've just discovered Dave Sedaris and I'm a little bit in love with him.  Like Tina Fey, he makes me laugh out loud like crazy!  His books are so smart and absurdly funny.  He takes ordinary circumstances or characters and makes them hilarious.  I can't wait to read more!

  

 

My #1 book of the past year was Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  It absolutely sucked me in.  I can usually figure out who did it, but this one left me with my mouth hanging open.  I immediately went out and bought every book she's wrote.  They're all good, but this one is the best.  It's going to be a movie produced by Reese Witherspoon - so read it NOW!

I am going to go and check out all the other reading lists.  I need some new good reads and can't wait to see all of your favorites!!