Happily Ever After...

Jessica Alford is my daughter's third grade teacher.  We'd never met until she cam to Centertown this year.  I have to admit that Lauren was a little nervous about having a "new teacher", but Mrs. Alford has been so sweet to her.  She's won Lauren over!

Jessica has a really sweet little girl, Aubrey Lee.  She wanted something for her room in their new house.  She asked for chevron, pinks and purples, and this wonderful quote.  I added some rhinestones to the crown because it sounds like Aubrey is a typical girlie girl!!

I did this one as an experiment for one of my summer art classes.  I added some really special touches and think it turned out really pretty.   There's lots of shading on the castle and the sky is full of stars.  When you see it in person, it has a fine coating of glitter for added sparkle!

I added the wording with a little girl's room or playroom in mind, but how perfect would this be for a princess themed wedding or shower decoration?

This is a 16x20 and is immediately available for $45.00.

Teacher #4 - Kristen Kell

 

Kristen Kell is a good friend of mine...from waayyy back in the JA days!  I didn't even know she was teaching until she contacted me about this order.  I'm so happy for her!  She requested polka dots and black and hot pink.  She also mentioned that she likes the black and hot pink 31 design.

I started with the polka dots in the background in a metallic silver.  They really are metallic - not glittery!  They are so pretty but it was hard to capture that sheen in a picture.

I used the 31 pattern as inspiration to do the black and white border.  Finally, I added a  little hot pink border and the matching ribbon.  Since her name is really short, I wrote it a bit larger than usual and tilted it to the side.  I love it!!!

Thank you so much, Kristen!

Teacher #2 - Mrs. Hall

I don't know Mrs. Hall's first name!  This one was ordered as a start of the school year gift by one of my very best customers, Kayla Young.  She chose the size and requested ribbon and an owl.  I took it from there!  Mrs. Hall is a kindergarten teacher so I kept the font in an easy-to-read font and the design sweet but simple.  I love the added bling and think it turned out soooo cute!

Thank you, Kayla!!

How To Add Glitter To Practically Anything: Tutorial

I have an eight-year-old daughter and we both love for things to be glittery!  I've always done the old school Elmer's glue and sprinkle glitter.  Shake off the extra.  Repeat.  It's a mess and it never quite completely covers.  I had a coupon for 40% any regular priced item at Michael's and decided to try something new.  It is glitter transfer paper!

I got the Martha Stewart brand of the medium and one pack of the glitter paper.  The medium is basically a really thick version of Elmer's glue.  You do have to squirt it out and paint it on with a paintbrush.  It is great because you can cover a very large area or get in those tiny spaces.

It paints on white - like this - and I do recommend that you follow the directions on the bottle and let it dry the full 10 minutes.  It's hard to wait!  We tried it a little early and it does not work until it is good and tacky.

Here's  my little girl putting the transfer paper glitter side down on the medium.  The she rubbed and rubbed and rubbed with the rounded end of the paintbrush to transfer the glitter from the paper to her painting.  They do sell sticks for this purpose.  Popsicle sticks, plastic paintbrushes, or really anything that's not sharp will work.  You do have to rub a while to get it really glittery!

Here's the finished detail of the glitter fireworks on her Cinderella's Castle painting.  This is just basic acrylic craft paint on a stretched canvas.  The transfer medium will work on lots of different surfaces.

Yay!  It turned out so cute!  Everything is better with a little sparkle!

Aleigha

A little pink owl here...

a little pink rhinestone there...

All of these elements together make the prettiest canvas!  The soft lime green stripes in the background, the fine yellow border, the fancy hot pink lettering, the super cute owl, and even the little rhinestones all compliment each other so well.  I know this will be the perfect finishing touch to little Aleigha's nursery!

Click here to see the sister piece that was done a few years ago.  Congrats on the new baby girl, Ashley!

Eat Pray Love

I'm back from spring break and feeling very much recharged.  I took a little girl's trip to the Smoky Mountains.  We just laid around in our cabin, read, got in the hot tub, and even did some yoga!  We also did bunches of shopping, went to the Hatfield and McCoy's dinner show, and even the Titanic museum...talk about a bunch of tourists!

Today it is back to the real world...

One of my favorite customers, Andrea Brock-Pierce, ordered this 10x10 for her kitchen.  To coordinate, she asked for a few touches of red.  I added that in the ribbon, the trim, and the buttons.

I absolutely love this vintage postal trim.  I also love the distressing and the vintage buttons.  I also added the brown and taupe pearls and flower.  So pretty!

Sweetness

This really sweet little 5x5 was an etsy order that shipped out a couple of weeks ago.  The colors were special request.  I think it turned out so pretty!

 

This little sweetie is only $15.00 so it is very budget friendly if you need a custom gift.  It's also a great size for doorknobs, drawer pulls, or in a wreath.  Don't you just love the rhinestone sprinkles?

New Spring and Vintage Items

I was feeling creative last weekend and spent some of my precious painting time painting some things that I wanted to paint.  I love painting for other people, but lots of times I have all of the ideas floating around in my head that I never get to try.  I left all of these blank so they are just waiting to be purchased and personalized.  Shipping is included in these prices, too!

I think they all would make great gifts for teachers or baby and wedding showers.  They would also be so cute for decorations!  

This fancy wooden plaque is about 8x10 and features pink trim, a large pink mesh ribbon, and a rose with rhinestones and vintage buttons.  It doesn't get much girlier than that!  This is currently available for $20.00.

This sweet little 5x7 oval has a nice burlap ribbon and rose.  I think this would be perfect for a doorknob...maybe a baby sleeping sign?  Available at just $16.00, you can put it just about anywhere!

This larger 11x14 chevron stripe with the sunflower center is perfect for spring and then on into summer and fall.  There's plenty of space below the flower for welcome, a family name, or a teacher's name.  It's topped off with an extra wide gold burlap ribbon.  It is available for $30.00.

This sweet little 6x9 gray and pink (a current favorite color combination!) is just right for your door this Easter or would make the perfect addition to a basket as a gift.  It's already got a cute little saying on it so it is ready to ship for just $16.00!  SOLD

This larger 12 inch wooden circle is perfect if you are looking for something a little different.  It is a pretty sage green with a sage and black trim and accented with a vintage lavender tine bird.  This is the perfect size for a front door, office, or classroom door.  With the black burlap chevron ribbon, it is just waiting to be personalized and shipped for just $25.00.

If you love to travel like I do, then this 10x10 is perfect for you.  I love the stamps from all around the world as the border.  There's also a green vintage tin bird and a collection of vintage buttons.  It has been distressed for an even more rustic look.  The black burlap chevron ribbon is so cute on top.  Ready to personalize with a name for favorite saying for just $20.00.

I'm crazy about the fleur-de-lis design that is so popular right now!  This one is even better because it is covered in polka dots!  The basic black and white with the super cute gingham ribbon would work with any color lettering on top...red for Centertown, gold for the Saints or Vanderbilt, pink just because!  SOLD

Finally, this sweet little 5x5 is perfect for a wreath or any little nook where you need extra something.  It has a measuring tape border, pearls, a rose, rhinestones and vintage buttons.  Even with all of that, there's plenty of space left for whatever cute saying you'd like.  It's cream and khaki with a chocolate brown ribbon for hanging.  $15.00

If you see something that you have to have, just let me know and I'll mark it as sold.  I am also currently accepting custom orders.  Some of the elements used are one of a kind and the design cannot be repeated.  Please check when ordering.

Fun, Fluff, and Sparkle!

Robin Bell placed an order for some truly custom 5x5's for Christmas. I have to say they are definitely one of a kind!

She gave me the wording and a few color requests, but pretty much just told me to have fun with it. Love it!

Have fun, I did! I got out all of the jewels, sequins, glitter, and ribbon that I have stored up. Sometimes I see things that are really fun or pretty and know that the right project for them will come along. I got to use lots of them for Robin!

I don't even know who all of these are for, but I hope they made the perfect gift. If they are enjoying them half as much as I did, then I did all right!

Thank you so much for the order, Robin!

Brooke

I wish I still had the picture of the bedding this canvas is meant to go with. It is white with this same polka dot pattern. Brandi Murphy ordered it as a gift for her niece and tells me that the wall are also white. It was her suggestion to do a black background. In my mind, it wasn't working out, but once again, I was wrong! I love it!

I added a coordinating rhinestone here and there. What girl doesn't love a little bling?

Cuter Than A Cupcake

One cute little cupcake custom created to matched striped bedding. I added a little sparkle with a coat of glitter and a few rhinestone sprinkles. Brand new customer, Ashley Tucker, ordered this one for her niece's birthday. Thank you and enjoy!

To see the pastel version of the cupcake, click here.

"Bling" For Jennifer

The very talented Jennifer at The Trendy Spot wanted a little sign to put in her booth at craft shows. This cutie-pie 6x9 in her blog colors should be perfect! I've been experimenting with adding "bling" to my canvases. There are pale green and pale pink jewel accents added for extra eye-catching sparkle. I have jewels in several colors. Let me know if you would like them added to your custom order.