Pay It Forward 2013

I did not do my 12 Days of Giveaways this year.  It just seemed like I didn't have enough time to get it all together and Christmas was here and gone before I knew it.  Plus, I had sick kids and all this extra craziness at school.  Anywho...I still wanted to do something special for all of you out there who place orders, read the blog, or just enjoy browsing my paintings.

I saw this on facebook and thought it was a fabulous idea.  Of course, I was not fast enough to be in anyone's first five comments.  Those comments fill up fast!  I'm not putting this on facebook or advertising for that reason.  You are going to have to actually visit the blog on your own accord and leave a nice comment on this post to be in my five!

If you decide to comment and receive a handmade gift from me at some point this year, please be sure to leave contact info so I can get it to you.  Remember that you are committing to do the same in return.  I am looking forward to seeing who my five are and creating something special for each of them.  Giving truly does bring joy to the giver!

Good luck and happy 2013!

Super big thanks to Brittany @ Bee of Good Cheer for the cute graphic!

Song Lyrics

Lisa Garrison wanted a special Christmas gift for her son and his wife.  She chose some song lyrics that were special to them.  She even sent me a pic of the album cover as inspiration for the colors to use.

I thought the black and coral looked so pretty together.  I don't get ti use that color combination very often.  I topped it off with some polka dot ribbon.  What a great gift!

This set of song lyrics that were an etsy order that shipped out a while back before Christmas.  This one asked for black, white, and red.  I topped this one off with a wide red satin ribbon.  How cute would your special song lyrics be as a Valentine gift?

Caroline

Jennifer Brooks had a plain music stand that she had picked up along the way.  She wanted it custom painted for her daughter's room.  Caroline is really into music so this was a perfect gift for her.  I don't normally paint things that aren't on a canvas.  It's just too hard to store and I don't enjoy doing all of the prep work.

Jennifer agreed to sand it and paint it the solid cream color that she wanted if I would paint the designs to match her bedding.  Okay...I can do that!

I chose little elements from the beautiful bedding pictured below.  It's so pretty that the only hard part was what to use!  I love the little detailing around the bottom.

I continued the hot pink and gray swirls over the edge and onto the back just to give it interest all of the way around.

Here's the bedding from Pottery Barn Teen.  This beautifully patterned bedding with dark gray walls, cream trim, and, of course, the custom music stand will be so pretty!

Thank you, Jennifer!  I hope Caroline loved it!

Kimber

Keeley Hitchcock ordered this really pretty 11x14 canvas for her new baby girl's nursery.  There's a ton of detailing in that little owl, big blue flower, and that border.  The pink on pink diamonds, lavender scalloped edge, and yellow dot trim took forever...and that was just the background!  It was totally worth it!

For Kimber's name, I chose the soft brown color that I also used in some of the detailing.  I used a thick but fairly simple cursive.  I really wanted her name to stand out among all that other activity!  

Here's the bedding from Target that the canvas was designed to match.  There's that owl in the corner and you can sort of see the blue flower.  The trim on the canvas matches the trim on the bedding to a tee!

Thank you, Keeley, and congratulations!

 

Zebra Love

I did lots of zebra print this past Christmas!  This sweet little 5x5 shipped out a while back.  I am a big fan of the name over the initial.  It looks so pretty inside the square!

Donna Campbell ordered this set of four assorted zebra prints for her four granddaughters.  She wanted something special just for the girls during their Christmas visit.  What a great idea!

Beth is the oldest granddaughter so I thought the name over the initial would look a little more grown up.  Since Mary Margaret's name is a long one, I decided to try it in a circle.  I love it!

Mary Grace's needed lime zebra print instead of the usual black.  I wasn't sure about that, but it turned out so cute!  Addy Jane's has the little dot border that I just love.  Thank you, Donna!  I hope the girls loved them!

I should add for ordering purposes that these are not 5x5's.  I didn't have enough of that size to fill the order and ran to Michael's to pick up some.  They only had 6x6's.  These are slightly larger than my usual small square size.

Chandler

Aaahhh...the first post of 2013!  I couldn't think of a better way to kick off a new year than with featuring this sweet baby.  My friend and coworker, Andrea Thaxton, had little Chandler this year and wanted something to hang over his crib.

She brought me the window valance to match the colors and design.  I did some pale khaki dots over the white background.  You can barely see them in the photo!  Then I chose some of the dots in greens, blues, and khaki from the fabric and ran one strip down the side.

Finally, I did Chandler's name in a classic cursive.  I kept is simple without too many loops and swirls to keep it masculine.  I love how this one turned out and was so happy to paint for this wonderful family.  Congratulations!

End of the Year Lists

My favorite thing about this time of the year is all of the lists.  My stocking was full of magazines with the top ten movies of the year, books of the year, and (my most favorite of all) best and worst dressed.  Yes, Santa knows that I love a good list!  I decided that my final post of the year should be a couple of lists.  Here's a list pf my top ten favorite canvases from the wonderful year that was 2012...

10.  K, L, and Y monograms - this made the list because I think they are so pretty together and a true complete set.  There is a lot of detail work (and dots!) in each one.  Also, the mom was so sweet and has ordered so many pretty pieces for these girls' rooms!

9. Merry Christmas from the Blacks -  this made the list because it marked a challenge overcame for me.  Getting dots, stripes, and a Santa all on the same canvas was no small feat.

8. The Meredith Prayer - this made the list because I sort of tear up every time I paint it.  I've painted it lots of times since, but this is the original.  All of the things a kid needs are right here.

7. The Bathroom Set - this made the list because it is a classic.  I don't know how many bathroom sets I've painted over the years and I know there's too many dots to count.  This one particular set was my favorite of the year because of the color combination...all of my favorites!

6. I Love You Forever - this made the list because it is an experiment that turned out beautifully.  I tried the scalloped edges and dots in varying sizes for the first time.  It turned out just like I had it pictured in my head and, trust me, that doesn't always happen!

5. Teacher's Canvases - this made the list because this is probably what I paint the most.  I also happen to love honoring teachers and creating special gifts for them.  I chose these two to represent teacher canvases because that owl and that worm in the apple are just so bright and happy.  I know the kids like to see them coming down the hall!  

4. Mary Claire - this one made the list just because I love it.  Plain and simple.  I love everything about it from the colors and the font to the stripes and little rosebuds.  Love it.

3. The New Wedding Design - this one made the list because it is the new hit of the year.  This design first showed up with the Avett Brothers song lyrics pictures above with a wedding name and date below.  It quickly look off into lots of other wedding songs and then to special Bible verses.  

2. The Pooh Quote - this made the list because it never gets old.  I've painted this super sweet Christopher Robin quote so many times and in so many different ways it's not even funny.  I even shipped one to Australia!  This one was chosen out of all of the others because it is so different.  It was meant to match the little girl's bedding and just turned out perfectly.  I love it when that happens!

1. Austie - this made the list because of the unusual color combination and challenging pattern combinations.  It moved up the list because I love "The Help" and Audrey Hepburn quotes.  It topped the list because the whole entire set works so well together.  So pretty!

Okay, that was my top ten.  Here's the top ten looked at posts by viewers like you!

10.  For A Special Aunt

9.  End of the School Year

8.  Brown Sugar Body Scrub

7.  Show Us Your Life - Favorite Beauty Products

6.  Show Us Your Life - Christmas Cards

5.  Kenny Chesney

4.  Show Us Your Life - Front Porches/Patios

3.  I Love You Forever

2.  Orange County Choppers

1.  Christopher Robin

Was you favorite on there?