Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

Hey everyone, I just want to wish you a Happy New Year, and I hope everyone is safe! Be careful for drunk drivers, they are the reason I have opted to stay home and celebrate every year. I have been paranoid about that ever since I became a mommy! I have been pretty bored b/c I have had a lot of extra time on my hands, but my creative juices aren't flowing. It happens to me too often! So I sit at my table with paintbrush in hand and have no idea what to paint. I hope it doesn't last too much longer. I think I am just bored with my style and shop right now and I need to do something new and different. Maybe I will search for a small piece of furniture or something old to refurbish. I should take out my Wacom PC Tablet and see what I can do with that. It is new, I have only played with it a hand full of times. So hopefully a big wave of creativity will swoosh my way and I can create new work that I am excited about! I will talk to you next year!!





Beautiful Set of Notecards $12 at Nest Pretty Things

Three Sisters Ink

ThreeSistersInk is a shop on etsy that uses beautiful color combinations. Their prints are so cute and suit all ages. Not only are they cute, but very affordable, they offer 11x14 size prints for only $15! You can't beat that! Check out the rest of their lovely shop here.

"Hannah Bureau, Rebecca Bureau, and Sarah Bazos are sisters. They decided to pool their talents and start a small company of beautiful things.

Hannah Bureau is also a painter, her painting website is: www.hannahbureau.com."



Abstract Print (11x17) $15


Color Pattern Print (11x17) $15


Bottles Print (11x17) $15

How To Give Old Furniture a Modern Makeover.

Check out this video!

Sneak Peek of New Work

Here is a little preview of what is to come to my shop in the new year! This is a different design that I tried with a red, orange combination. I am working on a couple more, but I am waiting to list them next year so I can concentrate on just creating. I am debating if I should sell this design as a set only (set of 3), but I have not decided yet.

Happy Holidays!

I wish everyone a happy holiday! I am having a Christmas party today here at home. We invited three other couples, so it should be fun. Lots of food, and lots to drink! I will be cleaning all day since I didn't get to lift a finger yesterday, so it will be nice when I get to relax and have a nice glass of wine. I also will make cookies with my daughters to leave out for Santa, lol! My oldest is counting down the hours. So be safe and enjoy the holidays while they last.

My Christmas Wishlist

Carnival Zipper Pouch $31.50 by CharmDesign


Vintage Decorative Tin Box $20 by ModishVintage


1940s dress $120 from Lirolas Shop


Doily Clock $28 from AndFurtherMore

JIM WARD MORRIS

Jim Ward Morris has an etsy shop full of mid-century, postmodern goodness! I came across his shop last week and I just had to share. I love the textures he uses in his pieces as well as his choice of color. His style is unique, so check out the rest of his shop!

"The new prints use a minimal modern design with cool images and brilliant colors juxtaposed."




POSTMODERN 10 (3x9 giclee print)


MIDCENTURY 5 (6x6 giclee print)



MIDCENTURY 13 (6x6 giclee print)

Family Day

I had to take a family day yesterday. A break from painting, blogging, promoting, listing, and etsy. My husband had an unexpected day off, so we went to lunch to celebrate our FIVE year wedding anniversary! Technically, we never had a wedding. I moved to Hawaii to visit him for Christmas, and he said "You don't have to go back home." So we went and got married by a judge, and we have been together ever since. Oh...and we were never boyfriend and girlfriend before that. He was on leave in my hometown and one month later, that happened. We also took the girls to Chuck E Cheese, since kids would still be in school and it wouldn't be crazy busy. It was a fun day! So last night, when we were relaxing on the couch with our laptops ( typical night in our house) I was looking at old paintings to relist in my shop as prints. I want to stock my shop with at least one hundred items. It seems the more you have, the better you sell and it just looks more professional. I am bringing back a bunch of my favorite oldies but goodies. I will change some a bit digitally and some I will just leave alone. This particular painting is called Hippy Chic II, and it is one of my early favorites. It was actually sold locally in a coffee shop, so it was not in my shop too long. I changed the colors a bit. I wanted to give it a softer look I guess. She is for sure on the comeback list.


after


before

Oye Modern

Oye Modern sells contemporary jewelry by independent designers. I found the link lurking around in the Etsy forums. I am not a jewelry kind of girl, but it is still art to me. I can appreciate beautiful jewelry and not have to wear it. I like my simple white gold wedding band, and I must always have silver hoop earrings in reach. It also has jewelry for men, which is the coolest part of it. Check out some of these amazing pieces by these designers.



Focus Cuffs with ridges by Re:Vision. $168

What a genius idea! I would love one of these for my husband to wear. Very Sexy!





Coral Disc Necklace by Katrina Barnden. $205


Enamel Circle Ring (red) by E&HB. $157

Weekend Projects

Here is how they look with color on the sides.




The sides with the natural look of the wood.



After




Before

This weekend was a busy one! I painted a lot, and I almost feel bad b/c I was in the art/craft room for two days straight. I had some mini art blocks to sand and get started on for an order, and I also made over a painting that was really an eye sore to me in my shop. First of all when I painted it, I was not sure about the green background at all, but went ahead and listed it in the shop to see what would happen. Well, it wasn't a total flop, it got views, but it just doesn't go and it has been bothering me for a while. I decided to change the colors not the design. Why let a whole canvas go to waste. I like the blue background better, and I thought black outlining would make it pop a bit more. I think I could still offer the print of the old version, but I am on the fence about it right now.

On to the next one! I was working on my mini art blocks and I got an idea. Would if I didn't paint the sides of the block. I was about to paint the sides and thought it kind of looked better showing the natural wood. It appealed to me more. What do you think. Does it looked just "unfinished" or does it bring a more nature like feel to the piece? I am working on a set to possibly list in order to test the waters.

Chroma Lab

Red Orange Yellow and Pink Clock $90


Icee Blue Nightstand $325


Gumdrop Table $275 (MY FAVORITE!!)



Deep Sea Dresser $925

Happy Friday everyone!! So yesterday I saw this awesome clock on the front page of Etsy and clicked on it to find my new favorite shop Chroma Lab! I love every piece in the shop. The design on the furniture is just awesome. This is EXACTLY what I was talking about a couple of days ago. This is what I want to do when I grow up. I want to make old furniture new and beautiful again, and I want to put my designs on them. I wanted to put the whole shop on the blog, but I didn't, you must go look at everything though. There isn't one thing I don't like!

"Chroma Lab is Alicia Cornwell and Tony Bevilacqua, two people who love producing and living with colorful, modern furniture and home accessories in Boston."

Pounce Thursday

Saba Original Collage $198



Roya Original Collage $198



Narges Original Collage $198


I just love to Pounce on Etsy, but I Pounce in the "undiscovered" shops because I remember what it was like waiting for my first sale. I try to give a little recognition to artists and crafters who have unique items, great pictures, or just plain undiscovered Etsy talent! Today as I was pouncing one shop caught my eye. The name of the shop is Behjat and the artist lives in Littleton, Colorado. Her art is beautiful and very detailed which is what I love about it. Well everyone knows I love birds, I tend to use them in my art as well. Her birds, trees, and birdcages are surrounded with intricate swirls, fabric, and little flowers. I absolutely love them! She uses paper and wraps her canvases with fabric which makes her shop unique and lovely. You can tell that she puts love in each piece because it does take time and patience to bring together all the small details she includes. Here are some of my favorites.

I See Canvases Everywhere

I love every piece in this pic, including the shelf! Green mid-century Floraline vases/pots. Manufactured by McCoy. Excellent condition. Sizes vary. $15-$175 each.


I would love to add color to this, it is a work of art on its own though, no doubt! Dresser Paul Evans inspired Lane Furniture nine drawer dresser in oak. Excellent condition.
$1100



I love the lines of these chairs! They are simple but definitely make a statement. Pair of Chairs by Nathan Lerner (1913-1997) chairs for Popular Home 1940s. Molded plywood form. Very good condition.
$1400.00


One day in the future when my kids are grown up a bit and I own a home with a garage, I would really like to get into refurbishing old furniture, lamps, and anything and everything I can get my hands on. I would love to have a little shop in town somewhere in whatever town I end up in and sell my art and my findings that I have redone. A shop, a studio, whatever it may be, as long as I can create everyday and maybe make a living at this. I don't know how long my husband will support my low paying expensive art business, lol! I wish I could roam town and find odds and ends and just make the world a prettier place with art everywhere. I was browsing a website called Modern Finds, and found a few things that I would love to get my paintbrush on. Don't get me wrong, I love the vintage look and feel of them all, but they inspire me is what I am getting at. My head starts racing about the designs I can put on these objects and it just excites me. I do have a future project in store for me and that is my rod iron patio furniture. As soon as the weather permits, I will be on that. I also have to find a fabric that I like to recover the seat cushions.

Bad Day

Upped My Meds Card by Colespic

Well today was really just a jaw-dropping kind of day. It started out great. The weather was awesome, it was kinda cool with an awesome breeze. I had lunch with the hubby because he got to come home for lunch. I got all my orders ready and packed, and all I had to do was just take them to the post office. I go with a stroller with my little one and my 3 yr old walks beside me. Well the post office was busy, but we survived the long line with snacks and toy cameras. Whew! It was time to go and we skipped all happy to the car and here it comes.... my 3 yr old just flipped her crazy switch and just made a huge scene. She refused to get in the door on my side of the car which she normally goes in. She wanted to go in through HER door!! She was screaming and yelling "no!", and carrying on. I was trying to stay calm because I don't want to be one of those parents that goes psycho in public. The ride home was her screaming and me thinking of her punishment for being so bad. She is usually a great little girl in public and I know she has her days, but it just came out of nowhere and I am in disbelief. So here I am ranting on my blog about it. So to make it a productive post, I found a card that I need to have sent to me! It is perfect, and of course, I found it on Etsy. Whoever read this whole thing, thank you for listening. I am off to go eat chocolate to numb the pain, lol!

Rainbows Inspire

Vintage Spools by PhotoGypsy320



Shade by SaraNorris



Color The Rainbow by WeberPhoto


Color inspires me everyday, it is candy to my eyes and food to my creative drive. These are some of my favorites from etsy. The rainbows of color give me the urge to pick up a paintbrush to bring color together.

Wall Art from InMod

Wallter Paintable Retro Slats $87

Wallter Retro Saucers (set of 5) $88

Wallter Circles (set of 8) $42

I like to browse the site InMod to drool over the furniture that I wish I could have. Since I am not allowed to buy nice furniture until my babies are old enough to not spill apple juice on everything, I will stop dreaming for now. I did, however, see some wall art that is totally affordable and very cool! The cool thing about these is that if you want, you could spray paint them a different color. They are easy to hang too, they have a 3M adhesive on the back of them and that sticks to most interior surfaces. I did see something like this at Michaels, but the set was smaller and overpriced if you ask me.

I Am A Confessed Paper Hoarder!

I am. I also like to collect paper flowers and embellishments even though I usually have no use for them. For the last year, I have bought pretty scrapbooking paper almost every trip to the craft store. I just love it and I don't really know why because I have no desire EVER to scrapbook! I just don't have the patience for that sort of craft. Also, I like art that I can put up right away and enjoy, rather than wait for others to visit to show them my scrapbook album that I worked so hard on. I know...it's the memories that are important, right? Right now I would rather pay someone to scrapbook my pics for me. So...what the heck am I suppose to do with all these supplies?? Well I accidentally stumbled across an idea! I am excited about it, but I am not sure if others would feel the same. As I sat and painted frames the other night, I started to experiment with paper and flowers. I came up with an idea that would display the pretty paper I have and cute (not to mention expensive) paper flowers I have collected throughout the year.

I think they would compliment a room that holds a shabby chic look with a mod spin to them. Think Amy Butler! I love shabby chic that is not too Victorian looking and not too country looking. I like the femininity of shabby chic and the simplicity it possesses. So that is why I adore these pieces of framed art. They are bold, colorful, and shabby chic all in one!