A Little Birdie Says I Do

This custom cake topper is for a young lady who found me on etsy. She's known to me only as mas005 I think is right. I sure hope she likes it as much as me! I've a little more work to do on the base, can't find my sand paper anywhere. And a nice coat of varnish too. But other than that I am just waiting for the okay to send it on her way!

Lots of details in this little topper. Vintage tulle, vintage music paper, pearl stamens, velvet pink flowers, vintage crepe paper and of course, my favorite Amy butler papers!

Love is in the air in the studio today! Getting lots done. Next on the agenda are snowmen banners cut out for my 40 afterschool art students. Not really looking forward to it, but the end results....VERY tickled mommies....makes the light come on at the end of the tunnel.

What to paint.....what to paint....

It's been awhile since I really pulled out the canvas, brush and paint. Getting ready for Holiday shows requires a different type of mind set and product. And I was really happy to pack all that stuff away Wednesday. And now I have a pile of fresh canvases, framed wood, new paints, new collage papers and a brick of wax from Valerie to try a new mixed media idea out. But the ideas are kind of swimming. During the holiday shows I always had my sketchbook to fill pages with all sorts of new thoughts and ideas. I see words, birds, new shapes and new doodles coming into play. But for now I leave you with a few of the images I've gone through in the past three months. Some favorites to take some visual clues and color combinations from.

So the birds are coming back and this time they are playing with time, gears, movement and the idea that living life to the fullest means taking time to be ourselves. Our truest selves.

Mattie's Angel

This little angel sweetie would make the perfect topper to your tree this season! Crafted with much love, she has a paper clay structure, carefully painted, and sealed with gloss glaze. She's holding a little Mattie, which is sure to bring you much luck in the coming year. She is available at The Vintage-Flea in downtown Newnan.

We are silly busy getting ready for holiday guests tomorrow. I have 12 coming for lunch. I love hosting dinner in our home. We rarely ever do for some reason. It makes me clean like crazy and reset the house in ways I wouldn't normally do. It also will help get our entire family into the Christmas spirit! So I'll probably not be back here until next week. Gotta clean the art desk up so 6 guests can eat at it. Although glitter is probably not harmful, a sparkly turkey is not on the menu this year! I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving Day!!

I Love My Hands

As an artist reading this, you are probably laughing at the sight of someone actually taking a photo of their hands in this condition, or you may have even done it yourself. As I finished up a project the other night I looked down and found this rainbow of colors coating the fingers and palms of my hands. And I smiled. And thought what a wonderful job I have that being this dirty is really quite beautiful.I love my hands. They are the shape of my Grandmother Emily's. Having her hands reminds me to remain strong as a mother, wife and friend. An ugly scar on my right hand serves as a painful reminder that they are human hands, and should be cared for. They need nourishment, holding, and kissed occasionally. For they work hard everyday. Hands say a lot about a person, and as a lifeline to my personal artwork, they say more than my voice sometimes. So I love my hands, especially when covered with a rainbow of messiness.

What to do with a box of funeral cones 101.

I have several junkin' haunts. They are are part of my regular routine when creating. Go, find things needed, and some not so needed. If you are a creative junky you get this. My husband gets it now, it's taken 18 years, but he gets it. And my children LOVE it. Some finds are so super cool and used immediately. Some however, sit in the storage unit until the "aha!" moment comes. Take for instance this box of 100 funeral cone inserts that had to go home with me over a year ago. I love working with paper clay and these babies have that very texture and appeal. So there had to be something that my little creative brain could make with them...... Ellie came up with an idea yesterday all on her own. Hide-in-go-seek from Mommy.

So this is the idea. I have my last Holiday Market this weekend at St. Pius High School(See link on right side bar). And I needed some new items. These cones are super cute and would make a great gift for a teacher, friend, hostess gift, secretary gift or for yourself! Simply cut some greenery or grab some trimmings from the tree sellers and Voila! an instant door decoration.

Already has a tag for you too. I have a new stamp set and craft punch itching to be used.

My favorite idea for these cones is this below. Bake (or buy) a mini loaf of your best bread and slide it on in with a piece of tissue paper. As a teacher myself, I really love all the baked goodies that come to me from students. It fits perfect! AND what a great gift bag!

After this weekend I am hoping to get some serious paintings started. I've a fresh stack of canvases and wood waiting for me in the garage. So hopefully you'll get a peek of something other than Christmas crafts here on the blog very, very soon.

itty-bitty Goodness

My kids ride the bus home on Monday and Friday. And as usual today they came bounding in the house ready to tell of their day's events. Usually it starts with someone getting into trouble, which on occasion involves them, but mostly involves stories of children I don't know (we are in a new school this year). Today Mailey was all excited to show off her Book Fair purchases. Each received a $20 bill to use at their own accord for the bi-annual book fair. And as usual Mailey chose as much as she could with her crisp $20. A Club Penguin comic book (urghhhh), Fancy Nancy chapter book (yipee!) and an itty-bitty Baking Kit (this is supposed to be a book fair. Why I asked, why?). And here it is, the $9.99 item she had to have. Today just happens to be my husband Billy's 42nd Birthday. I can tell you his age with a giggle because he is a bit older than me.....hehehehe....Now years from now I'll not be laughing, or maybe I will as I wheelchair race him down the hall. So the kids immediately were like "Mom we've got to make these for Daddy. You make the big cake, we'll make these." I, being the sucker Mom that I am, said okey-dokey. So in the box came a recipe for cake and icing for this teeny pan, totally from SCRATCH I tell you. Just to give you an idea of how tiny these are, the recipe said that a regular cake mix would make 300 itty-bitty cakes. Yikes. That's a long time cooking with one little pan that makes 6. It'd be 500 minutes of cooking (can I do multiplication or what?). So we followed the instructions and made these extremely YUMMMMMMMY cupcakes bites. Seriously. So yummy. And I am an icing freak. I stowed some away just for tomorrow when I am thinking about it.....and have to have more!

Oh, so super cute. Billy was so happy. We made a few bigger because of time in the mini-muffin pan.

This is all that's left, well, maybe they are all gone by now. I may have needed another....two.

Oh, look who likes cake? Etsy boo-boo. She devoured it. Lily also had one. Wasn't sure the turtle would, and really did not want to waste the goodness on an un-appreciative animal. So we celebrated the night with a yummy dinner, red wine, itty-bitty cupcakes and silliness around our table. At work they had a cake for him and this card:

Okay, so if any of you happen to know Billy, this is quite hilarious. I laugh out loud to think of his little sweater vest wearing self partying like a rock star. Maybe when we are old and racing down the hallway in our wheelchairs. For now though, I kind of like his laid back conservative self, who would rather not party like a rock star. Happy Birthday Billy!

Bringing Joy Home

I wanted to show you a few of the ornaments that made their way into my holiday collection this year. I am, and have been crazy for patterned paper. I love the smell, feel and look of finely made paper. I also have a crazy love for Amy Butler's fabrics and paper line. Her papers are double sided, a real treat when making cones like these: The quote along the bottom says, "May the spirit of Christmas bring you Peace." They would make a great gift card holder, little sweet treat holder, or other treat for your gift-giving this season.

I had a fabulous time with the Eddison letter cutter at my kid's school making snowflakes and cutting out perfect little letters last week (have you ever noticed that when buying letters there are NEVER enough of the one letter you need so you have to head back to the store and buy an entire set again?) . Several banners made their way to new homes this weekend. Joy and Peace would be a nice addition to your door wreath or mantel greenery.

And last but not least, I just had to have little bird ornaments. These are adorned with Amy Butler paper, diamond dust glitter, vintage tulle wings, and little glittery papered butterflies. Oh so sweet. A great little extra on a package and of course adorning your tree! So how are your handmade ornaments coming along? I always struggle with this aspect of my booths, but want to have them. So I fret and plan for the perfect little ornament. This year I've had a burst of energy and made several different types. All which don't have to just hang on a tree.

If you are in the area, they are available at The Vintage-Flea in Newnan and also at my upcoming show at St. Pius High School in Atlanta this coming weekend.