Trying to Catch Up

Wow, I am having the hardest time catching up! As I mentioned before, I ended up getting really sick with severe bronchitis, and finally after 3 weeks, I am finally getting better. I am just trying to get my strength back while fighting this flare, and it has really put me behind on things - especially my blog. I have only painted just a few things during this time, and am so ready to get back into my studio! Since my last post, my girls have both started school - now my baby is in kindergarten! sniff..sniff... They have also started gymnastics. I decided it was time after I tried to show them a straight somersault, and I swear I heard every bone in my body crack! I just laid there for a while doing a system check - o.k. my toes move, now my legs move, etc. To sum it up - it's best to leave that stuff to the professionals to teach my girls. I officially think I am too old.
This is a picture of the girls on their first day of school. They looked so cute! Although, I'm not sure how much longer they are going to let me dress them alike. They let me occasionally, but it is getting fewer and farther between. The only thing different about what they were wearing, is that Ashlyn absolutely refuses to wear bows anymore. "First graders do NOT wear bows, Mommy!"

Here are a few paintings that I did manage to finish over the last couple of weeks. I have to explain how my very creative daughter had a part in the "Bird on a Tree" painting. The girls had been down at my parents for a few days. Both of them are extremely creative, and good little artists in their own right. They both are fully aware of how I am always on the lookout for something to put in my art. They love to help me look through old books for pages for backgrounds and looking at different ephemera. Well, while they were all supposed to be getting ready to leave to come back home, and Ashlyn slipped off and collected several pieces of the prettiest thin bark pieces for me to use in my art. She put them in a little gift sack and wrote my name on it. She managed to get in their car with it, and make it all the way home without anyone noticing her precious little gift. Everyone was just amazed when she presented it to me that she for one, was so sneaky about it, but mainly that she put that much creative thought into finding me something that I could use in my paintings. I was just so touched and amazed that she did this. So, the first painting I did after that, I incorporated into the bird painting. She is very pleased and just tickled pink that I used something that she found in my painting!

Big Journey

As promised here are the pictures of the large Journey painting I did. Luckily, the customers were very happy with it, and I have to admit it is probably my favorite painting that I have created so far. The pictures don't really show the true colors too good. They appear more blue but there is a lot of green, pink, and yellow as well.

I Love Your Blog Award!!

This is going to be a quick entry because I am rather sick right now from an upper respiratory infection. I will be posting either later today or tomorrow pictures of the large commissioned "Journey" piece! I completed it and the happy owners have received it, so I will be posting pics of that and our little trip to the Circus along with some pics of other works I have completed lately.

I was awarded the I LOVE YOUR BLOG AWARD by the very sweet and talented artist Lorri. I am so honored and am thankful that my blog is inspiring to others! So, I have the honors of choosing 7 blogs that I find inspiring and enjoy reading. It was hard to pick just 7 because there are so many talented people out there. So.....here goes (Oh yeah, I just had to pick 8 - there's no way I could get it down to 7) he he he:

Tonya at Collage Artistry
Heather at Audry Eclectic
Sue at Earthtone Studios
Fannie at Imagine Create Inspire
Lory at Weeping Wax Studio
Shonna at Twisted Figures
Sharron at All Norah's Art
Mare at Moon and Stars Studio

Be sure and check out these talented ladies' blogs. They are full of inspiration!

Busy Summer

I hope everyone is having a good summer! Ours has been very busy so far. I have had quite a lot of creative time because the girls have spent several days off an on with my parents, and I have been able to rest up a lot. This summer heat really is hard on my body. I was finally diagnosed with RA and Secondary Sjogren's (which is a form of Lupus) about two weeks ago, and found out that is why I don't tolerate the heat so well. I am definitely ready for some cooler weather! Anyways, I have created and traded several trading cards and have painted a few canvases. I will post a few now and more to come, I just don't want to give it all away in one entry. I am going to do my best to update my blog more often. Also for my creative time, I was commissioned to paint a large 22x28 inch canvas of my "Journey" painting! I have never painted on that large of a canvas, but I loved it! I plan on doing more. I'm not going to post the pictures of it yet though, before the person sees it first.



The girls and I met their Granny at the Dallas World Aquarium a few weeks ago, and we had a great time. I am really mad at myself though, because I brought my camera alright, but totally forgot to check the batteries, and of course, when I go to take the first picture - it was as dead as it could be. I was so mad! I missed so many great shots, and to top it all off, I have a great camera on my phone and didn't even think to use it! Oh well, I'm sure we will return many other times.

My next post, I will tell you about our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge a couple of weeks ago with some pictures, and also more pictures of ATC's and my latest paintings.

It's Been A While

Wow! It has been quite a long time since my last post! It has been extremely busy around here lately and a lot going on. First, I had been working on giving my blog a face lift, which I am pretty much done for the moment. There are several other things I want to add and more link lists, but that will just have to be a work in progress. Two weeks ago was the last week of school (June 4) and that week was just a whirl wind! I felt like I was at the school just about as much as Ashlyn was. They had all kinds of programs and parties - it was a very busy week. On top of that, both of the girls got sick with sinus infections.

Every person in this house has been sick over the last couple of weeks. The girls had sinus infections, I have had a bad flare that I have been battling along with adjusting to some new medication that is making me extremely sick, and my poor husband got salmonella poisoning from the cafeteria in his office building. The girls have been at my parents almost 2 weeks, and I am really missing them! They will be back on Saturday thank goodness, and they came up for Father's Day, but went back for the 2nd week since my husband and I were so sick. They've been able to enjoy some good quality/spoiling time with Granna and Gramps, though.
















My and Mom and Dad surprised us and had the girl's pictures taken for Father's Day. What a great surprise at that! I am so proud of these pictures - I think they are some of the best they have ever taken. Of course, it helps now that they are older and cooperate a lot better when taking pictures. In the past, it took at least two of us to attempt to control them, chase them down, make silly faces, etc. Now, it goes much more smoothly than before. I can't thank my parents enough for these pictures!

While they've been gone, I have had some time to create and try to get my studio in order. I still have a lot to go on getting the room organized. I never thought it would be this difficult trying to figure out how I want everything set up. This is mostly my fault because I am a perfectionist and over-thinker when it comes to these sorts of things. One of the pieces I did was "Create." I guess I thought it would help to have some words of inspiration on the wall!













I met a wonderful new online artist friend named Tonya Ashe. She saw my "Bliss" piece and asked if she could buy it. I couldn't believe it! Someone wanted to buy one of my paintings and just happened to find it by looking through my Flicker pictures. Once she and I got to talking through email, we realized that we eerily have a lot in common. She asked me if I made and traded ATC's. I had always admired them, but never had tried to do it myself mostly because I didn't know how to start trading once I did make some. Well, when I told her this, she gave me all kinds of information on these amazing little pieces of art and told me exactly how to go about making and trading them. So, I decided to try to make a few and just see what happens, and low and behold - I had people wanting to trade immediately, and all but 1 traded by the evening on the afternoon that I posted them. The four that you see above are the ones I traded. I can't wait to get the ones that I traded these for! I am so gracious to Tonya for leading me into this fun new way of creating my art. I am totally hooked! If you haven't tried it - I certainly suggest it. What an awesome thing to not only share your artwork with someone, but to get some back in return from amazing artists all around the world!

Well, I am off to bed. I just realized what time it is and I am getting blurry eyed looking at the computer. Have a good evening/morning. I will try to keep up now that things are slowing down a bit and post more often!