Paint Me a Picture

updates, pen & paper

2012-02-17T09:42:00.000-05:00

I have been asked how life is different with me taking a break.
If I must be honest, and I must.
I don't think anything is different.
I still haven't finished all the things I have to do.
Life is still chaotic. I do have two small children. Boys, I remind you.
I do exercise daily. Okay, almost daily.
I do make up my bed. At least by 3:30 PM.
Oh, and I go to bed before 10 PM.
Those changes have occurred. So exciting.
But for real, taking a break has been a good thing.
I have learned a lot. I have been encouraged a lot.

In case you have been reading for a while I did want to share some stuff:
Charlie turned 3 in January.
We had a fabulous Mickey Mouse party.

Apparently when you turn 3 you get an attitude and you become obsessed with Legos.
He is very opinionated. Like his mother, whoever she is.
He also has started Speech Therapy at a local school 2x a week.
I never shared before but he started ST at home back in August.
For a parent whose child has a speech problem it is an amazing thing to hear them say things you never imagined.

Some of the things he says the most:
"Mama you mad?"
and in relation to his new attitude-"I told you I wanted..."
They don't sound exactly like that, but it is clear what he is saying.

Jack has become a very feisty 18 month old.

Don't be fooled by the picture of what appears to be a sweet little girl playing dress up.
He had a check-up with the cardiologist last week.
His ASD & pulmonary stenosis are the same. Which is a good thing because it hasn't gotten any worse. However, there was still mention of surgery to patch the hole in his atrium in a year and a possible stent for his pulmonary valve.
We will go back in May 2013.

And in case you were worried I stopped creating,
I have not.
I found a note pad and some pens stashed in my closet
along with a really nice set of watercolors.
Sometimes it pays to have a husband who likes to explore creative avenues.

I have been sketching.
It's fun, and unlike paint I can put it down or pick it up when I like.

I asked on InstaGram and Facebook if
people had a quote/verse/phrase they would like to see in a sketch.
I want to know if you have one too.
It can be silly, sweet or serious.
If I choose to sketch yours I will share it and let you know.

That's all for now.
Happy February, almost March!

whew. glad I got that all out.

2012-01-17T11:25:00.001-05:00

I hope you will read this. It's kind of important to me.

Someone once admitted to me, "I really liked [having a handmade shop] but I was never really good at juggling things."
I immediately thought, "Yeah, I am not good at juggling things either." But did I keep trying to juggle? Yep.

Someone once commented on a picture, "You guys always look like you are having such blast."
My thoughts, "Ha! You mean we are as fake as facebook?" I say that very sarcastically meaning we only show what we want people to see. Even when we show our "real life" pictures we only show a fraction of real life. My response to that comment was an email reassuring that person it's a blast alright - a blast of messes and tears and lack of sleep and chaos. I wanted to make sure I wasn't giving the wrong impression.

A friend, someone I consider a close friend, said to me in an email, "I was wondering how you did all you did... I was wondering if you were superwoman or something" (paraphrased). That hit me hard. I didn't want her, or anyone, to think "How does she do it?" about me.

I share all this because:
I know what it is like to feel like you are not enough.
I know what it is like to feel like everyone out there has this perfect life going on and yours doesn't look half as sparkly.
I know what it is like to feel everyone is successful and accomplishing their dreams and quitting their day jobs and you are standing there trying to get someone to notice your talents and hard work.
I know what it feels like to go all day wiping noses and rear ends and have the house be a wreck and you can't even remember if you have brushed your teeth.
I know what it is like to feel that everyone around you is wearing a cute outfit and is a total trendsetter and you just hope you fit into your mom jeans that aren't supposed to be mom jeans but you blinked and now they are. (hahaha I am laughing b/c it's funny but true)
I know what it is like to feel everyone out there is feeding their kids healthy, organic, gluten free fantastic meals and you are struggling to get your kids to eat a (blankity-blank) peanut butter sandwich and raisins.

I know what it feels like to be left out.

I know what it is like to (you fill in the blank) - because even if I haven't gone through it you have and you know what it feels like and it doesn't feel good.

When I started this blog in 2008 it was literally just a place for me to post pictures of my art. I didn't have any knowledge of Etsy or blogging "communities"; I had a personal blog that like 3 people read, and I wanted to have a place on the in-tra-net to share examples of my paintings.
Shortly after I discovered Etsy, connected with other bloggers and this little corner of the world wide web grew.
Then my shop grew. Then my family grew. Then, well then I realized I wasn't ready for all this.
I put on a happy face.
I tried to make this blog a fun place to share our "real life", the art I discovered, the art I was creating, the crafts I was doing, etc.
I worked really hard. I tried to juggle it all, but something had to give.
Something was always lacking because I was trying to give too much of myself.
Thankfully I took a little break over last summer to refocus. It helped so much, but when the break was over I was back in over my head.
Finally towards the end of September I realized I had to make a decision. I was at a place where I knew things had to change and I began focusing on my family, myself, my friends.
I was scared though. I worked really, REALLY hard to grow this blog and had developed some amazing friendships and felt like we had all become a part of each other's lives. I worked really, REALLY hard to grow my shop, to come up with original ideas, to develop my State Love Paintings, to make good connections. What if people used my ideas? What if I lost connections? What if everyone forgot about me?
Well, what if?
OR
What if I spend more time playing and teaching my children?
What if I spend more time learning how to do new things?
What if I spend nap time exercising and doing things for myself?
What if I spend more time taking care of my household?

So here I am in 2012 sharing that things are going to change.
I enjoy blogging. I think it's a good thing, but for me, for now, it's not one of those things I want to juggle (as you may have noticed you haven't gotten much other than Instagram pictures for the past few months).
I enjoy painting and having my shop. I think it's a good thing, but for me, for now, it's not one of those things I want to juggle.
Like I said, I am not good at juggling.
For now you will see me when you do and you can miss me when you don't ;)
I frequent Instagram with photos of my kids and my coffee so if you are on there come find me @paintmeapic
You can always email me if you want to chat or have a question. I still like to talk a lot.

And please know, I am not sharing this to condone or condemn how other folks juggle. I am share because I want those of you who read my blog and connect with me here to know why things are changing and how I am changing.

That is all.

InstaFriday 12/16/11 - 1/5/12

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

Friends in real life.

We get together once a month to craft and be silly.

It is such a wonderful time.

I think everyone should get together with their girlfriends to do something like this.

Two weeks of Daddy home! It was awesome.

One of the crafts my friends and I chose to do was monogramed glasses.

Super fast craft. Like under 10 minutes.

Day date in Tallahassee ♥.

I love this man.

How we wrapped presents.

I never have gift tags so using letters worked out great.

A serious discussion about Santa coming down the chimney.

My very beautiful coffee cup from Alison and a pretty little mug rug she made.

We are all saddled up for adventure.

Charlie got real cowboy boots for Christmas from my mom.

{I laugh every time I see this picture.}

The biggest painting I ever did.

It's 30x40 inches and almost as big as my kitchen table!

I made it for Alison and demanded she pick it up in person.

AND she did :)

You should know she lives 7 1/2 hours away.

And she is like a foot taller than me.

And I am standing on a step stool here.

And I saw her three times in 6 months.

I know, he's sooooo cute.

Packing up all the red and green.

Isn't this wreath my sister made for me awesome?!

I didn't want to put it away.

That's okay Charlie, all the Play-Do colors are meant to be mixed together.

After finding Play-Do in my shoe, hidden in corners of my kitchen, and in the toy box I decided we will save this toy for later.

Yes, this is the same yarn I used when I first learned to crochet.

I undid the "project" for the last time and am almost finished with it.

Life with boys.

Happy Friday!

happy

2012-01-02T06:00:00.000-05:00

This is the second (or maybe third) time in

Team Hop history a Christmas card hasn't gone out.

Gasp.

Well, I waited too late to get free ones from a Shutterfly offer like last year.

Then I just waited too late to even get some from a one-hour photo center.

And honestly, the thought of spending extra money on postage and cards wasn't at the top of my list.

What was at the top of my list?

Spending time alone with my husband. So instead of sending you Christmas cards we went on a day date and everything in the world was right.

But I do have a sweet Happy New Year card for you.

[see above]

I am excited about 2012.

I will turn 30 this year. What what!

I will learn new things this year.

I will be happy this year. Not that I am not happy now,

but I want to be even happier.

That is our theme (yes, we pick themes for each year).

2012 is the year of happiness, so watch out and

put a smile on your face.

Happy New Year friends, Happy. New. Year!

O Emmanuel

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here they are!
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, three wise men, shepherd and shepherd boy and angel.
This set ended up being for a friend, but I will be making sets for the boys to put in their bedrooms during Advent and Christmas season.
They are sweet reminders of our faith and celebrating Christmas in our family.

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

Matthew 1:23

merry and bright

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

Me: Say, "Merry Christmas!"
Jack: Cheeeeee
Charlie: CANDY

Well, I was promising they could have a Hershey Kiss if we took a picture.

We are wearing Christmas pajamas all day, eating candy canes, finishing up Christmas gifts, and enjoying time with Mr.Wonderful home.

I hope your week has been merry and bright so far.

What to do with all those wine corks.

2011-12-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

Surprise! It's more Christmas crafts.

I found the idea for a Christmas tree made from wine corks

in a Martha Stewart magazine probably 6 years ago.

After saving corks for a while I decided it was time to make another one

and this time I changed it up a bit.

Make it happen:

You need a large Styrofoam cone, a hot glue gun,

a knife that will cut through cork,

and about 85 wine corks and one champagne cork.

Starting at the bottom hot glue each cork vertically to the cone

until you make one row.

Change it up and hot glue two rows horizontally.

Continue until you have reached the top.

Hot glue a champagne cork to cover the top of the cone.

Because each wine cork is different you may end up with a gap in your row. You can take a sharp knife and cut a cork to fit the gap, or if you are like me you can just leave the gap and make sure the tree is angled just right on your mantle so no one can see it.

Most likely you are not going to have 85 corks lying around...

unless you are like me and like to ~~hoard~~ save them for craft projects.

But you can start saving for next year,

and have your friends save their corks too.

You never know when you might need to make something out of corks.

little Christmas hands and feet

2011-12-15T08:19:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't love a little hand print or foot print ornament?

I know, stop it with the cuteness.

I got the idea from an Instagram friend, Melissa, who shared a Santa hand print ornament on an embroidery hoop. I had some little mini canvases and thought they would work perfectly for our little hands.

How to make it:

Paint the canvas a solid color and allow to dry.

Take a little hand and liberally apply red to the top part of the hand & thumb,

apply skin tone color to the middle and white to the bottom part and four fingers.

{The trick is to keep their hands flat so they don't mix the colors and you get a tie-died Santa.}

Allow to dry and add eyes, mouth, nose, eye brows.

Attach a ribbon to the back for hanging and you have the sweetest little Santa Claus you have ever seen.

Last year hand prints weren't gonna work so we made these.

I painted and stamped the boys' feet on pieces of cardboard and cut them out.

For Charlie's ornament I traced his hand prints and painted them brown for antlers.

It's so sweet having these handmade ornaments on our tree.

Have you made any? Leave a link in your comment so I can see!

Ohhhhh Christmas Wreath

2011-12-14T09:21:00.000-05:00

I know what you are thinking (one of three things):

1. "Whoa that's a red door."

Yes it is - bold, BRIGHT, and red.

2. There is some paint on the peep hole.

You are correct, painter's tape can only cover so much.

3. Another wreath?

Yep, and I will be making another one for New Year's because

now that I use fabric rather than yarn I really like making wreaths.

Here is my Christmas wreath. My very inexpensive Christmas wreath.

I used broadcloth from Hobby Lobby that was $2.99 a yard, and with a coupon my 18" straw wreath was only $2.99. Add on the cost of a few glue sticks, some scrap material I had and felt and you get about $8.

Just another reason to make a wreath for every season :)

I have more Christmas crafts to show you this week.

Hope you are enjoying the most wonderful time of the year.

- - - - - -

In case you need some directions on how to make a fabric wrapped wreath:

Supplies:

-wreath (I used an 18" straw wreath and keep it covered in the plastic)

-scissors

-hot glue gun and glue

-fabric (1 to 1 1/2 yards, as mentioned I used broadcloth. You can find it at any fabric store. It is cheap and thin and comes in a variety of colors.)

Steps:

-Cut the whole yard of fabric into 2" strips.

-Hot glue an end of fabric to the back side of the wreath and allow to cool. Then wrap the fabric around the wreath covering the end and and continue wrapping the remaining fabric around the wreath overlapping it so none of the wreath shows through. Once you reach the end of the strip of fabric hot glue the end to the back side of the wreath. Continue until the wreath is completely covered.

-Choose your embellishments and hot glue them to the front side of the wreath. I went with scrap fabric, rickrack, buttons and felt flowers. You can use this tutorial to learn how to make the loopy felt flowers like mine.

-Hang your pretty wreath for all to see.

away in a manger

2011-12-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

Meet Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Sunday night I pulled out my paintbrush

for the first time in several weeks.

I wanted to make something for the boys so I decided to begin working on a little nativity.

The shepherds, wise men and angel are in the works.

I also have some fun ornament ideas in mind

for the boys and their little hand prints.

Are you making any fun holiday crafts?

♥ I heart art ♥ fashion illustration

2011-12-05T08:01:00.001-05:00

I heart beautiful fashion illustrations in blues.

“The poet, the painter, the sculptor, the musician, thearchitect, seek each to concentrate this radiance of the world on one point,and each in his several work to satisfy the love of beauty which stimulates himto produce.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

print by emma leonard

print by emma bazan

print by leigh viner

print by jessica durrant

print by lola donoghue

print by cate parr

We thanked { days 24 - 30 }

2011-11-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful.
Short version:
We thanked, we ate, we napped.
Long version:
It was complete chaos in our house with me cooking, the boys running around like turkeys, Mr.Wonderful trying to keep the peace, and Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on two televisions.
I contributed green bean casserole and butternut squash casserole (think heaven in your mouth with pecans and brown sugar on top). I also baked my first apple pie (thanks to Alison). Everything turned out wonderful.
As we walked across the street to my parents (which took three trips-one with boys, one with food, one with a high chair) I smiled and teared up. My heart was full.

I am thankful for:

24. Dessert on special occasions, heck, dessert any time. Pictured above my mama's wonderful pumpkin pie with only 1/4 of the actual Cool Whip I eat with my pie.

25. The way the boys' hair look after nap time. Charlie's hair is always messy and Jack wakes up with a faux-hawk like this:

26. The Magic Eraser. Charlie used a red crayon on our kitchen floor yesterday, and after I disciplined him I made it magically disappear within 5 seconds.
27. Mr.Wonderful's sense of humor and ability to make awkward/serious situations silly. I am often too serious and he reminds me to lighten up.
28. Friends who use their talents/gifts to benefit you and others even when they don't have to.
29. The way my boys play together... Of course as I type this I hear, "No, Babe (Charlie calls Jack 'Babe') hit me!"
30. Memories. Recording things I am thankful for over the past 30 days made me stop and think about all the things I cherish, big and small.

I am thankful I can share things with you.

giving thanks { days 18 - 23 }

2011-11-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for:

18. The little hands of my two boys. They make lots of messes, but they sure are sweet, and I know they won't be little for long.

19. Ready made pie crust. I am making my first pie ever for Thanksgiving, and you better believe Pillsbury will be helping out.

20. Traditions. Robbie and I began the tradition of putting up our Christmas tree and decorations on Thanksgiving night. I can't wait to see the wonder on the boys' faces on Friday morning when they walk into the living room. Speaking of wonder, I wonder how many ornaments Jack will break this year. #herewego

21. Clean clothes. Though laundry isn't my favorite thing, I am so thankful to have a working washer and dryer.

22. My sweet little home.

23. Hugs.

What are you thankful for today?

giving thanks { days 10-17 }

2011-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for:
10. A supportive family. My family lives extremely near by (like across the street). It is a huge blessing to have them so close, not to mention unlimited access to a free babysitter [wink].
11. My flat iron. Trust me, on days like yesterday where the humidity was like 165% in South Georgia, everyone is happy that the mane can be tamed.
12. Friends. I am talking about the kind you can pick up where you left off with. The kind who pray for you, and don't just say they will. The kind who understand and forgive you for not being there when you should have been. The kind who know you well enough not to say anything or to speak up. You know the friends I am talking about.
13. Nicknames/terms of endearment... What you don't like being called Googly Bear?
14. Fridays. They have to be my favorite day of the week. Even though I am already at home all week, and I don't get a chance to sleep-in on the weekends, it's just a good day knowing I have two days with Mr.Wonderful home.
15. Good music and the chance to have it all on this little device I can take with me anywhere.
16. Morning walks with the boys (they ride, I walk). We go the same route, and the same things happens every time: Charlie says, "Yeehaw!" when we depart, Charlie points out our shadows, Charlie greets two dogs and Jack barks and pants, I pick a piece of bamboo growing on the side of the road because pandas eat bamboo and Charlie has to have some too, and we wave to the people who work at Pop's.
17. Cheese. If I am ever told to give up dairy I might not survive.

print by funnelcloud

What are you thankful for today?

♥ I heart art ♥ Nicole Ray - Sloe Gin Fizz

2011-11-14T07:50:00.001-05:00

print from Sloe Gin Fizz

Meet Nicole Ray of Sloe Gin Fizz, the talented illustrator of hand-drawn whimsical art and illustrated paper goods.

When did you first begin creating art?
I've been making art for as long as I can remember, but have enjoyed it as my profession since 2009.

print from Sloe Gin Fizz

What is your favorite/most sentimental

creation you have made? Why?

My most sentimental creation is a large oil painting of two toy goldfish I painted during art school. It was the first painting I did that felt like me working in my own skin. When I started school, I was very shy and uncomfortable painting in a classroom setting. I felt like I should know what I wanted to be painting in terms of subject matter, but I had no clue. Nonrepresentational classes felt forced to me as did the more traditional figurative and still life classes. This was the first piece that allowed me to focus on my painting skills, while also feeling comfortable with the subject matter because it was representative and somewhat traditional but intoned with my sense of humor and personality. I never did finish the piece, but I still love looking at it and it hangs prominently in our house. I carry the two plastic goldfish that were the inspiration to every craft show as a reminder and good luck charms.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating?

What would it be?

A book! I absolutely love books and collect them by the droves. One of my many dream jobs would be to be a book cover designer—I'm always flipping to the inside flaps in the book store to see who designed the covers. I would love to put together an uber-design-y book filled with my drawings.

illustrated wall calendar by Sloe Gin Fizz

print by Sloe Gin Fizz

Be sure to visit Nicole's

PORTFOLIO: www.nicoleray.com
and
SHOP: http://sloeginfizz.etsy.com

to view more of her wonderful work.

You can also connect with her here:

BLOG: http://sloeginfizz.blogspot.com

FACEBOOK: http://facebook.com/SloeGinFizz

TWITTER: http://twitter.com/sloe_gin_fizz

Thank you so much Nicole. I ♥ your art!

InstaFriday 11/4 - 11/10

2011-11-11T08:54:00.001-05:00

-last Friday = one of those days

-crochet

-time change = yuck

-steppin' up

-room temperature water

(which I like and I actually have a few IG friends who do too)

-this little piggy had waffles

-leftovers from a night of crochet, paint and Netflix

-120 brownies, half with Oreos inside

(I couldn't make it to 160, I was too tired)

-boys and leaves

What a week!

Happy Veteran's Day.

Hope you had a wonderful week and have a nice weekend.

giving thanks { days 4-9 }

2011-11-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am continuing my 30 days of thanks {see days 1-3}.

I was so inspired by Elizabeth Caldwell's sketchbook that I decided I needed to use my own.

I am also thankful for:

4. Creativity. I don't know how or why, but my body and soul longs to be creative. I want to use colors and textures and I want to make things with my hands. I am constantly inspired by everything around me. It hinders me from time to time because I get over excited and over committed and forget there is life beyond arts and crafts, but still I am so grateful I enjoy living a creative life.

5. A goooood cup of coffee. Every morning I got through Operation Coffee Time. Seriously. I will not drink a cup of coffee that has been sitting in the pot for over a minute. Thank goodness I can usually enjoy a good cup of coffee for 5 minutes.

6. Mr.Wonderful irons his own clothes. Hallelujah.

7. Nap time. Currently the boys take an afternoon nap that overlaps so I get a little bit of time where I can do things like unload the dishwasher, crochet, exercise, or enjoy a big fat bowl of

8. Bluebell Banana. Nut. Bread. Ice Cream. I know. Shut the front door. [sidenote: I sent Robbie to the grocery store and one of the things on the list was banana nut muffin mix. He brought home ice cream. No complaints here.]

9. Grace-forgiveness-not passing judgement. We never know what another person is going through. I am thankful I have been given grace when I fail and I hope I learn to do the same. A friend shared this with me, and I have been keeping it in mind:

"A man was really unkind to me today at work. I kept mycool, but afterward wanted to blow up. Then my coworker explained that the manhad had several strokes, which left him with a different personality than hehad ever had. It reminded me that we never really know why a person isdifficult to deal with. We always need to show grace and mercy."

In my sketch

T is a paint brush and pen, H is on a coffee cup, A is an iron, N is catching some zzzz's, K is an ice cream scoop and an ice cream cone, S is green paint and has no relation to my #9.

Also, Notice these are not IG pics! No I don't have a new camera, but I did get to use a real one for this post, AND I am very thankful. Very.

What about you?

♥ I heart art ♥ bold and beautiful

2011-11-07T08:35:00.000-05:00

“In order to have friendship

you must look past the color to the soul,

because within the soul lies a rainbow of many colors.”

[ source ]

print by thepairabirds

print by parabirds

I heart The Parabirds on Etsy.

Check out all the bold and beautiful art by Tabitha Bianca Brown.

[Are you an artist or do you have a favorite artist you would like me to feature?

Please let me know. I heart art.]

giving thanks { days 1-3 }

2011-11-03T06:00:00.005-04:00

I tend to whine.
I mean, probably not to y'all, okay so maybe I have whined a touch here and there, but mostly I wine, oops I meant whine, to my close friends.

When you whine you forget all the things you could be thankful for.
So let's be thankful. Each week I will share some things I am thankful for, serious and silly.
Thank you November and everyone on Facebook for the great idea ;)

by Elizabeth Caldwell - A Day in the Life of a Mom Print

Of course these first three are a given, but still I am thankful for:

1. Mr.Wonderful, the one who
-loves me no matter how many cabinet doors I leave open
-helps sweep up the mountains of crumbs and dropped pieces of dinner
-takes the boys to the grocery store so I can have a few minutes alone in the house
-still holds my hand

2. the opportunity to spend every day being a mama (see above picture) and gets paid in big slobbery kisses and sticky hugs.
3. my faith... what a journey.

What about you?

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T12:10:00.000-04:00

Charlie really likes Bugs Bunny

so Jack agreed he should go as Elmer Fudd.

They have the act down to an art.

Charlie will prop up against a wall, cross his legs and pretend to eat his carrot. Jack chases him around and innocently tries to hit him, you know in a brotherly-love-15-month-old kind of way.

Happy Halloween from Bugs and Elmer.

crochet 101, kind of

2011-10-26T11:04:00.000-04:00

Sorry if you are tired of my yarn, there is lots of it.

If you want to know how to crochet this post is hopefully for you.

If you don't, well, you might like what I am making so stick around.

my crochet bag, yes a tote bag from aPearantly sew,
it has pockets for my hooks and holds about 4 projects at once

x x x x

If I told you how many skeins of yarn I have at my house right now you would probably choke.

Technically they are not all mine. My friends have purchased some of them so I can make them a circle scarf or 30 (I am not kidding, but that's another post).

I posted some of my cowls on Instagram and had several questions about crocheting. Since I am SO new and am just learning as I go

I decided to point y'all in the right direction.

First things first.

When I started I felt like I had 10 thumbs. I got very frustrated. VERY. Like forget this junk. I didn't understand a THING I was reading or hearing on videos because I didn't know the terminology.

I still don't know how to make a granny square.

The ONLY things I have started and finished are circle scarfs with a double crochet stitch, nothing fancy, and I didn't use a pattern because I don't know how to read them yet.

If you want to get started - watch videos like these.

Also, this blog has a wonderful picture by picture tutorial

on some basic crochet.

If you already know the basics of crochet you can use this very helpful tutorial on how to make a circle scarf like the one I made (thanks mama for finding it for me).

Mandipidy did a whole series on yarn & crochet, Yarn It All. I was totally out of the loop (you liked that didn't ya?) when she did this, but now I have it as a reference for some great tutorials.

Pinterest is also full of tutorials. You can click here for a search of crochet tutorials.

Here is a little Crochet 101 for you:

(I am doing this more for myself to learn the correct terms, but if you are an absolute beginner like me you have no idea, so this helps.)

-crochet is basically hooking yarn (or other strands of material) together to form something like a blanket, scarf, coaster, earrings, flower, etc.

-crochet is done in chains and rows

-stitches are the different ways you can loop the yarn around the hook before you pull it through the main loop you are working with when you are creating a chain, here are some basic stitches

-a skein of yarn is a bundle of yarn like you buy it in the store

-a crochet hook is the hook/needle thing you use to crochet

-and from my research I have found you are supposed to have a tapestry needle to weave your ends into your project when you are done, but I have used my little hooks to do the work

-if you look on the back of a skein of yarn you will see what size crochet hook is needed for that yarn (there will be a letter)

this thin yarn suggests an H

this thick yarn suggest an N

Suggestions:

-Buy a variety pack of hooks, that way you can experiment with different sizes and you will have them available for the future when you are a pro and make fancy things.

-Buy two different sizes of yarn, thin and thick to experiment with. I found suggestions to use the thin yarn so it's what I started with. When I tried the thick yarn I was able to work much faster, so everyone is different.

-Watch a YouTube video over and over again. Watch it, try it, pause it, rewind it, keep doing it until you kind of understand what the heck is going on.

-Know that the wonderful thing about crochet is you can completely undo whatever you have done and start over, so try, try again :)

PLEASE if you have questions ask them.

If you have suggestions or links share them in a comment and I will do a follow up post later for others.

Good Luck!

i ♥ crochet

2011-10-19T06:00:00.001-04:00

crochet on the go // awesome Chevron bag from aPearantly sew

finished project, I think it goes well with my pjs

It's not obvious or anything I am really enjoying this adventure into learning to crochet.

I have actually finished my first crochet project. I am calling it a circle scarf. It wraps around three times and is quite cozy. I admit I had the idea for it in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I also admit it is probably done improperly because made it up as I went along and followed no directions (if you have been around here for a while you know I don't do well with directions anyway). That said, I am going to try to learn from some books Jacqui suggested and search for more videos.
As for my green yarn project, I have started over and over again. I can't quite decided what I am going to do, and every time I start I get frustrated. I am starting to think it's the yarn's fault. I guess not all yarn is created equal.

Speaking of crochet, aren't these so pretty? I ♥ handmade.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

PS. From now until I get an fancy new camera IG pictures are going to be all I have to share. Blog-life goes on. If you want to buy me a new one I will be happy to provide my mailing address, I accept money orders and personal checks. #ijoke

he and I

2011-10-17T15:04:00.000-04:00

We were alone ((translates without children)) for 55 hours.

Yes I counted. It was so fun to take a little trip up to the place we will from now on call "Nooga" (Chattanooga, TN).

We rode in the car without anyone crying... okay I cried a little when we first left because I am not away from my children very often, and it was a step for me to go so far away for two nights in a row.

My totally awesome parents held down the fort (I am 1001x grateful).

We wanted it. We needed it, but still it was a little emotional for me.

No shame.

We slept in until 8:30 AM. We ate dinner on a boat.

We got lost a time or two.

We enjoyed amazing wedding festivities (including dancing hilariously to Footloose and a few other songs).

My dress was $12.97 and my shoes were $16.98.

This is how we do it.

Just the two of us.

What did you do this weekend?

away we went

2011-10-11T11:14:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you decide you need to visit

blogger friend turned real life friend.

So, what do you do?

you get driving directions to their house

you pack up your new crochet project and

your family and you drive a very long way.

(these two pictures were taken within

10 minutes of one another,

as in the nap lasted 10 minutes)

But it's all worth it because you get to have fun like this and

you get to meet sweet people like this and

(pictured left to right)

Andrea of Keepin' it Thrifty

Kelly of My Highlight Reel

Alison of aPearantly sew

Melissa of The Pleated Polka Dot

yours truly

Christa of Sugarfoot Speaks and her sweet little Miss E

you get to stay in a nice place like this and

you get to to take cute pictures of your kids like this.

We went to North Carolina to stay with Alison and her family.

It was a fun adventure with very little sleep as are all of our family trips.

We have pinkie-promised that our next meet up will be without children so we can stay up late and sleep in late and be grown ups.

hookin'

2011-10-05T09:44:00.002-04:00

The crocheting has begun.

Let me tell you,

I had no prior knowledge of crochet.

I still have no knowledge of it.

Thank goodness for YouTube.

I found a really helpful tutorial for the absolute beginner.

The picture above is me starting over for the 381st time. For real.

It's fun learning something new. It's a challenge too.

I thought I would just pick up a needle

and yarn and a blanket would magically appear.

I know, laugh with me.

Are you learning anything new?

♥ I heart art ♥ Amie Murray - Murray Designs

2011-10-03T07:45:00.001-04:00

I'd like for you to meet another artist-mama, Amie of Murray Designs.

Amie is so very talented, creating murals, a variety of custom art for children and grown ups, and she even makes soap!

When did you first begin creating art ?

I've been painting things as long as I can remember. I grew up with a mom who taught children's art classes out of our home, so I spent a lot of time painting with the kids in her classes. I was also given one entire wall in my room to paint anything I wanted when I was about 9 (crazy?!). I was, and still am, a pretty messy painter and have always had a whole drawer of my dresser commited to "painting clothes" that I've ruined during my creations.

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation you have made? Why?
Does my silly little boy count as a creation? One of my recent favorites is a paper collage on canvas that I made for my son, Charlie, when he was just a year old. He couldn't say very many words, but each time he saw it he would just shout, "OOOH WOOOW!" He carried it around everywhere -- it was just so sweet to see him enjoy a piece of art that was made just for him!

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating?
What would it be?
So many ideas come and go through my head. I would love to learn to sew. I see so many amazing pillow covers, clothes, and other sewn creations on Etsy and I always think how fantastic it would be to know how to sew. If only I had free time!

Click on each image to view more of Amie's wonderful work from her site and Etsy shop.

OH and Amie makes soap! Check out her soap shop too.

You can also connect with Murray Designs on Facebook and blog.

Thanks for sharing with us Amie.

I ♥ your art.

and that's how we spent September

2011-09-30T08:05:00.000-04:00

I realized I had not posted any IG photos since September 2nd.

So rather than a week in Instagram you are getting a month.

Time flies...

{ pretty fresh flowers -

I later realized they made me sneeze the entire

week they were with us }

{ things fall apart }

{ sail boat for supper }

{ U.S.A. ♥ }

{ swinging at Nana's }

{ little messages }

{ homemade veggie pizza }

{ my snackin' buddy }

{ the day I realized how much older Charlie looks }

{ blue is the clue }

{ wool felt from Benzie Bazaar -

wonderful product / great customer service / fast shipping }

{ pillow fight }

{ "P" is for peanut butter sandwich and pears from our tree }

{ hello Scentsy - my friend Lauren sells it and she's great }

{ I ♥ Ira Glass }

{ yogurt mustache }

{ my new favorite thing }

{ lots of tomatoes }

{ slowly but surely decorating for Fall }

{ that's all folks }

Happy Friday!

words and paint

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

The other day my husband texted me this quote.

Talk about putting a smile on my face.

Having the ones I love support my

love for art means so much.

He's so good to me,

like when he left me this note.

Did you notice my pallet isn't a paper plate anymore?

It's the back of a clipboard. I know, even classier.

{shop talk} may I have your attention please

2011-09-27T07:47:00.000-04:00

Hi.

I wanted to make sure I got your attention.

Since I will be taking a breakity-break I thought I might offer a big discount for the paintings in the shop.

So I am giving you a super, fantastic 20% off any thing in-stock!

When you checkout there is a link where you can apply a shop coupon code. Click on that and enter

HEY20 and 20% will be taken off your order.

The shop will go on vacation on October 1st.

Happy Shopping!

♥ I heart art ♥ Creative Courage

2011-09-26T08:08:00.001-04:00

Today begins my first day of Creative Courage.

I am so excited about this!

Here are a few of the amazing artists I will be

learning from over the next 7 weeks.

I heart their art ♥ Be sure to check out their work.

I'm dreaming of white pumpkins...

2011-09-21T06:00:00.005-04:00

1.* 2. 3. 4.

What is it about white pumpkins that is so pretty?

I have never really decorated for Fall // Halloween // Thanksgiving before other than the occasional pumpkin spice candle and a jack-o'-lantern.

This year I am trying to be a bit more festive.

I haven't quite narrowed down what I will be doing but I am leaning towards some white pumpkins on my mantel.

Do you decorate for Fall?

Do you have any ideas? Please share with links!

If you need any ideas Pinterest is full of them

and Everything Etsy has this great guide.

*The image from #1 was on Pinterest and I looked high and low on the blog it is linked to with no luck.

just perfect

2011-09-15T07:53:00.000-04:00

"Peace begins with a smile."

-Mother Teresa

I will never tire of Rachel's beautiful work.

quotes + doily = perfect

Rachel's blog and shop.

in focus

2011-09-14T06:00:00.010-04:00

Oh, Roy. I love you, ahem, ROYGBIV.

I made these 12 little camera paintings this summer for Craft Weekend,

but I couldn't show you because it had to be a surprise for the ladies.

I wanted to keep them. It's that color spectrum thing that gets me every time.

seg-way into camera topic

My camera broke.

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. My precious camera broke.

Mr.Wonderful bought me that camera 5 years ago, maybe 6.

It was my Christmas present.

I had no idea how to use it because it was a DSRL and I had never even heard of them and he stayed up all night reading the instructions because I don't read instructions and because he loves to read instructions (meant to be right?).

Thankfully my sister has a nice camera she is letting me borrow.

For now, I cry every day (not really, but maybe) and have to decide what to do. . . fix or not to fix.

seg-way into breaks topic

I am going to be taking a break soon.

A good break! I signed up for Creative Courage, and I am beyond excited. The only art classes I took were Art History in college and you know, Art in grade school. Now I am having a chance to take an amazing course led by 12 other artist. I can't wait.

I won't be painting as much for the shop, where by the way I just added two new paintings. Go see.

Also, I may put the shop on vacation.

I haven't quite decided, but y'all know where to find me (:

I am going to spend some time focusing on projects for myself like learning how to crochet and cleaning out my inbox and the holidays and other things like that.

What are you focusing on right now?

♥ I heart art ♥ Alyss McKell - Roots

2011-09-13T07:46:00.000-04:00

I have been able to come across other artists in the most unexpected places. . . when I wasn't looking for them.

One day while checking out Alyss's pictures on Instagram I hopped over to her blog. I saw she painted, and I was excited to share her work with you.

Come meet Alyss, another talented wife-artist-mama.

1. When did you first begin creating art?

If we are to believe that we are created in the image of God, then it would follow that we all inherently carry each one of His characteristics within us. Some are buried deeper down than others, but they are all present. His grace, mercy, generosity, forgiveness, love. All of them. Including His creativity. I hear people say that they wish they were creative all the time. Well, you are. And it doesn't have to be showcased solely on a canvas. Ever planned a sweet date night? Or cooked a smashing meal? That's all creativity. That's all inherited from the character of God.

For me? I came out of the womb with a paint brush in hand. Ever since the days when the people I drew had arms coming straight out the sides of their heads (you did it, too... don't lie), I've been obsessed with all things artsy fartsy. Growing up, my grandma and I would look through those huge coffee table art books and work together to try to reproduce our favorites. Later in life, you encouraged me to put the books away and trust my own imagination.

I think I'm preaching to the choir when I say that trusting your own ideas is the hardest part of the creative process. Thank the Lord for grandma. Without her, I don't think I would have taken the plunge in college to study what I love: art. It took years, but I think I finally found my own style: working with natural wood to give it new life.

2. What is your favorite/most sentimental creation you have made? Why?

My most sentimental piece is my favorite for three reasons:

a. It was my first and last oil painting ever.

b. The style and subject matter was so outside of my comfort zone.

c. It depicts some of my most special possessions: dried yellow roses from my husband, my two favorite books, and an old yellow box that is home to my most treasured letters.

It's beat up from transporting it so many times, but I love it and what it represents for me. Who knew oil paint really takes that long to dry? I didn't, apparently.

Painting those shadows. Never again. Holy moly. Mad props to all the oil painters out there.

3. Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating? What would it be?

I thought for a while about how to answer this question. I have thousands of ideas running through my head, and I can barely focus on just one. Maybe that's why I never get around to accomplishing any of them. Hmm... So when going to answer this, I scanned through my filing cabinet in my head looking for the most profound and inspiring answer I had. And yeah know what, the same silly answer kept popping up:

I want to paint from the inspiration of children's stories. There you have it. I would LOVE to take some of my old favorite books and paint depictions of the moral of the story or of my favorite "scene." How fun and whimsical would that be? I'm gonna do. Make me do it, guys.

Well, that's me in three questions. Thanks for having me, Lindsay! Isn't she amazing? Yes, she's amazing.

Shop: Where I paint and create

Blog: Where I muse and talk about life

Twitter: Where I post ridiculously cute photos of my son and shamelessly self-promote

I hope you will check out more of Alyss's work and connect with her as well.
Thank you Alyss; I ♥ your art!

one [sweet] love

2011-09-12T08:07:00.001-04:00

I am sure many of you know my friend Danielle and follow her blog, but in case you don't...

They are adopting.

And to help raise money for their adoption Danielle has an amazing fund-raiser lined up.

I am happy to be participating and hope you will check out all the giveaways she has lined up today and donate as you can.

click the above button to check them out

Happy Sewing Machine Day!

2011-09-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

[I heart sewing]

Happy Sewing Machine Day to all you who ♥ to sew.

{All Cut Up} DIY: fabric wrapped Fall wreath

2011-09-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

With Fall approaching I realized I wanted a new wreath for a back door. Of course I was not going to make another yarn wreath due to all the drama from my first two.

I looked around and found some pretty book page wreaths and coffee filter wreaths. While I really like both options, I am ~~lazy~~ busy, and I didn't want to spend lots of time scrunching coffee filters or cutting books up.

Instead I decided to use fabric from my goodwill stash.

I took a long, neutral, linen skirt and a deep purple, cotton sleeveless, shirt and cut them all up. The linen kind of looks like burlap but not as scratchy, and the cotton looks like bias tape or ribbon.

Oh and I found more vintage lace stuck in my craft stuff along with mustard, brown, and cream felt.

Ta-da! Fall colors.

Mr.Wonderful even noted it looked "rad" and was "fall-ish", because we still call things rad in these parts. #notreally

So let's make one.

Supplies:

-wreath (I used an 18" straw wreath and keep it covered in the plastic)

-scissors

-hot glue gun and glue

-fabric (I don't sew so I know very little about fabric measurements. I am positive a yard of fabric would be plenty, like I mentioned above mine was made from a long skirt and a sleeveless shirt)

Time Frame:

no longer than an hour and a half with a few interruptions

First choose your fabric and felt. Cut fabric into about 15 2" strips.

If 15 isn't enough just cut more. If it's too much, well, you have some extra strips of fabric to make something with :)

Hot glue an end of fabric to the back side of the wreath and allow to cool. Then wrap the fabric around the wreath covering the end and and continue wrapping the remaining fabric around the wreath overlapping it so none of the wreath shows through.* Once you reach the end of the strip of fabric hot glue the end to the back side of the wreath. Continue until the wreath is completely covered.

*For a shabby look (see the neutral fabric above) bunch the fabric together as you wrap where the frayed ends show.

For a cleaner look (see the purple fabric below) simply fold your fabric strips in half and be sure to cover the frayed edges with the folded ones as you wrap.

Choose your embellishments and hot glue them to the front side of the wreath. I went with vintage lace and felt flowers and leaves. You can use Danielle's tutorial to learn how to cut felt flowers. . . be warned she is the one who introduced me making a yarn wreath, and she is obviously better at it than I am.

Hang your pretty, new Fall wreath on your door. Make a pumpkin spice latte I keep hearing everyone talk about or an apple cider and count the days until Fall is officially here (14 days, I think).

Told you I was not ever making another yarn wreath again.

PS. If you make one let me know! I want to see what you create.

♥ I heart FOOD art ♥ Jill & her boys - Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons

2011-09-06T08:36:00.000-04:00

If you children are anything like mine they can be very picky when it comes to meals. When both of my boys began eating table food they would eat just about anything I offered them.

Now, not so much.

It can be very frustrating, especially because I refuse to let their meals consist of chips and cookies (most of the time), AND because they will often refuse to eat something I know they like.

In an attempt to encourage a variety of food and healthier options I chose to start playing with our food - food in the shapes of flowers and boats and silly things. One day I was just stumped. I couldn't think of anything fun to do so I went to Pinterest and searched for "kids food", and I found Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons [insert the Hallelujah chorus].

So, let's meet the creative mama behind some major food play, Jill and her three cute boys:

When did you first begin creating food art and why?

I have baked for years, but started creating silly food to get my little boys to try new things. My oldest was a little picky about food, but not near as picky as my middle child. Getting creative with food has opened up a whole new world of eating for him. The boys had just as much fun helping with our silly creations in the kitchen. My older son is the best artist of our house and he helps come up with a lot of ideas. We started our blog to share our creations in hopes that everyone else can use our ideas and create fun food for their kids as well.

What is your favorite creation?

It's hard to pick a favorite, but I would have to say Bert and Ernie. It's a very easy snack to make and it looks so much like them!

Do you have any plans to further your food art?

This is really just something that I get to share with my boys and do for fun. However, we would be thrilled to be in a magazine or make a book, etc...

You can click on each image to view the directions on how to create each fun meal by Jill and her boys on her blog.
Connect with Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons on Facebook and Twitter.
Thank you so much for sharing Jill. I ♥ your FOOD art and my boys do too!

here I am.

2011-09-02T08:23:00.000-04:00

Last Friday someone started running a fever.

I thought it was teething. When Sunday came and the fever was still there we found out I was wrong.

FOUR times a day for TEN days.

Seriously. I don't remember the date and you want me to do this.

So, if you are wondering where I have been, I have been ~~force feeding~~ giving doses of medicine.

We are on day... Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, okay, day 5.

And we are just fine despite that face.

I honestly just lost track of the days.

We have been sharing lots of snuggles:

I have been painting lots of places and some new things:

[Last week.]

[This week.]

We have been playing with our food:

Spending some time with Mr.Wonderful

playing games

and taking a date-trip to Fresh Market.

And I have enjoyed using my new pretty coaster from Mosaic Madness

while reading a book (something I haven't done in over a year!).

I guess we all need an [impromptu] break sometimes :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and a

nice holiday on Monday.

Tuesday I have someone fun for you to meet - she was the inspiration behind some of our food play.

Happy Friday!

truth.

2011-08-25T08:00:00.003-04:00

{Original watercolor painting by MixedMediaMama}

Finally, brothers, let your minds be filled with everything that is

true, everything that is honorable, everything that is upright and

pure, everything that we love and admire --

with whatever is good and praiseworthy.

Philippians 4.8

Encouraging, truthful words.

smiles {you know what I like}

2011-08-24T08:14:00.000-04:00

Things I like:

1. crusty, wobbly smiles

2. blurry smiles because someone never sits still for me to take a picture

3. silly smiles

4. I am not going to look at the camera and smile

Things I am not sure I like:

1. 2. 3. 4. the buzz cuts... it did make it easier on me not having to cut hair all summer, but I miss their "pretty" hair

2. Charlie looks so much older

♥ I heart art ♥ Stephanie Levy

2011-08-22T08:01:00.000-04:00

While working on this post I have to tell you how excited I got. Seeing Stephanie's art I was reminded of paintings studied in my college art history class. It was like a little light bulb came on, and I remembered how much I do love art and how I want to continue to learn and explore.

Meet Stephanie Levy, an amazing artist and illustrator

originally from Memphis, Tennessee, USA, now based in Munich, Germany.

When did you first begin creating art?

I first remember creating art as a four-year-old on the living room table in my grandparents' living room. While the adults of the family were watching television, I would sit and draw and make my own "books."

Now I have small children of my own, and they have their own "art table" in our living room too!

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation you have made? Why?

Maybe it sounds corny, but right now I would have to say that my Creative Courage e-course is my most sentimental creation. I have put so much personal love and soul into this e-course, and I am touched by all of the women out there who are responding to it and signing up. Creative Courage is truly a gift from my heart, and I hope the class will inspire lots of women to go out and fulfill their own creative dreams. Class will start in September, and I honestly can't wait.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating? What would it be?

Yes, my dream is to create a series of illustrated books that reflect my passions of travel, food, art, and interviews with inspiring people. I am working on a new travel project this year called 12 Countries in 12 Months. I'll be traveling to a new country each month to interview artists, designers, crafters, and record my own impressions. I just got back from Vienna, Austria - the first city on my tour!

I would love to see this travel project evolve into an illustrated/photographic book. I'm also hoping to develop my series of Creative Courage e-courses into a book project as well. I'm collecting 12 new interviews for each session and creating several new illustrations, so this is a very exciting time for me.

The Internet has made it so much easier to get in contact with gifted, creative people. The more I discover and can help celebrate their successes, the more encouraged I feel about my own projects. My own dreams become much more tangible, real, possible!

You can click on each image to view more of Stephanie's work in her shop or projects on her blog.
Connect with Stephanie on Facebook and Twitter, and you can keep up with her monthly newsletter here.
Also be sure to check out her e-course, Creative Courage (I really want to take it!).
Thank you so much for sharing Stephanie. I ♥ your art.

InstaFriday 8/8 - 8/19

2011-08-19T07:54:00.001-04:00

Our ~~week~~ last ten days in Instagram pictures.
Frogs in the dishwasher. Walks. Charlie-in-a-box. Donuts = singing "Happy Birthday to You".
Progress of a painting.
I forgot I didn't have coffee until almost 11 AM. Artwork for Mr.Wonderful's classroom. We play with our food. Button search.

PS. my InstaGram ID is @paintmeapic. Say hey if you are on IG.

yesterday. today. tomorrow.

2011-08-16T08:51:00.000-04:00

This past weekend while confessing

my shortcomings I was told,

"Make today better than yesterday

and make tomorrow better than today."

What a beautiful, wise reminder.

I need to put that quote somewhere for me to see every day

along with this beautiful print I received a month ago.

Now, I need to make today better than the past 30 days and

put it in a frame and hang it on my wall, but there is always tomorrow (:

♥ I heart art ♥ Julie - Mosaic Madness

2011-08-15T07:42:00.000-04:00

Meet Julie Galvin Weilbacher, the artist behind the whimsical mosaic of Mosaic Madness.

Since 1998 Julie has been creating mosaics for

home, garden, wedding, and life.

When did you first begin creating art?

For as long as I can remember, I have loved and embraced being creative. My love affair started with crayons. Oh how I loved to color (and still do!). I would make art when I was much younger -- needlepoint, cross-stitch, tie-dye, etc. -- and would send it with my Mom each morning so she could sell it to her friends at work. They were some of my best customers! But it wasn't until just after I graduated from college that I began seriously pursuing art. Incidentally, art wasn't my major! I grew up with my Dad's mosaic artwork from when he was in college, and was always intrigued by the colors and materials he used. So I took a mosaic class and was immediately hooked. It was more like instantaneous. I would daydream about projects while I was working in corporate America, and couldn't wait to get home each night to make more art.

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation you have made? Why?

I have 2 sentimental favorites. The first is a full-size wedding cake I made for my wedding. I'm an advertising/magazine publishing ex-Alum, so I had the cake photographed so we could use it as the *logo* for all of our wedding stationary pieces. The cake was on display at the reception and people were having their pictures taken with it. What a compliment!

My 2nd favorite is a sheep mosaic I made for my son just before he was born. His nursery is sheep-themed and I had the idea to use white mug/cup handles as the curls of the sheep's wool.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating? What would it be?

One day I would love to make some large mosaic pieces for outdoors, the garden in particular. I love to garden and think it would be fun to have some over-scale, whimsical pieces keeping me company while they shimmer in the sun.

Click on each image to view more of Julie's wonderful work from her site and Etsy shop.

You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for sharing with us Julie.

I ♥ your art.

toes and hearts

2011-08-12T08:31:00.000-04:00

Well. I broke my toe. {Isn't that a nice way to begin a post?}

Tuesday, also known as a very baaaad day, when everything else was going wrong I slipped & fell and hurt my foot. Then about an hour later I noticed my toe was turning purple & swelling, so yeah, I broke my toe.

And honestly, after the first day the pain lessened except for the time Charlie stomped on it & the time I closed the crisper drawer with my foot.

Thankfully my job doesn't require me to wear heels or to paint with my feet so I am good.

Speaking of GOOD.

We had Jack's most recent cardiology appointment on Wednesday.

There was no news to report so no news is good news.

Jack's numbers have not changed & that means {for now} no surgery is needed! We will go back for more tests in February & remain hopeful.

We are so grateful and trusting God has control no. matter. what.

Thank you again for all your encouraging words and prayers!

{If you are new here, Welcome! You can learn about Jack's heart here.}

in the kitchen {you know what I like}

2011-08-10T06:00:00.006-04:00

My kitchen needs a face-lift.

I have the perfect color paint picked out for the walls,
and these fun things would be great additions.
#5 is beautifully said, and there is a sweet story behind it.
I think it would be special painted on a canvas;
I know what I will be making soon.

Do you like your kitchen? Or does yours need a makeover too?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

♥ I heart art ♥ Amber + Darleen - Red Tile Studio

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

Meet Amber and Darleen of Red Tile Studio -

a mother/daughter team from Dallas, TX. Darleen (mother) is an artist. Amber (daughter) is a designer/ novice photographer.

[Get ready; they are amazingly talented!]

When did you first begin creating art ?

Darleen: I started painting about eight years ago. Almost all of my creations were

given away to my family and friends. Painting was strictly a hobby until Amber
encouraged me to partner with her and open up our own shop on Etsy.
We both love nature and gardening. Our design esthetic is simple, crisp and
minimal. Nature and modern design is Red Tile Studio. Red Tile Studio
is very much Amber and Darleen.

Amber: I started putting my designs together about a year ago.

I have always had them in my head, but never done anything with them.

My passion is interior design and architecture, so a lot of what I create is comes from that. I have an affinity for what I call Classic Modern design.

I gravitate toward items from the 1930's and 1940's, that to me still look just as fresh and modern as they did then. Working with my mom is both fun and rewarding. Now we get to spend more time together.

Amber's home, which is Red Tile Studio and where theycame up with the name for the shop.

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation

you have made? Why?

Darleen: Without a doubt, the most sentimental piece I've made is a portrait of my dog, Jack.

Growing up I've always had a chihuahua in my life. Their diminutive size has always fascinated me. As pet lovers will tell you, they become part of the family and Jack is no exception. His portrait sits on the shelf in our living room where Jack reigns supreme as king of the hill.

Amber: I would say the most sentimental pieces are the ones we first created together. The black and white chevron design and our air-stream trailer design.

At the time I was obsessed (and still am) with chevrons and I just love how that particular one turned out. The airstream was what startedour first series, The Texas Twelve. It is based off of 4 regional areas of Texas and each region contains 3 designs.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating?

What would it be?

Darleen: I would like to create a "wow" factor piece or conversation piece.

When you walk into the room, you are drawn to it and can't help but say 'wow'!

That would delight me to no end.

Amber: I would love to create a fabric line.

I think that is the next design step for Red Tile Studio.

Click on each image to view more of Amber and Darleen's wonderful work.

You can also connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks for sharing with us ladies.

I ♥ your art.

InstaFriday 7/30 - 8/5

2011-08-05T06:00:00.001-04:00

day trip to Zoo Atlanta

[We scored free tickets through our public library and

took the boys to the zoo for the first time.

Charlie was in elephant and panda heaven. Jack was clearly just along for the ride.]

shhhhh there is a monster at the end of this book

someone thinks he's big stuff riding on the fire engine

swing batter, batter

we have a climber

sneaking in some painting while the boys napped at the same time

[a rare occurrence]

ice cream for lunch, just because

[I feel like I am always saying no - no you can't climb on the table, no you can't eat the dirt, no you can't color on the walls.

Yesterday it was nice to say yes to something, and he still ate his sandwich afterwards, and if he hadn't the world would not have ended.]

speaking of food, we are playing more with our food in hopes to encourage Charlie to eat a better variety

[ahem, things other than ice cream]

PS. my InstaGram ID is @paintmeapic. Say hey if you are on IG.

zig zagin' {you know what I like}

2011-08-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am pretty sure my new obsession is chevron.

And not just any old zig-zags, but bright, fun, colorful zig-zags.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

I really need to take some pictures of my new chevron bag and new chevron fabric covered wall art to share. Oh, and I did some mug love in a mint and lemon chevron pattern. . . told you I am becoming obsessed.

there will be a test

2011-08-01T08:26:00.001-04:00

1. It's August, in case you didn't know (hey, I never know what day it is, but I do today for some reason).

2. We have 7 days until Mr.Wonderful reports back to school (insert sad face. I know, those of you mamas whose husbands don't get a summer break have no sympathy for me).

3. We have Jack's next cardiologist appointment on 8/10.

4. Jack started walking on his birthday!

5. Since July is over I am going to begin contacting everyone who was interested in a State/Country/Continent Love painting. I may wait until after Jack's tests before I begin doing those orders again (thanks for your patience).

6. I sponsored Freckled Nest this month and you might want to check this out.

Don't you remember going back to school in September? Times are a-changin'.

[back to school print found here]

InstaFriday 7/22 - 7/29

2011-07-29T06:00:00.000-04:00

Pancakes with our blueberry lime jam. Best pancakes ever.

My first encounter with food coloring to color the icing for cupcakes.

Stained fingers, counter and mouth. Don't try this at home folks.

Sailboat cupcakes for Jack's birthday party.

Happy Birthday Jack at officially 8:17 PM on 7/25 - you can see his hoop art wall in this post.

My pretty things from Meg.

Checking to see if the pears are ready for pickin'.

Wake up daddy, nap time is over!

Mug love left unfinished so I could do this post and go to sleep.

They will be finished this weekend and added to the shop.

Happy InstaFriday!

Mandipidy's Baby Shower

2011-07-27T08:54:00.001-04:00

Today I am getting together with some other ladies for a baby shower for Mandy.

Mandy I know you must be counting the for Miss Abigail to arrive.

Until she comes I tell you, sleep. Spend every day sleeping because you will never sleep again.

Okay, I am teasing you :)

Here are a few fun things I thought I would share with you though:

1. Diaper wipe warmers are a bit overrated. We received one for Charlie who was born in January. They did keep the wipes nice and warm, but from the time I actually got the wipe out of the warmer and kept a little, squirmy, upset baby in diaper changing position the wipe was cold. You could save the money and buy an extra pack of diapers or 2 huge boxes of wipes.

2. Swaddling is not overrated, if your baby will tolerate it. I know some friends who swear they swaddled their kids until they were 4 years old. Haha. No really, I swaddled both boys until they turned into Houdini and the Hulk and busted out. There are a ton of swaddle blankets out there and I heard the Miracle blanket is totally worth it, though we used Summer's SwaddleMe and they worked most of the time.

3. Take lots of pictures of your little one because you can never have too many.

AND you will forget so much since your brain shrinks.

On both of the boys' one year birthdays we went through the year in pictures, and it was a sweet way to remember the year and see how they grew.

{my favorite picture for obvious reason, every one is happy}

4. Baby-wearing can save your life. I wore Jack 99% more than I did Charlie, and if I could go back I would have worn Charlie. It took a while to get used to wearing a baby in a carrier, but once we figured it out I was able to do so much more, and he was happy because he was close to me.

I used a Moby and BabyBjorn (from a consignment sale for $15!!!),

and have heard wonderful things about ERGO.

5. Mr.Wonderful advises to not take deep breaths while changing diapers. He has increased his lung capacity greatly over the past 2 1/2 years and mastered a breathing technique where can literally not take a breath while changing a diaper.

6. Never say never. There were so many things I said I would never do.

I will never take my child for a car ride to get them to go to sleep.

I will never let my child sleep in my bed.

I will never let my child eat [insert snack/junk food] for dinner when they won't eat anything else.

It is about survival most of the time :) and you will do what you have to do.

7. And last but not least, just love that precious little baby.

God chose you to take care of her.

You can do it.

Do you have anything you can share with Mandy?

♥ I heart art ♥ Melanie Mikecz - toems

2011-07-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

Meet Melanie. The freelance illustrator behind toems.

She specializes in a mixed media style that charms children and adults alike.

When did you first begin creating art?
My earlier artistic memory is sitting at the kitchen table and coloring on a giant piece of butcher block paper. I was probably 3 at the time.

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation? Why?

These hot air balloons (below) are probably my most sentimental piece, not because they are the coolest thing ever. Rather they represent the time I finally found my groove. I floundered for years trying different techniques and styles before I found something that worked for me.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating? What would it be?
My dream project would be to do one of my geometric designs at mural/wall size. So far I have been limited by my studio space, computer memory, and printer capacity. Someday...

Click on each image to view more of Melanie's work,

and please be sure to visit her shop and site..

You can also keep up with her on Facebook.

Thank you for sharing with us Melanie. I ♥ your art.

one year

2011-07-25T08:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mr. Jack.

We love you so much!

put the lime in the blueberry {and a recipe}

2011-07-21T06:00:00.001-04:00

This summer we decided one of the things we wanted to accomplish was learning how to can produce.

So, yesterday we began our canning adventure by making blueberry lime jam.

I know.

Blueberries and limes. What?

I would have never put the two together. However, Mr.Wonderful is a bit more experimental than I am, and I'm glad he is because I really enjoyed how our first batch of jam turned out.

It would be awesome on pancakes so we might be eating pancakes smothered in this flavorful goodness this morning.

Next up are strawberry preserves and pickled peaches, oh and BBQ sauce and maybe salsa.

I know what you are getting for Christmas :)

Do you know how to can/preserve?

What's your favorite thing to make?

If you have never canned before you can buy this canner set, a recipe book and jars from Target.

Here is the recipe taken from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving:

Yield: about 6 half-pints (well it did 8 for us)

4 1/2 cups blueberries

5 cups sugar (yeah that's a lot)

6 tablespoons Ball Classic Pectin

1 tablespoon grated lime peel

1/3 cup lime juice

Crush blueberries one layer at a time. Combine crushed blueberries and classic pectin in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Stir in grated lime peal and lime juice. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam in necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Enjoy and let me know if you make something!

having a Ball {you know what I like}

2011-07-20T11:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Mr. Wonderful and I did some canning for the first time.

We used Ball jars of course.

What is it about simple, glass jars that are so appealing? Especially the vintage ones that have the glass lids?

1. {Be sure to check out Abby's work. I love it!}
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Tomorrow I will share with you what we canned and the recipe. . . think limes and blueberries.

♥ I heart art ♥ Leonora Jennifer - Yellow Heart Art

2011-07-19T08:08:00.000-04:00

Meet Leonora. The artist behind Yellow Heart Art.
She makes awesome art, passes out free printables from time to time, and is pretty-super-great.

When did you first begin creating art?

pretty much right when I came outta the womb. Pretty sure I entered this world wearing a paint stained smock and had charcoal underneath my fingernails.

What is your favorite/most sentimental creation? Why?

If you mean something that someone else has given to me it would have to be my "granny square" scarf that my grandma crocheted for me. She has fought a battle with breast cancer for quite sometime now--and about 3 years ago she had to get one of her breasts removed. While recovering I tried to get her mind off of things by keeping her "creative". I went to Michaels and bought all these ballin' colors of yarn and headed over to where she was staying so she can make me the scarf. It was nice sitting on the edge of the bed with her while she just whipped up this amazing creation. Funny thing? Found basically this exact scarf in macy's the following year being sold by "Free People" for a redic amount of money. Grandma: 1 retail: 0.

Is there a project you've always dreamed of creating?

What would it be?

dude I want to learn how to sew in the worse.way.EVAH. Since I'm a graphic designer I have already used spoon flower (a website that does fabric printing) to get my designs printed on fabric. How uh-may-zing would it be for me to create my OWN fabric AND hand bag collection?! Dude, that would be ROCK STAR STATUS. Vera Bradley who? Try Leonora Jennifer THATS WHO. BOOYAH. BOOM. Leonora: 1, Retail: 0

Click each image to view it in Yellow Heart Art's Shop.

Keep up with Leonora and her silly antics on her blog, and I am sure she would love if you stalked her on Twitter and Facebook.

Thanks Leonora, I ♥ your art.

Is this real life?

2011-07-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

Guess who I met (in real life a.k.a. not over email/blog/twitter/text/phone call)?

Yep.

Alison.

We didn't go to a conference. We didn't meet for dinner or coffee.

We took a family vacation.

Alison is very tall, and I am showing you with a ridiculously ugly face how much taller she is than me.

She took photos of our family since I didn't even pull my camera out the entire time (I was enjoying our visit too much).

She made me this amazing chevron print bag. It is perfect, just like her and the 25th apple pie that was consumed this weekend.

We drank lots of coffee because my our children don't sleep and because Alison really likes coffee.

Our boys played together: Charlie and Grayson, Jackson and Jack.

For some reason her husband didn't end up in any pictures - we still love you Scott.

Okay, this picture is pretty much just for vanity purposes. I was waiting for Alison to arrive, and I had on make-up.

And this one was because I was very much in love with the collection of coffee cups in our cabin.

I wanted to take this one home, but I didn't. I promise.

I am so glad we are friends in real life now.