My pillow calls to me...

I am turning in early tonight to try to make up for the lack of sleep I had Sunday night. I have no clock in my office (I usually just look at the computer, but it was turned off for the night), and I accidentally stayed up till 2 am drawing. I got up to go get a drink in the kitchen and gasped when I looked at the clock the stove. By the time I actually fell asleep, it was 2:30, and I woke at 7am. It hasn't caught up with me yet, but it will. I got absorbed in two new illustrations. I finished them, but need to scan them in and digitally color them in Photoshop. I'm excited to share them!
I hope everyone had a good weekend. Ours went well, with the exception of me tripping and falling in the kitchen...nearly landing on my face. Luckily, the fridge "caught" me. I had two big scratches on each arm and nearly broke my toe. I am very skilled at tripping on things.
Well, chat with you tomorrow! I will stop in and post some new stuff then. Take care!

Friends are sweeter....ending on Ebay tonight!

I have two things on Ebay ending at 8 pm (California time). I also have three new pieces to share, but they will be going in my Etsy store. If you want to bid on this painting, just click on it, and you will be taken to my auctions. Have a great Sunday...I will check in on Monday.

Doodle - E - Doo

I was in a bit of a funk today, and couldn't decide on what to paint, so I sat down with my new Pitt art pen, my drawing pad, and some cookies and enjoyed an afternoon of doodling. It helped me get out of my funk, get my mind off of things, and relax. I have been wanting to do some drawings and/or doodles and color them digitally, so I went crazy with Photoshop, and here is my colorful doodle of the day. There will probably be more in the future, as I really enjoyed doing this. I felt like I could "channel" the style I used to use when I made lampwork glass beads, and put it on paper. I finished a painting yesterday, that ended up looking like a self portrait. I will share more about that later. It's kind of a funny story! Anywho, here's my doodle-e-doo!

New rules according to Lori...

Okay, here's a little bloggie game to spread some smile around. August has been a bit of a dismal month for me, so I need a good laugh.
I will start with a few of the "new rules according to me" and would love to have you guys comment and add on some "new rules according to YOU!"
1. There shall be NO pimples after 30. We've done our time. I would much rather have my teenage energy back than my teenage skin.

2. Chocolate shall become it's own food group and take its place at the top of the food pyramid, where it belongs.

3. All men shall be required to find hobbies that don't involve watching TV or surfing the internet.

4. Cats are smart...in fact...smarter than we think! They should clean their OWN litter box.

Your turn! Add some comments and pass along a funny!

How to make your own Certificate of Authenticity for your art!

Are you already a collected artist or an up and coming artist who is just starting to sell online? Have you considered providing a Certificate of Authenticity along with the artwork you sell? You should! It not only shows professionalism, and that you take your work seriously...it is a wonderful way for your customers to remember you, learn more about your piece of work, and view your artwork as a wonderful investment!
If you have Photoshop, or Photoshop Elements (which I used) you can also create a COA. The size I chose is 5" X 7". In Photoshop Elements, in the custom shape tool, you can choose "frames." Use one of these as a decorative border for your page, and drag it to enlarge it. I clicked on "simplify" to create the look I wanted for the frame I chose. I used a free clip art ribbon banner, and typed : "Certificate of Authenticity" on it, then "copy merged" it and pasted it onto my page, sizing it appropriately. After that, just select a classy text/font and add the rest of the info needed. After researching what is best to put on a COA for my type of work (paintings/mixed media originals), I chose what is shown here. I will be including these with the purchase of my paintings from now on. It is best to print these on a neutral colored parchment paper that is a little heavier than normal paper. You want it to look classy, and not tear easily. These can be used for prints too...you'll just want to adjust the info to include things like what number it is...how many of these prints exist, etc. Do some research online to find which would suit you best. I am sharing my example, and hope this post is helpful! Please contact me with any questions!

Dessert is Sweet, But Friends Are Sweeter...

I finished this painting last week, and just got around to listing it on Ebay last night. This is one of my favorites. I adore Siamese kitties! Both of my cats are Siamese mixes, and they have the best personalities! You all know I am crazy about anything sweet, especially cupcakes, so this was the perfect combo for me to paint. It is up on Ebay and will be ending next Sunday evening.
Click on the pic to take you there!
The paintings that didn't sell on Ebay, will be listed in my Etsy store today...so if you missed out and wished you would have bid...now is your chance. Have a lovely Monday!

This week's contest winner!

After having a few sips of Dr. Pepper and waking up a bit, I did the random number drawing for the winner of this contest (a few entries below) on my blog:
Click here to read about it!

AND THE WINNER IS......(drum roll please.....).................. JILL! She was actually the last one to enter! Congrats, Jill! Please contact me so I can send out your "One Cat Leads To Another" print. For privacy purposes, you can send me a convo via my Etsy store with your shipping address. My Etsy store is http://www.theroyalbead.etsy.com If you are unfamiliar with Etsy and unsure how to send a convo, just post a note to this blog post.

Thanks for playing everyone! Have a super week!

What lives in YOUR backyard?

I love hearing from different people about what kind of wildlife lives in their backyard. My parents have an array of creatures, and watching the squirrels and chipmunks fight over the bird seed is very entertaining. When we lived in MN, we had groundhogs, squirrels, birds of every kind, rabbits, and even deer. I can't forget the neighbor's cat who came to harrass my indoor kitties through the window.
Our wildlife here in FL is a lot different. This morning we had a pair of Whooping Cranes hanging out in our yard, protesting loudly as neighbors went by, walking their dogs. Lately, we have had our screens, windows, porch, etc. covered with lizards. They like to sun themselves and are quite plentiful this time of year. Unfortunately though, we had a visit from another kind of lizard today. One I would rather NOT live in our "backyard"....an alligator!
I always look at the pond behind us as I walk through the house (our screened porch is attached to the living room, so you can see the water from there), and today I came to an immediate stand-still when I saw him. There he was, floating in the water in plain sight. I saw his whole head....his beady eyes, his long snout, his nostrils raised about the water. I watched him for a while, and my suspicions were confirmed when 3 female mallard ducks headed his way. They took a quick and noisy detour when they came upon him.
So, I will be keeping my eye out for this new neighbor. I just hope he stays IN the water. Any ideas on what to name him?

Ebay auctions ending late tonight!

Morning everyone! I just woke up, and can finally smell today. This is the first night I have slept straight through too. We are both slowly getting better, though I just heard Rob have a sneezing fit from the other room. Progress!

Just wanted to remind anyone watching my auctions (and planning on some last minute bidding) that they end late tonight. I don't have as many to list, but do have some new ones to put up tonight.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MY AUCTIONS!

Hope everyone has a good start to their week...I'll check in later. Monday is the announcement of who wins the FREE ART PRINT! SEE PREVIOUS POST BELOW FOR DETAILS!

I'm sick of being sick.

During the 3 yrs. we have lived down in FL, I have had maybe one cold, and it lasted a very short time. I have had other ailments, but nothing like what took over my body on Tuesday morning. I noticed I felt really tired on Monday, and by the time I woke on Tuesday, I felt like a train wreck. As far as I know, my lovely husband brought "it" home from work. He is such a sharing person. LOL. I have had a runny nose, cough, fever, fatigue, wheezing, and generally feeling like crud. I may have the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, but I guess I am not supposed to get tested unless I start to have complications. So, I have quarantined myself to the house. Michael's is losing a lot of money this week! LOL I do have an order of more canvases on the way from www.dickblick.com, so that's something to look forward to. I won't be buying canvas from Michael's anymore, since the last one I got was all warped and goofy looking. It is totally un-usable.
I did finish one painting this week so far, but was hoping to get a lot more done. I just haven't felt like doing anything. The germs are having a party in my body, without my permission. Apparently, they are having WAY too much fun since I feel so wiped out. Hopefully after a few more mosh pits and the bunny hop, they will tire themselves out and head home. Did you hear that germs? You have had one too many and need to call it a day!
Well, here's hoping everyone is feeling a heck of a lot better than me. If I sprout a snout and a curly tail, I will let you know.

CONTEST! WIN A FREE PRINT OF YOUR CHOICE FROM MY ETSY STORE!

CONTEST HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED. THE WINNER IS JILL! PLEASE SEE NEW POST AT THE TOP OF MY BLOG! 8/24/09 --- LORI

The end of summer is drawing near, and to celebrate (fall is coming, which means cooler weather here in FL) I am having a contest! You can win free 1 (one) print of your choice from my store on Etsy! The contest starts today, and ends Sunday, August 23rd at midnight. I will pick a winner via a random number selector on Monday morning, August 24th!
Here's what you need to do:
1. CLICK HERE (to visit my Etsy store)
2. Pick which print is your favorite.
3. Post a comment to this blog post of which one you would choose, and make sure you either leave a way for me to contact you (email) or contact me Monday when you see you are the winner.

Good luck, and don't forget to check out my EBAY AUCTIONS this week too!

One more painting to share...

I forgot to add a picture of this one too! It will also be on Ebay tonight. I created this one on a 16 X 20 inch gallery wrapped canvas with 2.25 inch thick sides. It says, "Friends Multiply Joy And Divide Sorrow." I am not offering prints of this one, as it is too large for me to get a scan of at this time. Sorry!

New Ebay Auctions For My Paintings Start TONIGHT!

I will have 7 paintings available to bid on with week on Ebay. The will start late Sunday night by 8:30 PDT and end around the same time next Sunday. Just click on the above picture to view them. Happy bidding!

New listings of my Folk Art Primitive paintings on Ebay starting tonight!

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping in. Hope everyone's weekend was enjoyable. Both my husband and I weren't feeling very well, so after we did the activities we had to do, we spent the night vegging on the couch watching the old Albert Brook's and Meryl Streep movie "Defending Your Life." If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest it. Tonight, Rob is making supper and then we might watch Coraline.
Also, a heads up...I will be having some new auctions starting tonight and ending next Sunday evening for 5-7 of my new paintings I have been showing recently. Due to a change, I will no longer be sending them in to the gallery, as I had planned. So, you can have a chance to own them! Later today, I will post pics of all of them and link them to my Ebay auction for each one.
Well, better go and get ready to head to church. I have two lessons to give for the kiddos today. Have a restful Sunday, and thanks again for stopping by!

Cats and Vacuum Cleaners.

Cats have different personalities, just like people. I often think of my cats as 2 yr old people trapped in a small furry body! We have 2 cats, one that is terrified of the vacuum cleaner, and the other, who is somewhat intrigued by it. She isn't afraid at all, and will actually run and lay down in the spot where I sprinkle her catnip, because she KNOWS I am going to vacuum it up. This morning, in between vacuuming and doing laundry, I paused before finishing the rest of the house. I came back to the vacuum cleaner and found this. I could almost imagine her saying, "Look Momma! I conquered The Beast!" I am so glad I have kitties. They add many laughs to my life.

Ch-Ch-Changes and a new angel painting

I am making some changes, including my focus. I have been making jewelry for 7 yrs. now. I love and enjoy it, but with silver prices up, the economy down, and a very saturated jewelry market on Etsy (the main place I sell), I have decided to concentrate more on my painting. I feel more drawn to it right now, and must follow my heart on this one. I still may make jewelry from time to time, but won't be taking any custom jewelry orders. Along with this change, I will also be changing my website name and my Ebay ID. I can't change my Etsy ID, so it will remain the same I guess. These changes will happen over the next few days. My Ebay ID has already changed from 'theroyalbead' to 'ArtWorkByLori' and my website will be changing from www.theroyalbead.com to www.artworkbylori.com. Right now, my website looks pretty goofy. I am playing around with backgrounds and the font is some funky pink color. Not very pretty. LOL So, bear with me...this will look better soon. I just wanted to let everyone know why I am changing. "TheRoyalBead" just doesn't scream "painter."
With that, here is the painting I finished this afternoon. It has a multi-layered background with a crackle finish. It is a mixed media piece and is titled "She Was Free To Dream." Hope you like it!

Vampire Fairy Painting & Print

So I started this painting the other day, and after painting her eyebrow, she took on a really sinister look. I liked it! The more collage elements I added, the more a story line started to develop. Then, I found the text from some vintage children's books. The story was finished. She just HAD to be a vampire fairy. I just listed this print in my Etsy store, and here is the story that I included:
There's a legend of handsome young lads disappearing in the dark, mysterious Welsh forests of Snowdon. One such lad was exploring the forest. As the evening descended, he heard entrancing music coming from deep in the woods. He followed the sound, and as he approached the source, he was astounded to find her there. She was beautiful. Her pale, perfect skin looked almost alabaster against her silky raven hair. She had glistening green wings that pushed delicately against the wind. The most beautiful song he had ever heard came softly from her deep red lips. He had never seen anything like her before and was intrigued...yet frightened.
"Who are you, strange-looking thing?" he asked.
"Come with me, and I will show you." she replied.
Like many others, he was never seen, or heard from again.

Mermaids, Birds, and Flowers

The weekend has come and gone so quickly, but I actually look forward to the new week because I can get back to painting. I have been feeling a strong pull toward painting more so than jewelry making, so that is what I will be concentrating on more for who knows how long.
We had a belated birthday celebration for me this Saturday. We drove to Vero Beach to go to a scrapbook store so I could get some cool new papers to use in my mixed media pieces. Sadly, their selection of stamps and other goodies was not impressive. They did have cool paper though. After catching a quick lunch, we went to Julie & Julia. I enjoyed the movie and felt I could relate to the the character played by Amy Adams (who did a wonderful job). Many people hit that point in their life when they feel like they don't know where they are going and what they should be doing. Things just aren't flowing the way we would like. We all want to be successful at something. I laughed at the part where she breaks down in the kitchen and has a crying fit. I have felt that way before, and I am sure...acted that way. Anyways, it was enjoyable, inspiring, and cute. Not much of a man movie though. Rob kept checking his watch. Nothing was being shot at or blown up. LOL
So, back to working on some more canvases I have calling to me. In the meantime, here are the pics of the new print I added to my Etsy store over the weekend. Hope you like them!

New Prints in my Etsy Store! Pink Cupcake!

This week has flown by, and now that things are winding down, I finally have time to list some new prints in my Etsy store of the paintings I have finished recently. Here is the first one that is available. I will be adding more throughout the weekend, so please check in later.

Last minute craziness. Lots of it.

I still haven't taken pics of my new paintings. I was asked last minute on Sunday night (9pm) to pet sit for someone across town, whose pet sitter had canceled on her the night before she was going out of town. She was leaving at 5 am the next day, so I said yes, know she wouldn't find anyone else. She is a friend of ours, so I was glad to help, but I am not good with dogs. My first time over there on Monday was horrific. The larger dog had thrown up all over (large amount) and had diarrhea all over. The cat had also thrown up. The little chihuahau had walked through the mess. I was there for 2 hours cleaning. Luckily, the next day the dog was better, and things have gone smoother since. I have been going over a few times a day, and it's been taking up a bit of my time. My internet "presence" went on vacation, but I am still here.
My birthday is tomorrow, and I have one last morning stop to take care of the pets. Then.....I am going to spend some ME time. I haven't really had any this week. I have laundry baskets of clothes waiting to be folded, and new laundry to be done. The house needs cleaning again, and I need to prepare my Sunday school lesson for this weekend.
So, if I remain silent a few days longer...I am around...just recouping! Take care!