New Alice in Wonderland Paintings!!!

I haven't blogged all week because I was busy getting 3 paintings done. I had some requests to do some more Alice in Wonderland themed paintings (for Ebay), but went ahead and put the prints in my Etsy store. The "Alice & Cheshire Cat" is a two piece painting (on 2 separate canvases) and will be sold as a 2 piece print set in my Etsy store. The other painting is of the White Rabbit, and is called "Late for Tea." I had so much fun with the mushrooms! I do think I may need to sit down with a pic of the Cheshire Cat from the new movie and see if I can get that done this coming week. Hope you enjoy them, and have a wonderful weekend!

Gorgeous Organza Flower Brooches and Hair Pins!

I just added all of these beauties to my "The Royal Bead" shop on Etsy! I've been wanting to make these for a while, as I am a wee bit obsessed with brooches and hair stuff lately. ( : My favorite is the cream colored set. I'll be making more, so keep your eyes peeled, or let me know if there is a specific color you would like! Happy Friday, & have a lovely weekend.....I am off to clean the house and get back to work on another Alice in Wonderland themed painting....

Finished painting...

Well, here she is! I don't have a title yet, but have an idea in mind for one. I will eventually have the original painting itself on Ebay, and will offer the print of it in my Etsy store later tonight.
I made a flour-less chocolate cake today, and that cut into my creating time. I don't think I will regret it once I eat it though! I love baking. If only there was such a thing as calorie-free baking! Once it passes the taste test, I will post a link to the recipe online if you would like to try it. Hope everyone is having a nice Wednesday.

Cupcakes!

Today, I was able to really hunker down and get some art "done." I finished my large painting that I gave you a preview of a few days ago. I will post a picture of it tomorrow. I've had a few requests to do more Alice in Wonderland themed paintings from my Ebay customers, so that is on the to-do list. I also finished a cute art print designed with Photoshop that has been floating in my head for over a week. I just had to find the right quote to go with it. I just listed it in my Etsy store, so it is available for purchase. It would be a sweet addition to the decor of your kitchen, teenage daughter's room, or any place else you need some cupcake-y wisdom. ( :
See ya tomorrow!

Back from Orlando

Well, our trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom didn't go as planned, but we found other things to do. There are never any issues with being bored in the Orlando area. My husband had a business meeting on Friday. It rained all the way there, and at times, we couldn't see very much at all. The temperatures dropped so low the weatherman was threatening us with snow flurries, so it was at that point we decided against Disney. Instead, we went to the Orlando Museum of Art, which was sadly a LOT smaller than my favorite back in MN...The Minneapolis Museum of Art. There was a special event going on called Arts Fest, so it was free. In the auditorium, a "bird's of prey" rescue from Maitland had a bald eagle, an owl, and a falcon to meet. I say "meet" because we were able to go pretty close to these beautiful creatures and they looked us right in the eye. They were tethered and out in the open. It was a really cool experience. Outside the museum, there was a lovely park. I was able to get a great snapshot of what is believed to be the oldest oak tree in Orlando. It is named "The Mayor" and is said to be at least 225 yrs. old! After that, we went to a huge outlet mall and walked around until my feet were very sore. While there, we stopped at another display with a 4 yr. old alligator. I was able to run my hand along his scaly back and rub his belly. His mouth was bound, of course. Rob actually held him. Later that night we went out to eat, then headed to Downtown Disney to walk around. We shared a decadent chocolate sundae at the Ghirhadelli cafe. So, that about sums up our weekend. Here is the picture I took of that beautiful tree. Hope you like it, and hope you had a great weekend!

Not your normal, everyday fortune cookies...

I had saved some fortune cookies from one of our many "Chinese Take-Out Tuesdays" and just had to have some fun with them. I have found some truly funny ones before, some that were inspiring, and some that made absolutely no sense. So, I made two of my own. ( : Hope they make you smile!

A work in progress...

I promised to share my step by step progress this week, so here she is! I have a long ways to go yet. There have been a lot of interruptions and I had a problem with the opacity of the paint on her face. I am considering giving her either a deep purple or dark yellow/mustard colored dress. There will be a bird sitting on the back of the chair and she will have a nest with eggs in her lap. I'll probably be finishing her next week. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Car craziness...

Sorry for the lack of posts so far this week. You could probably hear the crickets chirping! Monday started out with my husband getting rear-ended by a 16 yr. old new driver who looked at a flashing light on her dashboard and didn't see my husband had stopped in front of her. She hit him, and it shoved our car into the car in front of us. To make things even more interesting, her dad showed up and said he had "forgotten" to put her on his insurance policy. So, both of our cars have been rear ended in the past 4 months, in nearly the same location. The dad paid for the car to be towed to a body shop and is supposedly paying for the repairs. I have no idea when we will get it back. Then, this morning, I woke up to hear on the news that our only working car...the Civic...is recalled. Lovely. I've been pretty grumpy and have been sitting at the easel, trying to paint my grumpiness away.
I am working on a larger painting right now and will show some pics of the process soon. Hope everyone is having a nice week...at least better than mine. Oh well, at least we don't have 40 inches of snow!

Alice in Wonderland painting series on Ebay now!

I forgot to mention, that all of my Alice in Wonderland ORIGINAL paintings (not the prints) are available on Ebay for bidding. They end this Sunday evening.
I am going to try and sit down to start a painting this afternoon and end this rut I am in. I've been doing some graphic design stuff and some personal crafty things (like making flower brooches and hair accessories) in the mean time. My hand is feeling better, so back to painting I go!
CLICK HERE to see and/or bid on my paintings! I also relisted a few that hadn't sold last week, in case you missed them! Have a super weekend!

There, is this one better?

The face in the previous one was a wee bit creepy for a few, so I removed it. I made the last house smaller, but making it taller wasn't working. I switched that and added a quote I had been thinking about. It's supposed to be a bit "busy" with the different paper prints and collage elements. I think I may finally be happy with it. I am kind of a quote freak.

Like it? Hate it? Opinions please!

I was playing around in Photoshop making a collage yesterday and came up with this. No one commented on Facebook, so I am coming here to get your opinions. I won't have my feelings hurt, so don't worry about that. Do you like this? Do you hate it? Would it look better is I added a quote in the empty space below the sunshine? I don't know whether it is ready for my Etsy store or not. But then again, there are people selling pieces of cheap paper with small squares cut out with an exacto knife for $125 on Etsy (and making the front page with it), so maybe I shouldn't be so critical of myself. LOL

Win a Free Art Print from by Shop!

Head on over to Steals & Deals blog today to register to win one of my art prints from my Etsy store....you're choice! Just follow the steps listed. She also has ways to earn more entries. Steals & Deals posts great money saving tips and finds awesome products. It is run by two wonderful sisters I have become friends with via the internet. Good luck!

Ebay Auctions Ending Tonight!

Just a heads up, if you haven't seen them yet, or are planning on putting in a bid....my painting auctions on Ebay end late tonight. Click HERE to see them.
The weekend was not that great. I got up early at 5 am to do a community garage sale. The PTO running it didn't do much for advertising, to not many people came. By the time I got home and put everything away, I was too tired to go to the art group later that night. Instead, I spent the rest of the day sleeping, eating soup, and watching chic flicks. Sunday involved more napping and today I went and got my bloodwork done. I've not been feeling like myself lately, and think that either I have low iron problems again, or my thyroid levels have changed. Whatever it is, I hope they can figure it out and come up with a solution. I am tired of my body feeling 20 yrs. older than I am. My energy level is practically non-existent. Well, sorry for the pity party. I haven't gotten much painting done because of this, so that's why I haven't been posting much. I hope I can get back to feeling like my normal self....energetic, happy, and excited to create.