My new shop on Etsy....

I finally got around to adding some new designs to my new store "HipHeart" on Etsy, and am gradually moving my graphic designs over from my ArtworkByLori store (which will now only house my paintings and prints of them. I hope that makes sense. ( : I am sharing some new designs with you, and you can visit my shop by clicking on any of them. I will be listing some paintings on Ebay this week. I had hoped to over the weekend, but decided to revamp my Ebay template, which let to an html headache. So, here they are....hope you like them!

Howdy!

I am finally feeling better...as far as my back is concerned. Some rest, and doing my stretching exercises each day has really helped. The past few days here in southern Florida have been lovely and it has been nice to get some fresh air in the house. Usually, it seems we have the air conditioning or the heat on. This has been an odd year for weather here. Currently, hubby and I are on a car search to replace one that is out of commission. That's been taking up a sizable chunk of time. I did finish one painting, so I will share it with you. It is listed in my Etsy store as of today. It measures 12" X 12" and is titled "Hope." Hope you have a great weekend....I hope to get more painting done next week. See...we all need hope! ( :

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.

My newest painting...it's a BIG one!

Here's the painting that I finished last Friday. This is the one that on Monday I hated, and by Friday, I was in love with. Sometimes, the paintings that give me the most grief, turn out to be my favorites. Odd, huh? This one measures 24" X 36" and is done a stretched, canvas with staple free sides. It is a mixed media piece done with acrylic paint (including textured paint), vintage text paper, scrapbook paper, and colored pencil. I can't seem to get away from the bird theme these days. ( :

Where has the week gone?

My goodness this week has gone by fast! We were out of town from Sat. morning till late Monday afternoon, and I've been catching up on housework, laundry, cleaning the car, emails, and creative time. Tomorrow is Friday already, and there are so many things I need to do yet. I am sure a lot of other people are feeling the same.
I extended my BOGO sale and will do so through this weekend, then it will end. I still need to transfer over some of the prints of my paintings into my new Etsy store. I have been steadily adding new illustration prints, so my customers will have a variety to choose from. Unlike painting, I am able to work on my illustrations later at night, so when I don't have the opportunity to paint I work on those. I usually only paint in natural light, which obviously isn't available at night. If I turn lights on in my painting area at night, my husband complains because it keeps him up. I hope someday, when we have our own home, I have my own studio on a far end of the house. Then I can paint whenever I want. I can get one of those Ott-Lights to supply the lighting I need.
Anyways, here are some new prints I have listed in my NEW ETSY STORE. Hope you like them!

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!

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!