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.