sneak peek

Here's a sneak peek at the commission I've been working on. I had hoped to be finished on Saturday, but spent all day Saturday and Sunday and 1/2 a day today working on it. This is A LOT more involved than the ones I have done in the past. I hope they like it!!

The studio is slowly but surely coming along. My husband worked on the ceiling today.

I'm planning on starting the "daily painting" practice back up on October 1. Which, is just around the corner. I have to admit...I'm kind-of scared. When I quit daily painting this summer I just felt like it wasn't doing anything for me and my painting had actually got worse than when I started. I have more confidence painting something from my imagination. I just have to make it look like I think it looks, but when you have an actual object RIGHT THERE to paint you see it and it might totally be different from what you imagined.

when the paint starts flying...

other projects, like keeping up the house, get put on the back burner.

Since I've been working for the last few weeks on projects with deadlines I have been so focused on the projects that I have forgot that I also need to CLEAN the house!

I'm not a SUPER house keeper anyway and I have always thought I should make a list and break down the projects that need to be done through out the week. Instead of saying I'll do it all on the weekend. There's always something more exciting that comes up on the weekend so then the cleaning still doesn't get done. When I sit down to write out this list I become extremely overwhelmed. So, it has never got done.

Today I felt so grossed out I got smart and did a search online and found a list! It's not exactly what I need, but at least I have a starting point. You can get it to here.

So I have wrote out my morning to noon plan and cleaning chores I'm going to get done starting tomorrow through Friday and 2 larger cleaning projects that I'll work on through the weekend.

I have one more commission to complete then I will hopefully be moving into my studio and starting to daily paint again.

"a wonderful pair"

"A Wonderful Pair"

Here's one of the commissions I have been working on. My sister-in-law asked me to make this for her brother and his wife as a wedding gift. It has their names through out along with their wedding date. I hope they like it! :)

pink!

My husband is adding the finishing touches to the wall that needed repaired and I think by the end of this week the room will be ready to paint and for me to move into.

My FAVORITE colors are pink, orange and green. Since our kitchen is orange, we have a green dining room and Gabriel's room is green, the only color left for my studio is PINK! We're actually going to paint one wall pink the the remainder white.

I switched my header today. It's the little art piece that I completed for the Visual Fusion challenge. I need to deliver it to The Art Mill tomorrow.

The projects I'm going to be working on for the next few weeks are very "fall" in color. Can't wait to show you.

AND daily painting will be starting very soon!!

i want one!

I finished the quilted tote on Thursday. My daughter buzzed by grabbed it and left and I didn't even get any pictures of it until now! (She had her roommate snap a few pictures of her with it in her dorm.) It is so cool and just what she wanted. She can fit her laptop in here along with a notebook or two. There's even an interior cell phone pocket!



I really haven't let myself take the time to make "stuff" for us to use and I really had fun doing it! I currently purchased this pattern from Pink Chalk Fabrics, so as soon as I move into my studio I'm going to work on a few tops for myself.

Right now I'm concentrating on the collage projects that I will need to have completed soon! I love being busy!

Progress is being made on the studio and I'm hoping that next weekend I will be moving my stuff into it!

projects

Wow! It has been a while! What have you been up to? I wish my silence has meant that I have been moving into my new studio space, but no. My husband has been working some extra days and has been too exhausted to work on the project. Soon he will be back to his regular schedule and the space will be done. Yeah! I can’t wait!!

Since posting my birthday cake torn collage painting I have received 2 commissions! I have been told they are gifts, so I won’t be able to show you until they have been given.

I can show you a project my daughter and I have been working on. It’s a quilted tote bag. She was telling me that these are very popular on campus this year, so we’ve been working together on a design. I have to admit this is taking me a lot longer that I had planned, but it’s looking awesome!! I can’t wait to show you and I hope to write a tutorial for it in the near future.

laptop sleeve

I had been putting this project off but after looking at a few stores for a laptop bag or sleeve I decided I needed to do this. I just really didn’t like what I was finding in the stores.

So, with a quick search on Google I found this laptop sleeve tutorial. I had to make a few modifications, because I didn’t want to spend any money. So, instead of using fusible fleece and flannel like the tutorial called for I used batting and all cotton fabric.

The tutorial was easy to follow and I really like how my sleeve turned out. I think I finished this in about 4 hours total.

visual fusion project

There's a fun little place in Omaha called The Art Mill. They are currently hosting a challenge called the Visual Fusion Project and I'm going to be participating in it. Each person participating in the challenge has a packet of ephemera, supplies and 3 words for inspiration. You can use the pieces in the packet as you wish, but you must choose at least one word and your piece must be submitted on the 5"x7" canvas board included in the packet.

I thought this would be a fun little challenge. It's due September 15 with an opening reception on September 24.

I wish I would have taken pictures when I was there, but I'll be back and show you what a neat place it really is!

studio

Just a peek at the progress of my studio.

Unfortunately, the plaster has been pulling away from the lath for a few years and since the room is pretty much empty it was time to fix it. It actually looks kind of cool.

It will be time to paint soon and I'm not sure which color to pick.

b-day loot

My husband surprised me with a huge, pink laptop.

My sister-in-law, Kaisha (she actually has better pictures on her blog!!), planned some piggy pampering. I had my first pedicure EVER!

Then we went to Macaroni Grill...yummy!

Here's a picture I snapped of myself at the end of the day.

what 40 looks like...

four oh!

It's my 40th birthday today! I'm really not sure how this happened. Where has the time gone and why do I still feel in many ways like I should be a little more sophisticated...a little more of an adult? Maybe it's a good thing...

For my birthday I thought it would be FUN to make myself a piece of art. So, here is my 40th birthday cake. I used a technique new to me, torn paper collage, for this piece and I'll share more about it soon!

Plans for the day have been a big secret...so I'll have to let you know tomorrow how the day went.

go green

The switching of the rooms has begun!

Gabriel is moving into his sisters room and we are painting it his favorite color green. And by green I mean GREEN! I'm so used to this room being a lovely lavender girls room, I'm having a hard time taking the green, but I do have some funky ideas for decorating his room.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow when I reveal the project I've been working on!!