skip to main |
skip to sidebar
sometimes i want things that just don't fit in my budget. ok, a lot more than sometimes. but, sometimes i'm fortunate enough to be able to work out something in the form of a trade. it's like a real life version of settlers of catan, but with art and things like yoga, instead of wheat and sheep.
this piece was born out of the art of the barter. my addiction to yoga, with this particular teacher, must be fed. so, art for her cutie cute baby girl's room equals my yoga addiction fed.
the piece started here (pardon the horrid basement lighting):
and morphed into this (that's a butterfly pun right there!). her room is lovely tones of pastel blues and pinks and sage greens, and she loves butterflies.
big butterfly gets a blue eye to match baby girl's, and a bob dylan lyric rounds out the art, since he's her namesake.
wanna chat about a possible trade? have a service i might be interested in? say hair cutting, massage, cutie cute jewelry? call me.
2013 has been action-packed so far. visitors here, trips there, and a whole lotta designing in between. i'm still going through withdrawals after a week long visit with baby sister. we went to yoga, tasted wine, combed for beach glass, cheered on the sounders, and successfully ruined our lenten promises. good thing we're forgiven! big ol' sinners that we are.
i've been doing a bit of hands on design lately - canvases, name signs, magnetic clothespins. and, lots of shower invites, baby announcements, and birthday invites, too. i think i'm close to being over my blog funk, so maybe i can hammer a few more posts in before march strolls out like a lamb.
earlier this month, i went to the passion pit show at the paramount (i LOVE that place!). matt & kim opened for them, and man is that girl a bundle o' energy. i was tired just watching her! and, passion pit has 11, yes 11, keyboards!! what are they all for, i'd like to know?!
the pink tennies are getting more mileage around the 'hood lately - gettin' my vitamin d, stoppin' and smellin' the roses, you know the like. on my beach walk the other day, an adorable seal pup was sunning on the rocks!
i think i may have mentioned a diet change once or twice. well, i've sworn off gluten (unless my willpower succumbs to pizza i can't resist), and it's opened up a whole new world of recipes. just this AM, i made banana pancakes. not kidding - 5 ingredients (and flour is not one of them). make 'em - they're deeelish!
a banana, an egg, a little vanilla, sprinkle of cinnamon, some ground flax. make sure the banana's nice and mushed, so they won't be lumpy. wait for the pan to heat up a bit, put a healthy dose of butter down, then pour small pancakes. they take a bit to set up, so be patient, so you can flip them. it made me 5ish small pancakes! i topped them with a drizzle of maple syrup and blueberries. yum!!
i was going to create a new post all about the gifties you can have from rosita, but realized, hey! i've done that already. so, maybe you haven't read it before, or maybe you need a refresher. here ya go:
*with the exception of custom canvases, all gifts are $25 or less. how awesome is that?!
some people start shopping for holiday gifts in july, some people wait until dec 24th. whatever people you are, check out some of these goodies, that are sure to brighten anyone's (holi)day! the best part is, you get custom fun without breaking the bank!
i always say, let's bring back the written word! ok, i don't always say that, but maybe i'll start. because, everyone loves finding something fun amidst the junk mail, so why not stuff some stockings with some fun notecards? personalized. thank you. an assortment. your choice.
have kiddos? then, i'm sure grandma and grandpa would LOVE this personalized desk calendar full of pictures of the little ones. no kids? i'm betting the hubs would love gazing at you instead of staring at that spreadsheet!
if photos are too personal, but there's someone on your list who realllly needs a calendar, i've got ya covered.
how about a little art to fill some wall space? dream up an idea, and i'll put it to canvas. or, have a favorite saying framed for a wall. personally, the crosses are my favorite (prolly the NM roots talkin'). or, there's always the ever-popular hand cut name framed up to match a room or nursery. (rosita updated her site so you can see all the workshop's goods)
if you're looking for more stockin' stuffers, magnetic clothespins are super cute and perfect for hanging fun things in lockers, or on the fridge. (a picture of robert pattinson, por ejemplo...)
and, every girl's crazy for a little hair bling.
many of these items are sittin' on my shelf waiting for the perfect home, or we can do a custom order. to receive gifties in time for the holidays, you gotta place that order before december 15th.
gift wrapping (with gift tag) is available on all items for an additional $2.
in case you were wondering, there are less than 30 days until christmas! yikes!! oh, yeah - and order your holiday cards! (do i sound like your mother? eat your vegetables!)
*with the exception of custom canvases, all gifts are $25 or less. how awesome is that?!
some people start shopping for holiday gifts in july, some people wait until dec 24th. whatever people you are, check out some of these goodies, that are sure to brighten anyone's (holi)day! the best part is, you get custom fun without breaking the bank!
i always say, let's bring back the written word! ok, i don't always say that, but maybe i'll start. because, everyone loves finding something fun amidst the junk mail, so why not stuff some stockings with some fun notecards? personalized. thank you. an assortment. your choice.
have kiddos? then, i'm sure grandma and grandpa would LOVE this personalized desk calendar full of pictures of the little ones. no kids? i'm betting the hubs would love gazing at you instead of staring at that spreadsheet!
if photos are too personal, but there's someone on your list who realllly needs a calendar, i've got ya covered.
how about a little art to fill some wall space? dream up an idea, and i'll put it to canvas. or, have a favorite saying framed for a wall. personally, the crosses are my favorite (prolly the NM roots talkin'). or, there's always the ever-popular hand cut name framed up to match a room or nursery. (rosita updated her site so you can see all the workshop's goods)
if you're looking for more stockin' stuffers, magnetic clothespins are super cute and perfect for hanging fun things in lockers, or on the fridge. (a picture of robert pattinson, por ejemplo...)
and, every girl's crazy for a little hair bling.
many of these items are sittin' on my shelf waiting for the perfect home, or we can do a custom order. to receive gifties in time for the holidays, you gotta place that order before december 15th.
gift wrapping (with gift tag) is available on all items for an additional $2.
in case you were wondering, there are less than 60 days until christmas! yikes!! oh, yeah - and order your holiday cards! (do i sound like your mother? eat your vegetables!)
and, that's a VERY good thing! here's a glimpse of the goods that have been churning out of the workshop lately. i like posts like this; they're little pick-me-ups for me and proof to mr. man that i am actually working all day (my tan tends to raise questions around here. pshaw!)
i'd also like to take this time to thank all of you, my three readers, for all your support. when you tell me things like 'you're the best' and 'the world sucked when you weren't doing this', it is like a jolt for the self-esteem. i know i say it all the time, but you'll NEVER, never, ever know how much y'all coming back time and time again means to me. i love ya, man!
ok, enough mushy gushy. behold the latest and greatest.
we've had weddin's
babies being born (can we talk about how cute this is?! mama painted this hooty-cute owl art for baby's room, and i knew it had to be his announcement! LOVE it!)
babies being celebrated (oh, just you wait til you see all this stuff come together!)
babies being welcomed
people on the move
goods to be sold
and gifts to be given (i sure hope the farmer isn't readin' this, cause this is what i'm tuckin' in my suitcase for his birfday. maybe one day i'll tell ya all about their farm. or, you could just go to his blog and read first-hand. yea, do that. i'd get everything wrong anyway)
since mother's day is may 8, i thought i'd share some gifts from the workshop that are sure to brighten her day. there is plenty of time to get them in the mail to her before it's too late.
notecards
mom's love their own stationary. and, i have every letter of the alphabet! if you are looking for something more generic, i also have 'thank you' and 'hello' notecards. cards are wrapped up with coordinating ribbon in a cello bag.
$15 for 10 cards
canvases
how about a little artwork for mom? this was actually a birthday present for my mama to match her bedroom. just pick the color, and give me a general idea of style you're looking for, and we go from there. totally custom. i featured a few of my custom canvases before.
prices vary based on size and complexity of the project
a little bling
nothing like a little accessorizing to make yourself feel better. you pick the colors, and bling for the middle, and you have yourself a fancy hair adornment. if mom's not big on hair accessories, she can wear it clipped to a scarf, her handbag, or her coat lapel.
$12
calendars
no, it's not too early to be giving out calendars! these small desktop calendars are made to sit in a CD sized case. each month is a different design and color. i designed black and white calendars as well for the more modern mamas out there.
$20
order yours today.
in case you were wondering how one of my designs comes to life, here's a little photo montage of the process.
set up design based on rough pencil sketch
nope, not right. move design around.
better, but let's see what it looks like with the background.
m'kay, liking it better. how 'bout the whole design.
ok, we might be ready to assemble.
but, wait...maybe the background needs more umph.
ok...we're done...
of course we're not done...it needs more pizazz
ok, just right! NOW we're done.
so, there you go - i obviously forgot some of the process (when did the 'r' and 'g' change to zebra stripe?!), but you get the picture. ha! and, bonus - you get a little "keepin' it real" feel. yep, that's my dining room table, i like to design there and then cart everything back and forth from the basement a million times. whatever!
back when i had my open house, i dappled in some mixed media art on canvas. i had some out for sale, and a few sold, but what i really hoped would happen, did - custom orders. and, now it's a common item shipped out of the workshop. i've made them for wedding, birthday and just-for-me gifts, baby rooms, dining rooms.
i LUUUUUV these. LUV. it's pure get-yer-hands-dirty, handmade goodness. and, i can live for days on the high i get when i deliver one, they open it, their eyes light up, and they say I LUV IT! buuuut, the process is super nerve-wracking for me. (cuz i'm a nutjob.) ask mr. man. poor guy's constantly called to the workshop to talk me off the ledge and have (one-sided) conversations like this:
'do you think this should go here, or here? i'm really nervous they'll hate it. it's going on a wall in their house. they trust me to do something they're going to like. does it look like a third grader made it? what if they hate it. they're going to hate it.'
my sweet cousin LOVES horses and barrel racing, so her mama ordered this to match her lime green and zebra print room. (note to self: work zebra print into decor somehow)
this order was for mother's day. a sweet quote mixed with the colors of mama's house.
a bare dining room wall, a list of favorite lyrics and a cool idea led to this triptych. (that's for carrie.) talk about nervous nelly. i mean, it's going on their dining room wall! everyone who comes to their house will see it! a few deets: the door to the house is a map of ohio, where mama's from; mama, daddy, and 3 kiddos = 5 birds in the tree; 3 windows for 3 kiddos.
she collects hearts, and she's crazy creative, so she ordered some artwork for her craft room. only criteria: use reds and lots of hearts. success? we'll let her weigh in...
i used their invitation and maps to tie the couple's love of travel into this 'lovebird' wedding gift.
still with me? the possibilities are endless, really. i'll make one for you - order up! don't worry, i'll add them to the website soon - that project is underway.
I'm feeling restless. Maybe it's the cold, grey weather. Maybe it's missing my fam. Maybe it's that 2011 starts my downhill slide to *gasp* 40. Whatever it is, I'm restless.
And, when I get restless, my home interior becomes my scapegoat. And, spending any time around home improvement blogs is enough to make anyone's interior feel inadequate. I've now big plans for our bedroom and the workshop, requiring Mr. Man to put his sexy tool belt and power tools back in action.
Before I start on major overhauls, I decided it was time to do something about the stack of frames in the basement I'd intended for a gallery wall on the upstairs landing.
So, I chose pictures, threw out pictures, printed pictures, changed my mind, hated it, started from scratch, realized we should have some of my art in the house, and think I've settled on something I can live with!
Isn't it sooooo much better? Mr. Man's only request? That the Storm Trooper be represented. Well, why the heck not?!
You know I said I realized we needed some of my art in the house? Well, that poster on the bottom is it! (You want one, too?) The images in that frame seemed like after thoughts, and since I knew I wanted to mix and match other art in, 'Wild Thing' was born.
Close Ups:
And, no gallery wall would be complete without a Sweet P original:
My custom art is perfect for Valentine's Day. Take a lyric from 'your song' and frame it up. Or, maybe a scripture that means alot to you and your loved ones. And, unlike all the 'Keep Calm & Carry On' stuff out there, it's something that's dear to your heart!
Talk to you soon, Wild Thing.
