New Rice Bags

I just added a bunch of new rice bags to my Etsy shop. The weather is getting colder and it's the perfect time to start making use of these bags. If you're not familiar with rice bags, they can be heated in the microwave and used for aches and pains, to keep warm, or to toss into your bed at night. They can also be kept in the freezer for "boo boo bags."

 

I have loved using these bags since I was a kid, and all the adorable prints make them even more fun. They're reasonably priced and would make great gifts and stocking stuffers.

 

Have a great weekend!

New Toy

I was so excited to receive this Artograph LED 300 Digital Projector today! It's a very belated graduation present from my husband. I never thought I would be interested in a projector, but this one is great! Because it's digital, it can be hooked up to the computer, ipad, smartphones and flashdrives. I've been wanting to start painting larger, and I think this will really help. I can use my smaller drawings to create larger pieces. Of course I can also project my photographs. What I really love about this projector, aside from the fact that it's digital, is that it can be used in daylight. Many projectors only work in complete darkness. This projector will also project movies and play music. I have yet to actually play around with it, but I'm excited to see what it can really do, and how it will aid me in my work. :)

 

I hope you're having a great day!

Custom Wedding Quilt & Update

I've been working on this custom quilt for the past couple days. My customer had the guests at her wedding write messages to her on fabric squares to later have made into a quilt. Isn't that a cool idea? There were a total of 143 five inch squares and it made a lap size quilt. What a treasured item this will be.

 

With the customers permission I may turn this into a custom item in my Etsy shop.

 

Now for an update... I know it's been a while since I've posted and it has been much longer since I've posted a painting. I planned on having some time to paint before starting on my master's, but it hasn't happened. I start graduate school on Monday and the only thing I've painted the past couple months were some abstract watercolor cards. I truly miss painting, but the line up of custom quilt orders has been almost never ending. Once I complete this custom quilt I will be caught up.

 

I can only imagine that I will be ridiculously busy with school once it starts again, and I have no idea how much time I'll have for either painting or quilting. I do intend to at least set aside as hour or two a day for painting/quilting but school has to be my priority. I'm not sure how frequently I will be blogging, but I hope you'll all stick around! I've appreciated all your support and kind comments over the past couple years. :)

 

God bless.

Photo Baby Quilt

 I've been working on this photo baby quilt for the past week. It's a gift for a young boy who recently lost his mother. The quilt has also been made with her clothing. I hope this is something that this boy will treasure for a very long time.

 

No matter how many of these photo quilts I do, I still think they're wonderful and unique. 

New Mini Quilts

I've been working on these little quilts the past couple days and I love them!

 A photo of my dogs with the new Puppy Park fabric by Riley Blake.

 Two photos! Love this one.

I've been doing some with embroidery too! This one is for my sister who is due to have a baby any day!

These little quilts are so much fun and I have a TON of ideas for more! All three of these will become custom listings in my Etsy shop. I think they would make completely adorable (and affordable) gifts!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Item Of The Week

This "Little Apples" baby quilt is my item-of-the-week on Etsy! My rag baby quilts have been selling quickly and I think it's only a matter of time before someone snatches this adorable quilt!

My item-of-the-week is an item that I offer at a reduced price and it includes free shipping. For this quilt, it's an $18 savings! The reduced price is $85 (regularly $95). And after doing some research on Etsy, very similar quilts sell for nearly $200 or more! I believe in pricing my work (artwork included) reasonably.

So if you know someone who has a baby or will be having a baby, please check out my baby quilts! They make incredible gifts!

Have a great week!

Huge Art Sale!

I'm having a crazy sale on Etsy right now. I just significantly marked down paintings that were already at a reduced price. All of the paintings are original and most of them are $20 with free shipping! I know what you're thinking, "have I lost my mind?!" Not quite, but I'd like to make some room for some new work. I'm only offering this sale for a few days. See some of the paintings below. Check out my "Reduced Art" section to see more.

"Pink Sky" 5 by 7 Pastel
"Apple and Pears" 5 by 7 Pastel

"Grow" 5 by 7 Pastel

"Christmas Poinsettia" 5 by 7 Pastel

These paintings will only be available for a short time and whatever doesn't sell on Etsy will be going to the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery to be a part of the November and December trunk show. I know it seems a bit early to be thinking about Christmas gifts but this might be a fabulous way to start your holiday shopping. You can't beat these prices!

Have a lovely weekend!

Baby Blanket

I recently finished up my college classes (and am now on break for a couple weeks) and got right to work on a few quilts I had to make. The first was a holiday table runner (a surprise gift for a friend) and the second was this cute baby blanket. A couple that my husband knows is about to have their first baby and I thought I would make them a blanket. They didn't find out the gender of the baby so I had to make it neutral.

The first quilt I ever made, I made about 2 years ago, and I actually haven't made one since. It's quite difficult to quilt on my sewing machine once the piece gets large, but a friend clued me in on "tying" and I love it. It's great because I used a poly-cotton blend batting and after tying the blanket is so soft. If it was tightly quilted it would be stiff. So anyway, I'm very pleased with the way it turned out and I've decided to make some for Etsy (in fact I've already made another one and which I will be sewing binding on this evening).

So, just another item that I will be adding to my Etsy shop. Look out for them! :)

A lot of work to do!

I recently purchased all these cigar boxes!! It's so much easier to buy a lot of them then to purchase just a few here and there. It's also so difficult to find good quality cigar boxes. I was so lucky to find these! There are 30 total and I think it's safe to say I have my work cut out for me!! But I have many ideas and can't wait to get started. These boxes are relatively small, but sturdy and are going to be great. I have so many unique ideas for the black boxes! I painted a black one with white blossoms and embellished it with a little glitter (it was a gift for my Grandma). She loved it! I have to admit it did look very sharp.

Anyway, I will get started painting these boxes right away, so keep a look out for them! Hope you have a nice weekend!