Meet Milo

Meet Milo, my new English Budgie (Parakeet). It took me a day to settle on a name, but I think the name Milo is cute.

I've been researching Budgies for a while and I thought one would make a great pet. They're just beautiful birds and they have such unique personalities! People often don't think that way about birds, but they're actually highly intelligent.

He hasn't been hand trained at all, so I'm beginning to work on that now. It shouldn't be too difficult though because he lets me put my hand near him outside and inside the cage already. I even managed to lightly brush my finger on his belly today. He started to get a bit nervous after that. Some Budgies will panic if you just put your hand in their cage.

This little cage of his isn't big enough for two birds, but in a few months I might get another one to keep him company.

Just a few other personal things - my husband and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary on Sunday. He surprised me with a hot air balloon ride but it was canceled due to weather. We rescheduled for this Thursday evening. I'm quite nervous about it, but

Also, my twin sister had a baby boy, Noah, yesterday afternoon and he's not doing great. They had to take him to another hospital and now she's there alone. Please keep them in your prayers!

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!

Perfectly Pink

"Perfectly Pink" - Original Watercolor Painting, 5 by 7

I just completed my first watercolor painting of the year! Isn't that terrible? :) Although, I have done a handful of pastel paintings. I've been working on this painting for a few days and I can't tell you how good it felt to be using my watercolors! I simply have to make more time for painting even if it means getting up earlier or staying up later (which I have been doing). Painting is my one true love and quilting has been just taking over around here (but I enjoy that too).

This painting is available in my Etsy shop if anyone is interested. Meanwhile.. I'm still working on that painting challenge. I will post about that in a couple days! :)



Optimist's Creed

I just thought I would share this with you today. It's The Optimist's Creed written by Christian D. Larson.

I promise myself

To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.

To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.

To think only of the best, to work only for the best,

and to expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of

others as I am about my own.

To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the

greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile

to every living creature I meet.

To give so much time to improving myself that I

have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear,

and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world,

not in loud words, but in great deeds.

To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side,

so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

I keep several copies of this all over my home and like to have it as a reminder of the kind of person I hope to be.



Break Time

I am so happy to say that my finals are finished and I'm officially on break! I get a whopping 4 weeks off! Usually it's only 2, so I'll take it. :) I'm very much looking forward to getting a lot of painting and quilting done.

The other night I cleaned my watercolor palette and loaded it with fresh paint. Something about squeezing out that fresh pigment got me really excited! Ha ha. Just love that color! I've already got a drawing ready and some plans for a painting "challenge" maybe. Details to come!

Have a nice afternoon!

Changes to Etsy Shop

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be temporarily removing all the made-to-order items in my Etsy shop. I'm almost always working on custom orders whether they be paintings or quilts and I don't have time to create anything new. Therefore, I will be removing listings for custom quilts and paintings just for a few weeks while I work on building up my inventory.

I will let you know when these items are available again.

Have a lovely weekend!



Photo Quilt

Just finished another custom photo quilt! After doing a big twin size one last time with 27 photos, this throw size one seemed so small. It has 12 photos and it's going to be a birthday gift. I think it turned out really well. The customer chose the Fiona's Fancy fabric line and it's so pretty. I've been thinking about not offering these anymore because they're so much work and I seem to run into printer issues every time, but they're such a unique item that I'd hate to remove them from my shop. So for now I'll keep doing them.

If you'd like a custom photo quilt check out my Etsy shop.

I hope you had a great day! I've got final exams tomorrow. Wish me luck! :)

Art Prints Are Back

After removing art prints from my Etsy shop at the beginning of the year, I decided to bring them back! I added 30 different giclee print listings including cats, seascapes, and still lives.

I print my giclee's on archival Epson Ultra Premium Presentation Paper with pigment based archival inks on a professional Epson printer.

Well I've got a busy week ahead.. Big custom photo quilt to finish, a couple big papers due and final exams. I'm very much looking forward to a break.

Have a great week!



Art Reception

This weekend is the Art on Main event in downtown Stillwater Minnesota. Last night was the Meet the Artist Reception. The weather was nice, but there wasn't a huge turn out. But we had quite a few sales and we all had a great time.

Me and Randy Raduenz, one of the gallery owners.

 Me and Becky Benson.

 Jim, Randy, Toni and Nancy looking through an old photo album full of earlier photos of the gallery. It sure has grown!

Toni and Nancy, two lovely ladies!

Updated Gallery Wall

I spent my Sunday volunteering at the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery and putting up "new" work. I try to update my wall every few months, but I actually haven't done it since January. I had an animal theme going, and actually sold a couple of pieces. This time I thought I would bring in some of my earlier, more loose watercolor paintings. I don't paint like that anymore, but I thought someone might really like them. They certainly brought in a lot of color, so I think they'll be perfect for summer.

Meanwhile, all the animal paintings that I brought home with me are now relisted in my Etsy shop. Some of them are, "Hiding Spot," "January Snow," "A Pugs Life," and "Can You See Me?"

I hope you had a great weekend!

A Look Around My Studio

I love looking at other artist's creative spaces, so I thought I would make a little video of mine.

Have a great weekend!

Charitable Item of the Month for June

It's the 1st of the month and time for a new Charitable Item in my Etsy shop. My Charitable Item of the Month for June is this sweet little baby quilt. 100% of this sale will be donated to the Miracle Foundation. The Miracle Foundation works to ensure that orphans are given the quality of care that all children deserve. This includes family placement, nutritious food, excellent health care, and a high quality education.

This offer is good until July 1st at which point I will choose a new item and a new charity.

New Zoom Lens

I was trying out my new zoom lens for my Canon camera today. I've been noticing just how many birds we have around our area and this past weekend my husband and I created a bit of a bird haven in our backyard. We set up different bird feeders including a hummingbird feeder and a bird bath. These are a few of the photos that I got today.

 I have no idea what kind of bird this is.

 This Robin was just trotting around the yard before finding a worm.

 I love the bright yellow color of this Gold Finch. He's so pretty.

 And rather silly too! He hung out here a while before making it onto the feeder.

I think this hummingbird was a bit confused. The hummingbird feeder we set up is close to our deck, but it didn't stop her from trying.

I've always had a love of birds, I'm not entirely sure why. I suppose it could be a combination of their beautiful colors and sounds. I've been wanting to build up my reference library and even start doing some wildlife in watercolor. I've been overwhelmed with custom quilt orders, but I'm going to make an effort to make more time for painting. The only paintings I've done this year are 4 custom pet portraits, and I miss it terribly.

Sale Item of the Week

"Cosmos" is this week's sale item on Etsy. "Cosmo's" is a watercolor painting, size 5 by 7. It's being offered at a reduced price with free shipping (within the U.S. only) until this Sunday.

Don't forget about my Charitable Item of the Month, my Bloom and Grow Baby Quilt. 100% of the sale of this quilt will be donated to Feeding America. This offer ends in 2 days!

I hope you have a great week!

Family Tree Quilt & 300th Post!

I've been working on this custom quilt for the past couple weeks and it's finally complete! This couple contacted me on Etsy and said that they needed a quilt with 40 embroidered names (a memento for their parents). The thought was a bit daunting since I had never made anything like it before. It was a lot of work but I'm very happy with the way it turned out. In fact I'm so happy with it that I've decided to make it into a custom listing in my Etsy shop. I'm calling it a "Family Tree Quilt." I will have it listed soon.

By the way, this is my 300th blog post! Not too impressive considering I've been blogging for years, but it's still a big number. :)

Have a great weekend!

Hibiscus Watercolor Paintings

 "Hibiscus" 9 by 12

"Tropical Hibiscus" 9 by 12

I decided today to list my two hibiscus watercolor paintings on Etsy. I painted "Hibiscus" and "Tropical Hibiscus" a couple years ago. They were experimental doodles I guess you could say, but I ended up liking them a lot. I've also sold several prints of each. I've had them hanging in my studio, but I think it's time to let them go.

If you're interested in either of them please visit my Etsy shop. :)



Custom Memory Quilt

I just finished this custom memory quilt for a customer who will be giving it to her daughter as a graduation present.

This is a little bit bigger than the custom memory quilts that I have for sale on my website. This customer really wanted a lot of photos so I made her a twin size quilt with 27 photos. She sent me scans of pictures, poems, letters and story book covers.

I wish I could see the look on her face and her daughters when they see this quilt in person! It really is special to see these photos that mean so much to you, printed on fabric.

If you're interested in a custom memory quilt please visit my website or email me at: angela292@hotmail.com

Hope you're having a great weekend!



New iPad

When I saw what the new iPad could do, I was sold! I have an iPhone and never thought I'd have a reason to get an iPad too. However, when I saw how crystal clear the screen was and how you can zoom in while still maintaining the clarity I knew it would be perfect for using for painting. I can put all my reference photos for painting on it and use it instead of printing photographs. It will save me money in paper and ink, plus photos never look the same once you print them.

While at the Apple store I discovered the Square. It's a little card reader that you can use with an iPhone or an iPad. It's awesome! I can take it with me to the gallery or art fairs as a way to receive payments with credit cards. The fee is very reasonable and the money is deposited directly into your bank account.

As hard as I try I just can't keep up with technology. :)

Charitable Item for May

Here is this month's new charitable item. It's an adorable tied baby quilt. If this quilt sells, 100% of the sale will be donated to Feeding America.

Feeding America is a great charity that is trying to end hunger in America. They help feed over 37 million Americans through food banks all over the country. I heard a statistic recently that 1 in 6 Americans go without meals everyday. Which means that you likely know someone who is suffering from hunger. Isn't that hard to believe?

If you or someone you know is looking for a baby quilt, please consider this one.

I hope you're having a great week!

Bella

This is Bella, a sweet dog that I've been commissioned to paint. This painting really didn't scan well at all. The original painting is so much softer looking.

It felt so good to be painting again! I've been so overwhelmed with custom quilt orders that painting has taken a back seat.

If you're interested a custom pet portrait please visit my Etsy shop.

Have a great weekend!!