Black Friday Sale

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I'm having a sale in my Etsy shop this weekend. Simply use coupon code "BlackFriday" at checkout to receive 25% off everything in my shop! I've never offered such a large discount before so if you've been eyeing something up, now is the time. :) This sale will run until Sunday at midnight.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Cigar Boxes

A selection of my hand painted cigar boxes (and other hand painted items) are available again in my Etsy shop.

I have debated about whether or not to relist these items in my shop because I already have a variety of items for sale, but these boxes have given me some really incredible opportunities and I don't want to miss out on the possibility of more.

Just a little update too.. my break from school is over and that means it's time to hit the books again. I intend to keep up on quilting and painting as best I can, but with graduation on the horizon I need to focus on school work. So I will be in the studio working Monday - Thursday and the weekends will be reserved for school and family.

I hope you have a great week and are keeping cool!

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!

Baby Rag Quilt With Embroidery

I'm in love with this new baby quilt! I've been trying to figure out how I can work more embroidery into my quilts and this was my first creation. I combined "Farm Fresh" fabrics from Riley Blake with embroidered farm animals. I think it's just too cute. It was time consuming, I must say. Each embroidery design took about 1 hour to complete (and there are a total of 8). I have ideas for some similar baby quilts with different embroidery themes and I can't wait to get started! :)

For anyone who might be interested, this quilt is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Have a great day!



Halloween Sale!

Boo! I'm having a Halloween Sale in my Etsy shop this weekend. Shop anytime from now until midnight on Halloween night and receive 25% off every purchase! To receive the discount use coupon code "Halloween" at checkout.

The table runner shown above is this week's item-of-the-week. It's made from the "Trick or Treat" fabric line by Moda. It's so super cute and fun for Halloween!

Have a great weekend!

Holiday Quilts and Update

I have been quilting away this past weekend. I made a total of 16 quilted table runners! Half are for my Etsy shop and half will be going to the gallery this week. Here is a little look at a few that I listed on Etsy today. These are $28 each, and they really make great gifts. This is my busiest time for quilt sales and I know these will find good homes :).

Just a few other things.. The gallery (the Stillwater Art Guild Gallery) is having a trunk show that will run all December. This show will take place in the River Room and some of us artists are including some of our reduced price art. I will be adding some table runners, hand painted cigar boxes, and maybe a few other things.

Also happening at the gallery this week is the Art on Main event. There will be a meet the artist reception on Friday evening from 4 until 9.

Just another side note, my blog was named one of 2010's top pastel blogs by onlinegraphicdesigndegree.com. :)

Have a nice night!

More Custom Boxes

I received a custom order from this lovely lady in Tennessee for these boxes. One is a wedding gift for her son, and the others are gifts for her granddaughters. I had used up my inventory of cigar boxes on my order from the Flint Institute of Arts recently, so I had to order these boxes and wait for them to arrive before I could even paint them. Luckily this customer was willing to wait however long necessary, for these boxes. To show my appreciation for her patience, I included a couple mini paintings with easels for her granddaughters. I'm always happy to do something extra for a special customer. :)

These painted boxes have been a hit lately! Needless to say I'm placing orders for more boxes just in case!

Shell on the Shore

"Shell on the Shore" 5 by 7, Pastel Painting

This is available for purchase here

I completed "Shell on the Shore" this afternoon. Once again it was done on Ampersand Pastelbord and was completed with soft pastels and pastel pencils. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to try a new pastel surface eventually because I have many different kinds, but I keep going for the same one. What can I say, I love pastelbord!!

I had such a great time working on this painting today. This is my first sea shell, but I love painting sea shores and the water. I think this is because I grew up in northern Michigan, just a few miles from the Great Lakes. I never appreciated the water, sunrises and sunsets like I should have. But I will keep on painting them!

Fresh Fruit

"Fresh Fruit" 8 by 10, Pastel Painting

SOLD

I started painting "Fresh Fruit" two days ago. I wanted to try a painting a little larger than what I've been doing lately. So I pulled out one of my 8 by 10 pastelbords and got to work on this still life. I soon learned that I really prefer to work small, at least with still lives. But this painting was a lot of fun to complete. I particularly enjoyed capturing the fresh, bold color of the fruit.

This painting is listed in my Etsy shop and can be purchased here.