Discombobulated

I apologize for the lack of posting lately. I don't know if it's the winter blues, eating too many sweets, feeling rundown, raising teenagers, artist's block or all of the above but I'm just feeling out of it lately. When I read the Pickles comic strip this morning I thought Earl had a good word for how I'm feeling ~ discombobulated. I'm really wanting to revamp my blog, try some different art projects, design a business card & find ways to promote my art but it's all just feeling a little overwhelming right now. I know all artists go through periods of discouragement, I just hope mine doesn't last much longer. I'm working on 2 custom paintings right now & hope to have something new to show you soon when I get out of this funk.

Tomorrow my girls & I are meeting my best friend & her daughter for a fun out-of-town day & night so that should lift my spirits. Happy weekend to you!

New Kitty Pillow!

I finished up this cute pillow today & it's already in the SHOP. I think it would be darling in a baby's nursery or children's room. I just love those old fashioned vintage look cats!

Now it's on to some sketches for my next painting. It's fun having extra free time as my hubby & son are in Oklahoma City this weekend visiting family & going to the KSU-OU game. I kinda want to go see Shutter Island tonight but it's so cold out I'm tempted to just light a fire & stay home. Hmmm...

Random Ramblings

Happy Saturday everyone! No particular subject to this post ~ just some fun pictures & ramblings from me! Aren't these lights gorgeous? I took these shots while sitting in the car waiting for my daughter & her group to finish their dinner before the Sweetheart Dance. (This was the building next door) They are little flower-shaped lights wrapped tightly around the tree & they changed COLORS about 4 different times! They were so pretty & unique!
I saw these green snoballs at the grocery store the other day & couldn't resist grabbing one. I used to eat them all the time when I was little & thought I'd treat myself since I hadn't had one in years. (luckily, as I've gotten older my eating habits turned healthier) Well, I took a few bites & either they're making them different or my taste has changed ~ it just didn't taste as delicious & yummy as I remembered. I gave the other half to my daughter.

Last night, by a nice surprise, I got to go see Leeann Womack, Reba & GEORGE in concert!!! My good friend Mary had an extra ticket & asked me to go. It was AWESOME! I could listen to Gentleman George sing all night! And I don't even have to tell you how nice he looked in his Wranglers! Reba was amazing too. Leeann came back out & did the duet "Does He Love You" with her. She's wonderful too.

This sweet girl was at the Humane Society several weeks ago. She's been adopted (yay). I just wanted to show her picture to you ~ I think she's the most beautiful & unique calico, don't you?

And lastly, here is my daughter Kayla & her date for the Sweetheart Dance which was last weekend. Her date has (or had) the most wonderful dark, wavy hair but got it buzzed right before the dance by the upperclassmen on the swim team ~ a tradition they do every year before the big city meet. I guess it helped, they advanced to state!

That's it for now. We're getting sleet at the moment & it looks like those little white pellets inside bean bags. A good day to stay inside & creat wonderful things! I'm working on a children's pillow right now & then moving on to a St. Patrick's theme painting. HAVE A GREAT DAY! xox

Here Comes the Ring Bearer!

I could NOT pass up this adorable kitty bride & groom fabric applique when I came across it & happened to have some other fabric pieces that looked like they were just MADE to go with it so I bought a little trim & ribbon & made this cute Ring Bearer pillow! I don't know of anyone who's ever had a "cat themed" wedding but who says there can't be cats on the ring bearer pillow??? I really love how it turned out. It'll be heading for my Etsy shop as soon as I can get better pictures of it. The lighting was not good today.

I have some other cute vintage cat appliques so I'm sure more pillows & goodies will be popping up soon. Happy FAT Tuesday everyone!

Zoolou Made the Paper!

Zoolou's pic in the lower left corner

Picture I submitted

Zoolou's on her way to celebrity status! I entered her in our local "Most Beautiful Cat" contest & out of 145 entries she is one of 15 finalists! You can see her picture in the newspaper down in the lower left corner by itself. Of course she thinks they "showcased" her picture intentionally & not because they ran out of room - ha. I entered her just for fun & knowing we'd all get a kick out of seeing her in the paper if she did get picked as a finalist. The winner gets a $50 gift certificate, which of course I'd turn around & give to the rescue group we got her from in Kansas City. I don't expect her to win & don't really care. I think they are ALL beautiful & I personally love the Calico & Siamese ~ oooh those beautiful BLUE eyes!

If you're bored & need something to do today, pop on over & vote for Zoolou or any of the other kitties! Just click right HERE!

HAPPY HAPPY SATURDAY!

Thank You Teri!

Sweet Teri from Teri & the Cats of Furrydance has given me the wonderful "Sweet Friends" award. Thank you so much! I'm supposed to list 10 things that make me happy & tag 10 other friends for the award. I think ALL of you are SWEET FRIENDS & I might have trouble rounding up 10 so I invite everyone to claim this award!

Here are 10 things that make me happy:

Being together with my family, especially on the holidays.

Visiting my best friend Cindy & talking for hours!

Leisurely weekend mornings with coffee & the newspaper.

Seeing cats & dogs being adopted & going HOME from the Humane Society!

Eating popcorn at the movies.

Red wine, chocolate & a good book!

Thunderstorms!

Antique & vintage shopping!

Long hikes in the woods.

Finishing a painting or craft & knowing it came out just right!

Being blessed with amazing blogger friends like all of YOU!

Have a wonderful weekend & do things that make YOU happy!

Bring on the Parade!

Hooray for Mardi Gras! Here is my newest painting in all its bright, colorful cheeriness! It's now up for grabs on EBAY! Get ready to catch those beads!

HAPPY DAY TO YA!

6" of Snow & No School!

We got the most beautiful wonderfully wet snow overnight & woke up to around 6" & school cancelled! It's so fun to go knock on my kids' doors & tell them "NO SCHOOL! You can sleep in!" They are so excited, especially when it's a Monday! Then I usually go back to bed for a while myself. I hurried & got a few pictures before the snow started falling off the tree branches. It's SO pretty!

A good day to hunker down in my studio & work on my next project. Think I'll have to take a break & make some of my famous pumpkin bread later too! It makes the house smell sooo good ~ Yum! I finished my Mardi Gras painting last night & will post it on my blog & Ebay later today.

How about that game yesterday??? Both teams played SO well & I don't think I've ever seen so many completed passes before! That surprise onside kick by the Saints & interception for a td were just priceless! So happy for New Orleans. Can you imagine how CRAZY Mardi Gras is gonna be now? I think it's already started!

Happy Monday to ya! What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

One Last Valentine Painting~Frida!

" Frida's Valentine's Day" is up for grabs on EBAY!

I got a sudden spark of inspiration yesterday morning & decided to do one more Valentine painting. I love painting Frida, especially holiday themes of her, so here she is! I can't remember the last time we had a bright sunny day here (although I love the snowy, wintery weather) so I had to shoot a pic in dull lighting & the colors in the photo aren't as vivid as they should be. Will try to get a better picture soon.

In the meantime, check out Frida & my other paintings on Ebay! I'm starting a Mardi Gras themed painting next ~ should be fun! Hope you're having an awesome weekend! xoxox

Purrfect Valentine

Purrfect Valentine is up for grabs on Ebay!

Here is my latest (of only 2) Valentine paintings I've done this year. I'm going to take better pictures tomorrow when I have more daylight. It doesn't have the varnish on yet either so it's really a much brighter & prettier pink & purple than this pic shows.

I'm kind of in a rut. Just feeling very uninspired & unmotivated lately. I seem to have lots of ideas for different paintings & sewing projects but can't decide which I should do first & then end up doing none of them! I'm also feeling very amateurish about my Etsy Shop. Is there an "Idiot's Guide to Etsy Selling" at the bookstore??? I know my shop's only been open a few months & it takes a while to get noticed amongst the thousands of shops on there ~ I just wish I knew some tricks to getting more exposure. How do some shops receive 800 views just a few hours after an item is listed??? I know you can "showcase" an item which I've done a few times & that seems to generate more views but once that day is over it dies down.

Oh well, I guess I need to give it time. Any advice would be appreciated!

Pillow Heart Finished!

Voila! Got my little heart pillow finished quicker than I thought. I think it turned out really sweet. Already got it in the SHOP too. Now I'm ready to do something PINK for Valentine's Day! I'm thinking pillow cover.

Oh, & by the way ~ any of you out there have trouble with ribbon-happy cat thieves stealing your sewing supplies? I made a special trip to the store the other day to get blue ribbon, came right home & set the roll down next to my pillows I was working on. The next day when I was ready to work it was nowhere to be found. I looked everywhere! Zoolou, my ornery furball, has stolen my ric rac from my sewing box & drug it around the house several times so naturally I suspected her. Annoyed, I made another trip to the fabric store for more ribbon. Yesterday I heard something bouncing down the stairs & looked over to see my new roll of pink ric rac being batted & chased by Zoolou. She was having so much fun I just let her play with it! (she needed the exercise anyway) Maybe I should think about getting a lid for my sewing box.

A Few More Pillow Ornies in the Shop

Just a quick post to show you 2 new pillow ornies/door hangers I put in the shop this morning. They match the ones I posted earlier. I love the kitty playing with the toilet paper roll! (at least that's what I think it is)

I'm also finishing up a cute heart shaped pillow I'm excited about! Had to run to the fabric store for thread that matched so that slowed me down a bit. I'll post a pic of it soon. By the way, hearts are NOT fun to sew! Too curvy!

Hope everyone's having a happy Monday!