Paint Party Friday: "Two Hearts"

"Two Hearts"

12 x 12 Canvas Pillow

Happy PPF! 

Um, can you believe that it's December tomorrow?! Me either. Anyway, I've been busy painting again (yay) and I now have this girly little pillow to show for it . . . 

"Two Hearts" was drawn on a gessoed surface before being painted with a combination of bold colors in both regular and metallic acrylic paints and glittery pens. She sports a handmade fabric flower in her hair that is accented with a gorgeous (you know I love my crystals ;) Swarovski button. 

Fabric Flower with Swarovski Crystal Button

Canvas Pillow painted in acrylics

Thanks for looking! And whatever you do for the first of December, I hope it's a good one. See you at the Party . . . .

Kristin xo

Lily's Mommy . . .

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, 

while loving someone deeply gives you courage"

-- Lao Tzu

I was recently approached by a lovely woman who's story I wanted to share with you all. It is a story of love and fear, determination and hope. It is a story of a little known cancer that is a deadly killer and sadly, 100% preventable. It is the story of Lily's Mommy:

"I am 43 and a Mother to a quirky little 7 year old, Lily. She is my only child, and my whole world. When Lily was just 3 months old, I was diagnosed with Mesothelioma, a type of cancer that kills 90-95% of those who have it. As I'm sure you can imagine, the first thing that came to mind when I was diagnosed was my baby girl and how I wasn't going to be able to watch her grow up. After intense treatment and recovery, I'm still here almost 7 years later and cancer free! My journey with cancer was a terrifying one and I'd like to turn my pain into purpose and become someone that other people can look to for guidance, inspiration and hope in situations like my own."

In honor of Lily and her Mommy, and to learn more about her journey with cancer and the dangers of asbestos, please check out Heather's Blog. There's a wealth of information there that we can all benefit from . . .

Thank you!

Kristin xo

From "Artist" to Etsy: A Resolution Kept . . .

"You miss 100% of the shots you never take." 

- Wayne Gretzy

You know, if you asked me three years ago if I would have ever (ever, ever, ever) considered myself an "Artist," I would have laughed out loud. A Makeup Artist - yes - but a real artist?! Um, no. Not even a little bit. And yet, here I am. A Mother, Blogger and yeah, an Artist. 

I mean, Art - creating it, studying it, dreaming about it - is my complete passion. Like many of us in this creative Blog Land, I feel lucky to have even found it. I could have gone my whole life not knowing that this joy existed. Not knowing that through creating art - and sharing it with others - I could actually change my life in a profound way - and maybe, just maybe, bring joy to others in the process.  

I have learned in the last few years that creativity and community are the backbone of what we do here. That Bloggers are amazing, gracious people and that together, we can make a difference in our world. I recently completed a painting that I didn't love. (I didn't love it a lot). But what I did like is the concept behind it and the words I wrote to accompany it: 

I love Us. We are talented, generous and Real. And our Art - that intangible bit of fabulousness we create - allows us to blanket the world with Joy. Yeah, Us.

Even though the painting was a major fail, the words that came from it have inspired me to take the next step in my creative journey, one that I have been threatening to do since the beginning of the year. I am going legit.

I have just opened the first retail outlet for my art - an Etsy Shop. I've been biting my nails (and pulling out my hair!) for weeks now as I have catalogued, researched and prepared for the opening. I have put a lot of attention and energy into what to offer, trying to find the most unique items along the way. 

I listened to those who said they wanted to find kits like those I offered for The Summer of Color. So I created several - all bundled together in vintage themed packs (I even have some for Christmas for those who want to journal their way through the holidays) - and hope they'll bring inspiration to the artist and collector alike.

I listened to those who said that they loved my "Santa's Pooped" painting and work on canvas pillows, so I created one in response, my first ever original painting for sale:

I listened to those who asked if I had prints for sale, and selected some of my favorites to offer:

And lastly, I listened to the questions from non-bloggers as to where they can get a IPhone cover like the one I carry, so I had a few of those professionally printed as well:

I'm excited, nervous, anxious and relieved that it is all up and (now) running. I'm proud of myself for taking the risk and eager to learn from all of you how to really run in the Etsy circles . . . . AND, after being a SAHM for 6 years, I'm excited to start this new chapter in my life. Thank you for all of your support and encouragement to do so. . . . 

And for those in the States, I want to wish you Happy, Beautiful and Warm Thanksgiving. May it be full of all of the people and things you love.

Kristin xo

Paint Party Friday: Santa Style

"Santa's Pooped"

12 x 12 Canvas Pillow with Swarovski Crystals

Happy PPF!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . at least in the studio anyway . . . .

You may recall a Santa painting I did a while ago with the same look and title: it was made on December 26th, the day I assume Santa (along with most of us ;) was plain 'ole tuckered out. This year, I decided to recreate him on a 12 x 12 canvas pillow, something that I hope will bring joy (and a little humor) to those who get to sit and visit with him . . . .

I don't actually have the pillow form for him yet, but you can still see what he's lookin' like:

The canvas pillowcase was first primed with Gesso before being drawn with pencil and painted with a variety of acrylic paints, charcoal and glitter pens (he's real sparkly in person). He's gotta lot of sallowness around his eyes to indicate a lack of sleep and a tremendous amount of twinkle in his pom pom stemming from over 50 clear Swarovski crystals.

Now, if I can only get over the fact that Christmas is really around the corner, maybe some more Santas will come out to play . . . .

Thank you for taking the time to look and as always, thank you to Kristin and Eva for being the fabulous hostesses that they are.

Kristin xo

P.S. I want to apologize to anyone whom I may have missed the last time I came to the Party. Google was being fickle and did not let me respond as I normally would. We have finally worked out our differences but again, I 'm so sorry if I missed you in the process.