Paris Pastries!

New in the shop today!

An 8 pack of yummy "Thank You" cards with my PARIS PASTRIES painting on the front! (prints, of course)!

How often have you found yourself in need of a card that thanked someone for caring for your pet while you were on vacation, or for picking up your child from school? Maybe you need a gift for someone who has helped you plan your wedding or a special event....why not buy them a package of sweet cards?

I'm getting a bit hungry after seeing all of this pink frosting!

Wishing you all a bright, sunny day!

It's beautiful here, in Maryland today! Yay!

Sweet Pack!

Greetings from the East Coast, where today, the winds are high and beating harshly on my windows. It's storming outside and even the birds seem to have vanished...

as I have today.

Yes, I have shut myself in to this tranquil studio space for the day with a fresh pot of coffee- the bold, Italian blend from Starbuck's. My fave!

I have been putting together these, "sweet Packs" for my etsy shop. I did get them listed. 

I thought that a variety pack of cards would be nice, so in this pack, I have included 4 Thank You's, chocolate cream cardstock, 2 pink Birthday cards (female), and 2 blue Birthday cards (male).

Enjoy!

I had planned on going out for a walk today, but now, with all this rain...

I think I'll continue on with creativity...

and a movie!

Emma Jean Loves Easter...

Meet Emma Jean!

Emma Jean loves Easter and always participates in the annual craft bizarre in her small community.

Located just a few blocks from the church, and just across the street from, "The Dairy Freeze", an average of 20 women will gather in Hank's old garage to sell their handcrafted goods.

Now Emma Jean proudly displays a small sampling of her talent...

around her neck, on her head...

and if you could only see her shoes. Uh hum. She has hand-carved little, yellow chicks from twigs and calls these treasures her original, "Chick N' Clips". (Once hot glued onto clothespins, they may be clipped onto shoes, handbags, etc.). You get the idea. Only $2.00 a pair.

Oh yes.

Emma Jean loves Spring...

and Easter.

I hope that everyone out there is feeling it! SPRING is upon us!

WEAR YOUR HATS (and eggs) proudly!

Renewal...

It's not always easy to "stay on track". We do lose our balance while juggling life! I find that it's quite difficult to pick up where I left off because I am out of practice, with no routine again. For me, getting back to that comfortable, creative mode is especially tough.

This painting almost found it's way...

right into the trash can!

Seriously. It was my first painting in a very long while. I certainly needed an angel's assistance, and so, I had already decided that I was going to paint an angel. Little did I know that this angel would take nearly 3 days to complete!

I began with a sketch. Although her face was all wrong, I did not concern myself much with that because I wasn't ready for the details yet. I would return to the face at a later stage.

For the time being, I tried to enjoy the process by adding "earthy" colors to create a background.

A mess!

Absolute mess.

I saw stripes, streaks, and muddy colors.

I used watercolors, pastel pencils, colored pencils.

Still...

a mess!

I have been in a bad frame of mind anyway with my family flying back to kansas...

without me.

I have been feeling so terribly homesick.

Easter is just around the corner and I cannot help but to reflect on the wonderful Easter memories BD. (Before Divorce). He and I always dyed Easter eggs and played Easter bunny for one another, and to others!

We shared nice Easter dinners with family. Home baked aromas filled the home in which I so loved. My favorite place to be.

So, with a mind filled with such gloom, no wonder I could not paint. It really does show up in art- moods, emotions.

I allowed myself the time to burrow beneath the blankets, cry, eat candy, watch movies...

and the sad painting to sit, unfinished, on top of my work table.

2 days passed. I was feeling "human" again.

I went back to my angel.

Renewal was found that day...

for both she and I.

Easter Blessings!

Happy Thursday to all!

I'm trying to get back into my art/ work routine. It felt fabulous to have the morning java in my art studio again!

Today I have listed in my etsy shop, a package of eight EASTER greetings, blank inside. The front of each card showcases a print of my "Emily" piece.

Oh, how I love Spring and all things new!

Wishing you a glorious day!

Absence...

 I have missed my blog. Quite frankly, I miss many things in my life right now. It's been a past year of LOSS and change. It really hit me hard after my family left last Sunday. We were all together for 7 glorious days...
but now, so many miles apart all over again.
I often miss my "home" and the life that I once had (when it was happy and stable). I miss my former job, my friends and co-workers,...not to mention, the precious children. I really miss my family.
Yes, I made this decision to move so far away, but only because I really did not have many other options, and because the divorce was a painful one, I did not feel that residing in the same small town with all of the reminders and memories would be healthy.
I wanted a fresh start and pretty surroundings to inspire me with my creative goals.
Everything in life has it's "trade-offs". Do we ever really know which ones are the right ones? I suppose only time will tell.
Until then, I savor these photos and precious memories!
I am so blessed to have this wonderful family!

 We went to Cape May, NJ on the Lewes Ferry. We stayed together in a darling beach house.
We also hit the crazy streets in New York City, we saw our breath-taking beauty, "The Statue Of Liberty".

Of course I had a backpack full of camera equipment and enjoyed taking photos of everything colorful and interesting.

We spent some time in Baltimore, MD...

saw a dolphin show at the amazing aquarium!

We went to Assateague Island and got to mingle with the wild horses! Amazing!

I took it all in.

I do love to explore.

I will carry these memories with me...

for the rest of my life.

Nikon D90

Hello out there!

It's been awhile, yes, I know.

Sometimes I wander off and neglect my blog. I've also neglected my art, however, I am always using my creativity in some way! Right now I am enjoying my new Nikon D90 camera and lenses! So much to learn yet.

I'll get plenty of practice this next week. My entire family will arrive here in Maryland on Sunday! They decided to spend Spring break with me! We have so much planned and I will once again be busy so I may not be in blogland much...

but I promise...

I will return with many new photos and much to tell!

Wishing you all a glorious Spring break!