Work in Progress

I am in the process of creating and stocking my brand new Cafepress store and also restocking my Etsy and Ebay stores. Please hang in there with me as I work on these changes over the next week or so. I have several new designs that will hit the shelves soon! Stay tuned for a sneak peek :-)

First Day of 5th Grade

Well, I made it through the first day of school. I did cry but that was to be expected. Reed had a wonderful first day of 5th grade at his new school. He even ran into two of his classmates from the private school who have also transferred over this year. He was pretty excited about seeing them. Here are a few photos I snapped of him this morning. Looking way too grown up!
So handsome in Aeropostale gear...which is his favorite store. This is typical Reed. He is the happiest child and is always laughing and smiling.

Now I'm off to enjoy some serious chill time with the family. Have a blessed weekend!

Back to School Time

Oh my goodness! I can hardly believe that it's back to school time already. It's also hard to believe that my "baby" is now officially a 5th grader. Oh, how time flies! With the beginning of a new school year come many changes for us. Reed will be attending public school after having been a student at a private Christian academy. While the decision to change schools was a difficult one, we feel it's ultimately the best decision for our son and our family. He is going from a school of just over 100 to a school of almost 1,000 kids just in the 3rd-5th grades. WOW! The new school is huge but offers so many opportunites that he didn't have before.

He is SO excited! We went for registration and met his teachers and some of the other staff members this morning. I truly believe he is where he is meant to be for 5th grade. We are just trusting God to help him with the transition.

We also met Mr. Bart Williams who is one of the school's Guidance Counselors very briefly when we first visited the school and I have to say how impressed I am with him that both times we have seen him since he has remembered and called Reed by name. Amazing!

I love this! Reed checking out the Library set up at his new school. This was last week when we went for our first visit. When we were there today, we noticed that they now have beachy pillows in the tubs and a really cool tropical rug. I love the rainforest theme of the Library...really cool. The glass doors behind him lead out to a Courtyard that is used for reading.

I always cry on the first day of school so I'm sure tomorrow will be no exception. Yes, I tend to be a little emotional sending my only child back to school after a summer at home with me. At least I wait until he is out of sight to let it flow. Bring on the Kleenex!!

I found this new toy on someone's blog and now I am so hooked on it. I'm redoing my dining room so I came up with this mock up design. I've painted my walls in Palm Grove which is a cross between Lime and Olive Green. My dining room table and chairs are painted black and I'm using white as an accent color. I will post pictures when I finish...in the meantime, enjoy the collage.


Try it for yourself at the following link....http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/home

Finally! Here are the pics I promised in the last post. Reed had a blast swimming and hanging out with his cousins Avery and Lane. He loves spending time with them. They live 45 minutes away so we don't have as much time with them as we would like. We cherish the moments we do have with them.

Stevie and I are off to enjoy a pizza, a movie and some much needed chill time. Have a blessed and safe weekend!!

I am such a bad blogger :-( I haven't posted in almost a month. We have simply been enjoying the summer together and I've been working on some projects around the house. I'm on a mission to de-clutter my home and I'm doing it one room at a time. Clutter+Busy Life=Stress. So, it is my goal to be clutter free by Christmas...hopefully sooner but I have to set fairly realistic goals for myself. I've finished the Living Room and Dining Room and will post some pics later. I'm basically moving everything out of each room, painting, cleaning and then putting back only what I want and need in the rooms. It's such a painful yet liberating experience. I will keep you updated on my progress.

Meanwhile, here are a few photos of Reed swimming with his cousins....

Ok, blogger is having some problems with photo uploads so I will post the pics later. Until then, be blessed!

New ETSY shop link

I just opened a new ETSY shop!! Click on the Must Love Art banner to be taken to my listings. I've listed some old favorites but will be adding new paintings over the next couple of weeks so check back often as I'm in the process of creating my inventory.

Thanks so much for taking a look!

Abstract Monday

I haven't posted in a few days so I thought I would share a couple of custom paintings I just completed for clients.
Bless this home was a special request created for a wedding gift. This was handpainted on an 8x10 canvas in browns and teal. I created a faux suede background to match the decor of the newlyweds new home. Congrats and may God bless you with a wonderful life together!

This abstract floral is hand painted in acrylics on a 20x30 canvas. This was a custom abstract for a Penelope's client to match her dining room decor. I love how this turned out. Upon the "unveiling" my husband's exact words were "That's flippin' sweet!" His reaction to my work was better than getting paid :-) Thanks honey for your support!

Floral Abstract canvas hanging over the loveseat.

Canvas in progress on the easel. As you can see I use paper plates for my palette....love them!

My big guy Reed enjoying a Caramel Cowpaccinno from Maggie Moos after his MRI in Jackson last week. I have to say PRAISE THE LORD for the good report that we received today. God is good!

and....last but not least our crazy kitty Babycat. He has had a rough week. He is an indoor cat and we never let him out but he somehow ended up with fleas. Steve had quite a time trying to give the cat a bath and keep him in the tub. It was horrible hearing the cat cry but it was for his own good. We treated him with some expensive treatment from the vet and now I'm happy to say he is "flea free."

Penelope's New Logo

I had so much fun designing this logo for Penny at Penelope's! I love how it turned out. I also just completed her new E-Newsletter so if you're not on the mailing list and want to be email me and let me know. Her gallery is full of an ever changing plethera of awesome creative talent. She is always adding new artisans and offers some really cool art workshops for those of you who are in the area. Penny is a sweetheart and you will just love her! I do offer graphic design services for small businesses, churches, schools, etc. I hand draw the graphics and work with you to create the "perfect" logo.

Survivor Sunday!

This blog post is in honor of my Mom who is a 4 year breast cancer survivor. She walked the "Walk of Hope" at the Obion County Relay for Life last night in Union City, TN. We weren't able to drive up for the event but were cheering her on just the same. We love you Mom and are so thankful you are a SURVIVOR!!

Passing out balloons to the survivors just before the Walk of Hope.
My Mom (Phyllis) holding her balloon waiting to make the lap around the track to celebrate being a survivor.
(My Mom's words taken from the email she sent)....The sad part of the walk is that there were several small children. The one with the pink cap is Audri....she is kin to my daughter in law Angie's family, she has leukemia. The other little girl I ask about her condition and she's in remission right now.
(My Mom's words).....It's always a sad yet happy time and a special time of giving thanks for still being a survivor. God is good!!!
(My Mom's words).....The elderly lady walking beside me is a 27 yr survivor, her name is Norma Williams, in her 80's and is very well known as the "Yard Sale Queen" in U.C.Releasing the balloons at the end of the walk. This is a very special time and very emotional.
(My Mom's words).....I didn't see Tim and his family until the end of the walk, I saw little Lane first, he was giving me extra big claps as I walked by, he said. That was so sweet!:-)

Yes, God is good!