A Special ABC Moment

{canvas art by trendypeas}

We made a trip again to the hospital yesterday. Kathy has started opening her eyes, but she wasn't focusing on anything when we were there. She was in a lot of pain so her pain meds would make her go in and out of sleep. Right now we're not sure what she can see but we know she hears us and can do certain things on command. While trying to keep Kaelyn entertained by her bedside, which isn't an easy task, I decided to say the abc's with her. Kaelyn repeated the entire alphabet minus the 'w', which is a pretty hard letter for a little kid! I was so impressed and daddy said "give me a high five!" Kaelyn gave him one and then she wanted to give Kathy one. Kathy was certainly listening and let go of David's hand she was holding and raised her hand for a high five!!! It was certainly a special moment for all of us! Still lots of prayers needed for Kathy to keep progressing. It is certainly a blessing to have seen her come this far; we just pray it continues and she can go home to her family soon!

Sweet Fairy

Happy Halloween! Tuesday night I finished making part of her costume. I thought their needed to be some pink and extra fluff on the bottom so I made a pink tutu to go under the green one, then made the head piece, and wrapped some matching pink and green flowers with tulle. Wednesday I thought I would be able to take some pictures of her in the costume but she had an awful attitude that day and wouldn't allow the head piece to touch her head... which she usually loves headbands, hats and clips. I thought oh great who knows if she will ever want to wear the costume. Thursday though I found her trying to put everything on herself and was getting frustrated. She put on the head piece and said she was "pretty". So I knew I had to get some photos later that day. When daddy came home I figured he could help distract her to sit nice for the camera. She of course didn't want to sit still, was running around her room, sorting through her books and dancing. I just know I have to take a whole bunch so I can hopefully get a couple good ones. When she had finally had enough and was changed back to regular play clothes and I was going through the pictures on the computer, she went and got her wings!!! Her wings that I had totally forgot to put on for the pictures(shown above)!!! Wings make the whole costume, so to my great delight I knew I had to try all over again. I didn't think their would be any chance of her wanting to do any more that day but after her night sippy I asked her if she wanted to put her costume back on and she yelled "yeah!!!" so back to her room we went for more pictures. So here is the fairy with wings...

She took a second to see what she looked like. This shot showed the tutu the best. Then she was off to grab a book.

She would NOT look at mommy when she's busy looking at a book! :)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Hanging Inspiration

{Photo by DharmaLemon}

Fun and clever! Once my art room is finished I would love to hang cards of inspiration and other creative pieces in a corner or along a wall above my desk. A great way to add color, texture, depth and visual stimulation to a room. I'm sure I'll be hanging some of Kaelyn's artwork too. She's only 20 months and getting circles down and working on stars! I know I've said it plenty of times before, but I still can't believe how fast she's growing up. She's been saying so many words. Just this week she started saying thank you and love you... which just melts my heart! :)

Commissioned House Painting

my acrylic painting

photo of home

Usually my commissioned artwork pieces involve portraits or pets and are done in various drawing mediums. This was my first painting of a home. I used acrylic on a hardboard panel and was pretty happy with the result. There are different textures that can be seen on the original. I love seeing the handmade qualities up close!

This week I will be very busy trying to get Touched Creatively's winter issue finished up so it can be proofed next week. I need to finish up some wedding invitation designs and get them sent off towards the end of this week. I also need to finish Kaelyn's Halloween costume in the next couple of days. I'm in need of another month or at least a couple extra weeks to get it all done! Well, I better get to it! Happy Monday!

Talented Photographer Kevin Bierbaum

I was planning on sharing a family photo that the talented new photographer, Kevin Bierbaum, took of us but then I decided not to because it will be a better surprise for those of you family members and close friends that get a card from us every Christmas. I will be sure to share them on here later though for everyone to see. I was so impressed by Kevin's photos he took of my husband this summer riding his bike. They turned out amazing! I love the vivid colors and the beautiful South Dakota background! I was thrilled when he decided to practice with us on some family portraits! We have very few good ones of our family so I was elated when he got a few great ones of the three of us in the great outdoors. Although, portraits aren't one of his favorite photography subjects he will be glad to do it and he does an amazing job!!! Check out Kevin's website for some beautiful nature and still life photographs.

Here are some more shots he took of David...Thanks Kevin for all the photographs you took of David biking and running and of our family! They are such wonderful keepsakes! The memories will last forever through your work and will mean a lot to our children one day. Keep up the amazing work!

Butterfly Print Now Available!

My acrylic painting, "Spreading Her Wings" is now available in my Etsy shop! I was up too late last night getting it in my shop and then I couldn't get my detail print to upload. Just figured it out this morning that for some reason the file saved to CMYK unlike the other two RGB files. Not sure why that happened but at least I figured out what was wrong. So there are two options to choose from the full image above or the cropped image below. The original painting measures 16"x20" and was done on canvas. The 8"x10" prints turned out amazing and show the detailed texture of the canvas and vivid colors which just can't be captured in these pictures. You can check HERE if your interested in knowing more of the print details. It is a fun, freeing and whimsical painting.

Have a great day!

A New Week...

Photo by i.Anton

A bit of magic to lighten your heart... that's what i.Anton's photos do for me. Simply amazing photography! Hopefully this is a start to a much better week. I couldn't believe all the horrible news that kept coming last week. Since there was too much of it and I don't want this to be a depressing blog I will just say, health and family are blessings often overlooked. Don't take either for granted because in a blink of an eye everything can change!

So onto better news. I finally got outside yesterday afternoon to get some good photos of artwork to share this week. It took so long since Kaelyn and I were both sick this last week on top of everything else. I will soon share the finished commissioned painting with you and "Spreading Her Wings" print will be available in my Enduring Arts etsy shop within the next couple of days.

Baby Boy Announcement Design "Little Pilot"

With all of our not so good news lately I decided to share a joyful design with you. This is only one of my three designs that I sent the new parents to choose from. I'm sharing this one since it wasn't chosen so I'll post the other 2 later. They are using one design to send out through email and the other as a printed announcement for close family. Since Andrew's daddy is a pilot we went with a pilot theme for the designs. If your interested in having me design baby announcements (or any kind of announcement) email me at enduringarts@gmail.com.

Yesterday we spent a good part of the day at the hospital and plan on going back tomorrow for awhile. David found out yesterday his aunt has cancer so will be undergoing treatment for that, so hopefully she can beat that monster of a disease. My cousin is also having more tests/biopsies done today. She has internal problems as well and no doctor has been able to figure out her problems. Bone growths and horrible pain. Doctors don't know what to do so just throw more drugs at her which doesn't help! Lots of praying going on here and have HOPES for a brighter future for our family and others who are fighting for their health.

With God's Help...

... Anything is possible! My husband is keeping in close contact with his mother via text messaging for Kathy's updates. The latest from his mom said, "She moved both legs, wiggled toes, squeezed my hand, and tried to hold up two fingers on command! Your prayers are working!"
Thank you all so much for your prayers. We appreciate it so much. Let's keep them up and bring her out of this! To keep posted on Kathy's progress and offer words of encouragement and support you can follow her Caring Bridge site. Thank you!

Prayer Request!

Last night we found out my husband's sister was in a horrible car accident due to icy roads. Please pray for her and her family... her husband and two young children. We're praying God will give her body the strength to pull through. It really puts in perspective how important family is and how in one instant everything can change. Never take your loved ones for granted no matter what age they are!

Relax and Enjoy!

{Photo from Indigo Rain via Anthropologie}

This photo makes me think of the boat my husband built several years ago. Really it doesn't seem that long ago, but then yesterday seemed like Monday! Hopefully next year our family will get to enjoy the row boat more. Next time we go I think we should add some pillows and blankets! Looks so comfy! Although I don't think ours would look so nice because they are bound to get soaked some how. Have a great weekend!

Oh and if your interested in seeing how a special person/talented jewelry designer made my day click HERE! Some of her work can also be seen on Touched Creatively's blog.

Yellow Vintage Couch

I'm not sure why I'm drawn to couches and purses the way I am, but there are so many out there that like to call my name! Ha! Good thing purses don't take up too much space and Kaelyn likes to play with the small ones I don't use anymore. As far as the couches go, well I already have three and since I don't have any extra space for another I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with a photo of it. I love the cheerfulness of this color! If you want to grab it, head on over to The Vintage Supply Company before its sells!

"Inner Strength" featured in Treasury

The fashion designer of GEOmetricSTYLE featured my "Inner Strength" painting in her treasury! Thank you so much for picking my piece to be included in this beautiful collection! Below is one of my favorite creations from her shop. Her handmade items are made all the way in Argentina! Its amazing all the different places you can meet people from through etsy and the internet in general! Anyways, go check out her shop for creative handbags, skirts and dresses.

New Acrylic Painting! "Spreading Her Wings"

Happy Monday! This last weekend was a productive painting time for me. I finished my commissioned painting first. I'll show pictures of that one after it gets shipped off. Then I finished the above acrylic painting that I had started quite awhile ago at the once a month art studio day. Sorry the photo isn't that great of it but I couldn't wait to share it. I am waiting for a nice sunny day so I can get some good pictures of it in natural light and then soon after I will get some prints of it in my Etsy shop. I titled the painting "Spreading Her Wings" due to the fact it was inspired by my little girl who is growing and changing so quickly. Most of the time she thinks she can do everything by herself. It seems like she was born only a couple months ago and now she's literally flying around the house at full speed. I am treasuring the moments when she crawls into my lap to have a story read, or comes over to me to give me a hug and kiss 'just because'. Children can melt a parents heart so easily; it's a whole new world of love we had never known.

More info will be coming about the painting when I get a good print of it, so be sure to check back in a few days. Off to work on a new post for Touched Creatively's blog and then to work on the next kid inspired issue.

Creative Relaxation

As long as there weren't pesky bugs around, wouldn't this be a great way to relax? I can just picture laying on this beautiful hammock from Melange, reading a good book or magazine and drinking a favorite beverage with the beauty of nature surrounding me. Okay, heading out of dream land now to make a toddler happy instead. Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

About the Melange Collection, "We have made a personal commitment to improve the lives and communities of these artisans as we bring their unique talents to you. Know that when you purchase Melange products you are helping to change the world." Have to love that!

Fairy Sweetness... Too CUTE!

{Photo by Tracy Joy Photography}

Its October already? I can't believe how quickly 2009 has flown by! We're to the month where little ones get to dress up and be shown off in their cute costumes. I just had to share this adorable one from Hannahs Tutus. And I just have to say this model is pure cuteness!

Yes, my little Kaelyn is going to be a fairy. Maybe not quite as cute of a costume as the one above but I can't wait to see how it turns out and to get some fun photos of her in it.

Creative Work Spaces I Heart

{Image by cplamann via Apartment Therapy}

So one of the last rooms in our house to be remodeled is my art room. I've looked at a few different spaces that inspire me. The one above is the most realistic for my space. I like how the fabric is used to hide the less pretty things... aka junk. My studio will have a lot more art and craft supplies then the one shown and I'm sure it will be quite a bit messier!

{Images via Anahata Katkin's Blog}

I absolutely love this pink office space. I can be quite the girly girl sometimes. (However I wasn't so when I was younger and I grew up on a farm with a hunting family and horses, so anyone with that background knows what I'm talking about!) My art room won't be near large enough to do this setup. The intricate wood details are awesome! I'm thinking my husband wouldn't get around to doing that project for me. Anyways, just wanted to share the beautiful space.

New Bike and Prayer Prints!

New bike and prayer print designs were added to my Enduring Arts Etsy shop over the weekend and today. Check it out HERE if your interested. I've also redesigned my etsy banner and avatar. Hope your having a great Monday!

A Little Girl's Dream Clothing Giveaway

The chance to win a $300 gift certificate to Eden's Bouquet is going on right now! If you have young children, even young boys head on over to their blog and website to browse and enter. Their collection of clothing is beyond beautiful! (I even love the photography.) If you don't want to enter, put my name in!!! Ha!... no, I'm serious! I would love to win.
(Thanks Amy for sharing the news!)

Water Girl

My fabulously fit husband ran a running race this morning of 15.2 miles. He's never run that far before but ended up doing an amazing job. He came in fourth place overall! He even beat the relay teams! How crazy is that!? He looked like he could have kept going for another 20. Kaelyn and I went every few miles to encourage the front runners and give David a drink a couple times.

I love the creative water bottles above. They will be available soon for purchase at PAPAYA! Check their shop out. They have a nice assortment of gifts and other items to spoil yourself!

Pretty Purple Treasury

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=69494

Happy Friday! I was excited to find out that I was featured in another Etsy treasury. This beautiful collection was picked by Southstreet. Thank you so much for choosing my painting to go along with your other pretty selections! Here are the links to the treasury items above:

1. Purple Bloom Original Watercolor Painting by artwatercolor

2. African Dream Necklace by southstreet

3. Vintage Sweets Necklace by Scandalously

4. Double Ring Round Circle in Violet by IsMoreNa

5. Combined Mini Hoops by Meetalls

6. Pleated Neckline Top by Lirola

7. Pleated Velvet Slouchy Bag by mystudio

8. Plum Purple Freshwater Pearl Earrings by cindylouwho2

9. Purple Rain Lariat/Scarf by Silvia66

10. Iridescent Royal Blue Stained Glass Butterfly by glassnwood

11. Koro by poaplum

12. Inner Strength Fine Art Print by ME! enduringarts

All these artists are so talented! I love this collection!

Fashion Love

If I had a lot of money I would LOVE to have the J.Crew collection in my closet!

Just lovely isn't it!?

New Blog Look!

Photo by i.Anton

I finally got around to doing some updating on my blog. I will continue to work on updating the side and adding more links but at least I have a start. I'm planning on sharing more photos that inspire me and that I just think are very creative and beautiful... like the one above. Hope you enjoy it!

Big News on Monday!

Yesterday was an exciting day on my family's side. It was my parents 35th wedding anniversary, way to go mom and dad! The other big news was I became an aunt! Yippee! Just wish England was a lot closer to my house! Here's a little picture of Andrew. Isn't he adorable!?

Fun Photos!

I'll start from earlier last week... I finished the painting of Kaelyn! It was taken from a photo when she was four months old. Its a fun piece to decorate her room with and the light pink looks nice against her light lime green wall. David and I did get a bunch of remodeling projects completed. His upstairs railing is now in and lots of carpeting and painting is done as well. Still one more room and a bathroom left to do in our upstairs. Not looking forward to that project!

Moving on to last Friday, it was a fun day rather than the normal design/work day. Kaelyn was elated too since her little friend Sydney came to spend the day with her. Not long after Syd came in our door Kaelyn was giving her a hug. So cute! (Sydney is a little less than 2 months older than Kaelyn.) After playing for awhile, us moms decided to take the girls out for a little photo shoot. Of course Miss Kaelyn never looked at my camera once but I still happened to get some pretty cute shots of her.

This was my main view of Kaelyn. She loved running across the bridge.

One of my favorite photos captured, even though she was looking at the other two.We brought bubbles along for the girls, and after I blew some for them they decided to take over. Marci captured the one above of Sydney sharing and letting Kaelyn blow.
This was on the stroller ride home. The girls would hold hands only when being pushed. Glad I grabbed my camera to capture it even if it was a little hard to push straight and take a good picture. Come visit again soon girls! Kaelyn always shows her best behavior when she's around the two of you.

Busy week ahead. Need to get a lot of work done on the commissioned painting and really hoping to get some other design projects done that I've been hoping to do for awhile. Trying to get as much done before working on the third issue of Touched Creatively. Have a great week everyone!

Bantam Photograph Retouched

Pretty much anything you want done to a photograph I can make happen. This was a project request from my brother and sister-in-law. They wanted this specific photo taken of the bantam and then told me what they wanted to see changed. I was asked to change the background, add a pile of dirt, change the name on the door, change everything to sepia (brown tint) but have a bit of the orange color coming through. They also didn't want too much white on the picture as white will not be an accent color in the room it is going in. So here you can see the before and after result. Its been approved and shipped. Thanks for the fun project! I love manipulating photos! If you have a photo that you really like but would like something changed on it to make it even better, please email me at enduringarts@gmail.com.

Growing up so quickly...

I am still in shock at how fast kids grow up. It seems like we just had Kaelyn. Why do they have to grow up so fast? Its like she went from 2 months to 19 months in no time. She sure is at a fun age though. She has us cracking up everyday with something new. Whether its her answers to our questions or imitating us. I wasn't feeling well last night and David put his wrist on my head to see if I had a temp. Five minutes later Kaelyn comes up puts her wrist on my cheek and I was wondering what she was doing. Then she crawls up on me and puts it on my forehead and I had to laugh; I realized what she was doing. The whole night she was Nurse Kaelyn seeing if my temp was okay! Due to a headache, sore throat, and an on and off again stomach ache I wasn't able to make it to art studio day today. I had been planning on going for a month, and was ready to get my commissioned painting finished up. Was bummed about that but I did work on it for awhile this afternoon at home. I've also been working on a picture of Kaelyn at night. It will work perfect in her room when I get it done. It makes her smile too.
I only have about a quarter left on Kaelyn's picture. This was when she was 4 months old. I love her smile! It makes the commissioned painting look small but really Kaelyn's is quite large. It is 2 feet wide! The house painting is only about half done. I have a lot of details needing to be added. I will post more pictures once they are completed. Have a great rest of the weekend and stay healthy!

Little Singer...

This was too funny I had to share. I was busy printing and here Kaelyn grabs a little weight and just goes to town singing. By the time I got the camera her songs were pretty short, but they are still a good laugh! Who ever knew a weight would make a perfect pretend microphone! This entertainer just turned 19 months yesterday. (Sorry the video is sideways!)

Treasury Feature

I was pleasantly surprised to get an email saying one of my paintings was featured in an Etsy treasury. Thank you FiveSparrows for featuring "Seeking Your Path"! It is so much fun getting comments and emails about your work and knowing people really enjoy it.

Well tomorrow should go back to a fairly normal schedule. This last weekend was full of remodeling projects. Saturday was full of problems which I won't get into all the details here, but it was a disaster! I think David hopes to never put in another piece of carpet too. He is so good at it though! :) Now I have lots of things to move around and get organized. David is currently working on a banister for the upstairs hallway. His next project after that is commissioned kitchen cabinets. So I won't be seeing him much for the next 3 months. As for me, other than doing a lot of painting in our upstairs, I've been working on a commissioned acrylic painting of a newly built house in Minnesota and another project involving a photography retouching piece of a Bantam which I will post pictures of when I'm done. Hoping both projects go smoothly and turn out well! Never a dull moment in our household and Kaelyn can't get enough of the newly carpeted stairs... even if she does fall down them! What a determined little bugger! Have a great week everyone!

New Magazine Issue is Available!

I thought I would let you know that the fall issue is now available for purchase (just in case you haven't see it on Touched Creatively's website or blog). Choose between a download version or a printed issue if you want to see some amazing creative talents. I love the personality in this issue! I hope you check it out and find it to be inspiring. Have a fabulous weekend!