ART SHOW!

The event is free and open to the public. Enjoy refreshments while viewing art created by some amazing artists all the way from Watertown SD to Sioux Falls SD. My artwork will be there as well as the challenge pieces my art club has been working on... this was where everyone did there own interpretation of the same photo in their preferred medium. Should be lots of fun and LOTS to see! We would love to have you stop by any time between 2:00 to 6:00!

Happy Easter!

I might be a bit biased but I think this is the cutest Easter card ever! :)

{drawing by K age 3}

I hope you all had a wonderful day!

Weekend Happenings

It was a work filled weekend, cold and windy. I thought family from away would be interested in seeing some photos especially with the high water...

Looking off the deck.

Thankfully this is our family's cabin... not our home! My dad actually helped build the cabin with his family several years ago and it has been a wonderful place for extended family to gather in the warm months. My dad definitely has a big job keeping the place up since he lives close by... and well at this time of year it really is a BIG job!!! He's doing his best to save the place. My hubby and I were happy to help him out by doing some more sand bagging on Friday. I was surprised at how much ice there still was on the lake. Since it was such a windy day the ice did serve a good purpose by keeping the waves from crashing in.

Water has never been so high. For those of you who haven't seen the cabin in person, there is usually green grass to the trees then there are HUGE rocks that then go down to a beach area. I think it was 3 years ago when we had a large beach area. Crazy how quickly that changed.

This is the main highway 81. Only trucks can pass.

This is looking to the right of there.

There will be lots of clean up this summer.

The ice and wind have been so powerful it went right through some places. Again, its lucky that most of these places are summer getaways, but there are some year round homes here too. Another reminder that earthly items come and go.

As soon as we got home from sand bagging it started snowing like crazy and snowed on and off all weekend. No, I'm not even going to complain this time. Things could always be much worse... plus a little person was definitely excited to go sledding and build a snowman again.

Then it was Palm Sunday!

She had lots of fun with what she called her "feather", ha, ha... it was almost as big as her!

Then that night she was writing her name all by herself for the first time. She's been writing HI for a long time now but that is all she wanted to write, didn't even want to try any other letters until this last Sunday night. Boy was she excited with what she could do! :)

Too cute! I am so proud of this little girl and feel so lucky to have her in my life every day!

We are so blessed!

What are YOU doing here???

What are you doing here in South Dakota, he asked? My quick thought... my family thought it was a fabulous idea to live where it is freezing and I'd feel bad to move away from them. (Yeah, it's freezing here again and snow is in the forecast!) Ha, ha. But seriously it is a great question. What are we doing here, in this place right now on earth? Are we helping others?... doing good things?... or are we simply existing from one day to the next, focusing on ourselves and what is the next best thing we need to buy? Yes, we are all sinners but we are able to help others and should do so.

I went to this speaking event last night with a group of ladies, and let's say we were all very impressed! If you ever have the opportunity to hear Don Piper and Bill Wiese speak please do not pass up the chance!

I read the book 90 Minutes in Heaven a few years ago, and it is a very good book that is unforgettable (and to be honest I don't have the best memory... just saying), but then to see and hear the story from Don in person was even more amazing. If you don't believe in God now and you hear these men talk, I seriously don't know how it can't change your mind. If you've never heard of Don Piper I'll give you a quick glimpse of what happened to him. He was in a horrible car accident... body parts were not attached anymore, he was pronounced dead, yes DEAD at the scene of the accident. A pastor who was on his way home felt called by God to pray for this man and so after talking his way into the scene of the accident he layed his hand on Don's shoulder and prayed. Don is ALIVE today and tells his story of seeing heaven and coming back to this Earth to do more of God's work. Let me just add, after Don's accident people at the hospitals said he wouldn't make it, he would never walk and do this and that... looking at him last night you would have never known he was in an accident and had 34 operations and some operations that included reattaching body parts! To those who do not believe... how is this possible???

Then there was Bill who talked about an out of body experience where he visited hell. He also showed a short video and oh my goodness it was disturbing. There is not one good thing about hell and you do not want to go there or have anyone you love go there! I would much rather believe in something that doesn't exist then to not believe and then suffer enormous consequences if it in fact was true... just a thought.

Anyway, get your hands on these books if you haven't already. Check them out in your town's or church's library if you don't want to purchase them. It's a good read and it will make you think. Are you doing what you should be?

Commissioned Modern Pet Portrait

One of my latest commissioned jobs... one happy dog. :)

Painted with acrylic on a 16"x12" wrapped canvas.

Here is the photo I was sent to work from:

Edges are painted in the pop of color chosen by the client.

Linking up again with Studio Sneak Peek via (in)courage. Check it out to meet some talented souls and see what they've been working on lately. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Little weather update: Our snow is almost gone! Yay! It's actually been in the 50's for a few days. That's like 80's for some of you lucky people. :) Anyway, we're definitely happy for the warmer temps... although Kaelyn now wants to build a snowman. Ha, ha.

PEACE {completed painting}

I think I'm finally finished. Titled "PEACE"...

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

{cropped view}

Painted with acrylic on a 24"x18" wrapped canvas. Edges painted a light sea glass blue green.

What I'm Loving and Not

I love that this girl makes me laugh several times a day! And all her kisses!

(even the attempted ones, ha, ha)

I love that she's so much like her daddy.

She made a little tool box.

Again like her daddy. She couldn't wait to get her bike outside and ride.

This was eleven days ago... one actually pretty nice day.

Family ride to Great Grandmas house.

This shows quite a bit of snow on the side... eleven days ago. I should have taken more pictures a couple weeks before to show the insane amounts we had.

Two days ago, she told me she had to shovel! (Three days ago we had more snow and couldn't see any grass... we got that soon after I talked to my sister in law and she had asked if all our snow had melted yet. I said, well we can finally see grass.)

Fling!

Then today...

Really???? Snowballs were literally falling out of the sky!

And yes, BALLS, they were not flakes!

DO NOT LOVE!

(But I do love my warm house and cozy blankets!)

But on a happier note, other things I'm loving...

a new vacuum cleaner made especially for pet hair... oh yes, I LOVE that!

I also LOVE Norwex cleaning products. If you don't know what it is, google it. Saves time and it's organic cleaning so it won't harm your health or your family's. The towels also contain silver so no bacteria can grow in them! I thought I would never be excited about cleaning products. Ha. There is nothing better (cleaning wise)... in my opinion anyway.

I've also had a little fun on-line buying some clothes for K and me. So fun! It's been well over a year since I ordered anything on-line, so this was a big thrill for me. Who doesn't love getting presents in the mail. It's even better when they are so little and adorable!

What are you loving lately???

Josiah's Nest {interview}

Moriah from the beautiful and adorable blog, Josiah's Nest interviewed me today. Please go HERE and check it out... you may learn something new about me. ;)

Thanks!

Huge Children's Sale

{last fall's sale}

During my design breaks I've been busy getting some of Kaelyn's stuff ready for What Grows Around Comes Around consignment sale. (A percentage of the money made goes to Children's Miracle Network and the remainder goes to the consignor.) If you are looking for some great deals on children's items or even maternity clothes, this is the place to go! I don't know about you but I'm always excited to find a good deal... especially on kids items that get outgrown so fast. Here's more info if your interested in going:

Saturday, March 19th
8:00am till 5:00pm - Open to the Public

Sunday, March 20th
8:00 till 12:00 noon
Open to public with many Items at Half-Price

Family Life Center
Central Baptist Church
3100 Ralph Rogers Road
Sioux Falls, SD

Doing it for Others

Ha, ha! Yes, my nails are actually painted this color. No, I didn't do it myself. Here's the deal, yesterday was spa day at my church again. It is such a fun, relaxing time with a small group of women of a wide variety of ages. We were pampered with a professional massage, a home spa recipe book (we could actually try some of the handmade lotions, facials, etc. there), cheesecake... can't go without good food, hee, hee... there were a variety of good (photo) books to look at, beautiful music to listen too, an Avon consultant was there giving hand massages and painting nails, and more. Anyway, I was waiting my place in line to have my nails done and the consultant had her two young girls with her. (they were 8 and 10 yrs old) Anyway they were so cute and helpful... taking the older ladies dishes when they were done and what not and well they were hoping very much that someone would go for the bright, brand new Avon nail colors. I was previously thinking I would go for a soft metallic pink, but one of the little girls picked out colors for me. :) She was so set on having me have what she picked out, and the little old ladies would ask me what color I was going to get and I said, "I guess a rainbow!" So we went with it. The young girls thought it was awesome and the older ladies got such a chuckle out of it... it was so worth it. I have always loved rainbows... my nails kind of make me think of an Easter egg, but ya know, they make me smile... and they made other people smile. :) It was a good day!

So on to more of doing things for others. I get some interesting convos through my Enduring Arts business. Some are for some good causes like this one that you can take part in...

an Online Auction!!!

A loving couple is on there way to adopting a child from Ethiopia. They feel very strongly that it is God's plan for them. You can read more of their story HERE.

So go bid on some wonderful items and know your helping some other little person's life as well as making a family. Children are such a blessing and deserve to be loved and cared for. I wish James and Emily the best. They will be wonderful parents! Ok, really go look at the goods HERE!

Please Head Over Here

{Weathering the Storm}

Where will the stormy winds take you? I'm guest blogging over at cara-deo today. Cara blogs about her daily thoughts on the devotional book 'Streams in the Desert' by L.B. Cowman. She also shows a visual representation of the day's reading. Today she asked if I would share my thoughts on today's reading that has to do with stormy winds. Please head on over to her blog and share your thoughts. Thanks so much!

Paintings in Progress

{cropped view of painting in progress}

I currently have two acrylic paintings in progress. One is another modern commissioned portrait so I have to wait to share that one, but this is the other one and is so close to being finished. I just have some doves flying in the upper right (you can kind of see a little of the pencil sketch of them showing) to get painted and it will be done (oh I guess the sides too)! This one was so much fun and I think I captured what I was going for. I actually used a sponge as my paintbrush for most of it and blended colors I normally don't use. I've wanted to paint clouds for a long time... something dreamy.

Linking up with Studio JRU. Head on over there to see what other creative people are doing.
Have a great weekend!

Comfort Quilts {so much more than just a quilt}

Just to warn you this may be a rather long post but I hope it will be worth the read... okay just please read the entire thing. :) Thanks!

I am a believer that everyone we meet in this world was meant to teach us something... whether we learn to better ourselves from the good they do or maybe we learn from watching their mistakes... there are always lessons along the way. I met Jacki who is a fellow blogger quite some time ago. She is such a sweetheart, is supportive, and she certainly has a story of her own. She has been a joy to get to know and follow and she is the most dedicated blogger I know. You can see for yourself at Christie Cottage. She is one busy lady!

Anyway a few weeks ago she put on a giveaway (she often does) but Jacki took time to stop by my blog and leave a sweet comment and also mentioned a giveaway going on at her blog. I was so busy that I hadn't been getting around to other's blogs like I usually do but for some reason I decided to head on over there and enter. Boy things certainly happen for a reason.

So I entered the beautiful quilt giveaway that Jacki was putting on for the talented Debbie of Little Piece of Comfort. The next week when I saw Christie Cottage pop up on my blog roll I had a funny feeling and thought, "you think I won that generous giveaway?"... and sure enough there was my name as the winner!

Soon after this is what I received in the mail from Debbie:

Minky material... oh sooooo soft, so snuggly and nice and thick to keep you warm! I wanted one in my size!
The top is made with beautiful satin and has an adorable pattern on it.

Beautiful detail!

But as most things, there is even more to the story than what meets the eye. And it is the story that makes me so thankful for Jacki for hosting the giveaway, for winning Debbie's beautiful handmade treasure and learning Debbie's story of why she came up with these quilts. Let's say it was certainly in God's plan, and it was also in His plan to save her little boy... please read the story HERE.

It goes to show how so much good can come out of what seems like a horrible nightmare. God is working through all of us if we are open to it. And here Debbie is hoping to offer others comfort who need it most.

So not only are these quilts adorable and oh so comfortable but they serve a very good purpose. Just to repeat it again, from Little Piece of Comfort site, "100% of our profits will go toward the donation of these quilts to children who have a chronic disease. Though it is not a cure, this is one thing we can do for those with so many physical problems. These quilts can give love in and of themselves. Never have we seen a child of any age, 1-100, be able to put down one of these quilts without wanting to pick it up again. They are just so snuggly and soft…. and happy. It is an instant “I LOVE THIS!” We hope to instill in the children’s lives a little warmth and love where they may seem so lost and picked on in the world. So many tears are shed in those cold hospital rooms of fear and of the unknown. We would hope with all our hearts that our quilts could bring some smiles, some hugs of hope, warmth and love."

There are so many sick children, I've seen it through being a member of C.O.L.E.'s Prayer Team(a true eye and heart opener), these little one's are stuck in the hospital for an extended period of time, some don't even make it out... anything comforting that can be given to them is a blessing!

So please visit Little Piece of Comfort website HERE and Debbie's etsy shop HERE and please share the news. Supporting her shop is definitely a worthy cause and everyone who is gifted with one of her creations will love it!

I would love to keep the one I won but I am going to give it to someone who NEEDS it, whether it is at a close by shelter or in the hospital.

Follow Your Heart

First I have to say, today has been so much fun! It was a girls day, my mom, me and miss K. Kaelyn had a photo shoot at 11:00 with a special promotion that Posh Tales and Designer Genes Photography were putting on at the Hampton Inn. (Kaelyn's aunt Amy is the talented photographer for Designer Genes and her sister runs an adorable children's boutique.) I was totally unsure how this was going to go... if you know K she can't sit still for long and trying to get a good picture of her looking at the camera (forget the posing) is VERY difficult. Well when we first walked in a 5yr old girl was having her photos done and was the perfect model. She was so good at posing, being still... listening! The good thing was that Kaelyn was mesmerized by her so when it came to her turn she did awesome!!! Yay! I can't wait to see the photos. Oh, I forgot to mention that Posh Tales let you try their clothes on and model them for the pictures. It was ADORABLE! After that we went to my favorite Italian restaurant and hit a couple thrift stores. So fun and such a nice getaway from all the work projects!

Ok, so on to yesterdays art project I completed for my GYPO class. I tried some new things with this one. The original has a little more of a yellowish tinge to it that my computer doesn't seem to be picking up. I'm just letting you know because viewing it from here looks like most of it is just a drawing but in reality most of it is acrylic paint. I had never painted a "scene" on paper before so decided to try it. I almost trashed it after the first coat of paint since my first layer of gesso was not smooth and really showed steaks from the brush... but since I was short on time I kept going and was pretty happy with the end piece. I brought out details in the bird and some in the leaves below with graphite and charcoal.

{follow your heart ~ mixed media}

Of course this one has a meaning like almost all of my others. Notice that the bottom part of the piece is darker and their is a darker band in the middle of the bird... well this represents the weighted down feeling we have. There are so many times we have dreams or really want to do something but we don't... we find ourselves coming up with reasons why we can't... we hold ourselves back. The colorful rays signify following our heart, taking the leap of faith, forgetting about all the other stuff on our mind and just going for what we really want. Lets face it your not going to get anywhere if you don't fly.

Another New Painting

{acrylic design}

Taking a quick break to share last weeks GYPO project with you all. I actually just got it done yesterday and that was thanks to the big snow storm we had. There was no getting out of the house on Sunday or Monday so that meant some good painting time. Anyway we were told to pick 4 colors that we really like from something around us. I used the colors from a favorite scarf and then put together some designs from my sketch book. I find it pretty easy drawing up the designs but it's a whole different story of putting color into my pieces. Let's say its very frustrating for me and I don't think it should be so complicated! Oh well, I tried something a little out of the ordinary anyway. It's always good trying new things, right?

I think I'm gonna have to combine the class assignments with my other art challenge I'm involved in. Just found out there may very well be a showing of the groups pieces the end of April! Oh my goodness I have so much left to do... as if I'm not busy enough already! Yikes, I'm like a chicken with its head cut off. Ok, nasty image, but you get the idea. Off to get my babe to bed. (crossing my fingers she sleeps through the night... you have no idea what a rarity that is!!!) Then I just might crash... another extremely full day planned for tomorrow.

New Painting {Memories 3}

This was one of the paintings finished last week. When my GYPO (Get Your Paint On) class assignment was to do something out of your ordinary and that is inspired from another artist, I decided this would be the perfect opportunity to work with my daughter! Why would it be fitting for the class assignment? Well we were given tips on staying loose, to do something we haven't tried before and one of the artists who inspires me is Clara Fialho. Her art is beautiful, loose and just so fun. So how better to get me from my normal detailed work than having my girl work right along side me!

She was a pretty serious painter! You could definitely tell she was enjoying every minute of it though. She kept telling me "I love painting with you mommy!" Awwwe. I really had no idea if anything good was going to turn out, but I didn't care. I've wanted to do a painting with K for a while now and this was just the perfect opportunity.

After this first stage I took it for a little while, then I got to a point where I didn't know what else to do to it but knew it wasn't finished so I let her back at it...

and now a look at the final piece...

Titled "Memories 3" for her just turning 3 and such a wonderful memory created. A few clusters of 3 were worked into the painting to remind me of her age. :)

Now I'm way behind on this weeks assignment and it's going to take me longer... not sure if I'm going to get it done in time, might just have to show it in progress. But I'm loving the course!!!

Happy Weekend!

Another Modern Custom Portrait

Here is my newest commissioned portrait painting I completed last week. The request was to paint on the largest canvas size I had... which was 18x24 and the chosen color was red. I asked if I could go crazy cropping the photo and it was agreed. So I had a lot of fun with this one. Since the size was bigger I could add in some extra detail.

I think it's so crazy how a bunch of odd little shapes can add up to look like something let alone a person! It's just an amazing process. You get to the third color and the painting comes alive! I was so excited with the end result and the customer loved it as well... which makes it even better. :)

♥ Make sure to tell your loved ones how special they are to you today. To feel loved and share the love is a true blessing! Happy Valentines Day! ♥

New Mixed Media Painting "Freedom"

I can't tell you what a crazy busy last 2 weeks I've had. Oh my goodness... we'll just say house work has been put on the back burner and there has been very little sleep. Part of that has to do with a sick little girl though. Uggh. I seriously thought I was going to fall apart on Friday from lack of sleep, so much on my plate, and a customer's package getting lost in the mail! I never thought going back to my marketing job was going to be the most peaceful part of my day. Ha!

I have so many new pieces of artwork to share but just haven't had the time to post anything. Even with such little time I am so glad to be part of the Get Your Paint On class. It has really pushed me to make art even when I feel like I'm too tired or have too many other things needing to be done. It's a way to make art a priority... which I often have a difficult time doing.

Anyway I just completed the second weeks painting assignment but thought I should go back and share the first project with you. We were told to look at Gee's Bend quilting and work that into our piece. Here is what I came up with:

Of course I had to work a whole story into it but it's pretty self explanatory. It is titled "Freedom".

Hope you are having a great weekend! I'll try to share more art pieces this next week!