A few things I made this Christmas

I have been so busy. It was such an exciting year and I'm hoping this one will be even better!

I stayed really busy with Homeschool and my art. I am just going to post some of the things I made this Christmas!

Happy New Year!

Whats been keeping me busy....

Sooooo much to say...It has been a busy busy spring and now summer has finally arrived and I am still going going going!

I'm not sure where I left off or even where to begin. I wanted to share a few things that have been keeping me busy and at least give you the excuse as to why I am horrible at updating my blog. : (

Last month Steve and I traveled to Chattanooga Tn for a folk art show which was so much fun. Since then I have been selling some of my work here or there with full profit going to Jude's recovery.

I started selling my work at Bell's Handcrafts and now I am selling at Corner Arts Gallery downtown Newnan. I have sold two pieces so far and that just puts a smile on my face and I hope whom ever has bought too!

We went to the beach the last week of May and had a great time just being a family. Got to soak up the sun at one of our favorite beaches Steve and I used to go to when we lived in Florida. Now we get to take our girls there.

We had swimming lessons two weeks ago and last week was VBS! Me and my good friend Jodi always teach the crafts.....exhausting but so much fun! I claim her every year cause she is a real teacher and knows how to run a class. LOL

We are still homeschooling but because we go through the year we are doing four days a week right now. So excited about starting 1st grade soon. Emma amazes me and makes me laugh everyday.....not all days are perfect though. : )

Well just a few tidbits about what has been happening at the Smith's house! We are having a blast and excited about the future. I will post new work as I make it.

Happy Summer my friends!

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Bell's Handcrafts

Well my friends I have exciting news. One of our local stores here in Historical downtown Newnan is selling some of my work.

I haven't sold my work in a store in a few years. Actually about 5. I have changed so much as an artist and there have been so many changes in our lives that I've stayed pretty busy. However, I am finally at a place to give this a try again and see how I do.

Go check out their Bell's Handcrafts website and find their facebook fan page and click 'LIKE"!!!

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Who-fest 2012

OK, so I am really late on posting any pictures from Who-fest this year but I got tons of excuses.....just maybe not good enough ones. So here are a few pics of our fun weekend. Unfortunately we had to leave Sunday morning due to the rain so I did not get to visit or take as many pictures of my friends as I normally do. Bummer!!!! We did have a great time and appreciated all the hard work involved in making this a successful show. Looks like a Who-fest too is coming this September and if all goes well I plan on being there.

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Some of my new work

A few of  my favorite new pieces I made for Who-fest that sold. We had such a good time and I just love seeing people walk away with my work and a smile! : )

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Painting for Jude

It has been such a beautiful spring! I cannot believe that June is just a breath away. Trying to keep up with homeschooling and domestic duties keeps my time pretty much filled but I thought I would sit down and type a bit about what has been going on.

Well, first off I posted a few weeks ago that my brother's little boy Jude has been diagnosed with leukemia. It was a shock to all of us and especially to them. Jude has been in and out of the hospital with a few complications but we are reminded daily God has him in the palm of HIS healing hands. Their baby girl is due this Friday so I will have a niece which is their first girl! I know they are really excited about that but weighed down with new responsibilities and stresses. They have a long road ahead but seem to be handling things well. They are very blessed to be surrounded by so many that care for them and are able to help. I wish I was able to do more but we live too far away so we do what we can and pray! If you are interested in keeping up with Jude's journey to recovery here is a site my brother is updating as he can. http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jbgriffinhttp://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jbgriffin

A few weeks ago I felt led to paint this painting. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but by the end of the day I really liked what I saw. So I posted it on my facebook fan page and a friend of mine saw it and said she wanted to buy it. I told her all profit of this particular painting will be going to Jude's medical expenses. A few minutes later another friend said she wanted one too so I decided how ever many of these particular paintings sold I would donate the profit to Jude. After a day another friend contacted me and requested one too. lol

We were at Who-fest in Chattanooga TN. a few weekends ago and I sold another painting in honor of Jude. This is the painting that sold.

Felt Flower Hair Clips on etsy

Life has been pretty busy lately! Blogging has been put on the back burner as I posted a week or two ago. I miss it yet feel like some things in life take priority for me right now. However I wanted to take a minute and post a few of my new felt hair clips I have been working on. These are now on my etsy shop. Please check them out.

Thank you for being a friend, follower, or maybe a bit of a fan! I am blessed!

Don't for get to check me out on

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Crochet flower ring with painted button center

I wish you could see my kitchen. Because I do not have my own studio yet (hopes for the future) I create mostly in my kitchen with my girls at my feet, in my face ALL day. No complaints cause I know it won't last forever. Anywho, I have several unfinished projects lying all over my counter tops and table. IT IS SPRING, that is what I do....create! I saw a flowered crochet ring somewhere lately and I thought I can do that and decided to make my very own. One that went with my own style and colors. I am extremely excited about this, I love big, funky jewelry. (I have some favorite pieces of my jewelry I plan on posting about later.)

I painted a wooded button and then sewed it onto the crochet flower and super glued it to the ring.....fun and easy huh!

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Felt Monster (Boo)

My two year old calls this "Boo". This past Halloween she really became aware of things. During that season there are so many monsters, witches and pumpkins and her older sister would say "BOOOOOOOO" to her so she started associating all things Halloween as boo.

I am not the best sewer or even great with stitching but this was just something fun I made one day sitting outside while my girls were playing in the beautiful weather. His name is "Boo"!

Easter Egg project with acrylic paint

Easter Project

We are going to make paper Easter eggs to decorate our front living room window.

 My sweet girls precious hands after our project. We had such a great time!

This is how we did this project.

supplies needed; acrylic paint, cut out paper eggs about 2 inches in length, Styrofoam plate, clear plastic wrap

First thing you do is let your child pick out their favorite colors and squirt them around the edges of the plate in a circle. Then squirt white in the middle. Place a sheet of clear plastic wrap across the top of the plate with enough to tuck under the bottom.

Then you let your child take their finger and stir it around and around in the plate over the clear plastic wrap. Sometimes you may have to push the paint more to the center but it should begin to look like this. Don't mix too much or it will blend too much and not be pretty.

Then take the clear plastic wrap off the plate and lay it aside. Take your egg and lay it into the paint and tap your fingers all along the backside of the egg. (Yes you will get messy so be prepared and HAVE FUN!!!)

Pull the egg up and lay it out to dry and VIOLA you have beautiful looking eggs. Emma and Abbie had so much fun doing this project. I am thinking of making a paper tree and letting the eggs hang on it for a pretty decoration for Easter. Dern, I love this kind of mess.

A shot of the eggs drying.....I will post pics of the end result another day.

If you want to see where I got this idea from and see some other fun projects to work on click HERE.

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Key to my Heart

My good friend text me a few nights ago about a folk song she knew I would love. I fell in love with it. I am going to teach it to my little birds. Here is the link if you are interested in hearing it. It is by Elizabeth Mitchell called Little Bird.

I painted this piece the other day. I'm thinking it is my favorite. At least until my next one is my favorite. I had such a good time working on it. It was a peaceful, beautiful first day of spring and I will always remember it when I look at it. The hard part about being an artist is selling a piece of my soul and memory to someone who wasn't there the moment I created it. Sometimes I give myself permission to keep them.

I remember when Emma would cry and get upset that I was packing my art to go to a show. She didn't want anyone to have them. I can relate to how she felt. Sometimes when a piece has sold I get so excited knowing it is going to be hung in someone else's nest and they will smile every time they look at it and yet I am saying goodbye to something that I created from my heart.

My sweet little baby birds do have the key to my heart. They are 2 reasons why I  take a breath each morning.

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XOXO owls mixed media

While Emma worked on her math and writing I painted. That is one reason I LOVE homeschooling. I haven't painted owls lately and so I wanted to do something with owls. My supplies were scrap paper, acrylic paint, felt, buttons, and some stamps to add texture and more layers.

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My new button for my facebook fanpage

I am embarrassed to say that it has been a long time since I was in school taking classes for Advertising and Design and using Photoshop on a regular basis. So I am very rusty with it and feel a bit intimidated by it. However, I am so excited that I found Hellocotton. It is a place for bloggers to link together and get to know each other. Since blogging is a new adventure for me I am following lots of people and learning as I go from some amazing bloggers.

I have been able to learn new techniques on Photoshop to help me with my photo editing and taking pictures with my new IPhone. It has opened my world up to learning on line instead of taking classes and having to find a sitter while I go back to school. Which is impossible for me at this time in my life.

I know that making this button may be a simple task for many but it felt like a huge accomplishment for me since I have lost all basic knowledge of PS.



Facebook Fan Page

                                                                 

By the way I would definitely recommend Hellocotton to any blogger. It has made my new adventure a blast. I love what I am learning.

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Crystal shared an Instagram photo with you

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St. Patrick's day is right around the corner. I can only remember one time when I wore green on purpose to avoid getting pinched. All the other times I either didn't wear it or did unplanned. I have also sacrificed my own kids to get pinched because I forget.

This year I am making hair clips to wear for fun and to avoid another St. Patrick's day getting pinched. LOL

Here is one of my creations.

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Sketches done on a cold and blustery day

I am gearing up for one of my favorite art shows and I want some new work. I haven't done much painting this winter and it is time to get my mojo working. I sat down yesterday, curled up on my couch with my sketchbook, a cup of hot peppermint tea, while Footloose was on the TV. These are just a few pages of sketches I came up with. Although they may not make any sense to you, I know what they mean.

Not all my thumbnails will turn into a painting this year or even next year but I love to look back at old sketch books and see what I came up with. Sometimes it sparks a new idea.

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