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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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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Precious Hands

A few years ago I decided to make over our bedroom. I needed it to be a place where I could get away. Everything I do and anywhere I go involves my babies. I am not complaining, but in the evening when they go to bed I don't want to look at toys and the product of our day. I just felt like making my room a get away with calm tranquil colors would be awesome! However I wanted to incorporate something of theirs that tied my theme and design together. So I took a few old frames. I painted them a dark umber brown and distressed them. Then I made three separate collages to put in each frame to hang above our bed. The far left one is a cut out of Emma's hand with her name and the word "faith" on it. The middle one is two birds with the word "Love" on it. The one on the right is a cut out of Abbie's hand with her name and the word "Hope" on it. I love these pieces dearly and will always cherish them! Just wanted to share!

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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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You may see weeds, but I see beauty

My girls picked this beautiful arrangement for me from our own backyard. I put them in my kitchen window above our sink so I can look at them all the time. Most of them are weeds and some are azaleas and dogwoods. I can't help but think when I look at them how each one (including the weeds) brings a unique kind of beauty to our world. Reminds me of people. 

God has made each one of us unique in our own ways. He sees our beauty inside and out. It is so mind boggling the stories we are hearing in the news of people or children bullying, hating and discriminating against others. I imagine Jesus walked and talked with all kinds of different people.


I find as I am getting older and especially now since I have children I stand up for what I believe and have been taught. I stand in confidence in my Jesus and am willing to take the criticism and rejection. However I see the beauty in people and know that we are all human. Who are we to judge or reject others. Isn't our Jesus "LOVE".

Life is too short to hate and hate makes a person ugly.

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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Our little Nature walk

Although our adventure was in our backyard to the fence we needed to soak up the beautiful day and be outside. This winter has been strange and I am hearing others all over the States saying the same thing.

I am ready for picnic's in our backyard and getting the slip n slide and baby pool out for the girls while I soak up some sun.

Here are a few pics of our day.

God has completely blessed me with my sweet family. I am complete!



The sky was so pretty today. Our world is truelly made with vibrant colors.

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A smile can make a difference

 It is amazing how a smile can completely change your day. Have you ever seen someone who has a frowny face and looks mad at the world? I  wonder why they look so unhappy. Are they dealing with a serious illness or a death in the family, or maybe in an unhappy job situation? You just never know. When I am out and about I try to make eye contact with people and smile.

 A few weeks ago I was at Publix, walking across the parking lot with my grocery cart, minding my own business, when I looked up and this older gentleman was walking towards me to the entrance. I smiled really big...you know the kind when you show some teeth? All I expected was a simple nod. Not even a hi or big smile back, but the gentleman stopped me by putting his hand up with the "STOP" signal (which I might add, did scare me a bit) and said "you have a nice smile and you are going to go far." He also said something to the affect of I was wearing purple and that was a color of royalty. Ha (giggle) Although I didn't know what he meant or how far I was going to go, it felt good to be noticed by my smile and that whatever it was, I made a small impression on him. He then walked on his way and said "Have a blessed day." How can ya beat that? What a great feeling.

I try to remember when someone snaps at me or doesn't smile back that they are hiding a story behind that frown.

Abbie Cake

Ampa and Emma and their grille

Sweet Emma Blue (one of my many favorite pics of her)

ME

Yep, that is a smile from Steve...(better be, ha)

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