Haley's Animals

I have been dying to blog these little sweeties since I completed them but I had to wait until they arrived at my sister's house. She commissioned them for her daughter Haley's room. Haley is turning 1 next week and is, I swear I am not biased, the cutest thing you've ever seen. Okay, I'm a little biased, but seriously she's an angel.

Anywho...these are each 12" x 12". Below is the scan of each which had to be cropped since my scanner cannot accomodate 12" x 12" but the color is more true.

Step By Step - The Birth of a Dog, a Bird, a Cow and a Fish

...without the gross stuff. :)

Here's some WIP pictures from my latest paintings.

The sketchbook

Sketched on primed canvas with pencil

The black outlines done with a small brush

The Paint

The finished paintings

In their new home--my niece's bedroom

Inspire Me Thursday - Nervous

I'm always a little nervous when I send a commission out to the buyer. You want so much for them to love it. And it's a little like sending a part of yourself out into the world. These arrived yesterday and the buyer said she loves them so much she danced around when she saw them. Yeah! Love to hear that. :)

The theme this week for Inspire Me Thursday is NERVOUS.

These Things Are Like Rabbits...

They are so fun to make, they just seem to multiply. I started with just a few for my daughter, but they were such a huge hit I decided to make more.

Hair Blossoms are in my bumblebina ETSY shop now.

IF - Late

Illustration Friday - theme this week is LATE.

Just finished this painting I did for my step sister who got married in August. Right on time, huh? I know, I'm a little late, but you have a year to send a gift, right?

I'm hoping to put some Wedding Paintings in my ETSY shop soon. I'll keep you posted.

New ETSY Shop

I have opened a second ETSY shop. My plan is to eventually move all crafty stuff over and just have my original shop have paintings in it. I know people still go there for to order name signs so for now, I'll leave them in both shops. But I'm slowly moving things over and I've added some brand new stuff in my brand new shop!


This Bride's Hat, for instance is a fun, new item. A friend of mine saw my baby hats and suggested, nay demanded, :) that I made some for grown ups. (Seriously, I never say nay. How pretentious does that sound?)

She suggested the first hat be a white one for a winter bride. Well, who am I to say no to a new knitting project? Okay, I KNOW a bride is not going to wear this to her wedding--hello, hat hair! But wouldn't it be fun for a shower or a bachelorette night out or even to leave the church or reception in?

Anyway, it's in my new 2nd shop. Okay, how many links do I have to give you before you go check it out? :)

*SOLD*

E.L. Fugde Ghosts - a Small Tutorial

As far as I know, my sister invented these. And now we all make them every year. I've seen them done before with Nutter Butters, but it really only makes sense to do them with E.L. Fudge Cookies.

Here's what you'll need: E.L. Fudge Cookies (I could only find Double Stuffed), white chocolate, a small amount of mini chocolate chips, a glass bowl or double boiler to melt the white chocolate and trays with parchment paper on them.

I like to lay everything out before I get started because you sort of have to work fast before the white chocolate sets up too much. So here's my work space all ready. I melt the white chocolate in the microwave and then place the whole bowl over a pan with hot water in the very bottom.


I've found that if you just sort of spread the white chocolate on the front and sides using a plastic or wooden spoon (leaving the feet showing of course!!) it's easier to make and eat them. If you dip the cookie, you use a lot more white chocolate and they are SOOOO rich when you eat them. I couldn't get a picture of this since I needed both hands. So really what kind of tutorial is this that I don't show you the most important step? Oh well, you're smart. You'll figure it out!

While the white chocolate is still melty, add the mini chips for the eyes.


I found that one bag of white chocolate chips can cover (front and sides) of about 40 E.L. Fudge cookies.

The benefit of using Double Stuffed (besides the extra frosting)? They can even stand on their own!

Newest Name Sign

This one went in the mail Saturday. As always, Name Signs are available in my ETSY shop.