From our House to Yours...

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a healthy, happy and a very blessed 2009!

What a year it's been...the negativity of the economy has been in the forefront of most of the media's coverage, along with an election year that has made history in so many ways...I, as I'm sure you are, are only going to focus on the positive, as having a glass half empty is not living as we should...I thank the Lord for all of the many wonderful people I have met this year...

...in my real estate career (yes, we will all survive this mess the industry is in!) and in my new endeavor into the art world...I have painted for a couple of years prior to this one, with no confidence or outlet to share it...between Etsy, the blogging world and hundreds of friends, that all has changed...I truly thank all of you who have expressed such kind and encouraging words regarding something that I love doing...it has made my world truly an extraordinary one and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! My hubby Rick does too...gotta keep the wife happy, lol! I hope 2009 will be the year you do something you've always wanted...life as short as alot of us have realized this year after losing people we love...until next time...thank you all...again and again...

Introducing...SnappyBibs...fellow AREtsian...

and the maker of my fabulous secret santa gift! Check out her Etsy shop - she does great embroidery! Thanks!

The Finished Ornaments...

from our family get together the other night...mom will pass out that I have actually posted 4 times in one day - BUT, I wanted to share everything before I forgot!

I finished these up last night - I wanted to show you what the others painted, but sent them home with the kids for their tree without taking a photo!

Grab some clear glass ornaments, brushes, air bake enamel paint and some glitter glue and create away!

Remember, handmade is always better...

Want Snow...Got Ice...

...at least a great excuse to hole up at home...on a peaceful day...no noise on the street going one way or the other...so serene and breathtaking...I just love this time of year and I hope we receive snow for Christmas...wishful thinking?

A Family Get-Together...

for a great pot of Rick's Santa Fe Soup (Aunt Betsy originally gave us the fantastic recipe!) and to paint Christmas ornaments! It was quite fun and definitely entertaining!

Mom's are, of course, perfect - like the work she does in her birdnestontheground studio!

Lindsay (Ty's girlfriend) was so cute, just putting paint and glitter on the ornaments ninety to nothing, not worrying about a thing!

Then there was Ty - I'm not sure if he thought he was too cool to paint one, but he did - only one but at least he contributed and actually enjoyed - I think!

And last but not least, Dad - impatient as all get out and paint going everywhere except where he wanted it! It was absolutely hysterical! I don't think he'll take up painting on a regular basis any time soon, but he's sure to appease me from time to time!

Get together with your family for a night of food and a craft or game...we don't do this nearly enough...we made more memories and hope you will too...

Custom Paintings...

done to coincide with my friend Nancy's birthday! Her sweet hubby Rob called me one day, asking if I would do some paintings for their newly decorated living room...I was flattered! I snuck over to the house to look at where they would be hanging and to decide on colors...they had some beautiful patchwork pillows on the sofa that were our inspiration, an idea from Rob himself...turned out great and she loved them, thank the Lord! It was a blessing to get to do...

Special Thanks...

to aspasia for including my painting "blue maze" in her treasury! If you don't know what a treasury at Etsy is, it is a selection of themed products, picked by fellow etsians! It's a great way to look at all of the amazing handmade work from fabulous artisans...thanks again aspasia!!!

My AREtsy Secret Santa Recipient...

is Briana from nest!!!

AREtsy is a group of artists who all live in the state of Arkansas and sell our handmade, handcrafted items on Etsy. We work together to get the word out on the street about the best site on the web...ETSY!

Erin at idyllhands, our fearless, tireless and motivational leader, put together a secret santa gift exchange in our group and she drew nest for me...I wanted to share with you the painting I did for her...keep in mind, we've never met in person, I only know her through our common thread on the internet, so it was a challenge to come up with something she would love...

I looked through her flickr and blog sites to get some ideas and saw pictures of a beautiful family, with a fabulous remodeled home that appeared to be simply modern, divine and truly a nest made of love! She picked the perfect name for her Etsy shop! The nest is a family run business, making wonderful handmade soaps from natural products and also original artwork.

I am blessed to be a part of this fabulous team and I hope you will take time to look through their wonderful work through our team page or blog!

Special Thanks to My Fellow Etsian, ShopRedLeaf!

As some of you have read in previous posts, I've had so much fun posting my favorite picks that are available from Etsy...

I did a travel section featuring shopredleaf's fabulous bath and body products, and in the mail, I received this great sample size of the beeswax lotion in a beach scent! I couldn't wait to try it!

The lotion is wonderful and the beach scent is very clean and refreshing...my hubby thought it was very nice as well and I just wanted to say thanks - shopredleaf has great products, beautiful packaging and excellent customer service...they offer alot of samples, so try them today...there is still time to get some for a gift or stocking stuffers!!!

New to Gift Guides! Modern Design...

my absolute favorite design style of course! Etsy added this gift guide after I completed my picks from the others and I know we're cutting it close to the holidays, but I just HAD to show you these fabulous Etsy sellers! If the items are not available for you on time, remember, most of the shops offer gift certificates! I came across stepanka and fell in love with her porcelain sculpture "day like no other" - very modern and unique and absolutely sweet...

Modica makes the coolest wood and resin necklaces, circular in shape and unlike any other you will find. There is a great selection with different designs and colors! Cristina is currently away visiting family and restocking her inventory, but you can sign up for a return email is soon as she is available!
If you are looking for a beautiful artist that will add a wonderful edition to your room, go visit gretchenmist...she does beautiful drawings, paintings and collages like "snowed in" shown here...
Cosedolci is a new seller I came across looking through the gift guides! I adore how she combines felt with every day objects and makes them simply divine! Her circles embellished plate is great and a bargain at $20! If you are looking for a handmade, one of a kind and originally designed coffee table, check out michealarras's work...I am eyeing one of these tables now!!!
If you love the atomic era and need something to add a punch of color in a corner, or over a table, check out debmobiles! Her mobiles are available in lots of colors and are made of polymer and stainless steel wire. Lindasolovic offers prints from her original collages at a great price! I love the blooming buddies - wildflowers print, very organic modern and the color will inspire any nature lover...

Another newbie seller to me is baldmanmod - this mod mid century style table is beautifully handcrafted and has a walnut veneered finish...extremely swank!!!! Emmajo is an accomplished tapestry weaver and painter...the memory landscape features breathtaking colors as does her other works...
I have loved Tracy Melton of focuslineart since I discovered Etsy! Of course the tree rings series is just perfect...wonderfully intricate circles, again, my favorite, and are available in different sizes and colors. Great for groupings too! The ones shown here have apparently sold, but take a look at her others...
Pilotdesign features these mod wall clocks, like the red one shown here, made from a bamboo laminate - a great accent piece for any room!And finally, I love the tweed berry pillow from mogwaii! Made from pure wool and expertly sewn, it makes a great addition to spruce up your home accessories...Thank you to all the Etsy sellers who allowed me to share their work with you - please support them and the thousands of others who work hard to share their craft with us!

Etsy Gift Giving Guides...Travel Picks...

These are the last of my pics for the holiday season...just remember, these are all handmade, so if you see any that are a must have for you gift list, act quick! It's only weeks away!

Etsy has curated a great guide with the travel section! Here are my faves...

Babbittdesigns offer these beautiful votive candle holders adorned with paper and handstamped...take them with you to have your favorite scent in your hotel room!

Looking for a cool checkbook cover? Take a look at this design from tinymeat - the orange blaze against the blue background is awesome...

Moop is the best bag maker on Etsy...check out The Porter bag in provincial blue corded canvas is durable and fashionable! There are other fantastic selections available as well...

The emotional 5x7 print from couragemylove entitled "baby i'm home" would make a wonderful gift for that recipient on your list who loves photography and travel...

For that long haul in the car, molebabybuttons has a unique tic tac toe travel game that would be perfect to kill some time and have some fun!

Do you have a guy on your list and don't have a clue what to get? Visit shopredleaf's store and pick up a shampoo bar and tin set...great for throwing in a bag and taking off...

I love New York, so of course the 10x10 NY print from the "on the globe" series from buckscountyframes had to be on my list!

And last, but certainly not least, rosiegoa's travel bag in a pink stripe is a great carry on size and the perfect gift for the traveler on your list...

While you are looking, pop in my Etsy shop and let me know what you think!

Shop Handmade...Shop Etsy Today!

Etsy Gift Giving Guides...The Enviro Friendly Hot List!

I really love this gift guide, the enviro friendly hot list from Etsy...I've begun trying to recycle, or upcycle as some call it, items around the house and making them look new and incorporating them, instead of just getting rid of them like alot of us do! It's one reason I admire these artists who do this as part of their daily work...check them all out...they are extremely creative and the items on the list will make beautiful gifts...

I love annarubyking's use of scrap fabrics...the set of 2 bright japanese gift cards are really a great utilization of something most people would just throw away...they would also be beautiful as framed art!

I think the drawstring brew bag from javagaldesigns is definitely original and too cool! Handmade from burlap and recycled leather and beads, it's a handy bag to grab on the go...

For the wine and cheese lover, take a look at bigsky's serving set, made from emerald green wine bottles! A great use of a normally disposable item...I so appreciate the designs from this shop!

While looking through the guides, I came across artsyrubbish and oh, how I love her art! The mixed media piece entitled "confidently moving forward" is inspiring and amazing...the one-of-a-kind, 6x6 tiles can hang on a wall or sit on an easel...this particular one has apparently sold, but check out her other tile designs...

I have a couple of dear friends who love sailing and when I saw reiter8's pillows made from recycled sails, I had an absolute fit and sent them the link! Check out their other products too...

Looking for the perfect journal for someone on your holiday list? Interiorpieces has this beautiful embroidered coral on linen edition that will hold thoughts and memories in the years to come...

And finally...there is maidenlove...the recycled envelope set entitled "little rock loop" caught my eye of course, being from Arkansas! A real art it is to be able to take magazine pages and make a cool, everyday used item...beats those plain white envelopes for sure!

Browse Etsy today...you never know what you might find...