I shall not be moved

 This is a baby gift for baby Carmela. 

 I went to the hardware store and came home with this 2x2 piece of smooth wood in which I promptly fell in love with. It's thin, it's cheap and it's awesome to paint on....looks like I found a new medium! This is for Mallory for her kitchen. Cheers!!

 Cup of pure joy (there are musical notes in the coffee cups) $25

Wedding gift!!

What's for dinner?

 Small poppies ($60) 

I like to plan ahead for my meals by the week, this eliminates grocery trips and well as last minute headachces and the ever so popular question, "what's for dinner?!" This is a menu board with seven days (each birdie has a day of the week) and you write your meal across from it using a dry erase marker.  Couldn't be easier and couldn't be cuter. This one is a tad on the smudged side because it was out at the art show in the monsoon. $50

Lincoln Highway soggy fest

 This festival has always brought me luck....okay, so it's only my second year, but last year I did awesome. This year was a little COLD and RAINY.....and when I say COLD and RAINY....I mean COLD and RAINY. There was a river running down through my tent.  This photo is before the rain came.

 Let me tell you about this lady.  She rocks.  She let me borrow her van AND she sat with me to help AND she brought me hot coffee and cookies AND she helped me load back in the van in the cold rain.  She's working on sainthood for sure.

 Here is a shot of my ghetto tent.  Yup, it's ghetto alright. See the size and shape of the other vendor tents? HUGE and WHITE (kind of like my rear end) and my tent was small and navy.  I do have to say, there were a lot of people outside of my ghetto tent...because I'm cool like that.

I did make a few sales in the morning (Thank the Lord) and can't complain, but I would have loved an entire day devoted to dwindling my window collection.  It was great to see local people as well as people who came just to buy a window from me! Very honored.  The next event will be at Ed and Betty LaPointe's open house on December 4th in Mt.Vernon.  I highly recommend you mark your calendars for this.....they will have their amazingly awesome jewelry, a handmade purse lady, ceramic artist and myself.  A great place to buy Christmas presents for sure.

Friday Five: Creative websites to visit

Happy Friday! I hope this post finds you well and looking forward to the glorious (and hopefully non rain filled weekend!) It's been a few weeks since I posted the Friday Five and since my three year old, who decided to melt into a puddle of screaming boy on our way to school today, is FINALLY sleeping...I have some time (I should be doing laundry!) to be inspired by other creative blogs.  Check them out, enjoy and be inspired. 


1. http://ohhellofriend.blogspot.com/

2. http://melissaesplin.com/home/

3. http://inspiredbycharm.blogspot.com/

4. http://www.artfulparent.typepad.com/

5. http://tinywarbler.blogspot.com/

Lincoln Highway Arts Fest

This is a loooooooong canvas I did for a friend...actually a surprise for her birthday! Happy Birthday...shhhhhhh
One more smaller windows with five little yellow birdies (Party of Five, $60)

THIS SATURDAY (SEPT. 25th)

Lincoln Highway Arts Fest

on Main Street in Mt.Vernon, Iowa

from 9-4pm

over 40 artists

(including yours truly!)

You'll love it.

Shakespeare's 12th

Shakespeare's 12th....sonnet that is. Love it. ($75)

Another Flag (with the Battle Hymn of the republic on the back) $125 The window is sealed because it's so old, to cover any hint of lead paint. It's 125 years old from an old barn in the Amana Colonies.

Boards a plenty

This one has no name and no words, but I kind of like it that way. It's bigger than most of the boards I do. Those sweet little birdies are made out of vintage magazine. $35

Be Still ($30)

Serve the Lord ($30)

Not sure how I feel about this one yet, it was kind of a, "happy mistake"
My favorite of the day. Loving how the texture shows through the black paint. ($30)

Oak leaves

1 Corinthians 13 (written behind the hearts and paint, you have to get really close to see it) $60

Two oak leaves ($60) Gearing up for fall...my favorite season!

Four special orders

For a special little baby girl, who has a brown and pink room!

Hey, it's never to early to be thinking about Christmas!!

Special order with a great message.

A friend bought this blank and then went searching for just the right saying for me to put on it.

In case you haven't figured it out, I have a thing for trees.....(and pears) They are just beautiful and each one is very unique. This has a clear background so you can put it on the wall and your wall color will show through. Love Birds ($75)
A lighter version of one I did before. Dandelions ($75)
I think I'm going to leave the background clear on this one too....can't decided. Swirly Vector ($75)
Being an avid Cardinals fan, this window was painful to make.....a certain stadium of a certain team that begins with the letter C and resides in Chicago. Commission piece.
Double storm window. Double modern poppies ($150)
So this is the new stash of windows that my dumpster diving rocks star friends came bearing yesterday. All sizes and shapes and in great condition......taking orders for Christmas now :)

Rock Star

Just wanted to share this awesome photo that these rock stars sent me. They went dumpster diving for me.....for windows....and sent me this photo. Totally made my day. If I had a rock star of the day award, you would win hands down.

Thick skin

I've tried many times to give the definition of what it means to be an artist. Such an elusive word.....artist. Hard to define.

I'd like to consider myself an artist.

I'm sure there are people in the world that wouldn't.

I spent this past weekend at an arts festival, which I was very honored to asked to participate.

My friend Mary Campbell (who, as you can see, is pretty amazing) did two chalk murals. I did a Grant Wood and she did an Alfonse Mucha. This is a shot from above. They were right next to the new Bottleworks Condo's in CR, which I might add, are also pretty amazing.
Here I am setting up my stash of window art and signs. Things I work so hard on and put my heart and soul into. The things that I consider to be artwork. The works that I want people to enjoy, to be able to afford and to love as well.

I had a marvelous time this weekend, I learned a lot, sold a few things and was surrounded by a different breed of people. I also broke my tent and sliced my chin open....but that is another story. Thank goodness for duct tape! (not on my chin...the tent...although that may have stopped the bleeding quicker!)

Anyways, I learned that no matter what people say, their body language or their ecstatic comments about what I do, it doesn't matter. I love it. I loved painting it. It's art.

I am an artist.

I had to deal with a lot of comments this weekend. Just to let you know...when you're standing four feet away from me...I CAN HEAR YOU. For the most part they were very positive, raving and saying, "how cool!" and, "this is amazing," but of course there were a few, "I could do that," and "I wouldn't pay money for that." It wouldn't be life without critics. I am slowly learning to have thick skin and soak up the positive comments! I'm pretty sure many people could do what I do and if you can't, then I'd love to help you! That's the beauty of teaching art!

In college I had to write many a paper on different styles, techniques and why artists were the way they were. I vowed never to turn into one of those, "artists." The kind of artist that thinks that the years of study, number of degrees or letters behind their names truly defines their work. The kind of artist that puts up their noses to other people's beautiful work and doesn't truly appreciate the real beauty behind it. You may not like the style, but you have to at least appreciate the work behind it. Think of how many different types of art there are? You can't like every single one.

Okay, I will now step down off of my proverbial soap box.....*sigh*

Sorry for the upside down shot....the finished mural...it was HUGE.

Here I am, doing what I love to do!

I was also honored to be asked to do a funky mural in a clinic in Hiawatha. This room will be used primarily for teenagers, so it had to be, "cool." I like to think I'm still cool. Sometimes. Anyways, I finished this morning and here is part of the wall. There are also five windows of mine that tie into the theme of music and trees and rocking on!

Rock on.

Night lite

Nite Lite ($75) Already sold....which is awesome...put it on Facebook and 42 minutes later....BAM!
Just wanting to show you how awesome this looks in my kitchen. I'm sure it would look just as awesome in your kitchen too......

Up in the air and Swirly Birds

Swirly Birds ($75)

Up in the Air ($75)