Rules, Rules Rules...

I've been making a lot of rules lately! Honestly, I've got it down to a science and they are so much fun to paint! My latest assembly line filled orders for Bridgett Crouch and Tonya Scott (thank you!), covered a few donations, and even sent a couple to Et Cetera.

Busy, busy!!

Beauty Shop

April Watson at Creative Illusions Salon ordered this really cool 12x24 sign. April focuses on skin care and treatments. She just gave me a spray tan and it was fabulous. I would love to get a facial sometime...I've never had one!

I took another shot from this angle so you could see that I added a little extra sparkle to this one. I love the lettering she chose and these colors really pop together! Sometimes clean and simple really is the way to go. I can't wait to see it hanging in there!

Bath Time

I'm at home with a stomach virus today. Yes, the day I am supposed to go back to work after being off for a whole week I get sick. Perfect timing! I don't feel like doing much, but I can lay here and blog a little bit!
Bethany Gregorich placed the sweetest order. She wanted an 11x14 canvas for her son's bathroom. This is the little song that she sings to him to keep him happy and calm him down for bath time. I told you it was sweet!

She asked for a rubber duckie and shades of blues, aquas, and lime green. I think it turned out soooo cute! Thank you, Bethany!

Ashlyn and Abby

Tonya Reagan had two sweet little girls who just got their own rooms! What better way to celebrate than with a custom canvas for each of the doors. Miss Ashlyn wanted hot pink and black. I love the polka dots in varying sizes and topped it off with two strands of sheer matching ribbon.

Miss Abby wanted the hot pink with chocolate brown and some lime green. I kept the same type of dots and I know its hard to see, but there is lime green detailing around some of them. I used a different font to make hers a little different, but kept the same ribbon in case Tonya ever wants to hang them together.

Thank you so much, girls! Enjoy your new room!

Facebook Only Sale!!

I've been cleaning out the closets! The result is a fabulous facebook only canvas sale! Check it out before they are all gone...

Spring Break

We love our spring break! For the past four or so years, it has meant basketball for us! It has become tradition to go to whatever round of the men's NCAA basketball tournament is within driving distance. We've gone to some really neat cities that we probably would not have otherwise. This year it was Charlotte, North Carolina!

While the boys go to the games (usually a Friday and a Sunday) Lauren and I check out the town. This year that led to a really cool high rise Super Target, the Charlotte Nature Museum, and Concord Mills shopping center. On the Saturday that we all have together, we sleep in, eat a big breakfast and do something fun! We went to the Discovery Place Children's Museum expecting to spend a couple of hours and ended up staying all day!

With the exception of Tennessee's sad performance, there were some really good games. The guys were super excited to see North Carolina and Duke. I've got a picture like this for every year they've been. Maybe I'll get them all framed together someday!

We stopped in Asheville for the night on the way home. It was gorgeous weather and such a neat town. It's really grown since I was there last. We stayed at the Residences at the Biltmore. I just say that because it is brand new, reasonably priced, and so nice. I highly recommend it if you are planning a visit.

Carter had been begging to go the Biltmore Mansion but I wanted to wait until Lauren was a bit older. I am so glad that I did. The kids enjoyed it inside and out. However, it is a lot of walking and it all seems uphill!

It was a fun little trip, but we are glad to be home. I've been loving not really having a set time to get up and no where in particular to go. I cleaned out the closets and am all set for the consignment sales, too! Gotta love spring break!

Cute Couple

This super cute wedding shower gift shipped off to Texas last week. Browns, red, and black were the colors that were requested. Everything else was left up to me! I love it when that happens!

I wanted to add polka dots to the basic "established" canvases that I have been doing. This was the perfect opportunity! I think it turned out adorable...perfect for a cute young couple!

Morgan

I am sooooo loving this canvas! This design with the scalloped center has always been my favorite for little girls. The yellow on yellow stripes in the background and the pink lettering are so pretty. And how about that "M"?

I apologize for not being able to get this picture of the matching bedding any bigger. It's from Pottery Barn Kids. The pinks and yellows will look so cute with this canvas. Thank you so much for the order, Bethany! I hope you and Morgan's mom love it as much as I do!!

Max

Kimberly in Texas is having a new baby boy - hopefully Tuesday! She sent me this picture of his bedding. I love the colors in this bedding and I'm pretty sure that I've painted for it before. So cute!

Kimberly had these wooden letters sent to me. She wanted browns and greens to coordinate with the bedding, but also neutral so they could be used with other things. That's a great idea!

She said I could do "dots, stripes, or whatever" and that's just what I did! I focused more on the taupe and chocolate with just little touches of the sage green. This is on my mantle. I can imagine how pretty they will look on the wall.
Congratulations to you and your family, Kimberly!

My Best Friend

Fourteen years ago today I really did marry my best friend. I love my wedding day and I love celebrating our anniversaries. Maybe that is why I like painting these established canvases so much! This top one is off to Murfreesboro to Megan Clarke. I hope it is the perfect wedding gift.

I did another one of the exact design...strangely enough, these two were ordered literally within minutes of each other! This one is for Mandy Byars. Sher is giving it as a gift at the wedding shower. Again, I hope it makes the perfect gift! Thank you both so much for the orders!

We are preparing for our annual trip to the NCAA basketball tournament. No, we are not going to the Final Four this year. Since it is in Houston and we just got back from Arizona, we decided to stick closer to home. We are headed to an earlier round of games in Charlotte, NC. I guess that is my anniversary gift??

Our Arizona trip for just the two of us was early, but it counted as my gift. Going somewhere and doing something fun is my idea of the perfect gift! We are an adventurous couple, love being together, and always have a blast! He's the yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, and definitely the macaroni to my cheese. We've now had fourteen fabulous years together. I don't know what's coming down the road, but I am looking forward to it.

There's No Place Like Home

Isn't that so true? I love to travel more than anyone I know, but it is always such a good feeling to be back home. Kayla Morton ordered this large 12x36 custom canvas to match her living room decor. She wanted chocolate brown, green and blue. It was also her idea for the word "home" to be larger than the rest.

It was really sunny on the day I took these pictures and I just couldn't find the right lighting. This is a beautiful chocolate brown and is sealed with a light gloss. There is also a layer of handmade papers under the paint to give the canvas a unique texture. Beautiful in person...difficult to photograph!

Well, I just hope you get the idea. Thank you so much for the order, Kayla!

John Deere

Our good friends, Kevin and Laura Dunlap, recently invited us out to their son's John Deere themed birthday party. Even though the weather was yucky, we still had a great time!

The planned hay ride got rained out, but Kevin still took the kids on their own personal tractor ride!

Laura ordered this painting to match one that I did for Jackson a while back. Brooks asked for a specific type of John Deere tractor. I had to do my research! I think it looked perfect on the mantle with the balloons and tractor decor!
Thank you, Dunlap family!

New Rules

The "rules" canvases have been so popular! I am so thankful. I love the message and these are so fun to paint. Both of these are a bit smaller at 4x12. Just perfect for those little nooks and crannies.
The "Family" version is off to Lakeland Elementary in Kentucky. I was contacted about donating an item for their silent auction. I am always up for supporting a good cause and was happy to help. Thank you, Sherry!
The "Class" version is brand spanking new and is currently available at Et Cetera. I love the colors and the idea. I think this will make a wonderful end of the year gift for all of those special teachers. This is a sneak peek for you, Tonya!

Happy Anniversary

No, today is not my anniversary. Ours is just around the corner! This one was shipped out to Tara in Nashville. Someone in her family celebrated a big anniversary yesterday. She ordered this a their gift.
I have done this design several times and it is one of my favorites. The new spin is the gold lettering over the top. I'd never used that color for this before. It look really cute especially with the matching gold ribbon.

The Playroom

Here are some super cute stripes and polka dots for the playroom at Kristin Green's house! She had seen something similar on three separate canvases. I love her idea to do all the on one long canvas.

This is baby Eastlan's first canvas. It is designed to coordinate with one done for his big brother a while back. Click here to see that one. I know they will look so good hanging together! There's more for Kristin coming soon!

Bare Feet

I absolutely love this sign! It was first ordered by Faith McGee and has since taken off on etsy. If you've never visited etsy, you really need to go. (You can click on the orange gift in the sidebar to go directly to my shop!) They have the best stuff and it is always changing. Let me warn you, it is obscenely addictive! Anyway, this one shipped out last week to Stanton Island, New York. How exciting!

What Little Boys Are Made Of...

Monica in Kentucky wanted this saying on a 16x20 canvas for her little boy's room. She decided on earth tones so that hopefully as the room changes through the years, the painting will coordinate. Great idea!

There is a lot of lettering on this canvas. I have to admit that it felt like it took me forever! It turned out better than I dreamed and was so worth it.

This is my favorite shot of it. That's a portrait of my little boy hanging above it. That little baldy in the overalls is now my big, strapping, almost ten year old. I hung this in my office so I see it all the time. It reminds me of how quickly time passes.