Spring has Sprung!

I did some really pretty art this weekend, I'm still making things from my last photo excursion, hmmm, was that just last weekend? It seems so long ago...

I'm really looking into ways to promote locally because I'm pretty much over my day job lol. Well, no lol to it actually, I'm over it. I'm ready to make that transition so I need to get focused and make some lists as far as how I'm going to go about it. Are you a list person? I am, lists always help me to figure out my direction. I think my bf making that leap into starting his own business and being able to stay here during the day is really making me want this even more. That was always our dream, to work here together at our house. Maddie at work suggested I get something part time (Mad Maddie Mammoth if you ever read this Maddie LOL)to help pay bills while I focus on promoting my art but I'm not sure I want to do that. I went onto Craig's list this morning but it's so disheartening to be looking at want ads again ugh. So I stopped and made something pretty and decided to post in my blog and make my own list.

I let our doggies out this morning and they ran amuck into the neighbors yard even though I was standing there telling them not to. Well, telling them in a loud voice that let them know I meant business. They were very naughty little dogs not to listen. So if any of our neighbors ever read this...I'M SO SORRY that I have unruly dogs.

Anyway, back to my new art. Some of it I love and some of it I REALLY love. Here's my newest:

Thanks for looking....just click on the images to the right and it will take you to my Etsy store if you want more info :).

I got accepted at Trunkt!

I applied and got accepted at Trunkt, an online art/portfolio site! Rumor has it that's it's pretty hard to get in there so I was soooo happy that my application was accepted. I have a basic portfolio which only allows 3 pieces of art :(. I want to upgrade but money just isn't going to allow it right now. I'm sure we've all been there! I felt super guilty getting pizza with everybody at work today for lunch so a $50 upgrade for a bigger portfolio is out of the question at the moment. The bad thing is that it's going from $50 to $99 on April 5. So if I'm going to get it, I should do it before then. There's a link to my Etsy store on there though, so buyers can at least see my other stuff if they want to click a little more :).

I got chosen for Treasury on Etsy and I feel very honored by that, it's the 2nd one I've been chosen for: http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=5247

I also got asked to be the guest artist on http://www.thepeachtreebrooklyn.com/
I think it will involve an interview via email. I'll be Peachtree's guest artist for the entire week. What a good idea to feature things like that on your blog! Hmmm, it would make mine more interesting too wouldn't it? Something to think about.

I've been doing A LOT of thinking about local venues to sell my art. I've been doing some online research and I'm coming up with a lot of ideas. I didn't know Knoxville had such an active art community. There are a couple of galleries with open calls for artists and even an art marketplace. I'm going to have to go check it all out. What would be awesome would be to find a little funky boutique that would sell my prints. I would LOVE that. It might even bring in enough money that I could quit my 'getting up at 3am job' and focus totally on art and creativity. That would be my ideal life. Taking pictures and making them fun and awesome on the computer and selling them. *sigh*. I AM going to make it happen :).

A lot of photos this weekend!

I've had a long weekend (4 days woohoo!). I went all over the place with my camera, looking for good angles, beautiful skies, and new blooms. I took lots and lots of photographs. I'm so excited about giving them that vintage feel and listing them! I have several already done and I'll give you a peek here. As usual, click on my Etsy shop to the right and you can see further descriptions, prices, etc. I really love these :):

'Just Be'

'Spring Romance'

'Landing'

'Japanese Spring'

'Growing Happiness'

'Strength'

Some New Photography

I have new art in my Etsy shop that I added this week. There are 3 totally new pieces and some that I've relisted. The relisted ones are my little gnome prints which I absolutely love but no one else seems to lol. No one has given them any hearts on Etsy. They have beautiful yellow daffodils in them and I think they're just fun. The new ones are a mixed bag, 2 signs and a pathway. Here are the brand new ones first :

"No Use Crying Over Spilled Coffee" :)

"Retro Restaurant"

"Walk With Me"

"Who Needs Cracker Barrel"

These are my fun gnome prints.

Cracker Barrel is a popular chain of restaurants in the southern United States for those of you who are unfamiliar with what 'Cracker Barrel' might mean :).

"Don't Forget Your Workout"

"Watch Your Toes!"

So those are all my recent additions. We're having beautiful weather today though and we're having some major budding happening so I'm going out to take a bunch of new photographs. They're going to be very pretty. I've also got some new canvas to do a couple of original paintings on. I'm really looking forward to doing those :). See you soon!

Original Painting

I finished my first painting for Etsy a couple of days ago and got it listed today. I'm so excited about it! It's so fun and cheerful. As soon as I get some more money, I'm going to buy some canvases so I can do more. I have some new photography in the works that I'll be adding this week as well. I actually scored 2 days off this week somehow, that makes me beyond happy. I really do love my day job, don't get me wrong. But I love staying home and creating more. The best part of staying home and creating is that I don't have to get up before 5am which is a cause for jubilation in and of itself (lol, I don't think I've ever used the word jubilation before).

ANYWHO, here are several photos of my painting entitled 'Sunshiney Happiness'. For details, click on the Etsy photo to the right and it will take you right into my shop.

Not much snow...

We just got a dusting of snow, no long weekend lol. And now we have spring apparently, yay. Snow is nice but I'm ready for spring to come. We got a new puppy this weekend though! A 6 month old chocolate lab that was on her way to the pound. We named her Velvet. She and our 6 month old golden retriever (Sesame) have become instant bff's. They're both girls and they play together amazingly well. I'm watching my boyfriend in the backyard playing with both of them as I write this :). It was his idea, a friend of his needed to give her away. She's really beautiful, she has deep brown fur and light brown eyes.

I also did a painting this weekend, it turned out awesomely well. Well, I love it anyway :). I need to take a picture of it and put it on Etsy (and on here). It's called Sunshiney Happiness. It's actually based on a doodle that I did a couple of weeks ago. I just redrew it on canvas and painted it with acrylics. I have a whole series planned based around the same concept. It's going to be the Happiness series.

So I'm reading "The Secret" right now. I'm probably the only person left in the USA that's not read it yet. It has so many good concepts in it. I'm really trying to align myself with the universe (as it directs) so I can make all my dreams come true. So far, so good...it seems to be working :).

Snowed in Weekend ?!

They're predicting snow for us this weekend :). Even though I'm feeling really spring timey we've not had a good snow yet this winter. PLUS, I'm supposed to go to Ky Monday to work and if school's out, then my job's cancelled. They're supposed to get even more snow than us so maybe it will be a long weekend!

I finished early today at work and had some time to kill before I picked the munchkins up from their respective step families, that didn't sound good lol. From their hmmm, other blended families other than our little blended family. And the munchkins are actually teenage munchkins lol. ANYWAY, I had some time to kill and there's a Hobby Lobby close to my office so I stocked up on creative supplies. Some things to make some cool magnets with and some acrylics to start my first painting in forever with. I used to paint when I was younger but with oils. I'm going to be going for a different sort of painting now and I think acrylics will be awesome for it. I'm pretty excited. I have canvases here already because I bought them for Mia, my youngest, over 2 years ago and she's not touched them. So I'm just going to take them back lol. So here's to a creative weekend.

*special "HI!" to Jane and Alan my bff's at work. They went to my Etsy site and they may never find their way over here to my blog, but if they do 'hi' :).

Lots of new artwork!

I have lots of new art in my Etsy Store...and I made my first sale! I'm sooo excited about it. Without further adieu (did I spell that right? lol)here are my new prints:

I also have some art that I have relisted. I really the like the look of these, they say 'spring' to me.

I also have 2 brand new photos that I've not uploaded yet, I'll put them up sometime this evening or this weekend.

Thanks for looking!