Colors of the Season..

Minty Fresh!

I finally got another treasury today! I've had this one ready to go for days.. turns out that a lot of the original items I was going to include were sold.. but I found some perfect substitutes anyway! Check it out here..

New Painting "My Friend.."

Hi there, and happy Saturday! This time last week I was at my easel - covered in pink and yellow paint! I did this painting for my best friend, for her birthday yesterday - so now she's seen it I can now share it here!

Knock Knocking

I often hesitate when I go to share something with you here, as I know from time to time different things do the 'rounds' of the blogosphere. The last thing I want to do is be an echo, so when I find something I like I sometimes assume that everyone would already have seen it. But I was thinking today - is this really true? I mean there is so much out there, even within the handmade/indie niche! I'm sure our tracks around this niche are somewhat varied, and I hope that occaisonally I am able to bring something here that is new to you!

Today I'd like to share these beautiful mixed media yarn wreaths by Agnes Blum of Knock Knocking. Most of these photos where taken from Knock Knocking's flickr photstream. You can also check out her Etsy shop and blog. Enjoy!

Happy December!

Hello there, and happy December! I am sitting here this evening looking out over our neighbourhood which is slowly lighting up with Christmas lights. Such a buzz in the air! I've been munching away on candy canes all afternoon, and I've created a candy cane inspired treasury in Etsy Poster Sketch that I can't wait to share with you! Just have to get myself a treasury again!

Speaking of treasuries, did you see my Teal Appeal treasury on the front page of Etsy on Sunday? I just happened to log in at the right time (how lucky is that?) and I saw it! So happy for the sellers that were featured, and all the sales that they made!

A couple of days ago at work, I spent quite some time signing my name on dozens and dozens of Christmas cards that we send out to our customers. I thought I would put together a little collection of some of my favourites from Etsy. Enjoy!

Holiday Cards - Skate Away by Cathy Nichols

Holiday Tree Card Set by Naokosstoop

Bear and Squirrel Christmas and Holiday Cards by Amber Alexander

Winter Wonderland Greeting Cards by The Nebulous Kingdom

Bunny Art + Fashion = WOW!

How adorable are these? They are handpainted by Fleur Fenner of NYHop, combining art and fashion to produce amazing one of a kind pieces of clothing. I know what I will be purchasing myself in time for next winter!

I ♥ Lil Fish Studio!

A little inspiration from Lil Fish Studio's flickr stream. You'll have to click over and see the rest for yourself, but I'm warning.. it will have you engrossed! (So do it anyway!)

Teal Appeal!

Such a pretty colour! Visit the treasury and leave the featured sellers some clicks here!

Add a Little Sunshine!

Isn't yellow such a happy, cheerful colour? ♥ Visit the treasury here!

My Next Project?

Thinking about adding a little touch of playfulness to a room.. time to get the sewing machine out again!

Image: Princesspinestudio

Yes please, I'd like one of them!

My Etsy Xmas Wishlist in the form of a treasury!

Treasuries

Autumn Colors. By TheRedPistachio

Avairy or Asylym? By KnotChaCha

Giveaway!

A little exciting news I wanted to tell you days ago! Vicki over at one of my favourite blogs - Simply Hue, is running a Spotlight on Artists feature. You have to go check out all the talent there, it's a great feature! While you're there though, make sure you leave a comment to be entered in my giveaway! That's right, I will be giving away one of my originals as part of the feature! Go see what you could win here!

A Sunny Spot

Finally.. time to introduce another new painting! Painting has been such a slow process now that I'm back at work full time, but I've been painting whenever I can. I enjoy the little time I do get to be creative so much more now there is less pressure to create! I could go on about that some more, but right now I'd just like to show you my painting! So here is my latest creation, titled A Sunny Spot and just listed here!

A Happy Place!

One day when I go on an Etsy spending spree, these are some of the purchases I will make! Visit the treasury here!

Trust the Process

If you are an artist or creative type, you would probably be familiar with the 'paralyzed with fear' feeling that comes sometimes at even the thought of beginning a creation.

In my post yesterday I asked this question.. "How often do we miss the experiences of the ''journey' because we are so concerned with ending up at the destination?"

I was thinking more about this today, and I realised that it is just the same with our creative journey. Often when we are planning an artwork, we have a vision in our mind of what we want to achieve. We see the colours, the textures and can close our eyes and visualize the artwork as a finished product. We can already see how it will look hanging on that wall, or sitting on that shelf.

We focus so much on this final artwork, and our vision of what it 'will be' that the creative process that actually leads to our vision can easily become daunting! We are overcome with fears that it won't be as we imagined, and we doubt our ability to actually produce what we were able to visualize.

I love this amazing and inspirational post by Ashley at 31 Experiment, and the painting below that inspired her words. In her post Ashley also quotes Julia Cameron on why we struggle to start sometimes.. "Our ego plays this little trick to keep us from getting started. Instead of allowing ourselves a creative journey, we focus on the length of the trip. "It's such a long way, we tell ourselves".

Such a long way, and we're not even sure where we're going, or if we'll even end up where we want to. The reality is, often things don't turn out as we imagined. But I have found when we do trust the process and show up at the easel with our paint and brush, often it turns completely different and perhaps even better than we could have imagined.

As Ashely puts it, "Creativity lies not in the DONE but in the DOING". Such a simple concept, but how easily we forget! Trust the process! Believe in yourself!

Letting Go

I wonder sometimes, at what I have missed out on experiencing because I have been held back by fear. Undue fear at that. By nature I worry - if there is something to worry about, or even if there isn't - you can always count on me to worry about it!

I learnt a valuable lesson over the weekend. We had an amazingweekend, one of those ones where you don't make any plans and just do whatever seems like a good idea at the time!

Late on Friday afternoon we decided to pack up and go camping. With no real plan in place, and without a map we just drove.. It was well and truly dark when we finally found somewhere to camp. We could hear water running but other than that we had no clues as to what we would find when we woke up in the morning. So, imagine my suprise (and delight) when I sat up and saw this...

How many times do we let fear hold us back? "What if we can't find somewhere to camp? What if we get lost? What if it storms?" So many fears that would normally slow me down and make me think twice. Letting go is sometimes scary, some of us like to be in control.

How often do we miss the experiences of a 'journey' because we are so concerned with ending up at our planned destination? When you take away that destination, when you don't know where it will end - all you have to experience is the journey, and you can be entirely in the moment.

We couldn't find anywhere to camp for quite some time, we did get lost - many times, and it did rain. However while we were lost, we saw some amazing things and found places we would otherwise never have found. We laughed a lot. We slept under the stars, and when the clouds covered us and it started to rain we put a cover over us and snuggled closer.

On My Easel

Here is another painting in progress! It's a slow progress now I'm back at work, but there is one coming along!

His and Her

This treasury was actually my husband's idea, titled His and Her.

A Cute Find

Hello there, look what I found! I thought they were too cute not to share - even on the weekend! These little creations are by gypsy and twink, and there are lots more to be found here!

Shades of Romance

The sun has set in golden skies, it's a perfect evening for romance..

Something to tell you..

Hello dear readers.. I have a little sad news today. I've been putting off this moment where I share my latest for too long already. So here it is.. Today, my dreams of making a career out of my artwork have been put on hold, as I started back at a full time office job this morning. There are quite a few reasons why I needed to take the position, I won't go into it all now. It is just a temporary position, but I don't think I will be able to be back here creating full time for a while. I may be able to have Friday's off, and I'll be painting where I can.. in fact, after a day in the office today I just can't wait to be able to sit down at my easel again. I will blog as often as I have time for, so please keep dropping in - Art and handmade is my passion, I won't be going far away!

Looking Forward by Shirae

Dear Mr. Blank Canvas

You know what? I just did a quick count of all the big blank canvases I have sitting in my studio - there are 19. Can you believe that? Nineteen huge white canvases with a whole lot of nothingness on them. Problem is, for some reason they are freaking me out lately. It's as if they are sitting there threatening me with an artistic failure if I dare touch them with a brush. Can you relate to this feeling! I love this image by Ashley at 31 Experiment.

I know from experience that the only way to break Mr. Blank Canvases power over me, is just to splash some paint at him. Just start somewhere, anywhere..

Through Olive Groves

I hope you're not too bored with all these treasuries, I really love curating them so they're probably not going to stop popping up here! This one is inspired by that gorgeous olive green. Here's the link!

Courtney Oquist

Just sharing another one of my 'hearts' tonight, these cute drawings are by Courtney Oquist. I can't stop looking at this little owl, those feathers are adorable!

More Beautiful Treasuries!

Here are another couple of treasuries I've found my way into!

Thankyou baahar...

and kanokwalee!