Celebration and Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake Paintings

I quickly whipped up two new cupcake paintings this week and listed them on eBay.

"Halloween Pumpkin Cupcake"

A Halloween Pumpkin Spice cupcake is decorated with cream cheese frosting and black and orange sprinkles. This Halloween theme continues with the polka dot paper liner and the smiling pumpkin on top. A little "Boo" tag is painted on the paper liner and a black and white checked bow is glued above it. A black and white dotted satin ribbon is wrapped around the edges of the canvas.

I realize that it may seem a bit early for Halloween projects, but they sell quickly and if I don't start them early I won't get enough of them finished.

"Celebration Cupcake"


A rich dark chocolate cupcake is slathered with butter cream frosting and decorated with red sprinkles. This red and white theme continues with the polka dot paper liner and the striped candle. This painting is great for any type of celebration, especially birthdays. A red and white dotted grosgrain ribbon is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top.

I feel a sweet binge coming on!

My Daughter's First Giveaway and a New Family Member

My daughter, Amber, is having her first blog giveaway. So, rush right on over to Hoot-n-Annie to sign up for her headband giveaway because it ends tonight!


Below are a few samples of her bows:

This sweet little girl, Jersey, came into our family right before we lost our cat, Callie. She is helping to heal our hearts. Grandma Chickie, Rick's Grandmother, lost her dog a few months ago and wanted us to look for another one for her. We had been visiting Petsmart on the weekends where shelters have pet adoptions. This little dog latched onto me and it's been "love" ever since. She is the huggiest dog I've ever seen. We did get a dog for grandma which I will share in another post.

Don't you just love her markings!!!

My First Autumn Painting of the Year

"Pumpkin Harvest Time in Mapleton"

Here it is, my first autumn painting of the year. I listed it on eBay this evening. You can check it out here.

Pumpkin harvest time has arrived in Mapleton. After a long day of gathering pumpkins and arranging autumn displays in the barn for the first day of the annual "Fall Festival", the Greenway family has retired early. They will rise at the crack of dawn to meet their first customers with freshly baked pies, breads, muffins, cookies, and their specialty "pumpkin donuts". The scent of freshly brewed coffee and warm apple cider will greet the customers as they browse among the pumpkins looking for the perfect specimen.

I realize that it's not a good idea to rush the seasons, but I'm always ready for the next one a month or two before it's time. I love the scent in the air, the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, and the food!!!!!! Oh the wonderful food that cooler weather brings with it. Soups, baked goodies, pumpkin anything........... Sorry I'm drooling on my keyboard. I'm ready to start another autumn or winter painting to stay in the zone!

The End of Summer is Near

It's the first week of August and we've had such wonderful weather this year. We've had plenty of rain, sunshine, and beautiful flowers. Still, I've had some flowers that I just couldn't get to work in the area where I planted them. I love neat gardens and just had to yank out the offenders who wouldn't behave. In the garden below I simply pulled out the flowers and added garden chairs with pillows to fill in the blank space.

This looks like a great spot to read a good book.
On the deck bench I've added extra pillows to grab when needed. The turquoise tub was a Walmart special that I can also use for ice and pop. The "Floppy Flier" frisby is handy for when the dogs want to play and my garden crocs are ready to grab when I water the flowers. I just love these little rose like pink begonias! Click photos for a closer view.
If you need something quick and different to fix for a snack, (I served these at Amber and Scott's wedding reception) may I sugget getting a jar of these absolutely fabulous "Candied Jalapenos". They come from Campbell Gardens in Kansas. Click here to visit their website. A few years ago we were at The Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin, KS and came across their booth.

Put some whipped cream cheese in a frosting bag with a star tip or in a ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Squeeze a small dollop into the center of some Tostitos Scoops and top with a 1/4 of a slice of a pepper. I cut the slices with some kitchen shears. A jar of these peppers lasts a long time because you're only using a small piece on each scoop. They have a touch of sweetness that cools down the jalapeno. These were a big hit!

With summer soon coming to an end, I've started painting fall scenes now. This one should be finished today.

I want to thank all of my dear blog readers for your sweet comments on the previous post about our cat, Callie. Your sincere concern is much appreciated!

Our Angel

Our hearts are filled with sadness, but you'll live in our hearts forever Callie.

Callie and Bailey

Begging to go outside

We'll miss your cute face at the dinner table each night. Callie always sat in the 4th chair, laying her sweet face on the table to watch us eat.

Love you baby!

Wedding Reception

This has been a very happy and very sad week. First the sad part: Our eleven year old cat "Callie", is going through renal failure. We have been giving her sub-Q injections for a couple of weeks now. We thought she was doing better, but after taking her back to the vet on Monday for a checkup she has stopped eating. She is so weak now that she can't hold herself up and is losing control of her bladder. Our son, Eric, bought a syringe to feed her with and has been able to get some food down her but so far she shows no sign of improvement. So, I'm taking a computer break for a while so I can spend more time taking care of her.

On a brighter note, Amber and Scott had a small reception at Scott's mother's home on Saturday. Below are a few photos from this fun event:

The kids look a little tired here!
We spent the whole day Friday and most of Saturday cooking for the reception at our house. The girls make two triple layer chocolate cakes and one triple layer lemon filled cake.


I made 80 cupcake pops. You can find the recipe for these here.


I also made a giant cupcake. No one wanted to cut into it so the kids are freezing it for their anniversary.


I hope to be back to painting and blogging soon, but for now I have a sick cat to take care of.

Two New Cupcake Paintings!

Yeah! I'm back at the paint table working hard to get some new pieces finished. I listed these two "Cupcake Paintings" on eBay this week:

"Lemon Cupcake"

What could be better on a hot summer day than a "Lemon Cupcake" along with a big glass of lemonade. A moist lemon cupcake is topped with creamy lemon frosting and placed on a black cake stand, then covered with a glass cloche. Lemon slices are painted around the edge of this unique stand and a black and white checked ribbon is attached to the base. A black and white dotted ribbon is wrapped around the edges of the canvas.

"A Dreamy Confection"


Three dreamy chocolate cupcakes are decorated with blue butter cream frosting and topped with white candy dots. They are displayed on a decorative black cake stand waiting for someone to snatch them up! A black and white checked ribbon is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top.

Wedding in Eureka Springs

I do believe this was one of the cutest little weddings I've ever seen. Of course, I'm the mother of the bride, but I really do believe it's the "cutest" ever! The wedding was at a horse ranch in Eureka Springs and we were all a little concerned about the horses, but it was delightful to say the least!

The bride and groom (Amber and Scott)

The wedding colors were red and turqouise.

Brother and sister (Amber and Eric)

Proud Dad!

Amber had purchased some red glasses on the way down to Eureka at a little shop in Springfield, MO and one of the bride's maids had a pair that she loaned to Scott for this cute photo. Instead of punch we had little bottles of Coke to continue the "red theme" The white cupcakes were gluten free and the cupcakes in the center where chocolate.

Scott is an actor and the two of them love to ham it up! He will be teaching at KU starting in August while working to get his doctorate.

I wasn't sure about turquoise and red together, but I fell in love it!

On the back wall of this room there were two windows with cedar covering them. They removed them and two horses stuck there heads through for photos. If you have your own horses you can actually bring them to have in your wedding photos.

Here you can see both horses.

I bet you've never seen a wedding like this one, huh!

This rather large chess/checker set was in the yard where Amber and Scott stayed.

Now don't you think that was the cutest wedding ever?

Wedding Bells!

Tomorrow is the big day and these two are tying the knot! I'll share some wedding photos soon.

Thanks for all the help trying to identify the bush in a previous post. A couple of you think that it's Purple Loosestrife, but it has been in this spot for 8 years and hasn't spread at all. I know that Loosestrife is very invasive and this plant does sound like that same description except for the invasive part. I'm going to have to send a photo to one of the gardening websites as someone suggested and maybe I'll solve this mystery.

Engagement and Garden Photos

I'm sorry to gush over these photos like this...but aren't these two adorable!

Here they are enjoying their favorite pastime, reading and knitting.



This sign has been hanging in my garden for years and has weathered dreadfully. Notice, however, that the angels faces are in great condition. You can click on the photo to enlarge it.


Could someone please tell me what the bush on the left is? I have looked in several gardening books and I don't believe it's a butterfly bush. You can click on it to enlarge. This was in my garden when we moved here and I moved it from the shady back yard to the side yard where there is lots of sun. It's much happier there. I thought it might be a veronica, but it's nearly 6 feet tall (same height as the fence).

Thanks to everyone for your well wishes to Amber and Scott. I wish I had the time to write each and everyone of you but this is a very hectic and exciting week. I'll do my best to visit each of you next week after the wedding.

Engagement Photos

Here it is count down time for Amber and Scott's wedding. I'll be sharing a few engagement photos with you until the big day arrives. Here are a few of my favorites:

Just a note to let you know that I've added a few more pattern packets to my eBay auctions and will list the remainder after the wedding.