Fairy Princess of Ladybugs and all Small Creatures

Recently one of my husband's business contacts became a new father. My hubby wanted me to paint something for their baby. After seeing photos of the nursery done in pink and brown with pink and brown ladybugs, this is what I came up with. You can click on the image to get a closer view.

A pink and brown dotted ribbon is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top. Glitter is applied to the fairy wings. This was a fun diversion from my usual style of painting.

My sweet daughter just started her own blog and you can check it out here. Please stop by and leave her a comment to welcome here to our community of blogging friends. My baby girl is such a cutie pie!

At "Etsy Stalker", Violet (isn't that a great name) featured one of my prints on her blog. She has a great blog promoting lots of talented Etsy sellers. Just click on the button below:

Thanks Violet!

This week Kaili's Art Blog, Billy and Button, presented me with the Renee Award. Please check out my sweet blogging friend from Australia, Kailie's blog. She is so talented!

The Renee Award was recently created by Bella and Ces in honour of their friend Renee. They are such talented group of women. In Bella's words:
"this is a brand new award, and I have the pleasure and honor of spreading the seed, watching it grow. I hope it finds its way to those who are like Renee: the acorn, a small package becoming a tall and sturdy oak giving more acorns, becoming tall and sturdy oaks, giving acorns…"

Due to time constraints, I want to pass this on to all my talented blogging friends:

Thanks Kaili! I have a giveaway coming soon!

Recipe Cupcake Painting

Have a wonderful Easter weekend with your family celebrating the promise of our risen Lord! Our little country church has a sunrise service outside where we can also watch the sun come up. Parishioners are cuddled in blankets and sleepy children are awed as the pastor speaks, his breath rising in the air. On a hill near the pastor is a stone tomb where a play is enacted of Jesus rising from the dead as our Lord promised.

We then gather inside where the men have made a breakfast of bacon, eggs, sausage gravy, and biscuits to serve to this early congregation.

"Everyday Cupcakes" auction on eBay

A moist white cupcake with milk chocolate frosting is painted on top of a recipe from an old cookbook that is decoupaged to a canvas. Tiny blue confetti is sprinkled on top of the fluffy frosting. A blue dotted cupcake liner and a "white" tag embellish this yummy cupcake. A tiny black and white checked ribbon is hot glued above the label. A black and white checked ribbon is attached to the edge of the canvas. The entire picture is painted except for the recipe and the ribbon.

Sweet Delights Cupcake Painting and a Baby Shower

"Sweet Delights" is my new cupcake painting which is listed on eBay.

Three delightfully delicious flavors of cupcakes are displayed on a charming white cake stand decorated with red berries. Heaping piles of cream cheese frosting tops each cupcake along with red candy decorations. Decorative tags are painted on each cupcake with the flavor printed in the center. A red and white checked bow is glued to the cake stand.

Click on the picture for a closer view.

6" x 12"

A couple of weeks ago, I had a baby shower for a dear friend's daughter. My friend has been blessed with two absolutely adorable grandson's in the last year and a half. Then she got a call this week with the news that once again she is going to be a grandma in nine months. I'm happy to hug and kiss on her grandbabies and to be called Aunt Cathie. I hope I'm blessed with such sweet ones some day.

Here are a few of the treats we served that day. We made Onsie cookies, petits fours, and Life Saver pacifiers. I got the idea for the pacifiers from Paula Deen's magazine. They are put together with two life savers and a jelly bean. Glue them together with royal frosting and add a cute ribbon.

See the snow on my deck through the back door? We got about four inches of snow that day.

I made a Noah's Ark banner for sweet baby Joseph.



and a Noah's Ark diaper cake center piece.


God has truly blessed this wonderful family!

Cup of Carrot Cake Cupcake Painting

Hi all! I took a much needed break from my computer for a couple of weeks. A baby shower for a dear friend who became a grandma for the second time, was given at my home. I will share some of the treats and decorating from the shower soon. Special orders for house portraits have kept me very busy as well. Today my brain needed some down time so I painted this little canvas. Now what does that say about me? This little painting could be used to decorate for Easter or used year round.

"A Cup of Carrot Cake"

A delicious moist carrot cake with rich cream cheese frosting is displayed in a charming little rabbit and carrot patterned cup and saucer. It is topped with a nest of green coconut and blue candy eggs. Black letting at the top spells "Carrot" and is dripping with cream cheese frosting.

Cherry Chocolate Cupcake Painting and Giveaway

This "Cherry Chocolate Cupcake" painting is listed on eBay and ends this week.

5" x 7"

A chocolate fudge cupcake mixed with cherry pie filling is topped with fluffy, butter cream, piped frosting with a cherry on top. Displayed on a black cake stand embellished with tiny ruby colored crystals, this dessert is a treat for the eyes as well as the tummy. This fudgey, cherry concoction is wrapped in a cute red and white polka dot cake liner. A red grosgrain ribbon with white dots is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top.

Now please rush right over to Laurel Plum Online because she's offering a "Giveaway" of one of my prints. The giveaway ends this Friday the 27th. Laurel has a beautiful blog full of tips on getting organized.

Bedside Table Redesign

Around Christmas I shared this picture of my new lamp that I bought for my bedroom. I'm now using this as a "before shot" of my bedside table.
This is the "new look" for my bedside table now. I purchased Penny's (Lavender Hill Studio) mosaic directions online and this is my first project. This was so much fun! If you think you'd like to try to mosaic something, Penny's directions are great and very easy to follow. I had an old matelasse that I cut to make the skirt. It's simply velcroed around the edge of the table for easy removal when it needs washing. I tied a black ribbon around the top edge and added one to the lamp as well because I keep reading that every room needs a touch of black. Large black buttons were also sewn down the front where the fabric overlaps. Click on the photos for a closer view.

I have a question to ask all my faithful readers, " Should I paint the lamp base antique white or black?" If you think I shouldn't paint it at all, you can also vote.

There is a "Toile Party" going on at the Pretty Organized Palace Blog, so go check it out!

Clover Hill Folk Art Painting

New listing for my eBay auctions:

"Clover Hill"

Click on photos for a closer view.

Avary and her mother, Ruth, have worked hard all morning making a surprize, giant cupcake for their friend and neighbor Miss Hester. Everyday after school Avary stops in to visit with Hester who fell and broke her hip while pruning her climbing rose bushes that grow up the side of her stone cottage. Avary has been doing chores and helping in the garden until her friend heals and asked her mother to help her with a surprize for their ailing neighbor. Getting up at the crack of dawn the mother and daughter team made the most delicious giant cupcake and frosted it with fluffy pink butter cream frosting. Ruth sent her daughter up Clover Hill to the little cottage at the top of the lane with her sweet treat in hand.

Soon I will share with you another project that I'm doing for our bedroom. It's been fun and I can't wait to show you.

I was honored to find out that I had won second place in the Artist's Choice Awards on eBay for the "Folk" category.

Now, I've got to get back to the mess, hmmmmmmmmmm, I mean project I'm working on.

St. Patrick's Day Cupcake Painting

Just a quick post to let you know that I listed this 8" x 10" painting on ebay last night. The background color was very hard to photograph, but the top picture is more true to the original.

A white chocolate chip cupcake is piled high with piped green "Irish Cream" frosting and topped with miniature chocolate chips. Displayed on a black decorative cake plate and covered with a glass cloche, this cupcake will look great displayed for St. Patrick's Day or year round. The black lettering at the top of the picture is dripping with green Irish cream icing and a green and white checked ribbon is tied around the knob on the glass cloche.

My mother's side of the family is Irish and I've yet to find a four leaf clover. How about you? Do you have the luck of the Irish?

Custom Painting

A while back I did a custom painting for a sweet customer, Laura, who wanted me to do a painting of the place where they were married as a gift for her husband. You can view that post here. This year she asked me to do a painting for her sister, Marian, and brother in law, Doug. They had recently purchased a new home and she wanted me paint a picture of them in front of the barn on their property. Doug had given Marian a dragon weathervane as a gift, so I added that to the top of the barn. She has given them their gift, so I thought I would now share it with you.

Marian & Doug's Barn:

Marian and Doug I wish you a life time of wonderful memories at your new place and with the new little one that's on the way! What a great place to raise children.

Last night I listed the painting below at the starting price of $1.00. Yes, I said $1.00! So, if you've never been able to bid on one of my originals because of the price, now is the time to try. The shipping for this painting is $32.95 (includes insurance and delivery confirmation) because it's an oversized package. They charge more for size than weight. This painting is 18 inches by 24 inches.

"Traveler's Ease at Turtle Cove"

If you're looking for that perfect place to rest your weary head, you should venture to Traveler's Ease Inn on Turtle Island. Owners, Leota Mae and Harley Thompson, will have a warm and cozy feather bed fluffed and waiting. They will greet you with a pot of herbal tea and cranberry muffins with orange frosting. Customers quickly become friends with the Thompson family and return for years to come.

Chocolate Pecan Cupcake Painting

Looks as if I need to be doing paintings of fruit, vegetables, slimfast, etc. This time of year I start to feel the tug of jeans that are too tight and shirts that have become too snug. I'm sure this extra weight is due to inactivity and painting all the time. Painting these cute little cupcakes isn't helping either. Getting out in the garden during the spring and summer usually gets me back into shape pretty quickly because I'm not inside with the frig. Hurry up Spring!!

This cute little "Chocolate Pecan Cupcake" is now listed in my eBay auctions. The bow is bright red even though it may appear to be hot pink in this photo.

This yummy chocolate pecan cupcake is filled with chocolaty, nutty goodness. Decorate your kitchen with this cupcake piled high with mint green frosting topped with red roses. The border is painted a pale yellow and is accented with black and white checks and tiny red roses. A black tag is painted at the top labeled "Chocolate Pecan". A bright red grosgrain ribbon with white dots is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top.

I've also listed this little 6" x 6" spring painting:

"Greenbriar Lane"

When a gentle breeze is in the air, people walking down Greenbriar Lane and neighbors with open windows, are entranced by the sweet scent of Miss Effie's flowers. She has won first prize at the county fair the past two years for her beautiful pink roses. She loves to teach the neighbor children how to garden and treats them to lemonade and orange frosted cookies for their help. Miss Effie is then showered with hugs and kisses.

A Sad Tale of a Girl and her Cake

Friday was my birthday and my husband took some time off and treated me to a wonderful day. Thanks honey!

I thought I would share an idea of where I get my desire to paint cupcakes and cakes. In the photo below I was celebrating my birthday at the tender age of 3. Who would have guessed what a dessert freak I would become! My sweet older brother, Joe, stepped into the scene to help me carry this heavy load. As you can see from my dismay, I thought he wanted it all to himself. In the end I'm sure I won out and gobbled up that heavenly concoction which led to the slim and trim figure that I had the time. The look on my face says it all, "Get your hands off my cake!"

Which leads me to mention that this print is now available in my Etsy and Ebay stores!

Dark Chocolate Cupcake Painting

I had a really difficult time listing this painting on eBay this week because it matches my kitchen. My husband's says I'll sell anything I've painted that isn't attached to the house. I'm really bad about not keeping anything for myself. This is a much larger painting than my other cupcake paintings. It measures 12" x 16" and I even have the perfect spot for it. I may have to do another one of these for me!

"Dark Chocolate"

This triple fudge cupcake is made with dark chocolate and has a rich fudge texture. You'll want to sink your teeth into this beauty piled high with piped green mint frosting and topped with pink roses. Displayed on a pink decorative cake plate and covered with a glass cloche, this cupcake will make your stomach growl each time you walk by it. A brown grosgrain ribbon with tiny pink dots is tied in a bow and attached to the cake plate. The black lettering at the top of the picture is dripping with green mint icing.

These dreadful pink counter tops came with the house when we bought it, but this painting looks good with them. I painted my kitchen brown when we moved in because I thought it would make the counters look more like beige. I may have to give in and play up the pink because I have to live with them for a while.

A Little Makeover and New Paintings

Sorry for the extended vacation from my blog. After I got my computer back from the shop we started experiencing internet problems and I haven't been able to post for a while. I will try to catch up and get everyone up to date on what I've been doing during this time away from the computer. The following two paintings were listed on eBay last week between the intermittent internet service and will be ending this week. The first one "Stone Crossing" is done on a 3/4" canvas instead of my usual 1 1/2" box type canvas. This gives the purchaser the option to frame it or leave it unframed. An eggshell crackle and antiquing has been applied to this painting to give the appearance of age. Click on the image for a closer view.

Stone Crossing is a quiet haven for Francine and Edward Stewart and their family. Coming home at the end of a day of hard work to a home cooked meal prepared by his wife’s loving hands, is exactly what Edward needs. The family gathers around the long harvest table where hands are joined and heads are bowed as the blessing is asked over the food that is being served. Everyone shares the events of the day and tiny voices giggle as tidbits of meat are handed under the table to Clyde, their English bulldog. The stress that comes with Edward’s job at his office begins to drift away and melt like the snow that gently falls outside.

The next painting, "Moist 'n Chewy", is another cupcake painting and will be ending February 24th.

Dark chocolate frosting is swirled and piled high on a moist 'n chewy chocolate cupcake. A turquoise cake stand and glass cloche cover make a decorative display for this delectable dessert. A decorative tag on the side of the cupcake liner lets you know what the choice is. The black lettering at the top of the picture is dripping with chocolate icing. A turquoise ribbon with brown polka dots is wrapped around the edges of the canvas and tied in a bow at the top.

I also did a little makeover project this week. I posted a photo of the before picture a while back and here it is again.

This old cedar chest has sentimental value to me because it was my "hope chest". Did any of you have a hope chest and does anyone do this anymore? I hoped and dreamed of a dashing, sweet, loving husband and I got all that and more than I ever "hoped" for. That makes this cedar chest 36 years old. A little paint and a little fabric and this is what it looks like now:

Woodland Cove Folk Art Painting

"Woodland Cove"

I added this painting to my ebay auctions this week.

On Saturday nights, Bernice and Horace host a little get together with their neighbors. The women get the food prepared while the men get out the dominos for an evening of good food and fun games. Ethel and Walter introduced their new neighbors Flora and John to their hosts at church and they all became quick friends. The close knit community of Woodland Cove nurtures their friendships and is always there to lend a helping hand.

Wouldn't it be great to live on you own little island with you best friends and neighbors just a boat ride away. Take some time this week to invite some friends over for food and games. You'll feel so blessed and wish you had done it sooner. Here is a recipe for the chicken salad sandwiches that the ladies served:

"Chicken Salad"

Boil together in a 6 quart saucepan

4-4 1/2 lb. stewing chicken (I like chicken breasts)

1 Med. onion quartered

1 large carrot sliced

1 bay leaf

Mix :

1 lb. seedless grapes

2/3 cup mayo

1/4 cup milk

2 T. cider vinegar

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 cup diced green pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt (I use 1 tsp. or less)

1/2 cup California walnuts or Cashews

1 cup sliced celery

Add chicken and mix.

Eat Cake Folk Art Painting

I owe a debt of gratitude to my sweet brother, Keith, who has loaned me his laptop computer because mine is in the shop for repairs. What a sweet guy! I had no idea how I was going to fill orders for the next several days. Anyway, I wanted to share a new "Eat Cake" painting that I finished last week and couldn't get listed due to computer problems. I added this painting to my eBay auctions this evening. This painting is 8" x 16" and has a brown ribbon with pink dots tied around the edges. You can click on the images for a closer view.

"Great News"

I'm a finalist in the eBay group "Artists' Choice Awards 2008" for the Folk category! Wish me luck because I need it. I'm honored to be nominated along with the other very talented artists in this category. Thanks to all those who nominated me!

Chocolate Fudge Cupcake Painting

I've been a little lazy lately and can't seem to concentrate. I seem to be painting what I'm thinking about. Cupcakes, to some of you, may not seem like work, and just because I love painting them and don't need to concentrate, doesn't mean I'm not working. Sounds like I'm making excuses for not putting my mind to work on a village scene to me. But believe me, it's hard to paint these and stay away from the kitchen. Now that's hard! I don't know about hard work, but it's hard to not go whip up a batch of these chocolate fudge cupcakes and eat myself silly!

I added this little "Fudge Cupcake" painting to my eBay auctions this evening.

A chocolate fudge cupcake with chocolate frosting is painted on top of a recipe from an old cookbook that is decoupaged to a canvas. Tiny colorful confetti in shades of pink, blue, and green are sprinkled on top of the fluffy frosting. A pink cupcake liner and a "fudge" tag embellish this yummy cupcake. A tiny black and white checked ribbon is hot glued above the label. I've also attached a pink satin ribbon to the edge of the canvas and tied it in a bow at the top. The entire picture is painted except for the recipe and the ribbon.

Valentine Cottage Folk Art Painting

This is just a quick little post to let you know that I listed this little Valentine Cottage painting on eBay last night.

Decorative details adorn this cozy cottage owned by decorative painters Pollyann and Phillip. When they first bought the house it was painted white but now their decorative details have added their signature work to the home. Black and white checkerboard trim edges the roof sections. A cute red and white checkerboard chimney and polka dot roof were the inspiration for the stained glass window with the red heart that Pollyann designed. Love is abundant in this home where a red heart decorates the door for Valentine's Day. The lettering for the "Be Mine" bracket is decoupaged to the canvas and the black bracket is painted around it.

You have your choice of a red and white or black and white checked ribbon tied around the edge of the canvas.

Back to the Super Bowl half time entertainment!