Creepy Cool

This is going to be a quickie quick post just showing off a project I finished last night. I've been on a rampage to get all of my "half-finished" and pending projects DONE! This one has been a brain child of mine since Halloween and I'm glad to wrap it up.

Yes-- I painted that human heart free hand. All I did was get an inexpensive tote bag from Hobby Lobby and paint right on the tote with acrylic paint. I just did a "dry brush" technique which allowed me to do some shading and such.

I just loved the idea of the "anatomy" theme accessories and wanted to make my own, so I did. :) (Have I used quotation marks too much in this post? I'm afraid so.) I'm trying to decide if I want to keep it or pop it in the etsy shop. What do you think? I'm also slightly afraid to wash it. Does anyone have tips for sealing acrylic paint on fabric? I don't even know if that's possible. Comment if you do!

 Also: Phoebe wanted to say hi. :)

<3
E

We are the Clay

I made a new painting a few nights ago:

I was inspired by a scripture from one of my daily devotions and I thought it would make a gorgeous painting and a true reminder that the Lord shapes and molds my life! I've been wanting to do a few more paintings, so this was a good start. I'm thinking of getting a few in my etsy shop in the coming weeks. I pretty much just want to cover my apartment in paint and canvases. HA!



Well I hope everyone had a refreshing weekend! I'm heading off to work with a day off tomorrow!
<3
E

Paint me a Memory

This is a little late, but this is a painting that i made for the birth of my friend's baby. They painted her nursery brown and pink and they wanted some art for the walls. So I just sat down with a blank canvas and started painting. I wanted something whimsical and cute with her name on it, and I came up with this elephant inspired by some scrapbook paper scraps I had lying around. I really like the way it turned out and it's just FULL of whimsy! Luckily, the parents of the new baby loved it too and she wants a few more smaller companion paintings to go with it. I love making paintings for gifts because they're one of a kind, affordable, and originally unique!

<3
E

Homage to Frida

Ian and I recently watched Frida, the biography film about Frida Kahlo (starring Salma Hayek). I have loved Frida Kahlo since high school and have always found her art eerily intriguing. Watching the film, I was blown away by the passion depicted by Hayek and the struggle and inner turmoil endured by Kahlo that I didn't even know about. The film showcased her extraordinary life and tortured art. When Ian and I went to the library yesterday, I decided to check out a HUGE art book on Frida and it has been SO inspiring! I made a painting inspired by Frida and her work yesterday too.


As some of you know, I majored in Spanish in college, so Mexican culture was a big part of my education and it continues to inspire my work, so it's no surprise that I love Frida Kahlo so much. This painting I made includes the bright colors that she was known for using, as well as other elements from her work: portrait interpretations, death, banners, and even a floral headpiece like she wore on a daily basis.

I based the painting around Día de Muertos, a mexican holiday festival in November celebrating deceased loved ones. Sugar skulls are one of the most prominent themes of Día de Muertos and are HUGELY inspiring me this fall!

I thought this little family portrait would be a cute fall gift for someone, even personalizing the banner too. I thought about sticking some listings for custom made ones in my etsy shop. What do you think?

It feels good to be painting again after a long reprieve and this week I'm going to continue doing more. I'm also going to be posting a feature post on Frida Kahlo and her work so I can share why she's so inspiring to me!
<3
E

Picnic Kit for the Newlyweds

As you know, I've been posting about Allie's Wedding a lot lately (Sorry about that, but it was BEAUTIFUL!). And as you know, we're really good friends but live in different states. Therefore, I knew when I got the invitation to her bridal shower, that I wouldn't be able to make it. BUT! I still gave her the shower gift I made for her at her rehearsal. I worked really hard on this gift and I was super proud of it! I scoured thrift stores for a nice vintage picnic basket, and when I found one, my plan went into action.

One of my FAVORITE gifts I got as a wedding gift was a picnic kit from my mom and dad: vintage picnic basket, plastic plates, and my mom made me a beautiful quilt for a picnic blanket. :) I decided to do the same sort of thing for these pretty people.



I adhered some cute thick ribbon around the rim of the basket and then some coordinating tule underneath. Then I painted the top of the picnic basket by hand with their last name and flowers that match the ribbon. To seal the paint, I sprayed the top with an art sealing spray from a craft store. I then filled it with pretty floral dishes, a picnic cloth, and some flowers.


I think she really liked it! She seemed surprised and I hope they get some use out of it this fall! Maybe they'll go for a picnic at the Kingwood Center! I just love DIY gifts. :)
<3
E

autumn in motion

Hello all! I promised a certain someone a post last night, but this girl is so sick and just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Here's the promised post choc full of important la dee da:
(it's gonna be a long one--watch out)

Here's a painting I've been working on for a loooooong time. I started this painting around 6:00 October 1, 2009. I wasn't able to finish it b/c I had a party to go to. Later that night, I got engaged. :] I thought it was ironic that I had painted diamonds in the clouds before I even knew I was getting a ring. This painting took a change of artisitc view after that. :] Now...its finished. <3


I think it's AWESOME how closely the color scheme resembles the one Janel painted me! Janel: I loooooove the painting and the one I made and the one you made are going to make an awesome engagement set hanging together. <3


Did my first project for the autumn is love class aside from the journaling prompts! I made the duct tape journal! I decided to keep this to hold all of my photography clients and dates in.

I used this cute little elephant paper and I can't for the LIFE of me remember which brand it is.... S*e*i??? cuteness none the less.

I executed my Guerilla Art Adventure today! It was on my list of 22 Things to do Before I'm 22 and i got it DONE! For my guerilla art, I hand picked leaves that had changed and fallen around my building, wrote messages on them in Sharpie, and tucked them into library books and left them on shelves. It was SO much fun to do and its awesome to know that little messages and pieces of my art are tucked away waiting to be discovered. <3




Cross THAT one off the list! Everyone should try Guerilla Art. It's SO much fun. :]

On Sunday, I re-vamped my inspiration wire! I love doing this. Honestly, probably one of my favorite tasks to do to spruce up my room and make me happy. haha I replaced the images I had up before with new photos, real autumn leaves, and pretty fall colors and pictures.



See my flickr to view credits of each piece.

Here are some images from the engagement session I did on Saturday. It was cold, windy, and rainy, but the couple is ADORABLE and they made the pictures bright. <3 I'm so happy for Ben and Abi! See my flickr set for more.




ok, well that's all for now. I hope this filled your cup of inspiration for the day. If anyone has any brilliant ideas for things that I can add to my "23 Things Before 23" List, PLEASE let me know! My birthday is in 5 days and I need to complete my list!

<3
E

XOXO

oh dearie me, it has been QUITE a week! The proposal really threw my life for a tailspin and I've been floating ever since Thursday night. I can't believe it's already been a week! So since the big night of the engagement, we have:

.....decided on colors!

Ian and I decided on a deep plum and a light mango color. Maybe a few splashes of berry and silver accents. We were inspired by an article we saw in Brides magazine:


(That's really not a great scan of the flowers because of the pink background...)
But I just know its going to be magical and warm and a beautiful celebration.
We haven't decided on a date yet. We're waiting to do that a few months down the line, but we're shooting for June 2011. It sounds like a really long way away, but since its almost 2010 right now, we figured we could enjoy our engagement for a few months. :] Aside from that, we decided on a minister, a videographer, 2 choices for photographer, a pianist, the overall style of our wedding, and our wedding party!

I'm really going to try not to talk TOO much about the wedding, because I know that can get annoying after awhile, but trust me, I'm going to have lots to say about it. It's going to have a very handmade feel and be positively WONDERFUL. I found this recently too and fell in love:

So what are your thoughts? I need some wedding inspiration! If you have any awesome wedding/wedding photography/bride blogs or websites, I need to know about it! Please share! :]

In other news, I have a few things I've been working on too! I did a painting for a girl in my building. She loves the Sick Puppies and penguins and asked me to paint her something of my own.

I really love how it turned out. It's one of those paintings that you just hate to part with. :] BUT! I AM super excited because this week the major cutie Janel and I are doing a painting exchange! I've been needing something like this! :] YAY!


Also, here's a peek of a painting I started the night I got engaged! I started it a few hours BEFORE Ian proposed and have yet to finish it. Notice that the clouds do a little foreshadowing with the diamond look! haha and to think i had NO idea...


Plusss here's some images from the couple portrait session I shot this past weekend too. *gorgeous*





It was a lot of fun for sure. <3

Wellll I know this wasn't much, but its better than being MIA, yes? Remember--link me up to wedding magic!
<3 you all!
E

view from my room

Here are a few favorite shots from my room now that I did some crafty decorating this 3-day weekend:

*handmade pillow by moi:


*I love it when it rains. <3 it will rain in my room each morning!:


*display of nerdicles:


*my partner in crime: my sewing machine, Kennie:


*a wonderful woodgrain headboard I painted this weekend. I feel like an autumn princess with an actual headboard. <3:


My dad cut a piece of foam core board out with the jigsaw, I painted it, attached a 3-dimensional monogram, and attached it to the wall. THe flowers are silk poppies from Hobby Lobby spray painted to be more muted and autumn-like.

*vintage luggage hanging out waiting to be styled. :] :


What's your home look like? Link me up!

¿wasssup?

tell me, how are you? today I'm in a very quiet mood. I'm enjoying sitting peacefully in my room completing tasks, blogging, and absorbing all the pretty things on the internet that i can. Finals are creeping up on me faster and faster and i really just want to enjoy the coming week.

I've packed myself a little "happy bag" full of things to make me happy while I'm at work, waiting for a final, or just needing something to cheer me up/destress. in this bag are:
*a skein of yarn/knitting needles: i WILL finish a knit bow before summer if it kills me.
*my day book: because i have to keep on track no matter what.
*hedgehog sketch book: you never know when an idea will strike.
*my copy of Eat, Pray, Love: I've barely had time to read it so maybe this is my chance!
*a few little snacks: including girl scout cookies and gum
*my Nintendo DS: cake mania!
*i'm thinking about throwing in my plastic princess tiara in case i get too grumpy. I can't feel grumpy when I have a crown on


One thing that made me really happy was seeing that I won a K & Company collection off of the Paper Crafts blog on Monday morning! It was such a great way to start my week! apparently my little collection is on its way!

that was the pic of the collections from the blog. Mmm. lovely. i seriously HEART K&Company... Thanks girls!!!

You should check out the post they did on Gift Cards yesterday. I bookmarked it because the projects looked so yummy. Speaking of yummy, today their post is on Food Wrap! too cute...

Last night some friends and I painted pottery. It was something I had *surprisingly* never really done before. We seriously had a blast and I think we're going to go down to their studio before finals and paint some more!

the photos are a little dark, but they're of my friends Tori and Sami and my boyfriend, Ian. I decided to paint a square rice bowl. I painted clouds and violet stars on the outside with a quote that says "I surround myself with magic..." and on the inside is a mermaid pool with starfish and the word "Magic" is spelled out with little pearls leading to the upper rim. I love it so much and I can't wait to get it fired! <3

In honor of earth day, i DID manage to get you all some earthy inspiration:
*Modish did a series on recycled plastic bags the other day. I loooove the owl pouch!

*wildolive's Made With Love earth pattern!

*check outDesigner Jots' Earth Day post. awesomely inspiring art. This is currently my desktop background:

*Earth day flickr faves. Go here for credits.


and here's some random closing inspo for you:
*Elise Blaha is at it again with the new letterpressed design!

*Check out Mandi's newest post on self-made envelopes. I about died and went to heaven when I saw her card!
*and last... THISSSS made me swoon! <333


have an awesome day y'all! (Do i write too much? lol)