The Camling House

So I've been updating my Amazon wish list for the last two weeks. It's a must for this time of year for two reasons. Birthday and Christmas. :) My mom and sister live for Amazon and how convenient it is. This got me thinking about things I need and want. One of them is the canvas brush holder that rolls up.

Pebble rocks in an old flower pot.

As I was preparing to paint yesterday I realized I wouldn't mind having a brush holder for the desk that held them up right. I'm getting a bit restless with how much my brushes roll around on my table. I did a google search and of course, Dick Blick came up. But so did a Sephora Inspired Brush Holder.

I had pebble rocks, I had jars, BAM! I have an instant brush holder. I painted and it was AMAZING the difference a brush holder makes. And...I didn't have to spend a cent.

To the left you'll see mine. I had jars, but when I saw this flower pot (attached to my heart) just sitting there not being used I thought it to be perfect. The soup cup is my water dish. I really like finding things around the house to use instead of spending money. Plus, I think it gives your studio and table some character.

THE CAMLING HOUSE

One of my closest friend's birthday was yesterday. You might have heard of her...Candace Camling. If not, you should get to know her by visiting her blog HERE. As a gift, I created a bird house. She enjoys gardening, vintage, and bright colors. Also little critters like squirrels, birds, sugar gliders, and rabbits. I thought a bird house would be perfect!

I've painted bird houses in the past, and I wanted to give it another shot, doing a few things different this time.

I decided to use stencils first instead of painting randomly. I'm not very proficient in acrylic painting (and don't want to spend money on watercolor ground), so I have discovered keeping it simple is a good place to start.

I found it important to have a color and "theme" to start with. There are SO many possibilities with bird houses that it actually becomes overwhelming.

I first did the blue paint. Once it was dried I sanded it down to give a worn and weathered look. All of the trim and petals came way later in the process. I then moved on to imagery. I sponged in the branches, which left a lot more paint than I intended around my stencil. Not loving it I attempted to cover it with another layer of paint. I painted on the birds using a new tool (that worked much better...a sponge on a stick). After they were dry I then went in and painted them with a brush to bring the intensity of their shape back.

I discovered that I couldn't cover up the branches, but now they looked faded which was awesome! I took the sand paper and gently sanded away more paint from the branches in a few spots to bring out the lines. A happy accident. :)

Then came the detailing. I felt pretty confident with the direction and my imagination agreed. Things just started to come together. I kept thinking vintage, and the coral pinks went so well with the green blue. Reminded me of the old 3-D stop animation from the 70s (think Rudolph). I just started to add things that reminded me of Candace. A heart, the stripes, the line work around the hole which I thought looked like a large flower, etc.

I also added the white and pink trim to make the house feel more airy and sectioned. Adding her last name was pretty far towards the last detail I did. I thought if the house was outside how sweet it would be to have a personalized bird house. :) Alas, it is in her studio now, but still just as sweet.

Finally something needed to happen to the top. Brian and I discussed it and somehow somewhere I got the idea of doing a "cone" flower. lol It made me giggle but was so appropriate! So happy I did, because it brought the whole thing together!

All I did was glue on wooden shingle pieces I bought at Hobby Lobby for doll houses, then painted around. At this point I also learned of craft paint. Brian had some left over from college and it's amazing! Opaque like acrylic but more of a liquid. Much easier to work with! I then went crazy and brightened alllll of my whites. Totally made the piece pop! To finish, of course, the eyelet screw and a wee metal ball to decorate. I signed the bottom, added a yellow bow, and dropped it off.

Maybe when I retire (sheeeeah right) I'll make bird houses. ;)

Do you Braid?

Those who know me well...
know I always have a braid somewhere on my head. And if I don't, they know to look for my cross.

Braids have always been part of hair fashion and care since...wow...I don't think I need to research to say hundreds and hundreds of years!

To me they are a symbol of strength.

•  Tribal women from all over the world braid their hair. In movies we see women of strength braid their hair to hold it back...while still keeping the length (something very magical about a woman with long hair). The braids represent a warrior.

A symbol of womanhood.

• What is the timeless admiration of long hair? In art women with long hair is much more common than that of women with shorter locks. I believe it was even a representation of a woman's character or status. Today probably not so much..it comes down to more of a fashion statement, but in my romantic mind I think it was much more hundreds of years ago.

A symbol of royalty.

• As I read through numerous fairytales and stories as a little girl, I rarely saw any princess or queen with short hair. Let alone hair without some hint of braiding. The waves from a braid during sleep, a braided crown, braided hoops, etc. 

And a symbol of commitment.

• One I am learning. It takes care and commitment to your health and care to have long hair. It breaks, it tangles, it pulls while you sleep, and it even gets caught in your armpits and pulls from there on some occasions. Being around small children...it must always be up! And you don't want to wash it every day. What to do with that oily hair?! 

Do you braid your hair? Are you a WARRIOR PRINCESS? 

I braid it every day as my commitment to the Lord. I don't always want to wear my cross necklace, and I don't wish to yell out and voice every day that I'M CHRISTIAN. Instead, I want to live it out and have that be the focus. The braids, and the process of braiding is meditation for me to remember who I am in Christ.


I am beautiful, I have a purpose, I am loved, I am strong through the strength He gives me through His Spirit, and I am an heir to the Kingdom.

Go to my Facebook page and post a picture of your braids. If you don't know how to braid, do what I did: YouTube how to braid. By golly, you'll learn a lot fast!

The Three Pillars

What is your foundation?

Before I get into what mine is, I want to give a bit of background to the images you're going to see.

Towards the end of last year I introduced three little angels to you. One named Twilight, one Dusk, and the other Noon. Each one features animals and obviously, a certain time of day. This was the basis/theme for the series. To catch up, here are the two links to those posts:

• http://warriorprincessdream.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-series.html
• http://warriorprincessdream.blogspot.com/2010/10/angel-series-cont.html

Created by Sheila Lygo

Not too long after that, Crafts and Me asked if I would finish the sketches and create line art for digital stamps. And I did, you can find them here:

• Noon - http://www.craftsandme.co.uk/noon-digital-stamp-p-1195.html
• Dusk - http://www.craftsandme.co.uk/dusk-digital-stamp-p-1196.html
• Twilight - http://www.craftsandme.co.uk/twilight-digital-stamp-p-1287.html

Many crafters have used these images and created gorgeous cards with them! It has inspired me not to give up on the images....but I still wasn't motivated on how to use them yet.

I have created many line art works for Crafts and Me, and there is something rewarding seeing all of your paintings and sketches in beautiful, black, and clean lines. I knew this past Monday I had to keep painting. Oceana is finished, and I'm still working on the months and another large WIP, but I believe I can do more. With two shows next year (more on that later), I need to be painting!

Though,  I didn't want to think about composition or the poses. I went through those beautiful line art works and saw the little angels. PERFECT! Now is the time.
But will I stay with the titles and theme? 
Here's what I wanted from these:

1. The focus to be solely on the angel, and the background to be simple enough for licensing.
2. Large enough to make an impact in person, but not so huge I will never get them done.
3. They have to be sitting on something that can be similar in each and again, doesn't take away from the angel.
4. To have a meaning worth sharing, that aligns with my faith, and inspires.

The results? The Three Pillars.

The Pillar of Love

-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-

The Pillar of Hope

-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-'-.,_,.-

The Pillar of Grace

(stay tuned! dun dun dun!)

These are the three pillars, or foundations of my faith and life. I truly believe, that if you give and have all three of these; Love, Hope, Grace; your life will be fruitful and filled with a sense of fulfillment. 

I am inspired today, Mae Day (as Brian likes to call it), the day I watch my baby niece, when I look at these drawings. Combining the two I am excited because these three little angels bring a message that in turn brings glory to God. What a beautiful image for young girls to grow up with, images they can relate to that show these foundations. I am so motivated to paint!

PS: this has nothing to do with the fact I'm reading a book on angels. :P Tho, if you're looking for some good information on them based on Scripture, check it out! http://www.amazon.com/Angels-They-Help--What-Bible-Reveals/dp/1601422695/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320333982&sr=1-1

"The Blessing" and Things

Our life is made up of little things.
This is one of those posts where I share the little things that happen in my life. There's art, I promise.

First some exciting news!
We took out our air conditioners this past Sunday and found this!

Now, we knew we had birds nesting in our window sill in the kitchen. You could hear them, the cats totally heard them (Talor would scratch at the window all summer), but we just had no idea it would be this big!

We were both surprised (and thankful the birds had left their nest). It was fantastic to get an up close and personal look at this beautifully weaved nest.

Wow...just amazing.

Talor in her new spot. She was weighed in at 13.4 lbs at the vet! Oy!

After cleaning up from the removal of the air conditioners it spurred a whole cleaning and sorting spree. Brian and I really enjoy rearranging and trying to find the best way to utilize our space.

Not only that, but Brian brought home a giant plant from work on Friday. Whoo!! Problem was, we had no place to put it that would keep Talor from playing with it. The combination of the air conditioners and the plant created the best reason to rearrange.

The studio got cleaned up and moved around a bit, now there is no place for Talor to destroy. She keeps coming in trying to find something to knock over or climb on. Nothing. Except for the plant. lol But she has learned fast not to jump up to it.

To help out, I created a new napping spot for her. Within moments she made it hers, and....rarely leaves it when the studio is open. :) I am very proud of her for being such a good listener.

Once the studio was freshened up, again, I pulled out a painting that Natalie had suggested I finish. And, I did. I enjoy the piece, but find the format interesting for prints. I hope I find some use for it. I thought about ornaments, but circles don't cook well and turn into ovals. :/ Thus the reason you don't see circle ornaments in my shop.

"The Blessing"

Suggestions welcomed. :)
Print available on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/84625022/angel-print-with-cardinals-evergreens 

Lastly a sneak peek at the December fairy. Prejudging not allowed. I say that because I am still not satisfied with her face. But I was the same way with the one above and in the end it came together.


I had to redraw and paint this several times!

The first one I didn't think my colors through, and it was too late to fix anything. The background turned to mud.


Then on the new piece I redrew her, oh about two times, and redrew her face about four times.


Brian says her face looks fine, to me it looks off. But I'm not giving up! Also, she's a bit different than my other girls. Once she's finished I'll go into why, but she's heavier set and has short curly hair. Hope to have her done this week!

The Untitled Mermaid

She emerges...

There's something emerging in my work lately, something very raw and real to me. When I place together "Midnight Warrior" and this piece, I see sister souls, or female figures demonstrating the same heart.

And there's something else too. How I'm beginning to portray them. What I add, the attention to portrait, bolder colors. I am taken back to my past when I used to draw tattooed mermaids and fairies painted in dark colors.

Yet this time it's different. This time they are strong, confident, and filled with a breath that when exhaled speaks "Warrior."

These small yet powerful paintings are reflecting the amazing Spirit within me, to share the empowerment the King wishes to bestow upon His daughters, the empowerment and strength we hold as princesses and heirs to His Kingdom.

These images are portraying the Warrior Princess. Aye, we are.

Want to help me title her? Visit HERE and read how you can join in the giveaway!
- Print and Original painting will be listed on Etsy November 1st.

Watercolor 6x4 inches  -  Title TBA on November 1st.

 PS: If you look closely to the detail image you'll see sparkling around the eyes. That is for you Natalie, my dear friend and sister in Christ. Luv ya!

What's The Title?

I need your help
And it's a GIVEAWAY! Whooo!

No really, I need your help. What should I title this new piece? Usually a name pops up, but everything I come up with is pretty cheesy or generic.

To make this fun, I've created this into a giveaway. So here's the "Work in Progress"...

Now here's how you can help and enter:

RULES

MANDATORY ENTRY:  Tell me what I should title my current Work in Progress in a comment below.

ADDITIONAL CHANCES TO WIN: Must do the MANDATORY entry before these, otherwise they don't count.

• 1 entry - Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment here with a link to your twitter
• 1 entry - Share this Giveaway with a direct link on Facebook, then leave a comment here saying you did so
• 2 entries - Add this Giveaway to your blog roll and let me know where it is
• 3 entries - Blog about this Giveaway, then leave a comment with the direct link to your post so that I can view it
• 4 entries - Purchase some Christmas gifts from my shop - sarambutcher.etsy.com

One post per entry and please include your name and email address, so I can contact you if you win. I will use Random.org to determine the winner.

THE PRIZE

 

Two 5x7 prints and two large bookmarks. These are from storage with the old Dreamflier Studios logo. A very special bunch! Can't be found anywhere else but through this giveaway.

 

Winner of the title chosen will receive an 10x8 print of the finished painting; free of course.

Go ahead, give it a try. Couldn't hurt. :)

Holiday Boot Camp

If you're a seller on Etsy...

then you probably know all about the Holiday Boot Camp. It started up two weeks ago, and I always look forward to it.

Original Watercolor Painting - "Lady of the Field

"

I look forward to someone else telling me what I should do to get my business in shape. It's hard running a business by yourself. I do everything (except my taxes, my sister comes over and helps me with the paper work). It's motivating to have a "To Do" list given by people I trust my business with. Now the work is here, and I'm busy as a bee.

But there lies the problem. I am more social this year, I believe, than any other year in my life. I am truly so overwhelmed with blessings that I can't keep up! I have two amazing families...mine and Brian's, a church family that I have bonded to like glue, and even at work I'm really creating relationships with my students...and with the kids at the youth group.

Bookmark - "The Grumpy Troll"

Where does the business fit in all of this? Heh, and I don't even have kids yet! I have a few hours every day to work on it. The "To Do" list feels too big for me.

I took almost 200 photos last week, but every one needs to be tweaked and cropped. Creating inventory takes quite a bit of time! I've come up with some packaging, but folding and cutting takes time. I'm making excuses in a sense, but truly, how do you make time?

I have also been trying to keep myself healthier this year. Brian and I quit smoking around March/April and began walking/going to the gym, eating healthier (which means cooking), and just making smarter choices. One of those is being sure to get at least 6 full hours of sleep every night. I would like it to be 7, but wow...I don't know where that hour is going to come from.

ACEO - "Hollyhock Princess"

Did I mention that I have to paint somewhere in there too? Have you noticed not too many paintings are popping up? And I discovered in the last two weeks, I need to fit this in.

There is also a need within me. Although I've enjoyed what I've painted lately, I personally feel they could be more. It's like I'm in a phase where things need to stay in small scale, just so I can be sure it will get done. There is so much out there I want to do! Why can't the days be like 40 hours instead of 24? And we would just be used to that.

It may appear that I am complaining, and I'm not. I feel seriously blessed by all of the stuff I have to do. So much more productive and worth my time than ever before. I actually see my life growing! Managing it is a new deal for me, so...

How do you do it? I am anxious to hear how other sellers or artists make the time to create income off of their craft while still running a home/life.

By the way, here's a work in progress. The goal is to have her done next week. She's 6x4 inches. "November"....hopefully....will be done tomorrow.