Seuss, Wood & A Gift

Hi There,

Did I mention my mother whittles? You know... carves wood. We have all kinds of fun little pieces of carved wooden fruit, spoons, crosses, miners boots, and animals of all types that she brought to life out of timber. This one she gave to one of my girls.

We were invited to a birthday party for a budding little artist. It only seemed right to give her a gift that fostered her creative spirit. So I found one of those great lap trays at Micheal's.. which they have for a sweet price at the moment & filled the side pockets with fun tissue paper. Then I jammed the compartments full of water color pallets, water color pencils, artist quality erasers, brushes and most importantly water color paper. I also tossed in a fun wind up toy milkshake that hops about when wound. To finish it off I tied a bow around the center of the tray. Given more time I would have embellished the tray top with her name and little pretty accent designs. Depending on how crazy you go with filling the tray.. this can be quite economical as a gift.

Dr. Seuss week at the school meant dressing as your favorite book character at my girls school. The oldest loves anything Alice in Wonderland, so her costume was easy. The youngest had her heart set on being Cindy Lou Who. Let me tell you... that hair would not stay up.. and I bought that extreme hold hair spray just for the project at hand. So as I pondered the dilemma.. in the lady's room... it struck me... the answer was... Empty toilet par rolls!!! I spread her hair creating a center resting place for my recycled paper roll. pulled her hair up around it. And it acted mush as a pole does in a tent... it held!!! Yay me.. Ya Mommy power.

One more thing.. if you are on a must do grocery trip and have a few more kids with you than your normal trip.. it can be intimidating. Just grab some fun hats and task them with doing a fashion/hat show through the store.. they will be a hit and be completely preoccupied with themselves.. and not the "Mom can I get this" syndrome!

Hugs,
Heather

January

Hi Friends,
I can't believe that January has already slipped by.
I have lots of exciting projects on my plate.

I'm illustrating a book for Christina Cody. It's going to have monsters and sparkles... right up my alley! We go to print in August. I can't wait to share more about it.

I've also been slipping in a little painting time here and there. Nothing to show from that yet.
And creating a few pieces of art for presents. This pastel piece was created the daughter of a friend. And it appears I'll be doing more gymnast according to the owner of the gym she practices at.



So lots going on, and feeling very blessed to have lots going on.

Hugs,
Heather

Happy New Year of Creativity!

Hi Friends,
I bet you're thinking.... "Where in the world has she been?" well, I had to make a mad dash to finish hat orders, complete holiday gifts, etc. In the wake of all that I had no time to post.
I've missed you Blogland! I wanted to take a minute to run through a few of the projects I just wrapped up.
There was the Princess Leia hat for a dear friend. I saw once made for a baby online and just winged it from there.




The Horse Hat for Roxy's teacher's baby.


And a series of viking hats for the little pillaging cutie pies in our family.



And there's a unicorn lover that has a new hat too.


We also had a lot of fun holiday activities sprinkled in there and many repeats of hats you've seen here so I won't bore you with those.


Now for the fun stuff... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What Creative Projects are you planing to dive into this year? I for one am chomping at the bit to get my paints out and start my new series of Disney Paintings. More to come on that subject latter though. And I have a zillion hat designs I've sketched out that need a home on someone's head.. but first I need to wrap up a few of the existing orders.

I'm digging my new Kindle Fire too! That thing is addictive :)

More to come sweet Friends!

Hugs,
Heather

{ A Party } Mad Tea Party Printable Set

Hello Friends,
WE had a Fabulous time at our Mad Mismatched Tea Party. The birthday girl was had a Very Happy Un-Birthday! There was a bowl of cotton candy to toss to you neighbor, pecan swirls, truffles and of course cupcakes in tea cups!
Now I know I told you that I was going to create a beautiful cake inspired by my cousin Heather's book cake. Well, real life hit and I not only didn't make the cake but was out of time and had no cupcakes... What's a girl to do? My BFF Tiffany, the lovely lady in the dazzling hat below was quick on her feet and called our local Walmart. They were happy to make a batch of cupcakes minus the frosting. "No frosting?" you might ask.

Well my sweet girl fell in love with a frosting a friend had recently at her daughters party. It's Kool-Aid Frosting. You simply mix the flavor of Kool-Aid you want into Vanilla icing until it gets to the color you are aiming for. I have to admit... I had no trouble steering clear of those cupcakes, they were way to tart for my taste. But the kids loved them!
So the table and all it's splendid treats... were all straight from a box of Debbie snacks or a bag. This Mom certainly wanted to do a little more with the treats, but I think this shows no matter the time you to dedicate to a party... it can be lovely.




We entertained the kids with coloring sheets from the printable set and a game of one lump or two in which they tossed giant sugar cubes(Styrofoam cubes) into a giant tea cup. I also had a giggle when we sugared them up and then gave them decks of cards with the challenge of building houses of cards with little shaky sugar hands!





The printable party set can be purchased here.

And don't forget to purchase your Thanksgiving Printable Set to decorate for your dinner guest!

Hugs,
Heather

{ A Treat and a Trick }

Well Happy Halloween Friends,
We have quite the weekend ahead of us. Friday night soccer and a Halloween Party with sweet neighbors who really know how to have a good time. Then the next morning another soccer game, a Twilight marathon with a Friend who some how went all this time with out knowing the joy of Twilight Saga! I'm gasping people.. really! Then we're off to dunk our youngest! Isabel is being baptized Sunday morning. I'm so tickled. She's very small so I have the feeling she's going to have fun swimming to the other side of the baptismal pool. And we'll tack an extra day onto the weekend though I do work Monday... it's Halloween!!! Woo... Woo.. So we'll have Trunk or Treat at our church along with hayrides, a costume contest, inflatable slides, horse back riding and lots of games and candy. I'm exhausted just thinking of it all. And I can't wait!

Here's a little peak at the goodies I've been working on this week along with designing the Mad Tea Party Printable Set.

Hugs,
Heather

{A Party } Mad Te Party Planning

So, this is the weekend of designing Roxy's Mad Tea Party. I must admit it gives me a thrill. The idea of going headlong into the fantastic world of the hatter and his friend Alice is one that has ideas popping like one of those role toys the babies use when they begin to walk.

I know the party set will have tags for drinks and eats, cupcake toppers both large and small, Silhouettes of the characters to be placed in frames about the table. Place cards so that our mad guest can find their seat.... and oodles of other fun things... I do believe a game or paper doll is in order.. Oh... how about a top hat coloring sheet ready to embellish with crayons and markers.

I've been looking at what I have in the kitchen and The GIANT tea cup we got as a gift will have to take center stage as a punch bowl :)
And My hope... though lofty... is to recreate Heather's cake shown below but with Alice and her friends on the page and cards and miniature bottles etc flying above instead of butterflies... but we may end up with cupcakes, because this mom only has so many hours in the day ;)

[Image from SprinkleBakes]

I'll most likely have the girls bring a favorite tea cup or just set out my miss matched cups. We'll be having cocoa instead of tea... I know my kid and hot tea isn't on her choice menu. And tiny cupcakes and a giant cupcake. tea sandwiches... cucumber of course... and pb & j :) Lot's of fun! I'll keep you posted friends.

[Image from CountryLiving.com]

Hugs,
Heather

Fall Crocheting

Hi Friends,
The leaves are just starting to really turn. Neighbors are setting out their pumpkins. I just love this time of year. There's the little butterflies in your tummy in anticipation of the coming holidays... and WOW at the creative juices! They are a flowing :) So what has my long time between posts been about?
Fist I had to do major spring cleaning... in the fall no less! This was because my bible study meets at my house in the fall. Just me and my favorite peeps... at least my favorite peeps that are within driving distance :) Wish Heather and Elizabeth could make it but they are both a state away.
Anyways... So there's that. Which I can honestly say... I made it through that cleaning time without being hogged tied by a dust bunny! A miracle I tell you.
Then there's my brain... It seems to have a mind of it's own... wait... it's a brain.. that's it's hole mission. I ramble. My brain kind of shifts between different creative mediums. I went years between painting... but then when I do pic up a brush I may do 10 paintings in a month kind of thing. So... I'm feeling the Crochet bug at the moment. And here's what the little crochet fever resulted in.

The owl hat shown here was created from watching a youtube how to video.
After the owl I decided I had to do a monkey for my little one. So I designed my own monkey hat with the skills I learned from the first tutorial. They aren't perfect, but my girls love them :)

Then there's the kitchen... we've been eating lots of Pumpkin Spice Muffins.

My recipe:
1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
1 can Libby's Pure Pumpkin

1. Beat till blended well... it will seem dry at first but after a bit it's had a good texture.
2. I use a piping bag and pipe them into paper liners mainly for presentation's sake.
3. Bake according to the time and temperature on the cake box for cupcakes.
4. Yum... dig in :)

We also have added Soccer to our schedule which my oldest has absolutely fallen in love with.
Last night I worked on the Robot party set which I should have up this week in my store and I'm about to start on My oldest daughter's Mad Tea party set which you'll see soon.

So we've been a bit busy, but who isn't . Right? So long for now sweet friends!

Hugs,
Heather

{Seasons} Fall has Arrived

Hi Friends,

We welcomed fall in the most Magical Place on Earth, Walt Disney World. Only Disney can theme a park so well you think you stepped into the movie Halloweentown. Just what I need as an artist to kick off my most creative time of year. Oh if only you could see all the fun ideas rolling around in my head. All good things come to those who wait... so keep checking back to see what I'm up to :)

Oh, don't forget that my shop is stocked with all you need to decorate for a Halloween Party, Witchy Dinner Party, or Fall gathering.

Hugs,
Heather

{Art} In The Studio

Hi Friends,
I can't believe how long it's been since I posted. I've been tucked away knocking out a few paintings in my studio. One painting for a Coca-Cola executive and one for a Bible Scripture Art Challenge. I have a third canvas primed and will start it this week.



The Taj Mahal painting above was commissioned for a little girls birthday. Her family has a tradition of buying the girls in the family art for their birthdays. What a timeless present!



This painting was what God put on my heart for the Scripture Art Challenge. The Scripture the painting was based on is Joshua 1:9.

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.


Oh, I almost forgot that I participated in an Artist Trading Card Swap, check out my mermaid!


And I've been doing lots of snuggling with my girls.


Here are my girls after a night of doing each others hair!

So that's what I've been up to. Don't worry... there are fresh baked party printables on their way soon!

Hugs,
Heather

{ A Recipe } Back to School

Muffins for teachers are baked, backpacks are packed, little girls with butterflies over the first day of school are snug in their bed with all their prayers said. Back to school for the monkeys tomorrow. They got their first mani pedi at a nail salon today to celebrate and push away the blues :)

I usually try to bake the teachers a treat for the first day of school to help them ease back into their routines of minding rooms full of excited kids. This year I was down to the wire and decided to go with my favorite go to in a hurry recipe. I heard it on a podcast, Halfway There. Jessica, the host had no idea what a valuable little recipe she was sharing. My girls and .. well everyone loves it.
SO are you ready for the huge list of ingredients?

Ingredients:
One Can of Pumpkin
1 box of cake mix ( I prefer the yellow cake or butter flavored)

That's it! No eggs.. No oil... nothing!

preheat the oven according to the box
Line the muffin tin with paper liners
Mix the pure pumpkin and the box of cake till you think your arms about to fall off! It's pretty dry at first so it puts up a bit of a fight ;)
Then for tidiness as well as easy to peel away wrappers I put the mix into a piping bag and swirl the mixture into the liners till they are about 2/3 full.

Bake according to your boxes directions for cupcakes.

I normally don't add any icing, but for the teachers I drizzled a little glaze on top that I picked up at the Grocery on clearance.

That's it. The amazing thing is how moist they are. Yum!

Hugs,
Heather

Thoughts on Disney

As my girls and I start to feel the thrill of an approaching trip to Disney World I reflect on how many people don't "Get It". The Pell that brings us back to the Kingdom every year. The glee that you see on our faces and the little flicker of sparkle they see in our eyes after returning home. Of course I know we are all different, and different things make each of us happy. But how to explain what it is that makes me and my family so very happy there?

Well it's not really possible to put into words or capture the magic in an explanation. But let me put it like this, every inch of the place is themed and beautified to an unreal degree, the cast members(all of the!) are polite and go out of their way to be helpful and kind, the rides and atmosphere is kept family friendly while still delighting you with heart pumping adventures. When a child drops a Popsicle and someone runs to your aide with a free voucher to replace it... you know the place is different.
Maybe it's the ties to my childhood, maybe it's the constant smile on my children's faces.. and even my husbands face... but this place makes me happy. And since I get made fun of for being too nice... maybe I just feel finally at home :)

Here's a peek at some of the fabulous decorating they do for Halloween at the kingdom!

Hugs,
Heather

Summer is slipping Away

Hi Friends,
I can't believe its the 20th of July. Time has truly slipped by without my noticing. My girls start school in just a week and a half. I'm busy putting the finishing touches on my the first of my 2011 Halloween sets, and just plumb spinning in circles with lots happening at home. I hope you've missed me!
So here's a quick peak at some of what will be in the Witches Damask Printable Party Set. There a few items with this set that are still being designed.



I best get back to designing, but I'll have more details plus a few fun pictures of what we've been up to.

Hugs,
Heather

{A Trip and A Little Fall} Pigeon Forge, TN

Hi Sweet Friends,
I just returned from a wonderful stay in the mountains of Tennessee. We were perched in a little cabin smack in the middle of heaven. We were surrounded by art and historic southern homesteads. With all this eye candy my brain is going into over time planning future paintings.
Being in the mountains also sparked that final little flame I needed to kick off my design work for my fall collections.



I spent most of my time hanging out the car window looking through a camera lens and the rest of it snuggled with my kids or picking up rocks out of a creek. The beauty of the area can't truly be captured with a lens, but here's an idea of what we were surrounded by.





Best of all we got to reconnect with family members that we haven't seen in ages.
My cousin Heather of Sprinkle Bakes, was just as sweet as when we were kids. We had a wonderful visit with her and her mother, my Great Aunt Katie. And then as if the visit wasn't already perfect enough... she brought cupcakes! Homemade, absolutely delicious... cupcakes!



Love You Sweet Cousin!

So now the difficulty will be picking which painting in my head to get onto a canvas first. Of course there will be lots of party sets to design with fall just around the corner too. It's amazing how a short trip to a special place can set your creativity on fire. What a beautiful planet my heavenly father created for us.

Hugs,

Heather