You can dance if you want to...

I am so excited!

I once posted a photo just like this of a print I wanted with these lyrics from Men Without Hats' popular song, The Safety Dance. Of course, true to form, I misplaced the link so I couldn't find the source of the art. Lucky for me, Etsy posted this exact image and the shop where it came from on their blog last week and I whooped with delight!

I immediately contacted the seller, Marianne from The Color Bee, who agreed to make one for me in a cheery yellow and white, for the art wall I want to create in my home. I have been collecting some fun pieces from Etsy artists and have quite a collection of great finds. And as soon as I can figure out where I want this art wall to be, I will have a great way to showcase my finds.

But I LOVE this one!

Because really, if you won't get up and dance you really are missing out on all of the fun!

Artiste Extraordinaire...

I am no artist. The extent of my art collection is paintings and drawings by my kids that I stick to my fridge, or frame in a Walmart frame and beam with pride as I pass. Still, I'd have to be a complete ding dong not to know when good art is before me - especially great art like that of Lara Harris. I discovered Lara awhile back and marvelled as I pored over her amazing portfolio, on display at her website and blog. In fact, the minute I saw the incredibly life-like paintings of various people's pets, I knew her art would make the perfect gift for Matthew and Jenny Mead when they came to visit. Graciously, Lara pulled a high-speed miracle out of her hat by painting the Mead's sweet pup, Oscar, in record time and it landed in my happy hands just days before they arrived.

I knew I had hit the gift-giving jackpot when they tore off the wrapping and saw their beloved pet before them against a backdrop very familiar to them - in fact, Lara painted the image from a photo I had sent to her that I lifted from their site. Tell me, is this not the perfect duplicate of their little Oscar?

If you desire a painting done by a true professional (on so many levels) then head on over to Lara's studio and see for yourself what unbelievable talent she possesses. In fact, Lara has sweetly offered to paint something of mine (inanimate..any suggestions?!) and I am on the hunt to find the perfect image. Again, any and all suggestions are welcome!

According to Lara's profile, she is a naturally gifted artist who has only been painting at a professional level for three years!! Check it out:

"I am a primarily self-taught artist from Michigan. After teaching 3rd grade for 6 years, I married an Aussie and moved to live first in Cairns and then Sydney for over a year. It was at this time that I was able to start pursuing my art full-time. I actually never thought I could paint, but 3 years ago picked up a brush and have been painting ever since! I paint mainly in oils, but have done some work in colored pencil, pen & ink, and pastel. My favorite subjects include dogs, wildlife, people, and objects from everyday life. Although I do believe some of my ability comes from my mother who is also an artist, I believe it is a true gift from God. My work is in private collections throughout the United States, Canada,the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. To view more of my work visit: http://www.studiolara.com." - Lara Harris

Stuck on Wall Art...

Many of us debate what we should hang on our walls. Art, family photos, plates, collectibles, sculpture? Well, I have another option for you! Check out the affordable (and I do mean affordable) and unique options that this talented artist has to offer, and what he has to say about his designs. This will especially appeal to those of you whose spouses balk at the thoughts of hammering a nail into your walls.

You know who you are...!!

A longtime art lover, Paul Wilson, of Wilson Graphics, followed a long and winding path to the business he has now. Fresh out of college, Paul worked for sign shops, a newspaper, and eventually wound up working for the Air Force developing publications, magazines and other printed media.

Over time, Paul advanced up the design ladder to become a Marketing Director, but soon discovered that Marketing Directors don't get to do the "hands on" design work he was used to. Nine months later, deciding it was time for a change, he left his stable job to become a full time freelancer.

Paul enjoys creating new designs, and in addition to watching current trends he also draws inspiration from his children and nature. In fact, the porthole design he made for his son's pirate-themed room is one of his most popular sellers and clients are using them to complete their own themed rooms. Another favorite has been the photo-realistic butterfly decals, even drawing the attention of Romantic Country magazine, which has expressed interest in featuring the butterflies in an upcoming issue.

Although Paul wishes he had more time to design, as he has a long list of ideas that he would like to develop, he has met the challenge head on by hiring a second artist in order to broaden the pool of talent and be able to offer an even greater diversity of designs.

The decals they design are printed on a variety of materials. According to Paul, different vinyls offer different uses. Some vinyl is designed to be removed and reapplied several times for those seeking a temporary wall application. Other vinyl is designed to be applied a single time. Clear vinyl is a great option for windows, shower doors, and situations where you would like background colors to show through the designs.

Paul Wilson loves what he does now. He has found his design and artistic niche, and now spends his days doing work that matters to him...which brings him satisfaction as an artist and business owner. As a small business owner, Paul enjoys the direct contact he he has with his clients and learns from their feedback, always striving to improve his business and deliver what clients want...

You can visit his online shop where he offer over 150 vinyl wall decal designs at: http://www.wilsongraphics.etsy.com/

If you are in need of any design services/custom banners, signage for your business or home you can contact Paul through his website at: http://www.wilsongraphics.net/

And look at the one that they are sending me!!

Check him out...and tell him I sent you! Because we all love affordable design solutions, don't we?

What Oprah, Martha and I have in common...

• What if a product you designed and created was on the wish list of celebrities and dignitaries?
• Can you imagine being invited to the Martha Stewart show(among others) to share it?
• As an artist, have you ever dreamed that big?

Well, Jera Deal of Sticks and Stones and her unique art is, was and has. Jera (along with her husband, Brad) is the owner and artist behind Sticks and Stones

In her own words, "Sticks and Stones started in a neat way: We would take our girls 'letter hunting' when they were learning the alphabet. We'd look for letters in our environment. When I needed that perfect gift for a teacher's wedding, I decided to frame her new last name using our 'letters'. It was a huge hit and life hasn't been the same since. I've been a guest on Martha Stewart and Rachael Ray...we've also been featured in BHG, O Magazine, People, and NPR."

(above two photos: courtesy, CreateSticks and Stones.com)

According to their website, "Sticks and Stones began as an alphabet lesson for Brad and Jera Deal's daughters. The family began 'letter hunting' while on walks or while spending the day at the park. They would look for different "letters" in nature (STICKS) and architecture (STONES). They began taking photographs to remember their adventures, creating a collection of letters based on the family's hobby."

Jera contacted me recently about her product, and graciously offered to make me a Sticks and Stones original. The process involved choosing a word to be matted, then selecting the individual letters from her gallery - each photographed from architectural elements seen on their family walks. The final product can be done in black and white or sepia (mine is black and white). I love not only the finished product, but also the creative process that lies behind it. I also love that a mum who, in the beginning, was simply trying to further her children's learning of the alphabet and spend time with them in nature, has been able to build a multi-million dollar company by doing something she loves.

Imagine my delight when my Sticks and Stones original arrived in the mail recently, wrapped beautifully, and bearing a nickname that is very special to me: Sweet Pea. I am so proud of my gift, and have hung it in my bedroom where I can be reminded of the thoughtfulness and generosity of someone so very far away. I salute Jera the entrepreneur, mother and wildly successful business woman. I hope you will check out her website, and if you have someone in your life who is difficult to buy for; or are simply looking for the perfect Valentine's, wedding, anniversary or birthday gift, then you just might have found it! Like Jera says, "It is less expensive than most fine jewelry, lasts longer than flowers...and Martha and Oprah like it!"

Here is my framed Sweet Pea...please disregard my terrible photography skills.

Now, you knew there was something in it for you, didn't you? Jera and Brad have offered a $15.00 discount to all of my readers who wish to own one of their own Sticks and Stones creation. Simply visit their website and enter the following code: "Home". While you are there, have a look through their letters gallery. I am impressed that they are observant enough to notice all of those hidden letters within the architectural features sitting so quietly...

$$$$ My Priceless "Art" Collection $$$$

As I have mentioned before, much of the "art" on my walls are family photos, especially those of my kids. I'm not a big fan of dime a dozen pictures you find in big-box stores or decor shops. I don't mean that in the snobby sense but I just don't believe in hanging a picture I don't really love just for the sake of filling a space. That's not to say I have much in the way of real art. Money and selection have always gotten in the way of me starting any kind of "collection". Instead, I have relied on art my kids have created and pieces I have picked up at fleamarkets and garage sales. Also, I would rather stare at a picture of one of my children as a baby or being natural, than just any old picture. Someday I will invest in art by real artists, but even then, it will likely be work from up and coming artists rather than anything that hints at too much formality.

My sister has some wonderful artwork. She has some very talented friends and also scours ebay and yard sales looking for a piece that "speaks" to her. Also, her kids have done some beautiful watercolours that I have been strongly hinting at acquiring for too many years (hopefully this hint will work). She has a knack for choosing just the right piece and her home reflects that. Art for art's sake as opposed to for pretension...

The stories behind the photos here are (in no particular order): my youngest son as a baby looking out the window at some birds. I love his sweet little profile and this picture will keep him forever as a baby in my memory; the framed top of a pillowcase done in redwork that says, "Sweet Dreams"...perfect; a picture of poppies on a stretcher frame that I got on my Mother's Day trip to the Christmas Tree Shop. I just loved the colours and the price; a portrait of my daughter that I took when she was four. I have it framed with two others like it (but with different natural expressions); a vintage picture of a boy scout and his dog I found at Value Village; a picture her brother coloured of them both in the tub; and a photo of my boys cuddled up on a chair...they have always been the closest of brothers.

So there you have it! Just a few of my favorites from my "collection". I hope I will always keep this unsophisticated approach to art as it is me. I like things to be relaxed, simple and pleasant to look at. I will never have to insure any of it, and most of it will remain on my walls somewhere for a very long time...and when the time comes when I can begin to make some real purchases, I will enjoy every minute of it!!

A wonderful artist...

These pictures are by Mindy Wilson, whose work I first saw on Chris' blog. I love her work as much of it, coincidentally, features my favorite subject of the moment, birds. She does beautiful work and you can check out her art at groovy inclinations and follow the link to her Etsy shop(if you haven't already discovered Etsy (www.etsy.com) , you are missing out!!) Have a look!!

**I am trying to decide which picture to purchase. Any suggestions?

Silhouettes...and Skippy!

I have long been a fan of silhouettes. I remember seeing them as a little girl and wondering who those lovely ladies were and what did they really look like. Fast forward a couple of decades and I finally found one of my very own. About a year ago, I was at our local fleamarket and finding very little I liked, was starting to head home. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted it!! A lone little silhouette of a small boy and, inscribed in black ink, the name "Skippy". Skippy...I felt my breath catch...I have a "Skippy". Well, not actually a Skippy, but a "Skipper"!!

My eldest son was nicknamed "Skipper" by my husband when he was still an infant. Why, you might ask? I have no idea, but that is the name that he was dubbed at such a tender age. He is the only one to call him that, and he continues to call him Skipper when the mood strikes. Well... back at the flea market, I had to have that picture. I knew that silhouettes are very hard to come by in this neck of the woods, so I was prepared for the lady to quote me some over-inflated price. As prepared as I was to hear a ludicrous price, I was ill-prepared to buy it, as only a five-dollar bill was crumpled in my pocket. I held my breath as she replied, "Just give me a dollar." "A dollar", I repeated, trying to be nonchalant and sure she could see my hand tremble as I turned over the money. Finally I was having one of those treasure finding moments and it was only costing me a dollar!!!!!

This little silhouette of "Skippy" inspired me to start making my own silhouette pictures. My first creations were halloween related silhouettes- a witch on her broom, an owl, a black bird, etc. I am hooked! If I can't find any more vintage silhouettes, I am determined to make my own.

I have created some for client's spaces and for family and friends (I made a humble interpretation of my friend, pregnant). It just goes to show: if you can't find or afford what you want, try to make or recreate it yourself. You just might be surprised at your own talents!!!

For the love of cupcakes...

There is something about cupcakes. The obvious...they are delicious and the perfect size with a cup of tea. But I am referring to the simple beauty of a lone cupcake. I know I might seem strange, but I have lost sleep about one particular cupcake I spied this winter. Sophie attended a birthday party for a little playmate and I arrived early to pick her up and chat with the other mums. Lo and behold, in the family room of this lovely home was a huge oil painting of a cupcake done in pastel colours!! My jaw dropped and my heart raced...I had to have that painting. I nabbed the mother of the birthday girl and in a squeaky voice croaked, "Where did you get that?" She went on to tell me that she got it at a charity auction and that a student artist painted it. I was dying to know how much one had to pay for such a gem, but my manners kicked in.

Now I wonder in silence/envy/agony ((I'm a bit dramatic I know). I have been racking my brain as to where I can find my own amateur artist (as this is probably more in my budget) who will paint me such a treasure. I can see the finished product in my mind! Where I would hang such a painting, I do not know. Maybe in my dining area which is part of my pale blue kitchen. Perhaps visitors would find it ridiculous to see such an image, but for some reason that cupcake lives in my mind, taunting me. And no amount of indulging in the real deal will satisfy this sweet craving!!

Displaying family photography...gallery style!

I love to see pictures of people's families and friends on their walls. What is not so great is when they are displayed with little or no thought to presentation. I have a fair number of family shots on my own walls and I am always careful not to let the number or quality exceed good taste. When I say quality, I mean is the picture one you adore, is it artistic and/or does it reflect who you are as a family? Some of us have a lot of guilt when it comes to displaying family pics. We feel that every school, Christmas , or child-related photo must go on the wall ( or mantel) in order to honor the subject properly. I say no, with some guilt of course. We have all gone into someone's home where they have hung every school or family portrait ever taken on the living room wall. How distracting that can be!! Even worse if they are mixed in with a few circa 1970 shot of everyone in yellow or orange/brown polyester. Yikes! Add to that, mismatched picture frames hung too high, and no longer are the subjects honoured!!!

I am not too matchy-matchy, but I do like co-ordination and flow. The frames do not all have to match, but they should complement in style and colour. The pictures we display should make us smile when we look at them, not shudder. One of my favorite photos is one of my boys at 16 months of age. It is black and white and it is a profile shot of him looking out the window at birds. It is a perfect reminder of the perfection of babies and it will never look out of place. These are the type of pictures to display as "art"- not the wedding photo of Aunt Marion and her husband, dressed in a blue tuxedo. You can display that more quietly in a smaller frame in the basement family room!

If you have a large number of photos you want to display, try creating a gallery wall (see pictures above). Use co-ordinating frames and before you hang them, lay them out on the floor to test the arrangement and/or trace the pictures onto paper, cut out, and then "test hang" them on the wall to see the effect. This will keep you from having too many unnecessary nail holes! Have fun with it: hang what you love, stand back and give it a good once over and invite your friends and family to come see your "gallery." Don't forget to take "Aunt Marion" past her wedding photo in the basement... She will probably be thrilled to not be on display for all to see in her polyester wedding dress beside a blue tuxedo!!!