Sunday satisfaction

So, I couldn't resist posting this. I am finally done with all this Father's day madness! And, if I may say so myself, these are friggin cute.

This is for a gal named Connie. She contacted me a while back wanting something for the special man in her life on Daddy's Day. All she asked of me was that it have light blue, "#1" somewhere, and for it say, "world's greatest Dad"... here you are, my dear.

Wooden frame. Latex and Acrylic paints. Sold.

The next is possibly a favorite. Once again, this is for Destiny (she's such a good customer). You remember the corn, well that was for her great-grandfather, the gardener. But, her grandfather likes to fish.

Wooden frame. Larex and Acrylic paints. Sold. And yes, that is a wee wooden fish... and real fishing line. I know, too cute.

Pictures really don't do it justice. Let me put it this way, my husband said, " that's cute"... yes, he did.

Now, I just have to finish up this coffee sign for Marge & I will be able to breathe again.

"Save me a piece of that corn!"

Hello again.

Things have been so busy. I am finally starting to feel a little better, but now my wee one has caught it. Have you ever heard a 3 1/2 month old cough? Oh my, it is so heartbreaking. I feel like such a monster for getting her sick. She is so sad. No more morning smiles, just lots of pouty lower lip-ness. In the words of my friend Napoleon Dynamite, "it kills."

On a more positive note, I am slowly but surely making progress with all of these orders. I have learned that sometimes you just have to say no. I am always on overtime trying to get all this done. It kind of feels like running in place. The good news is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Once I get all of this done, we will be heading on a family vacation. A whole week at the beach. If I can just hold on, & finish strong... I can relax with my toes in the sand, knowing I didn't cut any corners. I don't want to ever look back & wish I had done it a little better, not when people are paying for artwork. I have to give them artwork... my best, not my "as good as it gets" or "good enough" work.

So, I have this weekend to really kick it up a notch & finish. I will finish, even if I have to tape my fingers (which I very well may have to). Hopefully on Monday I will be able to blog about a few different gifts. But, for today, I just have one.

This is for Destiny's great grandfather. He is a gardener. He grows corn. Its pretty much adorable. I don't care who you are, that corn is cute.

Wooden plank. Coated with Latex & Acrylic pants. Sold.

More to come on Monday. Enjoy your weekend.

That's an order, Soldier

Excitement is flowing from my fingertips.... quite literally. I finished the Father's Day plaque for Destiny & blogged it Friday. I was kind of bummed that I still had one plaque, all paint-less & lonely. I don't like painting just to paint. I have to know who I am painting for... why they want that particular thing painted... SOMETHING personal. Otherwise, it just doesnt matter to me... does that make sense? Its like the difference between baking cookies because you have what you need in the pantry and baking cookies for someone sick. Love is the secret ingredient. And I had no love for the second plaque yet. More like resentment towards its wasted potential. Then, thanks to Facebook, a woman contacted me & asked for a plaque for her husband.

I can not really tell you how special this project is going to be. Her husband is a marine. He is currently deployed & when we gets home, he will be meeting his newborn for the first time. Can you take a moment to wrap your head around that for a second?

Now take another moment to wrap your heart around it.

Yeah. Exactly. & I get to have the honor of painting something as special as a FATHER'S DAY gift for this family. Honestly, I am humbled by this opportunity. The best part is she wants it to read: "Our Father, Our Hero". Is this gonna be a tear jerker or what?!

The rest of the day continued to be good to me. It totally makes up for all the lost sleep lately. I continued to make-wait for it-FIVE ORDERS. ...Holy Moses.

I have 3 Father's Day orders, two for $10 and one for $25-30. Destiny's are the $10 orders for her grandfather & great-grandfather. One loves to fish, the other loves to garden. So, the first will say, "What a catch!" with a fishing pole and the other, "You're someone I look up to no matter how tall I grow" with a corn stalk. Super cute... I think. I am still waiting for details on the last order for a gal named Connie. She's finding a good quote & I'm waiting to get my hands on the perfect size wood. Then I have to finish with Marge's yellow pine kitchen painting.... can you feel this whelming me over?! Then, someone snatched up the Mahogany jewelry set (sorry folks, its all gone). Aye-yi-yi. Not to mention, two people contacted me about possible orders. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful for the business. But, I am a little stressed. Excited to be included on SO many special opportunities, but nervous... for my hands may fall off.

Keep an eye out. Sneak peaks will be coming soon-ish. & thanks for reading.

A Mouthful

Sleep has become my enemy. Why such hatred for me, sleep? We use to be so close. You use to love me. How heartbreaking. We have some friends coming in tonight, and I know I won't be able to sleep very good this weekend. I was counting on being well rested today... story of my life.

I probably won't be updating much this weekend. So I would like to leave you with something delicious to chew on for a few days. The first thing you can take a bite of is the fact that next week I will be working on a huge,HUGE painting for Marge. She would like a "Coffee Shop" sign for her kitchen. Can I just tell you that I am stoked to do this? This will be the biggest project for me yet, both financially as well as physically. We found a 2 foot long 2x12 piece of yellow pine. IT'S GORGEOUS. My generous husband saw my face light up with excitement & decided to "treat me" before I dive in head first & become consumed.

He took me to Lowes.


....I love Lowes.

Oh. how he knows the way to my heart. I thank God I married a man who understands what is really going to make me thrilled. He could have taken me to get ice cream, & I won't lie... I would have been content. But, I would also be fatter. Instead, he bought me brand new primer, sandpaper & a quart of brown paint. QUART. Actually, its called pumpernickel, & its so rich, & there's a whole quart of it. Might not sound like much to you, but it is to me. I usually buy little bitty thangs.Have I mentioned my excitement? I have never painted on a "canvas" this big. I can't wait to see the finish project. & I hope Marge LOVES it. Her kitchen has shades of brown & yellow, with hints of red... just like mine :) Can you feel it? It will be glorious.

Are you still chewing? Here's something else. He also gave me some stain & finish for *drum roll* MAHOGANY. ....WORD. When we got married, my creative man made his groomsmen mahogany boxes. They were so beautiful & I have to admit, I was jealous. Mahogany is so good looking. It is the equivalent of my husband's face... in wood. & I am excited to tell you, I have TWO perfect pieces to stain, finish & paint. JUST FOR YOU. I am making a matching necklace & bracelet rack/holder. If you buy the first one, you can get the second half off.

"How much is the first one?" you ask... why, only 10 dollars, my curious friend, thanks for asking. Don't choke... I know you're excited, but try to compose yourself. If you die, you can't own these beautiful pieces. :)

The last tasty bit of information I would like to leave you with is that the Father's Day plaque is done! Destiny asked that I put some design around the wording & so this is the finished product!


and again.

Walnut plaque. Custom order for Destiny. Sold for $25.

And, ladies & gentlemen, there's still one left... just calling your name. Poor paintless plaque.

It's UH-FISH-UL.

So, after much deliberation, we (the people... being, my sweet husband and I) have decided to chose the name "Scrapped Crafts" to sell my artwork by. Catchy, eh? I like. Love it, actually. it's classic; short, sweet & to the point. Not to mention, self-explanatory. What do you think, readers? Do you love it, Paris?

Anyway, I know I've been talking tons of trash about how awesome I am & about these Father's Day plaques... with not much to show for it. So, here's your sneak peak. I usually don't show things before they are finished as a general rule of thumb, but ... what can I say? I love you. You've earned it, my few faithful followers...

This is for Destiny. She ordered this last week. Very generously, she let me pick the wording & asked that it be done in yellow & blue. Enjoy.


Hope you love it as much as I do. I still have some finishing touches I would like to add. Then I will be happy to send this off in the mail to you, Destiny.