Cutes and Ladybugs

tHe neW yeAr :)

2012-01-16T09:08:00.001-05:00

can't believe it's 2012!!!?!!! it was a great year last year, but this go round i decided to make a few changes~ it was very optimistic of me to try and do 2 documentary blogs at the same time, but i am not that prolific a writer yet, so i decided in 2012 , i would just start fresh..... i started a new simpler blog here - check it out!
thank you, thank you, thank you for all those who continue to follow my work and i hope to post more frequently in this coming year. Here is a new piece to start the New Year off right- off to work! ♥

mErriEst Christmas! ♥

2010-12-22T08:49:00.001-05:00

well i can't believe it's Christmas already !?!!! Found a version of this out in the marketplace and i am choosing to use it as my Wish to you for a merriest Christmas and a blessed New Year- look for a new blog look for me in 2011! Take care and thanks for all your nice comments in 2010 ! ♥ :)

aNotheR reCiPe

2010-12-05T21:17:00.002-05:00

Hooray! i made the blog They Draw and Cook again! this time it was a Holiday recipe for yummy Gingerbread men- thanks Nate and Salli! Please enjoy and Happy Holidays everybody ♥
Check out their blog sometime soon- it's a great opp for artists to play with a look they'd like to try out or to hone a tried and true styling.

reciPe

2010-10-08T10:57:00.000-04:00

The design team of Salli S. Swindell and Nate Padavick started a website called They Draw and Cook and they asked for artists to submit recipes for consideration- the project is going great and is now going to become a book! Congrats to Salli and Nate! Here is what i sent them, if nothing else, what a great exercise , hope they like it :)
This is a great website with constant updates , if you are on Facebook, check out their page- have a great weekend everybody!

I'm a bAd bLoggEr............

2010-08-21T15:09:00.003-04:00

where did the summer go? i had all these plans to post and now i am woefully behind.... while i get myself together, please enjoy these flowers :) see you soon

nEw art- hOO and RaY ☺

2010-05-21T22:02:00.010-04:00

just barely made the deadline :) but they are done and hanging up - hooray! i call these thread sketches, i will definitely be doing more of these soon...

here are some of the detail shots.......

i'M wAtcHinG yoU......

2010-05-21T21:19:00.002-04:00

Harry is always up close and personal ~hi harry ♥

worKing on nEw stuFF

2010-05-01T21:48:00.002-04:00

i decided to be part of a gallery show that opens May 17, so i have started working on a new direction i have been wanting to try using free-motion quilting- i'll post the results soon...

aNNiveRsary roSes reMemBerd....

2010-05-01T21:25:00.002-04:00

Mel gave me a dozen white roses for our 5th anniversary, when they were finally spent, i careful cut the heads off and saved them - makes for a pretty picture :) ♥♥♥

SprinG hAs sPrunG :)

2010-04-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

Spring in the garden- it's bursting out all over thanks to my mom- if it weren't for her the yard would be soooooo bare.....☺

tOO cuTe!

2010-03-31T15:12:00.003-04:00

i was browsing around the Web and came upon these delights called Head Chefs- this is just begging to be an illustration. Hmmm, there is that blog They Draw and Cook- could be interesting......

mArcH wiNds

2010-03-22T07:58:00.002-04:00

coLigNy BeAcH

2010-03-13T21:26:00.004-05:00

ok i took the next step with this photo- i imported into my iPod Touch and used my Palettes Pro app to extract a color palette- next step will be to try this out in an illustration.....

an eLLie for XaViER

2010-03-05T17:50:00.006-05:00

i made up a Heather Bailey pattern of an elephant for my friend Chrishawna's baby shower- i like using different fabrics in the same colorway - i will definitely do this one again! Here's pix of "mom" with the final result- enjoy Chris,Brian and baby!

nEw LooK

2010-02-27T21:38:00.005-05:00

i was messing around with a new contemporary cute for my fav subject matter- Ladybugs- and here's what i came up with. Take a peek at the new little lady that will be gracing my blog in 2010- i may have to do this every year :-)))))) .........

50th aNNiveRsaRY

2010-02-24T21:01:00.006-05:00

My good friend Kelly's parents recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary- i was not able to attend, but to commemorate the occasion, i was able to make a cake topper (inspired by my favorite plush artist, Jennifer Murphy) to send as a keepsake- i heard it was a great party, even after the dog licked the cake! (they ate the other side) Happy Anniversary Sally and Russ!

LouiE surprise

2010-02-22T21:51:00.003-05:00

Last May, they announced that i had won a Louie award for a Mother's day concept i had done - i was so honored. Well this year they did a display at work to show those concepts larger than life- it was very cool to see it big- thanks again to AG for the opportunity! :)

vAcatiOn 2010

2010-02-18T17:59:00.004-05:00

For vacation this year, we were back in a familiar place- Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Georgia, cooler than normal but still beautiful :)
i will post some more photos later but here are two montages i made of my architectural elements and some beach-combing finds from Savannah and Hilton Head- i have been inspired by a lot of things I'm seeing lately [thanks Susan :-)] to look for color palettes in the everyday, so i will be trying this over the next few weeks- i don't know why i didn't try this sooner- i love color! Now I'm a great procrastinator ,so we'll see how long it actually takes, but check back soon, and see what i come up with :)

hAppy AnniversAry

2010-02-05T00:02:00.002-05:00

this is a piece of art i did for my wedding 5 years ago - happy anniversary !

hAppY nEw yEAr !

2009-12-30T14:25:00.003-05:00

just a quick one- happy 2010- see you all soon , hopefully I will be posting more in the coming year............

Max-2002 to 2009

2009-12-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

Here's portrait i did, with a small addition- We lost a dear friend- Max was a sweet kitty boy!

a bEar foR poLLy

2009-10-31T23:12:00.005-04:00

A friend of mine requested a bear for her 2nd anniversary of being a cancer survivor, so here she is. She is based on a pattern from one of my favorite bear-makers, Jenny Loves Benny - i wonder what Polly named her bear ? hmmmmmm...................... :) - to see more pictures, go to my Flickr page

LittLe iNdePenDence

2009-07-07T14:32:00.004-04:00

Here's my latest: a bear for my friend Sally's birthday-happy birthday Sally, and many more! :)

hAppY 4tH !

2009-07-04T12:42:00.003-04:00

just sharing one of my photos- enjoy your holiday! i should be posting new stuff soon..

latest project: a bear for Farah

2009-06-19T22:08:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos of my latest commission from my friend Nomar , an anniversary present for his lovely bride of 2 years, Farah- Happy Anniversary guys-many, many more :-)

Latest Project : A Teddy with a Past, part 2...

2009-04-25T00:02:00.003-04:00

Well, here's the finish- to see more, check out my Flickr :-)

Latest Project : A Teddy with a Past, part 1....

2009-03-07T11:19:00.006-05:00

The adventure begins....My friend's sister inherited 2 fur stoles from her mother-in-law when she passed away a few years ago. She wanted to pass them on to her girls, but she knew if they were just the fur stoles, chances were they'd get put away and never really be seen- so she asked me if i would take them and make them into 2 Teddy bears as a keepsake for them. I feel honored that she trusted me, but it's been a daunting task,- i mean , if i mess up, i can't just run to the fabric store and get another heirloom fur stole (!) It took me forever to even take the lining out and draw the pattern on the back side of the fur , but the process has finally begun. An excellent book on making bears like this is called "Teddy Bears With a Past" by Nancy Tillberg. More to come on my adventure next post...

more vacation 2009

2009-03-07T09:06:00.007-05:00

While we were down the Savannah way, we also drove over to Hilton Head Island

- the atmosphere there is very laid back - it wouldn't be a complete trip for me unless we get to go for a walk on Coligny Beach . It's so peaceful and beautiful there, even in February and everyone is so friendly! (some nice local offered to take our picture- thanks!) Here are some pictures...

vacation 2009

2009-03-06T21:31:00.016-05:00

Every February (or thereabouts), my husband and I go to Savannah, Georgia to get away from the cold for a while and to soak up some sun after many a cold, gray day here in Ohio. This time, we were blessed- the temperature was in the 60s and 70s all week! If you've never been , it's a beautiful city to explore. Here are some photos of this lovely place...
To see more photos , go to my flickr page

well, here i go........

2009-01-17T00:30:00.003-05:00

I've been saying i was going to do this for a year and i FINALLY decided to do it!
Check back soon -I hope to post some things and places that inspire me and some of the new things I'm working on- take care! :-)