the winning piece complete!

I finished the painting for Meghan, the winner of the drawing held in December!  She gave me a few clues to inspire me.  She wanted the piece for her bedroom which she just finished re-decorating in a romantic theme with red, purple, smoky topaz and chocolate throughout.  I asked her if she could travel anywhere where would it be: Paris.

Eiffel Tower at night

12" x 12" acrylic, gold & silver ink on canvas with polycrylic finish

congrats on winning the painting, Meghan and thanks for being a good sport about having your picture taken ; )....I hope you enjoy it!

final post of 2011

As 2011 draws to a close and I wrap up my last project, I have done a lot of soul searching this last week to figure out how I want to go forward in 2012.  No doubt, 2011 has been a year of personal (many) highs and a few lows.  With that said, I vow to be more calm and enjoy the process of life more.  We artists have active imaginations and I often find I am a ball full of energy, wrapped up and trying to release my ideas.  Often, the stress I experience is self induced and many people have told me I need to not be so hard on myself.  This last project is no exception.

I have wanted to create an assortment of framed photos of Leilani going up our stairs for some time now.  I've had some frames laying around for years just staring back at me.  Not wanting to spend a fortune to have them custom matted and professionally framed, I took on the project myself.  Many hours, lots of paint, five stitches, a tetanus shot and a lot of frustration later....it is done.

But, I learned a few things from it and in due time to go forward into 2012:

1)  I will not be so darn hard on myself and create goals & deadlines that are unachievable
2)  I will take yoga
3)  I will paint and complete projects out of sheer enjoyment
4)  I will be the best wife, mother, sister, daughter I know how to be
5)  I will slow down...and enjoy life more.

Oh...and I WILL de-clutter my closet!

the crazy frames I've been holding onto

creating the perfect color for the 3 matching frames...

and 2 mirrors (which were an antique white to begin with)

I had glass custom cut at a local glass shop. (Joann's was going to charge me $70 for 3 pieces but the local shop charged just $19!!)......However, I will say I ended up cutting my hand on one of the pieces of glass and ended up with 5 stitches and a $40 co-pay, sigh.

But, I think it was worth it...all in all this project cost me maybe $80 if you include my co-pay :) and supplies:

I love using architectural pieces to decorate with.  I have several funky painted shutters throughout our house and ended up using these two (which were once a hot pink, yikes) as part of the wall combo!

Oh, and lastly, Leila on Christmas day....on most likely her most favorite gift from Grandma and Grandpa:

Have a great new year, everyone!  See you in 2012....bring it on!

donna walker

I am a big fan of the artist Donna Walker.  She is based out of my home state of Texas and her pieces are small, bold, gorgeous in color, reasonably priced.  She is just talented and I love looking at her work.  Visit her etsy shop here.  A few samples:

12" x 24" custom original oil on canvas based on photo

8" x 16" custom original oil on canvas based on photo

8" x 8" original oil on canvas  In The Fields

8" x 8" original oil on canvas Small Red Barn Farm Landscape

All photos credit of Donna Walker

and the winner is...

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in this FUN drawing!  Having left my career to be a full time mom to our little girl and pursue my passion and degree in painting, certainly has had its share of challenges.  So, every ounce of support I receive is appreciated more than you know.  Life is so short and for it not to be fulfilled by what you love would be a failure I think.  So, I know that as long as I persevere and continue creating,  it will shine through and make me the happiest mommy on the planet. (not that I'm not already)...

Drum roll please..................the WINNER is:

Sorry, had to share a picture of her painting first.  Oh, AND a picture of her holding your blank canvas which will soon be full of color and life:

Ok, ok.......so the WINNER is:

CONGRATULATIONS, Meghan O'Neill Witte!!!!!!!!!!!!

frugal and fabulous

We live in a small abode but it is cozy and it is home.  We've decided to sit tight, ride the housing market crisis out and wait to move.  Until then, it has been "operation make use of every square inch of space we have" in the Sullivan household.  Which means I have sold unused pieces of furniture on Craigslist, donated odds and ends, rearranged and spiced things up some to change the mood of the spaces.

My sister in law gave us this piece of furniture below.  It came with a door on it but we removed it and used the wood for something its shape was perfect for. (more below)

We added shelves to the piece and painted it...good as new and tons of storage!

in process

I rearranged our bedroom and absolutely love it now.  Used the door from the cabinet as a base for a head board...covered it in batting and this fabric.  Found it at JoAnn's...40% off, a total steal.

But, it really needed to be secured more and screwed directly into the wall.  It also needed a bit of something else to make it less "vanilla" and plain jane and more custom.  I wasn't sure what to use to cover up the screws....until I found these vintage earrings at Den of Antiquity in downtown Mt. Airy:

a bit hard to see from the photo but they add just the right amount of sparkle...just took the backs off and hot glued them directly on the screws. 

Using the green earrings for another project I have going on...will post pic when done.

jereme seams

My sister asked for some photos of Leila's nursery several weeks ago...received this darling custom pillow as a baptism gift over the weekend which was made based on the photos.  Love!

She is just getting started, but check out the artist's new blog.....