Making Christmas

I've been busy as a bee trying to get some of my whimsical Holiday horse sign painted. 

I have several on ebay if you're interested. Act quickly though, many of the auctions are ending SOON!

Some of these designs will also be available on Christmas cards and ornaments in my Cafepress Shop.

I've also started trying to decorate for the Holidays. 

I made this the other day from pine cones I found on a hike and a vase I bought at the thrift store.

I saw the idea on Pinterest. I really need to buy a set of mini lights to tuck into the vase with the pine cones.

If you haven't checked it out yet, you have got to try it. Here is a screen shot of my Holiday pinboard. 

Pinterest is like a big, virtual, corkboard that you 'pin' things you find inspiring. It's really an amazing site with loads of great ideas, art, recipes, photography, crafts and so much more. 

Click here to follow my boards and see what I've pinned. 

O Christmas Tree!

First, I want to thank everyone so much for all the comments on my last post (if you haven't left a comment to enter my Christmas giveaway, please do). It has been a joy to read about every one's favorite Holiday memories. I encourage my readers to check out the comment section of my last post and see what people have written. Some lovely, heartwarming stories!

So we've finally gotten our Christmas tree. It was a little difficult because they were all covered in snow! I usually rush out on the first snow and take tons of photos but I was too busy shopping and then painting this weekend.

Here's the tree farm. Didn't have to drive far, it's only about a mile down our street.


Hmm... where is our tree?


Ah ha, here it is! Knock off a little snow, not too bad.


A few hours later, all gussied up. I'm loving the big, sparkly butterfly at the top I bought at Longwood Gardens this year.
And here's what I painted. Wish I could have gotten a better photo because I'm really happy with how it turned out. Just too grey a day for photos. I would LOVE to go for a ride in a sleigh like this! This 12.5" x 16.5" original sign will go up on Ebay tonight for a 3 day auction.



The color of springtime is in the flowers, the color of winter is in the imagination. ~Ward Elliot Hour

Doodle

Sometimes it all starts with a doodle. I was talking to a friend on the phone and drawing on a sketchpad when I came up this this Headless Horseman painting.





Ta da!

Finally!

My husband thinks I'm absolutely nuts. I sit in front of the hummingbird feeder everyday, for what must seem like hours to him, in quest of that holy grail of garden photos - the hummingbird shot. Well, it's not perfect, but I was just able to get a few. And it's only the female, who seems friendlier to me than the male but not quite as showy. She's so cute. I love her long tongue. Wonder what I should name her?





Also started working on my horsey Halloween pieces. I'll be adding the first one, a ghostly Paint Horse, tonight on Ebay!




Sign up for A Fanciful Twist's Hauntingy Magical Halloween Party!

Brand spanking new!

I managed to finish several projects recently and list them on Etsy and Ebay despite waking up with an incredibly painful neck. Don't you just hate it when you sleep wrong?!

Here's a little sample of my new pendants. Some horsey and some Halloween.
One of the biggest tips on Etsy for selling your work is to have great photos. My photos always seem a bit on the blah side so I decided to photograph this new batch out in the garden.





Also finally finished my EHAG July Challenge piece (better late than never, right?). Our theme was The Brothers Grimm. I had this witch house from Hansel and Gretel started over a year ago but just wasn't feeling it. I switched the colors around and added some more candy and 2 days of work and am now very happy with the way it turned out!

When you get the chance pop over to the EHAG blog. Lucky me - I'm the newest spotlight artist!

The Unicorn Tapestries

Some of my favorite medieval art images come from the famous Unicorn Tapestries.
It is thought that they were created in the southern area of The Netherlands between 1495 and 1505. They were owned by the La Rochefoucauld family of France for several centuries until they were purchased by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. in 1922 for around a million dollars (what a bargain). For a few years now I have wanted to visit The Cloisters in Manhattan, the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art that houses their medieval art collection. The Unicorn Tapestries hang in The Cloisters so I really do need to get myself up there one of these day soon!

If you're a fan of the Harry Potter movies series, you've probably recognized several unicorn tapestries hanging in the Gryffindor common room. I felt inspired to create a welcome sign this week for anyone like me who enjoys things a bit magical and medieval! If you're interested, my original, hand painted plaque is currently for sale on Ebay.

Black Cat, Bay Horse

I love summer! My husband is a teacher so he's off work and I can finally get to painting. There is so much I can accomplish when I don't have a 3 year old under foot. Here are two pieces I just finished, my two favorite animals, a cat and a horse. Both pieces are currently on Ebay. Thanks for looking!

Green Tomatoes

"You know, when you get your first asparagus, or your first acorn squash, or your first really good tomato of the season, those are the moments that define the cook's year. I get more excited by that than anything else." -
Mario Batali


When I came home from vacation I was totally surprised at how much my veggie garden had grown. I had several huge cucumbers, one gigantic zucchini, a couple of peppers and about 9 baby cantaloupes that are fist size. My husband is eagerly awaiting the ripening of these bad boys. Last year I went with all heirloom tomatoes, this year I chose a mix. These are Jetsetter which the tag said are disease resistant. The plant is taller than my husband who is 6" 3"! Any day now right?



Back to the studio for me after over a week off. Of course I had the Headless Horseman on the brain again:) He's currently on Ebay.
The EHAG challenge for July is The Brother's Grimm. Hmmm... I'm thinking Hansel and Gretel maybe???

EHAG Gorey Tribute Challenge

I was lucky enough in April to see a wonderful exhibit of Edward Gorey's artwork at the Brandywine River Museum. So you can imagine when EHAG, the Halloween art group I belong to, came up with a Gorey Tribute Challenge for June, I was ready to hop on board. Today I finished my piece and I just had to use the Headless Horseman as my subject. I don't believe Gorey ever drew him, but I think he should have!
My painting is listed currently listed on Ebay. Please search Ebay for other amazing Halloween artwork by EHAG artists. We're also on Facebook if you'd like to become a fan!





"The chief part of the stories, however, turned upon the favorite spectre of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman, who had been heard several times of late, patrolling the country; and, it was said, tethered his horse nightly among the graves in the churchyard." ~ Washington Irving

Halloween Spirit

I suppose my three most recent Sleepy Hollow pieces have put me in the Halloween spirit! I just finished a very cool little mirror with a black cat and witch. Thought I would share - it's currently on Ebay for a 3 day auction.




I'm happy to report that my little wren has convinced (I hope, fingers crossed) his lady friend to nest in my white birdhouse. Here he is peeping out...



I'm also currently in love with all the gorgeous lilies blooming all around the yard! They seem to have come back bigger and better than last year.



And I've relocated one of the baby groundhogs. I hope she caught up with her mother in the park!
Until next time...

Serenity now...

I am a freak for the show Seinfeld. When it came out I was such a fan that my aunt gave me a pair of tickets to see him live in 1992. Even though it's been off the air for a few years, my husband and I find ourselves quoting the show quite often and we still watch the repeats on cable and laugh just as much as when we first saw them.
My most often used quote would be - "Serenity now."

When my 3 year old digs up newly planted flowers - Serenity now.

When the groundhog eats my lettuce - Serenity now.

When driver cuts me off on the road - Serenity now.

And yes, I know what happens. Serenity now, insanity later. :-)



So I've always wanted to paint a simple "serenity now" sign for my house. Being an artist and relying on my creations to pay for groceries and things, I never paint anything for myself. Until now. And I painted a second one and put it on Ebay just in case there are any other Seinfeld freaks out there like me!


Do you have a favorite Seinfeld quote? I'd love to hear it!

Haflinger, giveaway and sale!

Three things to post about today. First is my newest spring sign on Ebay, a young Haflinger in a field of wildflowers. Click HERE to check it out - 3 day auction!




Next is my Etsy Team's April giveaway. Please go to the WHOA TEAM BLOG and leave a comment there for your chance to win one of three lovely prizes!



Lastly, I'd like to clear out my Etsy store so I can add new items this spring/summer. Everything in the shop is 20% off. You must mention this blog when you click to purchase an item. Please wait for me to send you a revised invoice to reflect the sale price.

Rain, rain go away...

I want to make another garden today! Yeah, I know, April showers, blah, blah, blah.
I just got a tiller and I want to till! I have been wanting a rototiller since we bought our house and, well, new ones are too expensive and used ones go so quickly. Every time I would find one in the paper it would be sold by the time I called. So my dear, sweet mother has given me/loaned indefinitely her precious old John Deere. They have two large tractors to plow their monstrous garden and didn't really need it. The poor old thing had been sitting in their shed unused for years. My step father took it out for me on Easter and had it running in about 30 minutes. Nothing runs like a Deere, right?
So I managed to double the size of my veggie garden yesterday. I think I'll make a few smalled beds for cukes and pumpkins. I already have the hose out on the ground mapping my next flower bed and I have a bunch of plants lying around waiting to be planted... Scotch Broom, Lupine, Delphinium, foxglove, Siberian iris, heuchera, forsythia, blueberries, meadow rue...
Is it time to go to Longwood again? (I put a little Flickr Slideshow widget on the right hand side so you can go to Longwood too!)



I did manage to paint one sign over the weekend. A bay overo Paint horse. He's currently on Ebay this week. I started a mini donkey foal today which I hope to have up on Ebay soon too. Haven't had a chance to work on on oil yet.

Ranch Dressing, New Work & Groundhogs

I have been busy as a bee today. Since my little shadow was staying the night at her grandmother's house, I told my husband to take the computer keyboard with him to work so I wouldn't be tempted to surf the net all day (I have an addiction). Well, I guess I wasn't thinking becuase I was still able to surf the net sans typing. Next time he should take the mouse! I was able to complete to more Springtime welcome signs. One with a Miniature Horse and the other features a handsome Palomino Quarter Horse. I would rather be painting with oils on canvas but my signs bring home the bacon and the coffers are a bit low lately. My DH has off for Easter the next 5 days so I really hope to get a painting at least started.

I wanted to thank Angie of Free Rein Art for the super nice blog post about me yesterday. I was very flattered when she asked me over the weekend to send her some pictures of my signs and a bio. When you get the chance stop over to her new blog, Ranch Dressing, to learn a little more about me and also about decorating your house with a cowgirl flair!



Lastly, meet my new nemesis, Mr. Groundhog. He's taken up residence under my shed and is helping himself to the baby romaine lettuce growing in my garden. I am at my wits end with this guy. I have a humane trap set but he's not triggering it for some reason. I keep baitng it and setting it and testing it to see if it works but he eats the food bait and the trap doesn't close. I've tried a few other things, annoying him, ammonia soaked rags around my garden, pinwheels to spook him - nothing works. I think a rifle would work but that would be mean, wouldn't it?
Please let me know if you have any ideas!

Spring is here!

I have been struck this week with Spring FEVER! So many plants popping up in the yard. My first daffodil has bloomed along with another pretty little purple flower (who knows what this is??).



Inspired by the gorgeous Andalusian horse in the "Trash the Dress" video (see post below for link), I painted a romantic grey horse in flowers. I should have him up on Ebay shortly.





Last but certainly not least, in all the craziness that was March, I completely forgot to mention the gorgeous tulip photo I won in Meghann of Little Studio Photography and Jewellery's giveaway. Can't wait to frame it, I think I have just the right place! You can have one of these too, here is a framed one that she has in her Etsy store!