our dollar masterpiece

we left our mark on oatman last weekend.  za husband suggested we do a quick little trip just for the fun of it it and oatman was our destination of choice.  the last time we had been there was two years ago when we were dating, but that was the first time i had ever been there.  i have since discovered that i have a serious love for old towns.  taking a step back to the good old days and imagining life in a simpler time is fascinating to me.  my main regret from our first trip to oatman was that we didn't have the opportunity to contribute to the dollar walls inside a restaurant there.   

well guess what...this time my dream came true because i

with some help from this guy

designed and hung up a little piece of us on the walls of that fine dining establishment. 

you would have thought i did something extra amazing the way i swooned over my masterpiece and talked about it for the rest of the day.  the little things in life are the best things.

hooray for our dollar hanging in oatman!

*maybe if blogger stops acting up i will add more pictures from our adventure soon. 

new & customized paintings

hi there....

i am a fun new painting that has been added to the shop.

stop over and check me out. xo.

i have an idea...

please tell me what you think of this, if interested.

you can comment, email, text, call, whatever. 

i am running really low on my high quality canvas that i use for the paintings which go in the shop, before loading up on more i need to get rid of a few other items that are in the way.  i have 5 lower quality canvas pieces that need to be used up.  they are still perfectly useful.  in fact i have several of these hanging in my house. 

when i say lower quality this is what i mean:   

-side stapled vs. hidden staples on back of canvas.

-the canvas isn't quite as thick.

of those two things the only part you might notice is the staples. 

i will paint the sides, as always, to help hide them.

or another cool option is framing the canvas which i've seen with one of my paintings.

or you could just not care, like me, because nobody really notices.

so with that said, here is the most awesome part...

you can basically customize your art at the price which works for you. 

it may be your last chance to get a version of one you missed out on at a steal of a price.

10x10--$30 each (includes shipping) 3 in stock **post edit** 2 in stock

options for this size include: a variation of previous love is the key paintings...you pick the background color if you wish and decide whether you want the word love added or not. also do you want multiple smaller keys or a giant key?

11x14--$40 each (includes shipping) 1 in stock

options for this size include:  smaller versions of this one, this one, or this one

color options customizable to a point and wording in palette knife painting can be changed.

16x20--$50 each (includes shipping) 1 in stock **post edit** out of stock

options include smaller version of this one or this one.

 once again palette knife option is customizable as far as wording goes.

i hope this idea excites you as much as it does me. 

first come first served, so contact me pronto if interested. 

flashback friday #12

circa 1982

there is nothing quite like a perfect candid shot, my brothers giant baby head in the background, my tiny doll arm reaching for something cute i'm sure, and my parents that i love so much.

plans for the weekend

while i am relaxing and getting over this cold of mine....

i plan on painting and playing with my new camera (it has all sorts of fun features)....

*sneak peek of the latest painting*

oh and cuddling up with za husband to watch movies. 

he was gracious enough to share this nasty illness but i still love him....lots.

quiet

no camera + stress + za husband having a cold + being more interested in the gym lately + i'm sure other stuff = me not blogging. 
i'm still alive and life is pretty fantastic and i promise normal blogging will resume soon...(for those of you who are wondering about my silence) 
sometimes we all need a little mix up from our usual things you know?
i look forward to sharing a few gems soon. 

imaginative mood

today i feel as happy, as this sunset is pretty. 

reasons for this are:

*a new work schedule which will allow me more time to focus on things i am truly passionate about.

*the bird who sang me a very special song as i was leaving work.  the only thing i can compare it to is one of those annoying car alarms that does a bunch of different noises.  except this was a pretty birdie song version that made me smile especially when i noticed the bird it was coming from and watched his belly move in all sorts of weird ways as he sang.    

*seeing a vehicle identical to rob dyrdek's driving right by my, because after all he is one of my celebrity crushes (don't worry...za husband knows about it).  i daydreamed that it was actually him driving near me, maybe planning something magical to do in my town.  if you don't watch fantasy factory, watch it and maybe you'll understand my obession.  he is funny and creative and loves having fun much like a little kid.  my style completely.

there you have it.  i'm happy.  

since za husband said "you are in quite the imaginative mood today." i'm thinking i better agree with him and get to working on some art.

the life and death of my camera

so long my dear friend......

last year you acted up and i thought it was goodbye but you held on for several more months documenting adventures and happy moments.  this time i think your departure is for real.  sad but true.  thanks for being an awesome camera for over 4 years of my life (in which i was rough on you).

za husband and i had a great weekend.  it was relaxing yet productive and 3 days long because we decided to just take an extra day.  great decision. 

our 3 days involved a trip to the movies, watching movies at home, cleaning the house, trips to the gym, a visit from my mom and mascara(one of the most beautiful dog members of our family), working on art projects, having dear friends over for dinner. 

yes, it was great! 

 i managed to get a few pictures of mascara before my camera pooped out but now i don't know if i'll be able to upload them so here are a couple pictures from my phone. 

*beautiful fragrant daffodils from chris and michaela...our dinner guests

*proof that the veggie lasagna, brussel sprouts, and garlic bread were a hit.

now i'm off to purchase an equally awesome new and improved camera.

you have picture mail

i love getting text messages like this.....

to see my paintings hanging in a house other than my own.

the best.

flashback friday #11

circa december 1980.  me and my mom. 

will selected the picture for todays flashback since i couldn't decide.  za husband picked this one because he says he loves my wide eyed expression. 

delicious week

i obviously haven't been in much of a blogging mood but i have been in a cooking mood.
so far this week i've made:
sour cream enchiladas (za husbands new favorite)
spaghetti with spinach leaves and fresh garlic bread
curry citrus tofu and quinoa

it has been a really delicious week out our house.

hopefully i can keep the cooking mood alive and get in more of a blogging mood soon. 

flashback friday #10

circa 1982-1985
photos of me with my partner in crime, best bud, my brother brandon.

too bad he isn't as loving as he was then. 
now i can count on him to make fun of me a lot but that is what brothers are for right?

attached

as i've said before i get really attached to the things i create.  no surprise there considering i get really attached to everything....people, animals, even clothes and the occasional vehicle(crazy i know).  for some unknown reason there are certain paintings that i can part with relatively easily, and then there are some i absolutely refuse to put in the shop.  i can usually tell when i first start working on one if i'll want to keep it.  it was strange with this particular piece, because i fully intended to put it in the shop, and i still might, but man i'm loving it. 

you know how in the sea of people you meet, certain ones really stand out?

that is how "you shine" was born, from having that happy feeling i've had several times in my life when i meet an exceptional person. 

to keep or not to keep?  that is the question.

the 5 year old versions of us

when it snows.....we celebrate.  we play.  we instantly revert to our 5 year old selves and drop everything to go be a part of the not so often joyous occasion.  so when the all day long rain turned into snow saturday night i instantly said....let's drive around in it.  grabbed the camera and my hat and off we went with no destination in mind.  sassy was totally prepared for any conditions that were ahead of us....even crossing certain streets turned rivers.

i know i abuse this word but it's the only word that can truly describe our adventure that night.....

magical.

p.s. the next day my mom was the one with all the snow since she lives a little ways from town in the mountains.  we had lots of fun playing there with the dogs.  silly me forgot my camera but i'll snag some pictures from za muzza so you can see how amazing the sights were at her place.