See it in a room.

I always feel like I've been painting a ton of new things, but then when I sit down and look at what I've actually done, it's not quite so much!  I have so many ideas brewing for new paintings, and I know they'll be put on canvas in time.  Actually, they kind of need to be started soon because I'm going to be the featured artist at my friend Jeff's First Friday event (the first Friday of each month he has an art show at his shop), so if you're in the Lynchburg, VA area on October 4th, come visit me!  Until then, here are a few new paintings I've finished...

From the top: All the Cool Kids, Grandpa Cardigan, Das Ist Nicht OK, Unwanted original

Lately I've been feeling like I should probably sell of some originals, but it must be the hoarder in me that reminds myself of how sad I get when I do sell an original; it's kind of like packing your kid up and sending them to live with someone else, knowing you'll never see them again.  Okay, maybe that's a little dramatic, but it's totally like sending off your favorite pair of shoes that go with EVERYTHING, and knowing you'll ever own a pair like them again.  Anyway, I did list two originals in my shop.  There may be more, and there may not...

Art you need.

What's hanging on your walls right now?  UNLESS YOU SAY ICEFLOE PHOTOGRAPHY, FORGET IT!  I was hoping to convey a threatening tone; do you think it worked?  Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Dianne Tanner's photography and the soft, dreamy quality of her subjects captured on film.  Some of my favorites include...

I'm lucky enough to have this one and this one grace my walls, and I'm thinking I'm really going to need to go ahead and add the Skullz print to my collection.

Find the prints above here: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5

bright, clean, and not so much crap.

Every now and then (let's say once a month) I get in these mindsets where all I want to do is go through closets, drawers, and anywhere else Chris and I may stash things we no longer use or need, and THROW THEM OUT!  Of course, the fact that I have a minor addiction to interior design blogs doesn't help my downsize and redecorate mindset, but it never hurts to purge your life of clutter, right?  My house is definitely not cluttered when compared to, say, my Grandma's house, but I think everyone has their limit of knick knacks, and I've passed mine.  I've also discovered the problem(s): first, I don't necessarily like to display a lot of things, I mainly just like hunting for them, and then knowing that I have them; it's not conducive to simple living.  Second, Chris and I seem to be a dumping ground for stuff.  I don't know how it came to be, but we became the people that family just gave their unwanted stuff to, and it's not that we want it or asked for it, we just seem to accumulate it, and then we feel guilty for throwing it out.  BUT, if I can stop feeling guilty and throw things out, keeping only what I really like and will actually use, I wouldn't mind my house looking a little more like this...

I've already got good colors on the walls (white in the kitchen and bedroom, the palest, crispest green in the living room and den, and a dark, sophisticated slate blueish color in the dining room), an overstuffed, modern style sofa, good vintage pieces, retro lamps, and plenty of art for the walls - I just have to refine my collection and then decide how to arrange and display it.  I know some people think spending time or money on your house and the way it's decorated borders on (if not complete falls into the category of) shallow, but I have to disagree; being a homebody, my house is somewhere I like to feel comfortable and inspired, and being surrounded by things you like or like looking at just puts you in a positive mood!

When your life starts to feel cluttered, how do you de-clutter?  And how do you put sentiment aside and get rid of things you no longer use or need?

*All images from Pinterest.

hello.

How have you been?  This summer has been busy and awesome, and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon!  Sometimes though, when I have a slow day and I can stop to play with my camera (and still try to figure out how to use it with all those settings and switches and buttons), read, thumb through old magazines looking for painting inspiration, watch Buffy on Netflix, or just sit outside with Flojo and watch the birds, it's nice, and I try not to think of all the work that's waiting on me...

So how has your summer been?  What do you like to do when you get a quiet moment to yourself?

See it in a room.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I can get a much better idea of what art sold online looks like by either seeing it in a frame or seeing it in a room.  And again, I don't know about you, but I could look at interior design inspiration for days on end without ever realizing how much time has passed.  So why then wouldn't I combine art and inspiration?  I did some pinterest browsing and found some rooms that inspire me to show what some of my new paintings would look like...

Artwork can be found here (from the top): The Smallest Oceans print, Nature Lover print, I Picked You Something print, Donkey In A Blanket print.
Images of rooms found on pinterest: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4
And here is some exciting news:  I'M GOING TO BE SELLING POSTER SIZE PRINTS (like the donkey picture above)!  I don't have them listed yet, but if you want a certain print made into a poster, let me know!

And last but not least, I'm selling some originals.  Honestly, I don't want to have so much of my own art in my house because that would just be weird, and although you may not think so (I know I didn't), it takes up a lot of room.  So, I'm parting with a few (above) and will have a few more originals for sale in the coming weeks!

Oh wait, there is one more thing.  I'M GOING TO RENEGADE BROOKLYN IN JUNE!  I'm super excited.

Giveaway from Chicnova!

I'm so excited to be teaming up with chicnova to offer you $30 to spend on whatever you'd like on chicnova.com!  I've been looking through about every category on the site and I have too many favorites to even fathom (maybe because I'm a clothes hoarder).  Please see the entry rules below to get a chance at winning!

Find my favorites show above here:  knit top, leopard pants, denim vest, lace dress, tank dress, gold top

To be eligible for the giveaway, you MUST follow the giveaway rules.  No exceptions.

1. Become a fan of chicnova on either facebook, pinterest, or tumblr.
2. Register on the chicnova site.
3. Leave a comment with a link to your favorite item from chicnova AND the email address you used to register (without this you cannot be awarded your prize).

There you go, easy peasy!  This giveaway will last for 10 days, and the winner will be announced following the giveaway's end.

Black and Roses

Lately I've been painting, and I've had a lot of ideas.  Well, I usually have a lot of ideas, but lately they've been a little more focused which is always nice, because sometimes I feel like they're so varied, it's what my marine dad would refer to as a cluster-eff-you-sea-kay.  I seem to have roses and flowers on the brain, and here's a little bit of what I've been working on...

They're all currently available as prints in my art shop, and I'm having a little sale as well because I've got way too many prints on my hands.  Just enter the code BLOGREADER20 during checkout for 20% off everything in my shop!

I haven't been working on mint, but don't you just love it?!  It's time to replant this mint that's been in my kitchen window, and unfortunately it's going to have to go in a pot that's to big to fit.  Aside from smelling it or adding it to tea, what do you use it in?  And can you juice mint?

Recycling is rad.

Being green may be a current fad, but unlike the Harlem Shake, vegan cleanses or thick bangs, it's one I can fully embrace!  Our pal Jeff owns a skate/snow/bike shop downtown, and in addition to boards, accessories, and rad t-shirts, he also carries a line of his handmade, recycled skateboard products.  I loved his keychains and bottle openers when I first saw them, but I really (okay, figuratively) fell out of my chair when I saw his latest product: coasters.

To get an idea of how he makes his recycled skateboard products, and see a little bit of his process, this time lapse video showing part of the making of a cutting board is pretty neat and definitely makes me appreciate the products even more!



Find them here: coasters ($10), bottle openers ($12-$18), keychains ($4-$6)

Pretty neat, right?  It's one thing for a bottle to be made out of a low percentage of recycled materials and call it green, but it's another thing entirely when someone follows the three R's and the outcome is something you'd actually use!  My coffee table is an old wooden storage trunk that won't be hurt by the sweat on a glass, but I'm going to teach myself to use coasters just to have a few from Scene 3!

What are some of your favorite recycled or green products?  And do you make any yourself?

What I've been working on...

Do you watch the show 'How I Met Your Mother'?  If you don't we can't be friends. I JEST!  But really, it's hilarious, and I always feel like I want to start my posts by saying, "Well, kids..." or "Kids, lately things have been..."  But I digress before I even get to the point at hand: I've been busy!  I feel like I've had so many new ideas lately (and lots of others that aren't quite ready to show), and I love when things are complete so that I can share them!

Rings, Tote, Earrings, Necklace, Bracelet, Earrings, Bracelet, Bracelet, Bracelet, Necklace, Tote

In addition to jewelry, and to follow along with the entertainment vein, I feel like I've been living in a less exaggerated version of 'Honey, I Shrunk The Kids' only without kids, of course.  Do you remember how their house was filled with little gadgets and techie, scientific ways of doing the simplest of things?  Chris has been talking for months now about making a generator of sorts so that while I'm riding my exercise bike, my work powers the screen rather than batteries.  What greeted me when I got home last Friday afternoon was 1. a completely disassembled laptop (why, I have no idea as it has nothing to do with the bike generator) taking up one section of our home office, 2. a generator in the works that took up another section of our office (which of course was accompanied by an in-depth description of electrical workings, components, and tech talk I don't understand), and 3. the cherry on top, a completely disassembled exercise bike in the exercise room.  I feel like I'm living in one big science fair project.  I'll be glad to have my exercise bike back since I have yet another injury that keeps me from running, but it's kind of neat to be married to s guy that's so smart and fully grasps the logistics and workings of things I generally take for granted.

Our trip to the north.

Our trip to Pennsylvania was way too short, but I guess that's always the case when you have fun.  I'm not really sure what to say about it other than we covered a lot of ground in just a few days, my brother is hilarious and therefore fun to be around, southern hospitality and manners really are limited to the south, and I wish my brother and his girlfriend lived closer.

On Saturday we went down to Baltimore to explore the city a little and go to the aquarium, which I hadn't been to in over 10 years!  It's incredible how quickly time passes when you're an adult.  I took some pictures with a little juice box camera as well, and those are the pictures I'm most looking forward to seeing!

Other than that, it's back to work, work, work for me.  Oh, and laundry.  How have you been?