And the winners are....

Today is the official end of One World One Heart

So many great blogs to visit & people to meet.

Thank you Lisa for hosting.

The winners of the give away are:

Lezlei Ann

Pea

Kathy

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and entered!

OWOH winner and... ramblings.

We have a winner...

We just don't know who it is yet.

Today is the official end of 

One World One Heart blog hopping extravaganza.

I'll be announcing the winners  tonight.

and some thought s on blogging...

How can I know what I think till I see what I say?

E. M. Forster

This is so true for me.
I just want to do art.
I'm not a writer. It scares me.   

In the studio I go and go and go.

in a frenzy.

It's not until I stop.

 and think about the process.
and see my words. and read them back to myself.

that I make connections between

my art and my real life.

And as much as I want to lock it up in pretty compartments

& stick some gel medium & rickrack on the top,

life is one messy connected mess.

Blogging helps me sort out the mess.
And most of the time I don't even know what I think
until I sit down to blog about it.
and it comes out.

I'm surprised by what's in there.
Kind of like art.
The writing, the painting,
take on this weird life of their own,
kind of like having kids,
so you are a part of them,
and have a hand in creating them,
but they're not entirely yours,
because they grow up and do their own thing. 

New inspirational prints in my etsy shop.

Lovefest 2011

In kindergarten Valentine's Day is

a complete love fest.
Pure sweetness all day long.

And for the teacher:
double sweetness.
Pure love.

All day.

Getting a little paper Valentine
might not seem like the most exciting thing,

but to 6 year olds, it's right up there with Christmas.

and not just getting one, but 20.

and giving them is equally as thrilling.

they've never done this before.

and they just bask in the love.

they are utterly shocked.

all day.

 Overheard 1176 times:

"Mrs. B.! Ellie gave me a card!"

And the are so delightfully surprised

by the whole thing.

 

My favorite part:

It's pieces of paper.

Not expensive toys.

or an amusement parks.

Little scraps of paper sent with love.

Hoping your day is full of delightful surprise.

Sunday Love

In the studio...

First, I just wanted to say how awe inspiring One World, One Heart has been.
It has been so fun to find different blogs & people from all over the world.
It'll take me a while to visit everyone who's visited me, but I'll get there.

In the studio...

I've been so fortunate to be

working on a commission I love.

Commissions can be tricky.

On the one hand I love working with people

to create something so personal and special.

And I can usually see the idea in my brain before I create it.

The tough part is communicating the picture

 in my head to someone else.

In September I created

 these 2 paitings for sweet twin baby girls.

Their auntie contacted me in January

with the best commission ever

for her soon to be born son:

I love your work.

Whatever you do will be great!

Total freedom to create.

So fun.

So these paintings have been in my head for a while

and they immediately popped into my head.

It was so liberating to have the freedom to create these pieces.

To hang on the wall and sink deep into the heart

of a new little creation.

Knowing that he will be reminded of

who he is and how he is loved every single day.

It really is a privilege.

I love it.

Thank you for this opportunity, Ashley.

A room of one's own.

I think Virginia was on to something...

I've been waiting for about a year to clean up this studio.

 I've known (hoped) that we were going to have another peanut soon,

and thinking the peanut would could possibly be a girl,

and thinking that I would give up my studio room

for a little space in the garage.

And with the news that Jack will have a brother, and they'll share a room,

I am surprised at how relieved  I am to keep my studio.

 I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.

And now that I will have a permanent art room
 it's time to finally make it beautiful.
The possibilities are endless.

I'm purging and letting go of a lot.

I'm finally ready to sell a bunch of originals
that I just couldn't part with before.
I just put them up for sale in my etsy shop.

By the way, I love (LOVE) seeing studio spaces.

I love seeing how people organize & set up.

Mary just showed pictures of her studio,
 and I love all things Mary.
Do you have a space to share?
We'd love to see it.

It's a boy!

And did I mention I'm working on

surrender?

Kristine

I'm 20 weeks along with our little peanut.
We actually found out a couple weeks ago.
So I'm readjusting my life in my brain...

Emie Grace Creations

Saying goodbye to...

tutus

rainbow tights

hair clips

nail painting

girl scouts

dance lessons 

shopping days

Rock River Tees

Saying hello to...

boy scouts

wrestling on the couch

baseball games

camping

bunkbeds

Allen Designs

I don't want to sound ungrateful.
I really am thankful to be pregnant

with a healthy baby.

that's a lot. I know.

it's just an adjustment

of my life in my brain.

surrender.

Art by Erin Leigh

And I have a peace about it now.

I'm excited for Jack to have a buddy.

He'll be such a good big brother.

I'm glad they'll have each other. 

joey's attic

I'm really relieved to keep my studio.

I was ready to move it into the garage.

and I am surprised by what a huge relief it is to keep it

and really make it the space where I want it to be.

Designed Threads

 I honestly trust and believe that
God gives us what we need.

And I'm so thankful for that.
That he knows what we need.
And he always provides.

"For my ways are not your ways,

neither are my thoughts your thoughts."

Sunnyside Designs 2

So we are saving up to buy bunkbeds

and quilts and sheets for the boys' room.

 "the boys" I like the sound of it.