MATERNITY LEAVE UNTIL JULY!

We welcomed Ethan Carl Holcombe on May 20th at 4:04 pm! He was 8lbs 4oz and 20 inches long.

We are so in love!!!

I am thrilled with the newborn photos I had Erika Botfeld of Letter B Creative Studio take! See more on her blog and website. There is no way I can choose ‘a few’ so I am having an album made! I can’t wait to see it. Isn’t Erika’s photography amazing?

Custom Orders Will be Taken Again In JULY!!!

My due date is May 26th and I have plenty to keep me busy painting right up until he arrives! Hopefully I will have it all finished BEFORE he arrives!

I am having fun finding treats like this teether from Little Sapling Toys. I have an addiction to Etsy and my favorites list is growing out of control for this baby!!!

I will be taking MATERNITY BREAK for May, June and July to enjoy our new addition…then I will be back to painting custom orders. I will be happy to still answer questions so send an email or Etsy message and I will get back to you….maybe not as quickly as I used to, but I will do my best.

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!

 

We had fun this past week making Valentine heart crayons  for my daughter’s classmates. It happens to be 8 little girls so making them into a necklace was perfect for them. Glitter, jewels, glue, buttons, hearts….oh the fun of being an artist! I didn’t get a picture of the heart molds, but we melted round ones too. I have a little more time these days being 6 months pregnant and on modified bed rest…..my daughter is loving it! Painting is keeping me sane! Enjoy Valentine’s and I hope you get lots of hugs and kisses today!!!

Here is a link on how to melt the crayons. We baked them at 300 degrees for 7-8 minutes instead of 150 for 15-20. I took them out right when I saw the last one melting so that the colors didn’t get so melted they became brown mush! Let them cool 5 minutes or until a toothpick can stand alone in it to make the holes. Also, if you use a silicone tray make sure it is meant for the oven and not as an ice tray!!!

I Wish My Elves were REAL!

 

Now, I am NO Martha Stewart….but I had a serious compulsion to create these little elves when I saw them in the December issue! My 4 year old daughter and I started them on Thanksgiving day and let’s just say it is not a one day project! The mittens, shoes and hats are all hand-sewn and little faces painted. MUCH more tedious than I had anticipated, BUT DAMN THEY ARE CUTE! I just wish they were real because as you will see in the above posts….I was very busy for the holidays!!!

HAPPY CREATING!

Road Trip to Charleston and Savannah….just the girls!

      

            

Thank you to all that were patient with orders while I escaped to Charleston and Savannah for a little girl trip with my mom and daughter! They were beautiful cities with delicious southern food that satisfied my southern roots! I took so many pictures….these are just a few of my favorites!

My Little Artist

 

Riley LOVES to paint. What 3 year old doesn’t ? We needed something above her bed so what better than her own artwork! I love her ‘people’ you can see the stages of development here and to see her create these little guys makes me beam with excitement. I preach process not product, I know, so all I did was encourage a person and then she could paint whatever else she wanted….just not over the person!!! She is so proud of her canvas. I think it is so important to display their creations and give specific, genuine praise. Acrylic on canvas with a three year old….great art fun.

You Are My Sunshine

My daily inspirations….busy….we stay very busy!

Our little ballerina...

My constant entertainment....our 3 year old.

She LOVES dressing in countless outfits throughout the day. Her new favorite is the leotard with the pink tutu ...if you notice her "glass slippers" on the wrong feet, well, we're working on that.

I love the idea that DESIGN MOM has here to make a tutu. She has the coolest ideas. If you haven't browsed her blog, you will love it. I can't wait until Riley has a sibling one day and they are old enough to make gifts for each other.

What is the best hand-made/ home-made gift you've ever received?

Fall is here....

Pumpkin Patch
Cutest black cat you've ever seen!

Happy Birthday Riley!

Big girl on her new bike!

This time of year goes so fast for us!

Halloween, birthdays, football, holidays....enjoy the fall!

I LOVE TINY SPROUTS!

click on any image to get a closer look

I knew Tracey in 2005 when she was starting her business, tiny sprouts. She was so kind to send us the most precious coming home outfit for Riley and a small tote that we still use! Recently, I came across an ad on Cool Mom Picks and found her amazing business again. I am so impressed with her work ethic and how she has created such a successful company. I have her listed on my side bar under People and Products of Interest. She has a great blog and fantastic giveaways. I can't wait to see the holiday items coming soon.

I am shameless, I know, ordering a dreaminggiggles.com shirt for Riley, but what the heck!

I think it is adorable! The shirts are soooo soft and Tracey hand-dyes each garment. The tag on the back is new and a great addition to her already super cool products.

Thanks Tracey, I love the shirts!

I WON!

I LOVE BLOG GIVEAWAYS! On a visit to Funky Finds one day I entered this giveaway and WON!!! We got it in the mail the other day. It is our favorite book right now and we read it "again" and "again!" Honestly, I don't mind one bit because it is great. The message is wonderful and the art keeps me interested in each page over and over again. I'm a fan.

Visit Focus Friends to see more.

Our Baby Girl Goes to Preschool!

Riley had a blast at school on her first day! She was almost in tears when we picked her up because she wanted to stay and play!!!

Where does the time go?

Are Germs Invading Your Purse?

Any excuse for a new purse right?

From the Rachel Ray Show...August 6, 2008.

Have you seen this yet?

Disgusting!!!! WATCH IT

and then GO CLEAN YOUR PURSE.

Pass it on!

IKEA fun...

A few goodies we found.

We had so much fun at IKEA in Orlando! I had really high expectations with all the hype about it and I was not disappointed. I can't wait until the Tampa location opens.

We are well on our way with Riley's big girl room coming together.

Etsy fun....

Kenzie Klips ROCK! Super nice Bryn makes these little treasures by hand of course and sells them at her Etsy shop. I sent her pictures of Riley with her adorable NON-SLIP clip and she used the pictures in her shop so she sent me the elephant as a thank you!!! HOW GREAT IS THAT! I have ideas for a football, dog bone, alligator.....dangerous!

So I have a preppy side....it is obvious? This little treat is from Lily Rose Bow Company and it is the perfect size bow! I love the knot in the middle, great detail! I have my eye on a monogram next.

Go, go shop Etsy it is so fun and people are so nice. I also have some monogram bloomers on the way for Riley......stay tuned.