Toronto Swampy has been installed!!!!

Toronto sprays water now!

Kids enjoying Toronto, awww!!!

This is SO exciting..I am just…can’t..find..words…

Will add the rest of the pics in a little while!!
xoxoxoxo!!!

I have to be nuts!

First I have to show you this, This is the closest you’ve probably ever thought you’d see a bug like this. hehe, I had to do it. Don’t be scared, we think they’re really cool, and I bet Mark will give it a big old “cooooool” too!

I started out the morning with the intention of painting this, prepped the canvas and everything (12×16 in case you’re wondering). Somehow things changed though, when I returned the call to Carpetland and they said they’d be here on the 15th to tear out my old carpet in the living room. Installation then is scheduled for the 19th. Well I got to thinkin’, umm… I have to move all the furniture out of the room, and keep it out of the room for 4 days. Ummmmm….. ok.

I sat down with Caitlin and asked her what she thought the best plan would be for us for the day. Me to paint in the studio all day, or both of us clearing out their playroom (wall to wall TOYS, TOYS and more TOYS!). She opted for clearing out the room! Eek!

Next step, call the cable company and get another cable outlet hooked up on the back wall where the TV will go. I planned on turning the playroom back into the family room/toy storage/play area anyway, this just pushed things along, as usual! The cable guy will be out tomorrow between 2-5. Ummm…..ok. He couldn’t even REACH where I wanted the new cable to go, so then it was really one of those “I have no choice” programs. Now this wall of closet space will become a wall of base cabinets with countertop, and the TV will sit on the counter there. My brother-in-law is going to come out to tell me if the interior closet walls can be torn down ok (don’t want that ceiling caving in on me while I stand there with a sledgehammer saying “oops”!), meanwhile we have nearly the entire contents of the playroom in the garage.

I did start the wall treatment today too, and will finish that up tomorrow. No rush, right? LOL!

And I have to show you this, my beloved piano, because Erikie asked to see it. Yes I can play! I’m no expert pianist though! I will have to show you my viola some day too.

So who wants to help me move my piano tomorrow?

Oh yes, a shameless self-promoting plug if there ever was one… I am FULLY STOCKED WITH CANVAS! Many many assorted sizes, down to itty bitty totally cute 4×4’s!! I am going to be painting up a storm, so if you ever wanted one of my paintings, I’ll have a great assortment of sizes, which means a great assortment of prices. If there’s something in particular you wanted to have please please please now (right here, click the little linkie that says to ‘leave feedback’ or ‘chat with me’, or you can just e-mail me), ’cause once I get going you might not see your request for a couple of months.

YAHOO! Got all that out. Now OFF TO WORK I GO! Again! I love being busy!

😀

many xoxoxoxoxoxo’s to you all!

p.s. danke’ Erikie for the cool “me”! :)*

Hey there!

Our fireworks were incredible. I am in the middle of cleaning my studio right now, rearranging things so that I can work more efficiently and stuff, but wanted to pop in and drop this off for you all….

Grab a half hour, some popcorn, a sodee pop and a speedy connection!

Watch my fireworks with me & the girls! The grand finale brought tears to my eyes. It’s the highest quality video I could muster up, great sound too!

I will be back later to share pics of what we did yesterday.

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July, remembering what the day really stands for while you ate some funnel cakes and/or hot dogs!

xoxoxo

I’m alive!!

What a week! After finishing Toronto Swampy, my father-in-law came over and helped me pack the giant frog. The rest of the day Monday was just keeping busy stripping wallpaper in my living room until the trucking company arrived. I sent him on his way in the middle of the afternoon….in a giant truck! (Thanks, Roadway!!)

My niece came over Monday morning with my father-in-law, she’s been staying with us all week and it’s been a lot of fun! The girls helped strip the wallpaper, and once that whole thing got going it just catapulted me into redecorating mode. We used to have this nice nautically themed living room, but now, ooh-la-la, it is very nice! In fact, Here’s a glimpse, Mark’s portrait now hanging on the wall, and this is a sample of our new carpet that will be installed on the 15th of this month!

See, when I start a project, I can’t stop until it’s done!!

I picked up a couple of bargains, a new navy swag for the front window, a couple of new end tables that were a total steal and matched my mission style couch table thing.

Between stripping wallpaper, removing wallpaper adhesive, cleaning the walls, painting them, and keeping the girls entertained in the pool etc… it has been a crazy week! I think I’ve been on my computer less this week than ..um…I ever have been!

I did finish up the two kitty portraits, I was waiting for final approval to sign them so they are still a little tacky and I’ll ship them on Monday…er…Tuesday since the Post office will probably be closed Monday! Dagnabbit, I forgot about that. Dom will also be shipped with them, so I have some paperwork to do to get them ready.

I’m working on another website design too, which has been keeping my brain active and spinning. I ordered a bunch of canvas to go with my 42 new tubes of oil paints, and I am going to be painting new pieces like crazy! I am on a mission, I have a goal, so be prepared to come back often to see what I’m doing! I am going to launch with adding a couple of prints to what is currently available, and listing them on ebay – a couple of them will be limited edition.

To end the week, I lounged in the pool for 10 minutes! Woohoo for sitting still! ;D

Then I got out of the pool and took some fabulous pics I wanted to share with you! Ready? Here we go! I’m going to leave these full size for you, it’s just not the same shrunk down to nothin’.

Full Moon
Yellow Rose
Remember Me Rose
Jayden
White gerber daisy
Bug on my truck
The girls
Empty nest
Squirrely Eating

One more addition…the girls (Caitlin & Stacie) performed for you all…
this is a long movie, please keep that in mind on dial-up connections 🙂
Caitlin & Stacie as The Chin Twins

Aah it feels good to get all of those off my chest! I hope you enjoy them, I am having so much fun with my new camera!

I hope you all have a fun fun 4th of July fireworky type of day! Don’t forget to put your pups where they can’t hurt themselves, those fireworks really make them freak out!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

xoxoxo

I just finished uploading his final images,

Go see the Frog!

😀

Hope you are all having a great weekend, I am going to run a couple of errands!
xoxo

Okee doke folks, I have completed painting him and the night-time flash photos just aren’t what I want them to be! I will take pics of him in the morning after he’s clearcoated.

So, there you go. Is the suspense killin’ ya? He looks gorgeous, I am so proud of how he turned out!

He needs to fully dry (overnight), and I will clean him and clearcoat him first thing in the morning. Then I will get those final pics!!

I’ll be back!

Ribbit, rib ribbity ribbit, rib rib ribbity rib, kwim?

😀

Ok guess what I did today. I’m only going to give you one guess. DING! Yes, you’re right. The Frog!

Started out the day with some swamp additions, then sketched out a few creatures, got to painting…did some administrative type things, back to painting, then in for the evening to get the girls all bathed and ready to go to Grandma & Grandpa’s for the weekend! I will be painting ALL day tomorrow to finish this fella. I have a few more things to do, each side of him will have his own swampy animal, and the swamp will also have some lily pads, lotus flowers, highlights and things to make it really very fun.

He is scheduled to ship on Monday, leaving here in the afternoon!

Honey’s portrait arrived at her home today, yahoo Honey! And thanks to mom for letting me paint her, she is a SWEETIE PIE!

After Swampy takes off I’ll be getting Rocky, Simba and Dom ready to go home, too. (Pouty face, I like their company…sniff…sniff…)

I also added links to Toronto on my home page, and on the wildlife artwork pages. It was a quickie logo insert, but my client wanted to make sure that anyone he sends here could find the progress page easily. Also, he’ll be sending me photos of Toronto once he’s in place at the waterpark! I am so excited I can hardly stand it, the way he described it makes me want to change our vacation route to swing on up across the border! It is going to be so cool! If any of you are in or near Aurora, Ontario, stop and visit him for me until I can get there, k? 😀

Ok go look at the frog!

xoxoxo

I received this beautiful bouquet of flowers & balloon’s from my absolutely amazing hubby in Iraq. Now how sweet is this, to get flowers from a man in a war zone 6000 miles away. He is the best hubby EVER!!! (Today is the 3rd Anniversary of our second marriage after a 2 year break and 7 year marriage prior to that with 2 years of dating..haha, figure that one out!)

Been painting on Toronto Swampy today, I have his eyes done and I have about 10 minutes worth of daylight left – I may set up a lamp or something in a few minutes so I can get the grasses done. Either that or I’ll get up at the crack of dawn in the morning to continue painting on him. Hm. Dawn is sounding like a better plan.

I have more fabulous photos to share. (they’re big!) If any artists are reading this and want to paint them please do, and let me see it when you’re done wouldjya? Two of them are very dramatic photos of the Sweetheart Roses in my Anniversary Bouquet. (Know what I got him? A fancy schmancy print that I formatted of a section of our vows that were/are absolutely perfect for our second marriage to eachother..what else do you get a guy who only has wall space and tacks?)

On to the photos:
Dramatic Anniversary 1
Dramatic Anniversary 2
First Prize Rose Closeup

‘Til tomorrow!
xoxoxo

Just completed Simba, Rocky’s roomie and pal.

The frog arrived, got him unpacked and set up to start, I need to go hang sheeting around him under the carport so he’s protected from the elements while I begin to spray the first coat of enamel (it’s an adhesion promoter). By the way, Mom helped me clean out the garage yesterday so I could park Mark’s truck in there. I think this is the first time we’ve ever parked a vehicle in the garage! LOL! Yahoo! Thanks Mom!!! xoxo!

My new digital camera arrived too, have the battery on the charger already so as soon as that’s charged I’ll take pics of the blank froggie and get a page up for him so you can see his progress!

Here’s Simba… also 10×10 in oils…