the art of happiness

And The Tree Was Happy Bracelet

2011-08-16T12:17:00.001-07:00

Farewell For A Time

2009-07-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

It is with a heavy heart that I report I must put The Art of Happiness officially on hold. We're expecting the baby any day now and I want to just be a mommy for awhile. I'll be back on the creative road soon, though I'm sure. I won't be able to stay away from my art for long, I know! In the meantime, I wanted to (finally) share some of the pictures of my nursery since I designed and painted the whole thing and it's the biggest artwork I've done to date! I think it turned out cute...and it's defnitely a happy place which is what I'd hoped, in keeping with the rest of our happy little house!!

So adieu until...

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

Randi

All's Well On The Creative Front

2009-04-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I was given the most wonderful baby shower by four fabulous ladies and the event gave me a chance to actually make something. I created gift baskets with a cupcakes and cherries theme and made several of the things that went in them. I haven't gotten a whole lot of craft time lately so it was refreshing and fun!! Since it's been forever since I posted anything half way inspirational, I thought I'd share. Here are my creations:

I've been wanting to use this Psalm with one of my paintings now for awhile and felt this was the perfect opportunity!

And I've decided I think I could really like embroidery...I just need some practice. Fortunately, these button cherries are EXTREMELY easy.As were these cupcake dishtowels. They're just flour sack dishtowels with buttons, embroidery thread and some scrap fabric I had. I think I'll make one for myself! I'm not sure how well they'll hold up to repeated use and washing...Here's the loot that went into each basket:And here they are all packaged up and ready to go! Cute, no? For all the hard work those ladies put in they deserved so much more! I had a great time...preparing the baskets and at the shower! And we got so much sweet baby stuff that we really needed!

Thanks to Rachel, Mrs. Helen, Jan and Carolyn for all you did!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Time of Things Coming Together

2009-04-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hello Out There!!
The past few weeks have really been a time of things coming together, culminating with this week during which it seems everything will finally be in its place. The begininning of the decline of my blogging here really began in September with the falling of the tree. (You may remember this post.) Then there was the finding out we were having a baby, and Christmas followed by weeks of home repair. From start to finish, those took about five long (and often drafty) months. During the time I was waiting for the house to be restored, I began a full scale cleaning campaign and reorganized every closet and drawer we have including the bathroom cabinets and the gift closet. There is one drawer in the kitchen and my bedside drawers left that I'd like to clean out again...and maybe the cabinet in the spare bathroom. Plus the pantry, fridge and freezer I clean out really well once a month or so. We even extensively cleaned out the garage and added some much needed extra shelving out there. Then, I rearranged the house. My old studio/office was practically scrapped altogether which entailed an incredible amount of cleaning out and hauling off. (I am glad now that I had the foresight to take care of all that before the last trimester of pregnancy! I had a feeling I'd feel that way!) Now there is a tidy work area with a built-in desk and a work table that doubles as a bistro table in my breakfast room. There were changes to the dining room to accomodate some furniture that no longer fits in the repurposed breakfast room and the old office/studio is now a guest room. And, of course, the old guest room/ work out room is now the nursery which is completely outfitted with new furniture, pillows, blankets, books, toys, plenty of storage and shelving and lots of cute little clothes! I even spent quite a bit of time designing murals and painting on the walls: trees, mushrooms, and a sleeping blue owl. The last of our home repairs included replacing the carpet in all three bedrooms and the master bathroom closets which meant stacking ALL of our furniture, etc. in the dining, breakfast and living rooms (where there is wood floor) and then putting it all back...which was no small task. I'm so glad it's over...and the carpet looks so fresh and pretty! Somewhere in there the dishwasher all but died, so we had to replace that and about a month ago the air conditioner went. Happily, we're getting a new one today. We cringe at the money it's going to cost, but here in Texas not having an air conditioner just isn't an option. Yesterday topped out in the upper 80s and today promises to hit 90. Plus we've selected a nice new efficient unit with a programmable thermostat and a great warranty. Hopefully this will be the last thing we have to replace for awhile. In the midst of all of this we were able to take a much needed 12 day trip up to Pennsylvania to visit Josh's family for Easter since we'd planned to go this summer and had to change our plans. We wanted to make sure we were able to see the aunts and uncles and cousins and grandparents that we could before we were homebound for awhile being parents. We also used the roadtrip as a get away for just the two of us since home and baby expenses put the kibosh on our elaborate vacation plans for this year. We got home last Tuesday and the past week has been spent reacclamating, catching up and continuing to plan for the baby. I've even spent this week getting gifts together for every event we have through August...birthdays, mother's day, father's day, weddings, baby showers...you name it, I'm getting gifts for it. I intend, in the next week or so, to have them all purchased and wrapped complete with a card just in case in the last few weeks I don't feel like shopping or in case the baby's early or I'm confined to bedrest or have a lengthy recovery post-delivery...gift-giving will be unaffected. And I've got a great start- the dining table is covered with wrapped gifts. If all the paper's weren't different, it would look like Christmas! All's well on the baby-front. Daily, I expand...and I'm told at every doctor's appointment that I'm perfectly normal as is the baby- I'm so grateful!! On the creativity front, however, things are slow and I find I miss it. I'm mailing out the last of two commissions today and haven't taken on anymore for the time being, though I might fit in another before the baby comes. Much of my creative efforts have been put toward designing the nursery and creating things to put in it. This week, I'm also painting some smaller items for gifts, which has been fun. Pictures of nursery creations are something I'm hoping to post this afternoon. Starting next week, I am going to sort through the items I have left over from the arts and craft shows I did in the past year and post some of it on ebay. I just don't have the storage space anymore to keep so much in stock. I'll post about that when it happens in case anyone is interested in cupcake items at a discount. So that, in a nutshell, is what's been going on. Just wanted to do a catch-up post. I'll be back later today or tomorrow to post some pictures...something more interesting than just ramblings about the past few months of my life, I promise...on the chance someone still checks here occasionally...and actually stops to read.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

la-la-la-la life goes on

2009-02-10T09:56:00.000-08:00

So...I am, in fact, still alive. And I'm back to the blog. It feels almost awkward; I've been away so long! Assuming there is still anyone who has yet to give up on me...I just wanted you to know I'm doing just fine and all is well here. We even almost have all the repairs done on the house (five months after Hurricane Ike...but better later than never, I suppose.) Not only am I still alive, but I also return bearing big news! We're having a baby! Yes, that's right...we were as surprised as anyone. To avoid mixing too much personal with what was supposed to be strictly art and inspiration, I started a new "baby blog" (www.obladida.blogspot.com) which you're more than welcome to visit. So there...now you know. From around Thanksgiving to a week or so into January, I didn't feel well at all...and then it just seemed so overwhelming to return to blogging. Too much time had elapsed. I don't know feasibly how much time I'll keep devoting to the blog, but as long as I'm still painting and creating I don't want to let it go! Plus, I miss you blogland people I don't get to connect with any other way! Well, I just wanted to update...rebreak the ice and jump back into blogging. I'll be back soon...hopefully with some pictures!

sweetly, happily, artfully and apologetically yours,

randi

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Shoo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah Happy Turkey Day to ya!!
Hope this Thanksgiving finds you with lots to be grateful for!!!

photo credit goes to my super talented brother, Ross. Visit him at: www.rossfrazier.com

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

An Award and An Apology

2008-11-25T11:28:00.001-08:00

I've been so terribly negligent of the blog lately, it's pitiful and I'm ashamed. I felt so guilty this afternoon I decided to try to catch up with at least reading some others' blogposts, if not posting one of my own. Well, lo and behold- I'd missed receiving an award! Amelia at Sweet B Folk Art gave me the Marie Antoinette Award (for blogs to lose your head over!) Morbid, perhaps...but incredibly clever and nonetheless flattering. So, thanks Amelia! One of the conditions of receiving the award is that I must bestow it on others, which I fully intend to do. But I'm going to have to make my decisions and get back to you on that. In the meantime- here's hoping you're enjoying your Thanksgiving week and my very sincerest apologies on the blogful-neglect. I'm going to get better...though it may take me until after the holidays... :(

I do miss my former frequency to blogland.

I'll be back.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Cedar Town Pictures

2008-11-15T05:43:00.001-08:00

At last! Here are some pictures of my booth at Cedar Town. Let me know what you think!

Thanks for looking!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Cedartown Christmas Marketplace

2008-11-06T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in a Christmas market this weekend (there's a preview party tonight, then Friday and Saturday are full shopping days) so I've been working very hard on ornaments and paintings to sell. Everything's packed up and ready to go. I'm leaving in just a few minutes. Just wanted to pop in and say I'm alright- just really, REALLY busy. Sorry I've neglected everything else!! I'll have lots of pictures of my booth to share when I get back home on Sunday! See you then...or if you're in the area- stop by and see me tomorrow or Saturday! *Cedartown is sponsored by Cedar Creek School of Ruston, La and is held at the Ruston Civic Center.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

2008-10-29T07:23:00.000-07:00

I made fall sugar cookies for our Bible study last night. There were pumpkins and three different types of leaves. I'd never gotten to use my leaf cookie cutters and was anxious to do so. I think they turned out cute! This recipe is my Aunt Melody's and it's really the best sugar cookie recipe ever, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's great for making cookies to leave for Santa. :)

Aunt Melody's Sugar Cookies

4 sticks of butter (softened)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 T milk
2 t vanilla
6 cups flour
6 t baking powder

Cream butter and sugar, slowly add liquids, then flour (sifted with baking powder). Mix until a dough forms. Fashion into manageable portions, wrap in cellophane, and freeze for 20 minutes. (I say manageable portions because this recipe-though this is it split in half-makes LOTS of dough- too much to roll out all at once. So it's easier if you divide it into thirds or fourths and only take out of the freezer what you can easily roll out on your counter. The dough is far easier to handle when chilled. If you get too much out it gets sticky before you can finish rolling and cutting cookies.) After chilling (in freezer for 20 minutes or 'fridge for 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours) roll out on flour surface and cut out cookies. Bake at 350 for 8 to 10 min.

Frosting:
4c powdered sugar
3T water
3 T milk
1 1/2 T vanilla
food coloring
If icing is too thin, add more powedered sugar; if too thick, add more milk or water. If you're going to use liquid food coloring to dye your icing, mix the frosting a bit thicker as the food coloring will thin it down. Should be easily spreadable on cooled cookies and will dry with a pretty gloss. Cookies, once dry (20 minutes) can be easily stacked on tray.
ENJOY!!

Montage the Fourth

2008-10-25T10:32:00.001-07:00

I've been taking pictures left and right, always thinking that I'll get a chance to post, but lately...well...that just hasn't happened. Though I've been busy, it's more a case of my poor time management- which is ever my downfall. And, since the heat has dissipated, we've been spending more time outside, enjoying the weather and autumn stuff in general. However, today, the memory card on my camera was finally full and I was forced to upload them to the computer and I decided today was as good a day as any to make myself put some up here to share. Thus, montage the 4th.
I begin with this: I tried this Tropicana Pure juice blend the other day because they had them at the store in little bottles, and if you're a juice fanatic like I am, I suggest you do so, too. They're yummy. Thus far I've had blueberry pomegranate and raspberry acai. I can vouch for the deliciousness of both.
Second, I made cinnamon dough ornaments. While I've tried this before, and have had marginal results (mostly dough that was too wet or too crumbly), this time I was determined and found success. I did have to add some extra applesauce and did a lot of kneading. The recipe I used was Martha Stewart's found here. They do take a while to dry, though. And they must be turned often so they won't curl up. I'll post another picture once they're decorated. Also in the kitchen- we had the Lowerys over for dinner on Tuesday so I fixed Hungarian Goulash (recipe here- also Martha's). It's one of my favorite fall/winter meals. Though the prep work can be somewhat lengthy- it's a make ahead meal so it's worth it. Fresh baked bread and gingerbread with Extra Creamy Cool Whip rounded out the best autumn meal I've served this year (if I might say so myself)!...and while we're on the subject of food...I've had two really cute doughnuts in the past couple of weeks. Naturally, I photographed them. A pink iced doughnut with sprinkles, and a raspberry filled all dressed up for halloween! Now Halloween leads me to...Gatsby! I took a picture of him because he'd gone to the Plush Puppy and they always send him home with a really cute bandana. Of course, this week it was a halloween one.Finally, since Halloween is almost here and past, and Christmas will be here before you know it, I couldn't help getting a few new decorations, because Kohls has this whole Sugar and Spice collection this year (and it's 50% off this week). These things will go perfectly with all my sweet Christmas decor! :)

Well, that's all for now. Here's hoping everyone's able to do a little blog neglecting, too, in lieu of enjoying the fall!! Happy week before Halloween!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Viv's Whimsy Doll Swap

2008-10-20T07:30:00.001-07:00

On a whim (pun unintentional...but it works so I'm leaving it...which I suppose makes it intended) I signed up awhile ago for a Halloween Doll Swap at Viv's Whimsy on the grounds I've never made a doll, and being forced to do so would be a welcome challenge. It was even better than I could ever have anticipated. My swap partner, Annie, turned out to be amazing! (because she doesn't get around to updating this blog very often, I'm also including a link to her flickr page because many of her cute creations are posted there.) Anyway, she went far and beyond the doll with her swap surprise. And, coincidentally, doll making was new territory for her as well so I think we were a good match!! Check out these great goodies: Everything came wrapped in orange tissue in this cute jack-o-lantern bag! I know it's sideways. Sorry.Yes, this uploaded upside down...
Here are close ups of her cute little necklace...which I may have to borrow. I don't think she'll mind! :)And just look at all these extras! Those are caramel apple candy corn...and they're yummy! And if you haven't had a pez dispenser lately...I urge you to get one. Like Silly Putty or a Slinky, these things aren't just fun...they're inherently happy! I'm going to carve a little jack-o-lantern just for one of those "candles". They're battery operated, but they flicker like a real candle!!
Here is a picture of the doll I made for Annie. I think he may be my one and only foray into doll making. :( I fear sewing may never be my thing! He was a lot of fun, though, and the swap was definitely worth it!

Many thanks again to my new friend, Annie for all the goodies and my lovely doll, and to Viv for being such a wonderful swap hostess!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

2008-10-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

As usual, I find myself behind on posting, but I've been busy with Christmas stuff...which one can never begin working on to early! :) Here's a preview: It would seem I'm into putz houses lately. This is my modern version...made from paint samples! I have three more finished, but not photographed...so they'll be posted later.
And here's a cute vintage Santa...in whipped cream atop chocolate pudding. (It's all inedible, of course!)
sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

Swaps and Surprises

2008-10-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've been really getting behind, as packages from all but one the swaps I was participating in arrived literally within days of each other...which made for a really wonderful week! So here's a catch-up post! I already posted pics of my Halloween surprises from Karen, so I will continue from there in the order they were received which means next comes pictures of the Artsy Autumn surprises I received from Angela! She sent lots of fall-ish goodies and jewel-toned decor...just look! Aren't the tags wonderful? And how cute is the scarecrow? She sells tags like these (and not just for fall) in her Etsy store...check them out!

Then came a truly spectacular package from Susan filled with STRAWBERRY gifts! There were crafty things...Useful and decorative and sweet smelling things...(Susan lives near Chicago...hence the cap. Which I'm loving, by the way...it's the only cap I have...and it's proving to be the best fix for a bad hair day! :) Plus it's pink...and that's just cute.)...and some really yummy things!!Even the recipes were pretty...What fabulous, generous swap partners, you say? Why you're absolutely right- I couldn't have asked for better!!

And finally- I had to take pictures of this lovely package I received from Andrea (proprietor of One Hundred Wishes who blogs at: Everyday Beauty). I won a ribbon naming contest on her blog last week and within just a couple of days my prize package arrived on my doorstep! Everything at One Hundred Wishes is gorgeous (and so is the stuff it comes wrapped in...you should order something just to see the packaging!) I had to photograph all this beautiful ribbon and packaging so you could see it... :)

Thanks to all for making this such a splendid week!!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Vintage Halloween Swap

2008-10-08T13:43:00.001-07:00

One of several swaps I entered in the last couple of months was the Vintage Halloween Swap hosted by Heidi at Foxgloves, Fabric and Folly. (She's hosting a Vintage Christmas Swap, too, if you're interested!) Today is the designated day for posting about the goodies we received. My fabulous box of treats arrived just last night from my equally fabulous swap partner, Karen -The Bling Queen! I've been looking forward to getting it because we'd gotten to know each other over the past few weeks and I just knew it would be wonderful! Well- it most certainly did not disappoint...just look at all this goodness!

Item #1: This oh-so-lovely Halloween-y cigar box. It's decorated inside and out with stuff that sparkles! Too cute, right? Here are some of the tidbits inside!

Then, there were all these little treat sacks....
...filled with these! I just love all of them!!
But this is my favorite...a modern witch ATC. It really made me laugh. It's front and center on the Halloween display in my dining room!

Then, there's this adorable black cat goody basket filled with jelly belly candy corn and the sweetest little lollipop I've ever seen!
How cute are these little guys? And the hanky-definitely a favorite!!
It keeps on going! These are all little fall and halloween-y cookie cutters...there's a witch, a cat, a pumpkin, a ghost, moon and others including...
...get this...an OWL!
And, finally, check out this sweet deck of Tricks and Treats for Halloween......each one is so colorfully illustrated and has a fun little idea on the back! What an awesome score, right? I'm still ohhing and ahhing over all this great stuff! :)

Many, many, thanks to Karen- and to Heidi for hosting such a fun swap! Visit Heidi's blog

for a list of other participants and links to their blogs. Everyone should be posting their goodies today! You can go have a look-see!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Saturday in Canton

2008-10-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

In yet another attempt to enjoy the slightly cooler weather, we joined up with our friends, Josh and Valerie for a road trip to Canton, TX for its First Monday Trade Days. Canton, TX (about an hour west of us) is home to the world's largest outdoor trade days. These day's it's huge (and not all of it is outdoor), but there have been trade days in Canton since the 1850s! Anyway, it's a flea market like none other.

This was one of my favorite stops. This man had tables and tables of glassware all laid out sparkling in the sun! A booth full of artificial food...I had to take a picture!You really need several days to see it all, but all we had to give it was one. As usual, we looked at a lot, sifted through tons of stuff, but came home with little. It's always difficult to decide about buying something at Canton because once you do, you have to tote it around. Plus, we had Gatsby in tow already. Glass and linens, which I love, are all always in vast supply. I was disappointed not to find a tablecloth which was one of the few things I was on the look out for, but I had a blast looking through piles and piles of old aprons. I ended up with (and this is a bit embarassing)...5. They were just all so cute! And they were all only $2 except for one which only set me back $1. Four are for everyday, one is Christmas. This first one is my absolute favorite! So I included close ups of this adorable fabric...(which, if anyone recognizes it and knows where I could get some, please let me know!) It was also the one that only cost a dollar. What a find!

And this is where they all live in my kitchen...

I'm hoping to post some pictures of new creations in the next couple of days. I have about five things going at once!

Happy Monday!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Happy October and Montage the Third

2008-10-03T15:25:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's October already, but fall and all that comes with it is greatly welcomed around our house! We've finally reached the time of year when the temperature doesn't get above 85 in the afternoons...and for us that's really nice!! In celebration of the beautiful weather we drove to a vineyard and winery we recently discovered not far from our house (about a twent minute drive, I'd say). It's called Enoch's Stomp (you should read their story if you plan to visit) and it was really beautiful out there. And the wine was good too! Wine tasting times are on their website. They're also going to start having monthly events there. Here are a couple of pictures of the vineyard: Second in the montage is a picture of a collection I recently finished (I do acknowledge that not all collections are ones which can be "completed", but in this case, I was limited by space to only needing a dozen). It's a collection of vintage jello molds! I kept running into them on my thrifting escapades and one day it clicked that these might be great wall art for the space above my breakfast room windows! Ta-da! I love them! I set a rule of no more than a dollar apiece. Though I think the fish one was almost $2, there were others that were 25 cents or 50 cents so it all evens out. A $12 collection!In my kitchen this week: Chili with hot water cornbread and pumpkin cookies:And, of course, since it's officially October, the pumpkin people are out in full force. I've still got a box of Halloween stuff not yet displayed...but I think this may be the extent of my decorating this year!

This is yet another tea-towel from Anthropologie...a souvenir from the Cincinnati trip. I just love it...food, crepes, french...the trifecta! :) These (I have three in this style now) have inspired me to try some applique on my own. We'll see how that goes...

And, finally, I included this picture Josh took of this albino lizard that lives on our front porch because he's just so unusual looking and I'd never seen one like him. He's out every night.

And now, I'm off again- with a quick apology for the hastiness of this post. I'll be back tomorrow...or Sunday. Happy October! Happy Fall!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Cincinnati In Pictures

2008-09-30T13:53:00.001-07:00

We arrived at our hotel on Day #1 to find ourselves right in the midst of America's Oktoberfest! The festivities were literally set up all around our hotel and the plaza on which it sits. So, of course, Night #1 was spent enjoying it! (And, of course, I documented all the fabulous food we tried!) The whole event, despite being a sea of people and virtual river of beer, was really charming and we had a very good (and tasty) time!

Hot Dog with Sauerkraut: Pretzel:Beer and a Brat (oh, and Josh, too!):Streudels:Berry-Go-Round:Me on a sculpture outside the Museum of Art:Cupcakes at Whole Foods. Adorable, no?: Sewn Mural at the Underground Railroad Museum and Freedom Center:"Cookies" we brought Gatsby as a surprise from a really cute pet boutique called Dog About Town:View #1 from Mt. Adams:View #2 from Mt. Adams:Dinner on the Ohio River, Night #4:Just us one night before dinner:Courtyard at Proctor and Gamble:Pedestrian walkway we crossed on way to Mount Adams...it's higher than it looks:Just us again...Park Downtown:Fountain at the Library:
Well, those are just a few of the highlights! A good time was had by all...even in regards to the conference! Even I made some new friends! Well, I'm off to bake cookies.
Thanks for visiting- "see" you soon!

Happy Tuesday :)

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Paying It Forward

2008-09-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we're back from Cincinnati and I've got plenty of pictures of my travels to share, but those will have to wait. For now, I've got something else exciting to post about! When we arrived home yesterday I had a surprise waiting for me! It was a package from my oh-so-sweet friend, Viv! Here's how it works: I signed up on her blog awhile back for this Pay It Forward deal. Then, she sent me these fabulous gifts which I get to keep and love. And instead of paying her back...I pay the favor forward threefold! SO- if you'd like to play along, leave me a comment with your email or email me at artsweetart@gmail.com. Then, the first three people who do so will receive a gift from me! (I promise it'll be a good one and I promise not to take long to send it!) Once you get it, instead of paying me back, you'll do the same on your blog that I've just done on mine...you'll pay it forward to three special people! Here's a pic of my prizes- aren't they GREAT!? It was so much more than I expected...Vivian's so generous! :) I have much to live up to when I prepare my packages!And, look! An owl! How appropriate!Have a happy Saturday...and let me know if you're in on the pay it forward game! And many thanks again to Vivian!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Greetings From Cincinnati!

2008-09-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

This is just a note to let everyone know I'm out-of-town this week in the city where pigs fly, Cincinnati! It's a business trip turned vacation we planned before the whole holes-in-the-house fiasco, but it ended up being a nice time to get away. The destruction will still be there when we get back! I thought I'd be able to post from here, and though I have internet, I forgot the cord for my camera so I won't be able to post any pictures until I get home! So, I suppose I'll save the specifics about my trip for a post next weekend. Be back in a few days!

Have a wonderful week!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Owls- What A Hoot!

2008-09-19T17:01:00.000-07:00

I came to the realization the other day, and it was much like the strawberry realization in nature, that I have something of an owl fetish, too. It all began when I bought this T-shirt at Target for fall with an owl on it:
And when I brought it home I tossed it over a chair in my bedroom right next to this night owl nightshirt:
Which led me to examine the rest of my house for owl items...and I found quite a few!
This photo (which I titled "Angry Owl Planter" because he just looked so frustrated...)is one I took while visiting Josh's grandparents in Pennsylvania. The little town they live in is a goldmine of unique yard art!
And, finally, this little owl plaque is something I made for the artsy autumn swap! Now, I expect owls to find their way into more of my art this fall!
Oh, and here's a tidbit of trivia for you...did you know that a group of owls is called a parliament? I love that- a parliament of owls. Need more fodder for intriguing owl conversations? Visit the owl pages and you can research everything from owl art, owl mythology, and owl physiology to owl shopping and species.

Enjoy!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

P.S. In answer to my homage to owls, I got this poem and accompanying pics from my friend, Corey, who also likes owls, and has this awesome retro, oh-so-kitschy-its-cool golden owl in his apartment. Here's the infamous owl and his eloquent homage to it.

Owl
Golden and beady eyed
Sitting low and perched
On a wooden limb
You pretend to be an owl.
And your eyes are huge and orange
With black pupils dotted with white
And your sculpted feathers
Are of retro gold
But you show no sign of remorse.
Someone, some time ago
Decided to create a lie
And you were born and still are here
Unable, as always, to fly.

c. jcw 2008

Notes From A Hole-y Home: Picking Up The Pieces

2008-09-17T13:32:00.001-07:00

Well, things continue to look better this side of Saturday. Every day brings us closer to getting things back the way they were! Now it seems to be just be a matter of waiting. Apparently, we aren't the only people with holes in our roof, so all the people we need to fix things are beyond busy. So, in the meantime- life returns to normal...and I'm back to having the regular stuff to post about.

Exhibit A: Push-Ups (the sherbet kind)

In a sort of last hurrah for summer, I bought a box of orange push-ups yesterday and they've had just the positive effect on the past few afternoons that I expected them to! Second, I baked shortbread yesterday for my Bible study group and it was delicious. My usual recipe for shortbread is actually a Breton Butter Cake recipe I got out of a Martha Stewart magazine once upon a time. While it's deliciously dense and buttery and not terribly difficult to make, I found this mix at Target the other day and I decided to try it instead. It's made by Archer Farms and is called Vanilla Bean Shortbread. All you added was butter. I was very impressed at the way it turned out. It was absolutely perfect and delicious to boot! I served it with an option of Nutella or blackberry jam for spread, but it's really the perfect base for anything or it's fabulous all by itself. Next time I make strawberry shortcake, this is the shortcake I'm using! It made two 8-inch round shortbreads- about 24 wedges, I think. So even though it looks like a little box, it serves a bunch of people.
And finally, I have a few random thrifting finds I've yet to post:
This red thing was actually a centerpiece with a spikey thing in the center of the top tier to stick a candle on and a really tacky plastic flower ring around the bottom tier. I cleaned it up really, really good, removed the spikey thing (with a pair of pliers and surprisingly little difficulty), tossed the flowers, and touched it up with some matching red spray paint (which I just happened to have in the garage). And...Voila! A dessert stand!I'm a sucker for paper lanterns so I couldn't pass these up...plus they were, like, 50 cents apiece. There are three in all. I think I'll add them to the colony of paper lanters already hanging above my desk and work table! And, finally, I don't know where these kind of tins come from or what originally came in them, but I've seen several in my thrifiting escapades. I have one other, but this is by far my favorite.So this is me- signing off from my hole-y home where all the pieces are slowly, but surely, coming back together!! Thanks to everyone out there in blogland for your kind words and support!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

I -Don't- Like Ike

2008-09-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

I know I've been MIA for the past few days, and, as always, I apologize...but this time I have a legitimate excuse. Hurricane Ike passed through on Saturday and left in its wake moderate destruction at the Anderson abode. Our neighbor's dead tree fell right across the fence and landed right on our roof. So we have holes, a couple of new "skylights" (the biggest one is right in my closet) and lots of missing eaves. It was nerve-wracking for awhile and now it's quite the hassle, but we certainly realize it could have been much worse. For a lot of people, it was a lot worse...my heart and prayers go out to them. So, this has been my project for the past few days; fielding calls to and from the insurance company, the neighbors, contractors, roofers, the tree removal people...shaking insulation and pieces of my ceiling out of my clothes and vacuuming it off the floor. We spent yesterday afternoon cleaning off the patio (and we're much obliged to my in-laws for all their hard work helping us...thanks Jim and Debbie!) so at least the people who came today to give us estimates on the work that must be done were able to get around out there. What a mess this thing has been. More than anything we find ourselves continually grateful for what didn't happen, but could have. Like, aside from rattled nerves, no one was hurt. Josh and Gatsby were home when it happened- I was photographing a wedding (which is another story all its own!). Hopefully, I'll be back soon...with something much happier, and far more colorful than dead trees and devastation!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Montage the Second

2008-09-10T13:57:00.000-07:00

I begin my montage with a final note concerning birthday gifts. I so diligently blogged about so many of the others, that I didn't want to leave these thoughtful, belated gifts out. The journals (100% recycled paper, by the way), those pomegranate mints (in awesome hot pink tin) and the book, Quarterlife Crisis (which I think is just too great, and is probably the most appropriate gift I received for my 25th birthday:)!) among other things, came from Corey. The Creamy Cinnamon Vanilla Circle E candle (lovely fall kitchen scent) was from Lindsey and the pretty purple bracelet's from my Aunt Melody. Thanks, all! Below is a grouping of a few of my Halloween creations. Some are for swaps, some for sale...but I won't divulge yet which ones are which!
Next up, a bouquet of pipe cleaners. It is my contention that everyone, at least once, should craft something with some old-school chenille stems. I cannot imagine anyone would not be happy having done so.
Like I have been collecting pipe cleaners lately, I've also amassed a small collection of very sparkly things. A batch of items entirely covered with glitter. And while I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to use them for...they're oh-so-pretty in the meantime, just piled in a basket in the studio!

And, finally, I will leave you with yet more pictures of roses. I picked these up from a man selling them on the side of the road the other day. They're Tyler roses, so they're THE most fragrant roses. They came all wrapped up in wax paper and newspapers. Too sweet, no?

The background here is the door to an old pie safe. I bought it for $1 at the Habitat Re-Store last weekend.

Here's hoping you had an inspirational Wednesday!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Sew Far, Sew Good

2008-09-08T16:46:00.001-07:00

I may have briefly mentioned in the past couple of weeks, my recent attempt at sewing, but now I have an update. I will begin with some history: once, in Mrs. McNeal's junior high home-ec class, I crossed stitched a baby bib and sewed a pair of boxer shorts. When I first got married I hand-sewed kitschy felt stockings for Josh and me (or myself?), and the next year I made one to match for Gatsby. Then, a couple of years ago I "embroidered" some tea towels with really simple self-designed holiday doodles as a wedding gift for my cousin. I think this pretty much sums up my sewing experience. I'll concede that there may have been an occasion somewhere amongst the aforementioned sewing attempts on which I sewed on a button or two, but honestly, I just don't sew...or didn't until now. While I still have yet to get out the sewing machine and sew something, like, real, I've had a really good time sewing stuff by hand. I was inspired mostly by this doll swap I signed up for on Vivian's blog. I've already crafted a doll for my partner (which I'll post later so I won't ruin the surprise for Annie). He's made of muslin (or his body is, at least), which I then painted. Among the other things I've sewn this last week or so is this muslin strawberry pillow for my new breakfast room bench:

...these felt "softies"- a cake, a cookie, and a doughnut. Once I got the hang of it, I was surprised how easy these were to make. *the sprinkles I just sewed withe embroidery floss before I sewed on the icing-fyi* I ended up letting Gatsby have them to play with since I wasn't sure what to do with them when I got done. They'd make adorable play-food for tea parties and such. But, alas, no kiddos here...hence, they became dog toys. They're remarkably durable and just Gatsby's size! For more "softie" inspiration check out: http://softiescentral.typepad.com/ The possibilities are endless!...and finally a bit of simple embroidery...strawberries for my swap!Next on the sewing list: an apron and some felt Christmas pillows...we'll see how that works out! :)

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Art On A Stick

2008-09-05T14:16:00.001-07:00

I know I've mentioned it before, but last month I signed up for a swap...actually, it was the first "swap" I signed up for. It was hosted by Genevieve from Bella-Enchanted and was simply called a magic wand swap (which I still need to upload the button for). Now, I've never made a magic wand, nor have I ever owned one, but the idea intrigued me and I saw it as a challenge. Well, this little wand swap I wasn't sure about turned out to be absolutely fabulous! I received my package earlier this week from the aforementioned Genevieve (who was also my partner for the swap) and it was truly incredible! Not only was the stuff in it just too sweet, the whole package was all dressed up from the shipping label to the packing material!! Of course there was a wand...a darling silver sparkly one, but there were all manner of other goodies in there too! A little glittered "dream" sign, a prism that's currently making rainbows in my breakfast room, lace, vintage clock faces, my name in glittered cardboard letters an altered art "dream" tag with key and wish tickets to name a few! And they were all wrapped in silver or glittery star tissue paper! It all coordinated perfectly. I couldn't have been more excited about it! I immediately had to put together a "thank-you" packet of goodies for her- as I'm afraid my package was not near so exciting as her! Anyway, it was the best swap box ever- thanks Gen!!! I took lots of pictures so everyone could see:

And here's the wand I sent to her...just pretend these pics are right side up. The little poem, because I do not expect you to try and read it sideways, says: "This magic wand has been sent to you, with tidings and a treat- that your every wish might be granted, and all your days be sweet!"I was, and still am, quite intrigued by this new artform and I intend to explore it further. So far I've already created two other wands in the same vein as this one (you know, the cookie on a stick look).So there it is...my newest pet project...art on a stick. You can expect to see more! :)

Happy Saturday!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Happy Birthday, Etc.

2008-09-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

So, finally, four days after the fact I am finally blogging about my birthday! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating and I have lots of pictures to share this post! I will begin with Josh's gift. First of all, it came wrapped in sprinkle paper and a scented gift bag. That's right...it smelled like cupcakes! They're made by American Greetings and this particular one came from Wal-Mart. Also available that I know of are chocolate and ice cream scented. What was in the bag, you ask? Well, it was this gorgeous bottle of perfume! (You should go to the website for it, it's really cool) Nina by Nina Ricci (which also came with a really cute brown and pink plaid duffel bag which is wrapped in the sprinkle paper).Not only does it come in this beautiful soft raspberry-colored glass apple, it has a truly enchanting scent. I smelled it once in one of those samples from a magazine and couldn't forget it. I tore out the page and held onto it until the smell was gone. Now I have an actual bottle and I'm delighted! It begins crisp and spicy with a hint of citrus for balance, then you pick up these sweet, candied apple notes- a comforting vanilla offset with a fresh fruitiness and this gentle floral scent somewhere in the mix. It finally mellows out to a sweet, earthy tone like an orchard after rain. I think if you could stand under a tree, a fairytale tree that grew a myriad of fruits and sugarplums- candies and cookies and cakes and big, aromatic flowers...this is what the air would smell like where you stood. :)This next picture is a grouping of gifts from my mother-in-law who has an incredible knack for finding things that I LOVE! Don't these things look just like me? They're totally things I'd pick out for myself. These are all cupcake themed kitchen items by Susan Winget for Cracker Barrel.
There's a recipe card album with cute pink cupacke recipe cards and a little pink ceramic rolling pin recipe card holder with cupcakes on it for holding a recipe card on your counter while you're cooking. Then, of course, the ice cream cone pot holder and the cupcake dishtowel that are now hanging in my kitchen! This was part of that gift, too- and from the same cupcake Cracker Barrel line...a sweet little glass cupcake nightlight!This, too, is from aforementioned mother-in-law's fabulous birthday goodie bag: a ceramic caramel apple container from Hallmark! This was one of those crazy coincidences that tend to happen to me sometimes. See, the week before my birthday I was in a Hallmark here getting Josh an Anniversary card when I saw these caramel apple things and loved them. But I convinced myself to wait in hopes that after Halloween/Fall, they'd go on sale. Then, lo and behold, I got one for my birthday! Yay! Cute, right?Since I love pictures of food, I took several of the birthday cake....Yes, that's pink ice cream. It went with the cake...and yes, I picked it out. It's Goldenbrook cherry limeade sherbet, actually, and it was delicious. Very light and refreshing.I took a picture of all these cards because they're all the ones I received with cupcakes on them...seems people know me pretty well! :) Now, speaking of cupcakes (and, really, aren't we always?) I have a new tablecloth that's absolutely adorable: And, so, with that, we begin the trasition from birthday to etcetera...here are just some things I wanted to share. First of all- I have a new favorite granola bar. I love granola bars and am always trying new ones. Among my favorite brands are Kashi and Back to Nature, but these bars from Cascadian Farm may have just eclipsed them both. I've only tried these two flavors as of yet, and these two flavors are pretty unsual for me- I'm typically more partial to the fruit and nut varieties. For some reason, the day I bought these I was in a chocolate peanut butter mood. These bars strike a perfect balance of chewiness, chunkiness, saltiness, and sweetness. They even look better-fresher perhaps, than your average snack bar. They're glossy, and not too compact. Plus they're USDA organic, so there's that. The peanut butter chip has 140 calories per bar and the sweet and salty (which reminds me vaguely of a Take 5 bar) has 160...but it's bottom is coated in chocolate...and it's worth it.

I haven't been thrifting much lately (though now I have birthday money burning a hole in my pocket so I may have to plan some flea-marketing for the near future), but I do have a couple of new treasures. One of them is this little basket with the mushrooms on top. It's like a tiny picnic basket; it's top is hinged in the middle and opens on both sides. It'd make a cute purse. I found these endlessly interesting as I'd never seen them before so I thought someone else might be equally intrigued...these, we determined, are acorns from a Burr Oak. Aren't they cool looking?The other thing I really must post about this week is this truly amazing swap surprise I received in the mail yesterday, but I feel it deserves its very own post so that will be next...and it will be great, just wait and see!

Thanks for visiting!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Happy September and Montage the First

2008-09-03T18:55:00.001-07:00

Part of me can't believe it's already September, but then again part of me isn't surprised since time seems to fly by these days! I have so much to blog about this week...birthday stuff, swap surprises...but, alas, the camera battery is dead and I can't get the pictures onto my computer. Hopefully, I'll get to that tomorrow. Today I was thinking about how one of my intentions in beginning the blog was accountability and consistency, a goal if you will. I told myself I would have something worth posting at least every other day, in an effort to keep myself and others motivated, inspired and challenged and also to ensure I was someone fellow bloggers could count on to be consistant and dependable and to have something at least halfway interesting here to read/view regularly. Turns out that's hard...and it hasn't always happened- take the last five days for example. Something I've determined in my "research" during the last few weeks I've spent in blogland is that people like pictures. I like pictures...they're my favorite part about blog-perusing, and more often than not they're inspiring in some form or fashion no matter what they're of. It could be the colors or the shapes or the subject or just the way a photograph or artwork makes me feel. Since I didn't have any new pictures to post today, I decided to go through my old ones and I found some that, for some reason or another, reminded me of September. I selected a few at random and I think I may do this from time to time. I'll just select some sample pictures so in your blog-perusing you can skim them...and hopefully they'll spark something. An inspiration, a feeling, a thought.
So here it is...Montage the First:
These are a couple of crabapples I photographed on the way to lunch with a friend (I insisted we pull over so I could get out and take pictures of them...fortunately they were right on the edge of a parking lot!) I thought the colors were wonderfully fresh and warm. I've always said I was going to paint them...

Here's a painting that was commissioned specifically for a couple's beautiful new familyroom. I literally matched the colors to their sofa, tile, and wall paint so it fit the space perfectly!This, obviously, is an orange-iced doughnut with sprinkles and nonpareils. Yum.When I first graduated from college and finally had the free time to do so, I began attempting to hone my art skills. I'm primarily self-taught so they left (and still leave) much to be desired, but the journey's been nothing but fun. I used to gather random items from my kitchen and spend hours translating them to paint on canvas. I called them pantryscapes. Looking back at them makes me want to raid the pantry and paint some more! Here are a couple:And, finally, here's one of my earliest photographs...it was one I took back before I used any digital and I had to tint the actual photograph. So this is an old scan of the print I hand-painted.My camera battery is plugged in right now, so tomorrow I'll definitely have lots to post. Until then- Happy September!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Retro-Vintage-Kitsch

2008-08-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

I like things that are nostaligic...but sometimes just as much or more than I like things that are actually nostalgic because they are old, I like things that are nostaligic because they look old. So, for the long weekend, I've composed a list of just a few of the places I like to look for this type of thing...just happy little corners of the web with things you could describe as retro, vintage, or kitsch-y!

Christmas Traditions is one of my favorite places. They feature holiday decorations (not just Christmas, but all the other ones, too) by a number of talented artisans and often there's stuff on sale. You can find a wide variety of garlands, trees, ornaments, post cards, etc...all with a sweet vintage flair! The following pics are from Christmas Traditions: Bethany Lowe feather tree, hat by Glitterville, houses by Cody Foster.Victorian Trading often carries things that are just too formal or maybe just too "victorian" for my home, but what they sell is beautiful and some of their holiday decor is great! (Case-in-point: the reproduction hat boxes and this darling music box!) Plus, they often have good sales. Nana Lulu's Linens and Handkerchiefs actually has some actual vintage linens and decor as well as some vintage reproductions. All are lovely...like this cute vintage pink strawberry table cloth.Enchanted Decor reminds me a bit of Christmas Traditions in that they have lots of great vintage-style holiday decor! Tinsel, mercury glass, bottle brush trees...and much more! Retro Planet offers both authentic and reproduction items as well. The trick is telling which is which! They have a nice selection of tin signs. If the tin signage you seek is not at Retro Planet, however- pop over to Jack and Friends. Signs aren't all they have, but they sure are cute! Here you can shop by categories such as 50s Retro Kitchen and Old General Store!

Well, happy browsing! Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

An Award for Randi

2008-08-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Look at me! I am so very proud, my friend Amelia from sweetbfolkart (I've mentioned and linked to her several times so if you haven't been there yet GO! Her art's wonderful...and there's a great Halloween piece on there right now.) anyway- she bestowed on me this award...which is not just a flattering award, it's also comes with an adorable button. It may be the cutest button I've ever seen as blog award buttons go! It just made my day...or perhaps my week. Yes, I think my week- and probably longer than that. And I was having an amazing week so that's saying a lot. So thank you very much, Amelia...way to perpetuate the happiness of this, my aforementioned birthday week! Okay, enough about me. I'll stop gloating (but did I mention I'm super proud of my first blog award and it means so much to me? :) Well I am...and it does.

Now- the second best thing about this award is that I, in turn, get to pass it on! So here are my award recipients. I wanted to give it to people who didn't already receive it, but on the chance you are one of these people and already got this award once upon a time, it's okay...you're just doubly-loved! I don't know how many I could award, but Karen the Bling Queen (a new swap partner I just met) also won this award from someone else (or I'd have bestowed it on her myself) and her instructions say to pick 7 so I chose seven...drum roll please...

Recipient #1: Monica of Art, Design, Life She was one of my first blog friends. She's not just a talented artist in very many artforms (there's a mixed-media piece on her blog right now that incorporates a chocolate chip cookie...and we all know how I feel about food art!), she's a writer, too. Even the shortest of blogposts is well worded and incredibly entertaining!

Recipient #2: Jenny of The Polka Dot Pixie- I've mentioned her before...her stuff's just too, too cute. And if you haven't visited her site and blog yet...what are you waiting for!?!

Recipient #3: Angela of yourangil.blogspot.com She's a swap partner, too and her sweet, vintage tastes seem perfectly to coincide with mine. She makes all manner of pretty (okay, beautiful) little things...and she does it all with three small children. So she's a real inspiration to me!

Recipient #4: Susan chickenfoot.typepad.com She's hosting and my partner for the strawberry swap. Strawberries are just one of several things it seems we have in common. Not only is she crafty and creative, she gardens and sews...neither of which I, um, excel at...and that's an understatement! So I totally admire her! Her blog is just fun, inspirational and informative so go visit.

Recipient #5: Genevieve at Bella-Enchanted There's always something funny, fun, inspirational, or creative going on there, you totally wouldn't want to miss! She's my partner and host for a magic wand swap...that says something, right?

Recipient #6: Linda of A Swap For All Seasons (Linda also blogs at Grace Filled Moments) and they're both equally wonderful so I don't think I can pick just one). She's another one of those super bloggers/crafters/moms I am endlessly impressed with. You cannot help but be inspired by her blogs- they're really just incredible so go on...have a look-see!

And last, but not certainly not least, I nominate my new friend, Annie of divaundertaker.blogspot.com as Recipient #7: Annie's blog is entitled "Journal of an Undertaker" and I'll explain: Well, she's an undertaker...no really- Annie works for a funeral home (and yes, that's the 6 Feet Under theme song playing in the background of her blog!) but don't let that scare you away. Just read the About Me column and spend some time archive- perusing on her blog- you'll be so glad to make her acquaintance! Doing what she does for a living gives her such a unique perspective on life and she has an amazing sense of humour and respect for her work. You'll find she's far from all about all things sad and morbid- she's got an adorable family, she collects vintage children's books and she's tres creative. She makes precious collages and mixed-media pieces I adore! She's also starting a new blog that focuses more on her art and crafting so when that's up I'll let you know...because I can only imagine that it will be award-worthy as well!

So thanks again to Amelia and congrats to all you wonderful ladies-thank you for inspiring me...and, well, thanks for being my friends!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

La Vie En Rose

2008-08-27T12:08:00.001-07:00

As promised, here are pics of the rose garden in Tyler! Lovely, aren't they?

I created this composition of photographs I took that day all of one color rose. I call it "Life Of A Rose". I'm impressed it all came out looking right! I did a similar piece with dandelions I photographed in Vancouver...but it only consists of three pics...so this is far bigger in scale!
The title is also appropriate as it's my third wedding anniversary! Another fabulous year gone by...my how time flies! La Vie En Rose is one of the songs on our wedding DVD! :)

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Mary Kay Cupcakes

2008-08-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

"Cosmetics are like cupcakes...even on bad hair days they make us feel good."

Sooo... today I mailed off some of my favorite paintings to date and I just had to share them with you! They were a set of four commissioned by a client-turned friend-turned Mary Kay consultant, Jennifer! She, too, is a cupcake fan (she's commissioned cupcake art from me before) and it was her idea to combine Mary Kay make-up and cupcakes. The result was this adorable set of paintings. Jenn suggested we include some inspirational words, so I spent several days thinking up "quotes" that incorporated the themes of beauty and sweetness! They were just so much fun to work on!(I had a close up of the fourth in the series that I would have inserted here, but it kept uploading sideways and I just couldn't fix it...you can see all four in the picture below.)
AND- since Jennifer is now a Mary Kay consultant, she sent a link to her MK site and I picked out a new blush and lip color for fall! They have this great virtual make-over tool available where you upload your picture and you can try all the colors on your own face. It was extremely easy and I was very impressed at how well it worked. The colors I picked using it are absolutely perfect for my complexion! Appropriately enough (for autumn) they're called Sparkling Cider (the blush) and Gingerbread (the lipstick)! It has been awhile since I've used Mary Kay and, like I said, I've been very pleased with my purchase. There's lot of new stuff...like this line of mineral wear make-up! You should check it out...and if you need a consultant, please, use mine! She's really great- super nice and very diligent! Click here for her site: Jennifer's Mary Kay Site. *FYI: When I asked if I could link to her site from here, she said if you place an order with her and mention my name in the comments field I'll receive credit toward future purchases and the same would be true if you, in turn, recommend her to someone who mentions your name- fabulous, no?! So here are the colors I bought: *sideways picture alert...if anyone knows how to remedy this...PLEASE let me know. It drives me absolutely crazy! ...and here's me with them on. (So if your complexion's similar to mine, you can imagine these colors on your face!)When I'm not sporting my new vintage-chic look with the scarlet lip fusion, this will be my toned-down fall face!

Well, have a sweet evening!

I'm hoping to post some pretty rose pics tomorrow. 'Til then...

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Flowers in the Window

2008-08-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

I saw these flowers today and they were so beautiful I had to buy them. They came in a bouquet of six and every single one was perfect! Since it's my birthday week, I decided flowers in the window was appropriate.

It also seemed like a flowers in the window kind of week because the last few days have been so wonderful I can't imagine this week could be at all bad!

It started last Thursday when my dad and brother flew home from NYC into the airport in Shreveport (which is just an hour from me). Ross (aforementioned little brother and super-talented photographer- check out his work here) was hired to do a photo shoot there...and he lives in Louisiana, so that's a long way! Anyway, my Dad met him there after the photoshoot and spent a couple of days seeing the sites as well. Since they were flying home together (Shreveport's right in the middle of all three of us- an hour from me, an hour from Mom and Dad and an hour from Ross...and, yes, we all live in different towns!) I met Mom and we spent the afternoon shopping, then met their flight and we all went out to dinner (Josh had to work :( so he missed out). Anyway it was a really, really nice day...like a one day vacation for me! The day was made even better by the fact that Ross, my best and most favorite brother (okay, he's the only one I have...but he's awesome nonetheless) brought me all sorts of goodies from New York!! It was like Christmas! He's really great at picking out stuff I'd like so it was like having a personal shopper in NYC shopping just for me! I simply must boast- here's what he brought me:

* this oh so sweet book from Anthropologie full of recipes and gorgeous pics of cupcakes...

* also from Anthropologie, this darling apron which, as it happens, perfectly matches my favorite yellow shoes and my brand new yellow pan! * this Dior mascara Ross said was recommended by the bride he went to NYC to take pictures of so he brought me some and it's amazing! I highly recommend it. Plus he also brought this lipfusion lip color he said some woman at Sephora suggested I'd like...and she was right! It's a deep scarlet (which I'm told is the new look these days...very simple make-up except for an uplay of the eyes and lips).It feels very vintage-chic...I feel I should don my black dress and pearls every time I wear it! Here's a self- portrait of yours truly in said mascara and lipshine...this will definitely just be my special occasion look! * at my request he made a trip to Tinsel Trading. He brought back lots of this beautiful glass glitter and these amazing vintage cut-outs- I can't wait to use them! Aren't they wonderful?* I fully intend to devote an entire post one day to lomography, but here's a pic of just the camera...this is definitely one of the most exciting souvenirs...I dropped off the first roll I took today so I'll post some of the pics when they come in. * This yummy strawberry lipgloss came in such a sweet vintage-looking little tin! See the strawberry vine detail?*And, finally, this adorable lollipop from F.A.O Shwartz- Ross picked it up because it's my favorite color combination! I also got a copy of Marie Claire Maison...which was awesome. I love the Marie Claire publications, especially Marie Claire Idees, but you can't just pick one up around here...so I have to put in special requests with the travellers in my life! :)So- a BIG THANKS and a BIG HUG to my most favorite little brother.

Then starting Friday, Josh and I went to Dallas for an early Anniversary getaway! We had a fabulous time! It was really nice to have a little mini-vacation! While we were there, I got to shop some of my favorite places...among them Ikea where I got these play pretties among other things...(how precious is this crewel lamp shade? I'd seen it in a magazine, though for the life of me I can't remember which one...and was super-excited to find it in store!) Here's a detail:...and these jumbo juice boxes I just had to try. (Both were delicious, by the way!)And Anthropologie (which may, in fact, be my favorite store ever) where I scored these two adorable tea-towels:

We even made the drive home part of the vacation...we stopped in Tyler and visited the big rose garden there (Tyler's known for their roses). Those pics are lovely, but I'll save them for another post. We also stopped at the Russell Stover factory in Terrell and went to their outlet store. It's a great place to get gifts because they have chocolate extra-cheap. You can also buy bags or boxes of "bloopers"- chocolates that weren't quite perfect enough for gift-boxes...but still taste just as good! Here's a close up of a little box I bought for me:So early Happy Anniversary and thanks for such a happy weekend to my best-in-the-whole-world husband!

And I suppose for now that's all there is...there isn't anymore. (But really, I couldn't ask for any more! :)

Here's wishing you a flowers-in-the-window week as well!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Invasion of the Pumpkin People

2008-08-20T11:36:00.001-07:00

Well, here's my most recent Halloween-y project...

You may recall from The Week of Broken Holiday Decor post that I have something of a fancy for those cute vintage-y paper mache pumpkin people. Those and stuff with a candy corn theme pretty much make up my Halloween decor. It's one of those things (like strawberries) that apparently I sort of collect and didn't realize it until I started thinking about how many I had. Here are some of the ones that I could get to to photograph them (the others are in my attic): And, of course, the little guy I just fixed up.Almost all of my Halloween decorations (unlike a lot of my Christmas decorations) are things I purchased, not things I made myself. I'm just always drawn to these paper mache pieces for their nostalgic look, but have had minimal success working with paper mache in the past and I find I have been generally content to forgo that medium in lieu of something else. Case in point: this is my one and only real paper mache project that looked halfway decent. I made it a couple of years ago for my cousin, Anna. Recently, however, I've been challenging myself in other media- making far more than just paintings- and am really enjoying it. Inspired by the pumpkin people I purchased recently, by my relative success with the artificial food sculptures (see One Sweet Thing... post), and by two new bloggy friends: Amelia (who I've mentioned before-she has the candy club) see her work at sweetbfolkart - it's colorful, whimsical, often incorporates sweets (so of course, I think it's fabulous!) and all of her pieces have such personality; they're just cute, cute, cute...go have a look-see!

and

Jenny of thepolkadotpixie- her work is so sweetly nostalgic it'll just make you swoon. Adorable is the only word for it. Literally everything she makes would be perfect in my house-I love it!

*They're both super-talented so check them out.

Anyway, since I had paper-mache on the brain and some paper-clay on hand I began experimenting and eventually kind of got the hang of working with it. I was determined not to give up this time, even if my scupture cracked a little, or water had to be added and the whole piece scrapped over and over again. Finally, many hours (and I do actually mean multiple hours) later I had a finished Halloween paper-clay creation...and I have to say I'm pretty proud of him.

TADA!!!!

It's a little paper clay pumpkin person atop a cupcake! It's doubtful I'll be able to part with him...as he was rather labor-intensive and he goes so well with my other Halloween decor (his cupcake actually coordinates with my former creation, #1 Candy Corn Lane: Remember that? I may have to hold on to them both and display them together. But, now that I'm more confident in my sculpting skills I'll definitely be incorporating more little paper clay figures into my artificial sweet stuff. The prospect of this new product line really excites me... I'll share whatever happens with it next!

Thanks, as always, for visiting! I'll leave you with two inspirational vintage postcards...it's Halloween in August, I suppose!sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Birthday, A Curtain, A Snail

2008-08-20T10:24:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy Wednesday!

Well, yesterday was Josh's birthday so, of course, we celebrated!! I'm big on birthdays so even though we didn't have a real party (just dinner out with a couple of friends) there were still gifts... and cake......which was an interesting conglomeration of baked goods because when I asked him what he'd like for a birthday cake he simply said "something different". Since that's anything but specific, I was at a complete loss. So I ended up going to my favorite bakery and getting one of everything that was cake but different from plain white or chocolate birthday cake!! Since we had company, we actually had someone to take a picture of the two of us...so here we are on Josh's 26th birthday.

And here's us as cupcakes: This is a detail of the card I got for Josh...it was sweet, it played music- and it had cupcakes on it, so I couldn't resist.

Oh and here's a pic of an early birthday present I picked out for me that came in the mail yesterday:These cafe curtains were on sale at Urban Outfitters and I just love them. They're even cuter in person than they were online!! They actually came with a valance that I couldn't get, but I decided I liked this just fine. The fruit, the rickrack...they're adorable! They do need to be ironed a bit...maybe later.

So, even though it was Josh's birthday and I'd have ordered a sunny day for him if it were up to me, it isn't up to me and God decided we needed rain (which we did...our yard is very happy). It's been wet, wet, wet for two days and according to the weather it's only going to get wetter. It is considerably cooler, though and it smells blissfully like summer and rain, which I love. When Gatsby and I went outside this morning the snails were out on the front walk- enjoying the coolness, I suppose? I took a close up of one. I like snails, perhaps only because I don't do much gardening. I understand they can be a pest. But they're pretty cute as pests go, don't you think? Since I was thinking of snails, I listened to Snails by The Format this morning as I was working and decided to add it to my blog for the snails-post day. It's sort of an inherently happy melody, I think. Enjoy!*I'm almost finished with a Halloween project I'm really excited about and pretty proud of- I'll try and post a pic later this afternoon or tomorrow! 'Til then-

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Cupcakes Among Other Things

2008-08-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

Once again, I find myself creating a blogpost with no cohesion whatsoever (WHATSOEVER- also a favorite word...add that to the list). Sorry, but that's just the way today was...sort of cohesive-less. Random, again.

Anyway, here we go. We'll let the pictures guide us, shall we?

Because, and only because, I passed a certain thrift store on the way to run other, more necessary, errands this morning and because Hope's Closet was having a sale I stopped at merely two places and did just a wee bit of thrifting today. I came away with some real treasures, in my opinion, and spent less than $5. This isn't all I got, it's just the things I didn't have to wash before I photographed them. This plastic vintage nativity was a coincidental find because I'd just happened upon some just like it on ebay last night. Things like that happen to me all the time.

I also found a bunch of vintage wrapping paper. Some of it's older than others, but they were all fun and I think they'll be great for holiday crafting. The wheels are already turning. This was my favorite. It's paper with a whole holiday alphabet!
Here's the whole collection:
I cleaned the studio this weekend (and the pantry, the fridge, the kitchen cabinet with the glasses in it, the gift closet, and my bedside drawers) and I found this painting I love. It's one I did this past spring and framed in this great vintage frame I painted red specifically for this painting.We visited our friends the other day- the ones with the new baby. We didn't get to stay long. We just wanted to pop in and see how everything was going, chat for a bit, and, you know, sit and look at the baby. I made these sweet little new-baby blue-iced cupcakes. Pretty cute, no?

That's all I've got for now...

So, shoo-bee-doo-bee-doo-bah, Happy Monday to ya!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

The Week of Broken Holiday Decor

2008-08-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Among other things, this week has been the week of broken holiday stuff! I've found three, count them, THREE different holiday decorations (from three different holidays...and I think in three different stores, too!) that were way discounted because they were slightly broken, scuffed, and missing some pieces. Of course, being that I'm soft-hearted when it comes to slightly damaged things, and taking into account the fact that they all perfectly matched my other vintage-style holiday decorations, I salvaged them. I brought them home all swaddled in tissue, then pulled out my paper clay, hot glue, vintage tinsel, crepe paper, and of course, lots of glitter...and I fixed the little darlings right up! They're even better now than they were before, I think. How lucky it was for the both of us that they ended up with me!This chenille pipe-cleaner snowman was marked down because he was a bit disjointed (pun totally intended)- he was unravelling a bit- his head was hanging by just a "thread" and his hat was missing, all but the little black felt brim. Enter: hot glue, tinsel, little paper hat...silver glitter and VIOLA! Good as new!I do really like halloween decor, but try to keep really creepy, scary things out of mine. I stick to a theme of candy corn and pumpkins. I love these paper mache pumpkin people! I have quite a few of them(...I'll do a halloween decorations post when I get them all out). So I scooped this little man up even though his hat was chipped and he was totally missing the end of his wand! I fashioned a brand new star for the wand out of paper clay, added some crepe paper and plenty of glitter for good measure! Ta-da!!The only real problem with this sweet little bunny atop a giant easter egg was his little ears. It appeared he'd been dropped...a couple of times. Not a problem- a little ear repair was simple enough!

So there you have it, a Cinderella story of holiday decor!

Here's wishing you a happy weekend!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Cherry and Vanilla

2008-08-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Shades of Inspiration prompt color combo this week is red and white so I've been thinking for the past few days about that theme and the following is what I came up with. I love red and white together...I have a lot of it in my kitchen. It's sort of a nostalgic combination, I think. You may remember these cute polka-dotted napkins from the Tisket, a Tasket post...they were purchased at the church rummage sale.Red and white lollipops in a precious mercury glass fleur de lis mint julep cup. (They're displayed in my living room- I know what you're thinking...but if you'd ever been to my house you'd know lollipops in the living room is totally appropriate).

My favorite t-shirt. It contains three plastic coke bottles...so that's cool.This is the "red shelf" in my breakfast room. I have things in there arranged by color...sort of.This is my absolute favorite page in the August 2008 issue of Romantic Homes. I have a bookmark in it just so I can open and drool over all the adorable things in this kitchen.And this is my other favorite page...told you I have trouble with favorites...This little cupcake plate was a happy find from the clearance shelves at The Cook's Nook (a cute cute cute little cooking store here in Longview).This is also a magazine page...from my new Marie Claire Idees (which my dear friend, Corey, was wonderful enough to get me while in Montreal a couple weeks ago). Every page in this magazine is a favorite, but it was the only one with something completely red and white on it. Last, but not least, since I'd been thinking in terms of red and white for the past few days, I got up today and painted a couple of little cupcake paintings in those two colors...plus some browns and creams. I'll add these to my etsy store soon.

Oh- and today began with Josh's perfect pancakes...so it's been a very good day.
Here's wishing you a perfect-pancake kind of day!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Marmalade Skies

2008-08-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have difficulty pinning down favorites. I always hate to say something or another is a favorite on the chance I think of something or discover something later that is more a favorite. This leads to me not being able to claim a favorite song, a favorite movie, a favorite food, a favorite color...you get the idea. I just like too much! It seems such a shame to stick yourself with just one favorite something. When it comes to favorite words, however, I can say with reasonable certainty that if MARMALADE isn't my favorite word, it's definitely in the top three to five(probably somewhere near LULLABY and NEVERTHELESS). Eitherway, I bought a new jar of orange marmalade today (which always makes my think of Paddington...you know, the bear) and just that $2 jar labeled "Sweet Orange Marmalade" made me really happy! I also recently found this white cup/jar at a thrift store for 50 cents. I couldn't help buying it because it was so random and all it had printed on it were these bold black letters spelling out "marmalade".Did you know that marmalade doesn't necessarily have to be orange? It is generally made of citrus fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits, but in my research I even found recipes for tomato marmalade and carrot marmalade!! Click here for more marmalade info: marmalade
Other interesting marmalade trivia: there was/is a band called Marmalade, a Marmalade Cafe with several locations in California, and even a marmalade festival! Here's a link to Marmalade Ink who offers an adorable collection of photo greetings, and you can click here to read about the most expensive marmalade!

Wondering what you can do with marmalade other than spread it on toast? Well, then, here's a marmalade cake recipe, marmalade biscuit recipe, and marmalade sauce recipe. Or, just make a peanut butter and marmalade (that's what I had for lunch) or banana and marmalade sandwich (that's what I would've had for lunch had I remembered to buy bananas)...yum! :) So, there's my Thursday musing on marmalade. Go get some, you won't be sorry!

Oh and the title? In case you've forgotten or flat out don't recognize it, that's a shout out to John Lennon- it's from Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds- you know, tangerine trees and marmalade skies.

Thanks for stopping by and reading today...orange you glad you did?

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Window Seat and Spumoni Cupcakes

2008-08-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

First, a couple more random things...
Jelly Belly makes candles! They smell just like their jelly beans. I got this one, Juicy Pear, at Wal-Mart yesterday. It's soy wax and has a lead-free wick. A truly sweet discovery!And victory at last! Sweet B's candy of the month is Boston Baked Beans and it took me forever to find some, but VOILA! Here they are...and they were yummy!

So here is the project I promised before and afters of yesterday. I got this bench at aforementioned favorite antique store, Betty's, for $10. I looked it over entirely before buying it and surmised that though there was some cracking in the decorative woven stuff around the edge and general paint flaking, etc. just from age, the wood itself was great. No water damage or splitting...so I brought it home and in just a couple hours after lunch I completely transformed it! There are four layers of material on the cushion, but I got it on sale for $1 a yard so altogether the fabric only cost $3. I've been wanting a window seat in the bay window in my breakfast room since we moved into this house. When I brought this home I originally intended it to go under the middle window, but once I got it in to the room I decided I liked it better under the chalkboard. So it's sort of a window seat against the wall!Finally, I have a new dinner idea! We had friends over last night and I served calzones, sauce, salad, marinated cucumbers, and spumoni cupcakes. It was all so easy, I have to share.
For the calzones you'll need:
Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough
Ricotta cheese
Italian blend shredded cheese
pepperoni/ham/sausage/olives...you know, stuffing stuff...your choice
fresh mozzarella
parmesan cheese
All you do is roll out the pizza dough, cut it into squares (each roll of dough will make about four good-sized calzones), and fill it with some ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella, meat and veggies, and the shredded cheese. Then fold up the corners to make a little bundle and sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. I serve my calzones on a plate with a big spoonful of sauce for dipping. For sauce: put one can of Rotel in your food processor and blend until pretty smooth, then mix it with a jar of pizza sauce. Heat and serve.
A couple of hours before dinner, slice your cucumbers (two large or three small) and put them in a bowl with one 8 oz bottle of zesty italian dressing. Serve chilled.
Then to top off this easy Italian meal...Spumoni cupcakes! You'll need vanilla cupcakes with vanilla or cream cheese icing. Top with chocolate shavings, chunks, or chocolate chips, chopped pistachios and a cherry! In case you're wondering, spumoni is actually traditionally a molded ice-cream dessert that incorporates these three flavors- chocolate, cherry, and pistachio. These cupcakes are a sweet, pretty, simple take on that theme! I love the colors!

Buon Appetito!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Scents and Sweets and Stuff

2008-08-11T15:46:00.000-07:00

I've been negligent again, and I apologize. The weekend was a bit busy, but I'm back to blogging today. This post looks to simply be a disjointed one filled with random inspiration and information. Randomness happens to the best of us, I'm afraid...if we're lucky! :)

First, the scent in the studio this week is Star Fruit and Orange. It's a nice, mellow, late summer smell. Very light and fresh- citrusy, of course, but a bit creamy and sweet at the same time. Second, there's a new flavor of Whole Fruit Sorbet: Pom-Berry. It's tres yummy, and a lovely shade of fuschia. If you're a sorbet nut like me, you're gonna wanna try this.

Lastly, I spent this morning doing paperwork and tax stuff, followed by an attempt to fill my Etsy store. (I'll add a link to it soon- I got quite a few listings posted before the uploading and tagging and descriptions got too tedious to continue. Perhaps I'll get back to it tomorrow morning.) Anyway, though I'd intended to spend all day working, I couldn't stand being inside anymore (and my hair looked unusually decent because I washed and flat-ironed it last night for dinner out with my family...so it seemed a shame to waste a perfectly good hair day stuck at home) so I rewarded my hard work this morning with a trip to my favorite antique store, Betty's, and one of my favorite Goodwills. I found these cards, buttons, and old glass baby bottles. I also got a really great deal on a fixer-upper project piece... but I'm saving the picture of that until it's made-over! I'll post a before and after!

Oh, and the last picture? I took a picture of our dog because his "Dad" gave him a haircut this weekend and since the photo uploaded at the same time as all the ones for this blogpost... I decided to add it, too! This is Gatsby, my muse.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Bonne Idee #1- Placemat Pillow

2008-08-07T18:38:00.001-07:00

When I began my blog, I had visions of posting random good ideas. Unfortunately I haven't really had one yet...until today! Thus, Good Idea #1- a placemat pillow. I can't imagine I'm the first to think of this, but I did come up with it on my own. So, there's that.

The story behind Bonne Idee #1:

I was at Kohl's today, (because I had to go to Target anyway and Kohl's is right next door and I hadn't been in awhile) anyway, I was scouring the clearance shelves when I came across this patriotic placemat. (The stupid picture's sideways again.)It was so cute- it looked just like one of those sheet cakes you make for the fourth of July with the coolwhip frosting and the blueberry and strawberry American flag! I suppose it might be a little more on the "country" side than the "urban cottage" side of decorating...but it did have strawberries and blueberries on it, so I figured it fit in my house okay. My dining room table dimensions are not conducive to most normal sized placemats (they end up overlapping on the edges and that's just tacky) so I rarely buy them...I stick with tablecloths. Plus, there were only two of them left...and who just needs two cute placemats? It was tragic, really- so much so that I refused to accept I couldn't do something with at least one of these placemats. Then it hit me-right there in the clearance aisle of Kohls. A throw pillow. Here's why that works:

This particular placemat has a backing (just a blue fabric) that is only attached to the tapestry fabric (the front of the placemat) around the edges. All I did was take out a seam on one end enough to stuff the center with poly-fil, then stitched it back up!

Ta-da!! A placemat, repurposed! It's perfect for those of us who come across placemats we can't use in the conventional way, or for when you come across an adorable placemat on sale, but there's only one or two... or like in my case today- both apply!

Happy pillow making!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Plethora of Pictures

2008-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

First off, here's a little "life is sweet" cupcke I finished just before I left for my brief journey this week. As always, as in even my shortest or least distant of travels, I took lots of pictures this week...because you never know what you might need to refer back to for future inspiration! Visiting the town where my parents live is always inspirational because it's filled with stuff I like...an undeniable quaint-ness and lots of antiques!

This is the sign outside the drugstore where I can personally vouch for the fresh squeezed lime-aid with cherry. It's amazing...and so is this sign.
These are inside on the tables in the drugstore. I like these napkin holders...I seem to take pictures of them alot. This may not be so much an inspirational picture as it is a recommendation you'll want to remember. If ever you're in Jefferson, TX- go to Auntie Skinners and order the following: bottle caps (they're sliced, battered, fried jalapenos with ranch dip), an ultimate burger, and a top shelf margarita on the rocks (and have Nancy make that). Happiness will follow.
You should go here, because it's yummy and they also have a cool old-fashioned wooden sign.

Get an apricot turnover, you won't be sorry.

The general store again, I know. But it may be one of my absolute favorite places. I mean, just look at it! It looks and feels the way a General Store should...and they have 5 cent coffee.

A whole basket of Gilliam's candy! Remember those sweet little paper bags from A Few New Things?

That house of pies sign under the general store sign transitions perfectly to the next pic...of the pie case at "The House of Pies". I'm a sucker for bakery cases...I love to paint them (a la Wayne Thiebaud!) I also paint pies in the sky often. It's one of my newer signature pieces!!

I wish I had this bench on my back patio!! It's sitting outisde The Fudge Shoppe (which you may recall my mentioning previously in the same breath as apricot walnut fudge in the July 4th post? I cannot go to Jefferson without getting some. It's seriously that good.

And, finally...these gems-of-a-fruit are a first for me!

There's a huge tree across the street from my parents' house that apparently has been growing these things and we never knew it. One of the limbs broke recently and so we were able to pick a whole bunch...they would have been too high probably, otherwise. And they were so well camoflaged in the leaves that they were difficult to see if you didn't know they were there. In case you've never seen one before, either, this is an osage orange(...my dad called them horse-apples if that rings any bells for you.) Use the link to research them- they're interesting. You can't eat them from what I understand...they're poisonous. But they look super-cool in a basket, and they're a beautiful color. I was very much intrigued...I mean, look at them- what a funny looking fruit! Who'd've ever dreamt that?

So that's the end of my pictures, for now. Plethora is a funny word, isn't it? I can't decide if I like it...

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

2008-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

I was so determined to keep my blog up-to-date and post something worth reading at least every other day, but I'm out of town until tomorrow afternoon and just haven't been able to upload any pics...or get any work done because I'm not in my studio. I did bring along a strawberry embroidery project...so more on that soon. I miss blogging, believe it or not...and I've lots of new things to post!
I'll be back.

Happy Tuesday!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Pink, Green...and Baby Blue!

2008-08-02T17:13:00.001-07:00

Greetings and happy Saturday! I've actually finished two projects already this weekend and have several more started so I'm feeling unusually productive, though, as is typical, not productive enough. So, I recently discovered this "challenge" set up by Sadie Olive called Shades of Inspiration- a color or color scheme is posted every week and participants upload pictures that fit this color scheme into a flickr group. It can be pictures of crafts, or artwork, or home decor...you get the idea. Anyway, I liked the idea and joined the flickr group the other day. This coming week's challenge is a color combo of light blue and brown...which is really nice, but I was disappointed to see I missed out on the pink and green week. Pink and green is one of my favorite color pairings...I use it all the time. It was even the color scheme for my wedding, see?! Well, I'm posting green and pinks today anyway (brown and blue will have to wait for another day!) Again with the strawberry cookie, I know. I apologize...but I really love this thing.
This cake-wrapped-as-a-gift is one of the many finds from yesterday's gianormous garage sale...I did some repainting today and was really pleased with the way it turned out!

A new everyday corsage. The theme for this one is "faith, hope, and love" and I made it in an attempt to create one that wasn't holiday specific. It would work for mother's day, Easter, a bridal shower, or just a tea party or something. Who needs a special occasion for wearing pretty little things, anyway?!

#4 Peppermint Lane! All in greens and pinks with a candy cane garden out front and a vintage bottle brush tree trimmed with pink glass pearls...too sweet! I found uses for some of my recently purchased Christmas stuff...this one's a favorite! Plus it's a box...so it's practical, too!

Actually, it turns out there will be a little blue in this post afterall... baby blue, that is! Our friends, Vince and Lindsey, had their first baby- Jackson Thomas-this week. We just went to the hospital this evening and saw him for the first time...he's really cute! Here's my "Happy New Baby" creation: Have a great rest of the weekend!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Tisket, A Tasket, A Fabulous-Finds Filled Basket

2008-08-01T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, again, nothing handmade today...but lots more inspiration! I got up this morning, put on my favorite thrifting outfit (which, yes, definitely includes my yellow shoes) and headed downtown to the Asbury House fundraiser garage sale at the First United Methodist Church. Apparently, this charity rummage sale is held annually here and I just now found out about it (many thanks to Valerie for the heads up!) I wish I'd taken my camera, because it was really huge- you wouldn't have believed it! And it was crawling with people! There was a ton of stuff there- I was entertained for over an hour and a half. One of the many treasures I came home with is this ever-so-charming basket. It was the most expensive item I purchased (at $4) which is a bargain any way you look at it. Since it was one of the first items I picked up, it was invaluable as a shopping basket! I spent a total of just $20.25 (plus the $1 I spent to get in) and this is what all I got...(that total includes the basket, of course...which was just the right size to hold all of my purchases!)
This is a close up of some little strawberry salt and pepper shakers...which I'll be sending off for a strawberry swap I'm participating in- more about that later!!
I just couldn't pass these up...they'll be perfect in some craft project...just don't know which one, yet!
How adorable is this pin cushion? It's actually brand new...it was donated to the sale by one of the boutiques here in town.
Well, those are just a few of my favorite things- everything I found I was so very excited about. Oh, and there are three items not in the picture because I'm giving them away as gifts!!

And that's all there is for now...just a basketful of fabulous finds!

Wishing you a day full of fabulous finds of your own!!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Have Yourself A Vintage Little Christmas (or Christmas in July, Part Deux)

2008-07-31T11:39:00.000-07:00

One of the antique malls here in town was having a Christmas in July sale- everything Christmas was 25% off so, naturally, I had to check it out. There's an entire back wall just of Christmas stuff that's there all year round, but since it was on sale today I dug through it all! I found lots of great stuff for my holiday pieces! I can't wait to get started! Christmas will be here before we know it, right?

Oh, and before I go- here's a tasty tidbit of summer... a yummy peach cobbler! Many thanks to Jim and Debbie for the fresh peaches! :)

sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

More Flowers...and the first signs of Halloween!

2008-07-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

Just had to post a picture of these beautiful summer-y flowers that arrived at my door yesterday! My thoughtful, sweet, "little" brother, Ross, sent them to thank me for all my help this past weekend. It really made my week!

...and FINALLY I've actually gotten something FINISHED and PHOTOGRAPHED for posting! These two little flower creations are variations on the shower corsage theme (see last post) but are the cutest little self-decorations for Halloween! Each one comes with a pin on the back and is appropriately lightweight (despite its ornamentation) for wearing as a brooch, albeit a big one that makes quite the holiday statement!!!

The blog-demon strikes again! Sometimes pictures upload sideways and there's just nothing you can do about it. So- sorry, turn your head and imagine how cute this creation must be right side up!

Thanks for visiting!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Showers of Flowers

2008-07-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't been home all weekend (so needless to say I haven't gotten any work done), but I did get to help yesterday with a baby shower and it was so cute I have to share pictures with you. The mommy-to-be is a friend and fellow photographer of my brother (who hosted the shower at his house- he's a very generous friend...plus he has a really great house), so he recruited me to help with the decorations and menu planning...which is right up my alley! I had such a good time! The baby's going to be a girl so I went all out with pink and flowers, but to accent we went with brown, green, blue, yellow and orange (she likes bright colors, I understand). This whole "cake" is made of rolled diapers- cute, decorative, and incredibly useful!!
It just isn't a party without cupcakes!

Remember this corsage? This was the shower I used it for- and it coordinated perfectly!

Cute, right?

sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

Ode to Rhubarb Pie

2008-07-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

I was perusing the produce at the grocery store yesterday and found an unexpected treasure. Fresh rhubarb! For those of you who live somewhere rhubarb grows like crazy (and I understand there are such places) I suppose I need to explain why I consider fresh rhubarb a treasure. Very simply- I live in Texas. According to my recent research, it is possible to grow rhubarb here August-May, but the heat kills it in the summer so, unlike in northern locales where rhubarb is a perennial, it must be replanted every year here. And even then it doesn't always grow well. Sadly, this has created an entire region devoid, for all intents and purposes, of rhubarb. And this, if you've never tried rhubarb, is a truly sad state of affairs. My in-laws are from up north...a cooler place where rhubarb grows happily and everybody eats it in a multitude of ways so for years now I've had access to the occasional rhubarb dessert (my father-in-law makes an awesome rhubarb crisp). Once upon a time rhubarb could be found pre-chopped and frozen in bags, but even this has been an oddity in recent years. So, yesterday, when I happened upon fresh stalks of rhubarb scrunched between the corn cobs and radishes, I had to buy some. I honestly think it may have been the first rhubarb I've ever seen fresh and in person. And it's lovely, really; two gorgeous shades: an intense rosey, cranberry red on the outside, soft, cool green on the inside. Except for the red, it's quite like a celery. (It is prudent to note, I think, that the leaves are toxic and therefore inedible). I pondered long and hard before deciding what to do with my rhubarb and finally settled on a rhubarb-raspberry pie.

sliced rhubarbrhubarb and raspberriesready for the ovenall done!Mmmmmm!

If you're interested in cooking with rhubarb (assuming you can find some) see: http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/.
Not only is rhubarb delicious (it's uniquely tart), but it's also a really cool word...think about it...RHUBARB. Am I right? (It's such a favorite I even have a friend with whom rhubarb is my nickname!) Not only that, but it also lends it's name to an adorable font (one of my favorites- I downloaded it a couple of months ago...get it for free here: rhubarb pie font) And, if you're looking to add some rhubarb to your home, but can't get hold of the actual stalk- Mrs. Meyers (you know, of Mrs. Meyers clean day products) has a spring cleaning kit in her yummy rhubarb scent!

I actually painted a sign at the beginning of the summer featuring rhubarb pies!

(<- see?)

Who knew rhubarb was so beautiful, delicious, and inspiring?

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,
rhubarb

Tastes of Summer

2008-07-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, I've still no art to post; though I'm on to dioramas this week which has been fun. More about that later- I promise. What I do have, however, is a photo record of all the summery treats in which I've indulged for the past few weeks. (I'm in the habit of photographing my food-especially desserts- on the chance I want to paint them later!!) So on the chance you're looking for something cool to eat or drink- (or something cool and sweet to paint!)- here are some pretty, yummy pictures to inspire you!
To begin: Summer-y treat #1: Dark Chocolate Cherry Sundae
Inspired by the cover picture on my Bon Appetit magazine, I designed my own chocolate-cherry ice cream creation (cherry vanilla ice-cream with chocolate syrup, dark chocolate-covered almonds and a cherry chocolate chip cookie!) and served it to dinner guests last night. It was a perfect after-grilling dessert and was just the dessert to be served in my Cherries Jubilee sundae cups!

If you haven't tried these Archer Farms smoothie kits yet, you should. You'll find them in the freezer section at Target. They come in several different flavors and each packet contains everything you need to make two 8 oz smoothies (fruit puree, frozen fruit and a powder packet) save 1 cup of water and 1/2 a cup of ice. They're amazing...and incredibly convenient. The hardest part of making this smoothie is getting out your blender!

While you're in Target's freezer section you can pick some of this up, too. It's Blueberry Lavender Sorbet. I'm way into sorbet and so far I haven't met one I didn't like, but this is by far a favorite. It's refreshingly fruity and fresh with this subtly calming lavender undertone. It's light, it's creamy and it's gorgeous in a dish! Plus, it's got blueberries in it...and blueberry's a superfood, right?Next pic: a grapefruit margarita. The best of both worlds if you ask me- plus, it turned out a beautiful shade of light pink! I rimmed it with Sugar In The Raw (the big crystals make for a pretty and tasty rim for sweeter cocktails...and it's usually cheaper than rimming sugar.) The mix was made by Stirrings.

No summer is complete without at least one pitcher of lemonade. A wise woman once said, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade and better yet, make it pink!"

Here we go with the sorbet again. Haagen-Dazs makes 7 different sorbet flavors. I've only tried five of them, but those are all delicious so I feel I can vouch for the other two as well. Like all Haagen-Dazs products, their sorbet is a beautiful thing. It's smooth and intensely flavorful. The featured flavor on their website currently is mango which is what I happened to have this week, though raspberry is my favorite. I added some raspberry sauce to my mango sorbet (actually it was just raspberry preserves heated until runny and poured over the sorbet!) and I very much enjoyed it.

P.S. that Vanilla Honeybee on the Haagen-Dazs homepage is incredible...grab a pint of it, too. Do your part-save some honeybees. :)

Here's an old standby I found myself craving a couple of weeks ago. Neapolitan. I just like that word and the colors alone are adorable together. I think you can count on me using them in the near future in some artwork! Want to know more about the popular 3-in-1 icecream? Click here: Neapolitan ice cream.

Last, but certainly not least, I must tell you of the Giant Latte Bar. Those of you who don't like coffee can skip this, but those of you who, like yours truly- LOVE coffee, would do well to stay tuned. This delightful (and aptly named) soft popsicle is just REALLY REALLY good. It's made by Weight Watchers, believe it or not. (See here: Weight Watchers Giant Latte Bar ) One point per bar if you do the point thing- 90 calories, if you don't. That's great either way you look at it. And I just told you it tasted phenomenal. It's not icy like some of those fat free fudge bars you know are mostly water. This thing (besides being, like, twice the size of your typical little fudgesicle) is very soft and creamy, doesn't melt overly fast (I take my time and I've never had it drip down the stick or anything), and has a pleasantly strong coffee flavor with just enough sweetness. (I know I'm comparing it to a fudgesicle, but there's no cocoa in it; if you want chocolate they also make a Giant Fudge Bar and a Chocolate Mousse Bar). Fellow coffee lovers- go get some of these, you won't be sorry. It's like a frappucino on a stick...and it costs less than an iced latte!

With that I'll conclude my mid-summer musing on must-try summer sweets. Go have a refreshing, soothing snack. Enjoy, be happy and stay cool.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

An Interlude For Fruit Stripe Gum

2008-07-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

I had all intentions of creating a post today about some of my found object art, but half of the items I planned on photographing for it are still in various unfinished stages scattered across my dining table. So it doesn't look like that's going to happen today, which is just fine because I wanted to post about this gum anyway. Here's the story: Since art has officially been my full-time job for some time now and I'm tired of working in sequestered solitude, I've been really trying to connect with some other people like me (hence, my foray into blogland) and it's going great! I've said this before, but there are so many talented, creative women out there who are so very inspirational...and blogs are such a great way to find them! Anyway, about the gum- one of my newest blogland acquaintances and talented fellow artist and craftsperson is Amelia Schaefer of Sweet B Folk Art. I first found her art on Glitter and Grunge and just loved it- it's just adorable...and very sweet! Still wondering where the Fruit Stripe Gum comes in? Here it is- on her blog, Amelia has a Sweet B Candy Club. Every month she announces a different candy-of-the-month that club members (joining is easy- just post a comment saying you want to do so) are to try. Then you post a comment about it and you're automatically entered to win a prize! This month's candy is, you guessed it- Fruit Stripe Gum. I haven't thought about Fruit Stripe Gum in years, but doing so made me smile, so when I went to the grocery store yesterday I bought some. I am generally partial to mint flavored gum as opposed to fruity flavors, but I did chew five pieces throughout the afternoon yesterday. I tried one of each flavor (my 5 flavor pack included peach and melon- which aren't original to the brand). It was a sweet little interlude this week...the buying, tasting, and blogging of Fruit Stripe Gum allowed me to put off things I really needed to do for a good half-hour or so. Plus, it came with temporary tatoos (and lick-and-stick tatoos are always fun...) which I attempted to put on the back of my hand. It's harder than you'd think-all mine came out as blue blobs.

As I photographed my pack of gum for posting, I saw a book on my shelf- it's called Krazy Kids' Food and is an entire little book of vintage food graphics published by Taschen for Old Navy. It was just a curiosity they sold by the check outs at Old Navy Stores a few years ago, but it's full of great, colorful pictures of iconic kids' foods packaging from yesteryear. I flipped through, and sure enough- Fruit Stripe Gum was in there! Then, since I was taking pictures of it I decided to take some of a few of my other favorite pages. Cute stuff, huh?

Thanks for reading!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

One Sweet Thing After Another

2008-07-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

To follow my last blog- all of the "baked goods" I was working on this weekend are now completely finished so I photographed them up close individually today and thought I'd post the pics. I think after this batch I may go back to some regular painting for a little while...but these sure have been fun! Work's just been one sweet thing after another. But then again, it sort of always is!

*Remember these are completely inedible- no food products are used in them AT ALL so they'll be sweet things one year after another!!
#1 Candy Corn Lane! My first Halloween gingerbread house!

#3 Gingerbread Lane- Gingerbread House on Cake #2...this may be my favorite. I might not be able to part with it!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Sweet Shop Studio

2008-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've been working all weekend, but was finally forced to take a break this afternoon and straighten up because we're having friends over tonight. Since I was cleaning the studio anyway, I decided to take some pictures. The last couple of weeks it's looked more like a bake shop than an artist's studio! I am endlessly fascinated with artificial food and these new faux cakes, cupcakes, and cookies are my latest favorite thing to make! Each one is like a little sculpture- like one of my paintings in 3D!

Happy Sunday!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Visions of Sugar Plums

2008-07-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been so excited all week about finishing and photographing this, my latest creation, so that I could post it and finally, here it is! It's my first artificial cake, and I'm reasonably pleased with it. At the very least it was great fun to make. The first of anything that I make, I find, is very seldom the best, but almost always the most enjoyable. I'm teaching myself cake decorating; even though my icing isn't real, the piping of it is pretty much the same as if I were icing a real cake. It isn't as easy as I'd anticipated...I have a newfound respect for all the cake decorators out there! So, anyway, here's my first (hopefully of many- I already have another one in the works) fake cake prototype...an expansion, I suppose, of The Houses on Peppermint Lane since the gingerbread house is made from the same template as #1 Peppermint Lane which I blogged about last week. I think I may be applying some of these new techniques I've recently developed to some Halloween decorations, and put the Christmas on hold for a month or so. We'll see...and I'll let you know how it goes!

Speaking of sugar plums- I have a poem I think is fitting for this post...and it's just too sweet not to share!

The Sugar Plum Tree

by Eugene Field

Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?

'Tis a marvel of great renown!

It blooms on the shore of the Lollipop sea

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;

The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet

(As those who have tasted it say)

That good little children have only to eat

Of that fruit to be happy next day.

When you 've got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To capture the fruit which I sing;

The tree is so tall that no person could climb

To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!

But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,

And a gingerbread dog prowls below---

And this is the way you contrive to get at

Those sugar-plums tempting you so:

You say but the word to that gingerbread dog

And he barks with such terrible zest

That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,

As her swelling proportions attest.

And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around

From this leafy limb unto that,

And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground---

Hurrah for that chocolate cat!

There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,

With stripings of scarlet or gold,

And you carry away of the treasure that rains

As much as your apron can hold!

So come, little child, cuddle closer to me

In your dainty white nightcap and gown,

And I'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree

In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.

Sending happy weekend thoughts your way-

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-07-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

It has recently come to my attention that I have a strawberry fetish. Had you asked, I'd have answered "Sure, I like strawberries," but evidence would suggest I more than just like them- I'm drawn to them so much so that I've inadvertantly begun something of a strawberry collection! This whole revelation came about after my thrifting trip earlier this week. You may recall from Monday's post that I purchased a little crosstitch sampler of strawberries. I was simply drawn to it, and since it was only a dollar, I brought it home. That very afternoon I reframed it (see picture below) and was hanging it in my kitchen when I realized that the place I'd chosen to hang it was just below another wall-hanging with strawberries on it. Intrigued, I began to walk around the house taking pictures of all the things I own with strawberries on them. I was shocked at how many there were (again, note pictures below) and they weren't limited to kitchen items either. I actually have strawberry pajamas!
As I realized that strawberries had subconsciously become an obsession in my non-art life, it occured to me that it must inevitably have seeped into my art as well. Not surprisingly, it has! Here is a sampling of the recent products into or onto which I've incorporated strawberries:
I think my most exciting strawberry creation to date is this set of three strawberry "cookies". I've actually been anxious to blog about these because they are a new product I've been perfecting for literally years! These "cookies" are 100% inedible. No food products were used AT ALL- so theoretically, they'll last forever! I just love them. These are just for display, but I'll have more coming soon that have ribbons on them for hanging as ornaments. I'll let you know when the Christmas "cookies" are ready! Another sneak peek at some of my newest creations: a strawberry cupcake! Like the "cookies" it's completely artificial!

After all my ponderings about strawberries, I was inspired to make a real strawberry dessert. If you thought the fruit pizza was pretty, but easy- you should try this strawberry trifle. It took 25 minutes to make from start to finish and that includes a trip to Brookshires to get the stuff I needed to make it! I bought a sour cream bundt cake (pound cake is fine) from the bakery area, two tubs of cool whip, and a large box of strawberries. I cut the cake into cubes, and cut the tops off of and sliced in half all but a few of the best shaped strawberries which I set aside for the top. Then I got out my trifle dish and layered it: cake cubes, then one tub of Cool Whip, then strawberries (all of them), then cake cubes, then other tub of Cool Whip, and the pretty strawberries I saved for the top. DONE. It was lovely, summery, and a really big hit at Bible study last night! (* try it with a lemon cake, Cool Whip and blueberries or raspberries!)

berry sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Few New Things

2008-07-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of days I've accumulated a few new things I found interesting enough to share so here goes:

I happened upon these Java Pops Monday and had to try them. Apparently they come in five flavors (http://www.javapop.com/), but I only found them in four: vanilla, hazelnut, espresso, and mocha. I got the mocha...but I think next I'll go straight for the espressso.

My verdict? Delicious!! I loved them! They reminded me a bit of a Coke Black- if you recall those- only Java Pop was a bit lighter and more refreshing...and not quite so sweet (plus organic). I find Java Pop to be an excellent alternative to hot coffee for summer. I thoroughly enjoyed it. At around 100 calories a bottle, they won't be something in which I indulge too regularly- but they make the perfect complement to the occasional afternoon snack!
Another trio of superfinds! My mom came to visit for the day yesterday (which accounts for the lack of a blog post) and we did some shopping. Here are my three most exciting purchases- a patchwork jacket, a brown, green, and yellow skirt (to go with my amazing mustard-yellow shoes!) and these dusty rose Converse sneakers.

Last find for now- Gilliam candies. I bought these old-fashioned candies for inspiration and I really liked the picture of them so I thought others might as well. I edited it to look kind of like a painting. I felt the colors were great. These are actually the same brand of candy sticks and drops that Cracker-Barrel carries, but I found them at Big Lots this week. I usually keep a handful of the stick candies around because they're adorable in gift baskets, tied on top of packages or just in a jar sitting around. They're ten cents apiece at Cracker Barrel. These came out to be about the same price, but they all came in a bag so you didn't get to pick your flavors. I was just going for a variety of colors anyway. The old fashioned candy drops (I bought cherry and lemon) are really pretty too and look so sweet in a candy bowl. I actually like them in these little paper bags. Paper bags of candy are somehow inherently happy, I think. The cashier who checked me out the day I bought them smiled when she scanned them and asked where I'd found them. She didn't know they had them and wanted to buy some, too! It was great luck I happened upon lemon drops because I was actually in the market for some. My dear, thoughtful, friend, Valerie, gave me a gift a couple of weeks ago (a "congratulations-you-survived-your-first-show" gift following the peach festival). It was two little ceramic plates; one was shaped like a lemon (see pic) and one was shaped like a pear. They're adorable and look just like me! Proudly, I displayed the lemon on the coffee table (as there are several other lemon-yellow accents in the living room) and decided to save the pear for the same spot come fall. I kept looking at the lemon trying to decide what to put on it and finally decided the perfect lemon plate topper would be lemon drops.

So VOILA- now it's complete...and I love it even more!

Here's reminding you that happiness comes in many forms, among them: coffee soda, pink sneakers and even lemon drops!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Monday Morning Thrifting

2008-07-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to say I have lots of pictures to share today! I got up this morning and could think of nothing I'd rather do than go thrifting. It's been weeks since I've done so and just the thought of going made me incredibly happy. I only hit four of my favorite six thrift stores, but that was plenty for one morning...and I made some very exciting finds so I certainly count my morning a success. Thrift store shopping is always inspirational for me (it's one of my very favorite pastimes) and it's a pretty cheap hobby! Here are the treasures I found today:

Two tins- I love tins, they're great on so many levels. I collect vintage food tins (that collection lives on top of my kitchen cabinets), but these two tins are just for storage use. I found them intersting and they were each less than a dollar so I couldn't pass them up. I'm always looking for places to store buttons and beads and marbles and scrap paper, etc.

This was only $0.75 and it's interesting. I like things with swirls. I'm thinking of spray painting it chartreuse and using it to hold memos in my studio...and maybe Christmas cards during the holidays.

I actually passed this once and didn't realize it's potential, but then it caught my eye as I was leaving and I realized how cute it truly was...and that it was only 50 cents. It must have been used for some kind of flower arrangement because there was styrofoam in it (which I saved for the next flower arrangement I need to make) and it had rafia tied all over. Once I got rid of all that (and scraped off some hotglue gobs) it looked much better...an ideal little green tin craft-supply caddy! The stuff inside: candles- one of my favorite Goodwill's has a huge bin of tapered candles. I pick some up now and then because I collect glass candlesticks...this is a cheap way to fill them with cool colored candles. I loved these light green spirals! copper cookie cutters: I thought these cookie cutters were pretty. Cookie cutters are usually a quarter apiece- these were no exception. These are so pretty I think they may become ornaments for my Christmas tree!

A trio of things: Those beads I found at Hope's Closet- a thrift store that benefits the women's shelter here. It's great as thrift shops go...it actually smells nice, and today I discovered an entire new room there I'd never seen before! Anyway, I pick up old jewelry whenever I find it for use in my craft projects. You can never have too many pearls. The orange ones were a particularly exciting find- I'll be using them for Halloween crafts. The sweet little strawberry embroidery came from Hope's, too. $1. I plan to reframe it in a thicker red or green frame. When I took it out of that frame I was amused to find it was mounted on an old Cheerios box (picture of that below.) Usually, I check the bookshelves at thrift stores for vintage cookbooks because the pictures and colors in them are excellent sources for pastry art inspiration. While I didn't find any today, I did find an old copy of the Old Mr. Boston De Luxe Official Bartender's Guide. It's such a cool little book I had to have it. Plus, hardback books at Hope's are never more than one dollar. In addition to neat pictures on the front inside and back inside covers, there are also pen and ink drawings that I loved peppered throughout the entire book randomly amongst the recipes and some general information about different drinks. I find cocktails intriguing; it's probably all the flavors and colors. There are all sorts of interesting recipes... among are recipes for a Fine & Dandy, an Orange Smile and an Ice Cream Flip!

This is by far one of the most interesting things I've ever found on one of my thrift-store excursions and I stood looking at it for a really long time before I finally decided I'd like to have it. I've always liked ferris wheels. This one is badly tarnished (which I feel gives it considerable character) and used to be a music box. The wheel turned while playing "Around The World In 80 days". I know this because there was an old sticker that said so. It's just adorable. I think I'll paint a picture of it...only maybe a more colorful version. Perhaps Josh can fix it so it will play again. *sidenote: the green and brown checker board I used for this photo backdrop was also a thrift-store find a year or so ago!

Finally, the most exciting treasure I found this thrifting trip is this: a folding dessert server. What makes this find so unbelievable is that just LAST NIGHT I was scrolling through the pictures of petit fours on the internet when I came across a picture of some tiny cakes on what the site called a "folding dessert server". I was intrigued. I love tiered dessert stands and cake plates, but never had I heard of a folding dessert server. Anyway, I began searching for them and found several online for sale. I even found one at http://www.tenderheart.com/ (Tender Heart Treasures is worth a look- a lot of their stuff is too country for my taste, but they have some lovely, afforadable cottage-style accents) that I considered ordering for, like, three seconds. It was $15 plus shipping and I decided pretty quick that was just frivolous...I didn't really NEED a folding dessert server however cute it might be. I decided to wait-maybe I'd happen upon one on sale somewhere one day now that I knew they existed. Then lo and behold, the first thrift store I go to this morning...TADA!...a folding dessert server!! What must the chances of that be? I was absolutely shocked. Each little "plate" is shaped like what I suppose is a silver leaf. It isn't just like the one I'd picked out for $15, but at $2.50 it was well worth it and a far better deal! What's cool about these "folding dessert servers" is that they do just that...fold. This makes storing them far easier than, say, a cake plate. So here's my fabulous find:

*help! no matter what I do this pic
uploads sideways...does anyone know how
to remedy this?

So, that's my thrifting trip in a nutshell! What a happy Monday! Hope yours was happy and treasure-filled, too!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Fruit Pizza and Friends

2008-07-11T12:23:00.000-07:00

Last night, for the first time in awhile, we had some friends over for dinner. It was really nice to have company (and a great excuse to straighten up the house!) We had a really good time just chatting and laughing and I was really proud of how my dinner turned out. The simplest part of the cooking process, by far, was dessert. I've perfected the art of making the easiest, tastiest, fruit pizza ever so I feel an obligation to share my secret. It's the perfect summer dessert!

Here's what you need:
1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 tub Philadelphia Ready-to-Eat Cheesecake Filling
Fruit- I recommend some fresh and at least one pie filling. I chose kiwis and strawberries (fresh), mandarin oranges in a jar, pineapple tidbits, and canned cherry pie filling because I wanted lots of color and because I know from experience these all taste good together.

Slice the cookie dough into thick circles (like, maybe 12-14) then arrange them on your baking sheet (I use a ceramic pizza "pan" so I can bake and serve it all on one plate) a baking stone or regular metal pizza pan, tart tin, or even a regular cookie sheet would do. Since my plate is round I arranged the slices in a circle and then pressed them until they all connected and the resulting circle was about as thick as you'd roll out the dough to make cookies. Bake according to directions. Don't overbake it! If the cookie gets crunchy your slices will fall apart when you serve them. You want a slightly chewy cookie. An easy way to achieve this is to take it out just as the edges begin to brown and tap the pan on the counter or your stove when you take it out. This forces the air out so the cookie falls and makes a dense chewy crust. Let it cool. You could slice your kiwis and strawberries or whatever fruit you chose in the meantime. Once it's cool just spread the cheesecake filling (this stuff is the best thing since sliced bread, believe me!) over the cookie leaving a little space around the edge (I used the whole tub). Then the fun part starts- arranging the fruit! It's like creating artwork! Finally, cover and refrigerate until you serve it. (*When choosing the baking/serving dish make sure it'll fit in your 'fridge!) The possibilities are endless, really. You could use this same "recipe" only use strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blueberry or blackberry pie filling or a combination of all those for a 4th of July picnic, or pick a color scheme: bananas, oranges, pineapple, and peaches, green apples grapes and kiwis, strawberries and raspberries. If you're using fruits like apples or bananas that will brown toss them in lemon juice before you arrange them on the pizza. They'll look better longer. Be sure your fruit is not too wet or juicy when it goes on the pizza (like if you wash your strawberries right before you slice and arrange them the water and juice will run and puddle in the cream-cheese.) It'll still taste alright, it just doesn't look as pretty. Dried fruits and nuts are always great add ons. Also, if you want your fruit to glisten make an easy glaze by heating a clear jelly (like orange, apricot, quince, mayhaw, for example) in a saucepan or in the microwave until it's runny then brush it over your fruit or drizzle it over the whole pizza. Want still another variation? Use chocolate chip cookie dough and then arrange chocolate dipped fresh or dried fruit on top of the cream cheese! You can buy chocolate "fondue" in a microwave safe container that works great for dipping fruit. You literally just microwave and dip...the chocolate hardens in seconds and your fruit will be ready to arrange. Usually you can find this stuff in the baking aisle at your grocery store. It'd be very little more trouble that the original fuit pizza...and it'll look really professional! Happy pizza-making!

Thanks to Josh, Valerie, Jeremy and Jason for being our guests...and for being willing to try my various culinary experiments!sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

A Picture-Perfect Present

2008-07-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

So- here's introducing another new Randi-Original customizable product! This picture frame is a long overdue baby gift for my friend, Kimberly, whose new baby, Addison Rose (daughter number two for Kim and her husband and sister to the lovely little Ella Grace) was born at the beginning of June. I'm sure by now they have lots of pictures of the girls and this will give them a sweet place to display one!

Available in 4X6 or 5x7. Contact me for more info.

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

An Article About Me!

2008-07-09T21:01:00.000-07:00

As usual, I'm behind on everything so I'm just now announcing that I've been featured for the first time on someone else's blog! The lateness of the announcement should in no way reflect on how I feel about it because I am super-excited! It's a relatively new blog all about art in and around north Louisiana- paintings, drawings, photography, and just about anything else cool and handmade! It is diligently authored by my new friend and talented fellow artist and writer, Monica Crowe. So go check us out: www.mynla.blogspot.com. There's lots to see at mynla. I'm featured on July 8- but be sure and look at everyone. I'm continually impressed, intrigued, and inspired by the art that's posted. So many talented artists- such cool people- I'm honored to be among them!

Corsages, Candles and Glitter...oh my!

2008-07-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I made a happy discovery yesterday at Wal-Mart I have to share (though I may be the only one who was yet unaware of this!) In case, like me, you did not know- Wal-Mart now carries a line of Martha Stewart Craft items! I was so excited when I happened upon them. Michael's, too, has Martha Stewart Craft stuff and it's all wonderful, of course (and their selection is much bigger) but it's nice to have the option of getting some of these superb craft supplies right at Wal-Mart! They also had a number of Martha Stewart Wedding items which I loved (favor boxes, crepe paper flowers, print-your-own invitations...this type of thing). Wish they'd had them when I got married! I bought some glitter (this Martha Stewart glitter is my absolute favorite- it's beautiful, very fine and comes in lots of brilliant colors!) and a scalloped rotary cutter blade. The best part about these craft supplies? They're cute...so they look nice sitting around your studio!
Second, I made a trip to Ellis Pottery yesterday and bought some Yankee Candle votives. It's been awhile since I've looked at candles and was pleasantly surprised to find that Yankee has a whole host of new scents for summer and fall. I bought a couple old stand-bys and a couple of new scents: Granny Smith Apple, Farmhouse Apple, Cherry Lemonade, MacIntosh and Peach, and Pomegranate Cider. Typically, when I'm working I like to light a candle or something in the studio to keep things feeling fresh (and offset the smell of paint and glazes and stuff). For awhile now I've had a little scented oil burner with peppermint essence in it (peppermint is said to enhance creativity), but this week it's been all green apple. I found the Granny Smith Apple votive fit perfectly in this little footed punch glass which led me to another thought I decided to share with you. Most punch glasses are just the right size for a regular votive candle and they're pretty easy to find at thrift stores and such. Since there aren't many traditional uses for single punch glasses, they're also often extremely cheap...sometimes just a few cents! A grouping of them makes a perfectly simple tablescape...I tried them in a circle and a line and liked them both. The punch glasses with cut glass pattern cast pretty designs on the table-cloth when the candles were lit. A word of advice, though, if you're using this as a center piece for a dinner party you might want to just use colored unscented votives so they won't compete with the delicious aroma of whatever you're serving...plus, confused noses often lead to confused tasting. Also, chances are your votive will eventually end up as a puddle in the bottom of your punch glass. Fret not- just stick the whole thing in the freezer...the candle wax will come right out and you can reuse your glass for another votive or for something else!

Last but certainly not least I have a new creation for show and tell! I made this "mommy-to-be" corsage for a shower I'm helping with toward the end of the month and thought it turned out really cute! The flower is artificial so it'll last forever and I took great care to ensure everything was stable so it should stay together well. On the whole, it's also remarkably light so it shouldn't pull whatever garment it's placed on. Like it? Need one? Eventually I hope to have some pre-made and available in an Etsy store, but until then if you'd like one customized for your upcoming event (baby or bridal shower maybe?) email me: artsweetart@gmail.com and I'll email you an order form. I can tailor one to match the colors you're planning to use! This size corsage is $25, wrist corsages are $20.

Well, that's all for now- have a happy Wednesday!

Sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

Christmas In July

2008-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

A sneak peek at what I'm working on for Christmas 2008. This is from "The Houses On Peppermint Lane". It's the first of a new series I'm really looking forward to. I have high hopes for Christmas artwork this year...and I'm getting started early! Let me know what you think, and stay "tuned" for more! Oh- and the paper used for the backdrop- a gorgeous print by Cavellini Papers & Co., Inc.

They're stunning printers with exquisite designs. Check them out!

http://www.cavallini.com/

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi

P.S. Due to a recent...ok two recent debates...concerning the comma before the "and" in a series (also known as the Oxford or Harvard comma- as above in sweetly *comma* happily *comma* and artfully)... I am going to try to remember to put it in there because (in both said debates) I was informed not only that I am comma inept in various other capacities, but also that MLA ammended their rules to state this comma is not so much optional anymore, yet I continue to omit it. I make no promises because I used to be a journalism student and was taught for years this particular comma was, in fact, optional. Plus, I am, as aforementioned, comma inept. Nonetheless, I am passing the information on lest you be caught comma-less in a comma-warranted situation. So there.

The Fourth of July Jefferson- Style

2008-07-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

Josh and me at the fireworks

from left to right: Gatsby, Josh, me, my brother, Ross (http://www.rossfrazier.com/)
and finally, Ross's dog, Merlot

just a random house we passed walking to town- all decked out for the fourth!

in the park

my best buddy, Gatsby

Jefferson General Store soda fountain

Baskets of candy at Jefferson General Store- makes me want to paint a picture of an old-fashioned candy store!

Jefferson General Store- how great is this place?

The Old Fudge Shop

Since I've been taking this week off "work" to recover, clean and reorganize following the mad rush to get ready for the peach festival, I have very little art news to post so I'm filling the in-between with personal posts. We (my husband Josh, our dog Gatsby and I- see pictures above) spent the afternoon and evening in the little town where my parents live enjoying a fourth that was just the way the Fourth of July is supposed to be. Jefferson is a "little Louisiana town in Texas" that has around 2200 residents. Somehow, however, that number swells by oftentimes thousands come holidays. We were there for Mardi Gras and were shocked at the turn out and the abundance of activities. The Independence Day celebration, likewise, left nothing to be desired. We had amazing barbecue right off the bat at Riverport Barbecue downtown followed by fudge from The Old Fudge Shop (an adorable old-fashioned store with candy, candy, and more candy, toys, antiques, spices and the like, curiosities and lots of sodas in glass bottles). They have excellent fudge in lots of flavors (my all-time favorite is apricot walnut) plus these absolutely fabulous New Orleans style pralines! There was a homemade ice-cream contest and music in the park where the big white gazebo was surrounded by white lawn chairs and flags. People of all shapes and sizes and ages milled around in patriotic attire with paper fans and bowls of ice cream or hot dogs in wax paper sleeves. There were white tents and kids in red wagons, face painting and a bake sale to benefit the library. It seemed to me to be the quintessential small town fourth of July celebration. We ate ice-cream, we sat and listened to The Sweet Adelines sing good old-school patriotic songs in good old-school barber shop fashion, we grilled hot dogs and ate them outside, then we ended the night at the river watching a spectacular fireworks show on it's banks. It was one of those days that at the end of it, as I sat on a big quilt in the bed of a pick-up truck with a margarita in a styrofoam cup and watched the fireworks race into the sky and burst one on top of the other in a bubbling, brilliant finale, I thought to myself that no matter what happened tomorrow or the next day or the day after that, I would always remember that today was a very good day.
Here's hoping that your fourth, too, was a very good day.

sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

Pieces of Home

2008-07-02T12:54:00.001-07:00

I began this post on Wednesday, but didn't get to finish because the pictures were taking forever to upload! Anyway, I'm finally posting it now. Hope everyone had a wonderful fourth!

***
In honor of house-cleaning day I decided (once my housework was done) to take pictures around the house...these are just pictures of a few of the things that make this house feel like home, inspire me daily, and simply make me happy. Enjoy!!

"It is the main earthly business of a human being to make his home, and the immediate surroundings of his home, as symbolic and significant to his own imagination as he can."
- G. K. Chesterton, The Coloured Lands

sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

Peach Fest 2008

2008-07-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

pendants, trinket boxes, ornaments and picture frames

the art of happiness booth

peach fest specials

magnets, place card holders and notecards

The first artistic item of note since beginning my blog is my participation in the Peach Festival Arts and Crafts Show. It was my very first venture of the kind and I am pleased to announce it was a great success! (And though it was a bit stressful I can also say it was a great deal of fun and something I will most definitely do again.) I began diversifying at the beginning of this year offering magnets, t-shirts, notecards and dishtowels in addition to my original paintings. In the last few weeks I put together quite a collection of the above items as well as picture frames, decorative signs, trinket boxes and pendants. All of these were available in my booth during the two-day show. I took lots of pictures! This should be the perfect first real blog post as it shows all of my products to date and lots of examples of my work. The best part of the weekend was having people walk into my booth and smile and ooh and ahh over everything. Many would walk in and then hurry out to tell their friends or shopping companions. No one came in who didn't leave smiling! Thanks to everyone who came by, especially those who purchased my work (hope you enjoy it for a long time to come!) I owe much gratitude to my family members- Josh, Mae Mae, Pop, Mom, Dad, and Ross- who helped make the whole thing happen (if you've ever been a vendor at a craft show- or helped someone who has- you know how much work it is...and what a small army you need to do it!) They all did too much to list. It's something special to be so loved and supported. I know--and I'm grateful.

Hope you enjoyed the pics- let me know what you think! Thanks so much for reading!

sweetly, happily and artfully yours,

randi

the life and times of a happy artist

2008-07-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

Well- I decided, at long last, to begin a blog. They've been around now for almost a decade and I'm just now jumping on the bandwagon, but I suppose that's because I just now have something to share. I've been an "artist" my whole life, but I've spent the last three years honing my craft and developing a style and now I'm ready to show the world. As I've been creating in these years since I graduated from college I've come to appreciate the blogging world. There are a number of creative blogs I visit regularly that inspire, entertain and encourage me so much so that I've decided I want to be part of that. Perhaps one day (in the not-so-distant future) someone will visit my blog and be inspired, entertained or encouraged. So here, I am putting myself (and my art) out here in blogland hoping to make my art known, to make people smile...and maybe to make some new friends!

sweetly, happily, and artfully yours,

randi