For the challenge this week, I have finished another commission painting called 'The Red Dress'. It's a 20x24" mixed media and acrylic piece on gallery-wrapped canvas. I had a lot of fun painting this, and I hope the recipient loves it, too!!

For my 'Let Your Art Guide You' this week, I'm delighted to present 'With Arms Wide Open'. This was a commission painting that a father had me paint for his young daughter on her 5th birthday. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he is unable to see his daughter as much as he would wish. He wants her to know how much he loves her, even though he's not around, so he had me paint this as a token of his love to her. I am honoured that he would have me paint something so dear to his heart. Such a lovely man.

I was filled with emotion while painting this. I wanted it to be perfect. I made his hands slightly bigger than I normally would because I wanted her to know that her dad's love is strong and will always take care of her. I made the sky brighter around her head, and it has a pearlized sheen to symbolize that she is the light in his life, his angel. The accessory in her hair is symbolic of a halo.

I hope you all enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed painting it!

Another week, another submission to 'Let Your Art Guide You'. As you're all probably aware, I've started an art journal. I figured today's entry was a perfect submission for the LYAGY deal! This is, indeed, letting my art guide me! She's all about sparkling!



Also, a couple new and exciting things! I got a poppet in the mail as part of a swap with a lovely lady named Edel. She came all the way from Ireland! Sapphire opened her up and decided that she should be named Chaina. She's wonderful and whimsical. I'm very happy to have done this swap with Edel! She also included some Irish drinking socks, (lol) a clover phone charm and some chocolate! Yay!



And last but not least, I wanted to let it be known that some of my work was featured on craftster! Woo hoo! I made these costumes without a pattern a couple years ago for my boys. I'm pretty proud of them and think they turned out really well!

My mom is coming to stay for a while, and I have a load of things on my plate to get done before she gets here. First off, is the bedroom. I have to clean out one of the boys' rooms and make it into her room. And then I have to go out and buy a bunk bed so that the boys can comfortably share a room.

This art journal entry is about me, trying to figure out how to get everything done. No easy task for someone who isn't good at organizing!

So I wanted to reflect this in my art journal. The art on the right is mine. She's made with pencil crayons, glitter, candy wrapper, pen, ink, and paint. The art on the left is just something I printed off etsy because she inspired me. I like to keep things that inspire me close by. You never know when you'll need inspiration!

I had yet another swap to finish, and have decided to use this as my submission for my Let Your Art Guide You this week. It's a mixed media on wood piece. The camera's lens is a little round mirror, so every time you look at it, it takes a snapshot of you :)

I've been really busy with swaps lately! I finished one that I've been working on for a couple days. It's another acrylic and mixed media piece and it's for a wonderful lady in Ireland who is creating a wicked cool poppet for me! I'm so excited! A little mystical poppet from Ireland! Woo hoo!!! I sure hope she likes her painting!

Ok, so what do you do when you have too much of this...

...and this lying around?

Why...you make THIS of course! At least that's what I did today! I just coarsely chopped a whole mound of white and milk chocolate and put it in my favourite cookie recipe...and I'm pretty sure they're decadent-tasting (although I don't know first-hand because I don't dare touch them!)!

But anyhow, I think I'll probably just bake up lots of batches of muffins and cookies and chocolate chip zucchini bread and freeze some for later!

I am so thrilled and in love with this doll, that I can scarcely express myself. I did another swap recently with a lovely lady in Washington named Meredith. She doesn't have an etsy store or any website to showcase her beautiful work, but here's a link to where she posted my beautiful doll. Please visit and leave her the wonderful comments she so richly deserves! This doll is named Breeze. She was made as an heirloom gift for my little Sapphire. Isn't she WONDERFUL??????

Inspirational moments seem to be few and far between when it comes to painting these days...and it's a real pain in the you-know-what, because I have a few commissions that I need to start (and finish) and an equal amount of swaps that need to get done! Ack! Deedra...get your butt in gear!

Anyhow, for my submission for Let You Art Guide you, Week 8, I present to you...

Face in Brambles


It's an 8x10 mixed media and acrylic piece on stretched canvas. Hope you like it!