I sold a painting!!

I still get excited after all these years when I sell a painting. And I sold one today!!! Thanks Erin! My creative gift will always amaze me. And I am always thankful for it. I believe that we are all just channels and God works through us to create art, and our lives, and everything we do. "Art is a divine collaboration. A sacred covenant between the artist and the Great Creator" Breathnak

A beautiful Day and a 4-wheeler ride.

It was another beautiful day yesterday. We went on a 4-wheeler ride to check out the horses. We started out on two 4-wheelers and then mine ran out of gas or something. So we ended up on one, and the moral of the story is just take one 4-wheeler! That's lots more fun anyway. The horses were beautiful and I took lots of pictures. The sun was starting to set and it got really cold really fast. But that is the best time of day to take photos. The light is just amazing.

And I got some really great pictures. We made it back just before it got dark. It was a great day!

New painting technique

I have been creating really bright colored, abstract paintings lately. I had been using a really big brush to paint, then I started using my palette knife. It gave a great texture and covered the canvas much faster, but I wanted something that held more paint. So I had this Idea to use and old credit card to spread the paint. It gave great texture and I was able to put two to three colors on at once. "The abstraction is often the most tangible form for the things that I can only clarify in paint" Georgia O'keeffe.

Christmas Cloak

I just made the most beautiful cloak for Christmas. It is reversible garnet red and fir green velvet. It is so soft and warm and makes me want to go caroling or to a Christmas party. It's so great because it is easily turned around. One day you can wear red on the outside and the other day green.

I listed it on my Etsy site today. www.mwestdesigns.etsy.com

wall around your heart

I have many sketchbooks full of quotes and poems. I was going through an old one today and found this by Mary Chapman Carpenter. It's a song called Wall Around Your Heart. It's about faith and taking a chance.

It starts at the place that two people face each other merely by chance
abandoned by words and the purpose they serve
it stops them right in their tracks
how long has it been since this feeling within
has made you forget who you are

and lets you believe once more in the moon
and lets you have faith again in the stars
and lets you go free 'cause someone broke through
the wall 'round your heart

Now the world is unkind most of the time
and most of the time we survive
hard luck and losses and love's double crosses
that all broken hearts seem to find
after giving too much now they're afraid of the touch
'cause the last time it just left a scar

but if you believe once more in the moon
and if you have faith again in the stars
and you can go free 'cause someone broke through
the wall around your heart

There's wall made of steel
there's walls made of stone
but none are so strong as the walls made of fear alone

Sooner or later it's old human nature
propelling you forward again
it's the step a turn and a glance
asking where in the world have you been
but you don't have to answer 'cause now you're a dancer
and the music is ready to start

and you can believe once more in the moon
and you can have faith again in the stars
and you can go free 'cause someone broke through
the wall around your heart

Advertising my etsy site

I have been looking for ways to advertise my Etsy site and I have found some great ideas. First is business cards. I put several in every package I send, and give them out to everyone. I also made flyers on my computer that say buy handmade and list my site with pictures. These go out in every package I mail also. Plus I ordered a return address label and stamp every letter and package several times. Stickers are good too. They can go on every piece of outgoing mail. Even bills I mail get stamped or stickered or business cards. I figure that lots of people handle the mail so why not do some advertising. I bought a bumper sticker for my car. If someone behind me then they will see it. I want to make t-shirts with beautiful pictures on them and my etsy site. The latest thing I learned about was the showcase on Etsy. Basically it's advertising in the different categories on Etsy. Some of them are hard to get, and you have to check back often. I did get one on the Storque page and I am going to list more blank books and get a spot on the books and zines. I'm sure there are lots more ideas, but this is what I've found so far.

Irish walking cape

There have been several magazines sellingIrish walking capes recently. The are a beautiful wool ponch/cape and they retail for $250-$500. I have been trying to figure out how to make them with no luck. Until yesterday. The nicest woman has a handmade wool one that she let me look at. Her's is beautiful shades of purple with cranberry. Two pockets and a button on the side. A zipper up the front and a collar. Very simple but quite striking. I would change the aipper and add a button or two at the neck so that it would overlap. I am going to expand my cape line to include these. I think I will start out with fleece until I can find a good supplier of wool.