Merry Christmas

I am wishing for you a Christmas full of love, laughter, friends, family, joy....

and some yummy food too of course! :)

I have zillions of cookies just waiting to be devoured. 

We have been baking/decorating machines. Such fun!!

I know for me the last couple of days have flown by. 

So, I am READY for some relaxing & gift giving with my family.

Many Blessings to you all!

XOXO,

Jen

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given" Isaiah 9:6

Seriously....40?

It is the eve of my 40th birthday.

Seriously..... when did I get this old?

Everyone keeps saying, "It is just a number."

And....today, I AM going to believe them.

It IS just a number - and no where near how I feel inside.

I've been told by someone very wise that her 40s are FABULOUS & 

she has never felt better.

I love that. Simple, but true.

I am going to run into 40 with arms wide open - ready to embrace 

all that GOD has for me!

I am ready for some FABULOUS!  :)

My little "almost 40" fabulous self is hoping that between my birthday and Christmas coming next weekend, I am blessed with a little....

Brave Girls

I have been hinting. :) 

I think every girl needs some restoration....no?

OH, and also some of Myste's GUT ART too.

I'll let you know. :) Until then - BE FABULOUS!

Oh gingerbread...

how I love thee. I am not kidding. I love it. I think I adore it so much because it is one of those things I only have in December. Who busts out a gingerbread cookie in summer? And it's not just the cookies I love....

I do flips when I can put this in my coffee

Of course, I would love a Gingerbread Latte from Starbucks every morning , but MY WORD - I can't do that. Cha-Ching!

Then, at Trader Joe's they have a yummy gingerbread cake I spotted and had to try. I am very "Martha Stewart", but sometimes a box is just fine. :) I mean look at this - YUM!

BUT...the best part of my gingerbread holiday obsession is our annual Gingerbread House Decorating Night. We get together with my BFF and her family every year. It is so much FUN! We don't just throw the candy on there. Oh no..... we (the adults, I mean) are serious! :)

Nilla Wafer Roof

It is just too much fun... listening to Christmas music, laughter, children giggling...and being dead serious about our edible works of art. Art you can actually eat - perfect! I don't eat mine though. It becomes part of the holiday decor. My daughter loves taking little nibbles off of her little masterpiece.

I love this tradition. We will continue it for years to come.
And hopefully add more families to join in. :)

I hope you all are knee deep in tradition, love, joy, gratitude, Christmas music & carols, wrapping, baking, and most of family & friends. 

   XO, 

Jen

Loving imperfection

I really like the way this angel princess is turning out. I am SO loving the bigger canvas size too. The 12 x 12 is really fun to work on. Not too intimidating once I get a background or sketch going.
This was on a canvas I pulled out of my closet...
something I picked up awhile ago at a discount shop. 

So I am glad it is not just collecting dust.
She is not quite finished though. 

Of course I think she needs some words, or quote,
or scripture of some kind.  

Heaven forbid I leave it wordless. :)

Funny thing is....even though I love her - she seems a bit lopsided. 

The right side is bigger. The hair...the face..the wing. 

Hmmm, wonder why I did that?

Maybe in preparation for my need to embrace imperfection. :)

I am planning on hanging this in my daughter's room. 

She will absolutely love it. She is my sweetest fan and at times critic. 

She thinks all the girls I paint are her. They could have blue hair and stripes - it is still her. :) In all reality since I adore painting girls...
my daughter...

my little SugarBean...is one of my greatest inspirations.

Have a WONDERFUL week,

Jen

ETSY love...

I love Etsy. I really do. I could spend hours just looking at all the gorgeous handmade things. Drooling over the beautiful pictures...wishing I was a bit better with my camera (in time!). There is so, so much creativity! 

 Many of my friends and family really don't know about Etsy. They look at me with puzzled eyes."What is that?" they ask. I always tell them they have to check it out and see for themselves all the yummy goodness of handmade. Great gifts too, right! 

Ohhh, if they only knew....

the serious need I have for this, oh my gosh or this for my SugarBean, or some vintage, or spruce up the couch with these... see, it could go on & on if I don't keep it in check! :)

All of this to say....I opened my own Etsy shop! EEEKKK!  

Sadie Lane Studio is open. Big step for me...well, let's say big "baby step." There is a lot to learn about Etsy and I just decided to be fearless & open it. It is hard for me to let go of fear. I like to hold on to it like a parachute while skydiving. The exciting part is that I know the shop will evolve. I like things perfect out of the gate...but, I know I have to practice some patience.

 

 SO...

May your holiday preparations be running smoothly and your creativity soaring! I know with all the shopping, decorating, painting, creating, living, giving, baking, tree finding, party planning, and wrapping (I know there is more!) I have to just stop and remind myself to.....

Big Smiles,

Jen

Busy, Busy, Busy....

I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I know we did. But, after all that eating it is back to healthy...at least for 3 weeks until Christmas. :) After hitting some stores on Black Friday, one of the best parts of Thanksgiving break was heading up to Lake Arrowhead for a little of this (EEEKK! So much fun!) ....

LoveBug & Hubs zooming down the hill

And I had lots of time to work on finishing these little whimsies...

Also, I found some time to start on a larger painting. The canvas is 12x12. That is larger than I usually work on, but it seems like a great challenge. I am going to like filling in all that space. I think! :) Do you have a favorite canvas size...OH, and where is the best place to get them??

A new sketch to work on. Yiipppee!

I am working on something super exciting...so I can't wait to share!! :) For now, I hope you have a creative week, full of unexpected blessings.

XOXO,

Jen

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to make a quick post to wish everyone a very BLESSED Thanksgiving! Whether you are gathering with your huge family, or maybe a small group of close friends, or just you & your Love... no matter how you are celebrating.... I hope it is full of joy, laughter, fabulous food, and many special memories!!

AND...cheers to keeping today off my thighs! 

XOXO,

Jen :)

Week of Gratitude

Yosemite Summer 2010

Oh, how I love these three. They are my heart and soul. So, at the beginning of a week focused on thankfulness, how could I not mention my Babe, SugarBean, & LoveBug? :) They bring me the most joy, laughter, silliness, support, hugs, adventures, kisses, and love.

I ADORE you my Loves! I am filled with gratitude for every moment I have with you. Even when I am grouchy. I am one lucky Lady!

I look forward to many love filled adventures ahead.

 What are you most thankful for?

Thankful....

I am so thankful for the creative time I have had over the last couple of days. I have really tried to set aside some time to focus on getting several of my paintings finished and the ones lurking in my head started. :) I don't know about you, but I jump from piece to piece. I am pretty funny. I have canvases, wood plaques, boxes, journals pages all spread out in different stages. I just can't seem to finish one from start to finish. My head jumps around too much or I am constantly hit with inspiration. Thinking about it now...I guess I really like it that way!!

I Believe - 8x10 Mixed Media on Canvas Panel

 This last weekend my kiddies were spending some time at Grandma's and it gave me some uninterrupted time. Of course this "precious" time started with a coffee fix (Hello Pumpkin Spice Latte - OH, how I have missed you!) and Hubby staring at me, as we oddly did not know exactly what to do with ourselves at first. With two little ones usually running around, the silence was almost frightening. But, I got over that quickly!!

Work in Progress....just not sure. :)

 

 

 

It felt great to get so much done. I felt productive & energized. I need to remember how fortunate I am to have those little snippets of time for me....to run off into my little whimsical world of angels, goddesses, and princesses. It is the best ME time! Love, love LOVE it!

Happy Creating,

Jen :)

Art Journaling with Tam

Journal Page - Art, Heart & Healing

This is my first week's assignment in my art journal from Art, Heart & Healing. I have been taking a fabulous course from Tamara Laporte AKA Willowing on her ning site. It is FREE too! So generous. I have been having such a great time & she has interwoven some touching healing activities as well. She is the cutest thing ever & I adore her English accent. I so wish I sounded as darling! :)

For this assignment we were to write down all the negative thoughts we say to ourselves. Then paint over them using various background techniques. After thinking over all those terrible things we tell ourselves, we created a positive saying. This is suppose to be a self portrait. She really doesn't look that much like me. But, she represents me. I like that she looks a wee bit more realistic than usual. So, so fun!

Art & Cupcakes

It has been one of those days. You know the kind of day... where everything just seems a little bit harder. Heavier. Coming from all directions and then just sitting there on my shoulders waiting to bring me down. It has somehow zapped all my energy, reminding me how unexpected the things in life can be. As I sat this morning, just about ready to whip up some cupcakes for my very own pity party, I read this (amazing) and saw this (too cute).

Then this was waiting for me..........

And these hands were reaching out for me.........

I was reminded that I will never be given more than I can handle. For every burden I carry...there is someone carrying 10 times more. And I am thankful.... full of gratitude that I am here surrounded by so much goodness. It is exactly as it should be.

The one great gift that art gives me is that no matter what is going on....I can paint. TO DO list monumental - paint. Bad hair day - paint. Someone hurt my feelings - paint. Wrinkles marching across my face - no problem, paint! :) It just seems to make things a little bit better.

Tomorrow is bright...and amazing....and exciting! Even though the pity party was canceled, I will still bust out some awesome cupcakes. They always make things better. :)

For the Love of Fall

I love Fall. ADORE it. I seriously love every inch of Fall..... changing leaves, cool crisp days, the return of pumpkin spice lattes, dusting off my boots, cozy blankets, maple scones, Thanksgiving, and so much more. However, I live in sunny, southern California and rarely put away my flip flops. Today was HOT! I mean really HOT! I know the calendar says November, but when I dropped my daughter off for afternoon kindergarten, the temperature read 96 degrees. Really!!? So even though it feels like a summer day, I am going to dream of beautiful autumn weather and continue to look at all the amazing pictures of fall I see everywhere!

Funny thing is.....even though I love fall....I have this sitting on my table. My inspiration has jumped straight to Christmas. I am still working on her and not sure where I'll end up with it. But, I am SO trying to resist putting wings on her. :)

I have been using some water soluble crayons, mainly for blending on the face and backgrounds. I love them! I have been wanting to try them after seeing several artists using them. So I ran to Micheal's and bought a very inexpensive box. I am now officially addicted. Love, love, love! So I can only imagine how fabulous a more expensive brand like Caran d'Ache would be. Hmmm, something to add to my Christmas list! :)

Jumping In....

For days I have been thinking and re-thinking what I should write for my very first blog post. Seriously trying to think of just the perfect words to write....of course exposing my hang up with perfectionism! :) But, I have realized that I just need to jump in. Just be honest and write from my heart. I need to jump in and join this amazing community of creative women. I have been so inspired by such talented, wonderful artists and blogs. What I love most about these ladies is their truth, heart, and journey as they choose to live a creative life.  So this blog is my brave attempt to share my journey and the inspirations I find.

I am really excited, like a little girl on Christmas morning. You know that uneasy but happy feeling you get when you are going to start something new. That's me...total butterflies. It's like I am a child again sitting on the edge of my Aunt's pool. All around  my cousins and friends are diving in with no fear....beautiful dives, huge belly flops, graceful bodies jumping in. Fearless. I, of course, take forever. First I dip the big toe. Then ease my way on to the steps, taking a seat along the side to wait for the perfect time to slide in. Well, this time no easing in. I have  my paintbrushes in my hand, butterflies in my tummy,  and I am jumping in! Brave and Fearless. Wish me luck! :)