No Artwalk tonight

Well, I won't be participating in the Chandler Artwalk tonight....for any of you locals that are interested (hi linda). I have just been too busy to make extra inventory and I thought I might look a little ridiculous sitting at my table with 2 cupcakes, 1 cake and a butterfly for sale. I'm going to work extra hard to be ready for May (hopefully).
Yesterday, I spent the whole day at the University for orientation for the incoming Freshman. Daughter #3 will be attending in the fall (on a full scholarship-Yay!!!!) and yesterday we were given a taste of what University life is all about. My husband went to college, but I did not, so this was quite a new experience for me. After we left, I told my husband that I was soooo excited about the whole experience that I may want to go to college too. I'm not sure for what.....maybe an art degree. He told me to go for it. We'll see if I change my mind after the excitement wears off.
Soooo anyway, I thought I'd share some pictures of my yard. The flowers next to my mosaic pathway in the front yard are doing Great! It's a mixture of perennials and wild flowers for right now. When the heat comes, I'll probably have to replant something like Vinca. Oh, and that's my yellow Scion in the background. I LOVE that car!!!!


The roses are starting to bloom on the arbor. This side has the pale yellow roses and the other side is also starting to bloom with peachy-pink roses.






Check out this beautiful vine. This vine has gone crazy! It is everywhere! It's even covered my neighbor's shed. Thank goodness he doesn't mind. I LOVE the yellow flowers on it!!


Here's the wall I've been painting blue that surrounds the pool, that I talked about in an earlier post. I have a lot of work to do in this area. I'm not a big fan of decorative rock and the pool is surrounded by them. Matter of fact, when we first moved to this house, a big portion of the front and back yard were covered in rock. YUCK!!! We've been removing the rock over the years and replacing with GREEN. The pool area is the last of it. This area needs plants and decorative planters and possibly a mosaic mermaid on the wall. :-)

New Boutique

I LOVE a Boutique!!!! Especially one that specializes in the Shabby Chic look!!
On Saturday, I had to run to Phoenix to pick up a piece from a gallery. I had no intention of doing any shopping, but then.....as I was driving up 7th Avenue, I saw it.....A New Boutique called
Rust and Roses. Well, I said, that sounds like my kind of place, so I turned the car around and went in. I'msoooo glad I did, because not only is this boutique FABULOUS, but I know the owner! She formerly co-owned Chateau Chic, but now owns her very own boutique Rust and Roses. Her name is Shelly and she is just a doll! So, do yourself a favor and take a drive down to Phoenix and check out this new boutique. I know my picture is a bit blurry, but it reads:
4200 N. 7th Avenue
Phoenix, Arizona
602-264-4999
Hours: Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm
I picked up these rusty metal bins from there. The pink one is on my back patio table and I think I'll put little pots of pink flowers in it. The gold and aqua bins are possibly going into my family room after I give them a little scrubbing. I'd love some ideas from you folks on these.
She even had an old pink claw foot tub! I wish I could afford it!
Well, back to work.....mosaic cupcakes and cakes to finish and I'm painting my block wall around the pool......bright blue!! I'll share later.......

Mosaic Butterfly Finished

I finally added my Peace and Love Butterfly to my website. It took me long enough! :-)

I was inspired by John Mayer's song Waiting on the World to Change. I LOVE that song and daughter #3 Loves him! ;-)

If you're interested in this peaceful butterfly, go here.

Mosaic Cupcakes have been very popular and keeping me very busy!! Yay!!!!! Especially the Nest Cupcake. I'm literally making cupcakes as they're ordered, so if you see something you like and it's sold, feel free to shoot me an email and request something similar.

Before I head back to work, I must share daughter #4 blowing out her 15 candles last night. Magical...........

Final Pictures of room re-do

Hello Everyone! So sorry to be gone so long. This last week I have been swamped at the SAMA conference. I had very early mornings and very late nights, but I had a blast!! I met some of the most amazing and talented mosaic artists. It was sooooo fun chatting with someone who has the same interests as you do. AND talk about nice people!!!! These artists were awesome and generous!! Anyway, I can't wait until next year!! Although, I'm not sure I'll hold a coordinator position again, so I can have more time to play. If any of you are interested in joining SAMA, shoot me an email and I'll send you the info.

So, finally, I'm posting the final pictures of my daughter's room re-do. I purchased this vintage globe at the flea market. It's not in the final picture, as I bought it after she saw the room. She loves globes and I think this globe is just one of the final touches this room needed.

Next, another purchase from Ikea. I bought this chair awhile ago, but we finally just pulled it out of the box and put it together. I like the modern twist it adds to the room and it's very comfortable AND the cost was around $20!

Here is a vanity that has been in our family for several years. It actually belonged to my Great Grandmother. The finish on it had seen better days, so a couple of years ago I added this paint job to it. I really like the way it turned out and if my Great Grandmother were alive today, I think she would be happy to know that another generation is happily using it. As you can see, my daughter is currently using it for her laptop and printer, however, this isn't working out too well, as she also applies her makeup there. We're currently looking for a slim table, possibly a tall hall table to move the laptop and printer to.

Here is the photo of my daughter when she walked into her room. She wassoooooshocked and surprised.
Leopard bedding, of course. The little blue pillows in the background are another purchase from Ikea. They were a whopping 99 cents a piece!!!!!! The globe from above pictures, now sits where the fan is. I would've taken another picture of the room, but let's just say it's already a little messy. TEENAGERS!!! (I'll try to get her to straighten it up, so I can get a better picture).
I put the bed at a slight angle and hung the curtain rod across the ceiling for the dramatic hanging of the pink drapes. Notice, I still need to make the covering for the chandelier cord. It's going to be leopardas well.
She's pretty happy with her new room and Emma the pug, just wants to know what's in the pink bag.

Re-do Continued...

Part of the window treatment is also a find from my garage. The bark cloth was a steal at 10 cents at a garage sale down the street. I knew I'd use it for something someday. The black shawl on top of the bark cloth was a donation from my neighbor Janice. She picked it up at the dollar store, but wasn't able to use it and when I told her that I was re-doing my daughter's room, she was more than happy to make a contribution. (I have some really great neighbors!)









In one of the earlier posts, I said that I had 
picked up some great buys at Ikea. Well, this
awesome chandelier was one of them. The grand
total for the chandelier and the lighting attach-
ment that goes with it, was a mere $20. Yahoo!
Isn't it beautiful! I'm going to make a covering for the cord, but just haven't had the time yet.
The pink drapery panels behind the chandelier are also from Ikea. I think I paid $14 for them. They had lots of different colors to choose from and you can use them for so many things. I even use them under my table cloths to add another layer of color.


Another find from the garage was this large picture frame.
I believe I got it for $2 at a garage sale in the neighborhood.
I spray painted it a copper color and then tacked this map
of France in the center. The map is actually a paper pur-
chase from the scrapbook store....really cheap, but great
look.














These two pieces of art were picked up at an
art festival. They are prints of the originals. If
you like the artist's work, but can't afford the
originals, prints are the next best thing. I Love
the bright colors that these artists use. Well,
that's all for now. I'll post more tomorrow. ;-)

Next Phase of Room

Here's the next phase of my daughter's room re-do. First I went looking through my garage and found this headboard that I had purchased sometime ago from Goodwill for $5.00! At one time, my husband said I had a headboard addiction. He said that I was the only person he knew that collected headboards.....that is until I moved onto chairs.....but that's a story for another time. :-)







Well, as you can see, I painted the headboard black. I used a satin finish for it. I think the black paint really makes the old headboard look classy and of course now, it will be something that my daughter likes.















Okay, now onto the next piece of furniture. This
(ugly) bedside table has been in our house for
years, but I can't remember where it came from.
Maybe it belonged to my husband when he was
in college? I'm not sure. The only thing I am sure
of is that I can't believe we still have this ugly piece of furniture roaming
around the house. I think each daughter has
had it in their room at one time and we haven't
done anything to spruce it up....until now.


I found this zebra gift wrap at Michael's and I decoupaged it onto the bedside table. I then painted the top black and the inside cubby black and added the pink rose knob. I had the pink knob lying around, so I used it, but I may go to Anthropologie and see if I can find a red knob. I remember seeing metal red rose knobs there and I think that would better fit with the decor.


I'll post more pics tomorrow of the transformation. The final re-do turned out Fabulous!!!

Room Painted

The room is now painted. Isn't this color just beautiful! If you could see the bottom of this picture......well, let's just say very messy. She is a teenager after all, and they aren't known for their neatness....well, most of them anyway. I picked up all the dirty laundry and put it in her hamper, put the trash in a trash bag that's now sitting on top of her bed along with a lot of other stuff that I wasn't sure what to do with. I'll deal with "the pile" later. I went to Ikea last night (where daughter #3 works) and picked up lighting, sheets, curtains, pillows for about $50 (yahoo!) Now, I just need to dig through my garage and see if I can find anything that will add some charm to this room. But not too much charm.....she's not the girlie girl type.
I have 3 appointments today and this room to get decorated and somehow I don't think I'll be lucky enough to not have to deal with a SAMA problem today, but I am determined to get this room done before she gets home....which is TOMORROW (aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!)

The color is called Sea Exposure

In yesterday's post, I told you that I was painting my youngest daughter's room while she vacations in California. Well, the center color is the color I picked. It's from Lowe's, the Valspar brand (what happened to American Tradition?) and it's called Sea Exposure. Isn't it beautiful?! She pointed this color out to me a while back (or something similar) so I think I made the right choice.
I have the room half way done and it is stunning! I had hoped to finish it, but too many SAMA conference fires to put out. I'll be glad when next week is over. Oh, and I had Bunco last night. What fun!! I didn't get home until 1:00 a.m. !!!!
Well, back to painting. I'm already behind today.

Spring is in the air

Well , Miss Artsymama, it's finally done! Your little Spring Mosaic Egg and Nest is on it's way today. I hope you like it!!!
I'm thinking I need to make one for me now! But, first, I must paint my youngest daughter's room today. She's actually in California at Disneyland right now with friends for Spring-Break. She has a birthday coming up....the big 15! She's been begging me to redecorate her room forever now and I just haven't had the time and this will be the 3rd re-do in 6 years, but I was thinking I could maybe surprise her with a redecorated room for her return. I think she may just like this birthday present! I think she's looking for the Junk Gypsy look. I hope I can pull together enough time to pull this off! Wish me luck on this will ya :-)
My Lady Banks Roses are in bloom! Sooooo Beautiful! We had a lot of freeze damage in Arizona this winter, so everything is looking a little brown and sad. But not this beauty! She's reminding me that Spring is here and oh, of course, the temps are in the 
80's and 90's right now. I LOVE IT!!!! My Favorite time
of the year!!!!

Sometimes you meet the nicest people......

There is soooooo much work that goes into setting up for an Art Show or an Art walk that I truly do not like participating in them. Matter of fact, each month I say to myself and anyone listening that I'm not going to do this next month. Then I meet some of the nicest people that stop by and chat and before you know it, I'm signing up for the next month.
At the Chandler Art Walk last week, I met the nicest woman named Dayl. She is now the owner of this pretty little mosaic cake and a couple of mosaic cupcakes. She stopped by my house last week and poor thing, I about talked her head off! I tend to do that when I really click with someone. So now, I suppose I'll be at the Art Walk next month. You just never know who you'll meet.
Now I'm off to finish up something very cute for Miss Artsy Mama and of course there's all of that SAMA volunteer work that I'm drowning in. Talk to you soon my dears!!

Chandler Artwalk Tonight

For any of you locals interested, Chandler Artwalk is tonight in downtown Chandler from

5-9 p.m.

All I can say is I hope I have the energy to set up for it! I stayed up until 3 a.m making this butterfly. I still need to grout it, but I'm hoping to take it with me tonight. I am one tired girl!!!!

I did get the bills paid, the cupcakes mailed and the laundry done and a lot of Mosaic Conference stuff taken care of. Tomorow the house gets scrubbed!!!! Well, gotta go........I smell the coffeeeeeeeeeee

Feeling a little overwhelmed

Today, I am feeling a little over whelmed. I didn't mention it before, but for the past few months, I've been working as a volunteer for the Society of Mosaic Artists. They are having their big annual conference in Arizona this year and I am their Vendor Marketplace Coordinator. The conference is March 21-25 and as the date gets closer, things are getting crazier and crazier! I'm guessing that I'll think twice next time I feel like raising my hand to help.
Anyway, my husband finally went back to work today (yay!). He's doing much better! I love him very much, but let's just say that him being home for a week and a half has made my life just a little crazier! Daughter #3 was having some lower abdominal pains during this time.....bad enough that I had to take her into the doctor and after several tests, everything seems to be fine. Not sure what it was, but hope it doesn't come back. And then there's daughter #2.........I don't even have the energy to go into that, but let's just say I have a worry knot on the side of my head just for her. My house is a mess, the laundry is piling up, bills need paid, cupcakes need to be mailed, and so on and so on. So, like I said, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today. Now, for something lighter......the next mosaic project I have on the mind is Butterflies :-)
Have a great day everyone!! And thanks for listening.

Red Dog Art Gallery & Art Detour Weekend

It's a Dog's Life. A group exhibition at Red Dog Art Gallery in downtown Phoenix March 2-4
The gallery's address is 812 N. 3rd Street, Phoenix. The gallery is part of Art Detour.
For any of you locals who may be looking for something to do this weekend, come and check out Art Detour. There will be hundreds of artists and lots of galleries open for this artist event. Get more informationhere.
Red Dog Art Gallery is a very cool gallery with a lot of really cool dog art, as well as, other great art.
The exhibition this weekend called for dog art, as well as, kitty work.
I worked like crazy to get my mosaic dog piece done. It is pretty good size. I think it's 27 x 22. I've never owned a dalmation, but I thought the colors of a dalmation would work good for a mosaic. Then I wanted to be able to use a lot of different colors somewhere, so I decided to add a ball. Still not enough color, so I decided to design a sweater for my dog, who's name by the way is Lucky. I went to PetSmart and had a real dog tag made for my doggy.

Here's a close-up.
I should be at Red Dog Gallery off and on this weekend including First Friday, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello.
Woof! :-)

Cupcake for Spring

Here's my newest little cupcake. I'm ready for Spring!

I used several pieces of vintage china from several different china patterns in all the fresh Spring colors. Then I painted the little egg and put it on top and added the wings that are made from a vintage book. To finish it off, I made the little nest around the egg. I'll be making several of these, so if you're interested, they can be purchased here. Of course, they will all be a little different, as I'm using several pieces of vintage china.

Take care!!

Michelle

More Cupcakes!!!

More Cupcakes!!!!
This colorful and fun cupcake is going to Miss Amanda in Nebraska!
I can tell from Amanda's email that she is one Great Mama!!
She wanted her cupcake to read
"More Cake" as it is what her little boy said one day in a low little growl that made everyone laugh. She also lovingly refers to him as little monkey, hence the name on the back of the cupcake. I designed the cupcake from one of Amanda's personal art pieces that she has posted on her blog. She is a wonderful artist!! Enjoy your cupcake Miss Amanda!

This lovely cupcake is going all the way to Massachusetts!! Carol says that the letters in the cupcakes remind her of the baby bracelets that hospitals used to give to newborn babies.
What a lovely memory!!!
Carol is also a very talented artist!! Check out herwebsite!! Enjoy your cupcake Miss Carol!!!

I have been soooooo busy this last couple of days finishing up my mosaic dog piece for Red Dog Art Gallery. I have to turn it in tomorrow. It's about complete (you know me....last minute) and I'll share pictures in a couple of days.

Amber's Cupcake

This sweet little cupcake is going to Miss Amber in sunny California! Her colors are pink and aqua so I think this cupcake will look fabulous in her house. I like how the cherry looks like it's been dusted with pink sugar. YUM!

A sweet cupcake for a very sweet person!! Enjoy Amber!!!

More cupcakes are coming up soon!

p.s. The hubby is doing great!!! :-)

I'll post a picture tomorrow

Hello People~

I will not be posting a picture today, but I will post one tomorrow. My hubby had surgery at Mayo Hospital yesterday. He is doing fine and I think I get to bring him home today. I was there all day yesterday, from early (and I mean early) morning to later in the evening. Then it took me 2 hours to drive home because of traffic.......oops.....hold on.......the phone just rang and it was the hubby saying that he can come home. So, back on the road! Hopefully it doesn't take me 2 hours to get there, but it might since it's 7:00 a.m. and that means rush hour traffic. (ugh)
Talk to you tomorrow! Oh, and I have more cupcakes to share! :-)

Queen of Cute!

Queen of Cute Cupcake!! This little cupcake is on its way to St. Louis, MO. Yay!!

Well, back to work!

p.s. I found the article in the Tribune from February's Artwalk. It posted on 2/12/07. They posted a statement from me, but they didn't include a picture. (bummer)

Cool Gifts & Cupcakes

I'm so happy, so so happy!!! I'm doing the Happy Dance!! Look at what I got from my so cool friend Jenny! Jenny's Hostess Cupcakes! So YUMMY!!!!! Jenny and Aaron create the coolest bakery signs ever! Go & check out their blog at Everyday is a Holiday and click on their Ebay store! I think I'm going to redecorate my kitchen with bakery items now, so I'll be visiting their site for some more cool stuff! :-)
In yesterday's post, I said that my husband was hiding a black sack in his camper. Well, this is what was in the black sack! Isn't it sooooooooo sweet! Lots of silver and gold hearts. I'm not much of a jewelry person, but I LOVE this! I LOVE that man!!!!!!!!
Here is a cupcake that was ordered by Marion from Sincredible Pastries. Check her out! She makes the most lovely cakes and other stuff too!!! I wish I could taste them through the computer! :-) Enjoy your cupcake Marion!!!!!
And finally, this sweet little cupcake is going to Lorraine. She says her whole house is decorated in pink and aqua, so this cupcake will be very fitting!!! I bet your house is Beautiful Lorraine!!
Well, that's all for now. More cupcakes and cakes to make and I'm working on a mosaic dog for an art show......this should be interesting! :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think I've done every craft imaginable. Here is a paper-mache doll I made a couple of years ago. Queen of Hearts I call her. Making her was quite time consuming, but very fulfilling. I made a witch around the same time and when I find a niche of time, I think I'll get out my supplies and make something else. I think I'd like to make something for every month of the year. A rabbit for Easter would be fun.
Miss Queen of Heart's little purse and the "Q's" and little hearts on her chest were made with polymer clay. As were the little hearts on
her crown. So Fun.
Today will be a very busy day, as I am putting the finishing touches on a couple of mosaic cupcakes for a couple of nice gals and I promised my family I would make a red velvet cake for this Valentine holiday. I also need to go to the store and find something yummy for dinner. I refuse to pay the prices that these restaurants charge for Valentine dinners! $200!!! Come on! Do you know how many craft supplies a girl can buy with that much cash?!!
Anyway...... I haven't gotten my husband a Valentine card yet! (I'm such a Bad Girl!) So, I must run out and find something nice and hope that everything isn't totally picked over. I guess I could always pull out some supplies and make his something nice....hmmmmm.
Especially since I found this.......................




What a sweetie that husband of mine is! I awoke to find this waiting for me in the kitchen. I also know that he hid something that is in a black sack in his camper.Ooooooooh I can hardly wait! I'm not much of a jewelry fan unless it's something funky or something vintage. Whatever it is, I'll be totally grateful!!! I mean he took the time to care. What more could one want!
Happy Valentine's Day to you all and daughter #2, if you're reading this, I LOVE you!!!! (please take care)
Love,
Michelle (Mom)

Garden on the mind

The newspaper says it's time to plant flower seeds, so yesterday I picked up the above flower seed packets at Home Depot. Now, the trick is making the time to get outside and plant them. I believe I have an idea of where I want each of these beauties to be planted, but I know that it is going to take a few hours to get it done and I'm looking at my schedule and wondering how am I going to fit this in. It rained yesterday and I kept saying to my husband *I wish I had those seeds planted already* The rain does wonders for our plants here in the desert. Yesterday, I spent some time in Phoenix talking to some local artists (I love doing that) and then I went and bought a new camera, since I've had mine for a few years and the mega pixels on it are only 3.1. Of course, the new camera is still in the box and the above picture was taken with the old camera.....another item on my to-do list. I did watch the Grammys last night, but while making plaster cupcakes for mosaic adornment today. Another item on my to-do list............
is to mail this lovely mosaic cake to Amber in California. Congratulations Amber! I hope you'll Love it as much as I do!

Sweet Cake!

Here is one of my newest cakes. Her name is Sweet Cake and sweet she is! I'm enjoying making cakes in my studio instead of in the kitchen! These cakes don't taste as good as the real thing, but they do have less calories! (Ha!) If you want to see more details and more cakes, go here! Well, I must get back to the studio, as I have cupcake orders! (Yay!)

Chandler Artwalk Tonight

Tonight is the first night of Chandler Artwalk. The Artwalk will take place every 1st Wednesday of the month. Looks like we're going to have some nice weather! This should be fun! If you are a local, come and visit from 5-9 p.m. in downtown Chandler.

Girlfriend Valentine Party!!! (part 1)

These two pictures are of the girlfriends that came to my Valentine Party/Craft Party/Birthday Party. There's Kat(purple), Shelly, Donna, Ann, Lisa and DeAnn(birthday girl).............
Then there's Mary(red), Me and Regina. Melissa(not shown) had to leave early. As you can see, we are hard at work making a Valentine Craft Project. We crafted, ate and drank for hours!! We had the best time!!!!!!!!! I LOVE having girlfriends!!!!!!!!!!! Check out more pictures below.