We have a winner!

This is just quick post to let you know we picked a winner for the membership! Sephora was drawn at random by my husband :) Contact me! My email address is to the right.

I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween! The weather is beautiful here, perfect for football and trick or treating!

Your not too late to join the card club, I have 8 memberships left! If you join before November 15 you will receive the November "Blessings" card. After that you will get the December members only card. Join to the right, the paypal button is ready!

More details on the club are right HERE

One last Witch...

for Halloween :) BEST WITCHES for a fun week filled with all things spooky and scary!

Post a comment on the post below with a video for your chance to win a SouthEnd girl cards for a year membership FREE!! Hey ladies tell your guys what a great gift idea this is.....easy!

I have about 10 memberships left, the November card pictured on the right is shipping at the end of the week!

Check out the latest issue of Somerset Studio, you will see my Christmas angels! More on that later :)

Monday Morning UPDATE:

Just a quick shop update: I am full for the holidays!! I have cards listed, originals and a bunch of prints! I will be removing a couple of the originals to take to the gallery for the annual Christmas walk, so if you have your eye on something let me know :) I just listed GIFT CERTIFICATES! they make a great gift, and I will gift wrap each one for you! My give away, which is below a few posts down, will end tomorrow night....get your comments in for a chance to win a year of free cards! If you do not win.....it is still a great deal. I have a few memberships left, the card for November is on the sidebar. New membership cards are going out at the end of this week. Each membership comes with a welcome post card, the CARD of the month, a special member only offer for my store! PLUS wrapped all pretty :)

PLEASE REMEMBER if you want this as a gift for someone I can hold off on shipment until the second week of December, all memberships come with details and a gift card, so they know who it came from and what the card of the month is......oh and gift wrapped..... soooo quick and easy gift giving!

I will stop taking custom orders very soon, if you are thinking about Christmas gifts, please know I need at least three-four weeks for delivery by Christmas.

IN THE NEWS: please visit the Christie Anderson RACK PACK foundation website

One of my very favorite clients created a beautiful website and foundation in honor of her daughter. I was lucky enough to be asked to create a piece of artwork for their foundation. My painting is on the website, please check it out, they do a spectacular job of remembering Christie and helping others in need .

Find a little FREEDOM

This week I have spent time trying to catch up on getting ready for the holidays! I have my ETSY shop filled to the brim with new art and new ideas. I have over 30 card designs and nearly 20 original paintings listed.... PLUS plenty of prints to choose from! I think I will spend the rest of the season working on my side projects. I need to finish my studio, paint some chairs and get ready for two last art shows. If you are interested in any of my original paintings and need a lay-away please feel free to ask. My email is on the right or convo me thru ETSY. I can help you out.

Next up is the card club, details are in the two post below this one- This is a fun idea to send a card to someone you love every month (including yourself) I am limiting this to 25 members. If you want to wait til closer to Christmas to start your membership, just let me know after you make your purchase. I will hold off on mailing your first card till December.

This is my latest painting entitled "Freedom"

My creative string led me to a field of flowers...almost naked...dreaming of the day I will be free from my cage. I think the cage really represents what we feel every time we look into the mirror, the cage we trap ourselves in as we constantly strive for perfection. I can write pages on this topic, but I will let you interpret this painting for yourself :)

SouthEnd Girls CARD club

Quick webcam video talking about my card of the month club- Post a comment to win a free membership for the friend of your choice!

1 card a MONTH for a year!

The South-End Girls Collector Club-

Join now at this low introductory price! $40.oo

Join my club, and you will receive 1 ART CARD every month for a year! no extra payments....no shipping....just art, in your mailbox.... once a month. Every month I will create a new card design and send it to my club members at the first of each month. These are my 5x7 print size, perfect for framing. Send to yourself or purchase for a friend.

This will be a great gift, your friend will think of you every month when she finds a surprise of art waiting for her in the mailbox.

Send the card to yourself and then you can decide who to give the card to, or save and collect. This is the perfect size for framing. They easily fit into a 5x7 frame.

All you need to do, is purchase the club membership (button on the right) In the notes to seller, let me know if I am to send you the card or the address of the friend you wish to enroll in the club. For the next year I will send the member my art card of the month. The first card will include a "welcome" card with membership details and let the recipient know who the cards are compliments of. The rest of the year, I will send the card out at the beginning of the month. This will be a new print, and will only be offered to club members.

ETSY LISTING CLICK HERE

This is way better than the "cheese of month club" who needs all that smelly cheese??? These cards are fun, whimsical and are guaranteed to make you smile. Send yourself a smile...send your best friend a smile.....sent your daughter a smile...send a smile to mom :)) the list goes on and on!

My first card will go out November 1... If requested I will wait and send it out December 1 (in case you want this to be a Christmas gift) All cards are blank on the inside, come with envelope and sealed in cello wrap.

Check here every month, I will post a picture of the card so you will know what you are sending or receiving.

This is my introductory price- limited to the first 25 people who sign up! My cards are usually $5+2 for shipping (12 cards retail for $84) This club will save you over 50% off the retail cost.

Join now using the Paypal button on the right- OR CLICK HERE for etsy LISTING

Happy Saturday!

Just a quick update! NEW PRINTS are listed in my ETSY store!! I have 6 previously un- offered prints of my newest paintings. These were professionally printed and are mounted on 5x7 cards. PERFECT for framing, it's like sending a gift! They are all blank on the inside, write your message and then, they can pop the card into a standard 5x7 frame and will have a cute little print to remember you by :)

I have also listed a few 8.5x11 giclee prints of past work. Just listed- one of my favorite Halloween pieces- "The Birds" I sold the orginal earlier this year, but you can enjoy a print!

It was not my week....I broke my camera, so photos of new artwork will be on hold until I can buy a replacement. Until then, my projects will be a secret, or a peek from my iphone :) Have a great fall weekend!

Fashion CREATES Art...Art CREATES Fashion

24x24 wood

My latest project was created for a space in my studio. I started with one concept, and moved to another. I wanted this in all black & white, which is so much harder than it sounds. Then I spent hours pondering the possible colors to add....again, I still could not decide. I eventually let go of concept one. I found my stash of vintage newspaper, and tore out the adds from 1974. These were fashion adds and some hand drawn (i think) advertisements for panties.......more like bIG DrAwers aka granny panties. I cut them into strips and grabbed the closest print papers. Created a "fashion garden" with the paper and adds. I wanted a model so instead of using one of my girls in color I decided to leave her plain and just blush her cheeks. I think I like this look, tell me what you think. I was inspired by one my favorite artist Julie Nutting. She has been in Somerset Studio several times, click here to see her art blog. I love her girls, they are so unique.

I will list this on ETSY soon, it is huge, but not real heavy. I will have better photos later...this is just a peek :)

Another great inspiration...Michele Lynch. Click here for a chance to win one of her beautiful pieces of art jewelry. My fingers are crossed...I want to win :))

Casscade the mermaid

Hello! I'm a little bit behind on my blogging this week, so here is just a quick update. First up, another beauty from the sea. This is the last mermaid for a bit, I have a couple of big pieces I'm working on so that will keep me busy. I named her Casscade.....(another sea wee name) she is done is really bright bold colors. I normally stay in the earthy range, so this is a bit different for me. I love the combination of turquoise and orange, it makes a cool/warm combo....perfect for beachy room. Click here for her listing, and more details.

Time to say good-bye to one of my favorites :) You know how it is.....sometimes the paintings you create need to stay with you. This was one of those paintings. I'm not sure why, but after I created this one I never listed it. I have sold the prints...a lot. I use the image for my business cards, and have it hanging on the wall. The original Hey Soul Sister is listed here.

Welcome to the Land of Pretending.....

a place where joy is never ending. That is the wording I chose for my latest mixed media painting.

If you are just looking at this piece you will see a castle, garden and a very cute little princess.....but if you know me, you will know I have a secretive meaning. I am going to share my thought process....hang on tight! :)

Without being too deep, all girls/women want to be a princess ( I personally prefer queen) secretly.....I know you do, don't try to deny it. Anyway, back to the start, if you are "that" girl, the reality is, you are living life with your rose colored glasses on, being a princess is fantastic, but one day (hopefully not soon if you are under 25) you will be forced to take them off and see things clearly. Life isn't always fair, sometimes love doesn't last, you may have to work and clean your own castle.... until then........ my princess.....you are entitled to everything... Love is GRAND, your garden is rose colored and you are the "Queen of your rose colored garden"

Enough of my bizarre and kind of a downer thought process. I guess recently, I have just wanted to shake a few people and yell "WAKE UP! join us in reality.....that creep is not prince charming .....be your own knight" My latest painting is just my secret sarcastic take on the state of my union :) and for those of you still confused by this CraZineSs I will move on.....but one last thing, if you are concerned about me.....I did marry prince charming, I still live in a state of bliss, and at 40 still wear rose colored glasses :) and I am the Queen of my little garden.

Painting Details---- this is a large 12x24 wood. I will list it on ETSY later this weekend. These shots were taken on my table, as I am waiting on the buttons to dry. I love the flowers, they were created with sewing pattern tissue, I white washed them and added a bit of tattered rose ink. The background is a mix of shabby pink and pale cafe latte, touches of rose and ink stain. My princess has brown hair and blue eyes, her dress was created from vintage doilies. This will look great in a cottage shabby style room.....for girls of all ages. If you are interested feel free to contact me. I will have better photos on the listing.

Etsy LISTING CLICK HERE

Stormy

Just a couple of updates, I listed 3 auctions this week! These are all of my Halloween designs. They are originals....and I only have them listed as 3DAY- I always ship FAST so you will get these way before Halloween. Just in time for decorating. I have two on my mantle and they are so cute in the candle light. I'm not one for gross creepy Halloween decor....so if you think cute is creepy too CLICK HERE :)

I did a couple of art shows this past month, I was surprised to see my biggest sellers were mermaids. I sold nearly all of one design and all of the second. I love mermaids, but I was not expecting fall shoppers to be drawn to summer mermaids, with that in mind I created Stormy. This little cutie is in two parts- 2 5x7 wood panels. I pieced her tail fin by fin and added glitter, microbeads and

gold. The background is metallic blue and teal with a few touches of shabby pink. She is adorned with tiny shells I picked myself on the warm beaches near Saint Augustine, FL. I named her Stormy....for that dark hair.

~SOLD thank you~~

Scout Magazine

Just a peek at the feature in Scout magazine. I was surprised to be asked to have my SouthEND girls appear in this very hip and trendy mag :) If you get a chance check it out, you can view online or purchase online.

NEW LARGE PRINTS are listed in my Etsy store! I only have a couple left from the last few art shows. These have white mats and will fill a wall perfectly. I have an 8x10 with an 11x14 mat of my "PEACE Angel". This is one of my most popular angels. She has a worn country feel and a scripture passage that was a favorite of my grandmothers. I have this print in a weathered barn wood frame, my mom has the original :) It makes a wonderfully sentimental gift to loved ones. Click here to see her

Welcome October!

I cannot believe October is already here! The weather has been great the last few days, sunny and pleasant :) I have just a few things to let you know, there are new prints in my ETSY store. These are prints from past works and have not been offered before. They are prints of original 6x12 paintings. If you choose to frame and mat them, they will need to be custom cut they measure about 5x11 when printed on an 8.5x11 mat paper. These are a great option for custom frames :)

I have a feature in Scout Magazine, they have a online version (I'm on page45) and a print version. My SouthEnd Girls look fabulous among the beautiful photos in this trendy publication. I ordered a copy today I will show you more when it arrives.

This is a painting in progress, she has no name. I will add a fabric flower to the headband and glitter to the butterfly. My inspiration came from an add for Lancome cosmetics. I think the name needs to to be something french, so suggestions welcome :) The background inspiration came from right out my back door. One evening, I was looking out the window and took notice to the partly bare trees scattered in the hills. The sun was setting behind them and the sky was a deep dark inky... blue with a soft glow of pink streaking through the clouds. Beautiful. I love a pink sunset.