Pencil & Paper ...

... and an eraser & a tortillon.  :) I totally had to look up what that rolled paper blending tool was called. Couldn't remember for the life of me. But I've had it since my last art class in college. Good for it, having its own Wikipedia page!

Anyway, I did this sketch for a friend. I was asked to participate in a scrapbook project & this was what made up one of my pages. I put a copy of it in the book, then mailed her the original.

This sweet face, is still on the other side of the world waiting to come home to the mommy & daddy that God has chosen for him. And that time can't come soon enough. :) My nephew is adopted & 4 years ago tomorrow they brought him home as a 22 month old. That means that for 22 months ... there was no photographing his every milestone, every funny thing, every sweet smile - like doting parents tend to do. They got photos, when they got them. And it's usually so systematic. Not a lot of thought goes into the photos. There's no "let's try that again so we can capture that cute biiiiig smile!" Nope.  :( But as a parent-in-waiting, you hold on dearly & treasure that photo, more than anything. You take the time to study every feature, their posture, their expression ... because that's all you have to tide you over until the next one. Or until they are placed in your arms.

So I selected this photo from this sweet boy's 1 year check up visit. A special keepsake to mark when he was just 1 year old. No doctor's office in the background .. just a chance to concentrate on him. And his features. In the sweet polo that his parents had mailed over to him in a care package. It's just simple. But hopefully a nice keepsake celebrating a special time in his life, before there was the chance to have that amazingly creative birthday celebration thrown by his doting parents ... like I know his 2nd birthday will be! :) Sending up some prayers that he is home SOON!

Leaves ...

I am knee deep in piles of leaves. Of all sorts. I attempted to clean up the yard on Thursday by mulching the leaves with the lawn mower, then going back over the lawn while bagging it all. I do believe the dust & debris from all that it put my mild head cold over the edge & turned it into a sinus infection. Seven days later and I am still sick with it, although I am feeling better as of yesterday! Thankfully.

I have a big order I am wrapping up. Had a friend contact me to paint two 11x14 canvases of a scene with a tree [which they use in their branding], then we turned them into 25 prints. All to be given away as awards. How fun is that? It was definitely an honor to be asked to do such a thing & it's been a fun little project for me. :)

Love. Frustration. Back to Love.

This is was what I found on Pinterest yesterday. :( See the source in the top right corner?

Sold in my shop last summer ... here's one similar that sold [I think its twin was part of a give-away].

We all know the internet is big. HUGE. But it must not be that big ... if I've had 2 friends in the last 3 weeks find my artwork on Pinterest. Not just my artwork, but artwork with the wrong credit given. Wrong site link. Or no site link & no credit. The positive spin on that is that I really didn't know how "original" my artwork was, or that I had a "look" until people spotted it & right away said "it's Rachel's".

One of my friends saw 2 pieces of my artwork on Pinterest just 4 days apart. Again, one with no credit & one with wrong credit. She was quick to mention me with a @RachelTwenter in the comment section. Then I clicked on the original pinner & left a comment as seen above.

It is frustrating to say the least. The above screen shot is just 1 example. I commented on 4 yesterday with a subtle request to change the link, if possible.

It's also frustrating to see your stuff with the title, "So easy to do! Cute idea! Have to remember to do this."  I have seen my artwork copied brush stroke for brush stroke. Each & every letter of a quote canvas [& colors were spot on] was recreated by somebody & shown off on their blog. I know it is not just happening to me. Yesterday I saw one of my friend Lindsay's canvases knocked off with the title [something like] "Look what I made after being inspired by Pinterest!" It was not inspired by "Pinterest". It was inspired by a person who made something that was put on "Pinterest".

It's a thin line ... between being inspired. And copying something that somebody made out of their own creative thought & sells. Liking something. But not giving credit. I have never done this to "make a name for myself". It's just fun for me. And after doing this for about 9 years, I have found my niche. I'm not the only one with the niche of painting quotes on canvas. But ... I worked hard to get into my little teeny pin head dot in the art world. I know it's a needle in a haystack. But if it's something I spent time on. I hand painted. I came up with the design. I scoured books & the internet for quotes. I doubled checked who said it in order to give credit. I painted it. I photographed it.

I did it. Not the person whose Tumblr site got 2,283 "likes & reblogs" on one of my quote canvases where zero credit is given.

I did it.

But then I look at what people are pinning & it's not my message. I didn't say it & I know it. In fact, on the minis that are only 4"x4", I still try & make my initials smaller than the name of the person who said it. They said it. I found the words to be inspiring, so I painted it for all to see. I am happy they like it. And I know Mother Teresa [or whoever else I am quoting] wouldn't want my blood to boil with such a sweet message [that is meant to spread LOVE] being spread like wild fire. That's what people are "repinning" anyway. The message. I just gave the message some visual aesthetics.

So then I get over it. And learn from my mistakes. And try & do what I can to keep my niche in the creative world while not bringing a negative tone to my shop with the comments on Pinterest. I tried to be 'helpful' while not sounding greedy or bossy.

I need to learn from the quote that brought me much frustration yesterday ... "do small things with great love." What I'm doing with my paintings is just one small way to spread ... love. And I need to rise above the stuff that is taking away from that.

Or at least get better at trying to rise above it. Work in progress, here. :)

Smiles ...

My friend Dana from plum.tree.studio was raising money last month for Operation Smile. :) She was wanting to [and DID!] raise enough to pay for an operation which fixes cleft palate, cleft lip or other facial deformities on a child. Her reason for choosing this charity was so sweet: her sole purpose of plum.tree.studio has always been to make children smile. :) Love it.


So, I let Libby pick out a shirt ... and as you can see, she was not only thrilled to get the little owl in the mail, she wasted no time putting it on. :) Dana, we love it & loved helping you reach your goal! To that we give a big "woo HOO - HOO!" :)

Almost 1/2, Almost 4/5 :)

2 days shy of being 1/2 way through the month of April ...
and I am 1 print purchase shy of being 4/5 of the way to my $500 goal.

I think this is going to happen! :)  As of Monday I had almost every order all wrapped up, shipped or hand delivered. Felt good. Very time & space consuming process, but I'm so blessed to be & grateful for being this busy.

In addition to all the purchases from my shop, I have 2 Etsy shops helping me try & purchase the Language Program. Lindsay from Paint Me A Picture is splitting up her proceeds from all of her children's artwork this month. 50% will go to her local Autism Therapy Center in Albany, GA & the other 50% will go towards helping me with my goal of buying a Language Program for Brett's Resource Center. So awesome.. :) I also got a phone call this past weekend, from a 4th grader at our school [his brother is a classmate of Brett's]. He makes and sells rosaries [Etsy shop here], and always gives 10% away to a charity. He called to tell me he wanted to give 10% of his sales to the Resource Center. Such a sweet kid. I bought this soccer ball rosary for Brett's 1st Communion last year & it was perfect. Thanks to both of these Etsy shops for your amazing generosity!!!!

Last but not least, I did have a family purchase 1 print, but pay $100. And when I begged them to pick out a few more prints, they told me the 1 print would be a reminder that "we do things for others, not just for ourselves". What a response.

I tell ya what ... when you give, you do get so much more back. You hear that all the time it gets to be cliché. :) But it's true.

Story time ...

[photo from Dana / plum tree studio]

Four years ago this summer, my sister was in the process of adopting from Russia. As her sister, it pained me to wait, wait & wait [for her]. I craved information. I know she revealed all that she knew & had to go by - but still, I craved more information. I hate surprises - even good ones. So, I searched for information on Russian adoptions ... reading about happy endings [beginnings, really], looking for timelines that we could use as an example, etc. I wanted it to happen for her so badly, I think I wanted to taste a little of it before it even happened.

During my search, I found a blog. Linked to another blog. On there was a photo of 2 little girls in cute handmade t-shirts. They were done by the writer's friend's sister. I clicked on the link & it let me to one of my 1st ever "crafty blogs" ... plum tree studio.  That also later led to my 1st ever link to Etsy.  A lot was discovered  on that life-changing internet click. :)

Over the next month or so, I would occasionally stop by the plum tree studio blog just for some creative inspiration. I loved seeing how she blogged & linked it up to her store. At the time I had my own website - but this seemed like a more ideal set up!  Another friend started an Etsy shop ... and September of 2007, I got in on the fun. I "hearted" plum tree studio. If you look on page 22 of my favorite Etsy shops, she's there, right after my other friend's.  I still just visited her blog every so often - totally lurking. :)

One day [early summer of '08] on her blog she announced that she was coming out with a shirt with a cute redhead on it. I had to get it for my redhead. I commented & placed an order. :)  Soon after, she did another post that was right up my alley. It was about home improvements ... I commented. She commented back. The ice had been broken & I started commenting more often.  I could tell we had a lot in common!

The more we shared, the more we realized all that we had in common.  We are both in the middle of 3 girls. Both of our older sisters have a darling blond child, adopted from Russia. Our birthdays are 25 days apart [the same year]. We both got married in 2000.  We both used the term "sweet teeth" & had never heard of anyone else using it before [instead of just "sweet tooth"]. The list goes on as our friendship goes on. :)

Almost 2 years ago, her own adoption journey started. That same pain I felt with my own sister that led to my search for information & answers, came back. I wanted to take the pain away. I wanted the wait to not seem so bad. I wanted to do something - in a situation that is completely out of any one person's control. So the idea I had come up with for my sister, but never used, came back to me. That was the idea of a "shower" [like a baby shower] but spread out over the months.  Every month that they had to wait - a little surprise would arrive, to help keep them going. Little pick-me-ups - spread out over the time, spread out amongst other friends & family.  I had come up with the idea for my own sister, but her wait for a referral turned out to be so quick - the other hostesses & I had to start planning a REAL shower. That of course, was a GOOD problem to have. :)

But my friend had been told of a much longer wait ... little did we know it would keep getting extended. Her sisters & I teamed up and formed the The Little Itty Bitty C Support Committee. One of her sisters came up with the name - so perfect. We formed a committee of friends & family who would support her & her husband throughout their wait for Little C. :) Each month, they got a little pick-me-up in the mail. I know if I was in their shoes, my fear would be that our wait was forgotten about. When you are experiencing a pregnancy, you have a belly as a reminder to your friends & family that your excitement is growing. I wanted a monthly reminder for my friend as well.

My friend [Dana] & I have never met in person. And have only talked on the phone once - last August! We were scheduled to have our 2nd phone conversation on Tuesday morning of this past week. I remember thinking "wouldn't it be cool if we got interrupted by a referral call?!" BETTER. She called me the day before that scheduled phone visit & left a voice mail saying she needed to cancel our phone date because she had gotten their REFERRAL & was going in the next morning with her husband to SEE THEIR BABY BOY. Dana & her husband are FINALLY getting to turn to the next chapter in their storybook. And it includes pages filled with a little cutie named Oliver, born in South Korea.

Our friendship was technically born from an international adoption almost 4 years ago... and now I am here as her friend [who she calls with news!] as I witness her own international adoption story coming true. Blog world is weird like that. :) But I am so so happy it is. Dana, I hope these next pages in your story book turn quickly ... and we can get to the part where you're making Oliver breakfast, reading him stories & taking him on evening walks! And of course making him robot tees!  :D I am beside myself happy for you. Let's plan another phone date, and maybe it'll be cancelled because of a Homecoming Call! :) You think?

Letter R ...

My sweet friend Dana had this made for me [by a cute shop on Etsy called "Oh Hi Shop"] & sent it to me for my Birthday. I think it's so cute, creative & unique. I love those little tacks pinning down the folds, too! I haven't decided where to put it yet ... I'm torn between 2 places! I love that they are the same size & shape of some of my 4x4 canvases, but they couldn't be any more different, seeing that they are made with fabric & embroidery.  Such a great contrast with my 4x4 paintings!

Dana's Birthday is next Monday & to celebrate, she is having a giveaway for a pair of her handmade earrings! Enter here! :) Her shop is adorable, as is she!

Thank you, friend! And ... you should have a little surprise on your door step next week! :)

The Elephant Sprinkle ...

This past weekend I helped co-host a [Surprise] "Sprinkle".  One of my oldest & bestest friends in the whole wide world is about to become a mother for a second time - this time to a little girl [18 months ago she became a mother to a darling little boy].  She & I have been friends since grade school in St. Louis & after a 17 year gap of living in separate cities & states [yet remaining close as sisters!], 3 years ago we wound up in Kansas City together!  This girl needs a girl.  Karah is the queen of pink & ruffles ... so we incorporated some of that into the theme.  I made the 2 garlands ... one with some hot pink & mustard colored elephants [with a ruffly blanket on its back] & the other using paper doilies spelling out the beautiful name of Karah's baby-girl--to-be ... Brynn [I soooo adore that name].  Nicholle, the other host, made these amazing origami elephants [more are in the photo of the drink station].  It was a small little gathering, but big on love for our dear friend.  Can't wait to meet the little lady! :)

Davis' Kickball Party ...

Yesterday we had a party for Davis! A kickball game ... two teams. Davis named them "the Incredible Hulks" versus "the Captain America's" because of the shirt colors. :) After the kind of week I was having ... I was relieved to have this party finally behind me as a success. How do I sum up last week ...

A couple weeks ago we plugged in our video camera to show the kids old movies of themselves. It was a riot. One of my favorite clips was of Davis when he had just turned 3. His voice was so darn cute. Apparently I had whipped out the video camera to capture what it was he was saying because it was so funny ... so the clip began with him just saying "When you do, you don't. And when you don't ... you do." Then I came on [trying not to laugh] saying "Yeah that's what you said ... but honey I don't know what you mean." Then Davis again says very seriously, "When you do, you don't. And when you don't ... you do." [Repeat this conversation about 4 more times]. It was so cute. Watching that video a couple weeks ago, we were all laughing hysterically at little 3 year old Davis & were chiming in with him.

But that's how I would sum up last week. I was in a cloudy haze all week from a sinus infection / cold / migraine. It led to some bad decisions & some tiny disasters. Anything I didn't [think would end in disaster], did. And what I did [think would end in disaster, like my idea to tie-dye shirts], didn't. Just like Davis tried to explain to me years ago. See? "When you do, you don't. And when you don't, you do". Makes sense now, doesn't it? It's brilliant.

Anyway, he thoroughly enjoyed his kickball party with his friends. Seeing him on top of the world, genuinely pleased with every little detail, was all I needed to see. Almost makes me forget about calling the fire department on my homemade cookie cake, then dropping a store bought one [face first] in the street outside the school just hours later. I said almost. :)

[Speaking of details ... the pennant cupcake toppers are from here {Fog & Thistle}. I used the 8's for Brett's party this fall & just had to come back for some 6's!]

Libby's Alice in Wonderland Tea Party ...

I had the most fun with this party ... because Alice's "Wonderland" really is all nonsense, it's just an "anything goes" type of party. Flamingos, Roses, Tea, Rabbits, Kittens, Cards, Hearts ... it all fits in.

All the kids went home with a top hat [boys] or a flower headband [girls], a little goodie bag of candy and other odds & ends, and their own teacup & saucer [from the thrift store]. All the teacup & saucer "sets" were between 30¢ - 60¢. So if they broke ... no big deal. But none did, so all the kids now have a cup & saucer for a special snack. Such a fun little treat - for next to nothing of a cost {and some sets were real china!}.

It was fun ... and little Libby was in heaven. She ate up every bit of attention that comes with turning 3. And then some. She cracked us all up with her excitement & giddiness over it all. The very top photo is of her as I walked her cake in. :) Makes you kind of sad that her Birthday only comes once a year. Although ... there are always the un-Birthdays that come 364 days a year. :) We'll just have to have more un-Birthday tea parties.

Animals for Baby Annie ...

My little sister is expecting a little girl named Anna. Her best friend is expecting a little girl named Annie. They will be just a couple weeks apart. :) Annie's mom I've known for about 16 years now ... since she & my sister Leah were in [at least] 7th grade.

She came to me several weeks ago asking if I would make something special for Annie's room. She listed some safari animals ... said they wanted 3 canvases, 1 animal on each. My mind incorporated them into a larger scene ... all sharing a canopy of trees. Here is the final result.

{Sorry for the terrible photo ...this is more just to show you how they all work together.

Can you see there is 1 little butterfly on each canvas?}

I can hear Annie & her mommy now ... pointing & identifying the animals, body parts, colors & butterflies. Artwork can be such a great conversation piece ... perfect for little ones that are building up their vocabulary. Then sooner or later, someone will have to tell Miss Annie that giraffes aren't pink ... but that there's nothing wrong with a little imagination. :)

Next, it's Anna's turn!

So Berry Fun ...

Last week we got up early [set the alarm] to meet some friends at the Berry Patch. It was something I had wanted to do all summer since passing by the signs for the farm back in May. It was a perfect way to spend one of our last summer mornings.

I'm the only one here in this house that likes plain blueberries. But no one can turn down a blueberry muffin. Here is my very favorite recipe ... it has two of my very favorite ingredients: blueberries & oats. :)

BLUEBERRY & OAT MUFFINS

1 cup oats (old fashioned or quick oats)
1 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1.5 tsp baking powder
.5 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup oil
2 eggs
2 cups blueberries

Soak oats in orange juice 15 minutes. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Combine oil, eggs, and [orange juice soaked] oats in a large bowl, then add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Add blueberries. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. [Makes approx 18 muffins]

Pink & Purple Cookies ...

We don't have too much pink & purple in the house. We started out with 2 boys, after all. But we have some sweet neighbor girls who walk over some of their retired girly stuff after it's decided that they've grown out of it. A couple weeks ago, Libby got a PRINCESS BIKE with training wheels. Complete with elbow & knee pads and a little zipper pouch with packets of Neosporin & Hello Kitty band-aids. Libby's all set for when she learns how to ride a bike ... which I'm guessing will be soon.

We made some cookies yesterday to thank our sweet neighbor girls. We made them with pink & purple icing, for all the pink & purple that they've brought to this house. :) These are actually supposed to be Bon-Bon Cookies ... but I'm guessing the butter had softened too much. They were more a regular cookie shape, than they were a Bon-Bon. But ... they still contained the surprise in the middle.

Semi-sweet chocolate, white chocolate, Andes mints ... and my favorite, the butterscotch chips. My sister Becky discovered this recipe LONG AGO [like over 10 years ago] ... I think they were made for both my wedding shower and one of my baby showers [but I know she'd been making them even before that]. I have since made dozens & dozens of dozens & dozens of these cookies.

And they don't just LOOK good. They taste ... OMG ... divine. And as a bonus ... there are no eggs in the dough, so you can eat as much dough as you want without the worry of salmonella. Happy Baking! :)

Bon Bon Cookies

Cookie Dough:

1/2 c butter or margarine

3/4 c powdered sugar

1 Tbs vanilla

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

milk; if needed

Fillings:

Chocolate, white chocolate, peanut butter or butterscotch chips

Toffee bits

candied cherries

nuts

Icing:

1 c sifted powdered sugar

2 Tbs milk

1 tsp vanilla

food coloring, optional

Toppings:

sprinkles

colored sugar

chopped nuts

coconut

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Make the cookie dough: Mix butter, sugar & vanilla.

2. Blend flour and salt in to butter sugar mixture thoroughly with hand. If dough is dry, add 1- 2 tablespoons milk.

3. For cookies: take a rounded tablespoon (approx) of cookie dough & roll into ball. Flatten in hand & sprinkle filling in the center. (for choc.chips put 5-6 chips in center) Then roll back into a ball & place on cookie sheet.

4. Bake 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet 12-15 minutes, or until set but not brown.

5. For icing: Mix powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring, if using. (It's cute to divide icing into a few different bowls & dye them all different colors) To make chocolate icing add 1 square melted unsweetened chocolate (1 ounce) instead of food coloring.

6. When cookies are cool, dip tops in icing. Decorate each cookie with 1 of the toppings suggested above.

Plum*Tree*Ponies

I ordered some ponytail holders [HAIR TIES] from my friend Dana at Plum.Tree.Studio. They are sooo sooo cute. I already know I'll be back to buy more ... they would make great party favors for a little girls' birthday party; stocking stuffers; you name it.

Oh & Dana also just started making RINGS. :) I got one of those, too. Darn - didn't get a picture. [It was on my camera holding hand] But I got plenty of Libby ... picking up roly-polies, smushing them, then saying "sorry". Some photos were just too gory to show.

Dana, thanks so much ... and thanks for the fun surprises. :)