fresh picked whimsy

can't get enough of this everyday love

Love that Rascal Flatts song.  It so fits the way i feel at this very moment.  Finding love and joy in everyday things.  Like my favorite faces in my kitchen...

 Sunny's fashion sense...

coffee and blog time most mornings...

plants that i have managed to keep alive in the winter!!!  My mom will be so happy!

Still having Legos messes...fully aware that these days are numbered...

this canvas painted by my uber-talented Katie and gifted to me for Christmas.  Makes me cry every time i read it...

in awe that Riley can solve these puzzle cubes in mere minutes...he is crazy smart like his Daddy.

having a lit prayer candle on my kitchen counter.  A way of praying that my mom and her mom taught me.  at home, it's the first thing i do when someone needs to be lifted in prayer.  I buy these inexpensive devotional candles in the mexican food aisle at my grocery store.  Some people think they are cheesy, but i LOVE them. 

trying to read a magazine and having Sunny lay his big head on my arm so i can't turn the pages...

i adore that Griffin has my grandfather's funeral program pinned to his wall over his bed.  We talk about Poppop all the time and miss him so much...

so happy for every extra day that i get with this sweet girl.  She's hanging in there.  Thank you for all of your messages.  Day by day.

Hooray for Friday!  Pizza night tonight with Mark's parents and then tomorrow my boys are all heading downtown Indy for the NFL Experience, which they are so excited about!  Our little big town, Indianapolis is in a Superbowl frenzy right now.  Hope to have pictures for you this week.  Other than that, our weekend looks pretty quiet and i love that!  Hope you have a great one! xo

songs that Grandmas sing

 This one's for you, Mimi...

Listen to the Doris Day audio of the song "a Bushel and a Peck" ...

A Bushel and a Peck

...don't you just LOVE Doris Day?!

Mark's Mom has been singing that song to my kids since they were born.  They call her "Mimi".  Those sweet sentimental memories inspired this new print.

{Katie and her Mimi 1994}

{Mimi and her grandbabies in November}

I posted a copy of this new print on my personal facebook page and couldn't believe how many of my friend's parents or grandparents sang it to them, too.  I loved hearing all of their stories.  Now, i'm all nostalgic and i'm thinking i need to paint the song my grandma {whom we also called "Mimi"} sang to me!  My sisters and Mom will know exactly what song that is.  The rest of you will have to wait....!  Do you have happy memories of songs that your grandmothers sang to you?

doodled door

if you can draw a heart...you can do this! 

Have you seen these awesome water-based Sharpies?  I found them at JoAnn's, by accident when i was looking for traditional Sharpies.  I was so excited and i knew exactly what i was going to do with them!!!

If you absolutely cannot draw a heart, you could always use a stencil, or trace the cardboard ones that you can buy at any craft store.  Then, just turn them different directions and embellish them a little with polka dots, stripes, arrows, scallops, etc... if you mess up, simply wipe it off and start over.  easy peasy.

You can even personalize them...

It was a little tricky to photograph on a snowy day, so i had to wait for night fall before i could take a picture from the inside out. 

After Valentine's Day, they will wash off pretty easily with a little windex and elbow grease. 

doodle away, my friends!

hello? it's the 21st century calling...

Great big hugs and kisses to all of you who have left me sweet messages here and on FB about our sweet Kismet.  Your kindness has been heartwarming.  She's hanging in there and we are spoiling her.  I promise to keep you posted.

♥♥♥

Mark surprised me and bought me an iphone for Christmas.  {major hubby points scored} Believe it or not, it's my very first smart phone.  I'm looking forward to all the ways it promises to help me stay on top of my business.  Right away i knew i had to create a custom case for it.  Mark did some research for me and found Case-Mate made some super durable cases that i could personalize.  It was really quite a simple process, once i figured out what i wanted.  i began with a drawing...

digitally colored it in Photoshop...

uploaded it to the Case-Mate site...

and waited very impatiently for it to arrive in the mail!

 I'm so happy with how it turned out.  {it's a gloomy day here today and i struggled for good light to take this pic, so the color is a bit off} I am currently trying to figure out how i can create and sell customized cases (affordably).  I've got a few leads for suppliers, and i will let you know when i get it all worked out.  oh, the possibilities!!!!

That said, if you use any apps that you just can't live without...let me know about them!  I'm looking for the best pedometer/walking app out there, too.  Any suggestions??

 

the most difficult life lessons

sweet Kismet girl...

our vet told us yesterday that our old gal is in her end days.  She is in hospice mode.  For the past year or so, she has swiftly been aging.  She sleeps most of the time, has severe arthritis, is mostly blind and deaf and has been showing signs of senility.  But, she's still a love.  Our love. 

Over the holidays her mobility became greatly challenged, she was shaking a lot and i knew i needed to take her to the vet.  but i was so afraid to take her.  i didn't want to hear what i knew she would tell me.  and she did.  I reiterated that we did not want to keep her around for our own selfish reasons...she has been too much of a blessing to us.  We want her to be pain free and we want to do right by her.  So, they decided not to vaccinate her and discontinued her heartworm meds...sent us home with pain meds for her arthritis which is the source of her lack of mobility and shaking and told us to love on her for her remaining days...however many there may be. 

It's the one and only drawback of having pets.  They never outlive you.  But what we explained to the kids {yes, we did tell them}, was that the wonderful 12 years that we have had with her makes it worth all the heartache that we feel now.  We adopted her from the Humane Society when she was a year old.  We brought her to live with us, to give her a good life, but the truth is that she has given us a good life. 

So for now, she will be pampered, snuggled, belly rubbed, treated to her favorite sandwich cookie treats from Petco and given real meat for dinner.  Most of all, we will love her....forever.

♥

front row seats

a little breathing room after the massive rush of the holidays meant it was time for the annual...

i LOVE going to the movies, watching movies, watching the award shows, etc.  Going to the theater these days costs a small fortune...especially when you're taking the whole fam.  So, we really enjoy Netflix and the On Demand movie channels.  It's so much cozier watching movies on your own couch, snuggled up to your family and four legged furry friends. 

We're not so much a popcorn family, as we are an ice cream family. 

Which leads to the stacks of yummy blankets and pillows. 

These are some of the movies that we've watched over the past month and my review of them {if you're interested}...

Super 8 - loved the 1970's setting of this flick.  Brought me back.  It was scary and entertaining, but the ending was just a little hokey.  big kids loved it.  Didn't let Griff watch it...too scary for him yet.

Dolphin Tale - good family friendly movie.  Not as awesome as Soul Surfer, but a feel good movie nonetheless.  A little over-acting.

I Don't Know How She Does it - eh. 

Adjustment Bureau - crazy premise.  good movie. 

Crazy Stupid Love - i love just about anything Steve Carrell does.  Totally didn't see the curveball they threw at me towards the end of the movie.  katie and i liked it.  Mark did not. 

Arthur - I LOVED the original and was afraid they would ruin it.  they didn't.  i thought it was cute.  Not a huge Russell Brand fan, but i thought he did a good job and had me cheering for him.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes - Katie and Riley picked this one.  again, crazy premise.  we all know how it ends going into this one. 

We Bought a Zoo - Mark took the kids to see this one, while i went to visit a friend in the hospital.  They all loved it.  I will catch it on Netflix when it comes out for sure.

Next on my list are some movies that are getting Oscar buzz...because its so much more fun to cheer them on when you've seen them!!! {Tree of Life, Moneyball, The Descendents, The Ides of March, WarHorse and The Help} Yes, i'm the only woman on the planet that hasn't see The Help, which is crazy because i read it so long ago and freaked out when i heard they were making the movie.  I'm DYING to see it.  Maybe this weekend...

any other movie recommendations????

 

Words of Wisdom

My heart is full after all of the lovely and encouraging messages that i have received after my last post.  Thank you so much for taking the time to send them to me.  It has meant so much to me. 

i found this amazing quote by Blessed Mother Teresa this morning on Pinterest when i got home from church.  I felt like She was speaking directly to me.  I want to share it with all of you, too.

image is an original prismacolor by Laurie VanBalen.

"People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered; Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway."

- Blessed Mother Teresa

So, thank you, my friends and thank you, Blessed Mother Theresa.  I will be kind, i will succeed, i will be honest and frank, i will build, i will be happy, i will do good, and i will give the world the best i've got...anyway. 

♥

brokenhearted and discouraged

I HATE that i have to write this post.  But i do. 

My art was stolen twice over the holidays.  Twice, that i know of.

The first time, a friend found my art on some bottle cap pendants being sold at a local craft fair.  My copyright had been conveniently cropped out of the pendant.  After some sleuthing, i was able to find the vendor on etsy and confronted her online.  She admitted she was doing it and promised to stop immediately after i threatened legal action against her.  When i asked where she got the images, she simply said "i found them on the internet".

The second time was bolder.  Another friend found all of my FREE printables {Christmas gift tags, lunchbox notes, etc...} being sold by the sheet at a different craft market in my own hometown.  I found this vendor actually had posted a picture on her facebook page of my printables for sale in her booth...

i was outraged and confronted her on facebook.  She apologized but denied that it was her fault.  She claimed it was "a friend" who gave them to her to sell for her because "she was trying to make some extra money for Christmas".  Again, i threatened legal action and angrily explained how disgusted i was that an artist would do this to another, let alone in her own hometown.  I explained that it was stealing.  This woman was actually the organizer of this craft market and claimed they never sold any and that they would never do it again.

I feel angry and sad and frustrated.  It makes me want to pack my art up, wipe it clean from the internet and hide it away.  But you know that wouldn't be me.  It's not what i really want.  What i really want is to educate people.  I want people to understand that just because they find an image on the internet, it is not theirs for the taking.  In both cases, my watermark/copyright was all over my art.  In order to print those FREE printables, you have to go to my download page, which has a disclaimer in bold letters at the top stating that they are copyrighted and are for PERSONAL USE ONLY.  I know, it's the honor system.  But, sheesh, really people?  I make those FREE printables and put them out there to share with good folks who support me, read my blog, pin my stuff on pinterest and follow me on FB and twitter.  I love doing that.  It makes me so happy when people send me messages, emails, tweets, and comments on my blog telling me how much they love them and appreciate them.  I appreciate those folks so much and my FREE printables are just a small token of my appreciation. 

Print as many as you want, share them, give them away to everyone you know, but do not claim them as your own and sell them.  It's as if they put their hand in my purse and took money from my wallet.  That's how violated i feel and that's how illegal it is.

I feel the need to explain that my art is my trade.  It is how i make my living.  Just as a chef sells the food they cook, or a builder sells a house they built, or a plummer sells the service they provide...my art is my product.  In this day of pinterest and flickr and the blogosphere, it is out there.  I know that.  But, i do always have my copyright/watermark on everything that i put out there and hope that you would be honest enough to follow the link back to me and rightfully purchase it from me.  Because i am a small, independent business owner.  Truth be told, i'm a mom...putting my art out there, hoping you'll like it enough to buy it, so that i can continue to stay home with my kids, contribute to my household expenses and help put my kids through college. 

Friends, please pin responsibly...be sure that your images directly link back to the original source.  Take inspiration from all that is out there, but don't take images unless they are offered for FREE download by the original artist.  I am so thankful for friends who keep an eye out for me and have my back.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, for all of your encouragement and love.  I won't let a few bad apples stop me from doing what i love. 

Thanks for hearing me out.  Sorry for the negative post but it was necessary.  I'll bring back the happy stuff tomorrow! ♥

that's a wrap!

i could not let the holidays pass without writing about one our most favorite holiday traditions of all.  It's our annual neighborhood-house hopping-progressive-wine tasting-home tours-Christmas party.  We really do need to come up with a snappier, easy name for it.  Regardless, we started it last year with our crazy fun neighbors and it has become one of the most festive parties of the year! 

We plop all of the little kiddos over at one house, under the expert supervision of Miss Mary...and her crew of tween helpers.  Cocktails and nibbles await us at each house. 

playing Left Right Center at our house...Stacey was the big winner.  Have you ever played?  it's a lot of fun...we play for money.

it's fun to see everyone's houses all decked out for the holidays...

apologies for the blurry pictures...did i mention cocktails at every house?...

have i also mentioned these are the best neighbors in the world... 

and some of them are hilarious...

{yes, that's a wine glass charm on Casey's ear}.  At the third house on the tour, Bill spilled cocktail sauce on his yellow sweater {and Casey, Bill & Amie really got into the Christmas spirit while singing Jingle Bells}.  So, Bill took his sweater off after trying in vain to use a stain stick on it.

By the fourth house, Gabe was wearing Bill's sweater and i'm not sure Bill ever realized it.

At Stacey & Jim's house, someone discovered this picture of Stacey, her amazing bouffant hairdo and her parents when she was little...

This picture then followed us from house to house for the rest of the night...

finally, some of these nuts posing with our neighborhood bear {read all about him here} between house stops...

Which brings us to the end of the holiday posts here on FPW.  Thanks for being patient with me while i caught up on my blogging.  Lots of exciting plans for my family and whimsy studios this year.  You'll be sure to read all about it here... happy new year, friends!

much to celebrate

So...i'm going to wrap up our holidays today and tomorrow on the blog.  It's always a whirlwind for everyone, but this time of year is, of course the busiest for my biz, which adds to the Christmas crazies.  I pretty much felt like sweet Kismet, asleep on the Christmas train tracks...a damsel in distress!

That said, here are some our highlights...

this shark balloon called an "Air Swimmer" was the hit of Christmas day. 

My sister and bro-in-law gave it to Griffin for Christmas and this thing swam above our heads so all day. 

Seriously, here is the video/commercial, because unless you see it with your own eyes, you won't believe how realistic it is...

 

On top of our holidays, we had much to celebrate...Mark's brother Ed graduated from Indiana Wesleyan and got his MBA.  Griffy was sick that day, so i stayed home with him, but Mark and the big kids went with his parents to watch the big event.  We are so proud of him...

It also happened to be Mark's birthday.  We went to CoppersHawk Winery Restaurant to celebrate the brothers...it was super yummy!!!

My nephews came up from Georgia to Indy for a week.  They've only been there for 6 months, but there's already a lot of ya'lls and yes ma'ams. 

They're also wearing cowboy boots!  So stinkin' cute.

Mark's Dad had a birthday a few days before Christmas, also.  Here are the three apples of his eye with their beloved Poppy...

but, above all, we celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ.  We keep Him in our hearts this time of year and always...

we are blessed.