Day 18 &19- To tired to post yesterday so here is a BIG Post!

I worked all day yesterday on my newest grandsons mural for his bedroom. My daughter has decided to do it in frogs and wanted a cute mural. I searched high and low for some inspiration on the internet and found very little I liked. I managed to find something that inspired me to paint and made some preliminary sketches first. I do murals a bit different these post Jennifer's accident days. I used to fly all over and paint murals and do faux finishes. My clients were anything from home owners to doctor offices to interior designers and model homes. It was an exciting time in my life and I loved it. After the accident I started painting some of my murals or images on masonite and cutting them out and shipping to projects. This way they could be put up by the people doing the installation and removed after for reuse. It also let me still work, for awhile. It also was great for some applications but not for others. Full wall murals obviously didn't work to well but for the smaller image type it was okay. When I did Nathan's room I painted the whole room as a mural and it turned out great.

Remember I didn't pick the subject, the parents choose the theme and I did as they wanted. This is Nathan's room, done with a tiki, island feel. 

In the sand I added a message in a bottle and all of his favorite little toys I painted in the sand.

I think you can read it, a gift of fantasy and fun for my boo! Dated 2007, makes me cry to look at these pictures. The mural is gone when my daughter lost her house. Its hard to think about the changes we all face and how fast the babies grow and change!

 Melissa, the one who is having our newest grand baby likes the option to remove or move the masonite so I am painting some of the characters on Masonite and then they will be cut out and put up with screws. When Blake was born we did stuffed trucks and cement mixers. We later added some signs that  said dumping station etc. The room turned out really cute and she loved it. I don't seem to have finished pictures of his room, I will have to find some!

So as I said she wanted frogs for the new baby's room so I am working on those now. His name will be Bryce Scott and here are the prelim paintings before cutting out and finishing for the wall. I will take pictures of the finished room when I put everything up at the end of the week. 

This grouping will be next to the changing table and looking up at the baby! I am having the frog handing her Butt paste! LOL I am also debating about putting safety pins in the turtles blue spaces, like a pin cushion. 

This will be Butt Paste

Sorry its blurry, my eyes were blurry by this time. This will be above the crib, two frogs in a pond and dragon flies over head pulling a banner with the babies name on it. The colors are to match the preselected bedding.

Finishing Up 2008

Ok admit it, this is the cutest picture so far! Nathan trying to hold his twin sisters on Christmas! Sorry I had to share it.

As the year is winding down I was glad to have finished some old UFO projects. I am going to start 2009 without all this extra baggage. I finished Nathan's pirate quilt which I have been working on for TWO years! I wrapped it again and gave it too him, unfortunately I forgot to photograph it so picture will come later. I also made that fleece blanket I have had the fabric for all year. I have so many art quilts in different stages of completion and although I am working on them I doubt I will make my Jan 1 deadline.

I am busy finishing up a quilt for the "Edges" challenge for the July IQA show in Long Beach, deadline is Jan 14th. There are a few of us in the art quilt group I belong to that are going to enter it. The challenge was to come up with our interpertation of what "edges" means to us. I thought it was going to be a really tough challenge but I love what I came up with. Shhh, its still a secret until I am finished. I will give you a peek then. The thing about challenges is that they make us think outside of the box and stretch. Monday I also received a two year contract to design fabric for Red Rooster Fabrics in NY, I am really excited about that! We are reading it over and checking all that fine print. How exciting to think that "Desiree's Designs" will be printed on the side of every yard of fabric they produce with my designs. Wow, another 15 minutes of fame! LOL I need to now work on the coordinating fabrics to go along with my panel I submitted to them. And then finally, my patterns got picked up by a big distributor and possibly a catalog company. These latest opportunities are directly related to our trip to Houston. THANKS HOUSTON!

It is turning out to be a busy end of 2008, a good time to clean up the old and welcome the new! I am hoping for many new and exciting opportunities for 2009!

Its been over a week!

I can't believe I haven't posted in over a week. So many things going on and I just didn't know what to post. I have gone to the Getty Villa and saw some incredible artwork, had an awesome Valentines Spa celebration with my handsome hubby, and I had a wonderful few days with my youngest grandson, Nathan.

At the Getty Villa they have on display wonderful antiquities, many of which are now caught up in a scandal of how they were acquired and if they will be returned. Some of which have already been returned. Its really quite the story of secret deals and acquisitions, kidnappings and infidelity. The Hollywood writers couldn't come up with a more elaborate story. On the three + hour drive home I looked up and read many articles about it to Randy and Jennifer from my wi-fi on my iphone! It is so cool. I took some awesome pictures and would love anyone who is interested in painting them to feel free and grab them. Just share your paintings with me, I would love to see.

Friday night Randy and I spent the night together at the spa. We had a wonderful couples massage and then went and had dinner in the courtyard of the Mission Inn restaurant, it was very romantic and we toasted many times! NO Pictures! LOL

My daughter needed to be with her husbands family for a family matter. They felt it was just too hard with Nathan, so I got the honor of watching him for two days. He is so cute and he is just loaded with personality. (I am his Nana!) At night he gave me lots of kisses and said Nana, I just want you to hold me! OHHHHH I am added a picture of him in our spa tub taking a huge bubblebath. We giggled through the whole bath.

Tonight Marta and I went to figure drawing at the museum, yes its that time again. That 3rd Thursday event. I wish they could get some new models, this guy we have done several times and he doesn't stand still, so the lighting along with the pose continues to change while you draw. It makes it even more challenging. We did have tortilla soup and chips with salsa and margaritas before making our way to he museum. The rain was just starting as we were leaving our night of drawing so the timing was perfect all day! I might post some of my sketches tomorrow, if I can find any I like well enough

Now you can concider yourself caught up on my week, what exciting things have been happening to everyone else this week??