Eureka! - Wall Art For The Fashionista

So this week, I had a light bulb moment.  I suddenly had an idea to create some timeless fashion prints.  I did my best to infuse my own personality and originality but I wanted them to be classic and able to be mixed and matched with other wall art so I kept it clean and simple.  Let me tell you, this was so much fun!  Hope you like them.  They are all available at www.alligatorbay.etsy.com

Cherio!

Easter Inspired - Craft Of The Week

Happy Easter everyone!  Hope you are enjoying your weekend and celebrating what it is all about.  This is such a special time, especially for believers. As a believer myself I am always looking for a way to use my creativity to showcase my faith.  And so, I did just that.  Here are a few digital collages I put together in commemoration of Easter.

Blessings to you all!

Cherio!

Simple Pleasures

 Art and crafts excites me....

It's the only activity that allows me to both lose and find myself at the same time...

And the cares of this world?..............Well, they just fade away.

The whole world seems to be "on pause"

Like 5:00pm.........already????  Whew...where did the time go?....

When I create, I am the truest and highest expression of myself.........and my creator.

A better and more beautiful person on the inside.  Where it matters.

So, to me creating is like a cool drink of water on a very hot day. 

 Refreshing. 

 Necessary.  

To be savored and enjoyed.  Thoroughly.

What are you passionate about?......... 

 What makes you happy?

(Watercolor quotes I painted last week)

Cherio!

Finders Keepers.....A Garage Sale Tale

If there is someone responsible for the yard sale diva skills I have acquired over the last year, it would be my sister Shanda.  Last year I had the good fortune of spending a considerable amount of time with her in North Carolina and in Spring she introduced me to the fine art of the yard sale.  Before then, I was a novice at this at best. Of course I didn't know that at the time, but I was.

Shan, as I affectionately call her, woke me up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings and we would hit the road.  The object there was to get "first dibs" on the merchandise before they were picked over.  It worked.  Most weekends we hit the jackpot.  We found brand new designer clothes, bags, house wares, decor items, vintage jewelry and the list goes on.  Shan even found a beautiful Louis Vuitton bag in mint condition for less than $30.00.  Every Saturday was totally different from the one prior, but, that was part of the intrigue of it all. The experience was very "Forest Gump like" in the sense that we really never knew what we were gonna get.

Would you believe I got this painting for $5.00.

Its an original 4 ft by 3 ft .oil painting on canvas signed and dated by the artist.  Am still pinching myself.

I got these on my second yard sale expedition.  

I really like the frames and though these are prints the 

subject matter is one of my favorites.

Repurposed flowers and an interesting little ceramic box I found. 

 I immediately knew where I would display it in my home. 

Before long, my sister and I were hooked. Just amount every saturday we were off, and if we missed a day we looked forward to the next weekend.... Our husbands didn't mind so much since we were spending significantly less than shopping at the mall.  And, it was soooooooo much fun.  We laughed, bargained shopped and of course as most sisters do, argued about who saw what first.  At the end of the day though, when were totally exhausted, and hungry, we returned home with our great finds, jubilant and really satisfied.


These are some of the precious memories I have of last year.  And you know what?  I have beautiful momentos to help me keep those memories alive.  Now how awesome is that!

Shan and I literally found this mirror, a neighbor was throwing it away.

 It was brown and scruffy looking so I painted it black. The rest is

decor history!

I absolutely love collecting vintage art, photography and prints, especially if they are in sets.

I don't remember the price of these but they were very reasonable.

Now these were pieces my sister bought but actually gave to me because I 

liked them so much. The combination of  the frosted glass and the black and white photography with the simple frame is very modern and makes a very striking addition to a space.

TIP:  If you go to a yard sale and find great picture frames you like, but decide to pass on it because you hate the Art work inside, buy it anyway! Quality frames could be pricey so buy the frames and give the Artwork away to someone who likes it or donate it to a thrift store. 

Finally my little angels.  I really enjoy painting and collecting angel memorabilia so I was really happy to find these.  They are perfect for display and they make me smile every time I look at them. 

Picture This!

Some times its the simple things that makes us appreciate life most. Today I got out of bed after battling a cold for the last few days and I realized that I felt much better. No sneezing, coughing, aches or pains to speak of, its amazing how I appreciate feeling well again. Just yesterday I was lying down thinking of all the things I wanted to do once I felt a little better so here is one of them. Photography and digital collage! Yes, I said it, maybe not deserving the exclamation mark for some but for me its very exciting stuff. It sends shivers up my spine when I think of the fun I could have with a digital camera and my faithful Mac computer.

Last year I had challenged myself to create digital collages that expressed my faith in God and inspired people. As a result of this, I created what you see here and many other prints that you can find at: wandadmcphee.etsy.com

All of these prints started with a piece of photography that I shot while I was up and about or I set up the shoot based on a specific idea I had. Once I had the photo I took it into Photoshop and then added textures and filters. I also imposed and blending other images and colors into the original photo. Although some of these pieces I did are a bit advanced to someone who is new to this, you can get great results too by just taking a great photo and converting it to duotone. (two colors only in image) A lot of my prints are done this way and I just love the way this adds an element of mystery and interest to photographs. At the moment am working on a few ideas for new prints, I will post these as soon as I finish them. In the main time, get your feet wet, dust of your camera and take some photos. Not only do they make great Art framed on your wall but you can sell them as well to wholesale photography sites on the web.

Well, what else can I say but, lets do this!