Treasury #1 - HOOT! If you love owls.

Here is an etsy treasury neatart4ursweet♥ was featured in. It is adorable and I am sure all of you owl lovers will enjoy it. The bright colors are wonderful!

I think Alaina did a great job putting this treasury together. Here is a link to the list on etsy if you would like to purchase any of the items shown.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTMxNDM3NzR8MzY0MzI4NzYz/proud?index=0

I love it when my art is handpicked by other artists! Check out Alaina's shop, 'Cowboy Ballerina'.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CowboyBallerina

Privledged To Paint

So last week I received a late night text from my cousin informing me of her craftmergency [aka craft-emergency]! Earlier that day her little man got his cranial molding helmet and she couldn't wait to customize it. I don't blame her; for those of you who have never seen a cranial molding helmet, they are plain and boring. Molding helmets are used to correct Plagiocephaly in babies. Plagiocephaly is a malformation of the head marked by an oblique slant to the main axis of the skull - in other words, it means your babies head isn't as round as it should be. Many times this malformation occurs in the womb and is nobody's fault...just nature. 

After trying to decorate the DOC Band on her own, Dawn realized it was a bit more than she bargained for. In her text she asked if I had time [ASAP] to help her decorate the DOC Band. I said yes and asked if she could bring it first thing in the morning. She was at my house bright and early!

Dawn and her husband Jesse are huge motocross fans. Jesse rides dirt-bikes and is a Kawasaki LOVER. They wanted little Ezekiel's helmet to reflect their love for all things 'FOX riding' and 'Kawasaki'. Dawn had all the perfect ideas, she just needed her design to be brought to life. After a few hours of 'picking her brain' this is what we came up with:

Isn't he the cutest?! I love squeezing this little guy!!

We chose to paint the helmet 'Kawasaki Green', paint his name across the side, a Fox logo in the front, and the word 'Fox' slanted across the back. I added a little modge podge to seal it and a plain helmet became a piece of art.

I could not have been more privileged to paint little Ezekiel's DOC Band. Making it a bit easier to look at was the only thing I could do to make this transition easier for him and his parents...I was more than happy to take on the challenge!

When my baby girl was born the doctor let us know that her head was a bit misshaped. It is flatter on one side than the other, most likely due to a very large fibroid I have in my uterus. The pediatrician said he will check it her little head again at her 7 month check-up to see if it improves on its own. Her appointment is in a couple of weeks and we are really hoping everything is looking better. If we do have to go the molding helmet route I am glad I will have Dawn there for advice and support.

 




What I am working on:

• A SECOND custom set to match the Daniella bedding by Cocalo.
• A personalized painting to match the Funky Zebra bedding set by JoJo Designs.

An invitation is all of the inspiration I need!

Have you ever been invited to a birthday party for a child you knew very little about? For example, a co-worker's child or your own child's classmate. It is difficult to shop for a kiddo you don't know and shoving a gift card in a birthday card for anyone under the age of 10 is so dull!

My last customer was invited to a little guy's birthday party and immediately she knew she wanted to order a custom painting for him; however, she didn't know anything about his room decor. No problem! I asked her if she could text me a photo of the invite and the birthday boy's name. She let me know his name was Dominic and she messaged me a photo of the invite. Here is a generic version of the exact invite she sent me:

Super cute right? I love themed invites! The picture in her invite was fantastic! It was Dominic wearing a camo hat and war paint, peeking his head through brush! ADORABLE & CREATIVE! After checking out the invite and getting a feel for the theme I came up with this design:

I am so happy with the finished product and hope Dominic loves it! It is so easy to make a gift personal when you order from neatart4ursweet♥. I named this painting 'Ranger Danger' in honor of my baby girl's uncles Derek and Sergio who were both US ARMY RANGERS!

What I am working on:

• Custom painting to match the Sugar Plum bedding collection by Cocalo. PROMISE to finish soon!
• Two Royal Heart [Zebra Print] paintings for cute 'rockstar' sisters Delilah and Mariah!

New 'Approximate Wait Time' Gadget

Notice the new gadget?

This new gadget will let all of you know the 'Approximate Wait Time' if you were to put in a custom order today. Summer has brought a lot of great family time and life is only going to get busier come August. August will be a month of excitement, anxiety, and more family!

I recently accepted a job as a kindergarten teacher for the 2011-2012 school year! Teaching is my passion and I am thrilled to finally have my own class. I have been working towards this goal for so long and now that I have a job I still can't believe it. I think it will finally sink in when I walk into my classroom and realize how much work I have to do. The rooms at this school are the size of three average size classrooms...SERIOUSLY. My entire life my family has said I was going to be a kindergarten teacher, guess they knew something I didn't! I am so blessed to have been given this opportunity but I am so nervous about leaving my little girl. [This is the cause of my anxiety.] I know she will be in great hands with her daddy and grandma.

August will also bring more family time because my sister and her family will be moving back to California from Chicago! I miss them so much. I am sure every free moment we are going to be planning 'get togethers'. I am so excited to smooch my gorgeous niece Bella and handsome little godson Ben.

So there you have it! Since life will be getting a bit busier you will have to place your orders earlier than you might expect. Please email me to see if I have any wiggle room and I might be able to make adjustments.

HAPPY SUMMER!

What I am working on:

• Christian's pretty big sister's painting! To match the Sugar Plum bedding collection by Cocalo.
• Two Royal Heart [Zebra Print] paintings for cute 'rockstar' sisters Delilah and Mariah!
• A set of cute and colorful owls and birdies. Orange, pink, yellow, etc. Yay for brights!

Don't sell yourself short.

An old friend from high school contacted me about creating a custom painting for her new handsome baby boy. Of course I was more than happy to fulfill this order. She let me know that little Christian has the Baby Cocoa crib bedding and decor in his room (by Lambs & Ivy). I found images of the collection and loved it!

I came up with the following design. I really liked the final result...or so I thought. The lines are perfect and the acrylic as smooth as can be. I even sent pictures to little Christian's mommy and she loved it!

Super cute right?

Well, I always keep my latest painting out and displayed on my dinning room table. I guess this habit provides me with a bit of inspiration while I go about my day. The more and more I looked at the painting, the more I began to critique it...something was missing and I knew I could improve this already ADORABLE painting. I contacted Christian's mommy and she gave me free reign to add anything I wanted. After thinking about it and working with some images on good ol' paint.net I came up with this...

Now I don't just love the result - I REALLY love it! I feel like including a second layer to the plants, a few leaves, and a whimsy tree branch added so much to the painting. I am glad that I was able to self-reflect and create an even better product. I enjoy painting and will always do my best to meet my clients expectations...and my own. I am my biggest critic and am not afraid to admit I can do better. I think all good artist should be this way. I mean it when I say that my paintings are made with love and a lot of patience!

I am really happy with this piece and hope Christian and his mommy feel the same.

What I am working on:

• Christian's pretty big sister's painting! To match the Sugar Plum bedding collection by Cocalo.
• A set of 3 canvases for the Daniella bedding collection by Cocalo.
• A custom painting to match the Isabella crib bedding by Glenna Jean.
• Two Royal Heart [Zebra Print] paintings for cute 'rockstar' sisters Delilah and Mariah!

Wowzers! That's a lot of work! Woohoo!

Business Cards & New Look

I have my first business cards! A lot of friends and family have been telling me to get business cards and I finally did it. I made my own...of course. I am all about the homemade stuff! When I began designing the cards I realized that my original blog design didn't transfer over to business cards very well. Since I wanted the business cards to coincide with the design of my blog and etsy store, I changed EVERYTHING - hopefully for the last time! It takes too long to design everything all over again. I rather be spending that time with my little family or painting.

I love the new and final look of my little business's design. What do you think?

Now that I have cards I need to figure out how to get them out! Any ideas? I am thinking cork boards at Starbucks and calling some baby boutiques.

What I am working on:

• Distributing my cards!
• Two paintings for an old friend's handsome boy and pretty girl. [Jungle theme and Butterfly theme.]
• A painting for a little guy named Caden who is cooking in his momma's tummy. [More Jungle!]

Why the asymmetric heart logo?

It may seem as though my little asymmetric heart logo has no meaning or that I might have chose it simply because it is 'cute'; however, it actually does have sentimental value. At first I thought I wanted a conversation heart as my logo...get it? neatart4ursweetheart? It was a clever idea but it wasn't really me. After thinking about it for about a month I realized my logo was right in front of my face! I decided to model my logo after my first and only tattoo.

Statistics show that about 20% of individuals who have a tattoo regret it...I am not one of those individuals. Which is surprising considering a good friend did it for me a couple of days after my 18th birthday. I love my tattoo, it is a part of me and I get compliments on it ALL of the time. I think it is dainty, artistic, and feminine.

Now that I have explained where I got the idea for my logo I need to explain how I got the idea for my tattoo...

I was a teenager in love. Everyday during 1st period I would write my boyfriend letters and sign my name with the same asymmetric heart. I had an obsession with asymmetric hearts. They aren't perfect but whose heart really is? My boyfriend made me realize how much I 'wear my heart on my sleeve'. I have always been EXTREMELY emotional but had never been in love like I was with him. Eventually my high school sweetheart became my husband and I love him now more than ever!

This simple little heart represents so much of who I am.

What I am working on:

• Two paintings for an old friend's handsome boy and pretty girl. [Jungle theme and butterfly theme.]
• An under the sea themed custom painting ordered for a baby shower.