Its Not Easy Being Green

My newest jewelry features digital art printed onto pendants. Pretty, modern, and easy to wear! Check them out, these are the last two days to get free shipping on anything in my shop! xoxo

Lea Is Here!

I started a new part time job this year placing exchange students with host families here in Western Kentucky. We went to the airport yesterday to pick up my first placement, the lovely Lea, from Germany. After a long flight with several changovers, and ten minutes in Memphis to run from one side of the airport to the other, Lea arrived tired but happy to be here at 8:30 last night. Here she is (center) with her new host family:

We all wish her a happy experience during her 5 month stay in Calvert City. For those in the area, Lea will be hangin' out with us at our yard sale this Friday, so drop by and welcome her to Kentucky!

Interested in becoming a host family? We have students that come in August and January for 5 months or 10 months. Visit the Center for Cultural Interchange for more information!

But She Was A Mess Inside...

New, painting, new show! My newest mixed media, "But She Was a Mess Inside.":

Detail:

The new show at the PAPA Gallery in Paducah starts Wednesday, July 30!! I will have my newest painting there as well as some of my smaller works, so go check it out! The Paducah Area Painter's Alliance (PAPA), is a artist owned and ran gallery on Main St. in Paducah right off the riverfront and has over 100 member-artists that regularly show their paintings in all styles and mediums in three month shows. This show will be August through October. To learn more about PAPA, visit them on the web.

Blog of the week and NEW jewelry!

The blog of the week this week is written by Annette Piper. Annette is an jewelry artisan that writes Under the Loupe, about gemstones, jewelry, the creation process, and interesting sites. Her work is lovely and her blog informative and interesting. Check it out!

Speaking of jewelry, I have some new items soon to be appearing in my shop. One of my new favorites, this dancy, fun, yet sophisticated shell and pearl bracelet:

As promised, I am running a fab sale this week! Enjoy free shipping all week on any order!! Sale is Monday through Friday, July 28 to August 1 only, so get it while its hot! xoxo

Drink of the Week

It's raining and gloomy here. I can't take pictures of all the new jewelry I made this week. Which is too bad, because I have some great new stuff. Keep an eye out next week! I will also be having a sale (details announced tomorrow) to coincide with the FAM Back to School Fling. The Fling is and event sponsered by the Fabulous Artistic Moms (FAM), specifically a fun back to school treasure hunt. Visit various FAM stores on Etsy and look for the hidden owl in each shop. You can win FAM bucks, good for merchandise in participating FAM shops (including mine)! For more details, visit the FAM blog.



Sierra is just now finally recovering from her Brown Recluse bites, of which she managed to get not one, but two, this week on her arm. For those of who who don't know, Kentucky, specifically this part apparently, is lousy with these nasty spiders. We have both been bitten on a few occasions since our move here in 2005. I got a crash course in what not to do when bitten when I almost lost my leg to one a month after moving here. Needless to say, we're experts now, and Sierra is fine. But it has been a long week. Our new kitten, Tramp, also went missing, but is found again and also fine.



In addition to all the other activity around here lately, Lea, the exchange student from Germany I found a host family for, arrives Tuesday. We are very excited to meet her and show her around. In the spirit of friendship, my drink recipe of the week is one I created for my lovliest of friends, Andrea, or Dre:



Behold, the most refreshing and tasty of all martinis, and sure to be your favorite too!

Fruit Punch Martini (aka Dre-tini)

1 1/2 oz vodka
3/4 oz triple sec
1 1/2 oz Rose's Watermelon Mixer
splash grenadine
splash cherry juice from maraschino cherries
Shake over ice, strain into chilled martini glass.
Garnish with a orange slice and maraschino cherry.

To chill a martini glass, fill with ice and water before making drink. Dump out right before straining drink into glass. Enjoy!! xoxo

Tramp

Our new kitten, Tramp (remember, the dog is Lady) is settled in her new home and proving to be too frisky to photograph. She is the most friendly, loving, and social kitten I have ever met, but bring out a camera, and she either bolts towards it or runs away. Here's the best I could do:

Blog of the Week

This week I discovered the beautiful handiwork and jewelry design of Michelle Harvey of Michabella Creations. My favorite creation of hers is this lovely butterfly bracelet:

You can read all about Michelle on her blog: http://michabellacreations.blogspot.com/

AHH...Summer!

Summer! A time for fun in the sun and refreshing drinks! As I write this, the new kitten that adopted us lingers outside, playing with Sierra, and the dog looks at the door like this:

We named the new kitten Tramp, since we already have Lady, and the little burr-covered stray kitten looks a bit, well, trampy. Friggin' adorable, but a little trampy.

After spending all morning separating the two, I'm already ready for my TGIF drink! My recipe this week is one I got in Ft. Lauderdale last year, and fabulous in hot weather. Behold, ye master of rum drinks, Planter's Punch!

Planter's Punch
In a tall glass full of ice, pour:

1 1/4 oz light rum

1 1/4 oz gold/ dark rum
1 1/4 oz Myer's Dark Rum (cannot substitute!!)
2 oz orange juice
2 oz pineapple juice
2 oz Rose's Lime Juice
splash of grenadine

Enjoy!! You might want to make these by the pitcher, because they go fast and the more you have the harder measuring is! xoxo

Hello Ms. Swan...

Well, I have been busy as a bee trying to finish painting the bathroom while the house is empty. I think I broke my thumb (not even sure how I did that!), and I've been trying to tough it out. But neither paint nor sleet nor broken thumb shall keep me from completing a custom order. My latest, a custom tattoo design for a girl who adores swans:

Have a Heart!

After spending a weekend trying some of those drink recipes I've been posting on Fridays, its time to see what that really does to you- mwah haha!! I have several funky new pendants from this rad French alcoholism propaganda ad I found from the 1800's. This one shows the before and after effects of alcohol on organs. I'm sure its all talk though. I mean, what did they know back then, right? I'm sure it's all viscious scare tactics, after all, when I drink, everyone looks prettier!

See this and more in my Etsy shop! Thanks for looking!! xoxo

Blog of the Week- Tulip's Talking

I'm starting a new segment- the blog of the week! This week, check out the musings of Lily Wrey, the creative force behind Tulip's Talking. Her blog has different artists, Etsy crafts, recipes and musings, along with random acts of kindness. You can read all about it at:

http://tulipstalking.blogspot.com/

I also have more items added to my shop this week, including this pendant:

Check out the new additions at www.daydreamartstudios.etsy.com

How to Feel Warm and Fuzzy

This week's TGIF drink recipe will cool you off, and leave you (and your friends, if you decide to share) warm and fuzzy! What is it? Why, the cheapest to make, best margaritas in the world!! I got this recipe as a poor college student looking for a cheaper way to make margaritas from scratch, since I despise mixers. Even when I have the money to buy the usual (expensive) ingredients, I still end up making these, because they are the best!

Margaritas by the pitcher:

1 can frozen lemonade
half of 1 small can frozen limeade (make sure you use only half per batch!)
Pour both of these into your blender.
Add lemonade can full of Tequila (you said you wanted to drink, didn't you??)
Add 1 whole beer, any kind. I have used anything from a Miller Lite to a Corona, it really makes no difference, I assure you. Just don't use some crazy fruity beer or that Tequiza.
Add whatever amount of ice you can still fit in your blender and blend away! Pour into glasses and chill, baby!

Tip for salting the rims of your glasses: throw away that silly round thing full of lime juice and fancy margarita salt from the liquor/ specialty store. Buy a box of $1.50 kosher salt (the chunky kind) from the grocery, pour some in a plate, and rub the rim of your glass with a lime slice. Then dip in salt. Easy peasy!

While you enjoy your margaritas, consider something else that makes you warm and fuzzy: custom made goodies made just for you! Something about the thought that I'm the only one who has it, that is was made just for me, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. That's just why I made this pendant, to show how something as simple as a beloved photo can become a work of art you can wear everyday! Just look how I went from this picture (taken on my cell phone of Lady when she was a puppy):





To this:

Get yours today!! Only $20 includes digital alteration of your photo, pendant, 18" ball chain necklace and drawstring canvas bag to keep it all in! Click here to see more!

Have a lovely super hot weekend! xoxo

Feeling Squirrelly?

As promised, I have kitschy new jewelry, some of which features my furry yard rat favorite:

I also have gas pumps, jukeboxes, and more! Stay tuned or visit my etsy shop for more! xoxo

features and custom tattoos

I have been selected as a featured illustrator and artist for the month of July on Sqwigga-zine, an online zine. Check it out!! Today I am showcasing some of my drawings and custom tattoo designs.

paint it black

When you have black, you don't need the "new black". Always classic, goes with anything, and can be edgy and rock and roll, or simple. My new black pendants are handcut from rigid, thick plastic to stand up to wear and tear. So beat 'em up. As long as the only thing black and blue is what you're wearing, not your friends.

Drink of the Week

I've decided since I'm not bartending right now (see blog entry- My Bar Burned Down), that all the recipes I had should go to good use. So today is the first of my new TGIF drink of the week feature. Since we're on a squirrel kick this week, I bring you the Pink Squirrel. Named presumably for the almond-flavored, red-colored creme de noyaux that turns pink when mixed with cream, this creamy choco-nutty delight is perfect for dessert! Just take 1 oz creme de noyaux, 1 oz creme de cacao, and 1 oz heavy cream or half and half, shake with ice and serve straight up . Enjoy! Happy Fourth of July!!

Tales from the technology darkside and crazy hair

Technology hates me. I spent all day yesterday hating Vista, hating Nikon, and hating Sony. Trying to figure out who, ultimately, is responsible for everything technological breaking on me when I want it the most. Bill Gates? Nah, I don't even think he works anymore (don't send me hate mail, I could be wrong). Whoever it is, my internet keeps kicking me off when I am on IM or trying to upload something, my computer keeps freezing up (thanks, Vista), yesterday my camera kept freezing up when I had to take 100 product shots, and my Sony phone keeps doing this thing where anything involving sound doesn't work (which turns out, is everything on a phone).

So what's a girl to do to keep herself occupied when technology fails her? Shave her friend's hair, of course! That's right, my artistic outlet of the day was the mohawk I gave Zak:

Oh, and some new sweet cutout black plastic pendants I made, like this one:

Luckily, the art part of my brain wasn't made by Microsoft.

It's Squirrel-riffic!

I am sort of retarded for squirrels. I don't know why, but I adore them. My dad calls them yard rats, especially when shooting at them with a paintball gun (which, I admit, can be funny, when you see a squirrel or rabbit run by with a neon pink splat on the side, because that usually means dear old dad is nearby). Yard rats or not, they are too cute for words and fun to watch. My dog agrees. Lady spends the better part of her day watching them through the window. Of course her mouth is watering, too, although I'm sure she wouldn't eat my little friends. Not my dog.

I have also always wanted a stuffed squirrel, as in from the taxidermist, to put somewhere in my house. Again, I don't know why, since I'm sort of scared by other mounted heads and the like. I have wanted one since even before I saw it on Funny Farm, with Chevy Chase, although his wife understood the coolness factor of a stuffed squirrel. I have looked extensively for years for just the right one, like I am shopping for a puppy. I know, its weird. However, not until good ol' ebay rolled along did I start finding what I was searching for. Now its partly a matter of price, since even I cannot rationalize spending a hundred dollars for a stuffed and mounted squirrel. I have found some instructions to do it myself:


Although I am just not sure I am quite country enough to do it. You can take the girl out of the city, but you can't take the city out of the girl. Living in Kentucky has made me braver, to be sure, "what, that little ol' bug? Stop crying, and kill it, for pity's sake" but stuff my own squirrel? I don't know. Besides, I kind of want to pretend it wasn't just running around, having a great day before Pow! it gets gunned down in the name of art. I'd like to think that my squirrel died of natural causes. How can I think that if I have to get the squirrel myself? I keep waiting for one to drop dead of old age on my front porch, but so far, no luck.

Besides, I kind of want one that looks like he might shoot back: