commissioned art pieces

This is not all the pieces, but I thought I would share with you some pieces that an owners of a 'pet spa' asked me to do for the cool business they have.  It was fun to work on these pieces!  And I actually did a few of these in smaller sizes and magnets and sold them at an art fair later. (they ALL sold! yay!)

green dog

yum

fresh catch

detail of fresh catch

kwazy kat

puppy love

this pieces was the largest measuring at 8 feet by 4 feet

more of the detail of the piece titled camp out

got a bit to finish on the dog on the right, right now he is just a floating head...

the finished piece!!

It has been a while since I've done this much art and seeing these fun pieces makes me miss sitting down in my dungeon, basement, makeshift studio to see what flows from my paintbrushes.  Little guy was smaller and slept more, so there was more time to do pieces like this. Now it is really fun to see what HE paints! And sometimes he even helps with furniture painting...so far so good!
It's cool to have a rock 'n roll, artist, pirate, dragon,dentist, astro boy, batman on my hands - wonder what he'll think of next?!

Thanks for being here and looking at some of my whimsical art!  I REALLY APPRECIATE you taking time to stop by and would LOVE to read your comments...

This ROCKS! **update!

I am so flattered!  This may happen to you guys, but ME? Seriously?  Shut the front door!!
It's like "you love me, you really love me"!! (now, become a follower, pretty please)  Think Oscars or CMA's here, red carpet, diamonds dripping from lobes, fingers, and toes, you  get it, right - only I am in a granny robe with total bed head and some serious morning breath!! Gosh, I really could've brushed my teeth, but that makes my coffee taste a little like Colgate...oh, back to this AWARD/FEATURE stuff...WHOOP WHOOP!! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!  This so ROCKS! and I feel so flattered and special and my hubby is telling me to calm down, it's too early and I think I'll dress up today, ya now, just in case someone might recognize me (snickers) and WHOOP WHOOP! ok, ok, but I am excited and very appreciative!!  I received two "Versatile Blogger's", a couple of "Feature" posts, a "Stylish Blogger", an "Inspiration" award and a "Spotlight" award - like all within a few days! Just can't stop telling you how stoked I am about this! My head is gonna be in the clouds all day!!

Here are the rockin' cool folks that "love me" at least this time! :)

Megs at This & That Creative

Denise at Extreme Personal Measuresnning

Sam at The Junk House

Jamie at C.R.A.F.T

Barb at Santa's Gift Shop & Ideas

Alaina at Hammer Time

OK, now with some of these awards, I have rules to follow!  No lounging, and sipping my champagne coffee to revel in the limelight of my distinguished fame.  I just can't stop can I?!

     The Rules:

1.  Thank and link back to the people who awarded you these awards. 

2.  Tell everyone 7 random facts about yourself
3.  Pass the award to 7 lovely bloggers
4.  Contact each blogger and let them know you have passed this award onto them 

Total Randomness about me:

1.  I have owned and l.o.v.e.d riding my Harley's! (had a sporster & a fat boy) but wouldn't do it now, since I am a Mom.  Being a Mom changed some of my perspectives

2.  No one ever gets my age correct.  I'm ok with that, but I don't get why people (girls mostly) never want to tell their age. It is an honor to have a birthday, that's the best gift - hello! it's from our Heavenly Father! who wants to be 21, 29, 39 forever?  Just tell the truth and be proud

3.  I use to barefoot water ski, so hard and so ruff, but such a high to have accomplished it and do it for an entire summer.  I would do it again, and again...

4.  Dr. Phil gave me a hug, and so did that cute son of his! So did Dick Clark, Reba, Kenny, Patrick Swayze, the list is long... (I lived in Nashville for over 10 years and was fortunate to run in great company for most of that time!) Shout out to my Nashvegas pals! xoxo

5.  I have drank tons of wine, some costing thousands, and a fav is a $20 bottle of Conundrum.  (thanks my pal who is a wine connoisseur/collector, love ya and your wine, but my wine budget is a bit smaller than yours)

6.  I typically have an iron stomach - except changing my son's diapers made me gag and once I really threw up... you really wanted to know that, right? ;)

7.  I love, l.o.v.e., love music and so wish I could {really} sing and play instruments, but if I sing in the shower the water stops.  I do sing loud and wildly in the car - all the time and now little guy does too! I know folks think we are wacked and that's ok - Life Is Good and he & I have a rockin' fun time!

#'s 3 & 4 of the rules will be posted soon...  I have to get busy creating, practicing my autograph, building something, picking out the perfect heels, painting furniture, oh what?  yep I heard right-little guy needs breakfast and he has to go to school, and now he is screaming from the bathroom - wanna guess what he needs?  Reality has returned, oh well, I wouldn't trade wiping his booty for nothin' else! (wellll, maybe that I would trade, but nothing else)

**and the awards pass on to these two great blogs:
     Lauren Lane Decor 

     Wide Open Spaces 

 go check them out...
      

If there is something else you want to know - just ask - I'm not real shy... never guessed that didya?
Peace & Love,
  ~Donna

Go take a look at all the other AWESOME award winners on these blogs; the DIY's, ideas - just go browse around these blogs! You'll love 'em!  WHOOP WHOOP, ok I have to stop and get on with my day!!

*And thanks to my little rock 'n roller guy for inspiring me to create for him, and of course my handsome strong hubby who always supports my ideas-crazy successful or failed however they may turn out! :) 

Favorite Things

I'll admit when we moved from Nashville to Birmingham, we basically placed some of our furniture/art objects where the previous owners had theirs.  Not real creative, not original, but baby boy was just shy of one, hubs had to get back to work immediately and life just didn't slow down long enough for us to do anything except live it!  SO, move forward we did! 

Coming up on three years - our decor is much the same! blah-blah-lottie-da!  

I do have some lovely pieces collected over the years - not all are creatively or prominently arranged, displayed or even given the love & respect deserved, in my opinion.  And I still collect - just not like I once did... 

Browsing at all the great blogs and magazines, seeing beautiful arrangements of art and furniture, I started missing things I haven't seen, ummmm, since we moved.  So I dug through a few boxes - spoke sweetly to some of my favorite items, and promised them that one day soon I would get my mojo back, and they would come to live with me again!  They are not so happy in the dungeon basement. Here a a few of my favs that I DO get to see here & there around the house.  Hope you enjoy looking at them!  And I am curious about some of your favs - share them & the stories with me/us...

artisan made mirror 'Vain Aroma' picked up in a gallery in Knoxville, TN (I can't read the artists name, sorry)

funky tin art purchased in a tiny store off the beaten path somewhere between Huntsville, AL & Franklin, TN

a metal frame that my brother made for me!  I saw one in a store with a price tag that didn't speak to me (like over $200). I explained this over the phone and in less than a week he brought it to me!!  {LOVE IT} oh the 'art' inside the frame is from a magazine - I just cut it out and placed it there with a tiny dab of tape - I did this out of sheer excitement the moment my brother handed it to me! The mag just happened to be on the chair beside me!

antique dress form, still in pretty good condition, and the watercolor behind it both picked up at fleas

the bottom of the dress form

tiny Etsy art - when Etsy first came to be (sorry I can't remember the artist).  It reminded me of art by Lynn Whipple whom I met several years ago at a show in Nashville, TN

this tea pot is by artists that I love, Jennifer & Mark Hatfield. I have a few pieces, this one was picked up at an arts & crafts show - can't remember where...

Scott E. Hill - wow! what an artist!!  I have a few of his paintings and can I just say I {LOVE} his work?! This is titled "Reflections" and is two little birds in a boat at dusk...

another arts & crafts show find - great little vase - unknown artist

"be where you are"  this is what made me buy it...

frames are a weakness of mine, I spend waaay too much on frames (issues?!) This is by an artist that I love and have had the pleasure of meeting.  Jill is so talented, and I am lucky to have many of her pieces of art (jewelry, frames, paperweights - see, issues!)  The actual pic is my Mom and one of her (5) sisters

I

I can't help it, I remember such non-important things!  You don't 'have' to read all the captions, but it was neat for me to remember people, places, etc... and I am good with sharing.  I have fun collecting, ok, I have fun doing just about anything!!

this is driftwood - yes, driftwood!  look at the detail the artist had to work with and the detail she put into it!  I {love} this piece of sculpture - there is such character to it!  Got it in NY on a buying trip (gotta love wholesale!) many years ago...

the artist is Lynn Muir, I think she is in the UK

boobs, she even put on boobs...

she stands alone, and the hair is always blowing :)

the wording - something else I love about art..

my tea set - hand made in Brazil. the handles are wrapped in leather

cuteness!  garage sale!

this hangs in my little guys room near his bed.  a solid wood, hand carved and painted piece by an artisan with the team of Sticks

my funky little angel that watches over me at the kitchen window!

Droll cake stand and a few fav cookbooks (I love Droll items, and have a few of these fun pieces)

ahhh, Cat & Mouse!  my cheese board that I think is so whimsical!

this is awesome art by the very talented Michael Aram

love the details on all the pieces!

cat, mouse, cheese - I laughed then, I laugh now!

pretty & heavy solid wood HEART - flea mkt, I think...

detail of a silver (real, not plated) tray that I picked up in my neighborhood -- at a sale I didn't even know was happening -- until I was driving to the grocery store!!

so heavy and in excellent condition! I almost feel like a thief, it was so cheap, such a good deal!

hand stitched green truck - this is in my little guy's room (from a previous post)

I love art!  There is so much! And so many artist!  Art is a great fabric, a wonderful line on a pieces of furniture or a wonderful chip in the wood on another piece.  Art is soft, metal, quirky, sophisticated, funky, wood, fiber,, you know what I am saying, right?  And for me, more than anything else I think, it is a matter of 'feelings'.  Whether from a deep heart moving emotion, a piece that makes you laugh, one that takes you 'there', or the little 'high' we get from the find!  I am never offended if someone doesn't particularly care for something I have in my collection - it's like elbows and eyelashes - everyone has 'em and they are all different!  I am secure enough in my whimsical, elegant, kooky, expensive, bargain taste, thankyouverymuch!

 Linking up at

        

⚜ ↁℯℬℬᴵℰ⚜ at Debbiedoos

http://thehillsarelivin.blogspot.com/

http://www.findingfabulousblog.com/2011/02/frugalicious-friday_17.html 

http://www.thethriftyhome.com/ 

OWLove ya fa-evah...

Ok, so maybe the title isn't as catchy as I would have liked...ok smartypants, YOU come with one!
But you have to admit, this little big owl has some personality. And don't ya love a good personality?!
I spotted this big guy from my car as I drove up to a garage sale (last year) and took a somewhat 'uninterested, just walking past him, ya know, to get to ummm, other ummmm, interesting things' glance at him then up at the garage sale hostess who was certainly watching my eye (could she tell I sooo wanted him?)!  I did get a few things and finally inquired about Mr. Owl.  Ceramic, made from a mold, fired & painted by an aunt or cousin in 1976 or 1978 as indicated on the bottom.  Made my offer and loaded Mr. Owl and my other items in the car and could hardly wait to get a can of spray paint in my hands!!!  Not a chip on this guy, and did I tell you he just has the {bEsT} personality?! 

BEFORE

AFTER

 Look at how much happier he is with my {PAINTED FRESH} love sprayed all over him!!

Your comments really make me smile!  Go ahead, take a moment, leave a comment for me!

LINKED TO:

http://christinasadventures2010.blogspot.com/

fun project -- admiration

pic from House of Ficek

thought this was fun and turned out GREAT!  Thanks, Kendra for allowing me to share!

ART

a few pieces of my art...

 

Thank you for visiting!  would {love} your comments!

I am linked here:

http://www.iamalongfortheride.blogspot.com/

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/