Hola!!

I'm back! I missed you guys! I had a wonderful time in Mexico. I got to visit an orphanage 6 days in a row and do all kinds of fun stuff with the kids. We sang songs (in Spanish....and I led them!) I painted lot's of little fingernails, I played tons of frisbee and soccer (which I am HORRIBLE at) and did about a million crafts. It was such a moving experience to get to know these amazing little people and bond with them. Their faces will be in my head for the rest of my life. For as long as my kids are around, I'll be sending thier old clothing and toys down to the orphange and some extra goodies for Christmas. Luckily, I've got a wonderful Mexican friend here in Davidson who will be translating letters for me to send as well. I just can't tell you how wonderful the whole trip was. I could go on and on.

But.....I won't. Time to get back to work. Mortie sold which is very nice but a little sad as well. He really grew on me. I'll miss him so much! Gertrude will be up until tomorrow. No bites yet but I'm hopeful. I'll be working on 2 new dolls soon.....Frankenstein (Frankie) and his bride (Bertha). I have no idea when they'll be up! Life is in chaos right now. Although I did get a painting finish. It's Jesus washing Peter's feet. It turned out quite well. Not sure what to title it.

Anyhoo.....I know this is short but I wanted to let everyone know I'm back in town. Alas, I'll be leaving yet again Friday for a week and a half for my sister's wedding in the Outer Banks. Can't WAIT for September to start so this madness will be over!

So glad to be back. Missed you all!

Krissy

Oh, by the way....if anyone would like to donate any children's items to the orphanage, email me and I'll give you the address.

Hello, Gorgeous.

My sweet friend Gertrude dropped by to say hello today.

She's such a tenderhearted gal. So kind. And what a dancer! You should see her do the cha cha. Or the tango. Ballet? Tap? Jazz? She's mastered them all. She has moves so few can pull off. So light on her feat. There's just no reason for her not to be a professional.....hitting the stage.....her name in the bright lights of broadway. A legend in her own time. But, alas, each time she auditions, her casting folk just can't see past her unfortunate 'green-ness'. Yes, yes perhaps she could cover her seafoam skin in makeup, you say. She tried that once. But the oilyness of the makeup prevented her ballet partner from getting a good grip on her hands and she ended up flat on her face, nose down, when she should have been held high in a lovely, overhead 'swan' pose. She had 3 surgeries to correct that broken nose. And it never was truly the same. Pity.

So, sweet Gertrude spends her time as the coat check girl in the back of a broadway theatre. Watching from behind the scenes. Secretly wishing...hoping...that someday, someday soon....she won't be seen simply by the green-ness of her skin. She hopes that green girls can take to the stage and be free. Free to be.....green.

Lovely Gertrude will be up for auction on ebay Sunday evening, August 10 along with her good friend, Mortie.

Adios, my friends! I'm off to Mexico. See you in a week!

Krissy

Introducing Mortie.....

I have officially jumped on the Halloween bandwagon. And it's about time. My friends have been making fun of my obsession with this great, old holiday for years now! So.....





Meet Mortie. He's a sad little guy. He wasn't always a clown. At one time, he was a successful businessman who was never satisfied with his humdrum 9-5, six figure a year life. He wanted more. He wanted the dreams of his youth. He wanted to be a circus star. So, he left it all. Walked out on his job and his old life completely. He was ready for a simpler, more fullfilling world. He donned makeup, made his own clothes, even a fun little Halloween sign. But when he looked at himself in the mirror, full of hope and anticipation, he realized something about himself he had never, ever known before......he had coulrophobia......yes, he was afraid of clowns.







Oh, bother. What's a coulrophobic clown to do? Dear, sweet Mortie.



Mortie will be up for auction when I return home from Mexico. I'll be off August 2 and will be home August 9. Will hopefully have some fun new stuff to offer!

See you soon!

Krissy

Something Different.....

Just a short one tonight..... I did a new painting in a new style I really enjoyed. I layered the paints and did not do my usual black outline. I used red and blue layers and then painted on top of them leaving outlines and few colors showing through the top coats. It was fun! The mermaid just sold and the chair is still up. Oh, and I put up my first 'solo' Jesus. Wasn't sure if I wanted to but I loved painting Him. Glad I did it!










As usual, I forgot to paint my 'July Angel'. I'm in the process right now....just took a break to write this post. She'll be up tomorrow and hopefully 'August Angel' will be right behind her!

Cheers!
Krissy

By the way.....does anyone have a good photo hosting program you use to upload pix to ebay? My pix never look right because they are so SMALL! Help!

Proof Positive.....

Well. This may come across as quite cheesy to some but here goes.....I have always felt God calling me to art. I did everything but, for so long. I was a professional actress, a singer, a personal trainer.....all kinds of stuff. Now I know I'm not the greatest artist, but I still feel called.


Now..... I've fallen in love with painting on wooden cabinet doors. I love the way the paint takes to them, the texture of the final product.....so many things. But, last week my supplier said she couldn't get anymore and I was devastated. I couldn't find more anywhere. I almost cried.


Moving on....


The children's minister at my church asked me to do a mural for one of the kids rooms. Most all the other rooms have been done by fabulous artists and I felt very intimidated. I had a meeting with her just to find that the job was even bigger than I thought. I wanted to back out! 3 walls, 3 windows to cover, 3-d hanging artwork....the works. I came home and told Kevin that they were on crack to ask me to do it. Then, of course, he reminded me that I may be small and have little faith in myself, but God is big. He gave me talent and expects me to use it and He will help me every step of the way so long as I am faithful. Talk about feeling small. So.....I'm in. I'm seriously nervous but I'm in.


This is what happened today....


I go to the coordinators home to pick up some plywood to paint on (did I mention I'll be painting a huge chandelier that a carpenter will cut out, details included, with a jigsaw? Yikes!). I'm getting ready to leave when what did I spot piled super high in the corner but......cabinet doors. I said, "If you don't want those, I'll buy them from you." She gives me a crazy look and says, "What are you nuts? You can just HAVE them!". WOOHOO!! So......In the back of my van right now are 20 wood cabinet doors of all shapes and sizes I got for FREE!! Kevin was as floored as I was.


So the moral of this story is......YAY God! He truly is faithful in even the simplest of ways if we are faithful to Him. Am I being silly about this? No way man. I'm an optimist! I believe God does miracles in our lives in ways that will speak to us, personally. I'm a 'simple pleasures' kind of girl. 20 free cabinet doors? Miracle enough for me.


Notice the nice potty chair in the background.

Wish me luck with this mural. I keep everyone posted on the progress. It will probably take me over a month!


Luvies to everyone......Good night and sleep tight, my friends.


Krissy

Aww Shucks!

The ever sweet Mika gave me such a wonderful gift.....a blog award. What a nice surprise! So the rules of the award are that I must give it away to 7 other fabo artists and give links to thier websites. And here are the nominees.....

1. Noodle and Lou ......the ever wonderful Jenn and her 'yummy' creations never cease to amaze me.

2. Creative Solace....Heather and her amazing collages.

3. Miller Campbell Designs......Rebecca has the most awesome dolls ever, hands down!

4. Pocket Full of Prettys.....Check out Renea's totally awesome blocks and wands. I can't get enough of them.

5. Danita Art......Totally unique, always inspiring.

6. Distracted By Design......Carmen always has something new, fun and forever inspirational with her 21 day challenges!

7. Surprise Delight Joy......When I need a lift, I go to Suz. Her fantastic work perks me up everytime.

And there you have it. Not only are they nominated but they all win as well!!

Now, here's a new offering that will be up for grabs on ebay tomorrow night.

Goodnight all!

Krissy

VACATION!!!

I'm officially on vacation in the Outer Banks, NC. We arrived Thursday and I'm finally starting to wind down and relax. You can't help but think life is glorious when you look out of your bedroom window and see the ocean and miles and miles of blue sky! Sigh......

So, we are here with my husbands family. He's one of 9 and we have 22 nieces and nephews. All in all, there are 42 of us in this 10 bedroom house! Believe it or not, it's fantastic. All the kids are great and love each other and my kids are in hog heaven. And here I sit, actually getting some private time (we won the drawing for the largest bedroom in the house...you know...the one with the jacuzzi!!! Woohoo!) blogging and listing on ebay.....my favorite things to do these days outside of making art. Oh, yes....life is good.

Thought I'd share a few pix of my sweet girls last night watching fireworks and also some of the ATC'S I've worked up. Some of these will go on ebay and others will be going out to some trading friends.

I'll be blogging again soon between glasses of wine and leisurely magazine reads on the beach! Toodles!

Krissy