Happiest New Year!!

 
     It has been a really long time since my last post and I have to say, a very, very busy past month and a half.  I got a new job and for the month of December, worked both jobs, which meant I only had 4 days off all month, 3 of those days being Christmas and the two days following that.  Needless to say, it's taken me sometime to catch my breath.  I was quite exhausted and needing to catch up on so many aspects of my life.  I am currently back to one job and it's going very well, I love it completely.
    That being said, one of the things that I have desperately been wanting to catch up on, was posting some magnificent trades that I did last year.  I was blessed to be able to trade with some truly wonderful and talented artist/blog friends and I have finally been able to get organized enough to put up the most recent trades and get some pictures taken, which had been my hope all along.

This trade came from a very wonderful and dear blog friend named Daniele.  I love her artwork.  She is tremendously inspiring with her light hearted whimsy and  continually creative spark that shines and makes you happy to be a part of.  

I was fortunate to meet up with her last Fall and it was fantastic to get a chance to meet her in person.  She is vibrant and energetic and I loved getting to meet her.  Thank you so much.  I hung this above my art desk, where it will continue to inspire me to think outside the box.  This is the most creative paint brush I've ever seen.  Love it!!!  :)

I talked to a wonderful artist/blog friend named Stacy, back in May, about a possible trade.  We both had a lot going on, so we decided to just take our time and go with the flow.  We both love Fall and so decided to work with that theme. 

Stacy loves crows and paints the most amazing crows I've ever seen.  I don't know how she manages to get so much done, I am forever in awe of her ability to stay consistent and to have so many creative ideas constantly flowing out of her.  I love her upbeat, joyful energy and abundance of creativity.  

Thank you so much for these fantastic crows.  I really wanted my art space cleaned up and reorganized before hanging these up.  I am so happy to finally have them up where I can see them daily.  Hooray!!  They make me smile.  

Please click on Daniele and Stacy's names to check out their blogs.  They are both incredibly talented and full of inspiration.  

Aside from working a lot, I have finally gotten my art space cleaned up and did a smidge of painting.

My art space (before), very uninspiring.

My art space (after) Much Better!!!

The right tools help.  A much needed shelf for organizing and keeping art stuff in it's proper place.  

A finished project.  Something I needed desperately.  I started this a few months ago and never got back to it.  This is above our front door, our very old house is quirky and fun and I have so many projects that are constantly running through my mind.  Murals being one of them.  I had so much fun with this, that I have a lot other ideas for above doorways and such.  

This year, I am determined to finish projects and do more art.  To quit 

over-thinking and therefore, defeating myself.  

Hooray for New Years and renewal and a husband who constantly cheers me on.

Christmas gifts.  I took my artwork and had it put on a coffee mug. 

hooray, this was fun, you should try it. :)

For my extended family, I had calendars made with my photos that I took in 2012. 

Along with some fun quotes that I found and loved.  

Happy New Year to all of you and may your year be filled with prosperity, abundance, joy and peace. 

I will leave you with a few pics of the New Year!  Enjoy!