As I mentioned in my last post, I’ve been a busy little bee getting ready for the Atlanta Gift Show.  Now that the holidays have been packed away in the attic, it is time to kick it into really high gear.  I’ve done some new paintings and have worked them into some lovely product designs that I will be showing in Atlanta.  So far, the reaction I’ve been getting to the new style has been very, very positive, so I am excited to debut them in Atlanta.  If you’re in the area, stop by – Building 2, 14th floor (1440) near the elevators.

Now, remember that “mess canvas” I posted back here?  The one I use to test marks, colors and just plain use up what’s left on my palette at the day’s end?   I had promised to show its transformation now and again, so below are a couple new shots of it.

However, the last shot is its final shot as my 17-year old niece had asked me for one of my paintings for Christmas.  I gave her her choice of anything from my growing body of work in the studio and to my surprise, she chose “The Mess”.  She says she hears jazz when she looks at it.  Guess I gotta start a new one!

I know I am a little late posting this, but I am up to my ears in work right now preparing for the Atlanta Gift Show.  I am exhibiting in the License & Design Section ~ Building 2, 14th floor (1440) near the elevators.  Please come by!  I have no idea whose idea it was to put a major trade show just a couple weeks after the holidays…oh well, nobody asked me, LOL

Hey ~ you might recall I introduced you to a young artist named Devin back on THIS post.  I also posted THIS neat-o Easter card she sent me.  Well, the talented Miz Devin has made me a very special Thanksgiving card.  I just love these, Dev :-), Thank you so much!

It came in this envelope with my name tag…still wondering what the code number is for, but love my ID picture (it’s much more current than my head shot) and title “Art Master”… Hmmm. maybe I should use it as my badge in Atlanta.

Here’s the front of the card, with a cute little flip-up to reveal a secret turkey…

And the inside ~ she sure knows how to write copy!  Not sure how well you can see it here, but if you click on it you’ll get a closer look.  She’s dreaming of pumpkin pie and I am dreaming of her cute card…

Thanks again, Devin ~ your art always makes me smile :-)

One of the things I really love about abstract painting is I never know where a painting will take me.  I stared these 8 x 10’s as a base to work over, but I kind of like them just the way they are.  I see a park on a summer night with fireworks.  What do you see…?

Been very busy around the studio these days.  The Atlanta Gift Show is looming large with the holidays and all they entail in between.  I’ll be exhibiting again at the License & Design Section, which they have finally moved and made much easier to find ~ Building 2, 14th floor near the elevators.  So, I am working on exciting new collections, getting ads done for the trade pubs and just taking care of business in general.

And, I’ve been painting.  My new passion.  I adore it and wish I could spend every working moment with paint on my fingers (and more often than not, on my face and in my hair).

I snapped this shot this morning as I passed my art studio on my way to the business studio.  I love the way the light is shining through the current canvas on my easel.  A moment later, that light was gone.

I have a canvas in the studio that I keep for testing a mark or a color.  I also slap whatever paint is left on my palette at the night’s end on it.  I thought it might be fun to share this ever-changing canvas now and again.  Here it was a while back…

….a week or so later…. What I find interesting is the reactions I’ve had to this canvas.  A couple of gal pals visited the other day and while we were standing in the studio, they both started oohing and ahhing over this canvas.  One said, “I’d love to have that on a summer dress!”  I kind of laughed…it’s just my mess canvas…

…and today.  Captain Hubby (a professional photographer) takes my paintings to his studio to photograph when they are finished.  Last night when he brought a couple back, he spotted this mess and said, “Why didn’t you give me that one too?  I like it.”

So, check back now and again to see how the mess progresses!  I’ll post a couple new paintings soon.

I can’t believe I almost forgot about posting this gem.  When I was on my Squam journey in New Hampshire in September, I stopped at this wickedly fun antique shop called The Glass Knob in Moultonborough, NH.  They don’t have a website that I could find, but if you Google the name and location, you’ll find a map.  If you’re in the area ~ don’t miss it!

If you’ve been visiting my blog for any length of time, you know how much I appreciate a place like this.  And this one was very well curated.  Of course, I found a few packable treasures.  I’ll leave you to browse at your leisure…

While it might not be cooling off much here in Florida, fall is in full swing in the Smokey Mountains ~ at least it was a couple weeks ago when Captain Hubby & I took a week to enjoy the leaves and some hiking.

I’ll post a few pics from that trip this week, but for now, I just had to share “BJ Lantz” product sightings in NC ~ no matter how long I do this, I don’t think that will ever get old :-)

This flag (Lowe’s) was hanging outside a BBQ restaurant in Dillsboro where we had lunch one day ~ I must have been starving when we got there, because I didn’t even notice this until we left!

I spotted this flag (Evergreen) hanging outside a gift shop in Maggie Valley….

While strolling through downtown Waynesville, there was one of my rug designs…

Also in Waynesville, a Leanin’ Tree card (the pink one :-)…

Earlier this month, Captain Hubby & I went to NC to enjoy some fall weather, changing leaves, hiking and just plain down-time.  We really enjoyed our time and I came back refreshed and really ready to get back to work.  Fall is my favorite season, I love the colors, the weather, the sense of new beginnings (I know, that should be spring, right?  Nope, always been fall for me).

One thing I sadly don’t get enough time to do in my day-to-day life is paint.  So, while in NC, I painted these…. A good friend has already laid claim to one for Xmas!

After Squam this year, I visited Rockport, MA with my good friend Darlyne.

The cute, the quaint, the flowers, the views.  Here’s just a taste, but if you want to see more, click here.

I’ve never stepped foot in an Ikea store.  Besides the fact that the closest one is nearly 2 hours away, I prefer to look for unique (and much cheaper!) storage solutions.  I love it when I find something in a thrift store or at a garage sale in which I can instantly see organizational potential.  Such is the case with this spice rack.  With all the bottles it was a whopping $2.00.

A couple of coats of my favorite metallic paint and an hour or so of combining & sorting three different jumbled jars of buttons and voilà! ~ organized buttons!

The shelves you see above it holding rubber stamps at the ready is an expandable drawer organizer I picked up for $1.