Mt First Treasury!!

Sometimes I get excited by the silliest little things. Like creating my very first Treasury on Etsy. Treasuries are a way of sharing your favorite items, and also helping fellow artists. Isn't that nice?

Click here, and you'll be transported. :)

The more people who visit (and click on each item, or "heart" it, or "heart" the entire treasury), the more visible it becomes.

Anyway, it's such a gorgeous, sunny day out there, I thought I'd share a little sunshine and smiles. Please visit, and do let me know what you think!!

Back very soon!
♥ Carolee

Prints!!

Sooooo excited here!! (as evidenced by two blog posts in one day, hehe!)

After literally years of hemming and hawing and waffling back and forth, I finally got decisive and came up with what I hope is a solution for those who've emailed saying they love my work, but just can't swing an original.

I'm thrilled to report that as of just a few minutes ago, ten different prints are now available in my Etsy shop!

There are only a few of each (anywhere from two to six I think), so if you'd like one, please do snap it up. As I become more familiar with the printing and ordering process, I hope to offer more variety in terms of giclees and canvas prints as well, but for now, I wanted to keep the cost reasonable.

Thanks so much to everyone who's nudged me in this direction over the years. I think this will be a "good thing", as Martha would say. ;)

Back again very soon!

♥ Carolee

Of Summer Bliss and Sew Many Blessings

Has it really been over a week since I've popped my head in here?? I'll blame a crazy-busy schedule, some long overdue commissions, and a very warm summer - which has been beckoning me to spend a bit of time in the kitchen, finding new and creative meals which do NOT involve heating up the oven. ;)

I know many of you are in the same boat, especially in this latest heat wave, so if you have any nutritious and cool summer recipes to share, please do! My entire culinary repertoire of late has been smoothies and salads, hehe. More on that in a minute.

First, I want to share the latest commissions - the first a large sewing chest similar to an angel chest painted this past winter. This one is mice in shades of blue...

I had almost as much fun choosing the embellishments for the top as I did with the painting.

Another one of these sewing mice chests is in progress too (in a different palette) and will be up for grabs on Etsy very soon - hopefully along with a few prints, which are expected to arrive any day now!

Here's a sample of a limited edition print which will be available soon in an 8" x 10"...

I may need to keep one of these for myself. ;)

Then there's this teapot - sooooooo much fun! If you're wondering about the "Zzzzzz", it's because this piece is being sent to another artist, who will add a sleeping dormouse soft sculpture. How adorable is that?!

Work is also in progress for the upcoming Ghoultide Gathering, and excitement is building! I'll be posing more about this fabulous event very soon!

Finally, I have to share that a collector is offering a couple of pieces of my early work on eBay with a very low opening bid. These are tea trays painted around 2005, and you can find them by clicking here.

Now, back to *summer*! Lots of sunlight in the studio, and plenty of cookouts and casual get-togethers with friends; good company, good food, good wine, good music (well, OK, cheapish wine, but still not bad, hehe). Bliss. :)

Now about those recipe ideas. Please do share, and I'll share one with you too. This smoothie recipe has become a bit of a morning ritual for me, and is soooooo healthy (yes, I've turned over a new leaf - no more cakes and cookies from breakfast, hehe)...If you try it, do let me know what you think. The recipe is kind of vague, because I never measure...

Summer Smoothie

A cup or so of frozen fruit (tropical blend, mixed berries, etc)

A couple of good spoonfuls organic, lowfat or fat free vanilla yogurt (I use Stoneyfield Farms)

A combination almond, soy or 2% milk (I use vanilla almond milk) and fruit juice (cranberry, a tropical blend, etc) - enough to barely cover the fruit and yogurt in the blender

A few shakes of cinnamon

A tiny drizzle of vanilla extract

A tablespoon of honey

Blend until smooth, and enjoy!


That's about it for now. I'll be back very soon with that new sewing chest and details about the prints.

Until then, have a happy and *creative* week!

♥ Carolee

A Quiet Fourth?

A girl can dream, *sigh*....

Unfortunately our neighborhood will most likely sound like a war zone, so we'll spend a good bit of the evening comforting the fur-kids. Can you tell I'm not a fan of fireworks? Oh, I like the professional displays alright, and remember the days when we lived in southern California and would drive to Anaheim to walk the grounds of the Disneyland hotel, where you could see the Disneyland fireworks for free (we were young, broke, and resourceful, what can I say?)

At any rate, it's the illegal stuff I'm not fond of - firecrackers and M-80s and the like. They're dangerous, and it never fails that following the explosions we hear ambulance and fire sirens.

But back to a quiet Fourth. It was indeed that all day - and in fact most of the weekend during daylight hours, as I finished the third in a series of Watership Down inspired paintings. Meet "Hazel"...


He's already spoken for, but I do hope to offer prints soon. :)

In fact, I'm super excited about this new print venture, and am thrilled it will make at least a few pieces of my work more accessible. And the ideas for new paintings keep my head spinning! More about this later...

In the meantime, I'm off to cut up some ice cold watermelon for our dessert tonight. John is grilling tuna steak and veggies for dinner - yum!

I hope those of you in the US are having happy - and safe - holiday weekend!

Back very soon (with a new mouse piece to share!)
♥ Carolee

Mad Tea Party Winner

The winner of the Mad Tea Party giveaway is Shelley, the Spiceblogger. Congrats to Shelley, and thanks to all who entered! (And look for another giveaway soon!)

♥ Carolee

A New Path....

Have you ever felt like the universe is just pushing you to make a change, to move in a new direction? As though no matter how hard you try to hold on to the familiar, to that comfort zone, life has other plans?

Such is the current state of affairs with eBay. Like many longtime sellers there, I'm disappointed in the level of control, the ever increasing cost, and the distinct feeling as though I'm completely taken for granted...Basically, if eBay were a boyfriend, we'd have broken up a long time ago. ;)

Oh, I'll still maintain a presence there, and still list from time to time just to keep a foot in the water, and offer an option to those who prefer auction style listings. But the plan is to begin migrating the bulk of my work over to Etsy, where it will be offered for direct sale, on a first come basis. The Etsy site is wonderful, the fees are considerably lower (which means savings of as much as 10% passed on to collectors) and the checkout and communication process is quick and easy. What's not to love? ♥

But that's not all (drumroll, please)....

I'll also be offering my first prints there very soon! I'm so excited, and I hope this makes at least some of my work more accessible.

The first few will be listed just as soon as I receive them (hopefully in the next week) and I'm thinking they will probably be signed and numbered limited editions.

There's also a very special, and very elaborate sewing/craft chest in progress, which I hope to have in the Etsy shop soon, and possibly a clock.

As always, I'll give the heads up here on the blog and on facebook as to the approximate time new work will be listed, so please do check in. :)

Finally, a big thank you, and much love too all my amazing collectors. You've followed my work from eBay to Etsy, from blog sales and online marketplaces to shows...Without your support and encouragement, I would never be able to live this dream of being a full time artist. So I send you all much love, and many smiles. ♥

That's about it for now. I'll be back with details about those new prints, and in the meantime, I wish all those who celebrate it a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend!

I'll leave you with one of the images which will be offered as a print. ♥


♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee
PS - don't forget there's a giveaway in the previous post! I'll draw a name this Saturday. :)

♥ A Mad Tea Party and a Mad Giveaway! ♥

It's that time again....

Have you been anxiously awaiting it as I have?

It's the annual *Mad Tea Party*, right here in bloglandia, hosted by the always enchanting Vanessa Valencia, and her handsome cohort, the Mad Hatter, at Vanessa's blog "A Fanciful Twist". For those of you not familiar, this is annual blog-hopping sort of event, beginning on the aforementioned blog, where all the Mad Tea Party participants are listed...

Visit any or all, as time allows, but I feel that more is always better, especially when it comes to madness. ;)

So let the party begin!

Let's see, we'll need a teapot...I love them all. You decide. ♥

Now let's see what's in the Mad Tea Chest...

Maybe a cup of herbal brew?

And what tea party would be complete without sweets? I've baked up a batch of pink lemonade cupcakes just for the occasion. And how fun is the tea cozy? It was a gift from a very talented collector friend. So sweet of her. ♥

I love, love, LOVE tea parties, don't you?!

I'm so glad you came to visit, and hope you come back again to have a further look around! But before you go, do leave a comment - any comment will do - and you'll be entered to win this whimsical little painting "Down the Rabbit Hole". This is an original, not a print, painted in acrylics on 5" x 5" gallery canvas, and signed by the artist (me). :)

The edges are painted too, so there's no need for a frame.

I'll draw the winner's name via random number generator next Saturday, July 2, at 9PM.

Until then, "Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!"....I must be off...

Happy Mad Tea Party Day!

♥´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*´¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ ♥ Carolee