Not Feeling Creative...

So, I couldn't even come up with a name for this post...man, I am getting lame! Here are a few updated pics of the paintings I have been working on FOREVER!!

These will be done soon if I can finally try to match the lime color!!



This one I actually sent off to it's owner in Illinois today! Whew! Thanks to Raggedy Smiles for the use of their logo for this design. It was not my design/idea, but the winner of this painting likes prim dolls and this was a cute one we found.



These need another coat or two on the lettering, some refining, and then jungle animals will be painted on the "O" and the "I".

Hope you like! Should be back with some more pics soon. Should is the operative word there, though! :)

"Feast" Your Eyes on These...

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I would finally come back and post some new pics as I said I would OVER A MONTH AGO!! Aren't I sweet...LOL!! No, really though, I am thankful for each and every one of you that reads, follows, supports, comments on, etc...my blog. I love you all!! Here are the pics I promised the the last post. I have been working on paintings, but have VERY limited Internet access here lately and have a VERY slow computer when I do get to use it! I am blessed, though, so I really CANNOT complain!

Here is the one for my aunt..needs a bit of cleaning up, but almost done.



Here is the 3 piece abstract set for my friend-still need A LOT of work, so I'll have more pics of this one some time in the next century!



The next two are the wooden plaques for my friend from high school. These still need the lettering and then the plain ones will have a few jungle animals. So cute!

This one is for one of the winners of my BOOST contest way back in the summer...we decided to go a different direction than the star that you saw before.

Anyways, everyone have a GREAT THANKSGIVING!!! I hope to be back soon with more pics, but I won't promise when! :) Maybe then I will get back sooner than later. (Everytime I type "than" I am questioning if I should be putting "then"...maybe I should just quit blogging...NO WAY!!)

"One Week"...hah, It's been a month!

Ok, so exactly one month ago I said I'd be back within a week with an updated picture of Jonathan's painting! If anyone out there still reads this blog, you may be wondering if I fell off the face of the earth!? I'm still here, just been crazy as I am sure everyone else can relate to, right!!

Anyways, here is the final picture of Jonathan's painting which I FINALLY delivered to Jennifer here in Tennessee last Sunday. She was very kind and patient. Her sister actually won the painting several months ago and just (back in July) cashed it in for her sister when she had her son.






Now, I promise I have been working on other paintings in the meantime. Mostly just purchasing canvas, paint, wood plaques, etc...but getting ready to get started on several, so here we go...



1. This is for Cindi who was one of the two winners of my "BOOST" giveaway also back in July. This is a very preliminary pic. There will be a few simple angels "flying"around the star in white robes/dresses with wings that resemble the design of the star. Then above the star will say, "Welcome to" and below the star will say, "Our Home." Hopefully... I can get this done within the week or this weekend, but I do have to work the rest of the week and Saturday, so we'll see...fingers crossed!






2. I purchased 6 wooden wall plaques tonight that I will start soon for CORBIN that will match this adorable bedding for a friend from high school. CONGRATS, Amanda!




3. I have already started on the background for a 12x36 inch painting for my aunt that will say "THE" to go in her game room. It will go with this previously done set.






4. I have purchased 2 12x16's and a 16x20 for a three piece abstract set I am doing for my friend Stephanie to match her bedding.



5. I have another 12x36 inch that I will be starting soon for my softball coach, Weeza, that will have the scripture "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" in burgandy and tan.



6. Jessica, I haven't forgotten about you as the 2nd BOOST giveaway winner. You still have an unlimited amount of time to pick the design for your 16x20.



So, here is what I have going and hope to have some pics of some more paintings VERY soon.



If the wooden plaques are a hit I may start offering those as a line of work. They were relatively inexpensive and offer a new way to have some fun with lettering. They will run about $12.50 each as of now. I will have to see how much work they take, though, to reach a final price.


Hope you all are doing well...I have missed blogging this past month...it FLEW by!! God Bless!

Jonathan's Painting

Here is a preliminary pic of Jonanthan's painting. It is fairly close to being completed, but needs another coat or two of paint on the name and then some outlining in the darkest brown. I also need to clean up the lines and add blue "boxes" on the corners of the brown border (it matched the example room and was cute). Outside of that, it will be done soon and I will have a new pic within the week.

On another note, sorry I haven't been posting much lately (if anyone still reads this blog and cares), I have started a new job and have had very limited access to the internet (and painting time). Miss u all!

Preslee's Story and Song

I did a re-post a day or two ago of an email that Gina over at Dang Gina sent me about Preslee. I had made a note that I tried to go the the blog and was not able to get on. I went there today and read this tragic yet amazing story about the loss and love of this precious little girl and her family as well as all those that have been affected by this story. This little girl fell into a canal and was rescued by a stranger. She held on to life in the hospital for a week and a half until she was called to her Heavenly Father on 7/16/2010. As I read this story I thought of my own son who is 3 and how in the blink of an eye he could not be here anymore and I just cried. Since I started doing this blog I have read many stories of people that have lost children and in each one while there is such pain there is amazing hope and faith in God and Jesus Christ. Please pray for this family as well as all those that have lost children in this world. May they each find peace in God His word and promise. You can read their family story before and since this tragic accident at http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/. You can click on the link below to hear the song Molly Swank wrote about Preslee; she was inspired by a post that Preslee's father, Patrick, wrote on the blog. You can download the song for a donation of $1 that will go towards helping the family with hospital expenses. Thank you!

Preslee's Song

Brooklyn's Bears

My friend had her baby in July and sent me this picture today. I can't say enough how much I love getting pics of the room and painting hung up. I love the way they did this too with the shelves and paintings diagonal from each other. The little statuettes are so cute as well with their little bows in the bears' hair! I'm so glad she shared this with me! Thanks Amanda!

Ahoy Mate! (Surprise for Ian Nickolas!)

Here is the one I have been waiting on to post. The baby shower was just this past Saturday out in California and it was a HUGE surprise! I loved this playfulness of this bedding and especially the whale! I have painted nautical themes and palm trees and monkeys, but never got the chance to paint a whale...so I did! He was so cute hanging around down there at the bottom of the painting! Anyways, my friend who ordered it for her friend said the recipient "looooved it", so that's good!

Help Preslee's Family (Re-post from Dang Gina)

THIS IS A RE-POST FROM MY FRIEND OVER AT DANG GINA:

I don't know how many of you know little Preslee's Story, but it has touched me in a way that I will NEVER be able to explain. Preslee is a sweet angel, who recently rejoined her Heavenly Father. Her family is now not only facing life without her for a the rest of this mortal experience, but they are now facing extreme financial burden. To help alleviate this, Molly Swank wrote a BEAUTIFUL song about this sweet little girl for her parents, and they are offering a download of the song for just $1 to help the family. Of course if you can, any amount over a $1 is GREAT!
To help donate and to read the Sullenger family's story, go HERE

Their blog is http://patrickandashley.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much for reading this, and thank you in advance to any of you who can help Pat and Ashley.

--
Thanks,
Gina
Dang Gina Giveaways

A NOTE FROM ME:

I tried going over to the blog, but was not able to get on there. It may have been busy or it may have been my computer, but please go check out this story and help in any way you can. I know times are tough right now, but this family is suffering on so many levels. May God be with them at this so desperate time.

I See Cupcakes...

Yes, I know this is a weird title for a post, but the first picture reminds me of a box of cupcakes. It's like one of those ink blot pictures (with color) and I immediately see sweets! I probably would see food/sweets in those ink blot pictures too! I'll just admit it now, as a side note, I LOVE food and especially sweet stuff like cupcakes! Ok, I digress. Anyways, here are the preliminary pics of the painting for Jonathan to match the Baby Boy Blue Dot bedding. I wanted to do something different, but since the bedding was only dots, it really only made sense to go with that theme, right??!! So, I am going to white out the center with a transparent white and create a "border" with the blue and have brown squares on the corners (like in the background of the bedding picture). Then I have decided on a nice, but classic font that will be boyish, but not too babyish so the painting can grow with him. I'll have more pics soon!

Winners of my "BOOST" Giveaway are...

Jessica and Cindi! You each have won a 16x20 inch canvas of your choice. Typically these fall into the Tailored Line to match a bedding, but you can pretty much decide what you want on it (within reason, LOL!!). Thanks to all those that participated, told friends, and told me the paintings you liked. I will host another giveaway in a few months and will make sure all my previous participants get an extra entry. So, thank you Kaila, Shirlee, Amy, Cindi, Jessica, Marianne, Shauna, Brandy, and Rosalyn for your support. By the way, both Jessica and Cindi told 5 friends and had double entries as did a few others.

Sophia!

Here is painting a friend at church ordered for a baby shower. Her friend has only decided on room colors, so we chose a user-friendly "dot flowers" design, as I like to call it. When people like dots and flowers, here is the answer! She also wanted a scripture on there, Jeremiah 29:11 (which I love!). I posted the pic twice-once with the flash on so you can see the painting better and once with it off, so you can see the colors better. Really, though, neither one of these shows the colors accurately. The colors are very soft and perfect for a baby's room. Hope the new mama likes it!

Maggie's Room

A good friend of mine ordered this painting for her little girl a little while back, but she recently told me everyday when her daughter wakes up she says, "Mommy, I love my flowers." Parents/customers tell me that they like the painting quite often, but to hear it from a child is priceless! Thanks for sharing Shirlee!

GIVEAWAY FROM TODAY UNTIL JULY 31ST!!!

To boost fans on my FB fan/business page, Initial Designs, and increase traffic and followers on my blog, www.melissajackson-initial

designs.blogspot.com I am hosting a contest. Here's what you have to do:
1. Become a fan of Initial Designs on FB. (if you already are, then you've got this step down)
2. While on my fan page, leave a comment as to which painting(s) you like best (see photos or posts) and that you are doing these 4 steps and/or the extra entry option
3. Become a follower at www.melissajackson-initialdesigns.blogspot.com
4. While on my blog, sign up in the upper left hand corner to receive an email when I post
**** EXTRA ENTRIES*** if you tell 5 friends, you will get an extra entry-tell me this too when you leave a comment on FB fan page of Initial Designs

That's it! It sounds like a lot, but only 2 pages to visit and each thing is simple. On Saturday, July 31st around noonish, I will choose 2 random comments with a number generator from those left of the FB fan page of Initial Designs and each will win the painting worth $55-$60 which is one from the Tailored Line.

Blues and Browns for Jonathan

Here is the bedding for a new painting I am working on for baby boy Jonathan who was born on July 21st. This is such a cute bedding and I know what I would typically do when dots are involved, but I want to do something cooler than just dots with a name in the middle. It already has a lot of dots, but not incorporating dots would be weird too?? What to do... Hmmm...I've got a while to work on it and am working on a secretive one in the meantime that I can show you around the 15th of next month. All I can say is it involves blues and browns too...and my lips are sealed. I'll be back soon with ideas for this one called Baby Boy Blue Dot.

What's Black and White and Green All Over?

Well, it's not a newspaper (remember, Black and white and "read" all over)...

Anyways, it's Jordan's painting! It's not quite finished, but this will be very close to the finished product. I've got some cleaning up and additional coats of green to do on the lettering and a little cleaning up on the background, but outside of that, it's pretty much done!

"The nurses and attending physician loved it!"

I absolutely LOVE getting emails like this...

"I received them [the paintings] just in time because the afternoon they came, I went up to L&D and then Liam came the following morning. All of the nurses and my tending physician loved it! My tending physician even brought his mom by my door just to see it :) It is now hanging up in his room and matches perfectly."



Thanks so much, Brandy, for sending me this pic and the very kind email!

Fun Stuff!

Here is a pic of a painting I did a while back ; the parents just got this to me this past week. Thanks so much guys! I appreciate it! I love these pics!



Here is another pic of the one I am currently working on...now, what to do next... I was originally going to white out the middle, do another border around that to show off one more pattern that is in the bedding, but I think that will just be too much. I know the name is going in the middle in Granny Smith Apple Green, but I've really got to decide what to do so that the intricate pattern in the back still shows quite a bit, but isn't too overpowering. I'll get back to you all on that...

Black and White (and Granny Smith Apple too)

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this bedding! I cannot say it enough. I am a huge fan of black and white anyways whether it's clothes for any season, decor, bedding, etc...but this bedding has it all! I adore the design and the way they did some subtle things so it's not just the 2 repeating/alternating patterns, etc... If I had a little girl, I would have this bedding...who knows, I may just go out and buy it and look at it! LOL!! Ok, you get the point! Here is the start and the plan is to do the other pattern in the other 3 squares and then I am going to white out a section in the middle, but it will be fairly transparent so the design will still show through and do the name in the accent color of the Glidden Granny Smith Apple.




I


More pics soon!!

"Cheer Up!" Charlie

Here is the Willy Wonka golden ticket style painting from start to finish. I like all paintings I get to do because, generally, it's something different every time, but these last few have been so completely different from anything I have ever done, I just sped right through them because they were so fun!

Maggie's Flower Garden

This is a painting a friend of mine requested and she showed me a picture she found that she liked. So, I changed a few things up and did the painting. This morning I was trying to locate a picture of the original painting to show you all and saw that this is by Jill McDonald who is an Oopsie Daisie Artist and is amazing. She has done all kinds of work for companies for bedding, cards, etc...she is super talented. So, this piece was inspired by one of hers that I can't seem to find and I can't seem to find the link my friend sent me originally to look at it...sorry. Here is how it progressed.