Done and Almost Done

I finally finished and delivered this painting this past weekend. I added the riding hat and cleaned it up quite a bit. This is not that great of a picture, but it showed the riding hat the best. I hope Isabella enjoys it as much as she enjoys riding horses from what her mother told me.



Next, here is the one I mentioned in another recent post. The first picture belongs to the older brother and is the one I am trying to resemble. The other one is for Caleb who is due early next month. I still have some work to do on it to clean it up quite a bit, but for the most part, this is what it will look like. I've got to do the alphabet along the bottom and add a few lines going horizontally as well as paint the sides dark blue. I use paint tape sometimes because my lines that cover an entire canvas have to be straight and I cannot do lines that long by hand and make them look good, but these are all done free-hand since they are only about an inch and a half long. Lines are challenging, but they really make a painting look nice. I was going to borrow Aiden's wall art to get it just so, but the mom and I decided if it was a bit different, that would make it unique for Caleb.

Peace, Love and Flower Power!

My mom delivered this painting to my friend this afternoon and she sent me a pic already! (I sprained my foot Friday night and it is huge-mongus!) I'm so glad the painting came together and will be something Bree will enjoy. It was really fun to make and I just loved all the colors, flowers, and fun of making it!



Here are a few up-close pics that I promised to add as well as the bedding so you could see how it matches. I was a little leery of the peace symbols/sign with the flowers, but it turned out so cute. This design was the mom's idea and it was great.

Hodge Podge of Art and Other Fun Stuff!

Once again it has been FOR-EH-VA since I have posted! Things have been crazy lately, but in a very good, God-blessed way. Here are some art updates and pictures.

First, here is the (almost) finished painting for the Raffle back in May for Giving Back to Guatemala. The winner has been in and out of town, so it was not a rush. I hope her daughter loves it; she loves to ride horses. I plan on putting either a riding hat and/or boots on here as well.



Next, here is the (almost) finished painting for my friend that made Preston's birthday cupcakes back at the end of May. She also said no rush on it because she is redecorating her bedroom and this will go in it when it's finished. Really all that's left is a little bit of a stone grey coating to the background in some places.



Next, Here is the painting for the winner of my 100th post giveaway. Linda decided to, so graciously, have me make it for a little girl in her church congregation that is having some health problems and is only 4 years old. The little girl is Ainsley and she said she loves purple and they chose a scripture from Romans 15:13 to go around the edge. By the way, this is (almost) finished too; still needs some cleaning up, etc...



Last, here is one that a close friend ordered in a rush for her daughter who is out of town and she wanted to re-do her room while she was gone. The bedding is very girly with flowers, but the daughter loves peace signs, so we had to work on incorporating the two. I still am going to do a few mod flowers to tie in the bedding a little more and then this will be done. (Excuse my microwave underneath the painting-I'm a painter, not a photographer HA!)



Finally, and completely unrelated, my Star Gazer Lillies finally bloomed and bloom they did. This is the first year so many have bloomed from the same stalk (or whatever you call it). I have wanted for soooo long to do some painting of lillies because they are my absolute FAV-O-RITE flower! I wanted them for my wedding, but because those orange thingies in the middle, I would have gotten stains on my dress.



I've got another painting I am beginning as of now as well and will look similar to this when it is done. This couple is expecting a child next month and they want a very similar painting for precious Caleb Jordan Rivas. It is in the works, but cannot be seen as of yet! LOL!



Well, I hope you all are doing well. I do miss all my blogging buddies and I hope to get back in the groove of things soon. I'm watching 5 kids everyday and another one that drops in for a few hours on some days while his mom attends school, so it has been crazy. We've had this upper respiratory junk for a few weeks, but THANK GOD we are finally getting over it! Softball is over and we won a few games and I had a great time of fellowship with my team. Preston is happy and healthy and really that is all that matters at the end of the day. Thank you, God, for my many blessings. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll be in touch soon bloggin' buddies!

Winner of the Giveaway!

I only had 11 comments so it was very easy to just make numbers and draw one; the winner is....drumroll, please...commenter #4 and someone who just happens to have become a good bloggin friend of mine...LINDA!! She is such a sweet and sincerely kind-hearted woman despite all she has been through in her life. She is an inspiration to me and I am honored to get to do a(nother) piece of art for her.

Thanks to all those to participated and I promise I will do another giveaway here soon. Also, I really do appreciate all the nice comments and everyone posting about my giveaway on their respective blogs.

101st Post!

THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED...PLEASE STOP BY FOR FUTURE GIVEAWAYS!!!!!!!

I can't believe I finally surpassed 100 posts! Whew!!! Thank you to all my blog friends, customers, and followers as well as those that have dropped by and left some very kind comments. You all are the reason I feel compelled to post pictures of my art and sometimes give a little peek into my personal life. You all are encouraging, uplifting, and most of all very kind and supportive. Thanks to all of you that have supported Initial Designs over the last year and a half! You are all so great!

So, as a thank you I am going to host a small giveaway. I have a 10x10 inch canvas (I think; I know it's square) that I have been itching to do something with and here's your chance to win it and design it how you wish. To enter the giveaway you have to do two things. First, publish a small post about the giveaway on your blog and then, secondly, leave a comment on this post including your blog address. Next Wednesday, June 24th at noon CST, I will randomly choose a number and the comment that corresponds to that number will win the painting. When the winner is chosen, I will check their blog to see if the posted about the giveaway to make sure everyone plays fairly. LOL!

Last, here is a painting I am working on for a friend. She baked a ton of AWESOME cupcakes for Preston's 2nd Birthday Party and I agreed to do a painting for her in return. So, here is a picture of the painting as it is right now as well as a picture of what she is wanting it to look like when it is finished although we are varying the colors a bit and also a couple pics of the YUMMY, art-themed cupcakes (see the paint palettes, crayons, paint buckets, etc...) from the party. Enjoy!

"I" is for Isabella

I know, I know...this time it has been over 2 weeks since my last post; I'm sorry. Also, I apologize to all my blogging buddies because I haven't stopped by to say hi to them or comment on their blog posts lately. Things have been crazy around here which I know you all are probably going through that too! Some good things have been going on though; I found 2 more children to watch so I am back up to capacity and finally getting back in the swing of things. God is so good. I got to go camping with friends last weekend and that was a lot of fun-fishing, canoeing, smores! Finally, our softball team at church won our first game! We just gelled together and did it!

Anyways, the reason for my post is I actually have been painting...some...so here is a preliminary picture of it as well as the bedding it is designed to match down below.



This is for the person that won the raffle hosted by Giving Back to Guatemala. Her daughter loves horses and she really liked the design with Hannah on it, so I am trying to do something similar, but not exactly the same so as not to infringe on anyone. I've gotten the name and horse designed already, so I should have some additional pics here soon.

I am also working on a painting from a picture called love birds with some birds on a branch for a friend and I will have that posted pretty soon as well.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Out of Pocket...

I feel so badly that I have not posted in 2 weeks! Things have been hectic around here-multiple birthdays, a yard sale, and 2 weddings! The good news is, I did get the Eagles paintings out on time and here was what they looked like when they were finished:

Oh, did I mention that one of the above-mentioned weddings was mine? Here are a few pictures from the very peaceful and blessed day. We went to Destin for a friend's wedding the weekend of the 16th and we just decided that after 8 years together, this was right for us. We have been planning to get married for several years, but job changes, etc... (life) happened and the wedding got put on the back burner. Anyways, to sum it all up, we FINALLY did it! It was so wonderful and simple, yet very meaningful.



Anyways, married life has been great so far and we are happy to have finally made it official!

Now, back to business...I've got a few paintings that are in the design stages and I have been trying to get going on them, but it's like I've hit the brick wall of painting. I will get back in the swing of things here soon, so you will see some more pics asap.

Kayleigh Anne Has Gone Home

Please send your prayers up for the Freeman family and all those that have been touched by Kayleigh Anne. On May 11th God called this sweet angel home to Him. She is finally not suffering any longer. Her parents posted such a sweet and extremely faithful message despite their loss. This family has so openly and honestly shared their baby girl with us and it has changed my life forever. It really has made me really appreciate my blessings and shown me such a strong faith in God. Thank you, Freeman family, for allowing us all to be blessed by your sweet angel. You will continue to be in my prayers for a very long time. God Bless.

I LOVE These Jungle Paintings!

Here is the one I promised to show by tomorrow, but I received a very kind email from the recipient today, so I know it's safe to post it now. These are so fun to make! How cute is that bedding!!?? This one is for a nursery that will be for when the grandchildren come stay with their "Lovie"; isn't that such a great idea!! Thanks "B" and "J" for your order and thanks "Lovie" for the very sweet email. I hope you all and everyone had a great Mother's Day!

My Friend is Nominated for the Military Motherhood Award...and DESERVES to Win!

My good blogging friend, Linda, has been in the military for well over a decade and all the while has been building and supporting a beautiful and tight-knit family. She is an awesome Christian woman, mother, and wife and has triumphed over many, many struggles and heartaches, to say the least. Please follow the directions below to read the letter that her friend wrote to nominate her. It is truly inspiring for everyone. It moved me to tears. She has made it to the final 20 nominees! She truly is deserving and I'm sure could use the $5000 prize, since her husband is being deployed pretty much as I type this.

http://www.homefrontonline.com/military_motherhood_form1a.asp You will need to register on their web site using your e-mail address. Log into your e-mail accept their terms and then log back in to the site. Then you'll be able to vote. Select Linda at the bottom (you'll see vote for Linda.) After you vote for her, it should say your vote for Linda has been cast. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Support My Friend's New Business!

Click on the link button above to check out some of the cutest items for babies and children you have ever seen! My friend, Kristin, is just getting her business going, but I know she has been working on launching her shop for a while, so go on over and check it out. She is a mom of 3 beautiful girls and has some great inspiration. She has been super-supportive of my business and my blog and I just wanted to show my appreciation!

I PROMISE I Have Been Painting!

I know I haven't posted many new pictures of paintings here lately, but I have, in fact, been painting. I have one that I will be able to post safely next Monday. It's a Mother's Day present and that's about all I can say, but I can't wait to show you all.

To tide you over, here are a few paintings that I have been working on. Some are brand new orders and others are for people that have been patiently waiting while I try to "perfect" their art. These are all either done or pretty much done and I will be in contact about getting them to you very soon (some even today). I've been hesitant about posting these because most are for gifts, but I don't think any of the recipients are readers of my blog.

Also, A sincere 'Thank You' goes out to all of these people, actually, for allowing me to use their art to show at the Nolensville Women's Show as well. By the way, I didn't sell anything, but I did make new friends and did some great networking. I also got quite a bit of productive painting done while at the show!

So, here you go... (remember to sign up for an email update or check back Monday for the other piece I just shipped out this past Monday)





Last, I am also about to start working on the painting for the winner of the raffle over at Giving Back to Guatemala. The winner wants it for her daughter who rides horses and she has some great ideas, so check back for that as well.

Have a great day everyone!

PLEASE Pray for Kayleigh

I heard from Kelly's Korner blog that Kayleigh is not doing well. I read about this story initially from a fundraiser that LeeLou was hosting. Kayleigh was born about 10 months ago at 1 pound and has been in the NICU all her little life. I went to Kayleigh's blog and read the last several posts and they are needing some major prayer. The doctors have told them that Kayleigh is brain dead. Her poor mother and father are having to start considering planning a funeral for their sweet baby girl. I just cried and cried as I read the story. They are very strong believers and know she will be in Heaven, but I can only imagine what they are going through. I am a believer too, but I'm not sure I could take it. They continue to remain positive and are so thankful for the time they have spent with their precious baby girl. How amazing God is that He is holding them and Kayleigh in His arms right now. Please pray for this entire family and all those lives that Kayleigh has touched. She truly is a miracle. God put her here for a reason and she touched so many lives in such a short time. God Bless you beautiful baby girl. I am going to hold and kiss my baby now.

Support a Great Cause...and Maybe Win a Painting!

Check out my friend Kim's blog "Giving Back to Guatemala" and learn more about her two sons from Guatemala and how she supports the poverty-stricken country that helped complete her family. Currently she is hosting a raffle for a custom, hand-painted canvas donated from Initial Designs ($50 value). The raffle is to help raise money to create food baskets for the families of sponsored students for Mother's Day in Guatemala. You can donate $3 for one entry, $5 for two entries, and $10 for five entries. The raffle ends at midnight on April 25th. So, go read more about her personal story and, if you can, donate a few dollars to benefit these families that are suffering. Thanks for all your support blog friends!

Belated Easter Wishes and Randomness...

I just wanted to say that I hope everyone had a very Happy and, most of all, meaningful Easter! We had a very bittersweet Easter here in my area because a tornado hit just south of here on Friday. Many homes, businesses, and lives were damaged or destroyed, and, very sadly, 2 young lives were lost. On a more positive note, the community, although relatively large, has pulled together to support those who were directly affected. Our Easter services on Saturday evening and Sunday morning reminded me that despite the current events, our Savior rose from the grave and lives and we can too through Him. It was such a spirit lift to get to spend the weekend with all the 3 year old's that came to our service as well as my mom, Preston, and grandparents yesterday. Please keep the Murfreesboro community in your prayers. My fiance is a police officer there and they, along with many others, are working tirelessly to get the community back on its feet.

Below is a one of the last pictures my camera took before it decided to croak. Preston, the 2 children I keep, and my friend's 2 children were about to Easter egg hunt this past Thursday. They had a blast and so did we!



On a side note, that is why I haven't posted much here lately. The screen on my camera got cracked in Hawaii and I can't see what I am taking pictures of and now it is full and won't take any more picures until I can get a new memory card or figure out how to get some of the pictures off of it. So, I have 4 paintings that I am working on and will get some pictures posted as soon as possible.

Nolensville Women's Show

I just wanted to let anyone that reads my blog here locally in Middle Tennessee know that I am participating in the Nolensville Women's Show on Saturday, May 2nd. There will be over 70 vendors there as well as an area for the kids. It should be a lot of fun! Check out their website to see a list of all the vendors that will be there. There are several other activities that will be going on as well; a silent auction, a walk/run event, and much more. Please spread the word around if you know women that love to shop and support other women in the process.

Lookie What I Got by Email...

These pictures are from my blogging buddy, Linda, in Colorado. She had me design these three pieces for her sons, but to also match her Willow Trees. This is her amazing mantel! I was so blessed when I received these pictures today because I know how much her Willow Trees mean to her and to be a part of that just touched my heart like I cannot even explain. Go read her blog and her story of pain and loss, but also, and more importantly, her great faith and love despite it all. Thank you so much, Linda, you have become such a wonderful friend and helped my spirit to grow tremendously.

A Few Finished Pieces...Finally!!!!!

Here is the finished Preston in the jungle painting for Emma-this will go out at the end of this week. She has so graciously allowed me to use the painting as a demonstration in an expo-type thing I am participating in this coming weekend. Emma was such a pleasure to work with and I hope her friend enjoys the painting.

This is a painting I posted a while ago because the customer, a friend of mine, decided to go a different direction in the room that this particular painting was going to go in. However, after this one was finished, she decided she wanted this one for another place in the house. She had a great idea to paint the edges the chocolate brown color, so we did it and it looks great. She took it home today!

Getting to Know You hosted by Lynnette Kraft

Click on the title of this post or the above picture to get info and to participate in this fun activity that can help you find more blog friends as well as bring more readers to your blog. It's a Win/Win!!

Help Kayleigh!!!!!!!!

I have placed a button on the upper right hand corner of my blog that links to a raffle being held to assist the family of Kayleigh. Kayleigh has been in the NICU for over 8 months and this is being held to try to relieve some of the financial strain of that stay. The great thing is...as you donate and help the family, you can choose from three packages worth between $541 up to $800 that you could win. You get to see what all is in the packages (a custom painting by me is in package 2) and choose the one that would be best for you. There are also chances to get additional tickets based on the amount you donate. It really is for a great cause, so go on over and read about Kayleigh and her family and donate what you can. I know it is a hard time for everyone right now, but this family needs to be able to focus on their little baby getting well and not on financial stress right now. Thanks to you all who go over and help out! (I understand if you cannot as well).

It's a Jungle Out There!

This is not a painting for my Preston, but for Emma who won a piece that I had donated to LeeLou's baby blog shower to benefit Baby Mia and Baby Kayleigh (read on the top right of my blog for their inspiring stories). This was really fun to create and I have been wanting to do something with jungle animals from the beginning! So, she said the room it will be for is olive and light brown and then a design for a boy needed to be incorporated. We talked back and forth a bit and decided on this theme. I did get some of the inspiration for the animals from one of my son's books. So, tell me what 'cha think.

Praying for Babies

If you look down the sidebar on almost any blog, you will find the heart-wrenching yet heart-warming story (or stories) of some amazingly strong babies and their wonderful families. I wanted to write a post about these babies because the more that I have read about their lives, the more I have grown closer to and appreciated my own family and my relationship with God. The stories on my sidebar are of babies that have spent a tremendous amount of their young little lives in the NICU and/or at dr appointments. In addition to these stories of baby survival, I have also met some tremendous women who have lost young ones, but have also somehow pulled through with such inspiring hope and passion for God. These stories have truly touched my life and I wanted to say thank you to each and every one of them for sharing their trials and triumphs with us all. All of them have commented on how God has been there with them every step of the way as well as the good in human nature that has been revealed to them. I have seen this in their stories and it has become more apparent in my life as well. Please take a moment (and a box of tissue) to read their stories as well as some of the stories contained in the blogs I follow and the "Creative Women Who Inspire Me". Hold tight to your loved ones because, as obvious as it is, tomorrow is never guaranteed and we only have this moment in our grasp.

Remembering Maui...

If you would like to join Wednesday's Walk, click on the word to visit Lynette's blog for details.

Yes, it is true, I have been back from Maui for a week and half now and am still trying to get back in the swing of things. It usually only takes me a day or two to "recover" from my vacation. You know how it feels when you get back from vacation and whether it's the driving, flying, packing, touring, etc...you always feel like you need a mini-vacation before getting back to the "real" world?? Well, this time I am still draggin'! Maybe it was because this vacation was like no other! Prepare yourself for a long post with lots of pics!

Sunday, the flight from TN to Kahului on Maui (via Dallas) took about 14 hours. It was a lot of fun, but tiring as well. When you get to Maui you are 4 hours behind and it takes about an hour to drive almost anywhere, but it is beautiful scenery of course.


First full day there (Monday) we just hung out and went to the beach. Later that afternoon, we drove up the mountain where my friend lives (3500 ft up) and works in the field (7000 ft up). The highest point on the Haleakala crater is over 10,000 ft. We drove through the clouds and watched the sun go down from what felt like heaven. I didn't think anything could top this!



Second day, we kayaked about a mile or so out into the Pacific between Maui, Koho'olawe, and Lani'i. My friend that lives there said she was going to swim once we got out there because she gets sea sick; I told her she was brave and crazy! However, once we got out there it was so calm and clear, I decided to get out and swim too. You could hear the whales "singing" if you put your ears back under the water. Right after we climbed back into our kayaks, a Humpback whale came up about 25 ft from us-it was amazing! After we packed up the kayaks and had lunch, we headed back for some shopping in Kahului.



Wednesday, we got up at the crack of dawn because we had a boat to catch at the Ma'alaea Harbor to snorkel Molokini. Molokini is the top of a volcanic crater that sticks out of the ocean about 3 miles offshore. First, we snorkeled with many different kinds of fish and even saw an eel. At the second stop, we actually snorkeled about 5 ft away from some sea turtles. They are massive and it was so surreal. On the way back to the harbor, a family of Humpbacks came up right beside the boat-truly wonderful! By the way, my friend had the most amazing underwater digital camera-that's me WAY down there!





Thursday, we headed out for the Road to Hana. This is about a 4 hour drive on the most curvy road you can ever imagine with lots of one-lane bridges. We saw so many beautiful waterfalls and some of the greatest lookout points ever! Later we ate sushi in Makawao and went to a little place in Paia that Willie Nelson owns.



Friday, we drove out to Kamaole Beach in Kihei just to relax. My friend and I attempted to snorkel here, but it was pretty windy so we decided not to. We ate lunch there in Kihei at the Pupu (appetizer) Lounge-so yummy! That night we went dancing in Paia at a place called Jacques-my friend previously saw Owen Wilson there-no sightings on this particular night!

Saturday, we did some last minute souvenir shopping and went to 1000 Peaks Beach to relax for a while. The picture below is the West Maui Mountains-you drive all along them while heading to Lahaina. We drove out to Lahaina to eat at my friend's favorite restaurant on the beach-Maui Mixed Plate-so delish and we saw a magnificent rainbow on the way! We flew out that night at around midnight.


Sunday morning I had a good lay over in Los Angeles, so my mom's uncle and his wife came and picked me up and we had breakfast. I couldn't keep my eyes open on the way back to Nashville! Finally, at 5:20pm that afternoon I got to hold my baby boy in my arms again! The trip, while so beautiful and amazing, was bittersweet because all I could think about was Preston and V. They picked me up at the airport along with my mom and I had a fresh flower lei for her and a Macadamia Nut lei for V.

I will never forget this trip as long as I live, but I will never again leave my baby boy-paradise is truly where your family is-I'll never forget that either.