Musings, Murals, and Mondays

I haven't updated in awhile. IC deserved a lot of "air time" and I felt that I needed to leave those posts up for awhile. With that being said, I also want to update ya'll so that is where I am at now.

I just completed my second full mural over 4th of July weekend. A few designs on the wall is such a huge difference compared to hundreds of sq. footage. J was my right-hand man, quite literally, and between the two of us this is what we knocked out (included full wall color) in just under 20 hours.

I can't believe it is middle July already. I have had every intention of marketing my tutu's like crazy and getting in at least two summer craft shows to showcase them. Sadly, that just hasn't happened. I have been crazy busy and loving every minute of it.
On a busy note, we leave for vacation in less than 48 hours. We will be spending 4 days in Chicago. Don't tell my travel companions but Chicago is sounding like one of the last places I want to visit right now. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE Chicago. I may have even been the one that suggested it this time around. It's just that with Chicago comes hustle and bustle, big city life. I am longing for more of a rest and relaxation beach bum feeling. I'm sure we'll have a blast no matter what we do.
Tomorrow is Monday. I don't dread Monday's like most people. I work from home on Monday's so they make me smile (most of the time.) I have one last busy day ahead and then I will disappear until next weekend.

Polka Dot Love - One of a Kind Auction Piece!

You may or may not know about Invisible Children. You may or may not know how I feel about it. You can read up a bit more on my thoughts in this post. More importantly, you can learn more about Invisibile Children and the children fighting an awful war in Uganda by visiting http://www.invisiblechildren.com/.

I am not rich in monetary means, but I realize I am richer than most because of the blessed life I live. I will save the "rich" debate for a later day though. I cannot give tons of money, but I can give my time and I can give my talents. Along with the Rescue necklaces I created, I've decided to put my Polka Dot Love platter up for auction. It is a 20" earthenware platter. Hand-painted and food safe. There is no starting bid for this piece. You can bid here or email me your bid privately. Once bidding closes I will contact the highest bidder and ask that they split shipping costs (I'll cover half) and their bid will be donated to Invisible Children, along with the proceeds from the Rescue necklace.

Erma Bombeck said it best when she said - "When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me".


When I first published the photograph it was at this angle. It was brought to my attention by a friends' daughter that it looks like a smiley face. I like her way of thinking! :-)

It's a platter folks, you can turn it to whatever angle you like best! (blown up a bit for detail)

Please bid/donate to such a great organization. Please repost this somewhere or tell a friend.

Whimsy Wishes,

Lisa

Invisible Children

A little about the child soldiers in Joseph Kony's army - the real invisible children ...in my own words.

They are innocent children in Uganda. Young children who are abducted...stolen from their homes and forced to become a part of Joseph Kony's army. They are innocent children being turned into killers. They have to witness and take part in the most horrific violence, pain, and suffering. They need help. WE CAN HELP!

I have known about Invisible Children for far too long. I turned a blind-eye to it for a few reasons. Mainly, I hate injustice and hardships that affect children. It breaks my heart and truly affects me in a miserable way. I knew that watching this video would cause me utter sadness and heartache that I wasn't ready to endure. I don't know what finally clicked in me, but I got over myself and I watched the video. I sobbed. My heart ached in a physical way. It was an awful feeling. That feeling hasn't left me, but it lit a fire under me to DO SOMETHING. I have donated money and I am committed to raising awareness, but I wanted to do more. That first night I made this necklace. I wasn't sure how much of the profits I was going to donate, but I knew that was the plan. I have decided to donate 100% of the profits from the sale of this necklace to Invisible Children. It is so minuscule in the big picture, but every little bit helps. I am calling you out (in my sweetest, most kind voice) and asking YOU to help raise awareness. Repost this somewhere. Mention Invisible Children to a friend. Show a family member the video. JUST DO SOMETHING!

About Invisible Children: www.invisiblechildren.com
The Rescue: www.nightof.therescue.invisiblechildren.com
Buy the necklace: www.littlepaintedpolkadots.com

Peace and blessings!
(and of course, Whimsy Wishes)

Lisa

TOMS

TOMS is one of the greatest companies I've ever heard of. I think what they do is just awesome. If you haven't heard about TOMS, let me share a bit with you. TOMS make shoes (and some other cool gear.) They have a One for One program - for every pair you purchase, TOMS gives a pair to a child in need. Read more about it here.

I ordered my first (of many) pairs and they came today!!! I am thrilled. They are every bit as cute and comfortable as I have heard. Check out the pair I bought.

Like them? Get your own pair here! Do something for someone else - Karma is real!

Spring is in the air

The title of this post is funny and wrong. Spring is only in the air because the calendar says so. Today we were hit with inches and inches of snow, that is still falling, and a wind that could blow ye over. Ha ha. It is a blustery winter mess outside and I looooove it. That's because I am sitting on the inside looking out a big picture window. Tomorrow, when I have to venture outside, I will do so with a few grumbles I'm sure.

I have been a very busy bee since I last posted. The mural went great. I am pretty pleased with myself and can't wait for the phone call for the next one. Please spread the word to all your Michigan friends that Little Painted Polka Dots now offers murals! I am quick, efficient and affordable. (Nothing like tootin' your own horn, huh? Toot! Toot!)

Here are a few pics from the gym mural. I completed it all in about 30 hours! Not bad for over 700 square feet.

I also wanted to share with you all that I finally have a new font for my hand-stamped jewelry. I am so very excited, as I was on the waiting list for over two months. This stamp collection is limited and I am so thrilled to finally have it in my possession! What do you think? Adorable, huh?!

Lastly, a friendly reminder that Spring is a great time to dress your little girlies in fabulous, fluffy, affordable tutu's and we have plently in our Little Bella Tutu collection. Mother's day is also just around the corner and personalized jewlery makes a wonderful, unique gift. I am more than happy to create a custom piece for you, so please don't hesitate to call on me. Have a blessed day and Happy Spring!!

Murals! Coming soon to Little Painted Polka Dots? Hmm...maybe.

I have done my fair share of painting on canvas, painting on wood and even painting on walls. However, full blown wall murals have never been my thing. I've never branched out that far. I have painted an incredible field of daisies on a bedroom wall and whimsical designs in a nursery, but the mural buck stops there.

I was approached this past week (out of the blue and by the grace of God) with an amazing opportunity. I will be painting a full mural at a local gym. They have a Kids Club and I will be doing the mural in the Kids Club room. It is huge. Huge, I tell you. The painting surface is close to, if not over, 700 square feet. *Insert dropped jaw here* The highest point of the walls are 11 feet and I am 5' 3". Oh and I don't like heights. LOL!

I can't get over how thrilled I am. I always put so much energy and passion into things I like and I love painting. This is the biggest "canvas" I have had to create with and I can hardly contain my excitment. I have been throwing a few designs around on drywall sheets at home before I hit the walls.

This particular mural (I say that because there could be more!!) is Under the Sea. Lots of fish, a whale, a sea turtle and lots of other sea-inspired goodness.

Here are some basic little paintings I created this week to practice.

What's New?!

I have been a busy little bee creating new products for my store. I was in a funk - a real funk - but I channelled (one L...two L's???) all that funk into creative energy.

The early creations of personalized silver that I created were made with pmc (precious metal clay) and kiln-fired. I still make a bunch of that, but I added sterling silver, copper and gold-filled pieces which I hand-stamp with metal stamps and a hammer. So fun! I get out some serious frustration that way!

Personalized Sterling Silver Cufflinks - great gift for Valentine's Day!!

XOXO - Oopsie Charm. I made a little oopsie on this, so it is ONLY $10. Snatch it up before someone else does!

Wear your inspiration close to your heart. Personalize your charm your way!

GROW - A whimsy little reminder that we are always growing.

L.O.V.E - it's all you need!

Love Squared - A little copper goodness for ya.


Silver is pretty (my favorite next to platinum, of course) but I also love color. I needed to create something that was more colorful and a little less expensive...to appeal to the masses. Fun and Games Jewelry is the newest catergory at Little Painted Polka Dots. How fun are these? You can choose a pre-designed piece or submit your own graphic or even a darling photograph of your children...your pet...your spouse...or of YOU. That's right! Give that pretty face as a gift to someone else!

Thanks for looking. Please share my site with your friends and family. I appreciate your support!

For the love of the long pause.

I have nothing creative, witty, eloquent or profound to talk about. Not that I have in the past, but I surely do not right now.

I am in a funk. A downright diiirty funk. I don't want to be awake, I cannot sleep, I want to call in to work every single day (however, I do not.) I'm not depressed. No, no, no. I'm just in a funk. I know why, but I feel like there is nothing I can do about it.

Do you ever wonder if you fixed that "one" thing that was all wrong in your life if your new life would truly be better or would you just find a new "one" thing that wasn't right? I know, that was one long, incorrect sentence...too bad.

I don't want to work at the Playhouse anymore. I truly and whole-heartedly hate it there. I hate it now more than I have ever loved it. There is just so much bad juju* there. It's not that I don't want to work, because I DO. I just don't want to work there. J tells me to leave and find a new job, but I don't know how to do that while still being able to have time for LPPD. I put in a ton of hours from home for the Playhouse that they refuse to pay me for, but I actually only go into the Playhouse 3-4 days a week. This leaves me 2 weekdays and 1-2 weekend days to work on LPPD and I spend many hours into the late evening/early morning working on Playhouse stuff and LPPD stuff. I am tired, drained, and feel like I am going nowhere.

In my dream world (which is obviously blurry at the moment) I just want some chic boutique to say "Oh Lisa, your LPPD products are fabulous and we would like to buy thousands to stock our shelves." PERFECTO! Then I can quit the Playhouse and focus all my energy on doing what I love. Oh yes, I would also have money to pay bills and help support the family. I don't need much. Really, it is far less than most need and I would work hard to earn it. See, I want to work...just on what I love...not on what I hate. Oh boutique owner.....are you out there? Do you have a big bankroll and a desire to invest in me? Lol... if all else fails can't I just win the lottery?


*bad juju - compliements of lj...thank you for finding the right word.

Little Painted Polka Dots is celebrating it's 1st birthday! There are lots of new pieces being added to our collection in 2009. Here are just a few...a Lotsa Dots Canvas, Polka Dot Mirrors, and Polka Dot People Plaques! They are located under Special of the Month.

Take a peek!

Enjoy some birthday sales!

Birthday sales will be offered from January 18th through January 31st, including:

• Free Shipping on any order – use code: NOSHIP

• 20% off all orders over $75 – use code: BDAY20

• Free Foofy set with any Little Bella Tutu purchase

• Free Funky Photo Stand with any Wall Art purchase

• One lucky customer will receive a $50 gift certificate

Cookies, Crying and the Couch

I'm afraid to even exhale as I truly don't think life will be back to normal until after the first of the year. Make that the 4th, since we have a party on the 2nd and I'll need the 3rd to recover. Life for me (and I'm sure many of you) has just sped by these past few months. Holidays, shopping, baking, visiting, parties, long work hours, and finding time to decorate the tree have consumed me. As much as I live for the "feeling" I get around Christmas, I can't wait for it all to be over. Sadly, I don't think I ever had that feeling this year. *sniffle, sniffle* I'm over it though... I think.

I made it through Christmas day with only crying once. I am a crier. Everybody knows that. I usually cry on Christmas for two reasons. At some point I am so overjoyed with all the happenings of the day that I just cry and at some point I am also usually disappointed in a thoughtless gift or a gift I've given going unappreciated. I am a bit embarrased to say that the reason for my tears this year came bright and early.

There was no excitement when I woke up. No giggling and running to see if Santa came. (Yeah, I'm 28 and I usually still do that.) This year I got up first, plugged in the tree, turned on the Christmas music and just patiently waited for J to get up. We did our stockings and set out to take turns opening our gifts. I knew that there wasn't a big surprise under the tree this year and I was okay with that. We truly did not need anything and other than a baby, there is nothing that I really wanted. So we decided to make gift-giving a game this year. We could only spend $50 on eachother (we both cheated a little) and we had to give 5 gifts. No more, no less. We could buy 5 $10 items or 1 $40 item and 4 $2.50 items. Whatever it was we had to have 5 at $50 total. I gave him plenty of ideas and I had to wing it for him as he gave me nada clue! I was a little excited to see what he had chosen for me, so I opened my first gift. I couldn't hold back the disappointment when it was a shirt (too small) from a store that I HATE. There is no surprise at all that I hate this store. Trust me, he learned after last Christmas. I have told him numerous times that I do not shop there, do not like their clothes, so do NOT buy me anything from there...especially not a shirt that is too small. So, yeah, I was a little teary with disappointment. Imagine how I handled it when he proceeded to toss box #2 in my direction as he mumbles "you might as well open this one then too." Yeah, folks. Another shirt from the same store in the same size. Gaaah! See, you're probably thinking that I shouldn't be greedy and that Christmas isn't about gifts. If that is what you're thinking then zip it! I am NOT greedy and Christmas is NOT about gifts, but this was our plan, our game, and quite frankly those two gifts were failures. I shed some tears and got over it. I wasn't upset that I got shirts as 2 out of my 5 gifts. I was upset that he obviously waited until the last minute, and put zero thought into it. My other three gifts were great. I got a yoga mat (pink with white flowers) that I will have to use a lot to fit into those two small shirts, a Chia Herb Garden and a laptop cooler thingy that sits between your lap and laptop. That wasn't even on my list, as I didn't know it existed, but I LOVE it and couldn't be more thrilled with it.

As for the cookies and the couch, well... that is today. I am enjoying this box full of Pizzelles that came from my Grandma as I sit on the couch and play the new video game that I got from my parents. I don't see how people do this. The first few hours were very fun, enjoyable and self-indulgent. Now I just feel lethargic, despite the sugar rush, and my back is sore (from sitting on the couch all day.) Good thing this only happens once or twice a year. Tomorrow I will go to work and continue on until that blessed day of January 4th comes. It's been a _____________ (fill in the blank) few months, but I am ready to go forward.