I've been so busy...

...Being IN LOVE!  I'm married now, y'all!  I documented my Engagement weekend quite a few posts down and then I went scarce between then and now.  In those busy months of picking out flowers and deciphering the true difference in shades of pink, I tried to capture it all here on my "countdown to the big day" blog.  Since we've been home, I've been in holiday mode - full speed.  With a gift making business, this is understandably such a busy time for me.  Between the pottery studio and Little Painted Polka Dots, I will be going non-stop until January. 

Even in the midst of the busiest days...when my feet hurt, my eyes are strained, my fingertips are cut and/or covered in paint, I know that I'm blessed beyond belief.  I serve the most amazing God and I realize it more and more everyday.  I am so in love with my husband and surrounded by big, BIG love from family and friends.  I'm thankful for each new day and I encourage you to find the good...even on the gloomy days.

Free Stuff AND A Great Blog

What could be better, folks?  You get a great new blog to stalk AND she is always giving away free stuff.  I love this girl and I love her blog.  I know ya'll will do.

So what if she is giving away a gift certificate to my store.  I'm not biased!  Lol!  Check it out...you'll be happy you did.

http://www.thetuckerstaketennessee.com/2010/04/200-followers-giveaway.html

TWBA: Routine

This week at MGR, our blog assignment is to discuss routine.

Main Entry: rou·tine
Pronunciation: \rü-ˈtēn\
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from Middle French, from route traveled way
Date: 1676
1 a : a regular course of procedure
b : habitual or mechanical performance of an established procedure
2 : a reiterated speech or formula
3 : a worked-out part (as of an entertainment or sports contest) that may be often repeated; especially : a theatrical number
4 : a sequence of computer instructions for performing a particular task


I would like to think that I am a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of girl. Actually, as I just typed that, it sounds kind of weird...maybe out-dated...and now I feel awkward. What I am trying to say is that I initially think of myself as "routine free", but my whole life is routine. I work from home the same two days a week. I work in my studio the same three days each week, same time every day, every week. I make a list for every.thing.I.do. I am a list maker and a note taker. I plan.

I usually plan at the last minute though. I think that is why I'd like to think that I am free of routine. About two years ago I could have stated the following with pride and ease: I like to procrastinate. I excel when I do. That is only partly true these days. I still procrastinate. I still excel when I do. I just seem to get a bit stressed out now when that big list gets too long.

My list gets so long because I add every.single.thing to it. I once read somewhere that if you add obvious things to your list you will feel more accomplished because you have more crossed off. Am I taking that to the extreme when the following are on my list: wake up (check!), take shower (check!), do hair (check!), brush teeth (check!), breakfast/lunch/dinner (check! check! check!).

Man, am I successful or what?!

TWBA: Favorite Dessert

This weeks blog assignment at MGR is all about dessert. My favorite dessert is almost a deep, dark secret. One that brings such embarrasment and shame to myself and my family. I've tried to change my mind on this. I've tried to fall deeply into sugary love with another delectable treat. I just cannot turn my back on..........

Yep. *hanging my head in shame* That is a straight-from-the-box, Pillsbury FUNFETTI CUPCAKE! Mmmmmmm! They are my absolute favorite. Shame, no more! I love them! Want the recipe? Go buy a box. Ha ha ha.

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!

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

Black Friday Bonanza

Stay home! Don't fight the crowds.

Take advantage of the Black Friday Sale

at Little Painted Polka Dots.

FREE SHIPPING ALL DAY!

(use code: NOSHIP)

$10 off a purchase of $50 or more

(use code: BF10)

$25 off a purchase of $100 or more

(use code: BF25)

Check that out...

that is a minimum of
20% off AND free shipping.

Organization at it's finest!

I can't believe I am doing this, but I wanted to show you all some before and after shots of my studio/home office/workout room. I know, that is some lofty goals to live up to for just one small room. Mix in an artist's organizational skills and this is what you end up with:

Upon first entering. The bike is only there because I drug it out a few days prior so I could watch TV and ride. I'm a multi-tasker, I know. The mammoth package of Bounty is there because well...it is MAMMOTH and wouldn't fit in the normal spot.

Yes, my friends, I run on that treadmill at least three times a week. Do you love my new Nike running shoes (the ones on the treadmill, not on the floor)? The red "beer pong" cup is actually a water cup that I was using to wash my brushes, and the garbage can is only there because I was finally cleaning.

Just another angle of the chaos and madness. Sorry family, there are still some birthday presents in those bags. Well, not as of now, but there was in the photo. I love my gifts, thank you very much!

This picture sums it up. Oddly enough, I knew where everything was. I've never had a hissy fit about not being able to find the eyelet hammer or even the teeny tiny eyelets for that matter. To you, chaos, to me...not so much.

It was however, so very overwhelming to look at. It was also an eyesore for guests. So I devoted the entire day (last Monday) to cleaning it all. It was a process. In my mind each thing already had a home. I knew where it all was and I didn't have to open a drawer to get at it. Putting it away only to take it back out seems a little silly, but just like making your bed everyday (only to mess it up again every night) it is just one of those things you should do. So, I did! I love it cleaned. I feel so refreshed when I walk in there. I can actually paint in there now. The only down side is I don't have much to look at when I run on the treadmill anymore.

This is the NEW VIEW! I love walking into this room now. Check out the ribbon hung neatly on the wall. Okay, so it is not the best "hanging job" but it works, for now. I am also normally very anal about certain things (hard to tell from all the pics above) but when I find a spare moment all the ribbon spools will be displayed by color. ROYGBIV please! Notice the tulle in the drawers. They are in that order.

I have all my marketing, advertising, and packaging materials, along with supplies all put in a specific place. I have my 2009 calendar on the wall a few months early and I have my clipboard with orders in a list, so I know what I am working on. That is some fancy organizational skills right there.

Another view. Please look to above picture #4 for shocking comparison...lol.

Last but not least, is the workout portion of this room. I had to put my printer and shipping boxes there for lack of room, but all in all, I am happy with this new clean little space. Yay me!

Bringing back the Barter System

Wouldn't it be great if I could always get fabulous things from others just by offering up my wares? No money changing hands, no receipts, no sad faces because I simply can't "justify" another purchase. Nope, none of that is allowed in my happy bartering world. I would see something I like and the owner of that something would just want my products in return. Wouldn't that be amazing if it worked everywhere? Hmm...I feel like a Starbucks. The barista will take a Foofy. Off to the market for some organic produce and diet coke (staples in my life.) Well, that'll be one Cotton Candy Tutu as payment. Gasoline now...that is surely worth a custom Growth Chart these days.

Somehow, the rest of the world doesn't feel the same way I do. Go figure. One fabulous girl did let me live in my fantasy for a moment though. That is Natalie at Cotton Candy by Natalie. I saw something I just had.to.have! I knew that after shelling out a pretty penny on the camera itself, that I could not justify another purchase at the moment. I took a leap and contacted the owner of the shop and asked if (just maybe) she would be interested in a trade....and SHE WAS! (Insert happy dance here!) I traded some personalized silver jewelry for this absolutely amazing, colorful, beautiful, fantastic, fabulous camera strap!

Isn't it AWESOME! I seriously get so happy every time I look at it. Thank you Natalie for believing in the barter system with me.

**Disclaimer: The barter system worked for both parties this one time. This does not mean that either party will be interested in trading again, but it never hurts to ask! :)

My first love...

...is Photography. Without aging myself too much, I have to say that I loved "old school" photography. The real stuff. Film, the dark room, the chemicals, manipulating the photos with your hands and tools and light...not a computer. That is what I did in highschool and college. Once my degree title turned into "Photography...and Digital Imaging" I began to lose interest. I didn't want to do it on the computer. I didn't like it at all. Like an immature child, I took my toys and went home. I put my camera in the closet and moved on.

That doesn't mean that I haven't taken thousands of photos since then, but they were all just snapshots of friends, family, myself, and things that I found snapshot worthy. I took these photos with a snapshot camera and I was happy with it.

Lately the photo bug has been biting me so I went and bought a new camera and started dabbling with some "digital imaging." Don't laugh or criticize the next few photos. My goal was to take everyday things and turn them into something I wanted to look at. I didn't leave my front porch or back deck to take these. I put my zoom to use and had to hope the neighbors didn't mind. This is what I came up with. Not bad for not leaving my porch.

This little guy was on my porch. When I grabbed my camera he ran up the tree to the "hole" and sat there.

These flowers are waaaaaay far away on my neighbors back deck. Just a simple dandelion.
A little treasure in my other neighbors garden.

Wine? Anyone?!

I love a great glass (or bottle) of wine. I enjoy it room temperature while sitting on my deck as the sun is setting and the air is brisk. That is my favorite way to sip and unwind. Most of the time I am in my comfy pants, a teeshirt, no socks or shoes and my hair is wildly fabulous. I'll most likely have paint on my pants and antiquing gel on my fingers somewhere, but the wine is good and I am happy. What do you do with all the empty bottles? Well, if you're me, you turn them into something useful.

These were done for a friends wedding shower...also wine enthusiasts. The bottles have been kiln-fired to a scorching 1200 degrees and they are now fabulous cheese trays or wall art - whichever you'd prefer.

Are you a wine lover? Know someone who is? Why not order them their very own Whimsy Wine Bottle?!

Family Circle

New stamps have arrived at Little Painted Polka Dots! They are a wonderful addition to my hand-stamped silver line. They are big and funky... and SUPER CUTE! They have proven perfect for creating the new Family Circle charm. Mom and Dad's intials in the middle surrounded by the precious names of all the little ones.

I also want to point out that each and every one of my silver pieces are hand crafted by me. I am not buying pre-cut silver bases and stamping into them with metal stamps. I am creating them by hand out of pure silver clay and then firing in a jewelry kiln. After firing, I burnish and polish each piece. The result is a 99.9% pure silver piece of art, created just for you!

Bloggy Sale

Hello Bloggy World! As you can tell from my lack of posting, I have been busy. Busy with what, you say? Besides birthdays, vacations, and hustle and bustle of summer livin', I have been creating new products!

Here are a few of them! I am trying to reach my Summer sales goal, and I am offering up a Blog coupon in an effort to do so! If you are interested in any new or original products, please check out my entire line at www.littlepaintedpolkadots.com and use code BLOG10 for 10% off any purchase!!

Foofy - Tutu Inspired Hair Ties

Foofy Headband
Foofies!!
Infinite Love Necklace
Foofy - Tutu Inspired Hair Ties