Women's Night of Praise!

Last weekend we had "Women's Night of Praise" at church! It was awesome and Jeremy got to play guitar for it! (So I guess it was more like "Women-plus-some-guy-band-members Night of Praise" HA!)

Anyway, they made these amazing and encouraging videos that they shared that night. I thought you would be  encouraged by them too!

Who God is....

Stonegate Women's Video "God Is". from Stonegate Fellowship on Vimeo.

Who I Am in Him.....

Stonegate Women's Video "I Am" from Stonegate Fellowship on Vimeo.

What encouraged you most in these videos? 

Hope you're blessed by these reminders!

Coral and Mint!

Morning! We're still a bit under the weather at my house, but I this bright beautiful color scheme is cheering me right on up! I hope you're inspired by this collection of coral and mint!

Style Me Pretty

A Creative Mint

Color Collective

Creature Comforts

Fancy House Road

Free People

Green Wedding Shoes

100 Layer Cake

HGTV

Polyvore

Verandah House

I've been loving these colors and using them in my new paintings! What colors are you loving?

happy wednesday!

Stay Creative.

LOVING this today....

{As Seen on "More Design Please"}

How do you stay creative? Do you do any of the things on this list? Do you feel excited and challenged to try anything on this list? I often make lists, listen to new music, and drink lots of coffee. ;) I am also really inspired when I go somewhere new, have a clean work space and dance...but those don't happen as frequently.

Making a note now to do those soon!

We've been a little under the weather at my house so we're taking it easy. I have lots of new paintings to share with you soon! happy tuesday!

Mmmm!

We kept talking about going there, but we finally went! Over the weekend we visited our new Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt and let me tell you, it's GREAT! It's got a really fun, modern atmosphere, great for families or a sweet date. There are TONS of  yogurt flavors and toppings....something for everyone! :)

I recommend the Classic Tart with fresh blue berries and Captain Crunch! ;)

Jeremy said the chocolate is great too! 

The other great thing is they give you a "shovel" to eat it with! YUM!!!

If you're a cook and love great recipes head over to Cook. Eat.Delicious. and meet my new friend Raven! She's got some AMAZING looking food! 

Also, if you live locally, check out some fun restaurant reviews from MidlandMenus.com!

I hope you savor this day to the last bite!
happy monday!

Studio Weekend!

Here's a peek at a few projects I started this week!

I'm planning to spend lots of time painting, hanging out with my sweet Jeremy and our families and drinking lots of coffee...and perhaps a movie too!

Hope your weekend is wonderful! Next week I hope to show you lots of newly completed paintings!

happy day!

Just for Fun...

Some days are for dreaming....

So when I saw this adorable Eva Franco "Frames and Fortune" dress on Modcloth, I imagined it to be the perfect dress for a fun Specs & Wings event! I'm not sure what event, but it's fun to dream right? SO, I'm thinking an art show at the Sugar Cafe in San Francisco, a blogger conference in NY, or the opening of the S&W Studio! ;) While I'm dreaming  big, I decided to make it an outfit using Polyvore! SO fun! 

Are you a dreamer? What a do you dream about? I heard once that you should decide what your wildest dreams are and post them where you can see them every day. It will serve as a visual reminder of what you're working towards and help you reach your goals. What do you think? What would you post?

If I made a "dreams board" I might post a few sketches for painting ideas, cards from artists that I'd like to work with, conferences that I'd like to attend, places I want to go to get inspired...

...and maybe the address of the Sugar Cafe in SF....;)

I can't wait to hear what's on your "dreams list"! Feel free to leave it in the comments or link to a post on your blog! 

happy *dreaming* friday!

Etsy Update! *Coupon Code!*

Morning Friends!

I wanted to let you know that I updated www.specsandwings.etsy.com a little this morning with art prints and accessories and I added a coupon code!!!....

... just use the code "ARTBLOG2012" when you check out and you'll receive free shipping on your order! Just another little fun way to celebrate around here! (Offer good through the end of the month!)

www.specsandwings.etsy.com 

I'm currently working on custom projects, new designs for the shop, and a very special series of paintings (more details soon!). I hope your week is going great! 

happy thursday!

Studio Peek!

On Friday I was overwhelmed with inspiration for a new painting! I get ideas pretty often, but it's rare that I feel so passionate about an idea that I act on it in the moment (well, as soon as I get off work!) But, that's what happened with this painting! I left work with a sketch and a list of the colors I envisioned and headed straight to the store. Once I arrived home with the supplies, I was off and running! 

This painting is very close to my heart because it is about something that happened to me recently and the comforting words that ring out of one of my favorite hymns.

Once I have everything finished, I'll show you the whole painting and share my story too. 

I'm close to finishing, but for now I hope you enjoy these sneak peeks!

How do you tackle a project? Do you do it all at once? Does it take time, lists, and a journey? 

I usually keep an idea cooking for awhile before I put paint to canvas, but I was so excited that this painting has come about this way! I hope I can do more this way!

I'd love to know what you think!

happy wednesday!

The Scraps.

I forgot to show y'all this patchwork pillow that I made for valentines! I still have it out because it just makes me happy. :) I used lots of fun scraps of new and old fabric, reds, black and white, and pink! I used dots, hearts, chevron, swirls, and florals. It took all of them to create the whole heart! 

Sometimes it's easy to focus on the "big" things in life, but it's the "scraps" that make up the big things...and the scraps are so beautiful. :)

Thanks for your encouragement about my flower clips yesterday! I've been so inspired to paint lately and I have 2 paintings in the works! I hope to show you a peek in the next couple of days!

happy tuesday!

Bridesmaid Flower Clips!

I had a sweet bride-to-be ask me to create 6 unique flower clips for her bridesmaids! I was so excited for this challenge because this creative bride was full of ideas and wanted something extra special for each of her dear friends! Each bridesmaid is wearing a navy dress and adorable yellow shoes so she wanted a fun accessory that she could give them as well. What do you think? :)

I found these beautiful iridescent beads to use in a couple of the centers.

I also loved using these polka dotted yellow feathers! I haven't done much with feathers, but I really loved the look.

It was the bride's idea to use smaller navy flowers next to the larger yellow ones! SO FUN!

I also loved playing up the center of this one with the navy fabric.

It was fun to find buttons that were as unique as each flower!

The little felt leaves felt fun and classy for this clip!

I imagine that each of these flowers will be a perfect fit for the bridesmaids' personalities...I hope they are!

I also wrapped up each clip like a gift along with a blank yellow chevron tag so that the bride can add a personal note to each friend! The bags are each hand stamped and have chevron tape closures and a twine tie!

I can't wait to see pictures from the wedding! I know it will be an amazing day and I feel so honored to have created something that will be a part of it!

happy monday!

Link Love Friday Returns!

We Heart It

It's been awhile, but today I felt SO excited to share a "link love" post with you again! Here are some of my favorites from around the web this week:

This Black & White Celebration makes me want to throw a party!

Sophie Blackwell's Missed Connections Art Series, and Mae Chevrette's blog post about it!

This color combination for Spring! (but with flats for me of course!)

I've been thinking about the real life story of "The Vow", written my Kim and Krickitt Carpenter who are Christians.  I heard the movie is nothing like it and I'm considering reading the book! Anyone read it?

How beautiful and delicious does this look?!?

Found this on Pinterest and I'm not sure where it came from....but it's so lovely!!!

This weekend I'm working on 2 custom projects and I'm dreaming up a new painting that I can't wait to start!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

happy friday!

p.s. Hey local lovelies! Barnes & Nobles has gotten in a few more copies this season's Artful Blogging Magazine and they are now in the "Customer Favorites" section! Thank YOU!!! That made me feel so special! :)

Our Sweet Dinner!

We had REALLY sweet Valentines dinner last night! Jeremy cooked me an amazing meal and I set the table with a table runner of memories! :)

I put some twinkle lights in a row of votive holders...

....and set out new and old photos for us to reminisce!

Jeremy cooked pasta and served us some pomegranate soda that looked so pretty in the glasses!

We turned on our favorite music and ate together...such rich foods and rich memories!

On our honeymoon we ate at Serendipity 3 in NY and had a famous frozen hot chocolate. Last night we made one at home! YUM!

Did you have a sweet Valentines Day? I sure hope so! What did you do?

happy wednesday!

Valentines TOMS!

One of my new favorite custom projects is designing and painting custom TOMS! So when this amazing lady asked me to paint some bright, colorful, and fun TOMS for her step daughter as a Valentines gift, I jumped on it! She gave me a few ideas and guidelines, then let me run wild! It was such a blast to create these and I hope the new owner loves them! I'm sure she'll wear them in style...

Do you have a pair of old TOMS that need new life? Looking for a sweet gift for a friend (guys or girls!) that is totally unique? How about a pair of custom painted TOMS or a gift certificate? If you're interested, please email me: specsandwings@gmail.com