Studio Update: Watercolor Word Art

This piece grew out of a desire to encourage a young teenager who has been struggling to find her place in life. The details aren't my story to share, but the bottom line is that she has been needing some reminders of God's plan and purpose in her life and His love for her. 

As I worked on this piece, I also decided to offer Watercolor Word Art as a custom listing in my shop because I think other people would enjoy having their name surrounded by their favorite quotes, verses, lyrics, words, etc. 

This piece is unique in that I spent a lot more time planning it than I usually do. I'm rather notorious for just sitting down to create or paint without putting proper forethought into the matter. Sometimes it works, but trust me, there are plenty of things that never make it to the shop or the blog or anywhere else! 

I got a text in class one day about what was going on in Siena's life and almost immediately jotted a doodle on the corner of my paper:

Over the next few weeks (and our move), I kept scribbling ideas in my sketchbook, playing with lettering and how to frame her name...how to include verses and add color, but without making it look too "busy." 

By the time I sat down today to give this idea its first real go, I had a general idea of where I was heading...just enough that the work took on a life of its own as soon as I began. 

My very first steps were in pencil, then I inked over those lines and added the verses. The little geometric shapes were my first hint that this piece already had its own ideas.

Shockingly, I slowed down enough to make a color palette. I'm so glad I did!

About halfway through I panicked. Her name was colored, the key words were "highlighted," and I'd started adding the extra geometric shapes around the outside sections. It looked VERY awkward, and I wasn't sure it was going to work at all... But I was surprised and delighted when I finished!

Once it dried, I took it off the painting board for proper photos:

 

As I mentioned, your own customized word art is available in my shop. 

Names, quotes (verses/lyrics/words), colors, and general style are all fully customizable!

Click here to learn more. :-)

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

Share a Friend: Audrey

Howdy y'all!

As you know, I recently started a wonderful nannying job as "Mary Poppins." What you don't know is that one of my new kiddos, Audrey, is a super awesome artist!

 She has been taking classes from a local artist, Larry Smith, and this is her latest work in progress. 

Here's a few questions I asked her this afternoon: 

Why do you like to paint?
A: It's relaxing. When you have so much to do, and you finally get to sit down to paint, it's calming. 

What do you plan to paint next?
A: A fox in the snow from a photograph my friend's grandfather took. 

What other creative things do you like to do?
A: I like to sculpt polymer clay, and I like to paint with watercolors. And I occasionally sketch. 

Watch out, Etsy, she's heading your way in a few years! ;-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 
HAK

Studio Update: Knits and Paintings

Greetings from The Studio!

In this case, I mean not only my studio, but also our home, recently christened The Studio because of the way my arting space is central in our new place. 

If you've been following the shop or any of my social media, you know a lot of things have happened in the last week or so. Here's an overview of all the latest shop items!

Custom Order Watercolor Painting

 This listing is for one custom order painting from a photograph (or an idea. ie: "I would like a painting of a field and barn." I can make that happen!).

Subjects can include:
Pets
Animals
People (faceless only)
Cityscapes
Landscapes
Homes (or other buildings)
Flowers, trees, etc.

Sizes range from 4x6 inches to 11x14 inches. 

The photos above are examples of the kind of work I can do--I love creating custom paintings!!


Tree of Life Fingerless Gloves
 I have been wearing a pair of these for the past two winters, and I looooove them. I recently worked out a deal with the pattern designer so that I can offer them to YOU in my shop. 

Mine are moss green and knit from wonderful soft wool. But, I can knit them in any number of colors for you! They come in two sizes: S/M and M/L. 
 (Photos courtesy of the wonderful designer, Jenny Williams)

 

Snow Day: A Mixed Media Painting

If y'all have been following the news, we got a lot of snow and ice here in Atlanta this week. 

This piece was inspired by the view outside my new studio. It was also a lovely foray into mixed media art, using permanent pen, watercolor, and oil pastel. It is 12x7 inches. 


Celtic Cable Knitted Mug Cozies

These originated from a custom order, and I loved them so much, that I just had to put them up in my shop.

 

 There are two colors listed, hopefully with more to come soon. If you are just itching for a different color in the meanwhile, all you have to do is ask! 

Last one, y'all:

Kissing Gouramis: Watercolor Pencil Drawing

These fish compete for dominance through lip-locking...

...but I think they're a pretty cute idea for your fish loving honey, too! 

Remember, Valentine's Day is coming! :-) 

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

Studio Update: My New Sunroom Studio!

Hey, y'all!

The Hubster and I are back to my hometown outside of Atlanta, and I'm just about done setting up my studio! I wanted to sell some early photos with y'all. :-)

My studio is in our sunroom, nestled between the living, dining, and guest rooms. 

 I have this huge, wonderful window, too. 

It's been snowing all afternoon, and I have the best winter view in the house!

 One of my bestie's Christmas gifts was this "Hipster Decorating Set." 

Polaroid cards, strings, and clothespins.

I love it!!

And, in case you were wondering, it's still mug cozy central around here. 

I love these, too! :D

But, wait! There's more!

 Mes Aventures, Crafts & Co. has a mini "store front" in my studio now!

I'm hoping there will be some snowish art soon to come. Until then, stay warm!

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK 

Seedlings of a Creative Life

"To live a creative life,

we must lose our fear of being wrong."

~Joseph Chilton Pearce

It's an odd and interesting thing to feel oneself transitioning from someone who likes art and does it occasionally to someone who does, pursues, and lives art. 

I have this ideal in my mind of the slightly eccentric, fascinating artist that I want to be. Long hair, cleverly matched (or mismatched) clothes, fun jewelry, the occasional paint smudge. Sketchbook toting, notebook keeping, book-loving, new food cooking, adventurous, traveling... My list could go on and on. After all, I've loved art and admired artists for a long time, so I've had a chance to dream and idealize. 

On the one hand, my ideal can be paralyzing. I fear doing it "wrong." Whatever the heck that means. While I sometimes exemplify parts of my ideal, I don't think I've ever really embodied it. But that's okay--"Life's a journey, not a destination," right? 

But I have to admit, I get really excited when I find myself growing into this graceful, creative being, albeit in very small ways. Little things, like a day of knitting, feel like seedlings of a more creative life. 

That's part of my 2014 blog goal, I guess: to document and share with you the growth of these little seedlings.

Now, that day of knitting I mentioned: Yesterday, I put a halt to everything except hours and hours of knitting. Sure, there was a bit of unpacking from a weekend trip and even some cooking and laundry that "needed" to be done (and today they will be so), but yesterday I indulged in hours of wonderful knitting. In addition to my Tree of Life gloves (warm fingers--finally!), I finished the first of those mug cozies I told you guys about. I'm completely in love.

(I'm working on an order right now before I put any up in the shop, but if you're interested in custom ordering some, let me know!)

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

(Top image from crushculdesac.tumblr.com via Pinterest)

Studio Update: gloves, mug cozies, and cichlids.

Hey y'all!

It's been a good week in my studio, and I wanted to let y'all behind the scenes. 

As y'all know, I drew a lionfish earlier this week. In case you missed it, check out the drawing here. 

It's winter, as even Georgia has been reminding us lately, so I've been knitting lots (as often as I can thaw out my fingers, that is. ha!) 

As posted, I started a new set of gloves for myself. And, TA-DA! The first is finished!!

Must keep knitting. The sooner that second glove is done, the sooner my hands will be warm again!

I've been knitting something else, too. Mug cozies! They're going to be fabulous. 

And, last but not least, another drawing. I'm loving my watercolor pencils. These are Regal Peacock Cichlids, native to Lake Malawi in East Africa. 

 If you want to learn more about this piece, click here to head over to Etsy!

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

WIPs: More gloves and scarves

Good morning, y'all! Happy Saturday! 

My sweet hubster let me sleep in a bit this morning, and I'm having a late-ish breakfast of pear, double glouchester cheese, and tetley black tea. mmmm. It's so foggy and wet outside, that I can almost believe that I'm in Britain eating my English breakfast. :-) 

It has been far too long since I updated y'all! I promise that my silence does not mean lack of productivity, as I really have been knitting a good bit, in spite of finishing up my senior thesis this week and beginning preparation for finals. 

I have two works in progress at the moment, one for a challenge and one to keep me sane while I work on the other one. 

First up, a chevron-striped, chunky neckwarmer.

This is my challenge project, and, so far, it's just a nub of progress. I'm working off of basic instructions for a chevron seed stitch (see my chevron peter pan collar here to get an idea of the stitch), but I'm attempting to do each chevron in a different color. The result, I hope, will be a chunky single loop neckwarmer with awesome green, blue, and grey chevrons. AND the yarn is made from recycled wool. Awesome? yes. But, these 5 rows (granted, they were the "getting started" rows which are always the "worst") took well over an hour, so we'll see if I survive. Did I mention that, at last count, I have 8 strands of "live" yarn to keep track of. Madness. 

(Sidenote: see how kinky that one knitting needle in the above picture is? That's the pair of needles that I learned to knit on--9 years ago! Those needles have knit more scarves than I can count, and, well, they might have been sat on along the way...)   

 Next up: more handwarmers!

A couple of things sets these apart from the others I've made recently. 

1. These are 100% pima cotton. Sensitive skin? Warmer climate? These are perfect for you. This cotton is unbelievably soft. 

2. CHUNKY. The others have been with finer yarn and smaller needles. This is a chunky thick-thin yarn (the same ones I use for my washcloths. Check those out here.) knit on wonderful size 11 DPNs. This is such a quick project compared to the other stuff I've been doing! 

3. Length. These fit from above the wrist down to your knuckles. It's like a fluffy hand hug!

Now, lest you be anxious about the rather wobbly appearance of this yarn when it's just lying flat, here's what these look like on:

Chunky, cozy, wonderful. :D 

Already in love? These should be up on Etsy in the next couple of days. As always, I'll let you know when they go up via Facebook and Twitter (all the info for that is over on the right and toward the top. ---> )

And, FINALLY, in case you missed it on Facebook and Twitter, I have to show y'all the WIP that we had the guessing game about!

I was knitting a women's headband/earwarmer that matches the teal tweed handwarmers!

This tweed headband/earwarmer is knit with wool in a fairly fine stitch. The first third or so is knit in horizontal rib, which gives the headband some nice stretch. It then switches to stockinette stitch, finishing in an arrow shape, and connecting with 3 bobbly, faux-leather buttons. I think it's both classic and funky, and I have to admit that I'm rather proud of it. :-) 

Love it? Check it out on Etsy by clicking HERE.   
Interested in the handwarmers, too? Those are here.

Thanks for reading, y'all-- I'll be better about blogging, promise! :-) 

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

Fine Art and Mistletoe

It's been a busy day, y'all! I've worked on three very different projects, and I've had so much fun. 

WIP 1: A custom order 5x7 watercolor. 
It's still in the sketch stage (left), but in the next few days I think it'll develop nicely. I'm trying very hard to highlight as much as the house as possible and "erase" those middle trees. It's getting there...slowly.

WIP 2: Wire Mistletoe Christmas Decoration/ Ornament
Okay, I admit, I stumbled on this one. I was searching Etsy for some faux mistletoe to hang in our Burrow, but I just couldn't find what I wanted. I saw some wire, paper, and bead mistletoe for doll houses, and it occurred to me--I have green wire, pearl beads, and red yarn floating around, and I could make what I've been looking for! So I did, and I loved it so much that I made another one to put on Etsy! It's a bit different from anything else I found, and, well, viola!

Check it out on Etsy here!
(Remember: all domestic shipping from my shop is FREE!)

 WIP 3: The Mystery Project
The challenge is still on, y'all! The Prize: A coupon code for 20% off any purchase of $25 or more in my Etsy shop! Leave your guesses as a comment below. The first to guess wins. Here's one hint: it's a women's accessory. The deadline is Tuesday because the coupon expires on Wednesday. Cast your guess!

There they are, y'all! I hope your Saturday was as fun and productive as mine! I'd love to hear about it. 

Adventure well; Live Fully. 
HAK

WIP: Handwarmers and...

If y'all have been following my Facebook and Twitter, you know I've been knitting handwarmers like it's my job. Oh, wait--it is! I have the coolest job ever! My most recent pair of handwarmers was a special order. I had a week to knit, and yet, somehow so much time slipped away from me, so I had one night and a whole glove to week. Stress story? No, not really. I knit for several hours last night while watching Burn Notice with the Hubster (and eating Mojo Burrito queso. yummmm.). This morning I got up early to finish up. I thought I'd be groggy and a bit resentful at myself for not knitting up sooner, but I really enjoyed my early morning knit session--hot tea, my quillow, and yummy tweed yarn (tweed is the best, for the record). As it turns out, I had a fabulous Wednesday, and I think it's at least partially due to such a lovely start to my day. 

Just look at that tweed: 

Click here to see these on Etsy. :-)

You can probably tell that I like tweed. In fact, I loved this yarn so much, that I started a new WIP with it. Here's a sneak peak (don't worry, I have more yarn): 

 You guys want a challenge? First person to guess what this project will be wins a coupon code for 20% off any purchase of $25 or more in my Etsy shop! Here are the rules: Leave your guess in the comment section below, and be sure to leave your email address so I can send you the code if you win. Check back frequently--I'll announce the winner as soon as we have one! Spread the word, and start guessing--the coupon expires 1 week from today (November 27)!

Adventure well; Live fully.

HAK

WIP: Christmas Whimsey: DONE!

I know, I know... I'm a couple days later than I had hoped, but this little beauty is DONE. It will make a lovely hanging in your home or special cards to send to friends and family.

It is  available as a custom print here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169309764/custom-holiday-print-christmas-home 

And as greeting cards here:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/169309764/custom-holiday-print-christmas-home 

Sample customizations include:

 "The Knights," "The Knight Family," "Merry Christmas," 

"Happy Holidays," "Merry Christmas from the Knights."  

Like this:

Adventure well; Live fully. 

HAK

WIP: Christmas Whimsey

One of the things I'm hoping to share with y'all on here is my work: even my work in progress (WIP).  Today's WIP is a whimsical Christmas print or greeting card design. When it is finished, the ornaments will be brightly colored and surrounded by snowflakes, and the box at the bottom will be topped with snowy evergreen boughs and a red bow and will be fully customizable with a family name or message, something like "Merry Christmas," "Happy Holidays," "The Knight Family," or "Merry Christmas from the Knights." I'm hoping to have it up on Etsy the first part of next week: both as an 8.5x11 print and in packs of 6 greeting cards (about 5x8 inches when folded). What do you think?