Posts Tagged ‘artist andrea’
No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks!
School’s out, y’all! Time to head down to the pool, the beach, and the farmer’s market… and what better way to make a splash beach-side (or pick up a bushel of those fabulously fresh Georgia Peaches if you’re in the south) then with the super chic Little Mermaid Eco-Tote designed by Artist Andrea?
You may recall another one of Andrea’s awesome totes featured a while back, Ooh La La (find the fashion print here). And at the fab price of only $TEN BUCKS$ a bag, why not get two…or three! And what was that???… oh, yeah!!! YOU can enter this super FABULOUS GIVEAWAY hosted by the Art School Grad Blogspot to win your own FREE Little Mermaid Eco-Tote! Who doesn’t like FREE STUFF???
Cuteness abounds! Lovin' my tote!
Andrea also recently released another fab design in her eco-tote line that will have even the landiest of landlubbers a droolin’. Ahoy! Check out this here booty! Ok, going a bit ‘overboard’ with all the pirate talk. I’ll go walk the plank now.
Ahoy! Eco-tote
And hey, c’mon, that hot pirate chick needs somewhere to stash her booty…ahem…makeup. Artist Andrea is hitting the nail on the head with her line of bags. Check out the lovely new line of cosmetic bags… the perfect size to fit in your overnight bag or even a large handbag! And the interior is a cushion-lined polyester which equals super easy cleaning in case of a little shadow spillage. Not to mention a great little zippered interior storage pocket! And did I mention that she has two super adorable designs? I have the Juliet style… GORGEOUS!
Juliet Cosmetic Bag by Artist Andrea
Disclaimer!!! I feel as though I should mention my recent obsession with turning photographs into vintage, digital Polaroids… check out this site to turn your fave snapshots into classic looking Polaroids by Polardroid.
Let’s get back to fun in the sun…
Hot fun in the summer time...
Days beach-side, pool-side, park-side, what have you; if you have kids (and even if you don’t and you’ve been enjoying that pre-mommy bikini bod and a Pina Coloda in Cabo), then you know summer time not only equals squeals of delight, fun in the sun, and hours of splashing in the waves (followed by others’ squeals of delight if you’re single.. in Cabo… and just lost your top); you’re also familiar with sand in the most unimaginable cracks and crevices; sunburn, sunburn, evil, awful sunburn; and cranky, cranky, sun-drained tiredness. Oh, the joys of parenthood…and singledomhood…or whatever. Ha!
Really, I’m going somewhere with this…
Water hoses and hoop-a-loops!
What better way to wind down that cranky, tired, over-sunned beach bunny? LAVENDER! From the Greek word, ‘lavare’, which means to wash, lavender is known for it’s reputable relaxation qualities. Heck, apparently, in the Middle Ages, Queen Elizabeth used it to treat frequent migraines! If that’s not relaxing, I don’t know what is!
I recently started bathing my three year old wild, sun child, London, in Baby Swank Naturals: Lavender Chamomile after our nearly-daily pool trips. After a few hours at the pool, becoming over-tired and over-saturated in chlorine, a dunk in this lovely baby wash has become my saving grace. I think London likes it, too. 
The light, floral scent of lavender, which is not as overwhelming as similar products I’ve used, is so relaxing for nerves frazzled by a three-year old’s poolside temper tantrum… and it’s relaxing for the child, too! I have to admit, one thing that I was concerned about with using this product, was the effects it would have on London’s skin.
Baby Swank Naturals by Meagan Visser
See, London has uber sensitive skin. Right before her second birthday, she developed a rash. I thought it was a heat rash for the first two weeks. But then it began to spread, and it was a horrible, horrible sight. We were out of town, visiting my parents, at the time. And it just kept getting worse. So, I finally took her to my childhood pediatrician, who then referred us to a dermatologist that confirmed our lingering suspicions… the dreaded eczema!
Eczema, eczema, eczema! So many potential causes, so hard to determine…and after of over a year of trying to figure out if it was laundry detergent or the world’s most navigationaly-capable cat (oh, that is a story all in itself…remind me, and I’ll tell you some other time) or just life in general… nothing. So, back to the Baby Swank Naturals Baby Wash… I was nervous.
At first, I dabbed just a bit on a washcloth, and washed my daughter gingerly, nervously. Everything seemed fine, no rashes out of the ordinary. So, the next day, I added a bit more (though a little of this product goes a long way), and scrubbed her down… her steroid creams and lotions by my side (yeah, sadly, it’s that bad). Nothing. Nothing at all. Just a clean, less-cranky, and smelly-good baby girl. Ok, toddler girl, but she’ll always be my baby!
With that said, definitely check out Meagan’s new line of baby washes, especially if you’re like me and prefer natural products free of junk like parabens and preservatives, and all those crazy long names that take you an hour of tongue twisting to pronounce.
How her garden grows... just wanted to give you an update on how our garden is GROWING!!!
She’s Baaaa-ack!
Snap! Crackle! Stretching those kinks out of my typing digits.
Finally, back from my two week “vacation” up “north” to see the family in good old NC. I am jonesing to unleash myself into my studio and create something… anything! But first, I wanted to share some things I’ve been up to, things my lovely Artist du Jour interviewees have been up to…and of course,to share the finished product from when my daughter and I had our “Mommy and Me Paint Day”.
So, without further ado… and then the phone rings, my alma mater begging me for money…doesn’t it say on my transcript I went to ART school…that should explain that I have NO money! Jeez. Anyhoo, like I was saying, without further ado, I present you with the fruits of our “Mommy and Me Paint Day” labors…
Our garden, container box painted my Allie and London. Copyright 2011 
Ok, so we cheated a bit. We didn’t start with seeds, but in the next few months we’ll be grubbing on some Sweet Vidalia Onions, pimentos, heirloom tomatoes, zukes and yellow squash, sweet peas, and whatever else the Hubs planted while we were in North Carolina. Don’t worry folks, they’re not all in the one container box!
In other news, even more joyous then Glenn Beck’s show being canceled on the mind numbing Fox News channel, I’ve been painting more stone tiles. From coasters and trivets to decorative tiles… here are a few I have listed for your buying pleasure on Etsy and a set of custom coral reef inspired coasters I painted for a dear customer…
Custom coasters in progress
How does she do this, you ask. Simple. Sort of. First, I lightly sketch my drawing out onto the stone tile. I try to choose smoother tiles, though not totally smooth. I enjoy the look of the “imperfections” of the stone, it really gives each piece character. Though you don’t want too much “character”, or you’ll have one heck of a time with sketching out your image and painting it.
After I’ve sketched my image onto the stone to my liking (by the way, I find that a plain old No.2 pencil is much more forgiving then graphite pencils, though it may give you nightmares of filling in all those bubble sheets in back in grade school), it’s on to the process of painting the stone. The tumbled stone is a very thirsty object, therefore watercolors are discouraged. I use acrylic paints, and you can even get away with doing some heavy acrylic washes on these stones to give your image a hint of tint. Just don’t sop it on, because it will roll right off the smoother spots of the stones. But obviously, the thicker the paint, the more vibrant the look. I also use India Ink to do some outlining on the stones, and I’ve found that it holds up nicely, though is a bit less forgiving then the acrylic paints.
Hand painted stone custom coasters
When I’m done with adding color to the stone (and after giving it time to try), I seal the work with a spray resin varnish, which can be found at your local art store. When doing coasters or trivets, I add either felt or cork circles to the backside of each stone so that it will not scratch surfaces.
Persephone's Garden, Hand-painted stone
And last, but certainly not least, I promised you some updates on some past Artist du Jour interviewees…
Who Ever Said Green Couldn’t be Stylish…. and Illustrated???
Everyone needs to go and check out Andrea Peterson’s awesome new eco totes, featuring her lovely artwork Oooh La La, in her Etsy shop. I just broke my in at the grocery store today, and I love it!!! It’s way more stylish (as my 2 1/2 going on 25 year old says) then the grass green Publix totes I’ve been lugging around. I can’t wait for her to do more so I can start a collection…and rid myself of the Publix collection.
Awesome eco tote by Andrea Peterson
Not to mention, Artist Andrea has some other new awesome goodies in her new website shop, including sleep masks… and some super sweet postcards opn Etsy!
Artist du Jour Alumni Updates, April 2011
Also, be sure to check out past Artist du Jour interviewee, Kristy Lynn’s new shops on Studio6: Cloud Drop Paintings Shop and Lover. I am so in love with her painting, Bird Lovers (which was featured in her interview), and hope to get my hands on a print very soon!
Bird Lovers by Kristy Lynn
Jessica Byrd Buchanan, past interviewee, has a new line of lovely bookmarks, magnets and jewelry featuring her photography now available on Etsy.
Necklace by Jessica Byrd Buchanan. Photo by Jessica Byrd Buchanan.
Also, to all you art school folks, current Artist du Jour and fellow SCAD alumni, Brienna Pruce, has just started up a new Etsy team for all those that have or are attending school to study art: the Art School Grad Team. I love that Brienna is doing this, providing a great opportunity for all artists to network, collaborate, and reach more people.
Ok, now I really need to hit the studio… though now I’m not so sure I want to drag out all my paints, brushes, pens, paper, etc. at 10 o’clock at night.