Merry Christmas Everyone!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Me and my mommy put up the Christmas tree this weekend, and I was hoping to share a picture with you - but I left my cable to take pictures off my camera in the boxes among the limbo move in Sudbury (away from my parents place lol). So you'll have to suffice with a small replacement :) 

We did our tree this year in the Silver and Gold theme, so here's a song about it from one of my fav Christmas shows:

We also have these cute ornaments, like mini-disco balls, that reflect the light into little spots around the room - making it look like snow or stars :)

I'll have to share all my Christmas pictures when I get back....in January.....sigh lol. 

Christmas Vacation Sale!

Christmas Vacation Sale!

Since I'm gone away from my apartment for Christmas (at my parents), and then I'm moving and will take a little time to settle down (orders will be out January 6th), I'm offering a Free Gift with every purchase.

I will contact you shortly after your purchase about your free gift.

Some of my favourite things!

"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with strings. These are a few of my favourite things!"

So, to quote a very popular song from a very popular movie this time of year. I thought that since it is the years end that I would share with you some of my absolute favourites

 from my favourites that I've collected over the year! Of course, I've updated the links, since pretty much all of them have sold, or I have posted something very similar to the original item that I hearted so much.

Copper Enameled Owl - by Dreams and Jewelry

Candy Strips Pendent - PoPkO

Sweetgrass Place Setting - JDWolfePottery

Eden - Accessoire

Living off the Grid - yellowcanoe

Desire, porcelain pillow - stephanka

Pears on light grey, XL frame pouch - oktak

Ok, well that's it for now, hehe. I knew that I couldn't possibly show you everything that I love in my favourites, but these are some that I especially love. 

Painty-paint-paint

I've been busy lately with commissions and painting, another contributing factor to few blog posts lately :)

I thought I'd show you some of the commissions I've been working on and have completed, there's still one more in progress that won't be posted until later:

I also have two other paintings that I've been working on and off on, here's a sneak peak at them:
I'm not 100% about the direction of either painting at the moment - just going with what feels right, and hoping to not mess them up :). Both are watercolor on paper.

I created both of these "collages" using Picasa, thought I'd give it a try. I have mixed feelings about it right now - I'll have to use it more before I decided whether to keep it, or give it the boot of my computer :)

Christmas Television Love

The one thing I love most about the holidays, or one of the many; would be the Christmas cartoons. I'm not huge on the newer ones. They're good, but they're not the classics. The classic Christmas cartoons are almost like tradition - I've watched them every year ever since I could remember!

First up is the cartoon, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". I know most people love Cindy Loo the most, if not the Grinch. But, I'd have to say that Max is my favorite. Especially when he puts the antler horn on the poor pooch.

Lucky me, it's on TV tonight! :)

Next up, it Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. This is probably the most adorable cartoon out there :)

Who can't love this old-school cartoon about a misfit reindeer that saves Christmas? And rescues the toys from the Island of Misfits. And wins the heart of the lovely doe, Clarice.

Lucky me, I got to watch this one last night!

Now, you can't forget about dear Charlie Brown.

Poor Charlie Brown and all his philosophical insights to Christmas. Snoopy's pretty cute too :)


I know that this one isn't so much a classic. But, Annabelle's Wish is also on my top Christmas cartoon list. Growing up on a dairy farm, this little Jersey calf hits home for me.

Little Annabelle just wants to be a reindeer that can fly.

Now those would have to be my most favorite Christmas cartoons :) What are yours?

Test Time

Today's schedule:

• Study,
  
• Breakfast,
  
• Study,
  
• Exam (Radiographic Positioning and Procedures),
• Printers, Post Office,
  
• Mall (to pick up fixed - broken boot),
  
• Hair Dresser (to fix haircut they gave me last week - my bangs need to be shorter - they're the perfect length to poke me in the eyes :(,
  
• Home, but not home-home (dabble in blog and online, paint and watch Christmas cartoons.

I know I haven't been writing lots lately in here - it's final exam time, gah! It's so hard to get into holiday spirit while studying. Anyhow. I'm off to write an exam this afternoon, and since I always take a nice break - to catch up on life - I'll be writing a lovely post with some updates on some commissions I completed and lots of holiday cheer.

PS. This post is purely out of procrastination and my desire to not study...sigh...almost there!

Sugar Cookies

I made these cookies awhile back, and was meaning to post about them sooner, but I've been kept nice and busy. I mostly just wanted to share, because my cookie-bonhommes are wearing suspenders, hehe.


I had better looking sugar gentlemen...but, mysteriously, they all disappeared.

You can use any basic sugar cookie recipe, Martha Steward's website is a great place to start!

(I'm not going to lie...I'm eating those as I type...sorry little cookie dude.)

Art Studio!!

So, it's official. I'm moving again. If you were following me on Twitter, you probably saw little tweets mentioning apartment hunting every now and then.

I'll be going into a three-bedroom apartment, and sharing it with my younger brother (I can keep my eyes on him, and keep him out of trouble lol). I got so lucky to find this apartment on short notice, since my city is having a bit of a housing crisis.

Well, since it's three bedroom, and there's only two of us. I let my brother, Justin, take the large bedroom in exchange for the other two bedrooms :). Meaning....one is going to be my art studio / office!! I'm so excited! I really dislike working with my bed right beside me right now; on late nights, it's just so tempting to crawl into bed - and some nights, I have done just that.

I will definitely share pictures once I'm in and all settled down. It won't be until sometime in January, since I get the apartment January 1st. I'm going to start packing on the 22nd I think - but don't worry; I'll be packing up my store products last - so I'll still be readily shipping out! It's mostly the things I won't need that will get packed first.

Also....if you currently have an art studio / office...please send me a link with pictures! I would love some ideas :)

Back to studying Radiographic Equipment....sigh.

Heartland Episode Nine

Okay, so I'm not sure how many people out there reading this are watching Heartland on CBC. It's a Canadian television series, and it is so good. It makes me want to make my hunny turn into a cowboy, so that I can have a cowboy hehe. And every time I watch it, it reminds me how much I wanted a horse - and still do - as a kid.

It's funny, I grew up on a farm - definitely no cowboys though *sigh*. And I couldn't wait to get off it - I ended up going to London, Ontario for four years (for university). And now, I kind of miss part of it. Not so much the dirty chores - but the cute things (that, I admit, seemed almost like a burden at the time - I was a silly teenager then): like the calves being born, the kittens, the campfires, and all the stars. And of course, Twix (my rabbit, who unfortunately I couldn't keep - but I gave away to a kid who wanted him as a pet).

So yes, back to heartland. Please please let me know if you are watching it too, and what you thought about the episode! If you are in Canada, you can watch the episodes (full episodes in good quality!!! And all of season 1 too!) at www.cbc.ca/heartland

I'm too caught up in the show for my own good....I get antsy watching it, when there's a commercial, and really antsy when it's over and I want to know what happens next!

I'll probably end up re-watching the episode a couple times this week online...I have been for the last few.
_______________________________________________
I just found out the next episode isn't until January 4th...oh no :(

Pretty Lace

This bag by tortillagirl on Etsy.com is gorgeous with it's french lace:

Big French Lace Bag w/ Adjustable Strap

Hurry though, it's the last one left!

Polar Bear Express...

I love polar bears! And this piece of art by esoule, is such a beautiful representation of them:

Polar Bear 5 x 5 Photobox.

The photobox display adds so much to these already beautiful prints. This one also caught my eye:

Gnome 5 x 5 Photobox.

Yummy snowflakes!

It's another snowy day today...snowy days just make me want to share snowy things!
These cookies by cakeboxcookies not only look scrumptious, but they are so pretty. I don't know if I would be able to eat them if I had them in front of me, they're so beautiful.

Snowflake Cookies

Ok, so I probably would eat them....who can resist cookies?

Cyber Monday Sale

-------Thank you everyone who participated in this sale - it is now over, Happy Holidays! :) -------

That's right! I'm having a Cyber Monday Sale!!! Here's the juicy details:

Buy any 2 items, receive your 3rd item FREE! (Free item must be of equal or lesser value; and original paintings are not included as free items). Please state your chosen free item in the notes to seller during check out.

You can combine items from both my jellybeans.etsy.com store and my artbyangie.etsy.com store.

Happy Cyber Monday shopping!

Little things

Sometimes little things make days better. Today wasn't a bad day, but this preventing anything bad from bothering me:

This was what my Timmies cup looked like when I got it this morning - I didn't even notice until I came home. It's cute...poor guy, I didn't acknowledge it because I didn't even know until later. Even then, my hunny is cuter than a coffee smiley face. The coffee kid has skills though ahaha.

It was cute...just thought I would share :).

And The Winner Is....

(I know this announcement is long over due...)

Blogger Diana Dang is the lucky winner of the Poppy pendent collaboration piece that I did with Fanisong.

I used a random number generator, and she was lucky number! The original entry can be seen here.

Another contest will be announced after the holidays. I think this contest, for it being my first, went pretty smoothly. If you would like to keep updated, please join my mailing list where contest, discounts, new items and more are announced. The newsletter goes out to your e-mail no more than twice a month. Either leave a comment with your e-mail address, or sent me an e-mail: angievanden@gmail.com

Pretty Dresses

I wish I had fancy Christmas parties to go during the holidays, then I could splurge on this beautiful dress:

The Marilyn Dress - by Ureshii

As a side note: school's been crazy, so my blogging habits may slow down for a while. I've also been getting lots of commissions too (yippie, and I can definitely take more - *wink wink*), so that is also keeping me from my online blogging.

But it's definitely that time of year - increase school work because the semester is ending and they're trying to stuff in whatever subject material that they have to teach because they spent too much time on one thing or another, and increase retail because of the holly happy holidays! :) I'd much rather have 3 times the increase in retail and drop the increase in schoolwork...but I'm sure that's what everyone would want :)

Let it snow, Let it snow...

It really snowed today...the not going to melt until spring-sort of snow (hopefully, fingers crossed). I love the little snowflakes, and I knew I'd find some lovely snowflake-themed pieces on Etsy, so on I searched and this is what I found and loved!



These Schneeflocke Crystal and Sterling Earrings, by StoneyMistDesigns are so sparkly and pretty.





These precious Snowflake Soaps by anniepoo, are scented in a refreshing 'Fresh Snow' scent. Mmm, nothing smells better than snowfall.









These Antique Snowflake letterpressed greeting cards by subtleglances are sure to make an impression on their recipients. The design of this card is simply beautiful, not to mention the texture.









This lovely piece of art, Snow Covered Roof, by thecyclingartist is exactly how it will look when I look outside tomorrow morning (I'm in an apartment, so I see a lot of roofs).




Hopefully it's going to be a frosty, snowy morning tomorrow!

The Blower's Daughter

Not only do I love the movie, Closer; but I also love the soundtrack. My shuffle on my mp3 list pleasantly surprised me with the song, and I remembered how much I had loved it. I just had to share this love with you.

Kitty Khristmas

This would be perfect for Oreo this holiday season. It would look so lovely with his black and white fur :)

Winter Wonderland Cat Collar - missmoutache

If you're looking...

For those who know me enough to "gift" me for Christmas....who just happen to read my blog (you know who you are). I may be fancying this lovely locket by ButtonEnvy on Etsy, and I may have my fingers crossed that it will be under my Christmas tree this year Hint Hint

Love Birds Locket by ButtonEnvy

For those who read my blog, but don't personally know me - I still love sharing this beautiful find with you :)

Ps. I honestly don't know who of my family and close friends read my blog, so this is defiantly a long shot hehe.

2009 Jellybeans Wall Calendar Revisited

So, as I mentioned in a previous blog post, I had wanted to retake my pictures for my 2009 Wall Calendar, so the listing is a bit more attractive. And here is one of them!

2009 Jellybeans Wall Calendar

The shots are more interesting than before - and I had a more sunny day today to get some natural light into them. The puppy in the picture is my dog Belle, who passed away two summers ago. I thought, Oreo was having so much of the spotlight, Belle still deserved some!

If you want to see the rest of the shots, you'll just have to see my listing!

On an update: Oreo appears to be okay after his ribbon eating accident. I'm still watching over him just in case.

Journaling

I decided - on a whim, of course - that I was going to get back into journaling. I have books filled from high school and from my early university years. I love going back and reading what silly things I did and thought. I had been looking for a journal for awhile. I had it narrowed down to a moleskine style of journal. They're nice and thin (easy to throw in a bag somewhere), stylish and I could either decorate my own or purchase a decorated one.

Since I had a good week on Etsy, I thought my first one I would 'splurge' a little, and get a predesigned moleskine as a treat to myself. I had seen shoofly's moleskines before and really liked them...now it was just choosing a size, design and paper type (they come in blank, lined and graph)

I was also swamped in tests and assignments this week (hence my absence from my blog) so this is a good reward for all my hard work.

Etched Magnolias Large Cahier Notebook, Plain

I really liked the design of this notebook, it's really cute. I choose the large size mostly just because the extra large was too big, and the small was too small. Plain paper of course so that I can doodle...my other journals were always lined, I think I'm going to like not having that restriction. Although, I was tempted to try the graph paper moleskines - they would be interesting to work in!

Now, I just have to wait....wait....wait for the postman to bring me my journal :)

Kitty's and Ribbon

Kitty's and ribbon don't mix. And hence, Christmas and Kitty's don't mix. My kitty, Oreo has recently showed an interest in ribbon (fabric, not plastic kind; thankfully!)...and so I would play with him with pieces of it, but I always put it away after.


Anyways, so we were playing last night and I turned my head for not even two seconds, and when I looked back again, the ribbon that was almost two feet long only had 2 inches left....The silly cat ate the whole ribbon in record time!!!!! He looked so proud of himself too! Grrr.

So I called me mom and looked around online. It can go bad; but I've read that most cases it passes - or they throw it up; so he'll likely be ok - I just have to watch him carefully. It's fabric, not the plastic kind of Christmas ribbon so hopefully he'll be ok.

He looked fine when I left for classes this morning, so hopefully he'll still look the same tonight. :( Fingers crossed.

That's the last time dear kitty gets to play with ribbon.

On the farm...

I listed a new painting today in my artbyangie Etsy store:

Farm 1 - Farm series, Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 6 x 1.5"

I really like this style, and it was fun to do. As you can tell from the heading under the painting, there is potential for a series. I really like doing canvas work, it always looks so nice hanging up - and there's never any need for a frame! Now, how easy does that get?

Shipping Upgrades!

I decided that I would offer Shipping upgrades to Xpresspost for this holiday season:


There are two upgrades, based on what you purchase. Prices are listed under the shipping costs, so people do not get confused with listings for different countries.

Wish Magazine

I know this happened a long long time ago, but I had always meant to share this with everyone! I was approached last year to paint a piece for Toronto based Wish magazine. It was published in Jan/Feb 2008 Issue - my first published piece!

It's that time again!

It's that time of year again - the Christmas season is among us! For most, it won't start until December, but for those shopping online - the sooner the better. You don't want anything to be late in the mail, and the sooner you get it, the sooner you know it's safe in your hands (and on time!).

Today I'm featuring these lovely snowflake oraments by LovingLeeCrafted on Etsy. These ornaments are made of birch discs, giving them a beautiful rustic look. They are hand painted; each ornament has it's own little touch and love put into it.

5 Wood Wooden Tree Branch Christmas Gift Tags / Ornaments

These ornaments also come with snowmen and mistletoe designs!

Introducing Jellybeans' 2009 Calendar

I decided a little while back that I was going to release a 2009 calendar featuring my work. Having never made a calendar, it was quite the undertaking; but I hope you agree: I think it turned out great! My 2009 calendar features many of my art prints, and I have chosen 'significant' prints for months that have a little extra meaning when I could. For example, I choose the "Mother's Daughter" print for May, the month for Mother's Day. I choose the "Poppies" print for November, to celebrate and remember the lives of those who had fought in the wars. And of course, "Red Christmas Tree" for December. Just to name a few :) What a cute way to enjoy the 2009 year!

And surprise to my faithful readers! This is the "secret" project that I have been working on :)

The calendar is currently available in my online store: http://jellybeans.etsy.com

Metal heart

MetalheartDesigns on Etsy is a lovely jewelry store. It must have been fate that I stumbled across it, since it's name is the same as a favourite song of mine: Metal Heart, by Cat Power. I have a few pieces that I want to share with you from this lovely shop, since I couldn't pick just one :)



Ghost World Earrings
I love modern earrings, and these would go with anything I wear!

In Bloom 3 Earrings
The flowers on these earrings are so pretty and pink.

Triple Scoop Earrings
The colours of these earrings are gorgeous and so rich!

Everyone Likes Variety!

My hunny and my mom made it clear to me, that people like variety, and suggested that I make a mixed pack of cards - why didn't I think of that before? (It's always the obvious things that sneak past me lol)

So, I just listed the variety pack! I think I'm going to redo the pictures, but I need some sunlight for it and the was overcast and snowy today - and Christmas is getting closer by the days! I'll list now, so it's there, and fix when the sun is on my side :)

Christmas Card Stationery Set - Set of Seven

I definitely think when I redo the pictures for this listing: the red Christmas tree will not be so dominate...it's taking over the picture! hehe.

New Painting: True Blue

True Blue - Watercolour on 140lb watercolour paper

I finished this painting this weekend, and just listed it in my Jellybeans store. I love the concept of loyal, true-blue friends that are with you until the end. These four trees have been together for awhile, and still stand by each other.

In love with a T-Shirt

I want this t-shirt. I'm in love with it - it's just too awesome!

Womens Tool Stripe T-Shirt

This shirt is by luchaworkshop on Etsy, a store with fab pieces just like this one for both women and men (even undies!)

SNS Sale tonight!

I've decided to hold an SNS (Saturday Night Sale) in my two stores: artbyangie.etsy.com and jellybeans.etsy.com:

Free set of Christmas Tags with every order! (as seen here)

Just type SNS sale in the "notes to seller" during purchase, or convo or e-mail me.

Purse Obsessions

I won't say all, but a majority of girls I'm sure have either a shoe obsession or a purse obsession; or some sort of girly obsession. :) I definitely have a weakness for cute purses and shoes.

I love this purse by oktak on Etsy. The colour / fabric used on this purse is simple beautiful; it would wonderfully accent with an outfit of a white t-shirt or tank top and jeans - a nice "low-key" outfit, to keep the attention on this beautiful purse. The inside of the purse has a lovely polka dot lining...but you'll just have to check out the listing to see it!

Pears on Natural - Frame Purse

Ants on a log..

Well, there aren't quite ants on these logs...but this print by GollyBard is just as good as the childhood snack!

"Logs" - Print

So Delicate (his and hers)

I love this scarf by toybreaker on Etsy. I can't even remember how I found it, but it's won a place in my favourites.

Poppy, bronze and cream hand silkscreened woven silk scarf

The texture of the silk is so lovely and delicate, and the silk screened poppy's add a perfect accent to the scarf without overdoing it and taking away from the silk's beauty. The craftsmanship presented in this store is remarkable!

Toybreaker also creates lovely winter neckties for men, I had to share them since they somewhat match my background, and they're too wonderful to not share:

Flakey. Winter snowflake screen printed necktie.

So there you have it, something for her and something for him - one stop shopping at it's honest finest.