January's Blog Giveaway Winner

......drum roll please....DDDDRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR....



The winner of the the Tiny Bird print on a teeny tiny canvas is all the way in Texas, yayyyy......

Dear Snap of Tales From Twisty Lane (sorry I don't know your real name, ha ha), do email me your address & the bunnies & I will  mail the prize out to you.

Thanks to all who entered.

February's Blog Giveaway will be an extra special one.

XO M & 4 bunnies who are tired of winter.

Art On Main Refreshed

I have been a working member & exhibiting artist at The Art On Main Gallery for 1.5 years now and once in awhile I like to show you what my display & the rest of the store/gallery looks like...

During my last shift I was able to pull everything off the walls, plaster up holes, sand, repaint, rearrange & hang new pieces...

Here are a few shots showing what the rest of the store is looking like these days...

And this was the January window display, my pal Rachael & fellow member is a whiz at decorating/designing the windows...



The window has 3 of my Wee Whispy's (which I am anxious to get back to the studio to rework abit).

My gallery shifts are sometimes interesting, sometimes extremely satisfying & lovely and sometimes annoyingly negative!  I am luckily greeting with 90% positive but there is some kind of uncanny & unexplained mojo happening around me as well where the most negative of people find their way to me.
There are strange people who first, find out I am the artist of the body of work they are looking at, than they proceed to say 'Oh I see your an animal lover" and upon my very adamant 'Oh Yes I am & I am so glad your getting that message from my work' they than feel that it's appropriate to tell me some horror story about an animal they had, make a joke about animal testing, show me pictures of  the deers they just shot or tell me that their fathers just love to hunt bears...!

Now, I am aware of the atrocities that our animal kingdom faces, I do willingly educating myself in the devastating & gruesome  knowledge of animals plight including heartbreaking knowledge of animals in slaughter houses & testing labs etc...the knowledge breaks me down, yes,  BUT it also opens my eyes & gives me ammunition to use when I hear 'there's nothing wrong with eating meat'...and it easily keeps me on the strict & narrow path of what kind of human being I want to be, which is a kind & compassionate one whose akin to our natural world, not averse to it...Why do these people think that the artist who just professed to being a great animal lover wants to hear their death & destruction stories, seriously what is wrong with people!  Jeepers! 

The last couple shifts brought brand new criticisms/negativity:  I heard from one very forward customer that my asking $100 for a little original piece was asking 'way too much' and that 'she understood what went into it because she was a hobby crafter herself but still'...Okay!!!

Another very opinionated patron felt it was her solemn duty to tell me that my work was 'much to bright and cheery', that my 'colour palette was suitable for a country such as Mexico' but that I'll 'never sell well in Canada unless I neutralize my colours and change my style to fit in abit better'...
Yeah, because I work my butt off to find my own style & voice only to abandon it to blend in with the masses, okay sure, I'll get right on that!

Anyhoo..ha ha..Every artist needs to vent out the negativity once in awhile...

...It's important for us artsy types to remember the somewhat crude but true adage
"Opinions are like assholes, every ones got one"!

Any artistic ranting/gripes to share this week?  feel free to leave a comment & vent & release your artsy stresses....& know that your certainly not alone. 

XO Mandy & Roo who is shedding like mad & who will not let his mama pluck or brush him!

My Friend Michelle May of The Raspberry Rabbits

I was so thrilled when at the beginning of the month I hopped into one of my favourite blogs called 'Tales Of The Raspberry Rabbits' and found to my delight & surprise, that the lovely blog owner/creator & my sweet friend, Michelle May, did a feature all on me.  It is a feature that kindly shows the xmas goodies I sent over to her this year & the 3 prints she recently bought from me, not to mention some fabulous, heart-squeezing, supportive comments on me & my work...



Shell & I are fellow die-hard bunny-addicts...check out her 2 furry beauties, Sugie & Harrington...

We get a kick out of how much her girlie Sugie looks like my boy Jaks...

Today's post is the perfect time to show you the beautiful treat that Shell sent me....

...oh isn't it gourgues, I put it in one of my wall display boxes, along with a little art quilt that my beloved grandma used to have hanging in her kitchen in Germany...

Shell has a fantastic online store as well, hop in here to check out all her goodies.

I myself, couldn't resist purchasing these little bunny embroidery scissors & pin cushion.... 

It's loveliness & kindness exactly like this that makes me so so glad I jumped into the blogging world & continue to stick it out even though it grows & goes at a snails pace...

It's the friendship the gleams through brightly, hugs you and says 'keep going girl'...and that means the world even on the very best of creative days.

So there ya have it...one of my favourite people online & off, my friend Michelle May of the Raspberry Rabbits, do hop in, say hello & tell her Mandy & the Buns sent ya over.

(Thanks Sweet Sweet Shell...sending over giant hugs)

XO M & The summer craving Buns.

How Do I Love Thee....

Oh my babies...

You fill every single corner of my body with the warmth of love...

....you refresh every one of my cells & make them vibrate with goodness & light...

...you make my heart squeeze & shine in happiness that you grace my life...

We are still fighting Ella Luna's abscess...it's still pretty big but we were able to give her a week off from what's been a pretty constant & intense tending too...we find that aloe, manuka honey & oil of oregano (& letting her ingest the fresh herb of oregano) is our best bet so far....Ella remains tough & strong and her limp has gone (since the oregano) and she's as peppy as ever & bossing Roo around like she's queen of the castle....oh wait, she IS queen around here, and we are quite comfortable with that, ha ha...

Somedays I don't get much done at all but hang out with & cater to the 4 bun babies...basking in their beauty & silliness...and ya know what, doing so can feel like an exceptionally successful and fantastic day so I am finally learning to not fight it...hanging out with the furries whenever I can has always been a priority & I am not shy or embarrased about that priority, for they have such precious & short lives....and heh I am no fool, I know good company & friends when I see them, ha ha.

Any fellow rabbit slaves out there dealing with abscess in their bunnies? Please leave a comment on what you found has worked best for you.

p.s. Do join me in lighting a candle for a friends little bunny named 'Marlin Bruce' who recently had to be helped over the rainbow bridge due to a massively bad abscess in his teeth/jaw:C

XO Mandy & The Love Bunnies.....

Tiny Bird 2

Hopping in quickly to show you a  a new 'Tiny Bird'...

Coloured pencil and abit of white acrylic paint on canson paper which has been mounted to a wood block measuring not quite 3 x 3"...

The original will be available soon.

Prints will be available in both my online shops, Etsy & Artfire...

I'll be adding to the 'Tiny Bird' collection over the year, should be a fun grouping.

Have a great day everyone,

XO M & 4 buns who are devouring alfalfa like there's no tomorrow

p.s.  Due to large amounts of spam coming in disguised as blog comments, I have made the decision to change my comments settings & allow only registered users & open i.d. users to comment....it won't affect most of you  & I know my true fans, supporters and followers will continue to visit & stay in touch.   

January's Newsletter

Hi everyone January's email newsletter is now available for viewing.

Hop in right here to view it.

If you would like to sign up to recieve my monthly email newsletters or would like to visit the newsletter archives at any time, just click here.

See you next week.

My Best Friends Baby Bean

Okay so it's abit strange I suppose to hop into my blog and be greeted with photos of a baby, ha ha, since I keep it no secret that I myself only have plan/wants to be a mama to animals and have no inklings whatsoever to procreate (sorry but there's no reason to be delicate about it)...BUT you see, I am still completely head over heels in love with my pals little handsome babe...he is just ohhhh so perfect & sweet, even if he is lacking fur, ha ha

And I can't let the week go by without sending out a blog birthday wish to my best friend's Beautiful Bean...

I asked Judit if it was okay if I shared some of the shots I took of him way back in the summer and she was fine with me showing him off...though it was difficult to just pick a few photos cause he's just one of the cutest babies ever to photograph...but here's some of my favs...

Happy 1st Birthday little Benjamin Bean....Auntie Mandy, Uncle Jon & The Bunnies are sending over giant hugs & kisses & are celebrating your first brilliant year with you in spirit.

............

I've begun preparations for my upcoming solo exhibition, it's the perfect 'excuse' to get to some more 'complicated' work I've been itching to attack...I am buzzing with a very strong creative flow, now if my migraines will just cooperate for abit I'll be all set!

To everyone hopping in today....I am wishing you sweetness, light, luck & love...

XO M & Ella Luna who sprained her front right foot...and won't rest it because she's one of the most rambunctious rabbits in the world! 

Portrait

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  For us, it was the perfect weekend to just stay home, catch up on bunny snuggles, read, sketch & watch old movies.

Anyhow, time to show you something new....a portrait...

I LOVE doing portraits but hadn't done any for a long time so I thought it was high time to make one.  I decided on a portrait of the beautiful dog, Tassie, that my parents used to have.   

Most of my portraits have been in black and white (you can view them on my website if your interested)  this is only the 3rd portrait I've done in full colour...and the first one done strictly in coloured pencil.

I am quite happy with how it turned out and my folks loved it. 

I am going to make sure I do more portraiture in 2011.

Happy day to you all...XO M & Ella Luna, Roo, Jinny and Jaks.

January Blog Giveaway

The time for my January Blog Giveaway has arrived...

This month, the giveaway is one of my super sweet 'Tiny Bird' prints mounted & sealed onto a teeny canvas which comes with it's own itty bitty display easel....

This would add a splash of whimsy, colour and nature loving to any shelf or corner of your home...

Here's How You Can Enter Your Name For The Draw:

You can do 1 or all of these options it's entirely up to you...

1- Leave a comment on this post = 1 entry

2- Visit my Etsy Shop or my ArtFire Shop & tell me what your favourite image is = 1 entry

3- Sign up for my monthly email newsletter = 1 entry

4- Follow me on Twitter = 1 entry

5 - Join my Fans of Bijou's Whimsy on Facebook = 1 entry

6 - Become one of my blog 'followers' = 1 entry

7 - Place either of my blog buttons on your blog(they are available on my sidebar) = 2 entries

8 - Mention this giveaway on your blog = 2 entries

Many ways to win...just don't forget to tell me which ways your entering & if your already a follower, etc...

The Winner will be announced on January 31st 2011.

GOOD LUCK & Thanks.

The Buns & The Dehydrator

When the buns hear us bringing out and filling up the dehydrator their ears perk up and they get very excited...

...because they know that yummy sulphur dioxide free snackies are to be had...

We do a big batch every few months...this time it was apples, mango's, tomatoes, yellow bell pepper and carrots...yum yum yum to a rabbits tum tum, ha ha... 



We do buy lots of treats at the stores still, but we do avoid the sugar, chemical, seed & corn packed items...the dehydrated snacks we make ourselves are defiantly ranked as one of the best rabbits snacks by our furry brood.

Happy Day to you all...

XO Mandy & 4 well fed buns 

"Refresh" a new image...

I think no matter what situation your in, your able to approach things with a stronger sense of self if you just allow yourself to refresh often, in whatever form that may take, for me it's; rabbit snuggle time, coffee & book time, treadmill time and sketching time & oodles of down time with my honey...And I know that 2011 for me, is about refreshing my body, soul & mind and not giving a fig what other people think about that...

This is what this new image is about...Refreshing Oneself...hence the title 'Refresh'

This one is a coloured pencil on birch plywood measuring 8 x 8 inches.

Prints will be available through my Etsy and Artfire shops and the original for the time being at The Art On Main Gallery or through me (just email at mandysaile@bijouswhimsy.com).

Hope you all had a good weekend and that you'll join me here a couple more times during this new and what will be a fantastic week.

Have a lovely day. 

XO Mandy & The sun basking bunnies

Pond Frog

A new picture....this one is coloured pencil on a pine block...

I am loving the slightly darker tones that my coloured pencils are getting when worked on raw wood.

I think in the middle of all this snow, cold & head pain, my body is craving to relax in the embracing warmth of summer, hence this summery image in the middle of winter, ha ha...

(The next 2 shots turned out abit light...)

The original is 6 x 6 inches and will be for sale at the Gallery I show at here in North Bay...but if your interested in purchasing it just shoot me an email at mandysaile@bijouswhimsy.com

Prints will be available in my ArtFire Shop and my Etsy Shop...

What do you think?  is is making you long for summers warmth too....

XO Mandy & 4 Oatmeal Crisp Munching Bunnies

New Exhibition/Display Space

I am so happy to be starting this New Year (which is going to be brilliant & abundant in so many ways) with a fantastic new place to display, exhibit and sell my work.

My friend Becca who opened up the local organic & vegetarian juice bar called 'Veg Out' has granted me 2 perfect walls....she wanted positive, uplifting and colorful work so she defiantly came to the right artist, ha ha.

"Veg Out" is now also carrying my art cards.



I am so excited and so grateful for this new space to show in....see it's starting out to be a great year already.  (despite some very bad migraines already!)

What do you think of how I displayed everything???

I am so so glad to be back in blog land, it was a great & restful holiday but I am sooo ready to try out my newly planned studio schedule & to get back into the online world.

See you on Friday everyone.

XO M & 4 bunnies happily full of carrot top

December's Giveaway Winner

Sorry to be announcing the name 2 days later than I was suppose to!  I was struck down with a super bad migraine...anyhow onto the business of the day...and a drum roll please....drrrrrrrrr.........

Congrats Jennifer...if you see this post before I email you, do send me your address and the title of the print you would like and me & the bunnies will get it all wrapped up and mailed your way.

Thanks to all who entered...January will host another giveaway but for another few days I am still on a blog hiatus...Happy New Years All.