Nesting Nellie Framed Up

Guys...look at how sweet Nesting Nellie looks in a frame...

She's in my shop right now as this adorable 8 x 10" print & also available in 13 x 19 upon request

Sweet Shipping

As much as I love conjuring up and making my artwork...

I absolutely love packaging it all up & shipping it out too, especially now that it's so easy to offer

and take care of any any refunds for any shipping overages through my Etsy shop.

I've been shipping work to Italy recently and I get such a huge kick out of that,

I love checking off new countries that my work is going to.

I am working on a big shop update for this Fall but in the meantime keep shopping lovelies XO

Originals

Hi Lovlies,  I hope you had a restful weekend.

We did, after a scare with our sweet honey-bee Teela but more on that later.

I think I forgot to let you guys know that this new lot of 4 originals have hit my shop.

 

"Dream"

 

"Saw Whet Owl"

 



 

"Cup Of Tea"

 

"Screech Owl"

 

Don't forget that it's a good reason to sign up to "Keep In Touch"

because those who are part of my inner studio circle get goodies like free colouring pages,

discounts now and than and always first dibs on original work, etc.

Sign up is on the side of my blog, or under 'Keep In Touch" on my beloved website.



Wee Wings 2

I just finished up this a wee little guy

He's a tiny 3 x 3 inches and coloured pencil and paint on a cute little canvas board.

He's already flown into my shop if your interested in him & he's only $30.

Sheepish Ink

Feeling a bit sheepish???

 

 

Maybe you'll enjoy this new inkling of mine...prints will be in the shop soon.



Pillerun Pritt

Say Hello to my newest little creation,

A feathered top hatted sweetheart named 

Pillerun Pritt

If he looks just slightly anxious it's because he is on his way to a grand outdoor ball,

where the night will be scented with jasmine &

the stars will be winking down on him by the millions.
This ball is be thrown around the local and elegant bandstand in the center of town,

and it's where he is suppose to meet a pretty little robin for a blind date...

he can't decide between a bouquet of pink and yellow roses or red and purple pansies...

poor little guy is sooo nervous, but his stunning green top hat gives him much needed confidence...

The bird itself is done in coloured pencil and then that is mounted to a painted acrylic canvas

whiles he sits on top of strip of bright orange ribbon. 
It has been sealed several times & has a lovely gloss to it.
It is ready to be shipped & is ready to hang.  It measures 8 x 10"
 

Which do you think he should choose?  The roses or the pansies?

P.S. Prints will be available soon

New Prints

Just hopping in to let you know that these lovely images of mine

are now available as 8 x 10 prints in my shop.

 

 

They are perfect to slide into your favorite 8 x 10"frame & to cheer up any space of your life

with their spring-time colours and joyous and inspirational vibes.



New Prints Now Available

Now available in my Etsy Shop.

Thanks & Enjoy

XO Mandy & her inspirational bunnies

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!

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.   

"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

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

Photos From City Streets Sale...

Happy Monday All...I hope your doing well & feeling joyful & warm...

Just wanted to hop in and share a few shots from the sale I did last Saturday, it was nothing fancy but as with everything I put oodles of work into getting prepared...it was a successful day, with over 250 people visiting our one spot alone...

My set up was kept simple & my main display was 5 trellis thingies from the garden which I used to display my rabbit & star ornaments on....

 I also had a small display of some original works...& a sign up for my newsletter available...

...I have to send a big Thank You shout out to my Jonathan who took all the photos & kept me good company all day because I admit I was a tad grumpy from a really bad headache I had to contend with all day....

...BUT I did meet lots of lovely people (rabbit eating 'jokes' aside!!!)  and it's always a boost when you hear someone say "Oh, I know your work, nice to meet you finally", or 'I am a big fan"...ha ha....so a big giant thank you to all who did come out, you made the day lovely & the efforts of such a sale/show defiantly worthwhile.

It's always interesting to see what will sell, because you just never know.  Last year I sold lots of cards & stars.  This year only 1 star, hardly any cards but tons of my little glass mount necklaces...which I think look so sweet in the new packaging I just finished up last week...

(Remaining necklaces will be sold if my Etsy & Artfire shops soon.) 

So that's about all for today...I am hoping to get to my coloured pencils today but first my trusty heating pad & hot water bottles...the headpain continues today.  I have had a bad week for head pain & just this morning my back went into spasm (it does this every couple of months at the slightest inprovocation & most inopportune times of course!), so I must also send out a big 'Ugh' & 'Arrrgh' out into the blogosphere. 

Hope your having a pain-free & extra cozy day...

XO M, whose abit grumpy & 4 very ungrumpy bunnies who are nice & cozy warm & full of Cheerios XO.

Today...

Today I am selling my lovely creations in the form of art cards, stuffies, felt ornaments & necklaces at the 12th Annual City Streets Artisan House Tour...

...so if your local do pop by for a visit & say hello...I won't have any bunnies with me (except inside my heart) but I will have my new bunny ornaments...and we'll have cookies and treats...

It's from 9:30 to 4:00...

I'll be at the host home of Mary Bon which is at 285 Greenhill Avenue...along with 3 other artisans, so grab a map online or around town & hop from fab house to fab house to support your local handmade talent & get your xmas shopping underway...

...wish me luck & Hope to see you there...

XO M & the bunnies who are anxious for their mama to be not quite so busy in the studio...

DownTown Christmas Walk & New Lino Cuts For Our Show

Tonight is our small city's Annual Downtown Christmas Walk...the whole street is closed, there is music, cider, hot chocolate and treats, the big tree is lite up & all the shops are open to welcome in visitors & shoppers...and I'll be one of the artists welcoming people into our beautiful art collective 'Art On Main'.

The evening also marks the opening night for our Member's Christmas Show/Fundraiser...all new works and all for either $50 or $100...

Want to see the pieces I have in the show???....

I did 3 hand-burnished & hand-coloured lino-cut prints on Stonehenge paper & put them in silver metal frames, the prints themselves measure 8 x 8inch and priced at only $50.00 each...

I am at the 12th Annual City Streets Sale/Show tomorrow...I wish all of you lovely blogging peeps were able to magically transport yourselves here because I know so many of you would come out to visit me in support...

...I just hope I don't have a sore head like the past couple days!

P.S.  You only have a couple more days to enter your name for my November Giveaway...the winner is announced on Tuesday...Good Luck.

XO M & The Dill & Bean Munching Bunnies

You Tube Watercolour Up For Grabs

Hi everyone, sorry for missing Monday's post, after a busy weekend with some jurying work, a return of Septembers nasty cold, working the gallery, meetings and a sore head I just wasn't up to composing anything new but I am back again feeling good and really looking forward to a full productive day in my studio. 

Today I wanted to show you the little watercolour that I created in my first You Tube Video...it's a sweet little 5 x7 piece...

This piece is one of a kind, will slide into any of your favourite 5 x 7 frames or mats...and it's up for grabs in my Etsy Shop for anyone interested in purchasing it...

It's companion was just sold but I think this piece stands just as nicely all on it's own.

There, now with this post done and the bunnies all fed, I am off to pop Practical Magic into the dvd player, brew up some cappuccino and get to my easel for a day of painting, than at 4ish I'll hop my little butt into the kitchen to whip up a lasagna for my sweet man and than enjoy an evening of Pysch episodes (which is my favourite show right now) and some felt star stitching (which I'll show you soon)...that's the plan anyhow! 

What are you guys up to today???  Whatever it is I hope you all have a lovely day as well.

See you this Friday most defiantly. 

Be Well....M & The Buns....who are slightly pissy that they can't go outside because it's too chilly & wet!

Ondine...A New Painting & Don't UnderValue Your Studio Time...

I am hopping in quickly today to show you a new little painting which I call 'Ondine"...a lovely mystic from the sea...

She is another small 6 x 6 inch mixed media; acrylic paint, with abit of coloured pencil on a collaged kiln dried block of pine, all with a protective satin coating.



The original is available here in my Etsy Shop for anyone interested...she's one of a kind, and full of charm and whimsy so grab her whiles you can (oh and she's a really good price too!)

Hope your week was wonderful...mine was honestly quite difficult with a really bad migraine for 3 of the 5 days but I am lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful souls like Jonathan and the bunnies who remind me of the beauty in everyday despite the head pain....

...When I have to move slowly for days after a nasty migraine, when I feel sorry for myself, when I complain about losing days to this head drama I endure,  Jon is there with warm hugs and quick reminders that moving slowly throughout my day, laying on the floor abit more with the bunnies, sitting quietly with my favourite music and sketchbook, snuggling up under blankets with my hot water bottles and watching abit more tv than normal is never a waste of time it's just how some of my days are right now...and he's right...he is...SO...yes in it's own beautiful pain-riddled quirky way, it was a good week I suppose....I did get alot of new paintings conjured up...hopefully next week will be better and I can start painting them!...my situation just goes to show that an artist should never ever take studio time for granted! 

See you next week...Have a most excellent weekend.  XO M & Some Well Snuggled Buns.

There Is Light In My Darkness...A New Painting

Hi everyone, I am so excited, the sun is out, the skies and blue and clear and so is my head, yayyy...

And on this lovely pain-free day I have a new painting to show you.

It is called "There Is Light In My Darkness"

It is another small one at 6 inches by 6 inches and it is acrylic paint with a tiny amount of coloured pencil with some red rhinestones on a collaged canvas, all which has been sealed with a protective satin varnish.

It's not in my 'normal' style but heh a gals just gotta diverge from series work once in awhile doesn't she! Okay okay, I know I diverge alot, but heh I follow my creative moods to the  direction/medium they want to go in and my usual saying enters here "It is the magic that is me"! 

This little painting stemmed out of me having a very difficult month, with some major stresses regarding neighbours & our home, to Ella Luna's abscess (which the doctor says will likely never go away), to that awful 3 week cold and also a migraine/very nasty headache that lasted almost everyday for 3 weeks straight on top of the cold...well the last few days I've really had to play some mind games to get myself through what felt was endless discomfort & some major pain...I kept telling myself 'It's okay, you can stand this, it'll end..There Is Light...it's coming...the pain WILL end..." that bit of positive thinking/hope was the starting point for this image (which was made in the middle of all the throbbing & thrashing)...

What do you think of it???

The original is already available in my Etsy Shop, click here if you're interested.  Prints will come soon.

Today is World Vegetarian Day...so cook yourself something yummy & guilt-free.

See you next week..Have a wonderful weekend & Thanks so so much for hopping in.

XO Mandy & The Buns XO