ready or not

So are you ready or not?

 image via

What are you waiting for?  Who is coming?

 Are your stockings hung with care?
In hopes of what?

Now all we have to do is wait until Christmas.
So, I ask you, what are you waiting for?
Are you ready or not?
How will you "prepare him room?"
Does this season of advent have you ready or not?

Enter my "give it away" - I will be back Christmas Eve to announce the winner.
Winner shall be selected by random number generator.

K-9 comfort

Sent off this commission and had to share this sweet paper boy with you.  Is he not the sweetest?  The entire time I was working away on this art, I could not help feel his tail thumping, his tongue panting, and his eyes sparkling on me.  The artwork will be a holiday gift for a very special man.

Did you hear about these K-9 dogs delivering calm?  I know my dog calms me and always gives me comfort every day.

If you have not entered my give it away - please do so by leaving a comment over here as to what would bring you comfort and joy from my etsy pve shop.  I really do love etsy and in the New Year, I will be filling it up with some brand new work.

give it away

I love this season.

It is truly all about giving.

Are you ready to give it away?

Simply select something from my etsy shop, and I will announce the winner Christmas eve.
Pick anything and I will give-it-away.
The more we give, the more we receive.

Winner announced 12-24 Vivienne Strauss, pop in to see her blog here and her wonderful artwork!

pve design - etsy - pve shop

keep the faith

Cardinals can bring color and vitality into our lives.

• As the cardinal red color is symbolic of faith, so it can remind us to "keep the faith" though circumstances might look bleak, dark and hopeless.

Their crimson color can remind us of the importance of ourselves as individuals in the 

circle of life.

I am having this watercolor done by Ellen Hopkins Fountain printed for Holiday cards for her as a gift.
If you are interested in purchasing them please let me know.
The cards are 5 x 7.  Envelopes are red or white.

Ellen has inspired me in many ways and recently had some surgery which required a lengthy recovery and I witnessed her faith and strength carry her.

The charming red bird house provides a beacon of hope snuggled amidst the wintry branches.
Have you spotted a cardinal?
It does capture my attention, take time to see a cardinal and feel the vitality of the crimson cloak.
Keep the faith.

monday motivation - holiday spirit

 Everyone needs a bit of holiday spirit.

 Pop over to Matthew Mead's holiday blog, and pop-up shop.

 There is a wonderful give-away for some very sweet jam jars.  How darling are they with these bulbs and clear glass pebbles!

I just ordered this wonderful linen table runner that will add a holiday spirit to my table all year long.

Are you in the holiday spirit?

sunday sparkle

Grinch got your glitter?

 I felt dull and lifeless after the tragic happening last friday and my heart aches but it surely does not mean that my right to shine and sparkle needs to be darkened.  

Each of us need to feel motivated to shine, to radiate joy and to find our inner gift to light our day.

Everyone deserves to sparkle.
A little glitter, a sequin, some star dust....

 That joy, that thing that makes us glitter is for life and not just for Christmas.

Just like the Grinch who tried to take away every bit of joy, he soon realized that he could not squash the spirit or sparkle of Christmas.

 Even the simplest brown paper package wrapped with a glitter ribbon takes on new meaning.

 An sparkly snowflake on top of an all white sweet cupcake suddenly sparkles.

 A glittery sparkly top can help to get ones shine on.

How do you add a sparkle to your day and to those around you when Grinch seems to be working hard to take it all away?

broken hearted

 We are broken hearted for the innocent victims of todays news.  

Our hearts go out to those in the Sandy Hook Elementary school district and community of Newtown, CT.

 The news hit me hard and I have had an emotional day just thinking of the families who must say goodbye to their children and to the adults.

The tears of angels weep.

As a nation, we must join together and find peace and somehow surrender such random acts of violence.

I persuade each of you to hug a child, spend time telling those you love just how much they mean to you.

I will be back next week but for now I must admit, I am broken hearted.

Christmas capes

Does this ever happen to you.  You see something and then see it again and again.

Yesterday, all signs kept telling me that I needed a Christmas cape.

The drawings of Ingres I found full of allure and charm.

How marvelously modern and timeless is a cape.  Most days, I go from my home, to my car and dash in an out of spots so a cape is the perfect foil for any sort of weather.

Spotted this one in a lovely taupe with black trim over here.

Great worn with a slim trouser or velvet jean.

These lovely ladies all dressed to an outing dressed in linens, lace and a velvet cloak or cape.  Do you have a holiday cape?  I spotted another cape at Victorinox, the Swiss Army shop in a quilted down but was not able to get an image to accompany this post.

good tidings

Good tidings are something everyone can relate to this time of year and trying to capture the family photo for the annual holiday card.

It never fails that when I illustrate people, they always ask me to make them taller, slimmer and richer.  As an artist, my sweet reward is to do just that.  However, this lovely family needs no tweaking as they are darn perfect perched on this metal farm gate.  I saved this image from last year and decided to paint it to add to my portfolio of people.  Perhaps a "pve" illustrated family photo will be on your list next year.

wunderbar christmas cookies

During the holidays, there are some simple traditions that honor those we love.

I baked these springerle cookies in honor of my Mother who is 85 and still baking.

I use this recipe found here last year.

Here they are set on the parchment paper pressed and cut into squares to dry overnight or at least 12 hours before baking.  The tiny seeds you see are crushed anisette seeds which has a sort of licorice flavor.   The wooden mold that I use was given to me by my Mother.  I love the simple shapes, birds, bees, and creatures.

After baking they "spring" up and the surface becomes hard like a thin layer of plaster.

I saved a recipe which called for a confectioner's glaze which I tried.

It gives to cookies a lovely finish.  They are lovely to share with friends.

 Do you have "wunderbar" holiday traditions that you carry on?
Just in case you don't know, "Wunderbar means wonderful" in German.