The Heart Behind the Art - From The Heart Inspirational Art

2011-09-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

Our Fall Craft Show Season kicks off this week!
We will be in Stone Mountain, Ga for the Yellow Daisy Festival : Sept 8, 9, 10, 11, 2011
Stop by and visit our booth. We have new designs just in time for the Fall Season.

If you miss us there maybe we will see you at one of the other shows on our Fall Schedule :
Oct 1 & 2: Gay, Ga for The Cotton Pickin' Fair
Oct 4- 17: Gatlinburg, TN for the Craftsmen's Fair
Oct 28, 29, & 30: Columbus, Ga for Christmas Made in the South
Nov 2, 3, 4, 5, 6: Birmingham, AL for Christmas Village
Nov 18, 19, 20: Savannah, Ga for Christmas Made in the South
Dec 1, 2, 3: Marietta, Ga for Apple Annie's

You can also always shop online at: www.fromtheheartart.com

Blessings to you!

Just in time.......

2011-02-20T19:17:00.000-08:00

We almost have the Studio "move and setup project" completed! Whew! Lots of painting, moving, sorting, cleaning, re-arranging, organizing have been going on. But I am so very excited to have a settled place to work and spread out.
Just in time for.....

The Spring Arts & Craft Show Season kicks off this week!
We will be in Savannah, GA this weekend for Spring Time Made in the South. The show begins Friday February 25 through Sunday February 27th. If you are in the area stop by and visit our booth.
The following week we will be in Birmingham, AL for Cottontails Arts & Crafts. The show begins Friday March 4 through Sunday March 6.

After these two shows we will set Open Studio Days. We are setting up the front two rooms of the house for our customers to shop. Will give more details as I know them. Here is a sneak peak of what we have so far. This is the foyer:

The Paisley Chicks are back and getting in the Christmas spirit!

2010-10-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

They have carefully climbed up in the attic and retrieved their winter gear.
Boots, scarves, hats and leg warmers are a must.
The excitement is building!
A busy day is ahead...
they have a tree to decorate with love.
Oh, how they are working together to get the job done....
whistling and singing while they work

and now
it's off to the Christmas Parade for sure.
The Paisley Chicks have decided to do more than just attend the parade ....
they want to be in the parade!
Hurry now, there is so much to be done.
A float...not enough time.
"Oh no...what can we do?"
Red Hen has an idea,
Tape, paper, stickers, glue, markers and some glitter too.
A beautiful banner...
Oh yes, that will do!
A banner of LOVE
carried high for all to see.

They have learned this year...
It is all about The Gift of Jesus
and the love He has for you and me.
He loved people so much...He gave the very best
Now He wants us to do the same.

2010-07-26T14:07:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to share a few photos from the July 2009 Gatlinburg Craftmen's Fair. This was our first time attending this show. We met so many wonderful customers and fellow exhibitors. I fell in love with Alewine Pottery. Their booth was right across from ours. So I came home with some great pottery gifts and also a new friend named Becky all from that one booth! Her joy and love for the Lord was a great encouragement to us every day at the show. It was quite an adventure getting there and then getting back home....It was a great week.

2010-03-17T14:34:00.001-07:00

He IS Worthy!

2010-03-11T17:42:00.000-08:00

WOW! I am behind in keeping this blog updated. I have been very busy and it doesn't seem like it will be slowing down anytime soon.

I have several new designs since the last post. I'm working on getting them listed in my online gift shop http://www.fromtheheartart.com/ and in my ebay store. Taking the photos is what always seem to slow me down. Progress is being made slowly :)

In February our church's Women's Minsitry held a Winter Women's Retreat. I was a teacher for one of the sessions. My topic was "The Lord is My Shepherd". I learned so much about sheep and shepherds and was very overwhelmed the more I realized what it meant to have Jesus, the Good Shepherd as my shepherd. Throughout my time of preparation for the retreat and even during the retreat my mind was flooded with "He is Worthy". It would go over and over like a marquee sign. Being a part of the planning and preparation was a very humbling experience. I still feel speechless and overwhelmed by God's presence that weekend. From the weekend came a new design. I've called it the "He is Worthy Cross". I couldn't rest until I got that design out of my head and onto paper :) It is now available in prints, cards and tiles. I even experimented with bookmarks.

2009-09-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

The Who Sisters

"Who! Who! Who are you?"

"Who! Who! Who cares for you?"

"Who! Who! Who loves you?"

I've had these owls swirling around in my mind for quite a while. I am so glad that I was able to finally get them on paper! You can hang them individually or use them as a set hanging side by side.

Feeling a little stressed, lonely or afraid?

Remember the 'Whos".....

it will renew your mind and peace will follow!

2009-09-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

I've been painting something new.... Pumpkin Pendants!

It is a 1 1/2" wooden disc. I've base coated the disc and painted the pumpkin and coated it in an epoxy sealer with a few tiny beads sprinkled on top. A bail is glued to the back. I've added a copper colored ribbon to hang it or you can purchase your own chain and change it out for a different look. The pictures taken with the flash make the ribbon look orange. I'll have more finished soon and will get their pictures taken and uploaded to my online gift shop: http://www.fromtheheartart.com/
Watch for more to come soon!

2009-09-16T14:16:00.001-07:00

Another puppy! He is resting safe and secure in his little dog house.

The Puppies are here!

2009-09-15T17:50:00.000-07:00

The puppies are here and ready for a home! The "Good News Bassett Hound" is available with a white background or a blue background. I can personalize the "The Good News" Newspaper with your info.

I painted this puppy design for a brand new baby boy! His mommy is decorating his room with puppies. Fun!

2009-09-15T17:40:00.001-07:00

2009-08-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

In June I received a special request for this poem with a design painted around it. It is a poem that is known among parents of children with Down's Syndrome. I did a little research on Down's syndrome. I immediately fell in love with those precious children. Their faces are so beautiful with joy and innocence and trust. I kept seeing children peeping their heads over a fence but couldn't get that worked in with the poem. It finally clicked with me to paint two separate pictures. After that great revelation, it all fell in place! Well, the baby was born before I completed the pictures. I've seen a picture and she is so beautiful! Like a precious baby doll. Her family must be very special for God to choose them to care for this special creation. May He bless them all! I've been blessed just by working on this design for her bedroom. And I've decided that I think this poem really fits us all....not just children with Down's syndrome.

2009-08-27T20:11:00.001-07:00

2009-07-31T18:10:00.001-07:00

Checkbook Covers and The Craftsmen's Classic

2009-07-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

I've been having fun with Checkbook Covers! I've been able to get a few finished for viewing. Each one is unique. I start with a small print of one of my paintings. Then the fun begins! With scrapbook paper and the MANY embellishments available today the possibilities are endless. I love experimenting with all the different color combinations. It always amazes me how just changing the background color brings out different colors in my prints. I hope to have more checkbooks put together soon.

We will be headed to Myrtle Beach, SC for the Craftsmen's Classic next week. The show begins on Friday August 7the and goes through Sunday August 9th. It will be held at the Convention Center in Myrtle Beach. If you are in the area come by and see us!

I still have a few custom orders to finish and some new designs running around in my mind that I hope to on paper very soon!
Blessings to you :)

2009-07-08T22:04:00.000-07:00

It's finally getting from my mind to the paper....
but it's just not quite "there" .

I'm resting my mind and body this week by the ocean....
maybe it will fall in place after a little rest.

BEE Happy!

2009-06-23T14:11:00.000-07:00

The final touches to the "Happy Flowers" are finally complete!

I finished the last detail of the Happy Flowers just as the lady on the downloaded audio book, Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott, finished reading the last chapter. Perfect timing! My daughter, Allana, just introduced me to the website for the audio books. I'm so glad I gave it a try. It has been different having someone read to me....usually I'm the one doing the reading while Micah listens. It was nice to listen to this sweet and refreshing story as I painted flowers. I haven't read a Louisa May Alcott book in such a long time, well, not since I was a young girl.... which was quite a few years ago.

I painted this set for a little girl that has the Happy Flower bedding set from Target. She is about to move into her big girl room. I experimented with painting a variety of background papers as options for these designs. They will be available with a white background or with a striped background. I'm excited that I was able to get a slide show added to the side...I won't mention how long it took me to figure it out though! You can see how the design will look with the different background colors :) yay!

This little garden includes a set of three different floral designs each with scripture verses that make good "how to be happy" reminders. It seemed to take the longest to narrow down which verses to choose for the designs. There are so many good ones...it was hard. God has been teaching me some things about my happiness, my mind and my heart.... so these verses reflect some of what the Lord has been teaching me personally. Happiness is all in my perspective. When the focus of my mind and my heart gets off of God and onto things or people I quickly get out of sorts. It happens so quickly. Through reading the Old Testament, He is showing me so much about the importance of the condition of my heart. He sees my heart and it's motives. He sees what is deep inside. I think it is pretty amazing! I hope you are blessed by what you see and the reminders they include.

I'll have these designs available in my online gift shop: www.fromtheheartart.com and in my ebay store.

Well, thanks to my daughter introducing me to http://www.librivoxx.org/, I enjoyed going back in time as I listened to the adventures of a little girl named Rose & her eight boy cousins, while painting a Happy Flower Garden for modern day girls. Hmm.... I just realized how funny that is....listening to a story about a girl named Rose....while painting flowers! Wasn't planned that way. I started out listening to a Mark Twain story....it started out with Eve being critical of the creation....I decided quickly I didn't need to fill my mind up with that. Good thing Allana warned me to be cautious of some of the books. She does good to look out for her momma! Lousia May Alcott was the next author's name I recognized. So I'm glad I found it. I might have to check out the sequel for the next painting. :)

2009-06-17T13:19:00.000-07:00

There is a new baby in my Jungle. It is a baby Tiger!
He was created as a special request from a very special lady. She is a good customer, friend, and "teeth cleaner lady"a.k.a. dental hygienist.
She has taken on the project of cleaning and decorating her church's nursery. It is in an older church and very outdated. She wanted to give it a fresh look to make it more welcoming to parents. She has taken the project on herself. She has painted the walls yellow and decided to decorate the walls with my Jungle Collection prints. After framing and hanging her new Jungle Babies, she decided it was missing an important animal. She told me that since it is Auburn, she really wanted a tiger to add to that empty spot on the wall. Of all the animals I've painted, I've never done a tiger. ... until now! I delivered him to her today along with the sign I painted for the nursery door. So now the newly decorated walls in the little "country" church in Auburn are complete!
And I'm happy because my friend is happy and excited about this fresh new room in their church. It is always such a blessing to do projects like this in the Lord's House. I bet the joy & excitement will be contagious! I'm thinking it probably won't be long before they decide to update another room and make it fresher and more welcoming... and this time I bet she'll have others wanting to join in.

Now on to my next special project in the works. A painting using a poem for a Down's Syndrome baby due to be born in August. I've been praying the Lord would give me the picture to go with the poem. I'll keep you posted.

2009-06-08T12:26:00.000-07:00

There is a new baby to add to the art collection! It's a baby sparrow.

I've had birds on my mind a lot lately. Maybe it is because I have two windows in my painting studio that give a great view of our bird feeders in the backyard. So while I'm painting, I easily get distracted by those birds...and an occasional pesky squirrel that steals their food. So I've been painting and thinking about those birds and the verse in the Bible that talks about sparrows. "His eye is on the sparrow" kept going through my mind over and over. I decided to take a break from the custom orders and give painting a sparrow a try. I figured if I could get it painted it wouldn't keep going over and over in my mind. I started it on Friday. Didn't have time to finish because we were attending my nephew's wedding in Athens, Ga. I was really disappointed that I couldn't get it finished. We made the 3 1/2 hr drive for the wedding on Saturday. It was such a sweet wedding ceremony! It also a blessing to see two people purpose in their hearts to have a Christian marriage. Their wedding vows were amazing. They taught a Biblical lesson on marriage through their vows. I received an extra special blessing from the wedding.... for all their music, Mark and Anna chose hymns. It was a sweet surprise when the first hymn sung was none other than "His Eye is on the Sparrow" ! It was really special! It was ok that I didn't finish my baby bird after all. So I'm back in the studio today and Just finished up my little baby bird. The verses about the sparrow are very comforting. Luke 12: 6 & 7 and Matthew 10:29-31. I'm going to make this design into prints but I also want to use it on cards. I think I'll include those verses on the back of the card. Now maybe I can focus on finishing up those orders :)

2009-05-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

A sweet lady asked me to paint a tree with for my "Paisley Chicks". She wanted to decorate her baby's room with some of my Chicks and wanted to also have a Tree Print. I was glad to take on the assignment. I had been wanting to paint a tree anyway so this gave me a reason to go ahead and get it done. After getting the tree completed I received an email from her: "oh no....the ultrasound said it's not a girl it's a boy!" She thought for sure it was a girl.

That's ok....now we have another tree to choose from

and some new "paisley chicks" have been added to the family!
Congratulations on the boy!

2009-05-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

The Story Behind....."Paisley Chicks"

It was inspired by a few of my “little sisters in Christ”. A group of them call themselves the “church chicks”. I’ve been so blessed by watching them grow in Christ and by how they encourage each other! I wanted to do something with chicks for spring and I really had paisleys on my mind. Well, before I knew it the “Paisley Chicks” were born. I had the basics of the picture in my mind but I was still stuck on the verse. I had prayed about which verse to use and about using an acronym for Chicks. After a LOT of prayer and much time spent looking up words with my dictionary, concordance and Bible it came to me! Thank you Lord! It feels like a new member of our family. These are special verses. You know we all face trials, struggles, victories and joy in life. It is great to have fellow “chicks” to walk along side us headed toward the same goal. It is a blessing from God. Sometimes we need a Chick to walk along by our side. But many times we need a peck to get us going again; or maybe a shoulder to cry on; or a fellow Chick to pull us up out of a pity party; or one to rejoice with us over blessings. Since finishing this design and putting it on shirts and other products I have met some interesting ladies who are doing these very things. They have a special place in my heart.
After I finished drawing the first few Chicks I saw how the Paisley design was so symbolic of these verses. I was so excited when I noticed the representation of being “in Christ”! The outer shape represents God, the middle represents Christ and the center is me as a Christian in Christ. Look for the hidden eggs in the design. They also are symbolic. The shell: God, the white: Christ, and the yolk: the believer. So this design truly is special to me for many reasons. I learned so much as God led me down the path of putting this design on paper.
Since the original 4 Chicks were birthed or hatched many more Chicks have been added to the Paisley family. I even have a Paisley Pup. I have a Paisley Purr in my head....maybe soon she will be on paper and painted too! You can see them in my online gift shop. http://www.fromtheheartart.com/