Zebra Print Nursery Room Decor

As I'm sure you're aware animal prints are super popular in home decor styles as well as clothing, jewelry and more. I recently painted a really fun name sign for a customer that had the zebra print pattern on it.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me back track...

Several years ago I painted a room sign that had a border with zebra print but the design ended up being very small and wasn't very prominent on the sign at all. Take a look...

See what I mean? I like the color combination, I LOVE the quote and the details are perfect for the theme. But in looking back it just doesn't get me excited. As a matter of fact, after painting that sign the thought of painting a zebra pattern made me nervous.

So when this recent order came up I got a bit on the jittery side. But I was upfront and honest with my customer. I shared the photo with her explained how tiny the pattern ended up. She understood my point and after a few emails discussing this design we figured out a way to make the zebra print stand out. Now I can't wait for someone to order this pattern! I LOVED PAINTING IT!

This sign was created for a newborn baby and the customer wanted the little zebras on there to fill in the space. But if you don't want the zebras on there I could leave them out. In the empty space I could paint some flowers, trees, stars or just about anything will work. Or we could just leave it be with the name. Then the sign would be sure to 'grow' with your little girl. Picture it...this design without the zebras. Wouldn't it still work well for a teenager? I certainly think so!

While custom artwork can be frustrating at times I do love it! I enjoy the fact that any piece of my artwork can be tweaked to suit your needs. This 'tweaking' opens up a whole new world for satisfying your room décor needs. What may be perfect for a newborn girl could also be perfect for a tween girl as long as you're in tune with your imagination and you're up for me making a few small changes.

Fun, fun, fun! My work is almost always fun! And I am blessed!

More sharing coming soon...until then,

Invitations for Birthdays

Right now I am enjoying a much needed family vacation at the beach in North Carolina. My family comes down here every year and because my kids are still in high school...well my oldest just graduated...we have to take our yearly vacations during the summer months. For some reason it always works out that our vacation week coincides with my youngest son's birthday. We've celebrated a number of his birthdays down here and sometimes I feel bad. I often think that we should pick a different week for vacation so we can throw him a nice party at home with a bunch of his friends. But other times I figure he has nothing to complain about. I'd love it if I could spend my birthdays at the ocean!

So every year I promise him that one of these summers he'll be able to have a big birthday bash at home. (I really hope I can keep that promise!)

This summer we waited until the last minute to make our vacation plans which gave me some time to at least consider a party at home for him. I came across a website that sold a large variety of party invitations and fortunately they offer beautiful invitations for birthdays. Being that I do a large volume of printing on my own home computer I could easily print some of my own. But heck...it seems so much more fun to buy them!

They offer so many different types of invitations at Invitation Box that I was a bit overwhelmed when making my decision. After my initial searching I narrowed it down and considered my son and how he likes to spend his time. He plays a variety of sports with baseball being his favorite so I searched for a sports theme invitation. He's turning 14 and since some of the styles were for much younger boys I decided to also look into the adult themed invitations, too. Luckily I found a nice variety that suited my son's tastes.

Meanwhile, as I continued on through the website I remembered that next year my husband will be celebrating his 50th birthday. Hmmmm...I definitely have to keep this website in mind! I've never had a big bash for him and I know I could find something that would work for him.

So even though we had to celebrate my son's big day down here at the beach and we didn't have a party at home I'll definitely keep InvitationBox.com invitations for birthdays in mind for my husband's up coming big day.

Okay...I'm off to relax a bit more at the beach! I'll have more interesting things to share with you soon...until then,

My daughter's talent

Everyone thinks their kids are great and, of course, all three of my kids are the best!

But this morning I'm driven to share my daughter's talent. Elena has a beautiful singing voice plus she loves to act and take part in the school plays. But she also has incredible skills at drawing and painting...and the kicker is she doesn't even work at it! She just picks up a pen and paper and creates something beautiful!

I came out to my desk this morning and noticed a drawing she doodled on a small note pad. She used a marker that was about out of ink and to most people a marker like that is considered junk. But she used it anyway and I believe it worked to her advantage because of the soft style. This is what she came up with...

I just can't get over how good it is! Most artists know that drawing or painting the human eye is very difficult but she makes it look effortless!

Okay...enough bragging! I better get moving...I still have to shower and get my daughter up so she can get ready for work.

More fun to come...until then,

Quinceañera

Have you ever heard of a Quinceañera? A Quinceañera is the Hispanic tradition of celebrating a young girl's transition to womanhood on her 15th birthday. I learned of this ceremony a few years ago when my son was dating a girl whose father was from Mexico. It always sounded like such a lovely way to celebrate a young girl's coming of age!

While most Quinceañera celebrations may vary the core of each is traditionally the same. Most celebrations will begin with a mass service where the Quinceañera will be accompanied by her court of honor which usually includes her family members and close friends. After the religious ceremony a reception will be held which includes food, music and a choreographed dance which will be performed by the Quinceañera along with her court.

Prior to this special day however there are many details to be considered. Of course there's the beautiful dress...my daughter would love that part...which is traditionally white or pale pink. And every Quinceañera wears a headpiece during the mass which is exchanged with a tiara or crown (more heaven for my daughter!). The tiara can have the number '15' embellished upon it to signify this important birthday. Also a bracelet or ring can be worn to represent the unending circle of life. Earrings are worn as a reminder for the young Quincenera to listen to and obey God. And a cross will display her deep devotion to God.

For the reception a location must be decided upon if you choose to not have it at your home. And of course you have to decide upon the food and drink. Also, who will be invited? How many family members and friends will be joining in on this special day?  A necessity in your planning of this important event needs to have proper Quinceanera Invitations. There are so many invitation styles from which to pick. They are all gorgeous! Along with getting the dress and the jewelry this would be a fun part of the planning for my daughter!

If you have been invited to a Quinceañera you will need to decide upon a gift. While the child's Godparents are chosen by the parents to present gifts to the Quinceañera other guests are welcome to bring gifts as well. Some gifts may include a bible and rosary which when blessed by the priest will make the gift so much more special. A Quinceañera doll is a special gift as well. Or if you aren't quite sure you can always give a gift that most teen girls would appreciate. Just be sure they are appropriate and tasteful. Whatever gift you decide make sure to wrap the special gift with some personalized birthday wrapping paper! What a unique last minute touch to this special celebration!

While a Quinceañera has Latin roots many Hispanic families today are merging their heritages by choosing to celebrate a Sweet Sixteen. The Sweet Sixteen celebration includes the Quinceañera traditions such as the mass, the reception, the tiara adorned with the number '16', and more. It's a very personal celebration so families should feel free to select the customs that have special meaning to them. A Quinceañera is an important day so go ahead and make your celebration unique for that special young lady in your life!

More interesting things to come...until then,