A giveaway just in time for the holidays!

My friend Amy is hosting a giveaway for one of my custom pencil drawings! It's the perfect one-of-a-kind gift for someone special... or perhaps yourself!
Go to her blog to enter and to see details! For everyone who enters, I'm also offering a customized pencil drawing for only $50- that's 1/2 off!

So head over to Amy's blog- Live, Laugh, Love...Our Way, to enter!

White snow and orange sunsets.

Christmas cards are always a challenge for me. I have an image in my head of how I want it to look, however turning that vision into reality is another story.

Every year I would make “scrapbook” cards with Creative Memories merch. I’d whip out my photo tape, an array of festive paper, glitter, stamps, and stickers to construct -what I thought- would be the perfect Christmas card. Yes, I would physically hand make each and every card. However, times are a changing. With a school aged girl and a mobile baby boy, spare time is few and far between. These days the glitter and festive paper are now replaced with good ol’ photoshop. And I’m okay with it.

In attempt to take good Christmas photos on Sunday, I give myself an A+ for effort. How the Christmas photos actually turned out, I give myself an F. Our Christmas-photo-taking outing was a total bust. And by bust I also mean I busted my butt more than once on the ice. In my defense, setting up the tripod and running back to get in the family shot before timer starts clicking -all on ice- is tricky business people!

See the proof here:

We’re going to give it another go- hopefully we’ll produce something where eyes aren’t closed, isn’t blurry, and has smiles on all faces.

Despite our failed efforts, we drank the most out of our snowy outing. Our cup is always half-full, you know.

We gazed through the pearly white birch trees that glistened with iridescent beads of snow and frost.

We breathed in the Alaskan winter air that filled up our lungs with the perfect amount of freshness that begged us to breathe in long deep breaths.
And look at this view, will you! We bask in these milky white views on a daily basis. Such beauty.

We stuck it rich with this luminous sunset over the snowy seashore and icy water. It was like the sprinkles on the cupcake; the perfect ending to our day.

Our unwanted houseguest.

The Flu Bug has taken up residency in the Roe Household, and he has no plans of vacating anytime soon. His presence couldn’t have come at a worse time. Thanksgiving time. 

I have five days left to prepare for the big day. There’s so much that needs my undivided attention before friends arrive- cleaning, baking, cooking, getting the décor and place settings down. Not to mention, I have to go to the commissary to get the baking and cooking ingredients for the Big Feast. What’s a girl to do? *sigh*

In the meantime, I’m surrounding myself with piping hot chamomile tea, relaxing baths, squishy baby cheeks, and cotton-candy sunsets. 

I wish I had something more to give you tonight, but this is all I have in me. I'm wiped. 

Enjoy your weekend!

~Em

PS  keep your eyes open for a giveaway this Sunday!

A new set of eyes.

Here are a few things that I’ve been consumed with lately:

1)    My Art

For months I’ve been having a rekindled love affair with art. The ideas for new pieces are coming faster than I can paint! It’s glorious. When my creative wheels are turning, I feel so alive, so fresh, and full of energy and inspiration. I’m in love -- like in a 19 year old girl puppy love kind of way.

I have always viewed pencil drawings as nothing more than the bones to a painting. I’ve been taught that you learn with pencil, then progress to pastel, then watercolor, acrylic, then oil; like the food pyramid, only with art mediums. It was always, and still is, my main goal to get to the top of the pyramid of art… oil. Now that I’ve gotten to that point, I find myself going to back the beginning; back to the basics, but with a new set of eyes.  Back to my good ol’ graphic Mars Lumograph pencils and charcoal.

With my new found vision, I’ve gotten back behind the easel. I’ve been madly sketching, shading, and turning out new pieces like it’s nobody’s business.

 my latest commission, in progress

Pablo Picasso once said, “Painting is just another way of keeping a diary.” How true is that? When I look back at my Beach Series, my Water Series, even my progression with oils, I can tell you exactly where I was in life. My feelings, my views -- I put it all on canvas. And yes, I even had some dark pieces that I’m embarrassed of, but we’re all human and we all go through phases. All of the these pieces that I’ve created, all of my feelings -- love, happiness, anger, a sense of freedom -- has led me to where I am today.

I. Am. A. Portrait. Painter.

2)    Self-Promotion

Now that my NEW website is up and running, I’m feeling the need to do a little self-promotion. So here it is…

YOU GUYS! MY NEW WEBSITE IS UP AND RUNNING! IT WAS CREATED BY NO OTHER THAN MY HANDSOME HUSBAND!!! CLICK HERE AND BROWSE AROUND!

If you’ve been following my art over the last few years, you’d know that I’ve had quit a few web designs. I’m really digging this one because of its simplicity. It’s to the point.

BAM- here’s some information about me!
BAM- here’s some example paintings!
BAM- here’s how to contact me!
You wanna shop? BAM- here you go!

Easy, right? By the way, I'm in a Emerle mood tonight. Can ya tell? Or maybe I'm a tad bit hyper from the Milano Cookies I downed this evening.

3)    Hey ya'll, a Giveaway!

There’s also a giveaway for a custom portrait in the VERY near future. It will be held on another blog, so when the time comes, I’ll pass along the info for you to enter!

And that’s all I have on this cold and snowy Monday! Go out and be inspired; look at life with a new set of eyes.

Art is a collaboration between God and the artist, and the less the artist does the better.  ~André Gide

Worrying does no good.

There’s a saying that goes, “worrying does no good.” So why do we do it? Better yet, why do I do it?

I worry all the time. I worry about the present, the unknown, things I have no control over. I even worry about the past and how it could affect the future. But with worrying, comes caring- they go hand in hand, you know. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t worry. With that said, I’m okay with worrying because it just means I care… A LOT.

If you’ve read this post, you know where I’m headed- Krysta’s seizure. I have to keep reminding myself that I mustn’t dwell because it’s out of our hands, out of our control. I need to rely on God and to know that he has a plan for us. We’re good people. And yes, sometimes bad things happen to good people, but that’s where faith kicks in. Faith will give you strength and courage and hope beyond your wildest imagination.

We’ve been to the doctor and now we’re waiting on two referrals- one for an EEG, and another to see a neurologist.

Players take your mark; we now begin the waiting game. This is a game that I don’t play very well. I’m a poor sport. I’m impatient. I want answers and I want them now. Waiting is not my forte’.

Krysta's drawing while waiting on the doctor

We’ve all played this game at one point or another, so as my first move, I’m going to stay calm and carry on. I’m going to enjoy the simple carefree life that we’ve strived to create for our little family. I’m going to embrace the moments of calm and brace myself in the moments of chaos.

Until our next hurdle, I’m getting a charge out of the little things, like building snowmen.

Taking delight in hot chocolate after building said snowmen.

Being deliriously happy to see my girl get an academic award along with an outstanding citizen award.

Despite my worries and distress, I refuse to have the whole woe is me attitude. It’s not my style. There’s so much good in our lives, so much to be thankful for; we are blessed indeed.