Coming soon!

I know it's been forever since my last post! I've been BUSY... to say the least. I've actually completed a couple of paintings lately, one of which is for sale, and I'll be posting it this weekend. I promise you'll like it. ;-)

***Jess

Sketchy Super Bowl Sunday

Well, tonight our Church had a big Super Bowl shindig and since I wasn't interested in either team that was playing, I made sure to bring my sketchbook so I could doodle if I got bored. Amongst all the visiting, eating, and activities, I managed to draw something random with a little help!

Jessie & Josie (mostly Jessie) picked the colored pencils for me that they thought I should use and I pretty much just doodled away!

A big shout out to my helpers! It's so colorful, and I love it! Have a great Monday!

***Jess

Trees for the babies!

You may or may not know, but my best friend in the whole wide world is the children's Pastor at our Conway campus. She is so stinkin' awesome at it too! You can tell God has called her to it, because she has been able to "tame" kids that other people have given up on. It's so cool! 

 

Anyway, about a year ago, when we were starting at the new campus, she asked me to paint the nursery and of course I was so down for that! She had a woodlands theme in mind, and it came off quite cute! Here's the nursery/toddler room tree she had me paint:

She picked the white tree and I LOVE IT! We've had parents comment on it, and I think it's way cool because it's not the typical "baby decor".  We had a lot of fun doing this one. We're about to tackle the Benton campus' nursery & toddler rooms w/ a similar theme. It's gonna be SO FUN! I can't wait to get my hands dirty doing it!

As usual, if you need any custom painting done, including nursery walls, playrooms, or anything in between I would love to be able to help you out with that! foxfirehalo@gmail.com.

***Jess

New layout!

Hello all! Just a quick update tonight, I'm in the middle of housework & painting, so I'll keep it brief. I have changed my layout a hair and I'm pretty pleased with the results! I should have something to post later on tonight, but if I don't, my goal is to have something new tomorrow night! Check back guys, and until then, if you need anything customized, just holla: foxfirehalo@gmail.com

***Jess

Fab Foods: Southwestern Cheese Ball

Recently, I was asked to make a cheese ball for a ladies event at our Church's Conway campus. Since I had never made one before, I got online to see what all it included. After all my research, I put together a cheese ball of my own creation and it turned out to be pretty dang good! Since I like sharing good things, here's the recipe:

2-8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 Tbsp. Butter
1 pkg (1/4c) taco seasoning
1/3c black bean & corn salsa
1 c shredded cheese
Nuts (pieces)

In a large bowl, mix softened cream cheese, melted butter, salsa, & taco seasoning w/ electric mixer. Once blended, add in shredded cheese & mix. Form into a ball (mixture will be very soft), and roll in nuts. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve w/ crackers or tortilla chips!

It makes a pretty big cheese ball, so there's plenty to share. It's really good! Enjoy!

***Jess

Workin' hard!

Hey everybody! I promise I haven't fallen into a deep, dark hole! I'm working hard and getting some more pieces done so hopefully I will have something new very, very soon!! Keep checking back!

***Jess

Artist Spotlight: Leonetto Cappiello

Like a lot of people, I don't always know an artist by name. I know them by their art and THEN I figure out who they are. That's the same story with today's featured artist, Leonetto Cappiello. I actually have several of his posters (reprints, of course) in my office/art room because I love the vibrant colors he uses.

He has a very distinct, scrolly signature, and that's actually how I found him! You can always identify a Cappiello poster by that signature.

This is the first Cappiello I remember noticing. It's a very famous print and since I've become familiar with his stuff, I've seen this guy everywhere!

So who was Cappiello? Well, I did a little digging and found out a few things about him:

* He is often called "the father of modern advertising".

* He was the first artist to move away from the pale colored backgrounds of his day and use black for a background, which is what makes the colors pop like they do.

* He had no formal training. He started out as a caricaturist and eventually moved away from caricatures to the advertizing circuit.

* He was born in Italy in 1875 & died in France in 1942.

I've acutally never seen this one before, but I think I need to find it... It's lovely!

I have this one too!

Anyway, I could post pics all day, there's a TON of them on the internet. I'm very inspired by his work and also his innovation back in his day. I like it when people stretch their abilities outside the box and beyond what is the "going thing" at the time. Go check him out!

***Jess

Soul Window

Please welcome my newest "eye-catching" piece! 

This 12" x 12" acrylic is entitled "Soul Window" and is available for purchase! If you're interested, please email me at foxfirehalo@gmail.com, and as always, if you would like to order a custom painting, email me!

***Jess

How to make personalized glitter polish

Today's post is a paint of a different kind! :) Glitter polish is so popular right now! However, if you go to the store, you're limited by what the polish companies make, not to mention you're going to pay at minimum $5 per bottle. The other day, I had an epiphany: why can't I make my own glitter polish? I bought several bottles of inexpensive clear polish and some fine glitter and I was in business!

I made these two colors for Mandy & Krystle. They ended up being super cute and I can't wait to make more. I spent .94 on each bottle of clear polish and $3 per 5 color pack of glitter, which will make MANY bottles of glitter polish, so when all said and done, it costs a fraction of what one store bought bottle costs! Give it a try!!

***Jess

One creative night...

So on Christmas Eve Eve, my hubby Kevin and I had a gift wrapping and baking extravaganza! This year, I didn't want to use the usual sticky bows like you get from the store. I wanted a little something more hand-made for that personal touch. Since I have a huge pile of felt sheets, I decided I wanted to put felt cut outs and yarn on my packages! They ended up being so cute!

These were a couple of other gifts I "personalized". So fun!

After we finished our wrapping, we began working on the goody baskets we had made members of our family. One of the items in the baskets were what we affectionately call "Andeos". They were an accidental invention conceived out of mine and Kev's bad communication. LOL! Probably one of the best mistakes we've ever made. 

Double Stuft Oreos dipped in white Almond Bark and topped with Andes mint chips... SOOOO GOOD!

We had so much fun making these baskets, we might just make it a tradition! It's fun doing stuff with your best friend! :)

Hope everyone's Christmas was very Merry & blessed!

***Jess