christmas sale

Since Black Friday and Cyber Monday totally stress me out (am I the only one?)

 

 Let's start early...

 

Enjoy 15% off every order in my my etsy shop by using coupon code: IBTGTR. 

 

Because it is better to give than receive! 

blessings

just finished this piece, you can find it here!

 

 

praise God, from Whom all blessings flow

 

praise Him, all creatures here below

 

praise Him above, ye heavenly host

 

praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost

 

 

a christmas announcement...

 

 

Looking for Christmas gift ideas?  Why not skip the department stores and give something that adds color, meaning, and style to any room?  I'll be taking orders until December 10th or until I've reached my limit of 75 orders, whichever comes first!

My Etsy Shop

To see pieces that are ready for sale, visit  The Not So Blank Canvas on etsy. If you're local and want to order something through Etsy, simply type conwaybuyer in the coupon code section and it will waive your shipping cost. Otherwise you can contact me directly and skip Etsy altogether.

 The Not So Blank Canvas on Facebook     

If you'd like to see photos of past pieces to get ideas for a custom order, you can visit  my Facebook page here.  I love to paint custom orders!

 

Special Teacher Gift Offer
Until November 31st, I'll be offering buy two, get one free of the 6x6 or 8x8 "be merry" or "joy" pieces.  These make great teacher gifts!

 

 Business Orders
I offer a 10% discount on bulk orders of 10 or more pieces. This is a great deal if you need Christmas gifts for employees, co-workers, volunteers, etc.

  

Gift Certificates

Since it's sometimes difficult to pick the right piece for someone, why not give them a gift certificate from The Not So Blank Canvas?

You can either gift them an amount or a size.

 

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have or to place your order.
 

merry christmas! 

 

 

 

 

quotes for little ones

Today, I want to give you a sneak peak at a piece from my new collection--

 

Quotes for Little Ones.

 

It includes quotes from Children's Literature painted in many different colors and sizes.  None of them are up for sale on Etsy yet, but I wanted to give my blog readers the first look.  

 

 

Don't you love children's books?

 There's something about those books that we read and read and read when we're little and now with our own kids that seems to stick with us.

 

and an ocean tumbled by with a private boat for Max and he sailed off

through night and day and in and out of weeks and almost

over a year to where the wild things are

 

 

Where The Wild Things Are is definitely one of our favorites--every little member of our family could quote the entire book by age 4!

 

 

 

 I'll probably sell this one by itself but just for fun, I painted this little orange one too...

Do you have a favorite Children's Literature quote? 

 Share it in the comments, and if I use it you'll receive one of them at half price!

and the winner is...

 

 

And the winner of the YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE canvas is:

 

katiechiet

 

 I just sent an email to you with the details.  Congratulations Katie!

good weekend reads

I hope everyone is having a great weekend.  We're spending the weekend at my parents' house. 

If you combine porch swings, hay fields, lazy afternoons, homemade soup, white bread, and unlimited movie watching you'll have a pretty good idea of why my boys never want to leave.

Here are a few good weekend reads...

Edie at Life in Grace tells us everything we need to know about a well appointed guest room; The Nester gives a great perspective on hoarding and organizing and such; and Melissa at The Inspired Room has some great photos of decorating with orange and red.

Do you have favorite blogs? Feel free to share in the comments!

And don't forget that the drawing for this piece will be on Monday.  If you want to win it, just sign up to follow by rss or email.  good luck!

circles of sunshine

 

I'm guest posting over at Circles of Sunshine today.

 

Each Friday they have a series called Rays of Sunshine:

featuring different women from different walks of life;

  giving us a small glimpse into their lives with the hope

of leaving you encouraged.

 

Jenny and Daspri are two of the most artistic, crafty, and fun ladies in blogland and I'm honored that they asked me to be a part.

 If you ever wonder what a day of a craft-business person looks like,

click on over and check it out.

  

colors

Just a quick post today to share my latest creation with you!  Even though it's long overdue--who knew that it would take me two years to finally make my own color chart!?--I'm excited to be able to use this as a reference for custom orders in  my etsy shop.

 

 I love 6 and 28.  What's your favorite?

color infusion

Today is the first post in my color infusion series.  Each week we'll focus on ways that we can add color and style in unsuspecting places. 

 

Let's begin with these sweet little teacups.  

 

 

These go with my fiesta dishes but you can use any teacup or coffee mug.  They could be displayed on your kitchen counter, in a basket, or used as a small vase to hold a flower brought in from your yard.  But today I'll show you how we use them around our house. 

 

I've had these glass canisters from Wal-Mart for years and recently found the chalkboard labels on this etsy site. 

I know there are countless ways to add style and function in unsuspecting places. 

So what are some ways you add color where it's unexpected?

 

 

Don't forget--the giveaway for
this canvas is only 7 days away, so be sure to sign up to follow through RSS or email if you'd like your name to be in the drawing!

inspired by mercy

in·spire: to stir, prompt, or move to action, particularly to create; to breathe in and be filled 

 

 

After I talked yesterday about inspiration, I began to wonder what constitutes inspiration?  I looked it up to find~anything that moves us, that prompts us to create...

 

to breathe in and be filled.

 

Isn't that our hope--that our creativity wouldn't be something that is forced but something that is inspired, that we breathe in and be so filled that the overflow is something beautiful? 

 

 

It's vulnerable, it takes courage, it takes constantly tending the fires within so that the overflow is actually something we would want to make visible. 

 

  As I told you yesterday, here's a song that I adore and that inspired the piece you see above. 

happy fall

 

Happy Fall everyone!  Doesn't fall just make everything better? 

Pictures of fall always make me want to breathe in the cool, crisp air and surround myself with greens and golds and reds.  When I saw this photo, I was immediately moved to paint this Happy Fall canvas.  I wanted a piece that reminded me of the fall leaves raining down. 

 

I love how inspiration can come from anywhere.  Mine often comes from photos, songs, being outside and words that move me.  Tomorrow, I want to share one of those songs with you and the result.

 

So what about you, where does your inspiration come from?

  

 

an exciting announcement

 I'm thrilled to announce that The Not So Blank Canvas will be introducing prints and notecards in October!  They will come in many different sizes and colors and be very affordable.  This is something I've been working on for some time, and I'm so excited that they are almost ready!

Here's a sneak peak...

  Is there a piece you would like to see made into a print?  Leave a comment and let me know!

Also, don't forget to sign up to follow The Not So Blank Canvas blog either through RSS or email to be entered in the you are my sunshine giveaway.  It's a great size for any room and makes a great gift too...I'm thinking teacher/bff/grandparent Christmas gift!  Have a wonderful weekend! :)

a free printable for you

Hello, wonderful readers!  I made this little printable for a Bible Study that I'm leading and thought I'd pass it along to you.  Enjoy!

my bestseller

When this canvas first began selling I was excited but also surprised. Who knew that something so small (9x12), uncolorful (grey), and with so few words (5) could become my bestseller?!  I have always liked this song but I had no idea how it resonated with so many.  

 

Have you heard the story of this song?   It was written by Horatio Spafford, a man who after he lost his son to Scarlet Fever planned to take his family by boat to England to see his friend DL Moody.  Delayed by business, he sent his wife and four daughters ahead, planning to join them later.  After nine days he received a telegram that read “saved  alone.”  His daughters had been killed in a boat wreck, but his sweet Anna had been spared.  He quickly boarded a ship to reunite with his wife.  It is reported that when the ship’s captain pointed out the site of the accident, Horatio returned to his cabin and wrote this amazing song that has touched countless numbers of people.

I have had comment after comment all saying the same thing-- that this song has been a mantra through difficult times and simply having the words on a wall have been a reminder that it is well with their soul. These little canvases seemed to have taken on a life of their own which really had nothing to do with me—just God using the pain of a man in 1873 to bring words of comfort and resolve to those suffering in 2012.  Here are those words...

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

 

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

     

    

    

    

 

10 minutes + $10

 

What can you do with 10 minutes and $10?

well... 

Begin with a naked window.

Go buy yourself some clearance dishtowels.
 

 

Install some kind of $3 curtain rod.

I used one shaped like this: [  so that it can be completely hidden.

 

 

Drape your towels over the rod.

 

 

Notice that your watch says you still have 2 minutes to spare.

 

 

Think about sewing them but quickly decide against it.

Check out the queen of window mistreatments here.

my boys

 If you are wondering what I spend my time on when I'm not painting, then wonder no more.

  Today, I want to introduce you to my family. 

 

This is my sweet husband and biggest fan, Michael.

 

 

And here are my other guys.

 

They are rowdy, funny, sweet, sometimes grumpy, a little smelly,

outside dwellers, pantry raiders, couch movie watchers, dirty clothes manufacturers,

wrestlers, campers, hikers, ball players, swimmers, tree climbers, writers, Jesus lovers, artists, talkers, snugglers, early risers...

 

and the loves of my life. 
Even if they do eat all of the pretzels.

 

 

how sweet the sound

Amazing Grace How Sweet the Sound.  Don’t you love that hymn?  I learned it when I was a little girl, and every time I hear it I have memories of my grandfather taking me to church, little old ladies singing a little off key, and of hearing it again as an adult as if it were the first time.  The first canvas sign that I made was actually an Amazing Grace piece that I painted for my mother for Christmas.    Since then I’ve created many variations of that first piece so today I thought I'd share the most recent one and maybe a few from the past.  I’ve been wanting to combine my favorite colors with black and here’s the result—

 

 

Here are some photos from other amazing grace pieces....

 

 

 

 

amen:)



you are my sunshine

I'm a little excited right now.  Ok, a lot excited.  I've been wanting to start this blog for some time now.  Things over at my etsy shop have been so fun over the last two years, and I knew that when the time was right I would begin a blog. 

Well friends, the time is right. 

And I'm thinking we should celebrate with a giveaway!  I'll be giving away the canvas pictured above on October 15th.  It's a sweet little 8x10, perfect to give as a gift or keep for yourself.  Simply sign up to follow this here blog through email or RSS and you'll be entered to win in the drawing on October 14th.  Good Luck!