2012

Will be chocka block full of creativity... I hope you'll all join me on the ride :-)
Have a great weekend… we're flying back to Canada over the weekend... So I'm sure you'll see some real Winter pics in the near future... Until then, have a look at the flag how it was flying this morning. Oh, and a few watercolours I just completed.

How's your 2012 so far?

Hugs
Char.

WIN WIN WIN

I was interviewd over at  EARTH MAMA  this week...it's being featured today...she is also hosting a GIVEAWAY this weekend... 2 winners will each choose 2 prints from my ETSY Shop.

Please go and enter HERE...I would LOVE if one of our readers won this...so head over there sometime this weekend and enter!!

Have a great Saturday...and GOOD LUCK!!
hugs
Char.x

2 Bears and a Hedgehog...so far...

3 Once Upon a Time watercolours I am working on finishing today...

WHAT are you working on??

Thanks for stopping by.
HUGS
Char.x

ONCE upon a TIME...

Once Upon a Time...there was a Mum who stayed home with her girls...who both soon to be off to school, Mum was asked many a time by others... "WOW...what are you going to do with your free time whilst little Miss J is in School?" ... "you won't know what to do with yourself!!!"

Little did people know that for the next 2 months, Mum would be SO busy with Mamas and Chicks, painting a little boy's room, painting a Dance Studio, illustrating 4 books,MAYBE painting and donating portraits of the 4 Canadian Tenors for a Silent Auction, filling a Moleskine Sketchbook which HASN't arrives yet (I promise, I am being AS patient as I can be) oh...and amongst all of the above...lets see...cleaning,cooking,assisting the girls with school work- purging old clothes(kids and adults)...and oh...being a wife...

I think I have enough to be "doing with my free time!"
I am not making a list out of all of this on the page as I am a little overwhelmed...but in a good excited overwhelming way...does this exist???

So...a little goodness came today through an Etsy convo...
"I have included your Once Upon a Time Panda Bear in my Treasury"
Please take a peak HERE...as I still haven't figured how to copy the whole page...sorry! (hey, if we get enough viewers it may hit the front page of ETSY)
Thank you Laughing Dog Studio!!!(who has amazing Jewellery!!!!)

I wish you ALL a HAPPY WEEKEND...I will probably be back and hope to visit you this evening...
It's been a very busy week.

HUGS
Char.x

all choked up

today was a special day...(here's the painting I made for Little Miss A's teacher thanking for such an amazing year)

our little Miss A graduated from Kindergarten...

and thankfully she'll be moving up into Grade 1 with her best buddie...Little miss O.
I am so proud of her...and am SO shocked at how quickly these 6 years have past.
I am also quite choked up...does it get any easier? Accepting that your little ones are forever getting older?
Her smile fills my heart...thank you little Miss A for you are our pride and joy. Keep smiling those beautiful smiles...they will get you far in Life!!

Have a lovely evening fabulous readers and thanks for stopping by...check back tomorrow...I have a game to play with you.
HUGS
Char,ON

boys and their tractors...

good morning...are you having a good Wednesday?

we're having a quiet morning...it's raining today...

the girls are tired from Caribbean dancing last night...they perform every night next week...we have what's called "Fiesta Week" here starting on Father's Day. I think there are 12 Pavillions in our town...Polish,Italian,French,German etc...and ours is the Caribbean Hall.

They're all open for Lunch where they serve their traditional cuisines and then open again for the evening...each Hall hosts a show with dancing from their country. It's a lot of fun...but it will be a LONG week.

my nephew just turned 2 and is pretty hot on Tractors...I wasn't going to post this until he received it in the mail...but I don't think he'll check in on our blog here...so I think we're safe...

I have a painting for Miss A's teacher to finish today which I started last night...and the girls finished the Grad cards for Miss A's class yesterday(can you believe the Kindergartens have a full blown Graduation?)...

times are busy around here...2 weeks left of school...and then we'll be packing to come over to the UK.

not sure what to get my husband for Father's day...any suggestions?

Have a lovely day...

HUGS

Char,ON

teacher appreciation TWEET TWOOO...

hello fabulous readers...and if you're relatively NEW and I haven't made it to visit your blog...welcome to our World!(I will get there soon)

I've been working on this today since you last visited us here...thank you by the way!

tonight I took a few pictures along the way...

the Owl is for our girls's Dance Teacher...she's the sweetest dance instructor ever...the girls love her!

she has a 1yr old daughter who is just beautiful.

so this is my gift to her...

to say "thank you" for an amazing year...

THANK YOU "M"!!!!

Good Night all...sweet dreams...and thank you for your ever sweet comments in the recent posts...each and everyone is SO greatly appreciated.

HUGS,

Char,ON

2 girls went a riding...

one on the back of a grey speckled horse...

with a silver mane and tail,

and the other on an elephant...

all dressed up for a party...

WHAT are YOU upto this weekend?

-we'll be enjoying a walk to the new Farmer's Market which is opening tomorrow-YAY- very excited about this! SUPPORT LOCAL FARMERS!!!!!

-ballet lessons...last week before their recital

-RIBFEST in Bowmanville is on and my Mr.R's Band is playing again...so we'll be eating ribs and listening to Live music tomorrow afternoon!

-Sunday we're off to Kingston, ON...great outdoor markets(praying that the rain holds off)

-and promises to see Shrek 4 with the girls.

Signing out...have A WONDERFUL weekend!

HUGS

Char,ON

illustration Friday

hello fabulous readers...I have to catch up on what you've been up to today...it's been a crazy week of Birthdays. Yesterday Ashley was invited to another party...a very good school friend of hers had a pool party...I asked Olivia the other day what her favourite animal was...she said a dog.

she doesn't have a dog, but her uncle does...this is Boston.

he's a Boxer mix...I'm pleased with the composition of this one everything worked out and colour-wise too.

she's an adorable girl who we found out yesterday will be in the same class as little miss A next year too. Going from SK to Grade 1 can be a huge step...so having a best buddie in the same class makes me feel better about it all.(I know I'm sure little miss A isn't concerned at all-but she did request to be with Olivia)

this is my illustration for Friday...

our school has a PA Day today...which means no school today.

we're off to the park, the ART store(to pick up a canvas for a commission) and Toy store to spend their Birthday money(given to them by their grandparents here).

The girls are SUPER excited to be able to choose their own gifts. This year they hardly received any toys (which wasn't a bad thing!) so they have a whole list of what they would like!

I may be going to the U.K. to help out with my Mum after her double hip operation in July...I'll keep you updated...I'll still be blogging...but probably won't be running my Esty Store...so if there are any prints you would like ...thinking ahead to Summer Birthdays...stock up now as the shop will probably be closed for 3 weeks in July. I may even think about a SPECIAL promo code JUST for all you FAB readers!!

Also...custom originals are really very reasonable in price...just email me for a list of prices. If you by more than one, the price drops considerably.

Have a FABULOUS Friday!

HUGS

Char,ON

cousins...cousins

we don't get together often...but enjoy our time when we do...that's Cousin Ulla in the middle holding little Ludwig and Cousin Lars(her brother) on the end in the blue...

Mr R and little Ludwig...the Happiest baby you've ever met...he's adorable!

after filling our bellies with a yummy BBQ...we all went for a walk..or took the little ones for a walk...

I adore this photo of Uncle Lars and our girls...

this was neat...I'm sure it was built in the 60's...it looks like a Mushroom and has a hole in the centre. The acoustics are amazing, we had so much fun stamping feet,screaming,chanting and clapping under it.

Hopefully we'll see Uncle Lars again soon...and wish Auntie Ulla, Kristian and little Ludwig a wonderful and safe trip back.

this afternoon we're heading over to friends to celebrate little G's 7th Birthday...he's a HUGE fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey Team...so I painted a custom Once Upon a Time for him.

Have a lovely Monday!

and OH...I nearly forgot...

I have a B.O.G.O offer on my Esty Store prints until the end of May.

(if you don't see one of my prints there...it maybe because it's not been listed or has expired...just email me and I can re-list it)

Until tomorrow

Char,ON

Originals for SALE

in my quest to pay for our Disney trip...I am selling some Originals...
They will be on Sale in my Etsy shop from April 1st (my B-day) until next week...

Then after that...I'm moving them over to EBAY...where the bidding will start.

I'll be sorry to see some of these go...but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!

I thank all of you lovelies who have supported me...thank YOU...you know who you are...

But...I really thought Etsy would be more profitable...oh well...I guess you either make it or you don't.Sorry...

just having one of those rare days...I'm usually all "spiffy and happy"...but not today.

Ok...so you all deserve to know...and I know I'm probably being ridiculous.

I received a comment yesterday which I had to delete...I know I should put more rules on receiving comments and approve them before publishing them...but I really don't have time some days.

It's really very silly...it was an annonomous commenter, and they basically dissed my post...it's been bugging me since yesterday.

I'm a Peace maker...and wish for the World to be a happy place. When someone doesn't like me/what I say...it hurts...and I find it really hard to shrug.

I believe if you have nothing NICE to say...don't say anything at all.

That's all...but it really makes me think twice about blogging :-(

Until tomorrow...maybe.

Char,ON

HAPPY BIRTHDAY little Bro!

HAPPY Birthday Seb!!!

I love you...miss you...and am Happy and THANKFUL you'll be with Dad today.

.x.

CHAR, On

P.S. I hope you (fabulous readers) have entered the TEA GIVEAWAY in the post below....you only have until Thursday.

Prayers and wishes...

A Mother's day Wish for my Mama in the UK...

a painting in progress for my Brother who has a Birthday on St. Patrick's Day...on wednesday(don't worry...I won't be showing you the finished painting...that would be giving it away:-)

Liss Miss A and Little Miss J joining me in my painting adventure today.

I love to see them enjoying painting and drawing so much.

my little Bro turns 33 on Wednesday...he's a farmer...and has those great green boots too!

A regular day for him would be feeding the deer and then working the rest of the day in the Farm Shop.

I really loved working on this painting...hope he loves it.

Ok...so on my brother's Birthday, Dad goes in for his Operation at 7.30 AM...so hard being this far away.

So I'll be praying that everything goes smoothly.

Tomorrow evening I am hosting a GIVEAWAY...so make sure you check back.

Thanks for all your encouragement and positive thoughts regarding my last post...I know it's not a lovely thought, and have come to conclusion that everyday is more important to love and cherish those around you than to worry about the future.

Mum...you're the BEST!
Bro...I miss you and your Family...and wish you a wonderful Birthday.
Dad...I'm praying for a GREAT St.Patrick's Day for you.

Until TOMORROW.
Char,ON