Coupon Sale!

I have a sale coupon! 40% off all Halloween art in this seccion of my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AyalaArt?section_id=10638468

So if you collect Halloween all through the year, this is the chance to save. Mostly ACEO, one doll and post card size art.

Code HALLOW40

In other news, not so new, as you can see I decided to add some fun colors in the sides. I am happy with the way it looks. I have to say, it was easier than redecorating the house and move furniture!
I'm going to be painting for a while, before it's time to open the door 500 times to treat with candy goblins, witches, cats, dogs, robots, vampires and a variety of disguised humanoids.

Have fun and take care of all the little ones running out there tonight!

 

Blog tip, share buttons

This text taken from the blogspot help files:
If you want to remove the +1 button without removing the other share buttons, you will need to edit your template code.

Before making any changes, back up your template: Design /Edit HTML /Download Full Template.

Then, on the Edit HTML page, check Expand widget templates, then find and remove the following code, then save your changes:

Your share buttons should now appear without the +1 button.

I am so happy to be able to get rid of it and it's too bright unmatching colors, I decided to post it as well for others that feel the same way :o)
The code was not showing well so I had to make an image of it to be able to post it right.

Working on the blog

I am currently working on my blog, sorry if it shows all kinds of crazy postings! I had made a plan, but the tags were not right so I have been updating and I'm afraid it will show like new posts. Hopefully I am not flooding anyone's page :o)

Let me know what you think. This is always a work in progress :o)
I am not sure if I like the two columns yet. I am used to the three columns! And now it's a bit wider, so not sure if there will ever be room for a fancy background....

I'll admit it . . .

Well, by now it is obvious that I have not ben running to paint. My capricious diva-ish muse went to take a brake, after the marathon of the last challenge.
Art is like that. Some days you are flooded with ideas, some other times you are not even in the same room as the paints and brushes. I actually have several ideas simmering in my mind, but for whatever reason I have not sat to paint them. Is that still creators block? Maybe not. Maybe is some kind of artistic procrastination? Or maybe just not enough of an itch to paint. I can't really pin point what it is.

My husband was gone a week (in which I did not sleep) then he took some days off (in which I hardly connected online, or did anything artsy) and although I absolutely love to have him around (It's the best thing in the world to me, not even second to chocolate) that pretty much took off the edge or balance of my very fickle muse. (Well, I did sculpt a polymer baby, and was shipped for a baby-tour).
Then there's the other thing, some funky problems within my extended family that are splashing a bit too close home, I won't bore you, but it can be draining...

I guess I could talk about it all day, and dissect the feelings for weeks. But that would not resolve a thing, so instead, I will grab my paint, brushes and camera. See what I come up with. I always tell my kids "it doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be done on time"

One hour later: I just finished the polymer baby visiting me, took pictures and will post about it in the other blog.
Ta ta for now and thanks for stopping by!

Treasures found

DH took a couple of days off so I hardly been online :o) ....Or painted anything for that matter! LOL But having fun.
Few days ago, while digging for treasures in some forgotten boxes, I came upon a bunch of scrap-booking magazines. They are in perfect condition and I don't know what to do with them. I don't want to toss them in the recycling bin, but they are from like 2002 or something. They are very nice magazines with pretty pages.
I wonder if I should list them on ebay? Not sure.

In another box we had this cool drawing books from my kids. Those I know I could list.
I also took to the recycling bin bunch of stuff, and boxes as well, so I have more room in there. My philosophy is, if I can store it in a box for months and didn't miss it, I can very well donate/recycle/sell. I will be listing some angels that I was collecting, but decided to keep just the bigger pieces. I absolutely love wood carved angels, so if you like them too, keep an eye over here :o)
The thing is to remember at the right time to make the listing... or does that matter anymore? I have not listed on ebay for the longest time!


That's it for now, but here's a fun optical illusion. Funny isn't it?
 I will see you soon, if your eyes are not all crossed :oP

Long week

Well, I never really planned not to post for a week, but even when I was online, and I made some art, for whatever reason I never made it to click on "post" in the blog.
These past few days I actually worked on a polymer baby, the pictures on my doll blog.
DH was out of town on a business trip and that is stressing for me so I was a owl at night then a zombie next day. Every day. For a week. Yeah, I have circles under my eyes. :oP

That takes a toll on the creative part of the brain, definitely.  I took this time to clean/throw/organize things that I hardly ever think of, like light fixtures, books, shelves. My next project has to be the kitchen. I have not been through all the shelves for ages literally. I have an aunt who used to clean them every month, along with her closets. Not me! Imagine all the treasures I will find hehehe

Anyway, this was not an artsy posting as you can see by now, but more like an update. But from my lack of sleep, I have the inspiration of painting about dreams :o) So lets see what I can come up with to post later.

A lot of people go with the seasons and holiday art... but I have to be inspired to do something. I admire those people that have everything ready for Christmas, way in August... Or have their Valentine's items ready in November.

And talking about of that.... I still have available the code for Fall! fall15off on every item in my shop.
Everything :oD   http://www.etsy.com/shop/AyalaArt 

I hope you have a nice rest of the weekend! For now, I will get ready to welcome my sweetheart home ♥

Birthday

It's been a sweet day. It started since yesterday when my friend from Australia sent me good wishes ♥
Then today, after our family wished a happy day to my daughter and me (we share the day and the cake!)  .....the computer wished me happy me too. I love that part of technology. Always on time :o)

Oh, and friends from PPF wished me a happy day early too, since Friday, thanks!!

We went to have lunch to one of my favorite places. Then a little shopping. We were going to go to the movies also but the line was long and I didn't feel like waiting, so we went for a little drive, then ice cream.

I'm still going to have cake, don't you doubt that for a second! I just won't have all the candles, I'm afraid to cause a fire now a days LOL :o)

Happy birthday to John Lennon, and to Annoying Orange as well.
And Thank YOU very much for visiting this little blog and make me smile with your comments.
HUGS!

Third video demo

Here's the last demo of the three ladies I've been working on. If you have not subscribed, go ahead and you will be notified of any new art videos I upload in youtube.

Thanks for your visit and have a wonderful weekend! I will be eating cake on Sunday, my B-day!
Check my available art and online classes get my newsletter

Steve Jobs

Wonderful quotes by Steve Jobs:

-"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do... If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on."

-"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

-"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become."

-"Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new."

-"We're here to put a dent in the universe."

Steve Jobs. RIP

 

Update: Photo of a site that published this post in Daily Inspired (Thanks Jane Farmer)

I wasn't going to post today but...

This isn't exactly about art, but still sort of related. I got an email notifying me some of my post were being  published here. Two the same day! I thought it was cool and wanted to share. One of them is my post from yesterday :oP

I know... I said there was not going to be a post today, but I'm hooked now! :o)
See you tomorrow!

30th of 30 days of Art....

Well, what do you know...? We are in the 30th day of 30! I didn't do much painting today, but I managed to do a bit of collage, a bit of editing in a video, and took a picture for the blog. Which by the way, I worked also on my blog remodeling and new buttons, coming up sometime after Oct 10th.
For the past few days I have been playing with all kinds stuff to incorporate to a mixed media painting. This project could end up being a tutorial video. But time -and editing- will tell :o)

For now, here's a photo of a work in progress. DH says I should stop right there... I want to keep going a bit more. We'll see at the end how it looks!

Work in progress Mixed Media Acrylic paint

Thanks for visiting! These 30 days to get your art on were awesome for the creativity point of view; it was a great wave of energy for me,  but it was also a bit stressing with all the computer drama and other stuff, and feeling that I had to come and post, even if it was 10 pm like right now! So... you won't see me tomorrow! But I will be back with more to share! ♥

Oh wow... I have 389 blog friends! That's too close to 400. Sounds to me like it's time for another Giveaway!

Mermaid WIP 29th of 30 days of art

Today was a weird day. We were going to do one thing, but we had to do another... and I the end, we did neither. I pretty much stayed home with a kid still getting better of a cold, and another with a bunch of homework, while my husband went to see his mom at the hospital. I didn't want to take a sick kid and make grandma feel even worse.

So anyway, I worked on a video that I will post next week, did a bunch of house work, and managed to kinda sorta begin to ink one of my mermaids. Her hair is coral... with ink her eye difference in size can be more noticeable.
Maybe with a different technique I feel more inclined with following this line. Ink and diluted acrylics are not calling me for this one piece in particular. (-'_'-)

I also worked in some "social media" buttons for my blog, like youtube, twitter, facebook, etc. I guess it's that time of year when I get itchy for changing things around, only that I don't have a lot of time for it right now, but it is in my mind :o)  When I made the ones for my website, it took me forever, but hopefully this time around it will be easier.

Thanks for coming by!

Feel like spammer... and my 28th day of 30

One of my plans is being more active in my videos again, and invite people to be part of it, if they are interested. I very rarely send bulk emails. And I just sent one. It was to a list of friends, not strangers but I still nevertheless, feel uncomfortable now :oP
I suppose I can put together a newsletter and have people decide if they want to sign up. Maybe that will remedy the spammy guilty feeling :o) One more thing for my "to do" list I guess.

The art part of this post consists of a series of sketches I made based on mermaids. I absolutely love mermaids, and in fact, they were one of my favorite things that I drew since I was a little girl.

I started these a while ago, but never got to the ink part of it, because I hesitated in the new character with one eye smaller than the other. I wanted to create something different than what I usually do, and at the moment I liked it, but then I thought.... maybe not so much. It would be, if anything, just a small series as opposed an ongoing theme or character, that I think is better, in the sense that you get to be known for "it", whatever "it" might be.
Which is another of my constant goals: to have some common thread in the style, or some main theme that will be recognizable, and not something so variable, random and hotchpotch that not even myself would know who made it lol :oD

That's the problem when you like doing too many things and too many styles I guess.
Have a good day!