A treasury of orange hued favorites...

from various Etsy Shops ~
curated by Annalela

Flower Hoops by Dinafragola and Orange Hip Bag by Annalela


Orange Berry Bag by KnitKnit and Hot Air Balloon by Pituda


Boxy Felt Camera Case by Claraiuribe and Lena's Excursion to Paris by Kirby


Swaying Slower Mixed Media Painting by PlanetJanetArt and
Custom Hand Painted Portrait by MagicMarkingsArt

Thank you Annalela for this delightful selection of multi-media art treasures.

If you are interested in more information on any of the images, just click on the picture.

A cool find...for a beachy cottage

I came across this really fun find
today that I would love to share with
all you summer-lovin' beach gals.
The shop ~ Seashell Collections ~ is run by
Janet, an interior designer from Southern California,
who designs and produces home accessories using
shells, starfish and coral. If you love what you see,
click on the picture and you'll be transported
to her etsy shop.


Seashell Treasure Bottles-
what a delightful way to bring back that
summer feelin'
and - even better - they're on sale!

Seashell letters -
9" x 7.5" Ready to hang or lean against
a wall.

Be sure to drop by her shop to see some more
coastal inspired creations.
SeashellCollection's shop

Holiday Sale on Hand Painted Pottery

All
of my
hand painted pottery
Christmas Ornaments and
Holiday Plates are now on sale
!!!

A quick peak here:

Chill Baby
Let the wine flow

Berry Christmas
Chocolate and Wine

Beer and Football
Life's little gifts

If you would like to see more ~ just visit
My Wee Christmas Shoppe
click on shop and you'll magically be transported!

Last Minute Christmas Rush

Paint seems to be flying as I finish up one of my

last custom portraits for the 2009 holiday season.
All in hopes that this thoughtful gift -
(from a son and his fiance - to their newly-wed
mother and step-father) will make it safely onto
Santa's sleigh by tomorrow afternoon.


The original photograph


Late night painting in my pj's - while
listening to the Redskins loose to the Giants.


The finishing touches.

The end of a long day - and I'm ready for bed.
Sweet dreams.

Custom Hand Painted Portrait Ornaments

Yesterday I wrote about two custom orders I had received
for original, hand painted pottery ornaments ~
The first order - Hand painted portraits of a newly engaged
couple, her parents, grandparents, and two friends - all of
whom are now immortalized on special holiday ornaments.


Here they are ~ Fresh out of the kiln and looking
very happy.

Even happier now that they're "fully dressed"
with color coordinated ribbons.


Hand written names and dates help customize these
thoughtful gifts.

The Second Custom Order was for a Husband who
loves the Nebraska Huskers Football Team.


Herbie Husker honored on an ornament.

And the back of Herbie.
Somebody is going to be very happy hanging this up
on his tree!

***Just in time for last minute holiday shopping***
I'm running a special on my ornament sets ~
10% off the total cost if you purchase 3 or more ornaments ~
and shipping is free.
Click here for more information: Magic Markings Art.com

A Unique Christmas Gift Idea

Custom Hand Drawn and Hand Painted

Portraits on a Pottery Ornament.

Show
your love
with an original
keepsake. A gift that
will be treasured long after
the Christmas Tree is taken down.
The perfect present for a newly wed couple,
grandparent, parent, or for any special occasion.
Enjoy.

Special Order ~
Hand drawn portraits of a newly engaged couple,
parents, grandparents, and best friends.

Ornaments - Painted with lead-free, non-toxic
glazes, outlined and ready for the kiln.


Close-up detail -
before firing.


And another custom ornament...this one with a
sports theme.


Nebraska Husker


Outlined and ready for the firing process.

I'll be firing these tonight, and showing the finished pieces
tomorrow. If you are interested, or thinking about a custom
made piece and would like more information ~ click here:
Magic Markings Art.com

Thank you for visiting.

Hand Painted Christmas Ornaments

Love
this busy
time of the year ~
almost every room in
our home is a staging area for
some form of a holiday project. My
son's room is the "mat cutting" area and the
place where I store my art students canvas'. My
dining room is as always, the main area for painting. Our
family room has become the official Women who Art painting
area and my pottery painting site. Our dilemma now is ~ Where
Do We Put the Tree??!!!! Oh well, a busy home is a happy
home.

Just for you... a peak into yesterdays ornament production.


Pottery ornaments, hand drawn and hanging out
in the sunlight.


Later that evening...
the painting process has begun.


Even later that evening...
ornaments are painted and outlined in black.


At 12:30PM ~ my day was finished. So,
I left the U.Va. Cav man and the Va. Tech
HokieBird alone on the table to duke it out
while everyone else in the house slept soundly.
Not to worry though...
this morning everything appeared unscathed and
the ornaments are now in the kiln for their firing process.
Tomorrow they'll be ready for ribbons, photo's and for listing
in my shop: Magic Markings Art.com

If you would like a customized ornament ~ let me know...
if you don't have a blog - and want to leave a message just
select the anonymous button in the "Comment As" Area.
I would also love to hear your ideas for ornament designs -
or your thoughts as to who would win the
Cav man vs. HokieBird wrestling match!

Hand Painted Holiday Gift Ideas

For your beer drinking, football loving,

remote controlling , pizza eating man!
Please click on the images for more information.


"Berry Holidays" to all those special men who continually
cheer you on. Beers to them!!!


For those who love the finer things in life...
Beer ~ Pizza ~ and Football!


Cheer on your sports loving hero with a little holiday spirit!


"Beers to You!"
Lift a toast to the meaningful man in your life!

All ornaments have been hand drawn and hand painted
with non-toxic, lead-free glazes ~ and are available in my
shop: Magic Markings Art.com

A very berry holiday season to you and yours.

Hand Painted Holiday Plates for 2009

All Plates for the 2009 Holiday Season were designed
to be used alone or as a set. Hand painted with vivid,
food safe glazes and kiln fired. Each plate is 6.5 inches
square, and has been signed by me ~ Cathie Carlson ~ the artist.
(please click on the image for a sharper view
or on the plate title for more information)


Making Spirits Bright


Merry Martini


Have yourself a Merry Little Cocktail

And
For the Beer Lover in your crowd...


Beers To You

Make your Holiday Table or Friends Eyes Sparkle
with these whimsical hand painted plates.

There are more Plate Designs to come ~ so please ~
check back or visit my shop:
Magic Markings Art

Awesome Projects From Around the Web

I've scoured the web, borrowed ideas from other web sites (all of which are given credit) to bring you amazingly cute and fun project ideas.  Just click on the title underneath each image.  Enjoy and feel free to e-mail me a photo of your finished handiwork.

Tiny Pinata Party Treats

Photograph courtesy of You are my Fav

 Glass Sand Bottles with Shell Toppers

 Fused Plastic Recycled Gift Bags 

Recycled Plantable Paper   

 Colorful Tiered Trays 

Recycled Cardboard Notepads 

 Coloring Book Images to Click and Download
Just left click on the image then copy, paste, and print.