Friday 23 September 2016

Introducing a New Product!!

Introducing the newest Inspiring Felicity products:

PILLOWS

 
Dapper dogs, smiling-inducing thoughts and sayings -
It's all a fun way to add personality to any space in your home!

My original designs and drawings, hand-painted on each pillow!

Dog designs:
17"x17" and 12"x18" are available for $30 each
 Small, custom sized design (chocolate lab in photo above) is available for $15

Quotes and Sayings:
17"x17" are available for $27.50
14"x20" are available for $22.50
 
 More designs and sizes will be made available in the future.
Prices and sizes may be subject to change.

Available designs will be for sale at:
"Help Your Neighbour" fundraiser at 
Twenty Valley School in Vineland
Saturday, September 24, 2016
10:00am - 3:00pm

Orders can be placed at show or by email:


Tuesday 20 September 2016

Who Can Resist a Dog in a Bowtie?!

Today's post is short and sweet!

I painted these three cuties up to sell at my upcoming show, 
on Saturday September 24th.
I will make prints from the originals
so if you like 'em, but don;t get to the show in time,
there will still be a way to take one or all of these dapper fellows home with you!

Do you like Chocolate labs?

(acrylic on 8"x10" stretched canvas)

 How about scruffy pups?

(acrylic on 8"x10" stretched canvas)

Or wrinkly crinkly bulldogs?
(acrylic on 8"x10" stretched canvas)

I think these polished pups would be perfectly suited to a nursery or a child's room!



 Or a breakfast nook, or family room...
What room in your house would they bring a bit of fun too?

Hoping your bowtie is polka-dotted and your day is full of smiles!
♥ Cath-


Monday 19 September 2016

Fun with Classics

Anyone who knows me well, knows I that enjoy Jane Austen's stories.
I love her observational humour. I enjoy getting to know her characters
and "listening in" on their interactions. She just wrote good stories!
 
I was sitting with my sketchbook one evening,
not knowing what to draw but wanting to draw something
so I began with drawing a pair of eyes in the middle of the page,
I thought of the popular portrait of Jane Austen,
and added the dark hair, the mob cap,
the grey blue gown...
 
I liked the fun style of what I was doodling,
the oversized eyes - there was humour in it, a sense of fun.
I notched a crooked smile smirk onto her face
and I knew exactly what I was doing then...
 
My interpretation of Jane Austen, how I envisioned her
writing with a sense of whimsy, sarcasm, humour,
it was all here in this simple doodle.
 
It made me think of the words she gave her character
Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey:
"Now I must give one smirk, and then we may be rational again."
 
I didn't stop with Jane Austen,
I developed drawings of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte.
I developed doodles of Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell.
I made caricatures of them all!
 
With Jane Austen being my favourite
I grabbed a canvas and started work on her painting first
 
This is how it turned out...
 
 
The text was added on the computer (using the Jane Austen Handwriting font),
after scanning in the original painting. When/if I sell the original, I will write the quote
in my own handwriting, which is somewhat similar to Miss Austen's.
 
I was so thrilled with how it turned out, my literary heart and creative mind
got to work on some other quotes to develop paintings around:
 
Pride & Prejudice's ridiculous Mrs. Bennet...
 
 
 
...and her witty husband, Mr. Bennet:
 
 
 As well as two of my favourite quotes,
first from the book, Emma - 
Mr. George Knightley:
 

and last but not least,
Sense & Sensibility's Marianne Dashwood:
 
 
All of these are 8x10" stretched canvas, acrylic paintings
will be available as prints at my upcoming show.
I may even decide to put the originals up for sale too.
 
I hope to add to this literary collection over the next few months
using my favourite quotes from various 19th century authors.
 
Wishing you all a good book and a good evening!
♥ Cath-
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 

Friday 16 September 2016

Inspiring Felicity

I started this blog just over 4 years ago.
I came up with the name "Inspiring Felicity" after a short brainstorming session.
I've always liked the word 'inspiring' - it's just packed full of potential! -
and I had long been intrigued by the word 'felicity' after reading Jane Austen's 
"Sense & Sensibility', in which you find Marianne Dashwood's happy declaration, 
"Is there any felicity in the world superior to this?"

I wanted nothing more than for my 'work' to inspire 
and promote happiness in others - it was a perfect fit - 
'Inspiring Felicity' was born! 

A few months ago, on a whim, I joined a craft show that was at our local school - 
I had five days to prepare and I had never done a show before - what was I thinking?!
Not only that, in the midst of all the organizing and prep before printing I made the decision to change my card 'company' name on the back of my greeting cards, 
from "Bunnies & Buttons Card Factory" to "Inspiring Felicity Card Studio".

So if you have a card from me with the 'original' card company name on it - it is now considered 'vintage' and I'm pretty sure 'highly collectible' - as for its rise in value, one cannot possibly predict! ;)

And with the name change, comes a need for a new logo!

I sat down with my sketchbook and with furrowed brow and a light tapping on my forehead in true Winnie the Pooh style - "think, think, think" - I thunk, thunk, thunk, and came up with this:


 A mouse - my go to animal when I'm sorting out ideas - 
but this is not just any mouse, this is a mouse that is inspired to felicity!

Here is the official logo that now represents all my artistic and creative endeavours:


...and this is the logo that you'll now find 
on the back of all my greeting and note cards:

 

With all my cards now sporting their new 'ink', I completed all my printing and packaging
with time to spare and the craft show went well! I was glad I had signed up - 
as impulsive as it was - it was good idea and it inspired me to join another show 
that is coming up on  Saturday, September 24th, again at our local school.
I have also started to sell my cards and art prints at an area gift shop.

So things are happening! 
I've been busy being a mom and I've been busy painting up new stuff -
new Inspiring Felicity products for the show and hopefully the shop too!

I hope to highlight some of the new things I'm working on
over the course of next week, the Lord willing.

Until then I hope you find inspiration 
and felicity in each of your days!
♥ Cath-