Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

3 John 1:4

Wishing all of you Moms that I love and admire a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, filled with sweet blessings, simple joys and much love! Thank you for all you've done and continue to do to shape and influence the lives of all of us with your Godly wisdom and generous love!

And a particular thank you to my sweet Mom - my best friend. Your love, compassion, guidance, and grace mean more to me than you will ever know!!

Hey May!

Goodness gracious - the entire month of April zoomed past me without me putting so much as a sentence here on the old blog - what a slacker! Well, I just had to flip the calendar so to speak and greet you and the month of May and let you know I'm still here...

Thanks for still being my friend despite my slacker ways!

I've actually done quite a few updates on my Just Bee 'n Me page on Facebook...c'mon over and see me there if you want a few more updates than once a month. And yes, I will surely try to post more here too. I just completed a large body of artwork that I submitted to a company for possible licensing today, and with that complete, I now have a bit more time for some upcoming DIY decorating projects that I can't wait to share with you... Thanks for understanding!

Gotta run and work a private party at the painting studio tonight - but it sure was good to take a moment to say hey. Have a lovely weekend my dear friends...

Way Back When-sday - Easter Memories!

I decided to bring back a blog feature that used to be so much fun - Way Back When-sday! That's where I take a particular year or even an era or a day from my past and post about it on Wednesday along with photos and images from that time. Since today is my Birthday, I thought it would be the perfect time to bring back the feature and do a little reminiscing...and since it's almost Easter, I thought I would concentrate on Easters/Bunnies from my past... (I've shared some of these before but it's been several years so I thought it was OK to share again...)

Here I am with my very well-worn loved bunny that I had since I was a baby - since my Birthday often falls near Easter, I always received bunny stuff as gifts...so I've always had a thing for bunnies going way back...

Here I am acting silly with my shiny new replacement-bunny...I eventually wore it out too. (dig that stylin' black and silver couch we're sitting on...so mid-century!)

An Easter classic - scratchy, stiff new dress, white hat, white shoes, huge chocolate bunny, huge basket full of goodies!

 And here's the whole family that year - very groovy, 1969...  My Mom was pregnant with my little brother who was due in May...

And here we are the next year (or maybe the next) when my little brother was a baby...and I was still sporting a scratchy dress and white shoes. We were standing in front of the Wyatt's Cafeteria in Pasadena Texas after church - we rarely ate out when I was a kid, but we went there occasionally on Sundays and special occasions...

Bunny Montage - from my bunnies past and present...

Eastertime Bunny illustration from 1995...

OK fast forward...a LOT. I got engaged to my sweet Hubby John on Easter Day - he put my engagement ring inside a plastic Easter egg along with a sweet note - so adorable...

Thanks for indulging my little bit of reminiscing. I love this sweet Spring time of the year - it's so lovely and full of promise...what are some of your favorite Easter memories??

I hope you enjoy every bit of this amazing celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ! May He bless you with His unfailing love and unending joy!!

Introducing "Farm Friends"!!

The "Farm Friends" Collection by Unique (and me!!)

Yesterday was a very exciting day around here - I finally got my awesome "Farm Friends" samples from my art licensing contract with Unique Industries, Inc., a wonderful partyware company that I am so proud to have partnered with!! I met with a product developer from Unique at my booth at the Craft & Hobby Association Winter Show in Anaheim in January of 2012, and a couple of months later I signed a contract with them for the Farm Friends images...and it's take this long to see the finished product or to even talk about it much...so this was a big deal for me and my sweet hubby and family!

So yesterday when I came home from the grocery store, I saw two big boxes on my porch and I knew immediately that they must be from Unique because I was expecting them soon, but I was amazed that the boxes were so big...when I created the designs, I did layouts for plates and napkins, so that's what I was expecting. I had no idea that Unique was going to do an entire huge party collection with my Farm Friends...what an amazing surprise! I knew it was possible that they would do more with the images, but I just didn't know to what extent they might take it. So here's an overview of the cute party goodies they created... 

Plates...

Cups and Straws...

Napkins...

Hats and "Blowouts"

Banners and Balloons...

Cute Party Game...

Invitations, Stickers and "Loot" Bags...

Tablecloths and Cutouts...

And even a Piñata!!

 Wow - I am still blown away! I can't wait to see them in a store (please let me know if you see them in your neck of the woods - I'd love to know where they're selling!) The product developer that I work with at Unique said they are excited about the line and that they have been well received - so that sounds promising...!!

I wanted to send some encouragement to my artist friends who are slogging away at art licensing just like me...there are wonderful things awaiting us just around the corner - don't give up as I have been tempted to do on many occasions...just keep creating art that you love and invite folks to love it too, and they will...

Thank You LORD for blessing me with such a sweet surprise and for the opportunity to share the gift you graciously gave me...all glory to you!

I'm thinking a GIVEAWAY may be in order, for one of everything in the Farm Friends group...sound like fun?  I'll let you know the details very soon...

Hugs & Blessings to you all!

As February Disappears...

(Sweet Easter Inspiration Kit - $12.00 - Just Bee 'n Me Boutique on Etsy)

I guess I'll never cease to be amazed at the way time slips through my fingers. What is now almost the end of February 2013 feels more to me like January 2011 or something...but it's not. It is "now"; a new day in a rapidly aging "new" year and I had best grapple with that reality and make the best of it...

Since apparently Spring is already just around the corner, I thought I'd share a bit of Spring sweetness with our latest "Sweet Easter"Inspiration Kit in our Just Bee 'n Me Boutique on Etsy...fun stuff!

Besides new Inspiration Kits in the shop, I've been working on some new art for possible licensing...here's a snippet of new greeting card samples from my "All Dressed Up" collection of images...

I've also been working on combining two great loves of mine, my digital art with "fabric" - I'm making my own digital fabric collages "stitched" together with virtual free-motion and blanket stitching, buttons, ric rac and more. I'm having so much fun with this design concept, and I'm looking forward to all the creative possibilities it has in store...

In between designing, my work as a painting instructor at Pinot's Palette continues to be a great surprising source of joy and fulfillment in my life! I simply love seeing people come in to the studio a bit shy and apprehensive about doing this foreign thing called painting, then leaving with a wonderful painting in their hands and a contented smile on their face, happy that they conquered a fear and gained some skill and confidence, all while having a lot of fun. And I get paid to do this...amazing!

Here's my latest painting that we've added to the library of paintings at our Pinot's Palette location - we call it "Tuscan Breeze". We've done it a couple of times in the studio now - it is really fun to paint...

At the rate I've been going it may be Easter before I blog again (sigh), but you can always "Like" Just Bee 'n Me on Facebook and see a bit more of my day to day happenings and little encouragements...I'd love to have you add me to your newsfeed!  And of course I can't forget to mention Pinterest - I have a great selection of inspiring boards that I am adding to all the time, and I would love to have you follow along!! I sincerely hope to blog more in the coming days/weeks though, so don't give up on me just yet  :o)  There are so many creative ideas bubbling up in my heart and head and I always love to share those with you as I can. Here's a little preview of some of the creative things I am hoping to do in the coming weeks:

• New Inspiration Kits on Etsy, including more vintage sewing-related collections, vintage embroidered linens sets, and more lace destashing
• Original mixed-media creations as well as art prints of some of my work to be added to the Etsy shop
• More decorating features including my master bedroom which is patently waiting for its makeover
• More snippets of my design work for art licensing
• BIG makeover of my beckyschultea.com portfolio site
• Photos and notes from my upcoming trip to Round Top - the opening week falls on my birthday this year so that's my birthday present!!

I hope you'll tag along...these things are always much more fun when you have friends to share them with!!

I hope you have a blessed week doing those things that bring joy to yourself and others! Thanks as always for stopping by - you are most welcome and appreciated!

Blog Refresh and Etsy/Zazzle/CafePress Valentine Updates

(details from our latest Valentine Inspiration Kit on Etsy)

OK, the Christmas photos have GOT TO GO! My decorations are all put away and have been for a good while, so it's WAY past time to get a new post up for the New Year! (wow, are we really already 4 weeks into it??)

As usual, there is so much going on, which is why I've been away from the blog of late. I wanted to get you caught up on a few things and let you know of some things that are on the horizon...so here goes:

1) Just uploaded some fun, pretty new inspiration kits for Valentine's Day to our Etsy shop, plus there is a new Lace Destash Lot in the shop that is a treasure trove of really pretty laces including some awesome vintage crochet lace trims and SO much more! Lots of crafting inspiration to go around. (as of this writing one of our Valentine kits already sold within 10 minutes of posting!)

(details from the Deep Red Elegant Valentine Inspiration Kit)

(details from the Lace Destash Lot)

2) Did a little background refresh on the blog as you can see - the green stripes and flowers coordinate with the shop banners I have for the Etsy shop as well as my Zazzle shop. The next thing I am going to tackle is my portfolio site at http://beckyschultea.com - it is in dire need of a makeover. My goal is to have all my websites to look as much alike as possible so it is as seamless as possible to go from one to the other...

3) Speaking of my Zazzle shop (as well as my CafePress shop too) - I have been working to add more new content to all the shops, but it can be slow going at times. But if you haven't taken a look at any of the shops for a while, there are some nice new inspirational items there that are perfect for gift giving, especially with Valentine's Day fast approaching:

Valentine Notecard Set - $11.99

"She is clothed with strength & Dignity..." Mug - $16.95

4) Alas, I am closing down my Aimee Asher Digital Boutique as of the end of January. I have had such a wonderful time being a shopkeeper there, but I have not been able to keep the shop stocked with new digi kits because of the demands of my art licensing work as well as my job as a painting instructor. The good news is that every kit in my shop is 50% off through the end of the month, so if you've ever wanted to try one of the clip art kits, now is the time!!

(Valentine Variety Pack Clip Art Kit)

Thanks so much for hanging in there with me though all the ebbs and flows, and ups and downs of the life of a freelance artist (and part time home decorator). I love sharing with you and hearing about your life's journey too...  

Have a lovely, peaceful weekend!  Gotta go get ready for teaching a painting class this evening - wish you could all come - oh the fun we would have!!