ACEO Online Magazine

I recently joined the ACEO Online Magazine on LinkedIn because I love creating aceo's. It is ran by Angela Taylor, a very cool lady who is big into giving to charity...which is a very cool thing to do!
When I joined I noticed that they had a monthly challenge, and it was Blue. So I entered a couple of my pieces, and I am thrilled to say that I won 1st place with Blue Crystal aceo (shown below). That's my badge up above created by Angela.


They also had a 2nd place winner, Kathryn Kelton, a visionary artist for 'Carnival Blue'

and the 3rd place winner, Joann Wheeler for 'Oh My'

I know both of these lovely and talented ladies from my DAWG group.
Here are the interviews from the winners. So far only Kathryn's is posted, I sent mine in this morning and Joann's should be coming shortly.

If you would like to join the ACEO Online Magazine, there is a LinkedIn Group, Facebook, a Flickr group and the Ellen Degeneres Show
or you can do what I did and join all four: )

Would you like to learn to paint like this?

I am so excited! I promised I would tell you more about the free interactive live online art classes by award winning professional artist, Johannes Vloothius (pronounced Float-boat). Well, Johannes is now officially sponsored and endorsed by F&W Media, the publishing company that brings us The Artist Magazine for one. Because of this, Johannes is able to continue to give free online classes.

The classes will be starting Saturday, January 29th - April 17th. It will be a 12 week, 24 day workshop on both Saturdays and Sundays from 3-5 pm EST. This first session will be How to use Photos to Create Stunning Landscape Paintings.

Johannes knows what he's talking about, and loves to share the golden nuggets of art, the things that other teachers keep to themselves. I have taken classes from him, when they were not free, for three years, and was honored a few years back to meet him in person and had a one-on-one workshop with him all day. That was an exhausting and exciting day : ) I can say from personal experience that he is the real deal, and not only shares freely everything he knows, which is a lot, but does it with passion. He LOVES painting and loves to see students learn and grow. I have never met a more giving person than him.

To learn more about this go to the Johannes Vloothius Student Lounge at wetcanvas, Click here for the direct link. This is the link to the page where you can find the post for registering for classes, the link is in big bold letters, and is the 7th post down.

If you would like to see more of Johannes Vloothius paintings go Here

I am so psyched about these online classes and can't wait until Saturday.

Oh, and before I forget, Johannes is giving a live Pastel demonstration this Friday starting at 2pm EST. Check the WetCanvas forum for the link for that demonstration. I also strongly recommend, that if you are interested at all in his teaching, to sign up at wetcanvas and follow the thread. You will get lots of information just from the forum itself. Robert, another fellow student takes excellent notes and then posts them on the thread to share with us all.

Hope to see you there,

hugs,

Brenda

Gifts at Finerworks

I want to share with you some of the gifts that's in my Finerworks shop. I am in a lot of online galleries and last weekend when I was uploading some new images to my galleries I discovered that finerworks.com have gifts that I can create and I'm really am excited about it. There are many unique gifts that aren't at my other shops. So here are some of them

Click on the pics and it will bring you to the direct link for that product

4x4 eco-friendly notepads

12 month folded calendars

Return address labels

Playing Cards

3.5x8 eco-friendly refrigerator notepads

Coasters

Trinket Boxes

Jigsaw Puzzles

There are other gifts too and I will be adding more and more gifts as the days go on.

So far no one has commented or wanted in on the Pay It forward on the post before this one. Remember, it's good to receive too. I want to tell you about something that happened. The very next day after I posted that blog, a wonderful lady that I know told me that she was at Michael's Craft Store and thought of me. She handed me a card telling me how much she enjoys my artwork and the Christmas cards I give and gave me a gift card to Michaels Craft Store. She also said that she shows her family members my cards all the time. Talk about being touched. That was such a sweet and wonderful thing to hear, and such a sweet thing that she did. Thank you so much Karen, I can never tell you how much that meant to me.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend,
Love,
Brenda

Pay It Forward

Tonight I've been reading the blogs that I follow and it's been a very enjoyable way to spend the evening. I have seen beautiful new artwork, read about goals and I visited Melody Lea Lamb's Miniature Art Blog where she told a story about paying it forward. Paying it Forward is when something good happens to you, you then do something good for someone else. Instead of paying something "back" you are paying it "forward" on to the next person. Its like a random act of kindness that can keep going, blessing more and more people. This is definitely something our world needs a lot more of. I'm a big believer in random acts of kindness and I am totally inspired and have decided to do this myself on my blog.

So, here are the Paying It Forward rules:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I'm not sure what that gift will be yet and it may be a few weeks or more to receive it but you will receive it! I promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

When you leave your comment, please also do one of two things: leave your mailing address here or Email Me at bmthour@comcast.net with your mailing address.

So, are you up for it?

Mandarin Duck aceo

This is my second duck aceo that I created last week for my DAWG team. This one is also oil, but it's on an aceo size stretched canvas. It is glued on the side and the sides are painted as a continuation of the painting. It's really cute. This is the second time I've used this size stretched canvas, the last one I did for my daughter called Black and White.
If you are interested, it is listed in my etsy shop, click Here for the direct link for this painting.
I can't believe how incredibly busy I have been with all my online shops and galleries, painting and everything else. Soon I will be starting a landscape art class by award winning artist and wonderful art instructor Johannes Vloothius. I need to work on my trees.
I did a post on him a while back. Some exciting things are happening with the online class, and I will tell you more when the details are final.

Here's a few products from my zazzle shop:

Bouquet From the Heart aceo oval Necklace by bmthour
View more silver pendant designs at Zazzle.

Piercing Heart aceo, Piercing Heart aceo by bmthour
View other iphone cases

Pink Tiger aceo, Be myValentine! by bmthour
See more Tiger Cards

Kaleidoscope Of The Heart by bmthour
Design your shirt at zazzle

cinderellas carriage, Love comes in many colors! by bmthour
Browse more Love Bumper Stickers

Wandering Whistling Duck aceo

This is one of my new creations. For my DAWG team we are doing a duck challenge. So I was looking through my pics that I took at the zoo this past summer (because I went to zoo 4 times) and I came across this little sweetie. Now I had painted this kind of kind of duck once before and I had no idea what kind of duck it was and could not find it in my book. This time I was wise and took pics of the signs they have at the zoo that tells you the different ducks they have there.
Wandering Whistling Duck aceo is listed in my etsy shop along with my other paintings.

Now for something kinda crazy.

It is January, and my hibiscus that I bring in the house each fall has lost most of it's leaves, as you can see. Although it does have a bunch left at the very top of the plant. I took these pics today, and the thing is blooming! Yes, it is blooming in January. I haven't given it anything but water and this is the third flower that has bloomed since last weekend.
See the bud in the pic below? Ya, that's another flower bud, which will be the 4th flower.
Yesterday two flowers were blooming side by side...I should have taken a picture.

So even though we have lots of snow and it is infact snowing right now in Minnesota, I have a promise of spring blooming in my family room. So do not fret, because time goes fast and spring will be here before we know it.

Hope you are all staying warm, for those of you who live where it's been snowing. For those of you who live in a warmer climate, well just know that I am so jealous! : )

Have a wonderful weekend,

Brenda

Proud To Be Feature

I am so honored and tickled pink to be featured in Artist Ruth Jamieson's Blog. What a delightful lady she is and a very talented visual artist. I am also proud to say that she owns 3 of my original paintings. Click HERE to read the feature

I've been busy creating more products at my Zazzle shop. Necklaces, coasters, ornaments, IPad Cases and IPhone Cases are new at zazzle.

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Earthy Browns Dawg Team Treasury

'Earthy Browns Dawg Team' by luvs2paint

A beautiful collection from the Designing Artists Women Group DAWG members

ACEO - SHAMROCK BUNNY, ... kathrynsangels $14.99	Desert treasure Genuin... dawndreaming $45.00	Aceo Hawk wildlife limi... backroomtreasu... $3.50
At The Cross Shades of ... artbylisak $3.50	ACEO Original Watercol... JYWheeler $9.99	OOAK - ORIGINAL INK DRA... Lazyhawk $5.99
glowing ACEO watercolor... leepierce $10.00	original art aceo colo... dogandcat $4.99	original art 3-D painti... artistsuetaylo... $49.99
Rockstar 8x10 print StoneCottageSt... $9.99	Pretty Buckskin horse -... tapestry316 $10.00	Cheetah Glass Marble Pe... luvs2paint $12.00
WINGED BEAUTY 8 X 10 ... arlenefaye $20.00	original art pendant Ar... suecorcoran $79.99	Tyrrell Park Bmt Tx oi... Barbsgarden $105.00

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