If you invite them will they come???



Christmas Card Design
"A White Christmas"

I finally got my brave on! This Sunday, for the first time, I am hosting an Open House to show and sell my art and cards. I have been preparing for weeks building inventory: creating, printing, cutting, adhering, labeling, packaging, more labeling, mat cutting, picture framing, canvas stretching,...I have fluctuated from sheer elation to "what the heck" was I thinking?!?! There's something about relishing in the anticipation and excited nervousness of planning such an event. . A thumping heart and jumping stomach add to a heightened sense of focus. I wonder, "if they are invited, will they come?" But mostly I have enjoyed a GREAT experience prepping for this show. I have had a lot of fun!!! Fun creating! Fun preparing! Fun learning! Fun inviting! I am looking very forward to welcoming friends into my home and sharing my passion with them!

 

Christmas Card Design
"We Three Kings by Night"



Christmas Card Design
"We Three Kings by Day"





Christmas Card Design
"Christmas in the Woods"

Christmas Card Design
"Angel of Peace"

Christmas Card Design
"Candy Canes and Holly"



Christmas Card Design
"The Stockings Were Hung"

Christmas Card Design
" Presents Under the Tree"

 

 



 

In this techno-filled world of emails, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc., there is nothing like receiving a personal handwritten note. Sending and receiving SNAIL MAIL IS FUN!!! A handwritten note is a unique gift of you, made even more special when written on a handcrafted card! How fun for that special person in your life to get a letter from you. These artistic. blank cards are great for personal and professional correspondence.  Aunt Bean Artworks designs are wonderful for birthdays and anniversaries, they make fabulous invitations, a lovely thank you or a cheerful get well card. Have a kid in college...how fun for them to get something in that PO Box. Cards make great gifts for teachers, family and friends or a unique hostess gift during this joyous holiday season.  Any occasion is extra special when celebrated with a handwritten note on a handcrafted card. It is quite a treasure to be the recipient of such an exclusive gift.

Aunt Bean Artworks original, whimsical designs are printed, hand cut and mounted on a variety of sizes and colors of cardstock. There are both folded and flat cards. Cards with envelopes are packaged individually and in sets of 3-6 cards. Basic cardstock colors include white, ivory, black, Kraft, pastels and neutrals. Metallic colors and glitter cards are also available when in stock. Some cards are further embellished with ribbons. There are a myriad of possibilities. Creativity abounds!

CARD PRICES

Single Card $4.00 each
Package of 3 cards $11.00
Package of 4 cards $14.00
Package of 5 cards $17.00
Package of 6 cards $20.00

10+ cards are $3.00 each

Embellished Cards $4.50 each

10+ Embellished Cards are $3.50 each

(PayPal account option coming soon)

In stock cards are ready for purchase and custom orders are welcome. For more information or to place an order, contact me, Christine Smith, at auntbeanartworks@cox.net.

Thank you for considering Aunt Bean Artworks!!!

 

An Interview by Charles van Heck

Much gratitude and sincere appreciation to Charles van Heck for believing in me, supporting me and finding me interview worthy!!!


http://www.whitmanpondcharlesvanheck.net/woodhull-arts-journal.html

The Power of Prayer

I am not one who often shares my feelings and views on faith and religion. I truly believe there are MANY RIGHT ways!!! Throughout the course of my life, my "right way" has shifted, changed, grown, disappeared and reemerged. I have questioned, I have doubted, I have believed.

Earlier this week I took kid#3 to his college orientation. Per my usual, I chatted it up with everyone in my path (as I have never met a stranger and treat all as a friend with something special to share and teach me). One such encounter did just that. All parents and students were given name tags to wear that had their hometown written on it. I noticed a woman from the area I grew up in. I approached her, introduced myself and began asking her some specifics regarding where she lived, what high school her daughter attended, etc., and briefly shared similar info about myself. During the course of this conversation (I have an uncanny ability of being able to extract a person's life history in 60 sec or less!!!) I come to find out that she was a nurse in that area who not only knew my father (hematologist/oncologist) but had worked with him. She then shared this story (paraphrased)...

"There were times when we would go to your father for orders on a patient, he would pull out his prescription pad and in very large letters write, PRAY."

She told me that with great respect, appreciation and admiration in her eyes. I was DEEPLY and profoundly moved! My father was a very impressive Physician (man) who treated his patients with the most excellent medical care one could give, how beautiful to see how much he deeply cared for their souls and self too! How wonderful to see that his impact on this world continues to live on!!! (He died the end of March).

I definitely have my own personal private struggles with organized religion but I do have a very strong Faith. Faith in the existence of a Power bigger, better and beyond human comprehension! Faith in the power and prevalence of human kindness! Faith in the power of prayer!

I pray in thanksgiving for all the gifts I have been given and for all the amazing people I've been blessed to cross paths with.

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

Self-Portrait???

Playing around with watercolors (no sketching) daughter thought I'd done a self-portrait... (someone else made the comment that they too thought it looked a lot like me, though I smile a lot more...thank goodness!!!

Current Musings

Recently started an art journal, more for creative exploration than journaling per se...Have been experimenting with "portraits" using mixed-media and using lines.

In addition to the art journal ,I have completed the illustrations I'm doing for a book of haikus. I now need to work on an "artist's page" (the most challenging "prompt" yet!!!). Also get to play around with my own interpretation of the writer's logo.

A lovely weekend to all! :D

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

Yet another experiment...

I recently began an art journal. Thought it would be a good place to experiment with new techniques and the freedom to be "messy". So far it's been an adventurous journey in mixed media. Was also introduced to a brayer, such a simple yet fun tool...who knew?!?!

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

Evolution of an artist...

So much to learn! So much to explore! So much to play with! I am truly a work-in-progress in all aspects of my life. Sometimes knowing where I'm going. Sometimes totally clueless and just seeing where the next line brings me (both literally and figuratively). Plenty of mistakes are made along the way but a few key phrases I've come across help me along this journey...

"there are no mistakes only embellishment opportunities"

"change 'I HAVE to' to 'I get to'"

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!
Christine :D

Snail mail is FUN!!! :D

Write a letter. Snail mail is fun! I love creating notecards from my original art. It's a wonderful way to share my work while giving the gift of a handwritten letter. I fully employ and enjoy many means of social networking but they should not always take the place of the unique gift of a handwritten correspondence. Here are a few thoughts on letter writing.

...of all the ways we express ourselves nonverbally, none is quite so personal as our handwriting-so personal and important that our signatures are legally protected as a mark of identity. Unlike other ways we use to express our individuality, we have sole ownership of our handwriting. It is a personal possession that no other person is allowed to use or imitate...Just as art expresses the intent of the artist, so does handwriting. ~Betty Edwards~

Letter writing is an excellent way of slowing down this lunatic helterskelter universe long enough to gather one’s thoughts. ~Nick Bantock~

Letters are among the most significant memorial a person can leave behind them. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe~

A letter is a blessing, a great and all-too-rare privilege that can turn a private moment into an exalted experience. ~Alexandra Stoddard~

The word that is heard perishes, but the letter that is written remains. ~Proverbs~

Sir, more than kisses, letters mingle souls; for, thus friends absent speak. ~John Donne~

A letter is a blessing, a great and all-too-rare privilege that can turn a private moment into an exalted experience. ~Alexandra Stoddard~

A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend. ~Emily Dickinson~

A Letter is a Joy of Earth -
It is denied the Gods. ~Emily Dickinson~


Send some love, share some art, write a letter!

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

Beautiful words to contemplate and live by...

I've recently come across a few words of wisdom I would like to share that have made a big impact on me. The first, a Guatemalan Proverb, was on a birthday card I just received. The second is a quote from Beverly Sills I found in one of my mother's journals. The third passage, by the Dalai Lama, I crossed paths with as it flew through my G+ stream:

"Everyone is the age of their heart"
~Guatemalan Proverb~

"One of the qualities that separate
us two-legged animals from the
four-legged ones is compassion.
It is what makes us stand up tall
instead of crawling about on all
fours. And standing up tall is
what frees our arms to reach
out to a fellow being and say 'Let
me help you'."
~Beverly Sills~

"Every one of us is getting older, which is a natural process. Time is constantly moving on, second by second. Nothing can stop it, but what we can do is use our time properly; that is in our hands. Whether we believe in a spiritual tradition or not, we need to use our time meaningfully. If over days, weeks, months and years, we have used our time in a meaningful way - when our last day comes, we'll be happy, we'll have no regrets.
~Dalai Lama~

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

Wanting to Frolick...

There has been MUCH going through my head of late with the recent death of my father: Being acutely aware of my mortality; Wanting to make the BEST of the unknown amount of time I've got here; Thinking about faith; Thinking about my role in this world which is changing at lightening speeds! My role as a daughter no longer exists :( My role as a mother is drastically changing as my youngest prepares for high school graduation and the wonderful adventure of going to college. My role as a wife...an ever changing work in progress. I'm sometimes overcome with a tremendous sense of loss, melancholy and sadness though I much prefer my cup to be joyously half-full. Sometimes frolicking through life can be more like wading and wallowing. Life is full of struggles. I hope to travel this journey with a smile and hope. I want to frolick!!!

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D

And she danced and danced and danced...

As a child I was told I COULDN'T be friends with everyone??? I found that quite baffling based on the Catholic teachings I was raised on. As a teenager I was told I HAD to pick a side despite clearly seeing and understanding both perspectives of the story (what's wrong with neutrality and compromise?!?!). As a parent, kid#2 has accused me of being too "pro-friendly" (really!?!? is there such a thing?!?!). Recently, on a social network site I was publicly blasted for "+1ing" a work of art before reading the accompanying blog post!?!? (though the post was dark and negative I still found the painting to be beautiful..."eye of the beholder..."). I can wait in a line and by the time I'm through I know my fellow "line waiter's" life story and am close to adding them to my Christmas card list. My family often rolls their eyes at me as I engage yet another new acquaintance in conversation. I truly LOVE people and have never met a stranger. I have always been enthralled and intrigued by all whose paths I cross. My passion, enthusiasm and interest in my fellow humans is quite genuine and sincere. This attitude has introduced me to many fascinating people and has brought me MANY treasures in life.

Here's to being "pro-friendly"!!! :D

Many Smiles!
Happy Creating!!
CARPÉ DIEM!!!

Christine :D