Rosalie ~ Acrylic Painting

A bit of a Parisian twist with this one. I read the lyrics to this lovely song and was so inspired, I just couldn't help myself.
'Rosalie' is an 8x10 acrylic painting with antique music sheet circa 1913 on a gallery wrapped canvas.

Mini House Pendants

A baker's dozen of teeny little house pendants that I just finished. Handmade from polymer clay and hand-painted with acrylics by myself, each is one of a kind and unique. They measure about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches tall. I won't be posting the majority of them to Etsy, as I'll be bringing them to shows, but if you see one you like please e-mail at hoydendesigns@gmail.com and I'll get it to you!

After 6 months...finally a painting!

"An Ocean of Tears" 11x14 acrylic painting on canvas board

Welcome Spring...and Inspiration!

This winter for some reason truly destroyed my creative spirit. I can't even explain why, I just could never bring myself to pick up a brush and lay my soul on canvas.
Now the weather is warming, the flowers are blooming, and I'm feeling the faint stirrings of that wonderful spirit returning. I suppose my creativity needed to hibernate. I picked this bouquet of inspiration from my garden to fill my antique silver water pitcher - and myself - with some much needed color and joy. Hopefully it will breathe some life back into the dusty corners of my mind!

Belated Happy Holidays!

I've been so busy with family things for the holidays that I'm afraid I've left my wonderful blog friends in the lurch! I wanted to keep you updated on my newest pieces and how the Handmade Holiday Gift Fair went...so here goes:

The new ornaments came out wonderfully, just as I imagined they would. I even brought some fresh pine branches in a weighted vase to the fair to display them:


Here are my newest pendants, many of which sold the night of the fair!:


I didn't have a huge assortment of mew pins, earrings or hairpins, but they did very well regardless:


These rings are my new passion; I had a blast making them, and they are so fun to wear.:


I also managed to create 2 new paintings. Here is the first, which is an 8x10 acrylic painting on gallery wrapped canvas, with antique music sheet circa 1890:


Here is the second, 'The Heart Bowed Down', also an 8x10 acrylic painting on gallery wrapped canvas, with antique music sheet circa 1913:


Here is my Christmasy little display; it was too much fun!:


I hope all of you had an amazing holiday season, and that this New Year has all sorts of wonderful things in store for you!

New Christmas Ornaments

The newest additions to the pieces I'm bringing to the Holiday Gift Fair on Saturday!

Holiday Gift Faire and Christmas Jewelry

This coming Saturday I'll be doing a Holiday Gift Fair at EniThing in San Jose, CA! So if you're in town please stop on by. It's a small venue, but with some great and talented crafters and artists. Anyone who comes up to me while there and mentions that they saw me post about this on Facebook or my blog will get a free mini bookmark. :)
Above are some of the pieces I'm working on right now. These hand-painted (by yours truly) polymer discs will be turned into pins, pendants, earrings and rings!

A Chill in the Air

Yes, even being in the San Francisco Bay Area it gets chilly from yime to time!
The amazing tree in our backyard is finally shedding it's crown of leaves. The bed of gold that carpets everything makes our yard look as if it's a fairy land. Right now I'm seated at my kitchen table (which also serves as a makeshift computer table for me!) gazing at it in complete wonder. This time of the year it's the best seat in the house. :)

Shop-wide SALE!

Who's in the mood for a SALE?!
Now through Cyber Monday you can get 30% off of EVERYTHING in my Etsy Shop! Does that include Clearance items (which have already been marked down 50% or more)? It sure does!
Simply use the coupon code 'DICKENS' at check-out and the discount will automatically apply. Happy Shopping!!!

Sorry for the lack of work lately...

...but it seems I've got some nasty carpal tunnel in both hands, and the thumb on my painting hand sometimes get so painful I can't hold a pencil. :(
I'm hoping to finish a couple of paintings in the near future, though, so please keep checking back! I'll be starting physical therapy soon, so hopefully it will help. Keep your fingers crossed!