YOU ARE AMAZING. THE END.

(Photo via @winsomejones)

I cannot even tell you how much I LOVE my mom. She is not only my best friend, but she is also one of the strongest, kindest, hardest working, and honest women I know.  She is there for anybody in our family when we need her. She has built up a VERY successful company by herself. She is definitely the glue that holds our family together.  She is Amazing. The end. 

With Mother's Day being yesterday Devan and I went and spent the day with the family. There is definitely never a dull moment when we are all together. 

Yesterday was also my sister Mckay's 20th birthday! She is serving a mission for our church in Seattle Washington right now. We got to Skype with her (because it was Mother's Day) so it was extra special. We definitely miss that little nugget.

Mckay Asked for one of my "I am a Child of God" Prints so I sent her one this week. 

Lots going on this week. On Wednesday I am headed to New York with my mom and sister for the New York Stationary Show. My moms company is going to have a booth there and we have so many fun things planned. Can't wait. Time to start packing. Follow me on instagram @gentrybartholomew to see updates through-out the week:)

DON'T BLINK

Hello there! wow it has been TWO WHOLE MONTHS since I have blogged. I feel like I just blinked and time has passed so quickly. I have no excuses except that so much time has passed and it became daunting to post since so much has happened! I decided with so much about to happen there is no better time than now to get back into it. So what has been happening these past couple of months???

Devan and I have both been working busily and he is just about to start summer semester of school. He got an internship for July and August and then will hopefully be starting his Masters program in Accounting this fall (we won't hear back for a couple weeks). I just found out he got 99% on his accounting final.. proud wife right here! My husband is a genius ;)

I have been working a lot with my Etsy  shop and am so excited about where that is going! It has definitely been keeping me busy. I did my first local market where I sold my prints and it was SUCH a great experience and I can't wait to do others in the future. I have found out some exciting news involving some of my designs... but that is a secret for the next little while! Also my "What a Wonderful World" print was turned into a download so that anybody can have it without having to wait two months! In a couple of weeks I am going to start interning at my moms company for some graphic design so that I can get more involved with that!

Devan and I are coming up on our ONE YEAR anniversary in a couple of weeks... WHAT?!?! Time has seriously been flying by!

For more of what has been going on with my family visit teresacollinsdesignsblog.com because that is a whole post in itself! All I can say is that Tyler is such a fighter and I know he can get through this. Your prayers and thoughts would be so much appreciated! My mom and two brothers could also use some prayers. They are all so strong, but I know that with them living this every day it helps to know people are thinking of them...


Thanks for stopping by!

A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN

Im at the airport right now about to fly out to see my new baby nephew that is one week old today and my family. Can't wait to meet this precious one and help out with those kiddos this week! Not to mention the perk of my brother living a couple of blocks from huntington beach.

http://www.abinantephotography.blogspot.com/2014/02/a-little-piece-of-heaven.html

DIY WALL ART

I have had this sign I had painted for our wedding reception (left) last May and it has been sitting behind a door at our home for 9 months now. I didn't want to throw it away because I had used a canvas and felt that I could re-use it somehow. I am so glad I kept it. Devan and I got a new shelving unit from ikea to make the room feel more open since it is glass shelves and open sides unlike our old one. Once this was in place there was a HUGE gap of wall that was empty space and it just looked awkward. I have seen cute abstract paintings and decided to pull out all of my paints. It was so easy and took about 30 minutes total and anybody can do it since it is abstract and unique!

First I needed to make the whole thing white. I decided I wanted a lot of texture so I used Gesso to really build up the white and add tons of dimension. Gesso is what is put on painting surfaces like canvas so that the paint doesn't rot the surface... I didn't really need it here but I used it for the affect it had. Once it was gessoed I painted a thin layer of white so that any black remaining would be hidden and also white paint is just a little brighter and more finished looking. 

For this project I used oil paints and turpentine to thin them, but watercolors would work great too! That is just what I have. I decided on a pink, orange and yellow theme... from there i just painted! I texted pictures to my mom and sister during the process asking if it needed more. We text all of the time! Usually it is me sending pictures of my outfit for the day wondering if I look cute or ridiculous. ha! So they kept telling me more more more. So I went with it! 

Here are some photos of the process and what it looked like as it evolved:

Right when Devan got home from work I asked him to hang my painting and he is so nice and hung it right away. I think he is used to my crazy last minute projects by now... maybe?

My office is definitely my favorite and most relaxing place in the house right now and I love all of the personal touches!

P.S. I ADORE YOU

Today I am sharing some fun news! Right now my prints are being featured until sunday on P.S. I Adore You and you can get 10 different prints from my shop. They are such a cool website and help support the fight against childhood cancer. Click on the video link below to see some of the prints available. I would love you all if you checked it out! https://www.psiadoreyou.com/Handscripted-Prints

In some other fun news I think I have created my favorite prints yet. I have created a geometric heart print. I LOVE the soft shape of the heart mixed with the geometric harshness of the colors. It comes in 5 different colors and I already have one frame in my home! These are the only 5 colors available at the moment, but don't you fret! Message me with any color combo ideas you have and I might add it to the shop! 

I hope everyone is having a great week! Tonight Devan and I got to go to dinner with Devan's parents and some friends at a thai food restaurant here in Springville. I am so grateful we have so much family close by! Now for the weekend! Check back tomorrow for a fun How-to on a art project I did for our office!