First Ever Feature

I am so happy to feature this etsy artist, especially as my first ever feature. I could go on and on about her and have as you all have read previously so I will let her do the talking. The artist behind dharmadesigns is 34 year old Wendy Baylis. As she puts it she is "married to my best friend-although it took forever to find him". Even though she has Fibromyalgia she doesn't let it get in the way of having a full and happy life, including going for 10 mile walks every Sunday. Besides her jewelry, pencil potraits and blog, she is currently writing a fictional novel about a medical evacuation helicopter crew in the Vietnam War. She says she is a perfectionist and will work on something until she get it right. "I have such an over active imagination that I feel compelled to create. I paint, draw, write, cook ethnic foods, make cards and jewelry. You name it - if it's creative I do it." Wendy says that she looks up to all artists, especially those on Etsy. "I love handmade objects - whether it be art or practical every day items like laundry soap." When asked who she would exchange lives with if she could her answer is Bob Brier, in her words a fascinating Egyptologist. "I always wanted to be an archaeologist like Indiana Jones and unearth some fascinating ruins in Egypt or Asia". She would love to live half the year in Thailand and the other half in Nepal. Wendy has a profound love and respect for cultures and people of Asia which is evident in her jewelry and especially her blog. Although she jokes that she is not good at promoting herself she has no problem promoting the talented people on etsy something she hopes to accomplish on her blog. I have to say that from the sounds of it the only thing this talented and ambitious woman cannot do is dance, "I've got two left feet, so needless to say I'm not good at dance. I took it in highschool because it was required (seriously) and it was not only disasterous, but embarassing". Finally a weakness in the armour!! :) Please take a moment and check out her etsy site and blog at

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/ and http://dharmadesigns.blogspot.com/

Current Projects

Some pencil drawings I did a couple years ago.

The Dalai Lama

Monk's hand with prayer beads

My Little Monkeys

These are my little monkeys ... in these shots they are being DIY "helpers".

Here a wrestling match broke out on our bed ... looks like the baby won!

At the same time my boys are wrestling, Brooklyn is showing off for the camera with her webkinz animals. She loves to glam it up for the camera and I love to catch her doing it!!!

My little man in all his beautiful glory!!! He is so adorable and the hubby is teaching him early about the love we have for the Yankees. Both my children are named after the New York Yankees ... Brooklyn for Brooklyn, New York and Jeter after Derek Jeter. Our dog's name is Yankee also. Let's just say the hubby and now the entire family is all about the Yankees!!!!

My Weekend

I haven't posted anything for a bit because we are having computer virus problems on our computer. Hopefully the hubby will be able to get it cleared up soon. After much trial and error and practice I was able to get these pictures uploaded.

This is what I did this past weekend ... restained our upstairs bathroom cabinet and painted the walls in our kitchen. I think both look way better ... however it makes the other projects we have on our list stick out like sore thumbs. All we need is time ...

Kitchen before Boooo

Kitchen After Yaaaaa!

Bathroom cabinet before (boo)

Bathroom Cabinet After (WOW)

I am happy with the results! Time well spent!

Next project ... not sure ... but I definitely need a new bathroom counter top and floor, not to mention those kitchen cabinets need some work!

New Quote

I found a new quote;

"The mind and the body are like parallel universes. Anything that happens in the mental universe, must leave tracks in the physical one."
Deepak Chopra

Projects I am working on

I just put both kids to bed and had a few minutes so I thought I would share with you some of the things I have just finished or that I am working on.

Soft Clay Flower

Soft Clay Flower - Orchid

Soft Clay Flowers - Stephanotis (and the most beautiful little girl in the world)

Smaller Soft Clay Orchids that are displayed in my bathroom.

Magnolia Flower Painting

I will try to put up more as I go along.

New Feature Artist Coming Soon

I am going to have my very first feature artist very soon and I am so excited about it. For those of you who do not know of her this will be a special treat. Not only is she an amazing artist but she is also an incredible blogger who searches through etsy to find new and exciting talent. When I first started on etsy she was one of the handful of etsians who took the time to give me serious feedback on my shop and ideas on how to improve it. During that time she made sure to not only encourage me but all those asking for help. Where she finds the time I do not know but her blog features new artists constantly with incredible well written stories about each of them.
I am very excited and honoured to have her as my very first feature ... so stay tuned it will be worth your while.

Inspirational Quotes

I love inspirational, motivating, uplifting, funny, all of the above quotes. I decided to add the Daily Inspirational quotes gadget to my page. Let's see if we all find a little solace in these words!
If you have a favorite quote/saying please let me know what it is.