Happy New Year!

Here are some recent orders that I have done!  I haven't been able to blog much lately because of the holidays but I hope to get back into it after the new year!  Thank you everyone for all your amazing support this past year, I'm looking forward to creating new art and new memories next year!!
Love,
Åsa

Hibiscus!

Just took the trash out and realized one of my hibiscus flowers was blooming!  I have no idea how to care for those plants, I have a bunch of them and sometimes they bloom and sometimes they wilt.  Oh well!

LOVE letters!

This is the kind of stuff that I love to do!!  A customer sent me the picture above and asked me to paint a similar pattern onto the letters "LOVE".  I think they came out pretty groooooovey :). 

Boca Grande!

Yesterday we spent a fabulous day at the beach!  We went to a beach called "Boca Grande" and it's about a 1.5 hour drive from Fort Myers.  Not a bad drive at all!  The water is too cold for swimming but the kids had a great time playing in the sand and we saw some great wildlife!

Sting ray (they put it back right after the picture). 

A little Bonnethead SHARK :)

Rainforest mural!

Before! 

After!  I only did the Monkey on the vine with the leaf, the tiger and the grass were already there!

The boy to the left is Brady and the boy to the right is Riley, they are so cute!!  They aleady asked me to paint more things :).  Gotta check with daddy though :). 

Practicing "zen"...

I used to run marathons, and I did it only because I loved doing it.  I was never very fast and never won anything.  As soon as the bullet went off many people people would take off and thousands of people would run by me and I would of course feel like I was doing something wrong, that I was too slow, and not as good as all the rest.  At the same time I knew that this was only the beginning and that we had 26.2 more miles to go.  And sure enough, later during the race I would see people hobbling along or even walking - probably the same people that made me feel inadeuate in the beginning.  This just enforeced my philosophy even more, that I do this my way, and I will get there when I get there. 
There probably are people that feel better because they passed that "slow" woman in the beginning.  I however don't fel better or worse wheter or not I come in before or after someone.  I just love to run.
The only thing that I really hated about running was when someone was right behind me panting right in my neck.  I would just step to the side and let that person get ahead of me. 

Now, the same thing holds true for my business, I do this because I love to paint & express myself through artwork.  I know that competition is fierce out there and I'm doing my best to promote my stuff and get some sales.  I don't care if other people are getting more sales or if other people are more successful.
However currently I do have one of those pesky people "running right behind me".  A person who is turning a friendly event into a bloody competition, where people's feelings & friendships don't count. 
I'm trying to practice the same  kind of thinking as I did when running, I do this because I love it. 
I'm not competing.  Feel free to get ahead of me. 
I will get to where I need to be eventually.  And my friends will be there waitning for me.

A little about me!

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to introduce myself to all my new fans! First of all, thank you for liking my apge! Your support means a lot to me!

I'm a 32 year old mother of 3, I was born and raised in Sweden but I have lived in the US for almost 10 years.

I have always loved to paint/draw and do craft projects!
Having small kids in the house doesn't exactly allow for a lot of art work to happen, but as of two years ago when my son was botn I just felt this great need to do something with my hands and I took up painting again. As I was making stuff I started posting pictures of it on facebook, and my friends started asking if they could buy my pieces, and eventually they also started asking me for custom items. It would go something like "hey I like that painting but can you make it bigger/smaller/bluer/greener/with ballerinas/cats/fish/my kids'¨name etc. So I said sure no problem, and I started making their stuff and more and more people started inquiring about custom items.

the one of my friends who is an accounant suggested I make a business of it, and I thought that sounded like a good idea so....to make a long story short...ta-daaaa here we are :-). About a year and a half later and business is good.
Let me clarify, when I say business is good, it means that I'm very busy and that I'm breaking even! It doesn't mean that I'm raking in the money and that I'm ready to retire, but I'm able to do what I love and I support my hobby and sometimes I get to put some money in my piggybank :).

I recently had someone tell me that "they want to do what I do" (because they want to make money).

I don't mean to be negative but if you need to make money for your family - if you need a second income to support your family, I would probably rather get a "real" job. Because making & selling artwork is hard work and loads and loads of hours for little money.

I can do it because at the same time as I'm painting I'm also staying home taking care of the kids. I get my oldest two on the bus in the morning, then I spend the day with my baby (and I work when he naps) I pick my kids up, make dinner etc.
It makes financial sense for us that I stay home, and plus I think it's great for the kids to have a parent at home. My husband works shift so he is home a lot too which is good when I have lots of orders to fill.

I'd love to get to know my fans better so feel free to leave a comment here or on my Fb page!

Have a great day!

Åsa

Sweden, October 2011

I just spent a week in Sweden, and perhaps because Florida is so different, I was able to appreciate the beauty here in a new way.  I still don't think I could live here, it's way too gray and dreary.  Still pretty though! 

Golf Tournament!

Today I went to a silent auction at a Golf Tournament, and here you can see the painting that i donated.  It was great fun!  I hope the winner will enjoy the painting!

Sesame Street Letters!

Finally Alexander's letters are finished!  He loooooves Elmo!   I'm going to hang them later today! 

Ella!

My client wanted white letters with a Barbapapa theme!  I'm sure I'll be doing more Barbapapas in the future!

DOG letters!

These letters were made to order for a Kindergarten classroom that has a Dog theme.  I think they will look great there! 

Pink Pagoda Nursery Theme!

Below you will find my latest project.  A friend sent me this picture along with 4 letters spelling the name "Jada" and she asked me to match the letters to the nursery theme. 

Here is the finished product! 

And 2 matching 4 inch pots!

Britto time!

I think this will be my next project, it's another Britto of course!  I really like the motif and it's going to go above the dry bar in our dining room.  Stand by! 

DIY succulent wreath!



First of all you will need a wreath frame, you can get all kinds of sizes at your local craft store!  After that you will need a big bag of moss that you will have to soak in water, and either floral wire or a fishing line (I used floral wire). 

Gather your succulent clippings - note to self, next time, do this project OUTSIDE! 

All the supplies.  Tip:  DO IT OUTSIDE!!!

Here is the finished project, it looks a bit bare now but as the plants grow the wreath will look fuller.  You can also keep adding plants as you buy them. 

Here it is hanging on our patio.  I will be able to control how much water these plants will be getting as no rain - not even a Florisa Monsoon will reach it on that wall. 

Gotta be careful, there are some prickly ones in there too! 
The wreath is very easy to take care of, just spray a gentle mist of water on it every once in a while and it will thrive!  I hope as my other succulents keep growing that I will be able to carry these in my store as well. 

Air plants!

I realize this is turning into a gardening blog but I'm having so much fun with all the Florida plants!  Seems like it's easier for me to keep the plants alive down here :).  Air plants are fun because they don't need any soil or water to live, you just stick them somewhere are they continue to thrive! 

Pretty airplant found in Ft. Lauderdale. 



We found this plant on the beach, probably a left over from a wedding. 

Another airplant!

Hm, it's a palmtree growing on a palmtree :)

Obscene cacti?

Someone mentioned that some cacti look kind of obscene, really? 

I guess I just don't think like that :-)