A Lovely Holiday to you!

It looks like Christmas has finally sneaked up on us! Today is a day for cookie baking and last-minute gift completion and wrapping. I have already made several batches of cookies this week, including Peanut Butter and Snickerdoodles, but they seem to disappear quickly in this house :) I think there is a little elf running around who is very fond of sweet treats.

Luckily I have still had a bit of time for a little doodling.

Here is our tiny Christams tree with our tiny presents. It is a tiny, but very special, Christmas this year :) After these are ripped open in the morning, its off to have a big Christmas dinner with my family. Then the Nutcracker on Sunday with my boyfriend's family.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday, see you soon!

Christmas fun and more new stuff

Hello! I'm sorry that I've been gone for a little while, I was waiting to get a new power adapter for my computer in the mail. Luckily I am back in business! I put four new items in my etsy shop yesterday, at www.fairrosamund.etsy.com. The image above is of my little 5"x7" oil painting "Cinderella's Slippers." I added rhinestones and glitter to the slippers. They make everything better :) The one below is "Sleeping Beauty's Slippers." There are more detailed photos in my shop!

I have also had a lot of fun painting girls with tissue paper dresses. I am influenced by the amazing work of Vanessa Valencia (check out her stuff at www.vanessavalencia.com). The two wall hangings below were made on 8"x10" flat canvas panels, with ribbon attached to the back.

In other news, my boyfriend and I went to a little Christmas parade near our house last week. It's a small parade but a lot of fun. I never even knew it existed until last year. They have decorated fire trucks and police cars and stuff, as well as cute little dogs strutting around with reindeer antlers on. My favorite is seeing the little dogs who are all tuckered out and need to be carried :) So cute.

They also have this Christmas tree in another part of downtown, which is fun.

And lastly, I had to share this photo which my boyfriend took on his phone of my precious little Rosie dreaming about Christmas next to the mini Christmas tree. Isn't she adorable? Well, I hope all of your Christmas preparations are going well! I have been going nonstop but still feel like I have a bunch to do. Cookie baking tomorrow, mmmm!

Rosie and I hope you come visit again soon! :)

New stuff in the shop!

I have just added two new paintings to my etsy shop! This first one is called "The Daily Outing", and was inspired by an illustration in a fairy tale book which my mom gave me, from when she was little. It combines three of my favorite things: princesses, carriages and castles! Here is a detail of the castle:

This little gal finally dried also and I added her today. This one is entitled "Whispering Secrets":

Check out my etsy shop for more photos and details: www.fairrosamund.etsy.com

Off to go paint some more! And maybe finally put up some Christmas decorations if I get motivated :) Hope you all have a good day!

My first show, and yummy soup

Hello! Sorry I have been gone for a few days, I have been taking care of my poor boyfriend who is home sick with a terrible cough. I have gotten some work done though :) These flower sketches and a couple more that I did a while back are going to be included in a show this Friday at my boyfriend's brother's gallery, Borealis Arts in Tucson. AZ. He is doing a show of 50 pieces of artwork under $150. You can check out his gallery at www.borealisarts.com. They do superb framing. This is my first show ever and I am very excited and grateful!

Here are a couple of little princess slippers I have been working on, done in oils on 5"x7" canvases. They probably have another week or so to dry, then I am planning on adding some fun embellishments to them :) Inspired by the Twelve Dancing Princesses, of course!

Here is a little sketch on canvas I did, which will hopefully turn into a painting today or tomorrow. And keep a look out for a new painting in my etsy shop over the next couple of days. It involves a princess and carriage! My etsy shop is at www.fairrosamund.etsy.com

I also wanted to share a recipe with you for Mushroom and Brown Rice soup. I found it in one of my vegetarian cookbooks and made it yesterday for me and sicky! It was really yummy, especially with French bread. Pretty fast and easy to make too! Here it is:

You will need: 1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 package (10 oz.) sliced white mushrooms

1 package (4 oz.) assorted sliced wild mushrooms

1 cup shredded carrots

1 garlic clove, crushed with garlic press

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (I didn't have thyme so I substituted a 21-seasoning blend from Trader Joe's, and it was yummy :)

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 container (32 oz.) vegetable broth (4 cups)

3/4 cup instant brown rice

2 cups water

1. In 4-quart saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, salt, thyme, and pepper and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Add broth, rice, and water; cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook, partially covered, until rice is tender, about 5 minutes. Makes about 8 cups or 4 main-dish servings.

Sorry but I forgot to take any pictures of it; I guess we were too busy scarfing it down :) I have some leftover mushrooms, garlic and carrots so I was thinking of getting some potatoes and making a soup from all that too. Let me know if you have any good vegetarian soup recipes also!

Once Upon a Time...

Once upon a time, there was a girl who dreamed of the life of a princess...

She dreamed of sparkling jewels...

...of champagne glasses spilling over with treasures and fancy baubles...

...which of course she would show off to the other fashionable ladies.

She dreamed of an enchanted mirror (which only said the most flattering things)...

...and a prince to call her own...

...with whom she would, no doubt, go on the most grand adventures...

...in their fanciest carriage...

Perhaps they would even spot a unicorn or two.

And then, she dreamed of coming home and relaxing with a good book...

...and perhaps a spot of tea (of the bejewled variety, of course)...

...and then, of course, living happily ever after...

She suddenly looked around at her own tiny palace and realized that, indeed, she really did have it all!

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful week. If you would like to view some of my work, go to www.fairrosamund.etsy.com More to come soon!

Fun finds and new works

Hello! I just wanted to share a few new things with you. I went to the thrift store yesterday and got some fun new finds, such as this little apothecary jar and a bag of pretty, vintage-y ornaments, each for $2! You can't beat that. I thought they would make a cute Christmas decoration. Also, these cute little coffee tins...

And this beautiful old book. I just love the cover and the old, crinkly pages.

This is a little drawing I did of a mermaid. My sister loves mermaids, so they're always in the back of my mind, especially since I love fairy tales. I just got the Annotated Hans Christian Andersen, and the story The Little Mermaid had such gorgeous illustrations that it inspired me.

Lastly, I have been working on this little gal, who just needs a background. After that I will let her dry and put her up in my etsy shop! I think that she and her little bird friend are whispering secrets...

Happy Monday, and I'll see you soon!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my little blog! My name is Lauren and I live in Tucson, Arizona. I recently quit my day job in order to take a break, relax and do some artwork. I am definitely a beginner, but I am hoping to use this time to learn and grow as an artist. This image shows my little oil painting "Beauty". You can look at my other work at www.fairrosamund.etsy.com. I only have a few things up, but there will be more to come soon! I am obsessed with fairy tales, so that is the primary inspiration for my work. I also love the Pre-Raphaelites, Renaissance painters, ancient mythology (which I studied quite a bit in college, being a Classics major), and the Victorian era. I adore antiques, particularly old books. Anything unique and beautiful makes me very happy! I have followed some other art blogs and it seems to be a very friendly, helpful and warm community that I would love to become a part of. I hope to see you again soon!