Sunday August 1st I had an Aneurysm. I remember having a headache really suddenly. I was at church and we were supposed to be listening, but for some reason I could not. My husband said I looked up at him and half of my face was drooping. Right after that he said he was going to take me to the ER. He did and it turned out that he was right for taking me. I spent almost two weeks in the hospital. I was taken to West Valley first but about an hour later I was taken to Saint Alphonsus. I had an aneurysm that was a birth defect. From the day I was born I had it I just did not know. Lucky me! We spent a few weeks in the hospital. From the first day an anesthesiologist told my dad that he didn't see me making it, and here I am. I spent three days in the ICU. Then I went to the Nero Floor and I stayed there for about four days, and then I spent the rest of the time in recovery. I can not tell you how much it meant to me for all those who came to visit me. To my family, and my friends thank you so much for what you did. It meant the world to me. As for me now am relearning all the things I have forgot since that Sunday. Learning how to use my right hand which I lost the use of. Learning how to reset my face. You don't understand how annoying it is to have your face crooked. Lastly I'm working on my dysphasia (the difficulty of speech and communication). I have done such a great job in therapy. Each day it is coming along.I want to thank all my family. All the Ransley's, especialy to my parents. To all my Batteen family. To Val and Nancy and everyone else who has taken care of me.
 Thanks Aunt Amy, Adam and Jennie, Amy, Angela, Amanda and Jon, Cousin Jenny, Kara, Ben and Kristen, Kristen Davies, Jessica, Dave and Valynn, and my very own Grandpa and Grandma. Thank you sooooo much!

So here's what I've been up to!!!

I feel like my life has been completely focused on arts and crafts this summer, which for me is definitely not a bad thing. It has just kept me very busy! The following post is the proof of the artistic marathon I have been running all summer. It all started with my Summer Art Classes That I taught the first two weeks of June. They were an absolute blast, and I feel so happy and grateful they turned out so well! I have come to realize how much I love teaching children. Childhood Innocence mixed with imagination and a few art materials are a great recipe for amazing creations, and a lot of fun! Next it was onto Stake Girls Camp where I was lucky enough to be the Craft director. Organization was the key here to surviving. I was so happy that all the girls were so eager and excited to get Crafting. Who could blame them though because the projects we came up with were pretty amazing if you ask me?

The theme for camp was Jewels in the Rough, so we made these cute plaques that displayed our camp scripture Proverbs 31:10. I bought lots of colorful papers and paints and it was amazing to see the many variations that the young women came up with. I was so impressed!

These Necklaces were the other project that we did to go along with our theme. We used glass tiles that were purchased from MyCraftDream.com and mod podged different designed papers onto the back. We finished them off with cute silver chains or colored twine. We also used metal washers to create jewelry with that we hand stamped with a metal stamping set.Then we drew over them with sharpie ink to darken the imprint left by the stamp and then washed it clean.I thought this project was so fun because i love taking a found object that at first seems so ordinary, and then with a little creativity transforming it into something extraordinary!

Next it was onto my third and final session of my summer art class, and then various home decorating projects I have been dying to finish. Here are a few of them.

My daughter has about a billion hair bows as you can see and I wanted a cute way to organize/ display them. I made this out of an old window frame that I got for free. Then I took some cardboard panels and upholstered them with cute fabric. I finished it off with some brown ribbon that I crisscrossed onto the front of the two side panels. Then I clipped all her bows on and here it is! It cost all of about $5 to make.

I sat the bow display on top of her cute new vintage dresser that I refinished. I spotted it at a garage sale and wheeled and dealed them down to $7 for the beauty. Then bought two cans of pink spray paint and came out with this!!!

Here is another great garage sale find that I turned into a beauty of a wall hanging. I bought this old window frame at another yard sale for 50 cents! I opened up Photoshop when I got home and came up with this cute design to put in my beautiful frame. It  now hangs in my living room and I love it. It only cost me about $2 to make the entire thing!!

So there is a peak at what I have been up to. I hope to have some time to finish some of the fine art work that I have started so that I can post it soon. Now i'm off to take a nap and dream up my next creation!!

Fun With Color!

Learning about color is a key component to understanding principles of design. Here my summer art class students are mixing the primary colors, red, yellow, and blue with  food coloring into frosting.Then they are mixing their own color pallete to create all the secondary colors as well. This turned out to be a great hands on activity where they were all able to experience how color mixing works. After they were done I let them frost their tasty colors onto  grahm crackers for a little treat.

 Here they are also putting to use their color mixing knowledge as they paint their Batiks. Batiking is a type of  resist textile art using hot wax, fabric, and paint. For the art class we are using a modified version of the process which incorporates Elmers glue instead of the hot wax so that it's safer for the young artists. My classes have been such a blast so far. I am amazed at how creative and unique all of my students are. I am learning a lot from them too! Today one of my eight year old students told me that he felt like something was missing in his life until he started taking my art class. It really melted my heart. I am so lucky to be doing what I love!!! 

In my studio this week! " Come Unto Me The Savior Said"

As you can see it's still on my painting board so it's not quite complete. Just wanted to show the progress I am making! I feel so compelled to share my testimony through my artwork. This painting reflects the love our savior has for us. His hand is always extended to us. All we have to do is reach for him too! 

Happpy Mothers Day!

I am so thankful to be mother. I have really gained a strong conviction this past year about how divine the calling of a mother is! Motherhood is beautiful. At times it may not seem that way.Especially when you have an eight month old and you just cant seem to keep you clothes free of snot, food smears or vomit for too long. Or because haven't taken a shower in over twenty four hours because you just haven't had time yet. Despite that it really is beautiful that women were created with divine qualities to nurture, and love. To all mothers out there remember how beautiful you are, and never forget you have the most important job in the world!

Attention All Parents!!!

If you are looking for something fun and creative for your kids to do this summer I have your answer! I will be teaching summer art classes for kids. During the class your child will get to explore different art materials and processes. Some of the projects we will be doing include, learning to batik which is a resist process where we will be creating our own designs on fabric. Adinkra stamping where we will explore the art of printmaking. And designing with mosaics, where we will use geometric shapes to create designs. Each student will also be designing their own sketch book or portfolio that they will get to take home with them! The class is designed for all skill levels and abilities! It's going to be so much fun!  Session listings are available below.

 Email me with your name, your childs name and age, and the session you are interested in!!!

In My Studio This Week: Salt Lake Temple Painting!

For some reason I have always loved the Salt Lake Temple! As a child growing up in Boise Idaho it was easy to visit often because it was so close! To this day it remains my favorite temple not only because of its breathtaking architectural beauty, but also because it is so rich with visual symbolism from top to bottom! After giving a talk in church about temples I was inspired to do this painting. I would have to say though, because of the motifs on it it does lean towards the more decorative side of art. However, since I have become a stay at home mom I keep finding myself inching my way over to the crafty side of life where I create more "decorations" and less fine art! Who can blame me though. I had a baby eight months ago so maybe I am still nesting? Oh well! I love it though. The richness of colors and the warmth remind me of the feelings I feel when I visit the temple. I am now working on a series of paintings of Temples that all explore this distressed style of painting, rich with warm colors and various symbols and motifs. More to come soon!!

(Like what you see? Email me for purchasing details!)