Christmas in July Sale on Etsy 2013

Christmas in July?!

What is this blasphemy you say?


Well, it's not as bad as you think it is. It's not trying to get you to start stocking up on ornaments and garlands. It is a time for Etsy shops to clear out inventory so they can add new items for the Fall season. Also, it's a great time to get fabulous discounts and deals.

To see what stores are participating, type in CIJ or christmasinjuly into the Etsy search.

Lady Poppins is also participating at www.ladypoppins.etsy.com

A coupon for 30% off your entire purchase (you may purchase as many items or as many times as you please) from July 11th till July 21st, 2013.

Just use the coupon code CIJ30 at checkout.

Perhaps it's time to treat yourself to some watercolor originals or prints :)

Target is Getting Rid of Summer, but I'm Not!

I went to Target today and their Summer stuff was already marked down 50%.

REALLY?

Where I live it is 100 degrees and will remain blasting hot until October. Technically, we should have Summer supplies available all year long in my little SoCal city.

I am praying for the little boy lost in Menifee. Our whole community is helping in big and small ways to find him.


I was feeling beachy last night and decided to paint some tropical foliage.

Tropical Flowers
9"x12"
Watercolor
©Heatherlee Chan, Lady Poppins
Available


It's a smattering of Heliconia, Flamingo Flower (Anthurium), Cala Lily, Torch Ginger, and Monstera Leaf. (I had to look up their names).

Keep cool, friends!

Butterfly Silhouette with Tropical Flowers Painting

Here is my newest canvas painting!

 

Butterfly Silhouette with Tropical Flowers

16"x20" on a gallery canvas with acrylic paints. 

©Heatherlee Chan, Lady Poppins

 

 

I can't help but love it.

 

 

A butterfly? Check.

Pink? Check.

Flowers? Check.

Modern? Check.

Something my husband would not be happy if I hung up in the living room? Check.

 

The last ten years I have been doing paintings as gifts, so the main goal was to make someone else happy. If I wasn't doing that, I was trying to paint something for our home that was something my love and I agreed on. But now? I just LOVE painting things that I get excited about! I'm sure if I weren't married with three kids I would have the girliest house. 

 

What things would you paint or create if the main goal was just to make YOU happy?

 

 

 

I have the original and prints available in the shop.

Packaging for Watercolors and Prints

So I have been playing around the last few months and how to package my watercolors and art prints.

Here are the basics:

1. I place the print or paper into a sealable cello bag. I am so paranoid about the art getting caught in rain and ruining the picture.

2. Use washi tape to adhere a flower, thank you note, and my mini moo business card.

3. Insert into the mailing envelope (that I of course had to fancy up with some scrapbook paper and note cards) with a stiff board or cardboard.

4. Ship it off to its new home!

This painting is one I just sent off today. It is the girliest collection of rings! I love to paint things that are ultra feminine and this fit the bill. Perhaps I will have to make a print of it the next time I get to ordering.

I hope that helped anyone else trying to decide on how to package their art for the mail!

A Little Boy's Room

If you'd like to know what a 5 year old's room looks like pre-Kindergarten, this is the place to be.

I have sheltered my sweet little boy and tried my hardest to keep grown up boy stuff far, far away.

It wasn't until he turned 5 in January that he started to ask for toys other than Thomas the Train, Lightening McQueen, or Wall-E.

He asked for Star Wars and Angry Birds.

So Star Wars and Angry Birds are what the grandparents gave him. Inside the boxes are his toys, and his room has yet to be updated. He has asked me numerous times to make him a space painting and a Laser Boy portrait (a character he made up himself; it is him geared with a light saber, cape, and mask).

My favorite part of his room: his turquoise dresser (that I found on the curb with a FREE sign. I just spray painted it turquoise and it is one of my favorite furniture pieces in our house), books, painting, and globe.

 This room is supposed to be an office, so it has French doors, high ceilings, and no closet. The no closet issue we can deal with because he is a boy and doesn't have too many items that need to be hung up.

He has the cutest window seat. I took padding and cut it to fit and threw a full sized quilt folded in half on top. Sometimes he likes to sleep there instead of his bed. What's really cute about it is that sometimes Clara will come in here and they will have sleepovers.

Above his window seat there is a dragon and the DIY solar system mobile I made.

And on the left he asked if he could have his watercolor painting framed.

Above his bed is a priceless painting my mom made of him. "It's a good day" is something he always says. She is such a talented artist! If you want to see more of her work you can check out her blog.

Here are two Target bookcases filled with books, boxes, and toys. The bottom two blue boxes contain all of the Thomas the Train sets that I can't bear to donate. Thankfully Clara loves them, so Calvin and Clara will play together. The little nook at the right is where a closet should go if we ever decide to build one.

On top of the bookcases I have his bigger toys. The ceiling is really high. If my husband ever got in the mood to build some shelves there would be some awesome storage space here. My friend has the same house and they actually use this room as an office and playroom and their shelving is IMPRESSIVE. I am jealous. One of the perks of living in a tract home is seeing how your neighbors and friends decorate their house when it is the same floor plan. Isn't it amazing to see all the different things you can do?

On the side of his bookcase I let him tape up odds and ends. To hang his little painting of my mom's bird Cocoa in the desert we used one of those mounting tape hooks. You can buy a pack of them at the Dollar Tree.

 Here you can see that nook that could be a closet. That's where I have stuff tucked away. The painting of the boy and the moon I have as a print in my etsy shop. On the right is his calendar and alphabet chart and above is another awesome painting done by my mom of Thomas the Train and Lightening McQueen.

And that concludes the (clean) room tour of a 5 year old boy. Give it a year and I'm sure it is going to look a lot different!

Coupon Code for Mother's Day at Lady Poppins Etsy Shop

I have four new watercolors up in the shop!

I also have a coupon code you can use till Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 to get 15% off your purchase.

Just type in at checkout:

MOMSDAY


Here's a quick collage of the new floral watercolors:

How to Fix a Warped Canvas

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to announce that your warped canvas has a chance at a second life!

The problem all began when I bought large canvases (I'm talking 3 feet by 4 feet and whatnot) and stored them in the garage.

Lesson:

Do not store your large canvases at even the slightest angle in your garage. Because of the temperature and humidity changes it will warp the frame.

You end up with one side of your painting looking like it thinks the wall has cooties.

Example A:

 

From the front it looks fine. Although, with a light coming down on it you get an unsightly shadow.

Example B:

 

Here is a solution that I had to find scouring the art forums:

1. Lay your painting face side down in an area people won't be walking over or tripping on it. (I did it in my garage).

2. Spray all wood with water.

3. Weigh down the corners with random heavy objects in your garage. (For example, I used two loaded picnic baskets, laundry detergent, and a backpack of my husband's with music stuff--and it's surprisingly heavy).

4. Leave overnight or for however much time you see fit.

5. Hang up on the wall and be ecstatic that your $80 canvas is like new!

Disclaimer: it might not be perfectly straight. But if all the corners lay flat I call that a SUCCESS!

Now go fix all your canvases! :)

Heigh Ho!

I am painting up a storm!

I am so happy....but my house is suffering.

I have been able to make the house look fine from first glance, but if you open my desk, Clara's door, or goodness forbid the garage door, you will discover what messes I am hiding!

I am currently working on top secret commission projects (Mother's Day, wedding season) and I won't be able to post until the recipients have them.

Meanwhile I have been getting custom print orders from my etsy shop.

Here are some of the prints I had made:

Red, Pink, Purple, and Gray Flower Watercolor Painting

I wanted to paint a really light and pink watercolor, but as it usually turns out, I couldn't avoid color.

 

I love paintings that are neutral and use minimal color, but when it comes to creating them, I just can't do it!

 

BUT, this Volland and Art Deco inspired flower watercolor isn't too bad done up in red and purples.

 

Reminds me years ago when you used to see those sweet gals from the Red Hat Society.

 

I thought that was so cool. But in my club, we will wear big hats and turquoise!

 

Here is the listing in my shop.

 

I can make print requests if needed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage Blue Dress Painting

This is painting No. 2 in my Vintage Dress Series.

My blog post about No. 1 is here.

I kept it light and dreamy, just like with the white dress. It was so much fun to paint and play with colors that would compliment (i.e., purple, green, yellow). This dress I centered and created a swirl of colors around it.

 I was inspired by a mid 1800s dress, but I ended up changing it up a little bit.

You can find the original and prints in my shop.

Vintage Blue Dress. 11″ x 14″, Acrylic on Canvas. © Heatherlee Chan 2013

"It's a Good Day!" Typewriter Watercolor

Yesterday I was thumbing through my watercolor file (full of finished and unfinished works) and found a typewriter.

It was so cute but it needed something...

I am really inspired by art deco illustrations. In my mind a light bulb went off and I knew it needed flowers!

Then I was trying to figure out what to write on the paper, and then I heard Calvin ask if it was a good day.

When he was little and throwing tantrums I told him it was up to him to decide what kind of a day he wanted to have.

He could have a good day or a bad day.

He always chooses "good" but he hasn't stopped asking almost EVERY day, "Is it a good day?"

And I will say, "Yes, it's a good day."

I plan on making prints and putting them up in the shop!

Art Print Giveaway

I just got some prints back and I thought it might be fun to do a giveaway!

They are all 8x10 except for the flowers in the vase, which is an 8x8.

Just go to the Lady Poppins FB page and tell me which one is your favorite and I will pick a random winner to send a print to.

Here are the prints:


*Update:
Brittany was the winner! She chose the Little Boy and His Sailboat painting :)

Lady Poppins is Broadening her Horizons

Okay, I took the plunge.

I created a Lady Poppins Facebook page.

So what? Big deal.

Um, for me, it's a big deal.

I love to paint. I love to craft. It's just what I do. Promoting my work feels embarrassing, as if I am showing off.

But then I realized that if I could do anything in the world it would be to create. I admire all of these people that are taking chances and putting themselves out there on blogs and whatnot.

Maybe I could do that too.

If you like me here, would you mind liking me on Facebook? I plan on doing give-aways and fun things in the near future and I would love it for you to join me.

Lady Poppins on Facebook:

facebook.com/ladypoppinsart

 

Lady Poppins Art on Etsy:

 

 

Lady Poppins Pinterest:

On a side note, I get a kick out of reading my horoscope. Some days it is so on and others it is so off. But the day I decided to take a leap, this is what it said:

I'm ready!

Vintage Dress Painting

I was itching to create something beautiful, feminine, and experimental.

I sat down and created this beauty:

 

I am in love.

 

It is 11x14" and on a stretched gallery stapled canvas done with acrylics.

 

You can buy it here.

I think I am going to create a whole series that has a similar feel to it.

Start looking forward to some vintage, abstract, shabby chic, romantic inspired paintings!