ice cream art project!

Ice cream, you scream...

everyone screams for an art project!

Yep, part of my job as an artist and a mom who is an artist

 is that I am expected to come up with creative art projects for kids quite often. 

By often I mean not just weekly but almost daily and as creative as they are 

they still want and ask for my ideas.

So recently I saw a cute watercolor of an ice cream cone 

and it reminded me of just how great this frozen treat can be when recreated as art.

And of course we've frequented this place  and this place a few times this summer 

so it just all made sense.

We wanted to make giant ice cream cones but in a super creative way. 

Out came Multiple Blessings' patterned papers, scissors, glue, poster boards and three big smiles...

well, four if you count mine.

Charlotte & Sarah Grace had their sweet friend Caroline over to play and she joined in the fun.

How cute are these? the final art and the girls.

We started by cutting long narrow strips of white poster board.

Then we used this fabulous textured paper I love from Paper Source. 

We thought it looked just perfect for our waffle cones.

Then I let them select from several of my patterned papers printed on card stock.

Then I explained how to draw and design their scoop shapes but refused to help them.

Really wanted them to be creative and make them how they wanted them to be...

no right or wrong when it comes to ice cream scoops, you know.

So off their artistic minds flew with pencil in hand and scissors soon after,

I just love how each one is so different

and the patterns of course just make me smile.

I can almost remember where and when I painted each design.

And on their own they each added a cherry on top

and in their own way.

This one with a "Sassy Circle" raindrop design...

This one with one of my hand-painted coral roses...mmmm, looks delicious!

and this one with a 'peace" cherry.

Not sure you'd feel peaceful if you actually ate an ice cream cone this huge

but a girl can dream, right?

and here's mine as a textured stretched canvas mixed media...

I used burlap for my waffle cone and a real stem for the cherry.

A teensy preview into some future excitement...

Several originals at a time like this one above, will be for sale through my 

NEW WEBSITE

which should launch in early September!

Stay tuned and in the meantime remember

LIFE IS SWEET...

so lick it up!

xoxo,

Caroline

the speed of life...

Hope you all had a glorious weekend!

yikes! Is is really almost August?
The speed of life seems to be happening faster and faster these days, don't you think?
The kids growing up too quickly, the summer ending too soon,
a few aches and pains we've never had before...hmmm.

No possible way to journal all that's been happening here 

but so grateful for lots of family time this weekend. 

The final coat on our hardwood floors allowed us some time away

 from working over at the house (at least for a bit)...

An evening together- all 6 of us on the golf course. 

Such a blast and quite a hoot to watch everyone's various ability levels.

and we were blessed to witness a double rainbow during our time there.

GORGEOUS! Thank you God!

Worked on a very cool art project with the girls recently which I'll be sharing here soon.

It turned out super cute and I created an original as well.

Completely smitten with these wild lilies which just popped up in the back yard...

their delicate details are just beautiful!

A visit in socks to the renovated house 

and the girls had a peek at the color accent walls where their beds will go. 

This used to be the room our boys shared and these areas used to be their closets.

Molding down, fresh paint, their own lighting and dimmer switch 

and now their chosen accent color and we're almost set. 

My mom and I tackled our very own DIY (do it yourself) 

upholstered king headboard a couple of weekends ago. 

It was actually a super fun project and yes, we did it all ourselves except the nail heads. 

I caved at the last minute and knew I'd never get them spaced properly so I hired that part out.

I'll be sharing our general tutorial as best I can soon.

Certainly no experts but we has a blast and it went fairly smoothly.

Totally thrilled with the way it turned out!

and at church...just had to remember this with my camera. 

We always try and discuss the sermon with our kids at lunch.

They know this and as I reminded them during the service that'd we'd be doing that today

I noticed someone "taking notes and illustrating" based on today's sermon. 

Then she brought her sketchbook to the lunch table all ready for the discussion. 

Classic.

Grateful too for tidbits of time to just sit and watch the Olympics. 

Incredible talent and stories of these gifted athletes, don't you think?

How was your weekend?

Blessings as you begin the week! 

xo

Caroline

new work in progress...

New work in progress for an awesome client 

and can't wait to see how these look on the products....

stay tuned!

Have a beautiful day!
xoxo,

Caroline

gathering space for teens- the garage!!!

I was with Walker alone for part of this week for another golf tournament...

(so special to have one-on-one time with my boy)

and we stayed with friends who live in Florence, SC.

I just had to share what an incredible job they did 

creating a fun place for their teenage children to gather. 

They converted their 3 car garage into a fabulous space as a Christmas gift to their kids.

It was originally dark stained bead board but a fresh coat of paint lightened up the area sooooo much.

They paneled around the third car garage and placed a refrigerator in that part 

as well as the bikes and such.Then in the main area they added two sofas, two swivel chairs, a flat screen tv, a ping pong table and a round table with chairs. She said when they have large crowds, like a youth group gathering they take the net off the ping pong table, add chairs, and they can seat 12 there! clever!

She also found a stand alone bar and bookshelf which acts as a snack bar ....

where granola bars, party mix, M&Ms are in stock 

and she even added empty bags along the top for display. 

So for anyone looking to convert your garage into a teen room, this is super inspiration!

The rest of the house is beautiful too.

 

They have two kids of their own...but have 2 sweet siblings from Haiti living with them this summer. 

It has been a huge blessing all the way around. 

We really enjoyed being with them so much!

 

Super fun to hit some fun antique stores and flea market type places while we were there...

I did find a few treasures with character which I plan to incorporate into the house renovation. 

We're just a couple of weeks away from moving back home!!!!

Blessings,

Caroline

summer reading

We've been doing some summer reading over here....

but summer reading puts some people to sleep. 

This is on my "to read list"

Anyone heard of this book?

Have you read it?

If you have...would love to know your thoughts...

love love love the cover!

Blessings,

Caroline

Finally Free fabric finds!

Sweet readers...

Etsy has some stock of the Finally Free fabric I designed for Robert Kaufman....

and there happen to be some talented ladies sewing with it and selling their goodies.

How cute is this apron? 

Seriously!

You can visit Apron Addict on Etsy HERE to purchase this darling half apron

and HERE is another one in the pastel color way.

and just look at this darling dress

you can purchase it HERE

hand made by MyHeart2 on Etsy.

And this beautiful hand made quilt...oh my!

You can shop Dancing Angel Quilts on Etsy HERE 

I can't imagine the time and talent she put into this

and her prices are amazing!

and this ruffle outfit made by Cutie Pie Creation is so girly cute.

You can find it HERE.

and if you are just super creative and you just want to sew....

you can find the Finally Free fabrics all over Etsy 

including this great shop called Stitch Stash Diva 

You can find it HERE.

or at My Heart and Sew HERE

Great job, talented ladies!

Happy sewing and many thanks for using the Finally Free collection. 

If you'd like to know the reason I named the collection Finally Free...

you can read that post here from exactly one year ago.

Blessings,

Caroline

Where in the world is MB? CROSSINGS

A while back I started a series of posts featuring places you've spotted Multiple Blessings' products. 

Two reasons to do this...

to let you know where you can find some of the products (thanks to everyone who has inquired)

 and also to spotlight and thank the sweet retailers who are carrying them.

Welcome to CROSSINGS 

a darling little gift shop in the town where I grew up- Fort Mill, South Carolina.

Just 25 minutes south of Charlotte, North Carolina...

Named appropriately because it's located just where the railroad tracks cross near Main Street.

Inside you'll find a large variety of gifts and treasures...

the perfect baby gift, hostess gift, birthday gift or treat for yourself.

from home decor items to Vera Bradley accessories,

to jewelry and clothing

and although they have sold much of the first order of my products designed for Demdaco...

they have some left in stock and hopefully plan to restock. 

a couple of canvas plaques are there...great for any occasion

and the canvas bookmarks I just love so very much...

you may remember the full MB collection for Demdaco which launched in January

so if you are in the area, please head on over to 

CROSSINGS 

for a peek at their wonderful shop

 and tell them I sent you.

102 Academy Street 

Fort Mill, SC 29715

You can also Like CROSSINGS on Facebook HERE!

 

*If you are traveling about this summer and spot Multiple Blessings' products 

or if you are a retailer who carries the line, 

please send in your photos and I'll feature your store here 

at Designing for the Soul.

Blessings,

Caroline