What's wrong with this picture?

So...I Almost gave my husband beautiful hand painted stools to match the bistro table for our anniversary. The card said- Happy Anniver-so-sorry.The legs are being created by the wonderful fabulous Artists currently known as Bruce Perry. The table was such a hit I just had to try to get the stools done too. Unfortunately I didn't let Bruce in on it in time.
Well, that gives ya'll something to look forward to.
What? Oh, you noticed my southern drawl?
That would be because I am getting in the car right this very second to go visit my grandson in Dallas to celebrate his 2nd birthday!!! Yeeeeehhhhaaawww!

Simply Everything Boutique Open House

Neither rain nor snow nor sleet nor gloom of night...
Will stop artists from celebrating and sharing their creations!

Fortunately we didn't have a bit of sleet or snow, there was however a lot of rain!!!
By noon we were thinking of recreating Noah's Ark but then the Prescott Family showed up with their instruments and got the party rolling! Like the Pied Piper, people seemed to magically stream in once the music started.

The customers that were lucky enough to win the drawings every half hour were thrilled at the beautiful art the received just for showing up to our store!


Beautiful necklaces, paintings, bracelets, pottery, knitted scarves, copper sculptures, candle pots and mosaics were given away






but I think one of the most enthusiastic winners was the gentleman who won the Star Buck's Coffee!

How, you ask, is coffee in any way considered art? I suppose we could stretch it to include culinary art but the truth is we have a wonderfully creative young artist who sews Starbucks Bags, purses sewn out of recycled bags that the Starbucks Coffee comes in.
Now, before you even think about passing judgment in any way other than favorable, you have to see them!!!
These purses are absolutely darling and incredibly well sewn. The Starbuck's company spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on teams of graphic artists, designers, marketing experts and analysts to create the art for each of the different sizes and flavors of coffee they sell.
Now this was the one gift that had a catch if you wanted to keep it. You had to agree to bring back the bag when it was empty so we can recycle it into another beautiful work of art.
For those hard to buy women in your lives...this is a great gift AND you can buy yourself a present of a beautiful bag of coffee the next time you want Heidi to make you a gift!
Here is our Grand Prize Winner showing off her treasures!!!


Shirley won a Sentsy Wickless Candle Pot, Copper Sun Sculpture, Knitted Scarf, Jewelry, watercolor painting, pottery, books and Sunflower painting created on a vintage window! Whew! I'm sure there was more in there but you get the idea that she walked away with half the store just for coming in and eating cookies and socializing with the artists who created these amazing works!
Here is just a little more of what you missed...
Owner Jennifer Slater singing God Bless America with the Prescott Family Band accompanying her.

Here is the Lady Bug Babie's Room Jen designed! Buy the whole room the way it is or have her design one just for you.




Now, the bad news is if you didn't make it in today~I'm sorry...you missed a great time and all sorts of one of a kind art was sold that you will never get to see!
The good news is...We'll be open tomorrow Sunday from 11-5!!!
We'd love to hear from all of you who were lucky enough to come out and share in the fun!
Amy - momboe630@aol.com
Jennifer - wicklessfamily@gmail.com

Free Art!!

Simply Everything Boutique is Giving AWAY ART

As a promotion for our big open house Sat. many of our artists have created work just to give away at the open house. The paint is still drying on this fun funky flower I painted on an old window. I love the colors!

Since the wall color will show through the picture it will look different depending on where you hang it! Valued at $125 this will be part of the Big Grand Prize Give Away only for those lucky customers that received a postcard invitation. Didn't get one and you've bought from us before?
Run to the store tomorrow and ask for one!
The fun starts at 10am Sat. and the live music will start around 12:00 with the Prescott family! We are gonna have so so much fun!
See ya there!

Birthday Blog

What a great great fun day yesterday was. I survived being 50 which is more than I can say for several celebs.
Here is one of my best birthday surprises!!

Nick talked to me on the phone just an hour before wishing me well and I had NO idea that he was actually walking in our front door while I was painting at my studio.
Tracy and I met for pizza at Fire House Pizza and TA-DA!!! There was Nick!
Not only did he show up for lunch but he is staying until tomorrow so he has time to help with the electrical nightmare Tracy has started with his electronics addiction.
Once we get all this accomplished Nick will be singing for his supper (which will consist of Beer) at an open jam in Peoria Heights.
We really miss hearing him play and sing and although his websites are great...it's not the same as hearing him in person. We are going to be gone to my grandson's 2nd Birthday when Nick opens for Travis Tritt but we will be back for Ham n' Jam and Tower Park Festival!!!
This will be a nice mini warm up!
I mean come on! How many people get a professional musician to sing happy birthday to them! All the other non-professionals who sang to me were equally as wonderful...maybe not as on tune....
My grandson Alex sang me his version of happy B day to B and when I asked his ma how long he'd been practicing she said - They hadn't!!! Evidently, at 2 years old Alex has decided to break out on his own in the music world. Great Start! Watch out uncle Nick!
More birthday fun details soon!
ME

We have a ball

Soooo, we're not the best team on the sand right now but we do have the best time!!!!

Here you see our fearless Captain Coach Tuesday, who tossed the ball just right for the picture to show off how truly great she is. We are all very impressed that she will be assistant coaching high school volleyball this year! Go team 4 - RAH!
Then you see Paul giving the Peace sign ( because we KNOW he wouldn't do devil horns behind me!) Then there is the rather dark masculine version of Kendra (played by George today) and then the old gal with the bad fro is me if you didn't recognize me when I'm not all covered with paint. Still not a glamor queen. sigh... but we have a blast!
We have big big plans to amaze everyone next week and sweep all 4 games easily and have plenty of time to eat pizza and drink afterwards!
Sounds like a good plan to me!
What do you think?

A table for two please

Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it.
This was one of my mother's favorite sayings and one of the few of hers I can repeat to the public.
On this occasion, which was Father's Day, my husband had been telling my for quite some time that he really does want more of my art in our home. I spend 10 hours a day working at other people's businesses and homes creating amazing wonderlands and faux worlds to enjoy with whimsical life like furniture where the legs are, well, actually LEGS with feet sometimes! But for our house...it's always on the to do list....until now!
My husband has replaced the fridge which made us change our counter which squeezed out our big kitchen table. We have been living with NO table of any kind in there and as a result our fruit and veggies have artistically been displayed...on our floor. HUH... Not so good in my view.
Now, there was no bird bashing with rocks of any kind but I did find a solution to Father's Day and food dilemma in one fell swoop.
Here is the result of my brainless storming and creative whirlwind.




Bruce and Lois Perry are amazing artists that I brow beat...I mean solicited... I mean..uuhhh...begged...pleaded...whined... to create an incredible whimsical industrial base for the bistro table top I painted. These guys are always gracious and cheery about all the demands I place on them and they really came through for me yet again. It needed to be an exact size to fit into our unusual spot and they did a fabulous job lickety split so I could surprise Tracy Father's Day morning with it.
He loves these coffee cups that he found at his addiction spot, Bed Bath and Beyond. I decided to use those colors to inspire the palette for kitchen decor. He LOVED it and has complimented me many times on the design, style and colors.

Things I love about this table:
It's the only one of it's kind.
I love the metal and wood combo.
I Love LOVE LOVE the colors of the rust that match the colors for the rest of the decor. I have sprayed the metal with a sealer so it stays at this stage and will keep it's color.
I love the gear in the middle. Bruce has an amazing eye for design with fun funky elements.
I love that my friends helped me create it.
I love that my husband loves it.
Let me know what you think.

I know you want more...

Okay, so I can't figure out how to edit the last post so I'm just going to throw on some more pictures here to distract you.