I don't have nearly the spare time that I would like for photography, but I did make a little time to play on July 4th.

These are just some of color variations of my Lobster Buoy Wine Bottle Charms/Wedding Favors, hanging from some of my favorite bottles of wine.  They also make a great nautical Christmas Ornament! 

Enjoy!

Oh -and I can't resist sharing my Love Lobsters.

My newest color combination for my Lobster Buoy Wedding Favors.

They also make fun wine bottle charms.

You can find some of these designs in my Etsy Shop www.bethscraftroom.etsy.com

I will be adding new items in the coming weeks.  I am creating new color combinations all the time.

They all look great personalized.

Lobster Buoy Wedding Favors Journey to my Etsy Shop

I'm going to ramble a bit, I'm so excited about the direction my Etsy Shop is going and,

stepping out of my comfort zone and documenting the journey of my creative offerings...  

My newest offerings on my Etsy Shop http://www.bethscraftroom.etsy.com/ are Mini Lobster Buoys.  This time of year, they make the perfect Wedding Favor for your Guests.  They look great personalized.  I originally painted these buoys white with a handpainted Lobster on them, as Christmas Ornaments and sold  a number of them in the Etsy Shop.  In fact, a few weeks ago, a New England Bride was surfing the net to find a Lobster Buoy Wedding Favor for her guests that could be personalized and she stumbled upon my Sold Items Page of my Etsy Shop.  She contacted me, I made up some samples, I gave her a quote and she said Yes!  I will unveil the completed buoys after her Wedding this Fall, since they will be gifts for her guests.  In the mean time, I have now begun offering them in sets of three's and five's.

Hurry!!  The unassembled Mini Lobster Buoys arrived in the mail.

I put  little drop of glue in the whole and insert the dowel.

Painting.

Painting.

Photo shoot.

Up close

Staged and now available on my Etsy Shop http://www.bethscraftroom.etsy.com/

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97091099/lobster-buoys-beach-decor-wedding-favors

Personalized.

Tea for two

 We end most evenings with a lovely cup of sleepy time tea.  I purchased these two tea cups and saucers years ago with the intent to paint on them and sell them, but they got packed away and forgotten.  I stumbled upon them a week or so ago, looking for something else. I decided to retire our morning coffee mugs for tea cups for our evening ritual.  Although they would be fun to paint, these days, my current surfaces are more often wooden or treasures I've harvested from the beautiful beaches along the coast of Maine. 

I love living on the Coast of Maine!

Higgins Beach

I love living on the Coast of Maine!  I took these photos a couple of weeks ago.  We've been fortunate to have a very mild winter and happened to be out and about on a day when the weather was fabulous and tide was coming in.  I took 192 photos that day and it's took awhile to pick just a couple to share. 

Portland Head Light

Painted or Crocheted, I love Snowmen!

It sure has been cold that last few day here in Maine.  And now the weathermen are telling us that we may get plowable snow this weekend.  I always look forward to the first snow each year.   Do you???

                

Why I rise at 4:30 am

This is what I do in the early morning hours, most days, with a lovely cup of coffee.   By 8am, I'm at my day job as Administrative Assistant.  Putting creativity first insures that I have the energy and focus I need to create.  I like my day job much better as well by starting my day with a paint brush in my hand.  It's meditative.   It puts a positive flow to my day.
It is now well after 8pm and time for this Maine girl to call it a day, but before I do, I really wanted to devote a little time to my neglected blog and share a peaceful, beautiful part of my day.  Finding the right balance for everything that I love to do is challenging, it's definately a work in progress. 

Lupines are one of my favorite flowers to paint.

Birdhouses and cardinals are painted in a whimsical folk art style on these orns, but I do like to paint them in a realistic style as well.

More lupines, this is my signature lupine design.  I paint lupines on everything.

Lobsters are my newest design.  These crustations are going in a gift shop at the Camden Rockport Country Inn, Rockport, Maine.  (I love their pool)

Blueberries, also at the gift shop at the Country Inn.  (I love their hot tub, too)and last but not least, six little snowmen playing in the snow!