Hectic.....schedules

Hectic schedule is the story of my life these days. I'm busy painting preparing for my first solo art show on Dec. 11th. Hawk will center stage and I'm so excited. My personal life is full also. My boys are finishing up there football seasons, wrestling season is starting, and my husband just finished his Masters Degree. We are so proud of him. He walks this Friday night and I'm hosting a huge PARTY for him this weekend...which I'm trying to get ready for as well.
Did I mention we have a Super Bowl football game for my son Austin's team and a wrestling Tournament on Saturday. I'll let you know how I survive.

And in the mix of all of this, I of course still have time to schedule Jason with Munfy.com, to come take some Christmas photos of my boys. Above is my oldest Jacob. He truly is an amazing son. He's 13..almost 14 on Dec.15th, just finished his football season and now it's wrestling season. Our theme for these photos was football, as you can see.
They came out amazing and soon I'll be posting more...well, in a couple of weeks.

So, I won't be on the blog much over the next couple of weeks due to life functions, Thanksgiving, and preparing for this HUGE art show. :)

Have a wonderful week! Marnie V.

What Keeps Me Going...

My son Ryan with his footall team.

My youngest son Austin(AV) with his team.

I sometimes feel like I come on this blog and complain about all the computer issues I have, but OMG I have them. I have had two viruses within the last two weeks, in which I've been late meeting deadlines. I'm afraid to even mention to clients just because I don't want them to think I'm a flaky artist, and I'm not. I usually get comments on how fast i turn things around. But let me tell you when you live in Texas and it rains for SEVEN days straight, and I mean flooding rain, and your computer is WIFi...you are bound to have issues. I haven't been able to load anything on either of my sites and not able to load pictures period. Then yesterday...I finally got a picture through. I have had 3 weeks of feeling so frustrated over the issue but things are starting to turn around. By week 2 I actually just decided to myself there was basically nothing I could do and to just focus on my kids and painting. So you'll see a lot of new things popping up in the ETSY shop this week. Have a great day! Marnie V.

Boys of Summer

Austin- 9yrs.

Ryan- 11 yrs.

Jacob- 13 yrs.

These are some photos that were taken recently by my friend Jason Munford over at Munfy.com
These are the boys of summer. There days will be filled with wrestling and football training. Texting girls...which drives me crazy. Numerous trips to the neighborhood water park. Swimming all day in our own pool which will result in a few swimmers ear infections. Movies in the park. Our big trip to Washington DC, which I haven't mentioned yet. Required reading everyday to get ready for the next school year. And let's not forget how much work I won't be getting done on time because of these three. Gotta love summer! Marnie V.

#11

I had to post this picture today courtesy of Jason Munford. It's of my son Ryan #11 scoring a touchdown, but it's the ref that makes the picture. The opponent missed the tackle, rolled, and the ref had to jump....so cool. And great job Ryan...you truly are a stud!
I'm still working on this big custom safari themed order which I'm hoping to post some pictures of tomorrow...so please check back. Have a great day- Marnie V.

Home Preview- My Son Austin's Room

Hello....just taking a break from a HUGE custom job I'm working and I need to step away from for a little bit. I've been showing little bits of my home every couple of weeks and today I'm bringing you my youngest son Austin's room. He is a serious trinket collector, football lover, book reader, and the sweetest 9 yr. old ever! The letter A above I made when we first moved in, the wood came from scraps that my house was built with. Oh and the foot on the wall...that's a football fathead...of course.

Austin's bed where he loves to read. These are some of his favorite books, but he switches them out from time to time. The little wooden box usually has some sort of special rock or whatever in it, and clay mask he made at school.
When he was a baby, he loved Curious George, and I wish I had pictures of his nursery. Just picture, modern furniture, butter cream walls, vintage prints of Curious George on the wall, toys in baskets on the most adorable scalloped bookcase, and vintage charm.
And of course, my first ever Rocket Dog that I painted adorns a wall in his room.

His trophies that he has earned sits along his shelf. The shelf shown actually wraps around his entire room. I built it myself...a lot of work but completely worth it. Austin loves putting things on display in his room. The picture on the left he colored and received second place in an art contest.
The famous walkie talkies( not sure is i spelled that right), that he is always having me carry one around the house...just in case he needs me to bring him something.
I also installed this garage bead board in silver then added hooks and string so Austin could play with all his little men. This is below the shelf and a really smart idea I had, he loves it.
And...what better thing to hang on your door than a "Are you fan enough" sticker. It's football related...I know..didn't get it at first either.
Well, I better get back to this order and hope you enjoyed the pics! Have a great day and will soon show more of my home...Marnie V.

Bubblegum Love

With the art appreciation sail in full swing, here's another I added to the shop today. It's titled "The Bubblegum Fox" and I really love the colors I chose for this little painting and if you love to it's available here in the shop. My inspiration for this painting came to me last night as my oldest son Jacob was begging me to buy him some bubblegum. You see, he has braces on so his craving for bubblegum that he always chewed in the past is really being missed. I tell him he has a year to go...I'm so mean. And honestly I wouldn't be surprised if he sneaks a few times or more until then. Well, today's post is big and sweet for my role today with this business is packing orders, filing, and being a productive secretary. Have a great day....Marnie V.

The Drawing Lesson

As you know with my three boys, are nights are filled with their sports activities and homework. My youngest son Austin loves to draw. He really doesn't pose much interest in wanting to be an artist when he grows up, so I think he just enjoys spending time with me. In that, he is always asking for a drawing lesson.
When we lived in California, my boys were sent to a Montessori Preschool. And to help with the tuition, I taught art classes to all the children twice a week. Let me just say that ever since then I have the most respect for teachers, it's not easy. So I would give the children a warm-up at the beginning of each class in that there were two blocks shown on a piece of paper. The first block would have different shapes and lines on it. The second would be empty. The children would have to mimic the same exact placement and shapes as I did in their own block. At first the warm-ups would be simple and as the weeks went on, they had more shapes and even characters. But, the best part is that the children got better and better each week at learning to look at something and having to draw the same thing. It also taught them a lot of patience.

So Austin still loves when I give him these warm-ups and I love to see his improvement.
Above is one we did last night. The X's going down are the beginning of the columns. The blue circled blocks are mine. The far left column I did all three and you can see how well Austin did. The second X column I only did the fish and he copied me. The other two, he did the first block and I had to do what he did.
Another great thing about this exercise, it makes children really sleepy for bedtime!
Have a great Day! Marnie V.

I'm Back! Finally.....

I'm finally showing my words again. And I'm sure you thought I was busy painting, creating invoices, and recovering from 2 trade shows. Well, your right! All-in-all considering this crazy economy....I opened up some new accounts and met some wonderful new people along the way. I also took a few days off to spend with my family(the boys) since my hubby has been out of town. Of course, spending time with my boys involves football practice, football games, swim practice, sleepovers( I did have one night to myself..it was fabulous!), and we did manage a few games of scrabble. Well, I'll be back tomorrow, but don't know when, and for now I'm off to UPS!

Photo above is of me in my current state with my boys. Oh ....and it was taken by Jason Munford, an amazing photographer!

Happy Holidays!

Jacob*Dave*Ryan*Austin
and Me
The Vollenhals
Christmas 2008

I thought I would post this morning our Holiday picture for the year. I usually take this picturte myself, but this year I opted for a professional. My friend Jason from Munfy Productions
took us to a cool location and started shooting. It was a lot of fun and my son Austin, far right, was the biggest ham of all. I will post more after the Holiday because there are many more to see.

Ryan*Jacob*Austin

Well, I am outta here due to shipping, painting, and shopping. Have a great day! Marnie

Our Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving! Austin said it was his best ever, and I'd have to agree. I hosted this year for the first time and it really was not that bad. I started preparing the day before so that I wasn't a crazy lady the day of. I have always been the type to use items around my home for decorating and even outside since I love to garden. The boys and I collected, trim branches, and picked flowers out side for our decor, it was fun. Of course, a little rock throwing came into play, BOYS! So here are some photos.
















We made some desserts in the morning. Chocolate covered Oreo's with sprinkles, the boys made. And I made a chocolate cake with a turkey on top. My boys aren't big fans of pumpkin pie, so I made this for them. It was the hit of the night actually. I didn't take photos of any other food because by the time it came out of the oven it was in our bellies.:>)
Like I said, we pulled greens from the yard to add in the decorating.I even added cranberries to the vases with little orange flowers from my yard, they looked so pretty. Austin and Ryan helped out with this.
Well, I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as we did. And no, my kids are not drinking wine, it's sparkling apple cider. Don't think the thought didn't cross my mind, especially with the rock fight in the yard. It's back to reality today, work! Have a great day. Marnie

Munfy Photography

After my post yesterday, Jason Munford from Munfy Photography, was sweet to tell me my horrible photos were yet fabulous. Oh Jason...they don't compare to yours. But thank you for making me feel professional for a second. So he sent over some of his that he took of Ryan. I am only posting one because you have to go to is site to see the rest. Go to online ordering and view the Panther photos. I am going to order some myself. I love what he does to these photos, and with his unique style they're fun to look at.
Well, I'm to take a run this morning to get some exercise before the big turkey day. Marnie V.

We are going to the SUPER BOWL!

It's Sunday morning, coffee in hand, and I'm blogging. I don't usually come on this blog bragging about my boys athleticism but my silence has to be broken for this. My son Ryan, who is 11, is a stud at football. Or maybe I should say ROCK STAR according to my friend Mel. He plays a few different positions depending on the plays. Running back, tight end, wide receiver, and maybe a few others. He averages at least 2 or more touchdowns a game...HONESTLY! But to be even more honest, his entire team plays just as well. Their coaches Pat and Donovan, who we love, have brought a team together like no other. These boys have formed the most amazing bond and love for these coaches.
So back to Ryan. Ryan honestly has something here. My husband and I have been watching him and his moves. It will take at least three people to tackle him down. My husband always asks him before the game, " How many people will it take to bring you down?" And Ryan says, " At least twelve Dad." We watch him in amazement though, when he drives through a line and the other team is hanging on him but he keeps going. It actually is hilarious at times. His legs don't stop moving and that is the key.
It's pretty normal for someone on the other team to come over and tell him what a great job he did. I even had the commissioner tell me that the board talks about Ryan. And that's when I knew my thoughts about how talented he was really came into focus. But what he has, came from his hard work.
Ryan practices all the time as well. Everyday after school Ryan , Austin , and I go outside and throw at least 500 passes, between all three of us. then I turn into Quarterback Mom and Ryan will tell me his plays and I will throw. He never misses a catch. Well, maybe one. All three of my boys also get together with the over 20 kids that live on my street, and they play football every day. Most of the boys play high school and middle school ball. So Ryan has been getting a lot of practice. He loves how well he is doing and he knows that practice makes perfect! He's not perfect though...so don't think I'm a snob. But even my son Austin, who has been working on his catching this year, is awesome now too. I truly believe in getting your kids outside and working on things that will in return make them a better player. It will also boost their confidence. Ryan is in the white pants.
So, like I said they made it through the finals and are going to the super bowl! They play in 2 weeks and I will definitely keep you posted on the results. I don't have great pictures, but to see more great pictures go to this site. Jacob Munford, who is are Star Tackler on the team, his dad Jason Munford, is an amazing photographer. Please go check out his work. And look for the Panthers in black. Well, today is claimed as GETTING READY FOR TURKEY DAY. Cleaning house, a little grocery shopping, playing football, and watching football. Happy Sunday! Marnie V.

A Hectic life of an Artist

Yes...I'm alive and well. I thought that was a first good sentence to describe my absence from this blog. I have been very busy filling orders, creating, shipping, and taking care of my three wonderful boys. I would definitely have to say that my three boys are the main reason. It has been a very busy school year for us so far. As i have mentioned before, my boys are also in football. I know some of you are probably thinking..yeah..big deal. Well, here is my typical day schedule.

1.Get up at 5am and make tons of COFFEE!
2.Wake up my oldest son Jacob at 5:30am to go to football practice. He's in 7th grade and in Texas they compete in the schools, just like High School. They have to be dressed and on the field by 7am.
3.Wake up Ryan my middle son to get ready for school.
4. Make lunches
5. Jacob gets picked up at 6:20am...we carpool.
6. Wake up Austin, my youngest. Get the boys fed.
7. Ryan leaves to walk to the bus stop at 6:50am.
8. Austin and I walk to school.
9. I then come home and either go to the gym or go for a run.
10. Come home and shower and have more coffee in the back yard with my husband. We talk about the previous and that days events.
11. I usually do a little house work.
12. Then by 9:30am I am in the studio until 3pm. I paint, ship, computer stuff, etc. Lately i have been painting and shipping a lot.
13. At 3:10 Ryan and Austin are home.
14. HOMEWORK! I usually make dinner during this time and have it ready.
15. Jacob comes home at 4:30...bless his strong soul. He is gone from 6:20am-4:30pm.
16. Football practice for the other two from 5pm-7:30pm, but I don't get home until 8:15pm.
17. We come home and they shower, eat more food, then read books, and then it's off to bed by 9:30pm.
18. I will either crawl into bed at that time or I'll crawl into the studio and force myself to accomplish something.
I'm a little exhausted that I just shared that and I am just starting my day. I think I need more coffee! Well, I have many new things on Etsy so go check them out.
Have a great day! Marnie

Football, Football, and more Football

So I've been a little absent from the blog lately, but I have an excuse. Managing three boys with football these days is quite overwhelming along with growing this business that I've started. Football is constantly on my mind. And why shouldn't it be, six days a week is the schedule. Yes, six days. Sunday is our only day of rest..oh wait the pros play that day...TV all day.
I even went for a three mile run this morning, I'm a die hard runner, and instead of thinking about what I need to accomplish with my business, I thought about football. I thought about how my son Ryan, who plays running back for his team, has a scrimmage today. I was even running his plays that he has had to learn through my head...that is so sad.
I have come to the conclusion that I love football, love to watch my boys play it, and to see how much they enjoy it. My son Austin, who is pictured above, can't get enough of it.
Well, on to business news. I have many things going on that I will start posting about tomorrow. I am really going to try to start posting every day. I think I might have to do it at night though because I am so tied with my morning routine. So please check back this week for news, I have much to tell. I'm off to start my day of work with shipping orders, painting, and thinking about football...can't forget about that! Have a great day!-Marnie V.

The Handmade Kids Contest on ETSY!

http://www.etsy.com/contest/images/handmade_kids_main.gif

I have been absent from this blog for about a week, and I'm feeling horrible about it. I honestly just have not had any time. I have been busy with contract illustration work, contract mural jobs on the weekend, my three boys playing football(CRAZY), my J. AUSTIN Ryan line, and ETSY.
But I decided today to jump on and tell you about the Handmade Kids contest going on at Etsy through Sept. 8th.
I entered my Rocket Dog, which is pictured below on bottom left, and out of over 3,000 entries....I made the top 40. I feel so honored because of all the talent on Etsy. Well, please go and cast your vote in the Art section and look for Rocket Dog.
And while your there, vote in all the other categories as well.

The Rocket Dog painting below on the right is a new piece done especially for the Art Gallery Art251.
Isn't it cool. I love it. The title of it is called Rocket City. I won't be reproducing this painting or printing it. So, if your interested in it contact the Gallery and they will be happy with your purchase. It's a mixed media of vintage papers that were used for the city scape and acrylic paints. Well, I am creating more Rocket Dogs and can't wait to upload them onto my Etsy, so please check back soon. Have a great day!- Marnie V.

Creating More

Being an artist is honestly something I have learned to be completely thankful for. I used to shun away comments when people would say " You are so talented...all I can draw is a stick." But, anyone can learn to draw, paint, or give some what of creativity in something they are interested in. Everyone is creative in some way.
I have really noticed how thankful my kids are that I am creative. They have turned into my PR group when it comes to telling anyone we know what I do. And I love that.
They even made a clip to put on UTube like they were on MTV Cribs. It was hilarious. They videoed themselves as if they were celebrities and then added me into. I was painting in the studio when they came in and told MTV who I was and what I did. If you have ever seen the show, they always go to the fridge and check out every ones food, yeah they did that to. I'll have to get the link from them so you all can watch it. So back to supporting Artists.

Artists need a lot of encouragement. I'm not saying that we are crying because we haven't heard the words " you are so talented" in a few weeks, but we do. Artists are constantly challenging themselves creatively and emotionally. But as hard as I work to becoming an established artist, I am enjoying every minute of it. Just wanted to share a little of my thoughts.
Now about the painting above. Ummm..red and more red. I love how red I made this painting. You can't miss it. Hawk looks so sweet in this painting along with the little lost bird. I titled it
" Where is Mama?" Love it and hope you do to.
Well, I'm off to start my day and enjoy yours...Marnie V.

My New Hired Help

It's summer break and I'm still trying to get used to the fact that my boys are home. We always put them on a summer schedule just so they still have a little structure. We all know kids need structure. Schedule meaning....reading time, XBOX only hours of operation, playing outside, and chores. So the in between time when they are wondering what to do, they usually grab out a box of Lego's and start creating.
I have been very busy this past week filling orders and everything that goes along with running a business by yourself. And I love that my boys completely respect when I am busy. They know that after a show mom is only really available for cooking, band aids, laundry, and a prayer at night before bedtime. Well, i do much more also.
So, my 8 year old son Austin created some help for me over the weekend and his name is CB90.
Austin told me that he has programmed him to help me paint, ship, and even poor me a tall glass of cold water when I'm thirsty. He can even hold about 4 paint brushes..Wow. Of course, it's been two days and I honestly haven't seen CB90 do much of anything. But I came into the studio early this morning and found him like this.
Ok...so maybe he is trying to organize my paints...yeah that's it. Austin, you are so creative and I love you for that. Well, it's 7:45 am and I have a busy day. I got up this morning at 5am to get a jump on paperwork and had to box up an order that is being shipped today. I will be out of the studio most of the day today due to me teaching swim class this morning and I promised my boys that I would take them to the library.
I am crossing my fingers to come home later to find CB90 painting up the rest of my orders. I may have to ask Austin to program him for marketing...now that would be something!
Have a great day-Marnie

Camping

Almost a week from my last blog and it feels like forever. I just got in from teaching swimming this morning and wanted to tell you all about our weekend. We went camping at Lake Texoma. Basically, one side is Texas and the other Oklahoma. We haven't camped in forever and it was great to get our feet wet again.
The sites were beautiful. Our camp spot was at the edge of a cliff...pretty steep I might add.
We arrived Sat. morning and quickly set up our tent.

My boys were pretty eager to start swimming in the lake but, when you camp its important to set up the shop first. I'm thinking about trying some of those strategies at home when it comes to doing chores. Then, when we had finished, we headed for the lake. We took a trail down and my boys were scoping out all of the poison oak...little scary. Of course my main concern was the possibility of running into a snake.

We eventually made it down and back, a few times, without itching or snake bites. My boys first started swimming, which then turned into sand throwing, and eventually had to all say sorry to a little girl due to sand in her eyes.....boys.

They eventually started making a wall out of sand. They miss the California beaches. They love building castles and forts. And i didn't snap a photo, but the little girl with the sand in the eye, let's just say she was the giant who got even.
Ok...I need to get back to work. I am still finishing up my next Rocket Dog and a few other secret items as well. I can't wait to share....Marnie

Busy Days with no Blogging

My son Ryan doing a kick flip ollie ...I think!

My days have been so busy this past week it's crazy! My boys have been on spring break so they have been keeping me very busy. I haven't even blogged in about a week i think. Between entertaining my boys and running this business this week, I have been very overwhelmed.

But, with this week closing to an end, I am starting to feel a little relaxed.
I love reading other blogs of moms playing play dough and craft time in the garage. I remember those days that flew by so quickly. Now my days are filled with trucking kids to the local skate parks, baseball practice, and a good old game of hide and seek in the dark. The list goes on and on. Oh yeah..and a few texting on cell phones to the girlfriend of the week. Drama...

Today is Saturday, and we met with my son Ryan's baseball team for a parent against the kids game. The parents lost of course, his team is very good. Besides running the bases I was in charge of snapping some photos as well. Below is Ryan with a big swing.




Tomorrow is Easter and the closing of my busy week with my bunch. We have something special planned for the boys, but it's a secret. I'll post on Monday all about it. Easter will be a nice day for the start of a busy week. I have projects due, meeting with a client, and a four day trade show at the end of the week. Besides that, i still am creating two new pieces for the show and I haven't even started them yet...at least it's in my brain.

Well, I'm off to clean up around the house and get ready for our busy day tomorrow. Besides us taking the boys on a special outing, Easter dinner will be eaten at the in-laws. I haven't even put together the Easter baskets for my boys. Oh my gosh...and I think I said I would bring deviled eggs. Look's like I'm getting on the foodnetwork.com for a recipe.
HAPPY EASTER to ALL! Marnie