Happy Earth Day!

I made a bunch of jewelry last night with earthy themes. I do try and reuse old broken jewelry parts when I can. There was definitely a color theme last night, blue and green and I didn't even realize today was Earth Day till this morning. I know I'm bad with dates. Today is my brother Nathan's birthday, wish I could see him he just recently moved all the way to the west coast! Happy birthday Nate!

On a side note I will be offering some eco-wallets and bags in my shop soon made by my lovely Mama. These are so cool and I've been using my wallet for about a year now and I still get compliments every where I go. Look for them soon!

These are my latest offerings and remember this is jewelry with a purpose of helping others in need.

I'm in love with a monkey!!

Coral Reef focal

Coral Reef Necklace that started it all!

Yes you read that right! I'm in love with a monkey named Beady Monkey! I found her while browsing the supplies section of Etsy looking for unique beads. How unique are handmade beads made out of horn, with beautiful paper on top and a glossy resin finish? VERY!! I ordered a set of beads with a coral reef theme and she threw in a few freebies which got me started!! When my beads arrived I squealed with excitement! Well not literally but I was in awe, thought they were super cool. Immediately I started thinking about my designs with her super cool beads for my shop Impress 2 Bless (you can read about it more here).

These are my designs:

Hey Chickie Bracelet (the chic is a Beady Monkey bead)

Nature Girl Bracelet (bird focal)

Coral Reef Earrings

Coral Reef Bracelet

So check out her shop for unique beads and one of a kind jewelry!! You'll fall in love too! Check out her blog as well for other fabulous things.

Make me an offer cause Frida needs a home!

Frida needs a home! She's been homeless for quite some time well not exactly homeless but she's feeling pretty rejected. She's sick of staying here with me ;) Anyways if you like her and want her make me an offer I need to make some space around here.

A little about her:

"Feet, who needs them when I have wings to fly?" - Frida Kahlo

This piece is a 12 x 16 mixed media piece. I used ephemera, ranger adirondack ink, acrylics, beeswax, pen, conte crayon, oil pastels, stickers and more. It is covered with a thin layer of beeswax to seal it all so it has a nice scent as well. The flowers in her hair were cut out from a postcard from 1910. The original sketch of Frida that I collaged is my original sketch for my digital piece Frida I just painted over her. If you LOVE Frida like I do then you'll love this piece.

This piece will come with a (COA) certificate of authenticity signed by me. This will be shipped Priority mail out to you as well.

All rights reserved. All reproduction rights are retained by the artist. Unauthorized reproduction in any form is prohibited. All artwork and images are copyright Aimée Wheaton.

Bet you didn't know ...

I started a new Etsy shop. Yes I know I said I would cut back but this shop isn't really for me, it's for others. This came out of me wanting to help my friends and family in need. I have a lot going on on both sides of my family at the moment, people needing help and in financial difficulty. Major life changes are happening and we're not all sure we're ready for these things to happen. My art has kind of taken a back burner lately and I think this is one of the reasons why. I never have my own money when it comes to wanting to help others so I came up with the idea to make and sell jewelry and if it profits (I am praying it does) then I can help my loved ones. Every little bit helps right? I'm faithfully making jewelry in the evenings and spending time with my kiddo during the day. Next day if I can I post them in the shop and on my FB Fanpage. Please check it out when you get a chance. I've had one sale the second day my shop was running, boy was that encouraging! Another idea I had was to put one piece of art in this shop and the money would go towards a missionary friend I have who needs financial support. (still working on this one)
I've named my shop Impress 2 Bless. Please spread the word for me. I may do a giveaway from time to time on here as well. If you would like to donate old beads or anything jewelry related I would gladly welcome it and turn it into something new! Just let me know. You can follow me on Twitter as well @impress2bless

Deuteronomy 16:17: "All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God."

Here are a few of my favorites in the shop now:

And the winner is!

I posted a giveaway last week for an original piece of art and picked the winner today!! I used Random.org for a little help. The number was 2! AnoneMoose!! I will be in touch for your address! Congrats! UPDATE: can you email me? I can't find any contact info for you.

Thanks for all the sweet comments all. I feel good about my decision. During this time though my spark for jewelry making came back so doing a bit of that with my daughter as well!

Can you hear the crickets?

You know the sound of those crickets in the summertime happily making their little noises after it's completely silent? Yeah kind of like my blog has been, silent and quiet. Not much has been going on my little art world. Life is rapidly changing all around me and I haven't been feeling inspired at all. Insert cricket sound here. Well after much thought I am taking an art hiatus, as if you didn't know that by the silence right? I was trying to balance mommyhood and my art "career" and just can't at the moment. My sweet daughter is taking up most of my time and we're having fun together and strengthening our relationship on a daily basis. I've gotten more hugs and kisses and random "I love you"s than I ever have gotten from her. She needs me and I cherish this time together. Sales have been way down and I have to admit I'm a little discouraged. I see all my cool artsy friends moving on with their careers, writing books, holding classes and selling a ton, I have to admit I'm a little jealous but I'm not at that point right now. I'm happy for them all but wish I could be a part of that world right now. The timing isn't right and I know it will be at another time just not right now.

Life at home has been nutso I've been a decluttering fool and that includes my art supplies and mixed media stuff galore! Last night I made 5 mixed media grab bags full of goodies! I'm selling them on Etsy and they are chock full of stuff! Check them out if you need a boost in your stash and little extras!


I've decided to have a little giveaway on here as well. I made this piece for Valentine's Day but will give it away to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment on here and I will pick a random winner using random.org next Monday.

Thanks for reading! As I write this I'm reminded of this scripture:

Job 1:21 (KJV)

"21... Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."