Brandy Ink

Live out Loud: The Winners

Wow. This giveaway really opened my eyes to what I wasn't paying attention to before. There are people I talk to every day, or some just once in a while... but out of all these people, I really have no idea what goes on in their life. Or, what has gone on in the past. What drives them. The struggles they've have. What gets them through their day. What has made all the difference in their lives.

I encourage you all to read through the comments that people left. There are some amazing stories of bravery and excellent examples of living out loud. Some of the stories gave me goosebumps or brought a tear to my eye. Some of the stories were emailed to me and I wish I could share, but the fact that they were emailed must mean that the people want them to remain private. But, thank you for these. All of these stories really touched me. Thank you so much to everyone who participated!
Sandy and Kristy, congratulations on being randomly selected. I loved both of your comments. Please email me your mailing addresses and I'll pop the prints in the mail.

{Giveaway} Ends tonight!

If you haven't shared you LIVE OUT LOUD story yet, please do so before midnight tonight. I love hearing the stories that everyone is sharing. Message me, email me, facebook comment me, or comment on my blog. Click here for giveaway details.

 
Check back tomorrow night for the winners!

Live Out Loud {Giveaway}

 

This is probably my favourite. Like, out of everything I've ever created. I can't stop staring at it. I love the movement in this piece. The mood. The message. It just makes me happy. It reminds me of music. It reminds me of all the ways I've LIVED OUT LOUD. It's even inspired me to make some much needed changes to my blog including a new lively banner and also a new category for art for sale. And there are more changes coming, so watch for those.

I can hardly wait to make more pieces like this. And I won't be at all upset if this one doesn't sell because I kinda want to keep it for myself. I love it THAT much.

Live Out Loud | Acrylics, collage, melted wax, resin, on canvas | 16" x 20"| $325

GIVEAWAY: Because I love my readers, I'd like to give away two 8x10 prints of LIVE OUT LOUD! Leave me a comment giving me an example of how you've Lived Out Loud. Like, maybe you've thrown your bra on stage at a Bon Jovi concert, or, driven too fast, or, wore spandex when you shouldn't have, or, wore spandex when you should have! Do tell!

To enter: Leave a comment with your Live Out Loud story.

For additional entries: mention me. blog it. facebook it. tweet it. pin it. (please leave additional comments for each of these you do, upping your odds at winning!)

I'll pull 2 random winners soon!

The Art Party

It was Keiryn's 8th birthday this week and she looooooooves art so we had an art party! It was so much fun. Here's the cake (that really doesn't look like much) but it took a long four hours to make. I made the icing from scratch. It's a butter-cream icing and it was sooooo good. I got the recipe here. The time commitment was pretty huge, but it was a pretty tasty cake.
Of course because it was an art party, all of the kids got to paint a picture. The theme was "owls" and they each got a canvas to paint on. I did a little demo for them, but they mostly just did their own thing.

They turned out really cute...

Then we did a little photo shoot, which also turned out really cute...

Then it was time for cake... Keiryn was absolutely dying of excitement because she wanted her friends to see the surprise... which was inside the cake...
Don't you love the candles? Now for the reveal....
TA DA!! Isn't it beautiful? The kids all gasped when they saw me dish out the first piece... I almost peed my pants, I was so excited. I lost sleep over this cake the night before because I was so excited to cut it open and see what it looked like inside!!

And the fancy drinks were cool too. Ice cubes made out of Kool-aid in rainbow colors, served in 7-up. The kids loved these too...
And then Keiryn opened her presents... do you think she might have been a tiny bit excited about this gift? Keiryn thanked me eight hundred times after the party was over and said it was better than any party she could ever imagine. I'm so glad she appreciated it. She's good that way. And really, I probably had more fun than she did.

Good times!

Gotcha Day

Look at that face. I love this photo of her. The twinkle in her eye. The slight grin. The sand on her face. The sunshine lighting her up and the wind blowing her hair. It's perfect. Just like her. It's only been two years since she came and already I can't imagine our life with her. She's such a gift to not only my sister and her family, but to all of us. It's like we got to flip through a catalogue of babies, to pick the best one. She's an absolute doll, inside and out.

Yesterday was Gotcha Day. Or at least that is what my sister and her husband call it. The anniversary of when, them, along with many other families, travelled to China two years ago. The day they finally got their long awaited China dolls. Gotcha Day. Now that's worth celebrating!

Happy Gotcha Day Brooke, Darren, Aiden and Lily! (okay, it was yesterday, but better late than never!)

She's 8 and she's perfect.

She's beautiful. She's silly. She's sassy. She's shy. She's petite. She's quiet. She's loud. She's kind. she's smart. She's giggles. She's everything I could ever hope for in a perfect little girl.

I just can't believe she's 8. Happy Birthday honey. I just want to squeeze those little cheeks but I realize that is like "sooooo last year".

Thank you Keiryn for being such an amazing, easy, fun loving girl. I love you to pieces.

Life is Beautiful

I have so many things to be thankful for: spending time in my art studio, two beautiful daughters, an awesome fiance, a thriving business, two superb employees, lots of fun students in Art Classes for Kids, and lots more fun kids at Beyond Wild. My life is absolutely full of goodness. What more could I ask for?

Sometimes I wonder what I'd do if I won the lottery, and actually, I have no idea. Because as it seems, I'm doing all the things I want to be doing already. Would I travel more? Sure. Would I wear nicer clothes. Sure. Would I drink expensive wine. Sure. Would I donate more? Sure. But when it really comes down to it, I can't imagine being any happier than I am today.

Life is Beautiful | Acrylics, collage, wire, glass, resin, on canvas | 12" x 12"| $99