The Road to Lifestyle

"The creative process is a process of surrender, not control." - Julia Cameron

 I have been a Kathy Weller fan for quite some time and I'm so excited that she released a darling mini-book entitled She Believed She Could, So She Did .  The book was given to me as a "bonus" when my husband purchased one of her original pieces of art as a birthday gift in March. I was so thrilled with this book I ordered a dozen copies to give away to my sisters, friends, and family. If you have a female in your life, GET HER THIS BOOK ! She will love it. It will encourage her. It will inspire her. It will uplift her. It will breathe life into her dreams. It is 80 pages of full-color illustrations with quotes celebrating inner strength. Sample quotes include: "I dwell in possibility."  - Emily Dickinson "She was unstoppable.  Not because she did not have failures or doubts but because she continued on despite them."  - Beau Taplin This book is suitable for any age and any occasion... or you c...

Good Things Come to Those Who Believe ! I believe it!  And I hope you do too! Here is my first mixed media piece of 2014! She is quite mesmerizing... :) Available in my Etsy shop ! Make it a great week!

If you were decked out in your best top hat, how would you feel? I think you'd be pretty content being YOU! :) This mixed media piece started with an old block of wood and voila! It is now something special and it is now available in my shop !   Make it a great week!

It has been a busy couple of days! I drove down to Georgia with Diana Barrett and my publisher and her family to participate in the 10th annual Savannah Children's Book Festival ! I got the opportunity to meet Tad Hills , the author and illustrator of Duck & Goose and I had the opportunity to witness some live illustrating! Jim McMullan in action! :) I met some other "curious" characters like Curious George as well! I also met someone from my Mom's hometown in Panama--Rosie from Chiriqui ! I sold 22 copies of My Dog, Jack at the event on Saturday.  Thanks to Savannah for their tremendous hospitality and everyone who has purchased a book and supported me!  I so very much appreciate it! You can still get your copy of My Dog, Jack today!   And remember, Christmas is right around the corner!  An autographed copy of My Dog, Jack would make a great gift! Enjoy your Sunday and make it a...

Greetings All! Anyone know what book the title of this post is from? :) I have been creating new art! These pieces are for Bound 2B Round! Each year the Yellow Springs Village Artisans challenge artists with a theme.  In past years, the theme has been "Dare 2B Square" but this year they have asked us to creatively explore "round" and create round or round-themed art. I've been seeing a lot of poppies around lately and I found them to be quite charming. Here is my rendition... "Poppy Bouquet" (left) and "Poppies on Parade" (right) These pieces will be on display at Village Artisans in Yellow Springs, Ohio throughout the month of October. Please come out and check out the round art in October! Village Artisans 100 Corry Street Yellow Springs OH 45387 937.767.1209

My book is officially on the market! I have been saying it for years:  "My goal is to have a book on the market that I have both written and illustrated..." I'm proud to say that my dream came true on 16 August 2013! :) My Dog, Jack on Amazon.com My Dog, Jack on BarnesandNoble.com Now comes the real work! MARKETING! :) Thank you for all of the support! Painting the Opening Scene     P.S. - I just updated my Blog Bio!! No longer "aspiring children's author and illustrator"!!   I AM a children's author AND illustrator! I feel like dancing! :)

Greetings All!   I have been working on the illustrations for my picture book but I was able to take a quick break and create "Turtle" the Mixed Media Owl !   Turtle was inspired by the lovely Ashlie Blake of Painting Bliss .  She has a shop on Etsy filled with beautiful original work. Her Mixed Media Owls were featured in the May/June issue of Cloth Paper Scissors .   Enjoy! *************************UPDATE************************* Ashlie gave me some feedback on my owl!

 Just posted a new piece in my Etsy shop ! The goal was to create a mixed media collage using various magazine clippings. I had envisioned a human body with a tiger's head but I stayed a bit more conservative... :) Hey, I'm not a girlie girl so using so much pink was a stretch for me. What can I say?!  I'm growing! ;) We aren't human beings... we are human becomings! Enjoy!

Well, I gave it another shot! I thought about calling this one, "Frustration is the beginning of success!" :) I am going to let it be for now... I do like it better than my first try ... Will be in my shop soon!

Meet Abe the Lion !   He is my newest paper clay sculpture.  Before I painted him something about him reminded me of Abe Lincoln, so I named him Abe. Lincoln was referred to as "Honest Abe" and Abe the Lion is no different. When he says "I Luv U"... he means it! I think it's awesome to sculpt... to take a shapeless piece of clay and create a character. I hope he makes you smile...

New piece... will be in the shop soon! Comment from a friend:  "Interesting... more on the serious side... definitely has appeal..." I'll take it! :)

All, my mixed media pieces were selected for SWAN Day Dayton and will be on display at the Dayton Metro Public Library from now until March 30th!  March 30th is the official SWAN Day... SWAN stands for Support Women Artists Now... it's an international event celebrating women artists across the world!   http://swandaydayton.blogspot.com/

All,  I made my very first paper clay sculpture EVER! More to follow soon... His name is Albert... :) www.etsy.com/shop/CevilleDesigns

 I posted new pieces in my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/CevilleDesigns We have a lovely dancing bear above.  This little princess has a gold crown and a pink cupcake complete with a cherry on top.... little blue stars adorn the sky above her. I really enjoy whimsy and this little bear is just that--a bit of whimsy to brighten your day. For more pics of "Dancing Bear" click HERE . Also, I finished "Polka Dot Polly" today! She is gazing longingly at a chocolate cake and is bundled up in her favorite green polka dot hoodie. The cake also has a cherry on top! For more pics of "Polka Dot Polly" click HERE . I hope these pieces bring a smile to your face and a bit of joy!

I've been creating!  :) Now, my first one ever was the red ball above.  It took me almost four hours to complete! I called it "The Beast." But, I'm happy to say that the blue and white balls only took me an hour and a half each. And that's because "A" I was getting better and "B" my husband helped cut the strands of paper to the length I needed and he crumpled them for me. The tutorial I read stated you need to make the strips about 24 inches long and you can crumple the paper to soften it.  I DEFINITELY recommend crumpling.  It gives the flowers a nice texture and makes them easier to wrap. The balls were made with 6" styrofoam balls (once the rosettes are applied they become 1 to 2 inches thicker), crepe paper (150 ft x 1.75 in), and glue sticks (hot glue gun). For the red and blue balls above I used one and a half rolls of crepe paper. The rosettes on the white ball were made thicker and tighter ...

Awesome paper art by Yulia Brodskaya ! These are some of my favorites...