New Great Look; Same Great Content ;-)

I am so in LOVE with Holly over at Designs by Coffee right now! Why? Well take a look around! See my new amazing header? Holly did such a great job! Isn't my new Masked Mommy awesome?! She really looks like she's ready to kick some dust bunny butt! :-)

She also made me this awesome button! And I know all of you guys are Super Mommies too, so I want everyone to snag one! Then tell me you have it up so I can go see how awesome it looks on your blog! ;-)

<a href="http://themaskedmommy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="The Masked Mommy" src="http://i554.photobucket.com/albums/jj427/bunnydeau/a2.png" width="190" border="0" /></a><br />

Holly was amazing and was very patient while working with me. I co-designed it with her, and she was very patient with making my vision a reality. Check out the picture I sent her and then what she did with it:

In celebration of my new and amazing blog design, I have fashioned a Masked Mommy Peg Person. Check her out!

One Woman: Two Identities ;-)

I originally met Holly at her dust bunny blog, Domestic Dork, so everyone stop by to tell her how much you love my new look and what a great job she did! 

For anyone who's trying to remember, here's what my blog looked like yesterday:

New Blog Design By...

Blogging Slacker...

That's what I am right now. And then I started to feel stressed out about how I "needed" to blog again. And then I got to thinking, "Blogging is supposed to be fun, not stressful!" So I linked an old post to Kimba's DIY party today and stopped being such a crazy stresser-outer!

Anyways, I haven't been a total bum. I've been working on my art again and have a few pieces to show y'all today. They're all oil pastel on paper:

First I thought I'd try a still life...

Then I really enjoyed drawing the pear, so I drew a really big one.
My daughter calls it the "huge heavy pear" lol!

Then I was inspired by a friend who showed me her paintings of glass. I had
never drawn glass before, so I decided to do several small studies.

I really loved drawing the glass, and my favorite was the red wine glass. It was soooo much fun to draw in black and white! And I usually HATE drawing in black and white!

I'm leaving to go out of town tomorrow and I'll be gone for a week, so I'll check you guys later! Stay super, and I'll see you when I get back! :-)

Purple Starry Night

The winner of the Purple Starry Night poster giveaway has been chosen at random, but just happens to be a fellow superhero! Everyone put your hands together in congratulations for Christene, aka Supergirl! :-D

She won the very first poster of my painting, Purple Starry Night. Congratulations, Christene!

Here was Christene's Comment:

I just found you through The Crafty Crow. Your painting in purple is magnificent, Fancy Nancy worthy, just divine! I've become a follower, posted on my blog (supergirlcentral.blogspot.com.... your a girl after my own heart!) AND I'm posting to say, hurray for painting again. You go Masked Mommy!

Painting Details

Thank you to everyone who participated! And for those of you who are disappointed to have lost, I will have the poster up for sale soon!

Christene- Just email me your contact information so I can put your signed artist's proof in the mail! maskedmommy@gmail.com

My 100th Post Celebration and Giveaway!

This is my 100th blog post, so I wanted to have a celebration! I have a sneak peak of something very exciting for all of you, plus you have a chance to win my giveaway!

My exciting new announcement- I am painting again! I have now started a new series of paintings. Purple paintings to be exact. Therefore, I will now be know as "The Masked Mommy" by day and "The Purple Painter" by night! Man, my secret identity (aka- my actually self) is going to start getting lost in the shuffle...

I am in love with my newest painting, and you guys (my awesome readers and trusty sidekicks) are the very first to see it! It's fresh off the easel last week. May I present to you my painting of Purple Starry Night:

For anyone who's confused or rubbing their eyes, here's what Vincent van Gogh's original looks like:


This is my first painting in my series of purple paintings, and you happened to make it just in time for my sneak peak of what's to come!

Seeing this piece "in a museum" makes me chuckle. Upload your own photograph here to see your stuff in a museum ;-)

Ok, enough silliness. Now for the giveaway :-D

I am giving away the very first poster of this painting - the artist's proof (signed of course)! It's a 16x20 size poster, and I can guarantee you won't find another poster like this one anywhere else ;-)


Ways to enter this giveaway~

• Comment on this post to let me know you where you would like to hang it or what famous artwork you would like to see in purple next :-)
  
• Become a follower (or remind me in your comment that you already are a follower).
• Post about this giveaway on your blog. Then come back here and let me know that you did in a comment.

That's 3 total chances you have to be entered in for this unique giveaway, so may the commenting begin ;-) The winner will be chosen at random. You may enter until midnight on July 15th.

I think these prints would be just adorable in a little girl's room, and I think they'd be equally awesome in a dorm room! Of course, I put the original right in the middle of my living room, so who knows where it will work in your home! I just wish they had been for sale when I was going off to college and trying to fill my dorm walls ;-)

Thank you to everyone who reads this blog. I have such a good time writing, and it just wouldn't be the same if y'all weren't reading along encouraging me! You ladies inspire me every day! I'm so glad to have you all here celebrating this special blog post with me! These last 100 posts have flown by, and I look forward to the next 100 posts :-D

PS. There are some VERY exciting linky opportunities coming up, so check out my left sidebar for the details! I'm especially excited about Kimba's new "DIY Day" at A Soft Place to Land and the Nester's upcoming party! Please let me know about any linking opportunities you guys know of. I'll give a shout out for the first to tell me about any new linky party or blog carnival out there ;-) I want to keep the Linky Guide as complete as possible! I want to know about every Mr. Linky box out there! :-)

Kitchen Inspiration

When I first got married, our kitchen was "diner themed", so everything was red and black. I wanted a change that included a lot of color, and then I found these pictures for inspiration:

So I'm sure you guys all saw the amazing giveaway dishes on The Nester and Southern Hospitality. They made me drool! (aahhddddrgggrhhh)

But they did something more important than making me drool... they made me see how to be able to incorporate all my red and black stuff in my new colorful kitchen! Ta-da! (This is very important because I can't buy all new stuff) Plus, I was already putting bible verses on all my dishes! I sure wish I had won one of those giveaways! Doesn't that bum you out??? Well... it doesn't have to! Know why? Because we can paint on our own dishes, ladies! Check out my "new" water pitcher:


I found this water pitcher at Goodwill last fall for $2.99, and loved it! It already had the colorful stripes, but I got inspired and painted the bible verse on myself! Plus, it's dishwasher and microwave safe! Want to know how I did it? With Pebeo Porcelaine 150 paints. They're awesome. You can get them at your local craft store in paint or paint-marker form. You paint on your own dishes, and then bake them in your regular oven to set it. They turn out looking and feeling very professional. See my post about when I painted the rest of my dishes here.

The bible verse I used on my water pitcher was 1Cor 10, 31:

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.

Painted Wood Is Pretty!

And I don't care what anyone else says! (Ok, that's not true. When something is "too nice" to be painted, I sheepishly slump away from the task. I'm afraid that others might think I'm a freak for ruining the wooden furniture... and The Masked Husband is at the top that list!) But I personally prefer for EVERYTHING wooden to be painted in the furniture category!

That's why this chair is so great. I found it on the curb, plus it was in terrible shape. No need to worry about "ruining" it ;-) Also, this chair was worn out enough that it didn't need to be sanded. Score!


First I painted it white, and then I just "hit it" with some blue. If you're looking to use this technique, be sure not to do too "perfect" of a job... but feel free to use a little masking tape if you want so you can be free with your brush strokes!


Next, I wanted something pretty on the seat. So I got my inspiration from this piece of fabric. Isn't is beautiful?! (Ok, I know I'm a more colorful person than most... but I love it!)

So I just painted it on one color at a time!

Voila! From a beat up curb find to a style that's all mine!

This is an oldie, but a goodie. So I'm linking today for:

Having An Art Room Again... Soon.

Art is a space consuming hobby... and I haven't had any space at all in this tiny townhouse. I keep dreaming of what I'll be able to do when we move into the farmhouse next month, and I'll have a real art room again! And it will be on the main level, so I can do art while my kidos play!

Back when I used to have an art room, I actually worked on my art.

This my painting (a copy of Degas Dancers in Green):

(Oil on Canvas)

Here's my painting of Starry Night

(Acrylic on Coffee Table... haha!)

Here is a painting I did of my little brother for my mom:

(Egg tempera on cradle)

Here it is shown with the photograph I painted it from:

The sad truth is, I NEVER paint anymore because I don't have the space to do so. And that makes me so sad!We all need our arts and craft supplies to be out where we can work on it with our spare time, and not when we have to devote our afternoon to dragging everything out and putting everything back. You're more likely to craft and/or fix things if your glue gun has a home sitting out on a desk, just waiting to be plugged in! So if you have the space for it, I urge you to designate an arts and crafts space for yourself! You'll see such a change in your devotion to your artistic side!

My Art Gallery

Hi, and welcome to my art gallery! Please keep your voices down and turn off your cell phones. Also, no touching the artwork, and no flash photography please. Enjoy!

{Purple Starry Night~ Acrylics on Canvas}

{Purple Starry Night Details}

{Brother on the Beach~ Egg tempera and Oil on Cradle}

{Replica of Starry Night~ Acrylics on Coffee Table... haha!}

{Replica of Degas' Dancers~ Oil on Canvas}

{Glass Study~ Oil Pastels on Paper}

{Still Life with Apricots~ Oil Pastels on Paper}

{Giant Pear~ Oil Pastels on Paper}

New Blog Artwork

Well, I still don't have a camera :-P But my scanner is working! So I thought I'd let you guys have a peek at my new blog design... It really bothers me that I didn't draw the pictures on this blog myself, so I thought I'd better get to work!

Just some sketches, but I'm happy to be designing them myself :-)

I should be getting a new-to-me digital camera this afternoon! I found it on craigslist. Any of you who are not users of craigslist or freecycle need to get on the ball! ;-) Craigslist is a free local classifieds site where you can find almost anything used and affordable. Freecycle is also divided up into local chapters and can be found on yahoo groups. Click here to find a group near you.

Super Posts... At Least They're My Favorite :-)

If you're new to The Masked Mommy, welcome! When I'm not too busy saving the world, or leaping buildings with a single bound, I blog! Please take a look around, and I hope you like what you see! You can leave me feedback or suggestions in the comments, or email me at maskedmommy@gmail.com

Now for the Super Posts!

I can teach you how to make your own mail sorter using things you already have around your house! You can do it!


Check out these thrifty toy storage ideas.


I've done tons of diy projects for my son's puppy nursery. See how I made cute wall hangings, and transformed a hippo to a puppy. I also sewed my own crib set, bouncy chair cover, & co-sleeper cover!


I materialized a mudroom out of our entryway closet. Check it out!

I paint on anything and everything, from dishes to coffee tables. Sometimes, I'm even traditional to paint on a canvas or 2 ;-)


I love to repurpose things. See how we made our dining room table into a coffee table!

I spend practically nothing on decorating. Don't believe me? Let me count the ways I do it ;-)


I like to bake and decorate cake, although I'm really an amateur... but I don't let that stop me! I also love to throw parties. Check out some elegant party ideas here, or some cutesier ideas here.


I love to craft, and think presents are so much more meaningful when they are handmade. Here's an idea for making someone a special wedding present they'll remember forever, and here's an idea for a unique baby present. :-)


Although I'm really bad at organization, I have blogged about some organizational ideas that help me out. Some of my favorite organizational posts are about organizing your DVDs, setting boundaries for toys, and organizing your baby bag.

I also love to post about seasonal stuff. Here's a St. Valentine's Day idea. Also, check out some of my Easter ideas like teaching your children the true meaning of Easter through DIY Resurrection Eggs, or check out my thrifty Easter posts and learn how to make your own egg dye, and make some affordable basket stuffers! And don't miss St. Patrick's Day games and party ideas!


We used to own a house, and we fixed it up ourselves. The only professionals we hired were for laying the carpet. Check out the before and after pictures!

Thanks for checking out The Masked Mommy! I hope to see you around. You know how all of us bloggers thrive on comments and followers ;-)