Custom Log Slice Painting - Lakeside

 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all! This has been an amazing and wonderful year for me and my handmade business. I'm so thankful for all of the lovely people who support me and enjoy the items that I work so hard to create!

I've been excessively busy this past month (who hasn't been? the holidays always seem to have a way of doing that to a person.) As a result, I've been a little lax with my blogging. I'm going to use my next few posts to show off some custom orders as well as some gifts I made for this holiday season.

One of my favorite custom projects this season was this custom log slice painting. I used acrylic paints to recreate (in the abstract) a photo of a lake. I hope it was well enjoyed by the recipient of this gift!

I have several ready to ship log slice paintings on hand at any time in my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop/tangentsbyshs) and I am always happy to take custom orders!

My First Clock - Randolph Cardinals Style

I love clocks, and not the digital kind, the ones with hands and gears. They make that fantastic, soft, ticking noise, and they're one of the most useful decorations that I can think of. So, when I was approached about making a retirement gift for an employee of Randolph Public Schools, a clock seemed like the perfect idea. I've had numerous ideas for clock faces recently, but I just hadn't yet had the push to actually create one. This was just the push I needed, and I sure am glad of it!

The clock is made from plywood, and is the same shape as most of my shadowbox paintings. It can sit on a mantel or be hung from a wall. I decorated the face with a painting of Randolph's tough looking cardinal mascot, and, of course, used the school colors.

Perhaps there will be more clocks in my future... If you like this one, I'm definitely open to more custom ideas - just send me an email: tangents.shs@gmail.com for a quote.

3' Penguin - Front Porch Decoration

I had a recent request for a large-scale wooden penguin to decorate a front porch. At the time, the largest penguin I'd made was 18" tall - so I doubled it to create a monster stand-alone bird. I had to request a little help from my husband, Jason, and I'd say we ended up with a wintery and fun front door decoration. I'm thinking of making one for myself, too!

Here's Jason posing next to the monster penguin we created so that you all can get a sense of scale.

He looks rather thin from the side... a little look at the prop that's holding the penguin up, it's hinged for easy storage.

Portrait of a Penguin. Here he is all alone in all his wintry glory.

Whale Shark Necklace - Custom Order

This morning I conquered the difficult task of saying goodbye to another one of my custom orders. I always feel  a little sad to see my creations go, but seriously happy at the same time, because I know someone else will get to enjoy them!

This special piece of jewelry was created for a gal who loves whale sharks. I don't know why I hadn't already created a whale shark character for the Aquatic Avenue Crew - they're such pretty fish!

Custom Friendship Necklace - Sunset Style

Today I finished up a custom order for a set of wooden friendship necklaces. I've made mountains in the past (which I still love), but I have to say, this sunset is my new favorite necklace set.

It's always fun for friends to have a little something to bind them together - and what's more awesome than hand crafted jewelry? If you and your posse need some necklaces, I can make a set of 2, 3, 4, or 5 (like the sunset necklaces). I'm also always open to trying new designs!

I still have a little bit of time open for custom Christmas orders - if you want in on all of the hand crafted custom action, make sure to get your order in by this Saturday (December 7th). My last pre-Christmas ship date will be December 13th, so all holiday orders need to be in by the 12th!