Oh Little Home Of The Crouch Family

I realized yesterday that Todd and I haven't taken pictures of our little home since he moved in about 5 years ago!  It has gone through quite a few little changes since we got married 2.5 years ago :)
So I walked around real quickly with the camera*.

First up, the living room!!
Complete with tree and Christmas presents! Our main entrance is the door on the right and the door on the left leads to our bedroom/bathroom.

Close up of our awesome dumpster-dive buffet—we got this out of our neighbor's trash and it's one of the few pieces of furniture that we actually own

On the other side of the living room is the sofa and our favorite hang-out spot—modeled by the handsome Hubby-Todd ;)

Across from the relaxing Hubby is our wonderful kitchen!  I will seriously mourn the loss of this kitchen when we eventually move...

Now for the bedroom/office!
Half of our bedroom is dedicated to our office space featuring desks, closet (door) and bookshelf.

The other half features the bed, Hubby-Todd's weights and our "wrapping center"

Last, but not least—the bathroom.  Since this apartment was built to be wheel-chair accessible, the bathroom is nice and open!  Now it's weird for me to be in a standard sized bathroom!

*This is our home, not a showcase of my decorating, photography or cleaning skills—rather a quick way for me to show my home to friends and family who are unable to visit.

Something Old, Something New

Hello Blog,

We've been through a lot together: the journey from high school to college; the chaos of roommate changes; art shows and busy schedules; the adventures of counseling; and learning to love.  Though I love to post my musings and doings on this little blog, I am afraid that the primary purpose for my posting is slowly changing and I can no longer continue in entirely the same way.

I have started another blog.  A more professional blog that will showcase my work, both the client and freelance work that I do as well as the personal.  This will be a blog that I can refer clients to those who are interested in my work, but not in my personal life.

Feel free to check out the new blog and follow (subscribe via Email or Blogger on bottom right)

I plan to continue posting on this blog, but the majority of this will remain a personal blog, with various thoughts and experiences, but only the artwork that stands out as either purely personal or highly competitive (shows).

Last Minute Paintings—School is Beginning!

Some last minute illustrations between meetings and school prep this week.

You can request (custom) these illustrations at my etsy shop until they officially become available (probably not the fish), but more than likely the "story time" piece on the left.

All Caught Up — A Cat & His Toy

This was a fun piece to do—although I didn't really do it all at once.  It was one of those projects that I work on a little, then leave and work on something else, then come back and work a little, then... well, you get the idea!

Anyway, I'm becoming more of a cat person as an increasing number of my friends have become cat owners—I think cats are hilarious in their devious ways!  They just make me laugh, though we will likely never have one due to Superman's allergies.  So all you cat haters are safe to visit me :)

"All Caught Up"
Kitten tangled in yarn

My favorite "cat persona" is when they are caught doing something and just look at you as if to say "who... me?"  And that is what I tried to capture here.

This print is available in my etsy shop, and the original is still up for grabs (6x9in)

Watercolor... & More Birds

I finally think I have figured this watercolor thing out!!

Maybe... I'll let you be the judge :)
But I've been struggling with the "freedom" of the watercolor media.  Like, really struggled.  I'm just not programed to be as loosey-goosey (as my professor used to say) as watercolor demands... But last night I decided to watch my husband (a fabulous painter) while he worked his magic.  I strove to mimic his techniques and then I added the ink outline that I use for my vintage style work.  The result:

Little Wren

And... I love it!  I'm really enjoying it anyway, and I think this may be the style that I will incorporate for my children's book (okay, I've said that a hundred times, but this time I mean it!).  It has the realism that I require from myself, the freedom to add some character into the subjects and the softness of a standard Children's book.

Here are some more that I did while I was on a roll, haha—I'm afraid that my steak will end and I'll be a clutz with the brush again!

Rose Breasted Grosbeak

Sparrow