Happy Birthday - Join the Club!

Hey there! 

Penny and I want to celebrate your birthday with you! 

Be one of the first 100 people to  email your name and birthday (month and day -- you don't have to include the year)

and we'll send you a special handmade photo card -- just for you -- on your next birthday!

Email your details to mamazuzi@hotmail.com and put birthday club in the subject line! 

And don't forget to visit the Mama Picture This shop on Etsy to see just which photos you might hope to get (you can even let me know if you like and maybe, just maybe I can make a little dream come true ;-) Yes it is a bit silly but fun too. 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaPictureThis

Until I blog again, have a great day! 

Mama Picture This

Some times you just gotta pull over

Today I had to take photos at an event for my day job. It was nice to have a long drive in the country although I found myself wanting to pull over every other minute to take a photo for myself of something interesting. Time constraints being what they were, I did not except just once to take this picture: 

Something about this old corner market, now abandoned and in particular these doors, called me to pull over and stop. 

I have always found myself particularly drawn to images full of patterns and with a truly graphic sensibility. I often like to take photos of things as close up as I can or in a way that breaks away from the obvious "this is a building with a top, sides and a bottom." Not sure if that will make sense to everyone but it resonates with me. 

I have also always been drawn to color. But in this photo it isn't about color, but truly lack thereof that makes it beautiful... that and the interestingly diverse patterns made by the juxtapositions of the gravel road, the porch slats, the siding, doors and beam. I find this image similar in feel to the Shaniko pictures I recently added to my shop. I suppose that makes sense as Shaniko is a ghost town and what is still there is mostly aged, weathered and abandoned. 

I hope you enjoy this photo as much as I do. Have a wonderful day and I hope many wonderful doors open for you today and every day. 

Best always! 

Mama Zuzi (Sue) 

Some Things I Like Sunday

I can hardly believe it is already Sunday again, but here we are! This past week has been hectic at Mama Picture This 1) because Mama had some sick kiddos on her hands and 2) because I have really started working to improve my shop and promotion of it too! I am truly hoping to find those customers who like what I do and provide photo items that they will love. 

Today as much as I want to be in my shop making up photo card sets and other fun things, I'm stretched on the coach, drinking tea, eating soup and hoping to get rid of the cold I no doubt caught from my kids. 

I have been keeping up with what is going on on Etsy today however and I have noticed that there are LOTS of new listings that happen on Saturdays. So there have been many many things for me to covet for my Sunday blog posting. 

And truly, besides looking at Etsy and laying on the couch, about the only thing I've got the strength to do is read a book. I haven't yet today (snafu with my daughter but I digress) but I probably will before I go to bed. 

One of the great things about shopping online and especially on Etsy, is you get great handmade things - yes, but also you can find something for just about anyone. Today's theme for me is perfect gifts for people who love to read. 


If you or someone you know is a fan of Edgar Allen Poe, as I have been on occasion, they may enjoy wearing this beautiful necklace from TerraNovaJewelry featuring the image of a raven and the words of Poe himself. 

"“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” 

― Edgar Allan Poe

For the lover of words -- all words, each and every word -- you may enjoy this simple and charming black and white image printed right on to the page of a dictionary to make it extra special. 

The collageOrama shop has many different images of all different styles -- some black and white, some in full color -- to choose from!  



If music notes are more your style, there are options for you too. A great gift for a lover or performer of music, might be this gorgeous butterfly print on a piece of vintage sheet music by CirquedeArt

I have been pondering the printing of some of my images on to the printed page and am currently thinking about just which images and which printed pages might work best. I'll keep you up-to-date on my thoughts, process and any products that come from this particular creative process. In the meantime, enjoy a good book or a good piece of art printed on the pages of one! 

Mama Zuzi

Something borrowed, something blue & something Etsy!

So much for a quiet Sunday. I have been busily doing promotion for my Etsy shop online! 

I have also been developing some great friendships including Lisa from Minnesota. Her Etsy Shop can be found at: belou492 Thoughtfully repurposed items with a shabby chic touch♥. Just click on the link to check out her great wedding and other themed items such as a few of my personal favorites: 

great for the kitchen or dining room

great for a little one's bedroom

I love that the items are re-purposed. Still trying out just how I might do that with Mama Picture That items... maybe someday soon. The creative juices they are a'flowin... 

She and I have been discussing various ideas and I am unveiling one of them here. The latest listing in my shop and the first in what may hopefully become a line of Wedding Themed PIY (Print it yourself) Digital Photo Images personalized as Save the Dates, Wedding announcements and more... Please go check it out and pass it along to anyone you know who may have a wedding (and all that planning) in their future. I'm sure I could make at least some of it easier on them ;-) 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/130040309/rustic-pink-flowers-personalized-save?ref=shop_home_feat

PS... check back regularly as I am thinking about making Sunday's on the blog be "Some Things I Am Liking" Sundays -- recommendations from me to YOU! 

Making the photo canvas

Prepping the canvas

1. For this version of a photo on canvas, I used a pre-made canvas and painted the sides black. I also carried the paint onto the front of the canvas just about 1/4 inch. 

Adding the photo

2. After the paint dried (left it for a day or two), I cut the image down to be just smaller all the way around than the canvas. 

3. I attached the digital photo onto the canvas with an adhesive spray. 

Sealing/Texturing

4. After an hour or so, I applied hodge podge to the sides of the image and the image itself. In this case, I used a paint roller to give it a bit of texture. I let that dry for a few hours before doing a 2nd coat. 

and voila!

5. Last but not least, after all was dry I added a bit more black to the front edges to blend the photo edges with the canvas. 

You can purchase this very piece online now at:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/129394094/purple-power-flowers-canvas?ref=shop_home_active.

To DIY, you can also purchase most of these items at a Joann's Fabrics near you or any local craft store and the Purple Power (flowers) print at Mama Picture This here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/102793659/purple-blaze-digital-art-print-not? (the listing is for an 11"x11" print but happy to special order 8"x8" or other sizes, just contact me. 

Prep work

Prepping a canvas this week. I can't wait to continue the process but need the paint to be completely dry. Having to stop myself from going out to purchase tons of supplies. 

The creative process certainly is a mysterious thing, especially as an artistic person who is also the parent to two kids, a 4th and a 7th grader. Between periods of single parenting (when my husband travels on business), working with the kids to do their chores and their homework, shuttling them to and from play dates and other activities, it is hard to have the quiet time needed just to be silent and hear the voice of inspiration. I'm having to figure out other ways to get energized and get the creative juices flowing. 

I did notice that seeing what other artists are doing at the Sidestreet Gallery show last week was an inspiration. So many great ideas out there that have never occurred to me. They may or may not be anything I need to pursue, but they get ideas flowing nonetheless.

What gets your creativity flowing? 

PS - if you are following along, I still haven't managed to go get a frame for and hang up my daughter's flower picture. My current excuse is that I may not be able to control myself  and may come home with bags and bags of goodies! Could be fun but expensive! 

Perk up a room

I am certain that just the right photo can perk up a room in no time and for not a lot of cost. That is part of my thinking often times when I look at my own photos. Funny thing is that I've been so busy that I haven't really decorated any of my own walls with photos since the ones I took of my kids that are in our bathroom (and that's been awhile). 

I had a couple of my photos (from last year's Fizz show) up in our living room but honestly I need something bigger there and framed to fend off the misc. Nerf things that zoom through our air! There are certainly plenty of possibilities such as the orange tulip or even something from the ghost town pictures. 
My daughter took another smaller photo from the show and put it on her bedroom wall and it did look lovely until she had a tantrum at bedtime and all the pretty things on that wall ... well ended up not on the wall any longer. 

One of my goals for the year, along with reinvigorating both this blog and my Etsy shop, is to get more decorating done in my house and to that end, if I promise to share it here with you, then I just might actually do it this time! We have painted both kid rooms and the "family" room and our bedroom but we need to decorate more, especially the walls. 

Funny thing is that the very first image I want to frame and put on our bedroom wall is our daughter's art. The minute she drew this image, I knew it would look great against our calm green bedroom walls. 

I am committing to framing it and putting it up in our bedroom. The next question is just where it shall be placed. 

I hope to get more creative with our family photos and my own images, kid creations and other ideas so I hope you will stay tuned. 

How do you decorate your walls, if at all?