Thank Your Lucky Stars: Free Printable

Be Thankful

No matter how bad things get (and everybody has those moments.............those days..........those weeks..........those years-- trust me on that one) there is always someone worse off than you. There is always someone who has less. Always someone who has endured more. Much more.  Remembering this, and being grateful for all that you do have is one of the keys to happiness.

As we prepare for our Thanksgiving holiday in the States tomorrow, now is the perfect time to reflect on our blessings, here are some of mine:

-I am always very thankful for my husband. I'd be lost without him
-I am truly blessed with family and friends
-I am grateful we picked Lucan from all the pups at the pound that day. He's a great dog, a super pal, always-eager walking partner, a good listener- ha! (who else am I supposed to talk to in my little office/studio)
-My health and the health of my loved ones, because without it, you've got nothing
-To live in a country where I have many freedoms that a lot of people around the world don't
-That there are those willing to fight, and some who have given their lives, to protect these freedoms
-I am always, always, always thankful for the roof over my head and a bed to sleep in
-I am so lucky to have never have known hunger
-To have the most amazing sunset view and be surrounded by so much beautiful nature
-I am very grateful for my clients who entrust me to plan marketing initiatives, design collateral and branding for the businesses that they hold dear and for the customers who enjoy my illustrations enough to purchase a print which in turn keeps the roof over my head and food on our table
-That skype allows us to spend time with our family and friends across the sea
-Etsy and this blog, which have helped me to connect with really wonderful people across this biggo' world of ours
-How wonderful it is that you and others have chosen to read what I post on Mercantile Muse and hang out with me
-For my own ability to appreciate the little things
-The true miracles (really) we have been blessed with this year. (that should really be at the top of the list)

There you have it. Just a few of my thankfuls, and now......for the giving. A new free printable wall art design.

download free lucky stars printable wall art here

Today is busy, busy, busy. It seems to be the m.o. of late, something else that I'm thankful for is work  currently on my desk.  I'm about to design an email campaign for one of my long-time clients. After that, I have to adjust and save master files for design clients, and have several new logo designs to work on.  At the end of the day, you will find me (and G- he's my peeler) prepping apple pies and potatoes.  I wait until morning to bake the pies so that I can smell that heavenly scent while I watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and enjoy a noggy-groggy (which means it's got a little 'something' in it if you no what I mean).  Later in the day, we'll be off to my sister-in-law and brother's home for a hell of a Thanksgiving Day feast mixed with a healthy dose of love and laughter, and if they've got it in them...........a Pie-Off between my nephews Pat and Joe. Who will win the 'how much pie can you eat contest' this year? It's hard to say, since they're both well over 6', they're the only ones who have room left who are up to the challenge.

Many blessings to you and yours. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

Ciao for now,

 

The Tree Oddessy, Give Me A Cuppa, And Who's Winning

Oh What An Adventure

When we left the house on Sunday we had no idea we'd be gone so long or that we'd have so much trouble finding a new tree farm. Had we known, we would have gone just down the road to Hampton Falls where there are a few and where our old tree farm used to be (unfortunately they retired the tree farm, which is a bummer because it was great). 

All that said, we thought we'd take a drive and have a look around.

Look around we did.

We found the oldest town forest in America just up the road 15 minutes in  Newington. Who knew?

We passed the bay which was a beautiful shade of blue with sun sparkling all over it.

Met a couple new friends along the way, as big as a house.

Passed lots of farms (just not Christmas tree farms) and lots of cows. We caught two cows necking- one kissing the other's neck. I missed getting shot of that one, because I was laughing too hard.

We drove all over hells bells. Found roads we never even knew existed. Which also brought us upon some pretty vistas.

We even ended up on a dirt road or two.



Yup. We were in the sticks.

Alas, we made our way back to a tree farm literally 5 minutes from the house.  We'd been there before, but they didn't have much of a selection. Luckily they planted more which the sunflowers were standing guard over.

Some were too skinny, while some were too big and fat.

I sent Gar back up to the corner where I'd spied a spruce. Prickly yes, but still my favorite Christmas tree. I love their habit with space in between branches, it's shows my ornaments off nice.

We both agreed it was it.

She's a beauty.



Yeah, yeah. I know. She's a beauty that currently stands underneath my snowman collection, with only half her lights. The other two strands that I bought last year have called it quits already.

Fingers crossed, I'll be dressing her up tonight.

Tea Lovers Unite

Just in case I haven't said it before, I love my tea in the morning. Irish breakfast tea, nice and strong. Just milk. No sugar.

My latest illustration, which will be available at Bates Mercantle Co., is More Tea Please.

If you have a tea drinker on your list, this print would looks great framed.

She's a Winner

Jess from KazooVintage is the winner of our latest giveaway.  Jess will choose from either personalized notecards from Bates Mercantile Co.......

.......or an ad on Mercantile Muse through the end of the year.

Keep an eye out for our next giveaway, soon to come.

Tomorrow marks the next Gotta Have It, Gotta Blog It Link Up so be sure to swing by if you have a shop or blog and link up. If you don't have a shop or blog, be sure to shop by and take a look around.

Happy Tuesday everyone. Make it a great day.

How To Feel Miserable As An Artist & I See The Sun

Art For Art's Sake

One of the reasons we started our etsy shop, Bates Mercantile Co., was my own need to create for creating sake.  This was one of the first designs we offered.

You see as I've mentioned before, I've had my own adv/marketing/pr business, Speakeasy, for 17+ years. Sometimes by the end of a project, it just feels.........well, like I can't own it at all, because I'm creating what my clients want (which is what I should be doing by the way). That said, I often feel that the direction I would have gone in might make me feel better and might actually serve their purpose better.  However, that's just not the way things shake out most of the time.  So when I ran across 'How To Feel Miserable As An Artist' the other day, while searching for something completely different (what else is new?), I knew I had to share it.  I know many followers of the Muse are artist, crafters and creaters, and that it might ring true.

via here

Can you relate? I'd love to know which one really strikes a cord with you. Please tell.  They all strike a cord with me, except the family one. My family is always supportive of whatever I create. Pretty darn lucky in that respect.

The Sun Came Out: Take a Walk With Us

After some copious amounts of rain, the sun showed it's happy face, which in turn gave me and the dog happy faces. We were so glad to take a walk, even if I had to wear my wellies.  It was bright and beautiful, but when we got to the field big, puffy clouds rolled in, but they were beautiful in their own right.

Just look at that last picture.........I told you the dog was happy.

Sunset Meadows

Picked more tomatoes last night and covered the rest. Although it's supposed to be really warm this weekend, last night there were frost advisories.  So, the tomatoes donned garbage bags and tarps to protect them. I'd hate to lose even one tomato.

My mother called to say it was a beautiful sunset. It was quite mellow here to begin with, but no less pretty.

As usual, it got more brilliant.

I hope your Thursday is brilliant too, in your corner of the world. What's on your plate today?

Over and out,

Another FREE Printable & A Bear

Paying It Forward

I'm a big proponent of paying it forward, spreading good karma and the like. I also think it's important to say thank you. So, in keeping with that I'd like to say thank you for being here and thank you for following.

I've designed a lovely set of gift cards just for you!  They are based on my chinese lantern design, that was waiting to be turned into something special. Gift tags are it!

There are three different tag designs, and two different sizes......regular and mini.

So if you'd like to print these gift tags, just click on the image below and save to your computer or copy and paste into a file.  They've been designed to be used on an 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

You could even print them on a full label sheet and stick them on a present. Whatever you like my dear followers. It's all up to you! Please note: I am happy to provide these freebies to you, but for your personal use only. Thank you.

And, since I don't seem to have the capability to offer it to you as a pdf via the blog (still looking into that- if anyone has tips, I am all ears) , I'd be more than happy to provide it to you that way if you send me an email.

Lions, and tigers, and bears, oh my.

OK, no lions or tigers. Just a bear. One bear.

Yesterday, even though it was Labor Day here in the States, I really wanted some 'creative' time. Which to me, isn't work. It's a happy place. So create I did. I showed you my You Are Here printable design yesterday (now available at Bates Mercantile Co.).  Today, introducing my latest printable wall art design......'Hey. Today is going to be a great day.'

That bear just makes me happy.

The best part is, I designed this illustration with a picture I'd seen of a real bear in mind, and the bear was sitting just like that. Too funny.

I hope you enjoyed the weekend in your corner of the world. Our weekend was full and lots of fun.

And 'hey. today is going to be a great day.' wherever you are, and here in Stratham. 

So, what do you think?

Headstrong

I've been thinking about my esty shop header lately. I just felt like it was a little 'too' much and perhaps taking away from what is in our store. Now, although I like the background a lot, I like it better on its own as one of my illustrations rather than as a header.

So I've been tweaking. Not wigging out, tweaking. The adjusting sort of tweaking.

Here's where I'm at:

I am pretty happy with the way the new Bates Mercantile Header is working with what we've got in the store. Though I value others' opinions. 

Our shop isn't what you'd call 'serious', so I wanted something that spoke to the vintage items that we carry, yet had a fun feel to it in order to convey what my illustrations are about.

Give it to me straight..............

Do you like it? Here's a screen shot.

And here's a link to Bates Mercantile Co. so you can see it 'live' so to speak. Check it out before you give me your honest opinion.  Better before or after?

Question Two: Print vs. Printable

I've been mulling this one over since I listed my first illustration. I've, for the most part, been offering wall art and such as printable files. You purchase the file. I send it to you via email. You print on your end and frame and hang as you wish. Instant gratification.

The quandary is this, I've done lots of research and it appears that actual 'prints' of wall art rather than printables, are selling like hotcakes. So, not wanting to miss the boat (actually it's more about giving the people what they want), I've been wondering whether I should be offering wall art as prints or printables. I know my current customers have appreciated the immediacy of printables, they buy and viola it's in their inbox. In fact, this has been a great 'last minute gift' selling point for different occasions. Still, I wonder if more customers would like it already printed and sent to their real mailbox so all they have to do is frame?

Obviously, having prints made up and packaging and shipping them will be more work on my end, but I'm ok with that if it will bring more people to shop at Bates Mercantile Co.

Now, the twenty thousand dollar question (no, you are not going to get $20,000 if you answer this question, it's just a figure of speech).......should I offer each design both ways, as a print and/or as a printable? Or just one or the other?

I'd appreciate any feedback you have to offer. Really. I would.

Sunset Meadows

Last night there weren't any flamingos in the sky, CourtneyJo's description of our sunsets, but it was still awful pretty.

A melow orange glow. Got out of the pool just in time to snap this. Didn't want to get out, but I did. Just for your viewing pleasure. OK, and to fix dinner, but for you too. 

Make it a fantabulous Wednesday in your part of the world.



The Winner Is & One Man's Trash

The Winner Is

First a big thank you to all of you who have chosen to follow Mercantile Muse! The support is appreciated. As promised, picked from our first 25 followers, the winner of printable wall art of their choice from Bates Mercantile Co. is Wen Preston of Gottaspoilemgems! Wen makes lovely jewelry and cute little accessories for small animals- check out her shop on etsy.

Perhaps Wen will choose this:

Or maybe one of my favorites, boomerang!

So many choices, so little time. The best part is, Wen will receive the file in her email and all she has to do is print and frame however she likes. Cool beans. Congratulations Wen!

One Man's Trash

Just look at what my brother in law Al scored at the dump the other day. So glad he could see it's potential. It really topped off the 4th of July celebration just right.

Now perhaps you see it with it's original intent..........a votive holder.




Copyright Pamela Bates, 2011

I'm sure it would make a lovely votive holder. But we had other plans.





Copyright Pamela Bates, 2011

The handle was crying out that this thing should be carried and used to serve something!
I mean, how often do you carry a bunch of flaming votives around?

My cousin Gail was nice enough to bring along the fixin's for almond joy martinis. This new dump find was christened the official celebratory party shot glass holder! And it really served it's purpose well.



Copyright Ed Cocciardi, 2011

Seriously, how perfect is this for serving?



Copyright Ed Cocciardi, 2011

Now we may all be looking a little worse for the wear, but it wasn't the almond joys we were about to enjoy.
A wind-driven Thunderstorm had just rolled through and we were all drenched.
But the pay off was Almond Joys. Life is good.

 You have to love 'dump finds' and 'side of the road finds'. Keep your eyes open and be ready to fight for what could be rightfully yours.  If you score a find, celebrate with an Almond Joy. If you don't score the find, drown your sorrows.

Almond Joy Martinis

2 shots Malibu
1 shot Frangelico
1 shot Godiva Chocolate Liqueur

Shake with ice, serve chilled in martini glass or shot glass depending on the occasion.

That's one glass of heaven. Unless you asked our friend Cathryn the morning after.

Happy Friday!

Ode To Orange

Last night's moon is my inspiration of the day.  It was a lovely sunset, but as I pulled the covers back and was set to hop into bed the moon caught my eye. A bright orange crescent.  It was so pretty I had to go back outside to snap a shot.





Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

Pretty cool, huh? Worth going back outside in my Pj's.

 
I've always liked orange, maybe it was growing up in the 70s when pops of orange were common place. Regardless of the reason, I still like a pop of orange here and there. It's a happy color and there are so many hues, it doesn't have to remind you of Halloween.

When we were decorating our addition, and specifically our lounge, we needed a chair that would fit in one of the corners. We wanted it to be comfortable and the right size. Gar and I hadn't even discussed color. We walked into a local furniture store and lo and behold, a chair we were both drawn to immediately. You gotta love a guy who can, not only handle a chair this color, but who actually loves it. Made in the USA-- right on Cape Cod! It was ours. Now, I'll admit, this chair flirts both on the orange side and the pink side. Is it watermelon? Or is it persimmon? Call it what you want, we call it comfortable, well made, and perfect.





Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

Orangey crushed velvet. An unexpected pop of color. Sweet. Plus it went perfect with our Dollar Tree dishtowels that were the color inspiration for the lounge.

  
My friend Sylvie gave me a felt purse in a wonderful burnt orange color. It's bead work was so pretty, I decided to put it where I could appreciate it everyday. I've never carried it on an evening out. It hangs on the side of our game cabinet in the lounge, and it seems very happy there, so that is where it stays. 





Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

A gift from a friend, this bag hangs on a cabinet instead
of in my closet waiting for the right occasion.

 
Our Tiger Lilies have popped!  Just like I knew they would, just in time for 4th of July.  These were transplanted from my sister Dianne's yard, and each year I have to conquer and divide. They are prolific spreaders and their bright orange color really add to any garden. Easy to maintain and care for as well. A gardener's dream.





Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

This morning's sun really shows off the beauty of this Tiger Lily. Gorgeous.

   
I realized I had even more pops of orange in the house beyond the lounge.  We came across this beautiful print on one of many trips to Ireland, in a little restaurant in Cork. It was hanging on the wall and for sale. It came home with us. The artist is Val Byrne of Wicklow, but this painting is somewhere in the West of Cork.   It used to hang above the mantle, but right now I'm still trying to figure out where to put things on the wall after painting the front rooms. So, for now, it sits on the mantle.  Alongside Bates Mercantile Co.'s 'Be Happy' Pennants printable wall art available in our etsy store.





Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

A wonderful color explosion in this signed Val Byrne print.
Love the little orange house vying for attention amongst the bigger buildings. 

 
Orange makes a regular appearance in our sunsets. This is one of it's more brilliant nods at dusk this past May. Glorious.




Copyright Pamela J. Bates, 2011

How absolutely beautiful.

 
Isn't it time you added at least a little orange to your life?

Happy Wednesday. Make it a good one.