I Love...ANNOUNCING THE WINNER {February, the Month of Love}

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:5Powered by RANDOM.ORG
I counted up the entries in our Jeanne Oliver Online Art Class Giveaway...carefully counting those who entered more than once, through Facebook and Twitter...and...you can check this below, yourself, in the comment section...the winner...via Random Number Generator is... NUMBER 5...MELISSA FINK, of Melissa Ellen's Loft!

I could not be more pleased unless it was my own daughter...(and one of my daughters did enter, by the way, and if the Random Number Generator had picked her comment, I was going to give it to her, fair and square!)...well, this sweet girl won the giveaway, and months ago, she grabbed a little piece of my heart as I got to know her.  She is quite good at mixed media art, has already taken the plunge and started an online business, and is fearless about her love for Christ, on her blog.  You.  Go.  Girl.

That makes us kindred spirits, right there.  So weary of women who are ashamed of their Christian faith, or too hung up on themselves, trying to break into certain circles in the online business/art world...or simply embarrassed to be a little bit radical or a tiny bit more bold.  This is NOT our spiritual heritage!  Think Sarah of old...think Deborah the judge...think of Ruth Graham or Corrie Ten Boom!  Come on, girlfriends...RISE UP.  I am continually sharing my faith, all the time.  So does Melissa Fink.  Being a good - technically good - artist, being a gifted business woman and fun friend, and a great woman to get to know...NONE of these things are incompatible with being a bold believer in Christ.

Oh dear.  I'll stop right there.   I promise the Random Number Generator picked her...but I do like Melissa Fink that much.  She and Shannan Garber Martin just tug at my spiritual mothering heart-strings.  Bold women.

This is besides the fact that I think Melissa's blog has the potential to be the next "up and coming" DIY blog out there...her projects are interesting, her photography is good, her taste impeccable.

Apparently, her heavenly Father wanted to bless her with a few art lessons - keep your eye on her, I think she'll amaze us all one day!

Congratulations, Melissa...and again, thank you Jeanne Oliver, of www.jeanneoliverdesigns.com

I Love Art Supplies {Happy Valentine's Day to Me}

This is what my Preacher got for me for Valentine's Day. Better than any several dozen roses...

...and just as expensive. I got the fifteen color set! These are just some of the colors, and the large blending stick...all oils.

The man saves his lunch money...he eats on the cheap, at home, or some days not at all...to get me little gifts like this. I would be unhappy if I weren't so happy.

I better post this, and shut the computer down, so I can go thank him properly.



Written for you with love...

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

I Love...Little Monkeys {February, the Month of Love}

Warning: your cute-o-meter is going to peg waaaaay in the red. Alarms may go off.




My daughter Hannah went on a little Valentine's date with her little man today...these pictures stopped my heart.

For reals. I needed defib...too cute.

Don't forget the Jeanne Oliver Online Class Giveaway! To be entered to win, leave a comment here

Don't be intimidated...you do not have to be artistically inclined to enjoy these online classes...you will learn so much...and you will have so much fun....learning art techniques in your jammies should you so choose....

...class kicks off in April. You will have ~months~ to finish it.

A winner will be announced Friday!!

Written for you with love...
Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

I Love...My Daughters {February, The Month of Love}

8x10 on canvas, mixed media original, entitled "Her Daughters"

I am so proud of my identical twin, 25-year-old daughters. I love them beyond words can say.




In His Amazing Grace,

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

I Love...The Preacher's Photography {February, the Month of Love}

So The Preacher loves DSLR photography. And he has gotten quite good at it...sometimes to my consternation. His composition is often better than mine. He always seems to grab the best shot. We are in an ongoing competition over who is the best...there are days I feel pretty good about my skills...

...then, there are days like today, when it seems God helps him win.

Wouldn't that be cheating???

Look what landed in our back yard, four feet from our (dirty) kitchen window:





A gorgeous, gorgeous young hawk.

Blessedly, Mr. Hawk was standing on a very special painted rock that only we own...otherwise you might think The Preacher stole the shot off the Internet somewhere.





"Whaddya lookin' at, preacher man?!?"

(The hawk wasn't really saying that...)

Who can compete with that? So not fair. Hawks never pose for me.





Written for you with love...

Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

One Thousandth Post, a JEANNE OLIVER GIVEAWAY, "I Love...Art" {February, The Month of Love}

Friends, this is a big day.

This post officially marks my one thousandth post. One thousand blah blah blabbety blabs...and I still have friends, and new "followers" (a term I am not fond of, but did not coin...we just have to roll with it, don't we? YOU know it is just a blog word...you are all leaders, not followers...say it with me: "We have minds of our own. We just like to win free stuff.")

I am beside myself to reveal that the sweet Jeanne Oliver, of Jeanne Oliver Designs- has graciously donated one spot in her upcoming ONLINE mixed media art class...her brand new class...the one entitled "Letting Go."

Here is where the good karma gets all weird and even better...I didn't plan that this would be my 1,000th post...I knew I wanted this post to be a special one!

Well, here at the cottage, the entire story of my life, in the last two years, has been a journey of "Letting Go"...wearing forgiveness like a crown...releasing my too-tight grip on situations and offended people and prodigal sons....none of it is under my jurisdiction anymore. I do not have to fix anything. Just let it go.  Guard my heart...keep relationships...let go of expectations.

Not only that, but wouldn't you know it, as I was planning this giveaway post, just this week, the whole "Letting Go" mojo has reached even newer levels in this house.

I am now a certified black belt ninja letter-go-girl.

So there is something of full circle-ness and fulsome sweetness and just rightness about this giveaway, as well as who the giveaway features, and our connection as mentor/mentee. (Jeanne teaches me online, I learn...)




Please visit Jeanne's website www.jeanneoliverdesigns.com - check out her shop, and once in her shop, check out her online classes. Take note of how amazing the "Letting Go" class is gonna be. Look at all the techniques you will learn, because Jeanne is a good teacher. You will learn. Promise.

To win the generous gift of a FREE spot in her class, please simply leave a comment on this post, first of all. Then, if you tweet about this giveaway (giving the blog address) - that is another chance to win...

...if you Facebook the giveaway or Pin it to Pinterest...same thing...as many chances to win as you can get the word out on social media, and come back here and leave a comment letting me know.

I am also opening this one up to my church ladies, but I promise to use a random computer generated number app, to pick the winner. I will in no way draw names or pick her myself. Everyone has as many chances to win, as they are willing to help promote the lovely Jeanne Oliver's class.

Honestly, if you had to pay her $58 or so fee, you are getting a product...a web workshop...worth over three times what you paid. I can direct you to online art classes all day long with a price tag of $149. Jeanne's classes are worth more than she charges. Homegirl is that good at her art classes.

Those of you who home school will want to win a spot for your student. Easily worth a semester's fine art (not just "crafts") credit.

I will announce the winner of this special giveaway (weeks of classes, tons of demonstration videos) on Friday of the upcoming week. So you have plenty of time to tweet, Facebook, Pin, and refer people to this blog to sign up. Those of you who bring referrals who follow this blog and sign up for the giveaway??? I will add your name yet again, as a "thank you" for the referral. Just make sure I am told that "so and so" sent them here!

FUN FUN!!! And thank you, thank you, Jeanne Oliver!

{www.jeanneoliverdesigns.com} Such a generous giveaway.

So get going, girls! Cannot wait to see who wins this one! Maybe we can take it together!

Letting Go What is His Burden, Not Mine...
Sheila Atchley

All blog content is the property of the writer, including all "In the Middle" intellectual and visual art property...

I Love...Pink and Tutus {February, the Month of Love}

(Post-edit:  This post was originally posted about February 2nd...I went in today to edit the title, and it is now posting for today, along with my "simple dresses" post, and I don't know how to fix it...sorry.)

I love...




...this baby girl. I know, right? You really want me to stop bragging and get on with my bad self. Is this not "hand on heart", gasp-and-squeal cute?!? I have the most beautiful granddaughter on God's earth. (Photo portrait by her artist daddy, Jonathan Howe, taken just one week ago...hard to believe we were having 70+ degree weather...today is frigid and snow...)

Look at that pouty mouth.

Homegirl is six months old today. Will someone please stop time for me? I want her to be all this cuteness a bit longer.