VOTE! The Fun Has Just Begun! Pick Your Favorite!

It's time to VOTE! The contest entry deadline has passed and voting is open! Simply click the "Vote!" tab to the right of this blog to visit the voting page.

Help a contestant win a free hand-painted mini cooler with the design of their choice!

Baseball Baby Boy!

So I've had a lot more entries in my contest for a free hand-painted mini cooler! Here is the link to my Facebook album, so go "Like" the entries and help someone win! They are getting creative, so check it out!
"Vote" for your favorite here! Like as many as you want!

Here's a sneak peak at Mr. Hayden sporting a Cubs cooler! For more photos, head to my Facebook page and see what people have shared with us!

This cooler is a small cooler with wheels, and it's the perfect size to take on a picnic, wheel into a baseball game or just have as a "personal" cooler! Not too big, but still convenient because it's not bulky but has wheels! I have painted a lot of this size and I think people really like it!

Sugar Time!

Game time is later tonight! I'm posting Razorback stuff to get in the mood! This hogs canvas has been really popular. It's 24"x12", monochromatic black on slate paisley with the hogs and razorback! WPS!

Cutest Hog-ccessories out there!

In honor of the Sugar Bowl starting later tonight, here is a selection of some of my FAVORITE Razorback coolers I've ever done! WOO PIG! Check them out! 

Sorority Canvases

Blast from the past! And what inspires me...

So I think (I hope) it is evident from my work (if you have had the chance to peruse any of it) that I am a fan of the realistic style. I've always believed that even abstract artists must first master the art of realism. Ever since I was a little girl, I have strived to mirror real life, and have experimented with various mediums and subjects. Replicating the petals of a flower and leaves on a tree, or the grain of wood on an old barn were my favorites. I also enjoyed perfecting my skills at capturing the essence of a person's face in portraits. Since then, I've lost some of that drive to paint and draw for myself, but I think I've developed my own style of loose realism and transfer those same principles in the work I do for others. My custom designs and hand-painted items are typically focused on looking real. Logos, animals, outdoor scenes and products are a few of the things I paint on many different things for my customers. Because early on in life I taught myself (and learned from some great teachers!) to recreate things in a realistic way, I can now bring happiness to many people by painting them some awesome custom things!

Below are just a few things that I've found are inspirational themes in my life. Just very basic things that make me happy and make me think.

First place tessellation competition I won when I was about 13. 

http://worldofescher.com/contest/HallOfFame/allysonm.html

So this image is of a tessellation I did in 8th grade art class. It was submitted to an online contest, link listed above. M.C. Escher has always been one of my top artists, as I admire his genius in so many areas. He took the art of realism and applied it in a completely funkadelic way -- excuse my "Brady Bunch" language. I have a print of his hanging in my house, and I have always thought his work was so beautiful, simple, and mesmerising. Check him out if you haven't already!

Miss Penelope Elizabeth Redpants

Cats

Next up is one of my cats. The more you get to know me, the more you will find how much I LOVE cats. I'm not ashamed, and I am a self-proclaimed cat lady. I have two cats, and this little angel above is my Penny, named after my friend Katie Compton's pirate name -- Penny Redpants. My other cat is named Lady Eleanor Roosevelt Featherbottom and she is virtually undetectable to the human eye as she is an expert at hiding. The finicky nature of cats is what make them so fun to me, and the ever-developing personality of Miss Penny frequently causes me to laugh and puts me in the mood to paint. They're like little humans, I'll argue it til the day I die.

Flowers

I love flowers. Each unique, colorful, delicate and symbolic, I love them. I wish I kept more fresh flowers in my house. Flowers or a floral theme are often the subject of my work. This is a photo I took of a flower in a park in my hometown. Georgia O'Keefe is also a cool gal you should look into, this photo is very "her" I think.

Contest Deadline Extended!

So I'm having a little contest to give away a free mini cooler, painted to the winner's liking...

I extended the deadline to this Friday, January 7th to enter! What I'm looking for is to let the world see how and where you use, hang, carry or tote your custom painted Creative Design! Just post a photo to my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/creative.designs.allyson of your cooler, canvas, ornament, etc. in-use! Be creative! I have an album of contest entries created and I'll keep updating it as photos come in! If you have more than one painted item from me, feel free to submit them all!

Remember to be clever, and feel free to "LIKE" or comment on entries you favor! That will help me decide who wins the big giveaway!  I am loving seeing what you do with your stuff!

Here is an example of what you might submit...but no bias, just a good example!

Kerri and Jordan are tailgating with Kerri's new Razorback cooler at a bowl game! WPS!

Good luck!

Inside-Out Cooler

 

 

This cooler was made for some sorority sisters of mine to give to their dad for his birthday! Their last name is Stufflebeam, so they wanted a play on their nickname "The Stuff's" on this cooler. I didn't know what "Stroh's" beer was until this, but I think it turned out well to change the name to Stuff's Light!

This cooler was the first cooler I did in the "inside-out" cooler theme. The sides are designed to look like the iced down inside of a cooler, complete with their favorite beverages! While this was not my first "booze-cooler" to do, it is still one of my favorites and the very first "iced" on the outside!

Woo Pig Paisley!

In honor of the upcoming Sugar Bowl, here are some photos of the recently popular paisley Razorback canvases I've done! If you can't tell already, I absolutely LOVE paisley! I think it's such a classic, fun and versatile pattern, and none of my paisleys are ever the same!

These are done in acrylic with paint pens and fabric paint to give it some dimension! Canvas sizes vary. All have been sold but they can be custom ordered!

Goin' to the Chapel: Wedding Party Coolers!

This pair of coolers is one of my favorite projects I've done to date! A pledge sister of mine wanted a special gift for her brother and his bride-to-be, so she cooked up this cute idea to do matching bride and groom coolers!

The tops of the coolers featured their monogram, and the sides have their names and Jayhawks dressed as bride and groom! The tail end of the coolers featured a pun on the KU chant "Rock Chalk Jayhawk, GO KU!" And we replaced that with "Say I DO!" The groom's cooler had a ball and chain, while the bride had a diamond ring!

I absolutely loved the creativity and fun theme of this set! Thanks Elise!

Contest for a free giveaway!

Let's have a competition! Post pics of hand painted item from me, and I'll pick a winner to start off the new year with a FREE mini-cooler (decoration of your choice)! Post pics of your cooler at a tailgate, canvas hanging in a decorated room, a colorful chair at your desk, or any other ideas! Points for creativity count, I want to see how you use your one-of-a-kind pieces! Post pics to http://www.facebook.com/creative.designs.allyson by the 4th!

Painted Feet and Happy TOMS

Over Christmas I painted my very first pair of TOMS shoes. TOMS are absolutely hands down my favorite shoes. Comfort, color variety and the ability to pass them off in some business casual settings are only a few of the perks. Not to mention putting shoes on shoeless children in other countries for buying a pair...

But I digress. So this was my first pair to paint. I had seen other people doing this type of thing, but hadn't had a request to paint it or the time to do it for myself. So a close family friend of ours approached me about doing a pair for her teenage daughter. Of course I was elated to get to do such a cool project! I covered the natural white colored shoes in an acrylic medium meant to help with painting on fabric. Then I used acrylic paints, fabric paint, and paint pens to decorate the shoes. I also used some glitter paint to give it some sparkle!

I think they turned out great but I am waiting on a "wear and tear" response in a few weeks from the girl wearing them!

I got a new pair (I'm up to 4 pairs now...) and I think I want to paint a cool paisley design on them. Hmmmm.

I think painting TOMS will explode in the near future...ready, SET, PAINT!

Funky Family Tree

Molly is one of my favorite people to paint for! She has the best ideas, and came up with a very thoughtful and unique present idea for her family's Christmas gift! She had be paint two "family trees" for her mom and dad and then aunt and uncle. The design is quirky, slightly traditional, but fun and meaningful. Such a cool keepsake! I love when I am presented with challenging, unique project ideas, especially when it is something that means a lot to the customer. Cool deal for sure.

This was painted on a stretched canvas with variation of acrylic paints and paint pens.

Thanks Molly!

Just getting started!

So I've toyed with the idea of blogging about my work for a while. And I always come up with some excuse to put it off. I'm going to start posting pictures of interesting projects I'm working on and what they are for, etc.

Starting with this awesom

e cooler, which was painted for my friend's sister in law to give as a Christmas gift. This is the top of the cooler

painted to look like the Texas A&M graduate ring.

I used my typical paints for this one, but I have been trying out a new, more protective sealant on s

ome of my coolers. It's called Envirotex Lite, I believe, and it is a bit pricey and laborious to get on, but the finish is FANTASTIC and looks like nothing I've ever seen before! I'm going to have to charge more for this option but for the extremely detailed coolers, it really might be worth it.