SimpleArtByAlly

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-12T18:13:00.000Z

All custom orders are finally finsihed and so my christmas period can begin!! I will be closed for customs until 3rd January. I am hoping that the new website will be up and running to start the new year so keep an eye out for the announcement!!

thank you for your support over the last year

Ally xx

Nursery/bedroom gifts

2010-11-18T14:00:00.000Z

The creative juices have been flowing thick and fast recently and the paintings below were born out of these juices.

This one is for my beautiful daughter Delilah. I have incorporated the new ' Miss Daisy' design into the painting. It will be framed and hung in her bedroom.

This 'Rebecca' painting was inspired by a very special little girl.

I have added her personality into the picture and also her gorgeous hair colour.

The 'Christopher' painting is a gift for friend of mine. His first word was 'Moo' and is favourite animal is a cow so it seemed fitting that his name begins a 'C'.

There is a full animal alphabet to choose from with many letter having more than one animal available. I may do a full alphabet picture if there is enough interst.

Simple Art by Ally will soon have a new website, so it will make the ordering process more simple. In the meantime please continue to email simpleartbyally@hotmail.com.

Flower Girls

2010-11-13T21:26:00.000Z

These have been really fun to work on (and a few more still to come!) Available individually or in sets.

Let me know what you think

Miss Poppy, Miss Sunflower, Miss Daisy and Miss Tulip

The Full Nativity

2010-11-13T20:22:00.000Z

This picture has been eagerly anticipated and I am pleased to show it to you now. This completes this years Christmas Collection

It is available in size A3 for £45 or A4 for £40.

Please email simpleartbyally@hotmail.com to order.

Some fantastic news!

2010-11-05T17:12:00.000Z

SABA has been going from strength to strength over the last few months. I was approached a few months back by a national company who wanted to trial selling ym cards in their shops, the trial has now finished and I can now announce that cards will available in highstreet card shops in the new few weeks!!

Because of this, I have had to close custom slots for the next few weeks, but if you would like to order something for christmas, whether it be a nativity scene painting, family portrait or kids name picture then please still contact me at simpleartbyally@hotmail.com so I can advise waiting times.

Also we are now at over 300fans so not long until a random fan is chosen to win!

Christmas already!!

2010-09-20T16:45:00.000+01:00

I have been inundated with customs over the last few months and haven't even had time to update here. Our facebook page reached 150fans and so a new giveaway is underway - once we reach 500fans, a random fan will be picked to receive a 45gbp voucher to spend in any way they choose.

So, onto Christmas. I'm sorry to have to do this to you all in September, but demand since releasing pictures on Facebook yesterday has just been extraoridinary so need to open this soon to allow enough time, so please excuse talk of christmas this early.

Below are prototype christmas cards. They are all hand-painted, using watercolour and ink. They are available for £2.75 per card or £6 for a set of 3 (this doesn't have to be 3 diferent ones, they can be 3 the same or just 2 designs etc etc) As always cards come with an envelope in a cellophane wrapper.

There is also a large nativity scene painting. I need to add the finishing touches to this before releasing pictures, but thought i would mention it. It is a whole nativity scene - Mary, Joseph, Jesus, Shepherd's, King's, Angel Gabriel, Stable and star.

As they are all hand-made to order you can of course specify colours etc, there is also the option to have Jesus in a sling, since Mary would've used one!!

It may also be possible to have these as larger paintings, but this depends on demand for cards!

Please email orders and enquiries to simpleartbyally@hotmail.com

All orders require a small deposit before work commences. There is a waiting list, but as it stands that will be gone by Thursday. Postage will be dependent on order size.

If you are would like a custom family portrait or canvas to be ready in ime for christmas, please email ASAP so I can arrange workload!

A free prize giveaway

2010-07-28T13:42:00.000+01:00

Life has been manic recently but next month sees some new changes and lines to the Simple Art By Ally products. To celebrate this, I am giving away a canvas to a randomly selected fan of the SABA facebook page when it reaches 150fans.

A Huge Thank You

2010-06-18T14:52:00.000+01:00

I have been really shocked at the amount of interest in Simple Art By Ally products over the last few months. It is a real priviledge to have my work in the homes of so many people and to have received some lovely feedback about it. More surprising than this has been two nominations for Art and Business awards - I would just like to say a huge thank you to all my customers, followers and friends who are helping to mould SABA in to what it is today.

I am currently working on some new things and hope to bring these to you in late Summer.

Making Father's Day Special

2010-05-29T17:03:00.000+01:00

How do you plan to make Father's Day Special this year? How about a unique card?

As always with our products, they are fully customisable - from the number of children pictured, right through to the words (we have produced daddy, dad, father, pop and papa cars previously)

You will need to order your card by 14th June in order to guarantee delivery in time for Father's Day. Custom slots are limited, but you can also purchase ready made cards from our store.

Also available as a watercolour painting.

It's been a while....

2010-05-29T16:55:00.000+01:00

But Simple Art by Ally is finally back. It has been a mad few months, taking over a new business and getting used to being a full-time WAHM.

The Simple Art by Ally etsy shop now no longer holds stock, we have moved everything over to our store. This seems to make better sense, as the majority of our customers are from the UK. We are still able to ship internationally, but you will need to contact us for further details.

Happy Easter (again!)

2010-03-27T19:18:00.000Z

I offered my 'Light of the World' painting as handpainted cards recently and I had a few custom orders for different colours. This purple to lilac is one of my favourites.

For more details on getting some for yourself please see here.

Treat your Hands

2010-03-17T22:15:00.000Z

I made one of THE best purchases last week. I treated myself to some handmade soap from BanjoBaySoaps. I bought myself the Sweet Honey Oat Bar and oh my! my hands feel great. They're usualy quite dry from all the washing off of paint, but these sort that out in just one wash. It also smells divine. I used it all over in the shower the other morning and my skin looked great, glowing and my darling husband even commented on how nice I smelt. This one is definately a winner, even for my really sensitive skin.

I've been having some really late nights recently, burning the candle at both ends sorting out setting up my business, opening two shops and being swamped in Mother's Day orders so when I saw this in Emily's shop, I just had to have it. Tjis bar is called 'Synergy' and I'll tel you what, I was sceptical at first that this might help to energise but this combined with copius amounts of caffeine is definately working. The smell, is indescribable, when you open the packet a fresh, zesty smell jumps out at you and really woke me up. I just can't stop smelling it - what's the protocol on putting these in your drawers to freshen your clothes?!

Are you an Alice in Wonderland Fan? there is a beautiful rangeof soaps here

These really have been the best purchases I have made in a while and have already directed my husband to the shop to get one of each for my birthday!

If anyone in the UK is interested in buying from BanjoBaySoaps, i'm going to be placing another order soon so I can maybe set-up a little co-op to get cheaper shipping for you.

If you want to follow Emily on her blog, you can find it here

A Present for My Cousin

2010-03-17T21:29:00.001Z

My cousin is getting married on Saturday and I cannit wait. It was planning the present for my cousin that led to me starting to sell my stuff and think that people my might want them - so a great big thank you to Fran!! As you can imagine it was quite a shock to me when I got a message through from Fran commissioning a piece of my work. The girl with a flower on the right is that commission. As a present I have done a matching boy with kite and also (when my supplier gets back to me) will be doing a couple on one canvas, I'm hoping this will be before Saturday but it may have to be a one week anniversary present.

I hope they like them as much as I do.

Find Me on Folksy

2010-03-14T16:00:00.000Z

www.folksy.com/shops/simpleartbyally

For all my UK based fans, you can now buy from my British based shop.....and man it feels good to be seeing the good ol' pound sign again!!

Back to my Roots

2010-03-13T21:00:00.001Z

As mentioned in previous posts I am influenced (like all artists) by the things around me and the things I am interested in. For just over two years of the previous five I have been pregnant and for four of them I have been breastfeeding.

This latest piece from the easel of Ally is my depiction of those fantastic nine months, not forgetting when baby is skinside.

The original sketch of this is in twelve parts, the nine months of pregnancy and then three slides showing breastfeeing a newborn, a toddler and a preschooler.

I have had some really postive responses to my colourful pieces so thought I'd brighten up these dull days, bring on the sunshine!

This is still on the easel and needs quite a bit more time put into it. I'll be working on it

over the next week and will hopefully have a finished piece to show you later on in the week.

I'd like to remind you all about the competition to win a custom canvas. You can find the competition here on the Natural Mamas forum

When this one ends at the end of the month, I will be running a monthly prize giveaway here on my blog.

A beautiful work of Art.

2010-03-13T09:14:00.000Z

I received this from an excellent Etsy store a few weeks back and wanted to share it all with you. I look at it everyday n my front room and can't get over how beautiful it is. The work (wo)manship is just fantastic. I really speaks for itself.

I love it so much, that I am now planning a custom piece of my family. Just getting my ideas together. It is so unique and a real conversation starter.

This is proudly displayed in my home and if I had to sum myself up in a piece of Art this would totally be it. I hope you love it as much as I do.

You can find Woolicious here.

A great 2weeks

2010-03-12T22:48:00.000Z

The shop has been open 2weeks, what a great (but tiring) time i'm having!

I just wanted to show you all this. It is a treasury on etsy where this get put together and are sometimes featured. This one is a special one, made up of UK Etsians, so click to help support our UK market.

p.s. you might see a familiar piece of art ;o)

Wow, a very busy night

2010-03-12T07:46:00.001Z

Having completed my Mums Mother's day gift, I showed it to my Husband and a few friends and they thought it was a lovely idea, so wanted a few for their families. I then had the mad idea of posting it on the Natural Mamas forum, not thinking that anyone would take it up, being so close to mother's day. I kind of assumed everyone was alot more organised than me. It appears I was wrong. I crawled into my bed at 2am, having completed 11 paintings!

The picture above was my hardest to prepare, trying to work out the family tree was fun! I was concerned it would look overcrowded with 23, yes 23 members, but I actually think it looks really good.

Below are just a few others that I have done as gifts for Mother's day. It has been really fun and I feel like each of these families has its own personality, each family member has taken on a life of its own. I wonder how different they are in real life?!

For Mother's Day

2010-03-10T15:01:00.001Z

It's Mother's day in the UK this Sunday (14th) and my mum requested something handmade. So, this is what I have come up with so far. As I have said previously I have been a closet artist for a long time and my parents and husband knew nothing about my hobby and so I'm celebrating my 'coming out' with this special piece. It is of my family - from left to right, Brother-in-law, Sister, Dad, Mum, Daughter, Me, Son one, Husband, son 2. I'm going to trawl round the shops tomorrow to try and right a nice frame and mount it properly.

Hope she likes it! Luckily I know she doesn't read my blog ;o)

Light of the World

2010-03-09T21:31:00.001Z

Happy Easter everyone!

Ok so I'm a few weeks early, but I just love this time of year. Spring is in the air. Daffodil shoots are starting to sprout. The sun is shining a bit brighter. The days are getting longer. I'm thinking about my faith, what it means to me, how it impacts those around me. I spend my bedtime winddown time reading back through the Gospels,learning new things, remembering old.

I have drifted alot from my faith over the last few years and thanks to the fantastic people and community I have found at the Global Generation Church, I am slowly but surely getting back on track. This will be my first Easter period since rejoining the path and this piece reflects how much I'm thinking about it.

I hope you like it and it helps you think about the real reason for Easter.

Finally done

2010-03-09T19:38:00.001Z

I would like to unveil the finished 'Alice' inspired piece.
It doesn't have a name yet, all ideas welcome. I think it speaks for itself so will leave this post here.

Updates as promised

2010-03-08T21:14:00.000Z

As promised, here is the next phase of this 'Alice in Wonderland' inspired piece. Not sure if I like it. Not happy with certain bits of it, ut that's always the way, that's why these things take so darn long to get from head to finished piece.

All feedback welcome on it, what do you like? what would change? what would you do next?

Alice In Wonderland

2010-03-07T22:43:00.004Z

This piece has been inspired by Alice in Wonderland. I have been heavily influenced by all the media attention of the new Tim Burton film. It has taken quite a bit of planning, and as you can see is still nowhere near finished. I will take new shots when it is complete and it will be for sale in my Etsy shop.It is acrylic on a canvas panel.

It is a smaller, concise version of a new set I have been working on. You can see 'Alice' pictured below. All the characters are available individually.

I have now been open for 9days. I have had a fab week, with so many positive comments and great feedback. Thank you so much xx

A work in progress

2010-03-06T12:50:00.000Z

So, i thought i'd keep you up to date with my current project. This has been in my head for years, in the sketch book for months, on paper for weeks and now on canvas for 24hours. This picture doesn't do it justice and it is in no way finished. I think it's really pretty to look at and have really enjoyed blending colours. From these last 2posts you can see just how much i've enjoyed it.

Like all my work it is of course inspired by the womanly form, this is the mammories(again) although I really like that is not overly obvious. I like that is represents so many different sizes, but they are still the same. I hate that so many people are hung up on the size shape and orientation of their breasts. I, for one am going to be thankful for what I have been blessed with, but still daydream about the reduction!!

A Rainbow to Brighten the Day

2010-03-06T10:07:00.001Z

We finally had some sunshine this week and so I was inspired to get the bright paints out and do something to cheer me up on those long, horrible dark days. It was just aswell i did this when it was sunny, because now it is back to being miserable. It was nice to see it waiting for me this morning on the easel and has definately brightened my day.

I'm not sure whether to sell or keep this piece, although i'm sure my husband wont appreciate MORE of my artwork in our home. He likes minimalist walls, so i'm just not sure what the fate of this piece this is right now. Maybe i'll let the customers decide!!