Hi! My name is Ann and I'm a decorative painter, paper crafter, and someone who likes to dabble with making a bit of jewelry, finding ways to use recycled stuff, and a lover of birds, walks and books. Organizing, decorating and de-cluttering my home are just a few other hobbies I like to do on a regular basis too.

My love of painting Christmas ornaments started when I was a kid. I loved spending time in my room being creative, and so painting plaster Christmas ornaments was fun, easy and cheap. After painting simple ornaments, plaster cookie jars and villages were fun, and to this day I always like a good plaster village piece to paint for a Christmas Village.

In the 1990's, China Painting was something I did with my mom and another friend in her home. I did quite a few porcelain pieces and learned the art of patience as it would take multiple sessions to do one piece.

Some years went by before I picked up a paint brush again. It was at that time of life where it was my responsibility to take care of myself and so working and going to school were more important than painting.

But 2004 was a year of change for me. I decided to take some painting classes for fun. I have come to love painting glass and porcelain items the most, but have painted on many surfaces, such as wood, tin and paper.

In 2006, my ornaments were sold at a local farmer's market as a test run. I had gotten to the point where I had more ornaments than I could use, and several people motivated me to selling them. After a couple of years selling during the Christmas season at the farmer's market, I decided to sell online, and so began my quest to sell on my very own ETSY shop.

I went full force on having a personal website, a Twitter account, a Facebook page and Pinterest art boards, but I started feeling quite overwhelmed. Soon I was working more on the business side of this venture than having fun creating and being in that frame of mind where I felt at ease and peace with painting. I realized I wasn't painting for fun, and I felt as if I was an assembly line at a factory trying to produce the same design over and over again, and I wasn't feeling very happy with myself at all.

I took some time off of painting for a couple of years, except an occasional project here and there. Those couple of years included getting another job to help put food on the table, going through a rough patch of life where it included a car accident, buying a new car, and then going through a death in the family that shook me to the core of my being.

And so, I am finding my way back to what life is all about: to being creative, and delivering to others the gift of peace and love that is so needed in this lively world. I am exploring new avenues as you read this. I'll be painting more ornaments, but I also might explore some new things as well. Check back for future updates on what's happening next.

Ann