I’m on Etsy! (McMelmo is born)

Here’s what’s new, folks! I finally decided to jump on the creative Etsy bandwagon and through the help of many how-to YouTube videos, Copilot, a host of websites, some hair pulling, and an Etsy store later, I’m finally in the land of Print-on-Demand, AI, and all things in between.

I’m starting out small, it’s a small side business after all, but I have some fun ideas and with this new technology, my imagination, my designs in my head I could never quite get on paper, and a host of other little hiccups and bumps along the way, McMelmo was born.

Ok, so what is McMelmo? Yes, it sounds like something from Sesame Street, but it’s actually a nickname based off my first and second name, and the fact that when you put all three initials of my first, middle, and last name together, it sound like McB. (I’ve literally had people call me that, too. Don’t get me started on MelB and “Scary Spice”.) So since my husband calls me Mel (he’s one of few, I hate being called me), McMel(mo) was an easy jump in his mind, I suppose. Whatever, who cares? It’s super adorable, cracks me up, and is unique enough that I was able to make it my very very own.

My first foray in the “biz” as Designer in Chief was mugs. I had a super fun idea of creating a “mug shot” (i.e. a ceramic mug with a quick succinct description) for books of the Bible using stick figures since it’s my go-to for all things drawing. (Seriously, I’m that bad.). So I’ve started with Genesis, because…hey…Genesis, it’s first, iust to get the template right and a few variations later, I had my first set of mugs. As a test, I’ve carried that vision over to a t-shirt and a greeting card. So imagine my surprise that this ball got rolling in just a few weekends.

My content won’t all be bible-based (though I see that as a wonderful start), but with this strange and quirky brain of mine that has been jotting down ideas for years, expect lots of new avenues for my creativity.

I’m not one to brag, but I’ve already had 26 views. No sales YET, but I have reasonable hopes for that as I really start cooking with gas and the word gets out.

I’ve now linked my Etsy shop to my header but if you want the full experience, you can find also me at www.mcmelmo.com because – surprise! – the domain wasn’t taken! (I mean, seriously, who would take that domain in the first– oh wait. I would.)

It’s a brave new world, people! My creativity (and whimsy) WILL BE UNLEASHED! It will not be contained! It will be EPIC(ally ridiculous, but fun nonetheless)!

Thanks for reading and check it out!

Paint By Numbers – Oil on Canvas: Newb Alert

I guess a pandemic is a great time to try something new. Several years ago, I took a watercolor painting class with a friend of mine from work. I had a great time. We learned stuff. It was social.

I sucked, but I didn’t care.

So I decided to try some paint-by-numbers with acrylics. I found a bunch on Amazon, picked a painting I liked, and ordered it. For fun, I decided to take a picture every step of the way because, frankly, in the beginning everything just looks like spaghetti.

So here’s the progression. Enjoy! 19 different colors of paint on a 16×20 canvas.

By the way, the painting I chose has special significance, which I’ll explain at the bottom.

Two colors – barely could see the promise
Ooooo green. I get trees are in here
Loved the vibrant blues
Some deeper blues – starting to come together (ish)
More blues – ok now I”m getting fatigued on blue
How much more blue can there possibly be? Tough because the lightest blue required several coats
Oh thank goodness, something new. Ooo…like brick!
WOW that’s some orange – I’m beginning to get excited
Ok this is feeling like a painting now
Carpal tunnel, but more shades of brown/orange
Suddenly the painting has depth. Holy smokes, when did that happen?
Now we’re moving into the yellows
Feeling like an almost artist
What is that, lime green? Whatever works.
Now the pale grays and touch-ups. And all the numbers I missed along the way.
Finished!! I love it!!!

Finished product. Mostly. I have a few items I want to go back and darken up (if you really look closely you can see the numbers if the color is particularly light.

Significance of this painting explained: The setting reminds me of Amsterdam and that is where my husband and I traveled to for our honeymoon over 20 years ago. So since Valentines Day is coming up, I thought I would surprise him. The couple in the center just reminded me of us. And the colors were just so darn vibrant.

All told, the entire process took about a week. A few hours in the evening and a few hours on the weekends.

Since our cat passed away a few weeks ago, this was a surprisingly effective way at distracting me from the sorrow (while I focused on painting within the lines) and also is a great way to reduce stress from work, life, COVID, what-have-you. Also, since I walked away from social media, this felt like a great use of my time and energy and – at the end of it – I didn’t feel like I’d just wasted hours surfing. I had a painting to hang up!

I wish I could paint like this naturally, but I can’t. As a “check-box-er”, I like to do step-by-step / bite-sized projects, which is also why I like making bath products. Simple and can be done in an afternoon. Admittedly, this was much more involved, but it was time-consuming, not complicated. (And it came framed, which was nice.)

The kit comes with practically everything you need, but…..

I picked up lighted magnifying glasses (after I found the magnifying light was too cumbersome), a desktop easel, some paint brushes (in case I hated the ones the kit came with), and an artist brush basin so I could rinse my brushes between colors.

Flawless by Mercy Me

Mercy Me is a band that is amazingly talented.

If you’ve ever heard of I Can Only Imagine (the song) or seen the movie, you’ll see just how talented these guys are. This is one of my favorite videos and recently I was surfing and discovered it again.

Enjoy!

Video: A Pep Talk from Kid President to You

This is truly inspiring. Erm, it’s maybe a little humbling, too, when a kid has to tell you obvious wisdom, but this is touching and funny and makes you think. And, c’mon, he’s – like – as cute as Emmanuel Lewis from Webster.

Hey, we are all on the same side.

Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life

I could not get this thought out of my head. It’s more than just advocating the right to life for unborn babies, the elderly or disabled here on earth, but also for the souls of every man, woman, and child to live forever, without pain, suffering or guilt, in Heaven through the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

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Good News: 14-Year Old Chef

You know how I like to pass on good news. Goodness knows we are all inundated by bad news every minute of every day, so it’s nice to see articles like this.

14 years old and the kid gets to work in a restaurant in LA?! At 14, I could barely boil water!! And even then, I’m pretty sure that not only did I burn it, but it probably also somehow tasted like fish.

Happy Reading!

Daily Mail UK: 14-Year Old Wonder-Chef