Divinely Inspired Goodness

Where is it you may ask? I mailed out the Wedding Thank You Cards
I designed this week. My shop Painting Queen's Boutique is on the back of the cards and I never got around to putting a link on Crystal Visions Art web site to this Store. Oh geezzzzz so much for putting the promo out about my store! Now I am hoping to put a mashed up link page there tomorrow under the shop button with the Kings help.
In the meantime some of our wedding guests may look at this blog.
To them I say...Here is a link. Painting Queen's Boutique. Other links to my PQ Boutique shop are on this blog in the left column and at the bottom is a Zazzle blog panel that will get you to that particular store.

That PQ Boutique store is still under construction and actually will look a bit different in the next few days and weeks. I had to rethink the organization of sections, subject matter and products I intend to create. To make that happen more efficiently I had to open a dozen more stores to connect to that initial store. Crazy I know, but hopefully it will all make sense in the end.

The King in his spare time is reading up on the code I need to set the stores up more creatively. I could not do this without him. It takes long enough to create the artwork for the websites and then design and create artwork for each product. It takes me toooooooo long to understand where to find all the answers for HTML and CSS coding.
He is my tech savior. God save the King!

Shermanator Gear 2

When you combine an artist/designer and a professional musician together what do you get? Why lots of Music Merch of course! In this day and age that means an online store filled with music themed products we design ourselves. In the continuing creative effort to bring our fans more merchandise choices we have opened a new fan store at Zazzle called Shermanator Gear 2. I am excited to be designing even more items for 'Hectic Red', Ben Sherman Guitar, Music Teachers and creating new designs for Ben's other musical projects as well.


create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Currently we are researching more online companies to possibly add to our online store Empire. I have to design some product, test their interface, and purchase something to check the quality. You can be sure that we are on the look out for the coolest shhhwwag we can get!

Last Of The Plumpers

I took this photo of my last big heirloom a few days ago. She is a beauty! I gave her and another bit of red juiciness to my daughters family to enjoy. The vines of this particular tomato were very tough and you had to cut them off. No twist and pop for these biggies.

Unfortunately it is time for a sad goodbye to my homegrown tomato goodness. While watering my plants today I found the tomatoes were withering away. I only have a couple tomatoes left in the kitchen!
A delicious tomato sandwich would celebrate a glorious season! Health nut bread, mayo, plus some salt and pepper. Well done tomatoes! Thank you God for perfect conditions! Mmmm good!

Sitting in the kitchen admiring this gorgeous day at the end of summer, I thought about what really fantastic weather we have had this year. Starting with our wedding day, there have been so many wonderful weekends to follow. It has been very mild heat wise, and I am grateful the air conditioner was on for only two weeks this year!

My flowers this season were full, colorful and overflowing. They adorned our world with their beauty. Now everything is starting to change. I have to bring all the tropical plants inside and hope they make it through the long dry winter indoors.

Thanks Universe for a wonderful world!

Guitar Gods in the Mist

Today was dark and dreary. The kind of day where you can't motivate yourself to do much. A hot soup and warm bread kind of day. A day where you wish you could just sleep all day. The first day I don't have my little Binx for daycare and I should be accomplishing something! The King went out into the misty gray day feeling the same. He left trying to revive himself for teaching his guitar lessons and gig later tonight. I like to attend as many of Ben's gigs as I can, and be supportive of what he does. Tonight I could not get it together and decided to look forward to tomorrows acoustic gig closer to home.
I miss him while he's out there working in the foggy damp evening.



Last night was fun. Even though it was a rainy ride downtown. I was just one of the guys going to see the new movie "It Might Get Loud."
A documentary on the electric guitar viewed from three icons of different eras of rock. Jimmy Page. The Edge. Jack White. Riding with Ben and his musician friends was really enjoyable as it was time spent with the true believers. Loving music and creation... Music and memories... Music fills your life! We had a conversation on the ride home about the first time we heard Led Zeppelin. The memories colored our lives with excitement. We still felt the pounding rhythm and we road the emotional riffs. A big smile. A wink and a nod. Yes!
Those sounds still carry the magic today! Music communicates.

Watching Jimmy Page in this movie was mesmerizing. It's the same way I look at Ben when he plays electric guitar. I cannot take my eyes off of him. Jimmy Page is fluid. Moving. Creating. Letting the source of it all out and through his fingertips. There should be a two hour very intimate documentary on Jimmy Page alone. He shines. Long silver locks, long cool looks, he charms you with the twinkle in his eyes, sly grin, and his lifetime of tales to tell. Jimmy is the Master Guitar God of Rock and you want him to share all the sparks. I need more of him! Please someone make an amazing Jimmy Page documentary!

Trying to get through this evening and get to work on some long standing projects. Still I am thinking about my Guitar God out there playing his hand made acoustic guitar called "El Nino" to tonight's crowd. I miss him and look for some photos I have taken of Ben playing his trusty old electric Strat. I found a file I have not looked at since I shot them on the Fourth of July Celebration in Frederick, Maryland. These photos are of Ben performing with Hectic Red.



These superb musicians have been playing ultimate classic rock for over 22 years together. Tight and powerful with incredible harmonies.
This video is 'Hectic Red' at The Recher Theater in Towson during their 20th Anniversary Show playing the Dixie Dregs version of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir! If you watch it you will see I am not exaggerating on just how good Ben, Danny, Such and Rich play classic rock!

'Hectic Red' is how I came to meet the King...through my love of live music. I was out in the crowd watching his every move. Feeling every riff. Already connected to him. His guitar strings had wrapped me in the sure feeling that Ben was my destiny. Ben's spirit called to me through his electric guitar... I felt the emotion of a thousand lifetimes...the spark of soul and spirit from his musical vibrations. We were meant to share this love of music together forever.

My favorite thing about these photos is I can see the Kings wedding ring! That is so cool. I love it! It is 2:50 AM. Ben just got in from the gig. Gotta go meet him at the door as he carrys in his Guitar.

Let Your Inner Fairy Shine!

Recently I was working on editing the photos I took for a friends wedding. The day of the wedding we were unable to shoot the wedding party in the beautiful wooded glade of the venue. Rain made the ground too soft. So I had the idea of placing some of the wedding portraits on outdoor backgrounds I had already shot at other locations just for fun. Knowing the bride since she was a little girl, I knew how much she loved the idea of a fairy fantasy wedding. Guys do not go for such an idea in reality. I decided to work at making that Fairy dream become virtual reality for our bride. After all she is one of us!

As I went through my photos I was elated to find a photograph of her bridesmaids catching the dress as she moved. Then I added the sparkling gossamer Fairy wings and an ethereal pool of water I had previously shot at a botanical garden. Together this created an enchanted photo reminiscent of a classic Fairy painting! Of course having such a gorgeous bride really helps to make this photo so beautiful! A truly wonderful Fairy Queen!....Oh yes.... she loved it!

I just got married! I want some wings too! Oh boy now I've started it!
Just had to create fantasy wings on my own wedding photos. I call these shimmering translucent beauties my Sun Wings! This is fun!!!!

During the Ceremony the King and Queen are surrounded by the spiritual light of the Fairy Realm. A light filled spiritual moment in time. Surely a Crystal Vision has come true in this photo creation!

We are blessed by the Spirit and the Fae on our Day of Love!

A Fairy Queen Bride has all manner of wings at her desire. These are the magical full moon wings filled with sparkling amethyst star light!

A wee pixie flew in for the party! She knew where the fun was happening on that awesome night! Such magic at your fingertips!!!

Oooooo Angelic wings! This photo already had a glow coming from the window that was blowing out the details, so it seemed like a great match for some wings of light! As you can see by these examples there are many styles of fantasy wings! Sparkling wings, dragonfly wings, butterfly wings, angel wings maybe even bat wings! Ewwww

These photos of light filled Fairy and Angel wings have really created quite a sensation! Gee everybody wants some!

"Let Your Inner Fairy Shine!"

My wedding photos were taken by Robert Smith Photography.
My friends wedding photos were taken by me Crystal Visions Art.
Free Photoshop Brushes by Obsidian Dawn

Beast In The Belfry

At 6 AM a few weeks ago I was awoken by a strange noise. Instinct told me an animal was in the sleeping chamber! I listened intently and turned my ear to the sounds. I arose from the bed and immediately fell to the floor! Oh yeah... In my sleeping stupor I had forgotten my back had been acting up the past couple of days and I was usually getting out of bed very very slowly and carefully. Pulling my self up off the floor by the bed posts I was trying to stand without pain.

Holding onto a nearby chest of drawers, I moved slowly towards the light switch intent on my mission to save us from this noisy Beast!
"You shall not Pass!" I flipped the switch up. Looking around in the light I saw nothing and thought the sounds must have been an old creaking castle door. How silly of me to have gotten so worked up.
Slowly I started to turn around.....

There was a flapping whoosh and the biggest brown bat I ever saw flew towards me and was whacking the Queen in the leg!!!!! It was trying to get past me and down the hallway. Of course I immediately screamed and woke up the King!!!! So much for my bravery! Having been a former Knight in Shining Armour, the King himself took on the Quest of ridding the Castle of this Nocturnal Beastie!

Since this strange episode startled my bad back, I was unable to move very well at this point, so I nervously waited in another room. I wished I could be of service to the King! And oh yes... my door remained closed! I began hearing all manner of sounds.... and many closing doors. Armed with a broom, the King had located the bat flying in the Grand Ballroom and closed off all other rooms. Finally after flying all about our Beautiful Castle, the King had isolated that creepy sleep interrupter! The dear King opened the large front door and a window hoping the bat would take the breezy hint. Unfortunately the bat still wanted to "hang" out for awhile... right in the window! Oh Geeez! After a couple of hours the batty one left our Castle.

Are there more??? My King "has a theory... and it is his." I call it the "Lone Bat Theory" and I hope it is true!!!!! So far this has been the only intruder besides crickets! Did you know bats can fit through spaces only half an inch thick? Just like mice! This bat was quite furry and much bigger than the bat I saw in a cave once. I actually touched one of the those little bats hanging onto the wall. It really was a bat cave!
I did not go spelunking with my friends and son. I sat outside of the cave with my daughter and a sketch book. Safer that way!

One Silly Fairy

Our little fairy girl has been changing so fast! Quickly growing from an infant to one big baby! She has completed her training in rolling over and moved on to sitting up with hardly any wobble to her weeble. All the while her drool machine has been speeding up production of the dripping confection. This makes for some interesting faces!
When she tries to suck the drool back in she makes a big silly gurn!

Freshly changed into a dry outfit after soaking the former top with a downpour of drool. It is time to let the games begin... again!

When controlling her amazing fairy foot powers... the Binx uses her feet to feed herself! Go Peds Go! Now that's talent! And a big help to the Fairy G-Mom! Then again she also uses those powerful feet to push the car seat right off the bed! Sigh..........

So sometimes Fairy Grandmother plays the trix!
Poof! I share my hair with her! Pretty cute huh?