Greetings! ...from Kimberly Shaw

Spring Give Away

Give Away Now Closed

Originally posted on A Little Loveliness along with an interview of yours truely.

Hath God Not Prommised

God hath not promised skies always blue,  Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;

God hath not promised sun without rain, Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know, Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;

He hath not told us we shall not bear, Many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide, Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;

Never a mountain, rocky and steep, Never a river, turbid and deep.

But god hath promised strength for the day, Rest for the laborer, light for the way,

Grace for the trials, help from above, Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

                                “God Hath Not Promised"  -Annie Johnson Flint

Luck of the Irish

Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons bring the best to you and yours!

"Tea Party" Then and Now

Some of my greeting cards were revised, such as this "Tea Party" teacup greeting card. It is often used as Invitations to tea parties.  I created the original design in 1996, using a Rapid- O-Graph pen to outline the watercolor.  The new edition does not have the black pen outline, and the lattice artwork behind continues on the back of the card.

Sending a Little Love

Can I share with you what my kids and I did one year for Valentine's Day in my neighborhood? Having just moved there, we didn't know many of our neighbors, which were a mix of seniors and young families. We made little hand-made cards, put them in a plastic bag with delicious Dove chocolates, and tied a ribbon.  With the kids wagon loaded, we walked through the neighborhood secretly hanging a greeting on each door. Not sure what to expect, we made a wonderful discovery.  There are several widows in my neighborhood who had not received a Valentine's card for some time.  It was great fun!

Spring Green

A Teacup Greeting Card in the making inspired by a small vintage saucer. Unable to locate the matching teacup, I created my own.  A wide green band on the teacup and saucer are accented with agold trim. Resting on a frilly doily the green is complimented with a warm burnt orange tabletop.  The black details were created using an old-school Koh-I-Noor Rapidograph pen, the smallest  000/.25 size, and shaded with a light watercolor wash. 

Artwork copyright Kimberly Shaw 2010

 

12 Days of Christmas

While there is some dispute over this translation of the song, tradition has it that in England, between 1558 and 1829, Catholics were prohibited by law to practice their faith in public or in private.  Until Parliament emancipated Catholics in England in 1829, it was illegal to be Catholic. "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was a coded message written in England as a memory aid to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, authorities would not know that is was a religious song and young Catholics could sing it without fear of imprisonment.  The song is, in a sense, an allegory with each of the gifts in the song representing something significant to the Bible.

The song begins, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me..."  The "true love" repeated in the song doesn't refer to an earthly suitor, but to God himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to the believing Christian.

The Partridge in a pear tree refers to Jesus Christ upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy s predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the cross. 

The two turtle doves refers to the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. 

The three French hens stand for faith, hope and love -- the three gifts of the Spirit that abide, mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13. 

Four calling birds refer to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Five golden rings represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. 

Six geese a-laying is the six days of creation. 

Seven swans a-swimming refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit; wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. 

Eight maids a-milking reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Ten lords a-leaping represents the Ten Commandments. 

Eleven pipers piping refers to the eleven faithful apostles. 

Twelve drummers drumming were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostle's Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

My Twelve Days of Christmas Teacup Greeting card is available for purchase at kimberlyshawgraphics.com and comes with a delicious Holiday tea, from Harney and Sons, tucked in the rim of the tea pot for your recipient to savor the warmth of Christmas.

Aquarelle

A new card in the making.

This Royal Grafton teacup was so much fun to watercolor in its delightful aqua color, sitting on a frilly doily, against a salmon pink background. 

Summer Inspired Teacup Greetings

Breakfast tea on the bow of a boat in a calm bay or an afternoon picnic tea on the beach under a floral beach umbrella with a lighthouse in the distance are the inspirations for these teacup greeting cards.

Hope your Summer has been fun-filled. If you visit the beach may it be a reminder of God's love and care for you.  Psalms 139:17-18  says, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand."

Merci

I was inspired to paint this French Teacup card from the miss-matched teacup and saucer I posted yesterday, both marked Haviland France. The design on the saucer was recreated on the shape of the cup. I included one of my French looking vintage doilies underneath with a classic toile wallpaper in French blue behind. The card was paired with an Orange Pekoe tea.

Mother's Day Teacup Greeting Card

Inspired from my collection of antique hand painted plates and vintage lace, I designed my Mother's Day Teacup card with a tea pot because mom's deserve more than just a cup of tea. 

Japanese Sencha Green Tea

Harney & Sons Japanese Sencha green tea is hand-picked in the Spring, Kosher, and a participating product of the 1% Back to the Planet program. I love it with a twist of fresh mint or lemon. It's a perfect choice for my Healt & Happiness card. The message of "Health & Happiness" continues inside with "...For today and always."

I'm Honored!

Check out the amazing thing Carol, at My Painting Room, did with my Teacup Greeting cards.

In the Pink

Both red and pink represent love, but I think pink is a more romantic and charming color.  It's a peaceful and calm tone which seems to express feelings of caring and tenderness.  A pink carnation is said to mean "I will never forget you". 

 

Thanks for visiting!

Being Thankful

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless his name. Psalm 100:4

Freedom Teacup Greeting Card

A teacup with Paul Revere warning the British are coming, reads on the bottom, "Made in England." 

I think it's funny the British would produce and market china for the American public depicting scenes which lead to their defeat against the American Colonists.

And a final note, if you are wondering, all our products are Made In America.

This card is no longer available.

Cherries Teacup Greeting Card

Inspired by a vintage hand painted plate, a vintage doily I had, and a new design in the background with birds to tie the image together. I'm sure every cherry farmer thinks of birds in his orchard, but not in the same delightful way.

 

 

Pink & Peach Teacup Cards

Four warm and fruity teas in bright cheerful cards are Summertime favorites.

June Is A Special Time

June is a time to celebrate the acomplishments of students, express apreciation to dedicated teachers who guided them along, and weddings, just to name a few.

Teacup Greeting cards with an added gift of delicious tea helps sweeten the sentiment.


 

 

Birthday Gift Teacup Card

Inside reads, "A gift of tea from me, Happy Birthday"

Comes with a succulant black te infused with Passion Fruit from Harney & Sons Fine Teas.

Mums the Word

I love how the English call their mothers "Mum". 

This card was inspired by all the thoughtful women who have cared so lovingly for my children.  Their acts of kindness have been as seeds which they have generously sown into their lives.  It has been a blessing to watch them blossom as a result.

A little seed pack with Sweet Peas, Babies Breath, and Johny Jump Ups are representative of my two daughters and one son.


 
 

For Mom

My mom has made a lasting impact on me.  The Mother's Day cards I've created are a reflection of the lovely life she has modeled for me.
 
The inside of this card reads, "I Love You," and comes with a flavorful Jasmine Green tea inserted in the rim of the teacup. 

It is designed to be given any time of the year. 

You Are Special

My mom received this Tea Set as a gift from the department store where she registered her wedding gift registry.

The complete Moss Rose set includes two Teacups with Sauces, a Teapot, two Plates, Salt and Pepper Shakers. 

It now graces my home, received as a birthday gift. 

To honor her I created this "You Are Special" Teacup Greeting card, but as you can see I redesign the Teapot to fit the card size, left the lid off where I insert the tea bag, and gave it a napkin tucked under the saucer.

Boston Tea Party Teacup Card

After helping my children with their USA history lessons, I thought it would be fun to create my own version of the Boston Tea Party into a Teacup Greeting card. 

Lilly Teacup Card

The meaning of the Calla Lilly is Magnificent Beauty and it is a symbol for rebirth.  I left this card blank inside so a personal note can be written with just the right encouragement for the one receiving it. 

Here... Kitty, Kitty

In a horrific downpour we rescued a kitty trapped in the corner of a chain link fence that circled the school yard across the street from our home. He was soaking wet and covered in mud. When every attempt to find his owners failed we kept him and named him Stormy. 

My children and I had a tradition of having tea most days about three o'clock. One afternoon we decided to make it a picnic on the back patio back patio. I laid out a quilt and brought out the tea. Stormy walked up beside me, wrapped his tail around his front paws and helped himself to my English Breakfast with milk and sugar.  I took his picture that became the inspiration for this teacup greeting card.

Stormy was all white with blue eyes. Because his white fur didn't contrast well with the white teapot and cups, I painted a classic orange coat which contrasts well with the blue background and the Orange Pekoe teabag from Harney & Sons inserted in the rim of the teapot.

Spring Chick

"May the blessings of the day bring you joy" is the message inside my "Blessings" Teacup Greeting card with Orange Pekoe Tea from Harney & Sons Fine Teas.

This is one of my favorite teacups, without any identification on the bottom, because it's so cheery.  The delicate vintage lace was a very FUN challenge because I especially love to paint negative space, which I painted to match the teabag color.

Spode by Mail

A Sales Rep in New Hampshire sent me this Spode Teacup for inspiration.  It came tucked in a padded envelope, crumpled around the shape of the cup.  I was shocked it survived the journey unbroken.  Sometime in its lifetime it lost its saucer, but I gave it a new one in my painting.

Watercolored while on vacation in a little cottage surrounded by roses, this get well card comes with Raspberry tea.  The inside reads, "Wishing you a speedy recovery." 

Inspired by Jonathan

This card was inspired by a funny story.  Joan and her husband were missionaries in Indonesia, with their 3 small boys.  Once when meeting friends for dinner in town, her son, Jonathan, ran ahead excitedly to see  a lotus pond in front of the restaurant.  Dressed in his nicest clothes, he got too close and slipped in.  Johnathon sat through dinner in his wet and dirty suit.  Joan, knowing of the diseases that plague the water in their warm tropical climate, was so worried he would get sick.  Fortunately, he didn't get ill, but the story inspired me to paint a lotus flower on this Get Well Teacup Greeting card and add a Harney & Sons Sencha Green Tea.  The inside reads: "Sending you warm get well wishes."

Hello Note

My Hello Note Teacup Greeting card was created after visiting a collector of Royal Albert teacups, too many to count.  This is one tea cup in the awe-inspiring display.  The woman, now in her 70's, began when she was a girl.

Christmas Music Teacup Greeting Card

Watercolored with the melody of Christmas in mind.  The sheet music of Handel's "Messiah,  No.12, For Unto Us a Child is born," illustrated with permanent ink after the watercolor wash of the sheet music was painted.

Christmas Lambs

Inspired by the charm of vintage postcards. I watercolored this tea pot with a shepherdess leading her flock through a snow covered pasture.  A yellow cottage and church steeple lie in the background to complete this rural scene. 

The outside text reads, "Sincere Christmas Blessings. 'This I pray that God may bless..." continuing on the inside with, ..."All thy way, with happiness. Merry Christmas"

Happy Christmas Teacup Greeting Card

Created to be used with refreshing mint tea, my "Happy Christmas" Teacup greeting card was inspired by the peace Christ brought into the world.

The inside reads, "May your home be filled with the Peace of Christmas."

A Humbling Story

This post could also be titled, "Pride Goeth Before a Fall."  It's a God inspired lesson which I learned with a bit of pain.  I've discovered children really like this story. It must be the "glasses embedded into my face" part.

When I created this Nativity Teacup card for Christmas, I delayed painting it until the last moment.  I was over ambitious trying to watercolor 8 new cards in a short period of time, and after the 7th I was drained of ideas.  Exhausted from staying up late to meet my deadline, I went for a walk and prayed for God to give me an idea for a Christmas card.  He filled my mind with images of an angel, a star, shepherds on the teacup, sheep in a field on the saucer, the manger in the foreground, and shadows cast from the star.  Behind the teacup is the little town of Bethlehem.  With new excitement I began painting, and when I was finished I mounted it next to the other new cards, stepped back for a look, and proclaimed out loud (I was alone), "Wow! I'm amazing!!!"  Returning to my desk to clean up, feeling quite puffed up from my accomplishments, my over exuberant stride caused my foot to stumble abruptly on the leg of my desk, pitching me off balance, forcefully slamming my face onto the desktop. I can still remember how it felt with my glasses embedded into my cheek.

As I lay there catching my breath, God reminded me of, "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18  Lesson learned!

Red Hat Cat

My mom, a Red Hatter, has a lot of fun dressing up and going to tea parties.  My Red Hat Cat Teacup greeting card was left blank inside to be used as a Tea Party Invitation or to write a personal greeting for any occasion. It comes with an English Breakfast teabag tucked in the teapot. 

The fluffy tiger kitty with bright blue eyes was the funnest part of this card to paint.  She is adorned in a red hat decorated with roses, wearing  a purple bow, carrying a bouquet and sealed letter. 

Giving Thanks

This is one of my cards that was inspired by a REALLY BIG story.
 
I was in front of my house chatting with my neighbor, Susan, when another neighbor, Rebeca, walked over to say, Hello." Susan and I must have been talking about God, because all I can recall is Rebeca's asking us, "How do you know God is real?" After sharing verses from the Bible, Rebeca repeated, "But HOW do you know?" After sharing the story of Jesus, Rebeca asked again, "BUT, HOW do you know Jesus is the way to God, not Buddha, or Mohammad, or...."  she continued listing other religions.  Finally I told her what I did when I didn't know either. I said, "I figured that if Jesus was real and He was God, He was fully capable of proving it.  So, I asked Him to prove to me He was real, and He did."

"OK!" she said, "But it better be REALLY BIG!!!" and walked home.

A week later, after several headaches and confused speech, Rebeca was diagnosed with a brain tumor, rushed to the hospital and operated on shortly after.  She was told the surgery would cause impaired vision, hearing and speech. 

I was at the hospital 30 minutes after her surgery. I watched down the hall as her family wept with joy because Rebeca could see, hear and speak normally.

After Rebeca settled in at home I went to visit her.  She reminded me of the conversation we had in front of my house with Susan.  She told me she had made her peace with God before going into surgery, and if God was real, He could prove it to her by allowing her see, hear and speak after her tumor was removed.  That was the "REALLY BIG" way God proved to her He was real and Jesus was the way.

Filled with overwhelming thankfulness for how God revealed Himself to Rebeca, I painted this card.

I've made this "Give Thanks" Teacup greeting card available at kimberlyshawgraphics.com on SALE for $1.67 with a Cinnamon Spice tea bag tucked in the rim of the cup so you can generously share your thankfulness with others.

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless his name." - Psalm 100:4

Thinking of You

If I were able to physically send everyone a Teacup greeting card today, this is the one I'd send with a delicious Hot Cinnamon teabag to savor.

Blessings in your day, Kimberly

Thank You Rose

With my rose garden in full bloom, I struggled being motivated to paint a Christmas card. This sweet girl vase with arms to hold a small bouquet was begging me to paint her. Message inside says, "Thanks A Bunch".

Toile, It's Hereditary

My grandma had toile; her toile wallpapered dining room was discovered in an old photograph.  My mom had toile wallpaper in one of her homes. I've installed toile in a number of rooms as wallpaper, drapes, or pillows.

I created this Red Toile Teacup Greeting Card using a rapidiograph pen with red ink and watercolor washes of color. This card is blank inside and comes with English Breakfast tea.

Thankful Birds

Parakeets are cheerful, sociable little birds.     The outside text continues on the inside with a simple, "...so very much!"