Uncommon Gifts

Uncommon Gift Ideas . . .
That Save Time and Keep You Within Your Tight Budget

OK, Ladies & Gentlemen, It’s that time of year when many people feel overwhelmed and stressed out about holiday shopping.

Your daily schedule is already jammed up, and your budget is tighter than ever before. Retail stores are not stocking up like they have in past years, so even finding gifts is a challenge. Do you feel like you have the Deer in the Headlights look about you? If so, I can empathize. It is not an easy task to go around shopping for presents let alone deciding what gift to get that will have meaning, be something that the recipient will appreciate and actually use, and not send you into debt.

I decided to compile a Gift Ideas list to help all of you who are in need of some creative gift giving ideas that won’t break the bank! I’ve organized the gift ideas into categories to simplify your search. Most of the gift ideas include links to the online stores where you can easily purchase the gifts online. Many of the online stores will gift wrap the items for you for free, and you can even have the gift shipped direct to the recipient if you want.

I've included gift ideas for women, men, teens, kids, babies, artists, romantic occasions, Christmas stocking stuffers, and more. These gift ideas are great for any time of the year, for any occasion. I will continue to add more gift ideas to this list throughout the year, so bookmark this page as your convenient gift giving resource.

You can find many interesting and unique gift ideas at the MiliGirl Gift Ideas page.



MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

Uncommon Gifts

Pop Rocket Article on ACE Art Group

I didn't much care for the feminist remark in the article LOL! But overall the article paints a nice picture of ACE Art Group and our mission.

To Read Article:
Click on image to enlarge.





MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

Pop Rocket Article on ACE Art Group

More Beautiful You

This is such an important video for husbands, and for fathers of young teenage girls. It's the message in the words that matter most. Enjoy.



Song by Jonny Diaz


MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

More Beautiful You

Women and Wine

This series is available on customizable party invitations at www.zazzle.com/miligirl

"See, Smell, Swirl, Sip, Savor"

On a lighter side -- I have wanted to do a women and wine series of paintings for quite a while now. However, I just want to make one thing very clear from the get go . . . I'm not a sommelier, wine snob, wine connoisseur or anything even remotely close. In fact, I don't even play one on TV, but I do enjoy having a glass of wine (or two) with friends from time to time.

The five steps of wine tasting: "See, Smell, Swirl, Sip, Savor" seemed a fitting choice for my first women and wine series. Portraying contemporary women dressed in little black dresses and letting their hair down for a carefree evening with good company.

Three of my personal favorite stories of sharing wine with friends include: Ladies night in Ajijic, Mexico (Spring of 2006) with about ten women, which included dancing 'til 4 am at el-Bar-Co, then hitting Jessica's tacos after hours. Then there was the sidewalk cafe' in mid-afternoon with my friend Bill in Patzcuaro, Mexico when we were hunting for a pair of Blue Boots to escape bigger worries in life for a day -- things like recovering from divorce and dying from cancer. And last, there was the "Choosing of a Name" for my newly formed art group in the course of one evening and six dirty-minded creative artists.

This women and wine series is on exhibit (as of today) at the Raven Cafe' in downtown Prescott, AZ as part of the A.C.E. Art Group's group exhibition, which runs from September 20th, through October 31st, 2009.

The Opening Night Artist's Reception is this coming Thursday September 24th. 5 pm - 8 pm. Come join us for wine, appetizers, live music, a ton of new art (at great prices) and an all around good time at the Raven Cafe'.

Here's the Big Question: Guess what A.C.E. stands for.


MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

Women and Wine

Marionette & the Wishing Pot

"Marionette & the Wishing Pot" by Melanie Banayat
Original oil painting on canvas 36" x 36"
*Click on the picture to see larger image

I just finished this painting yesterday.

Who inspired this painting?

A few years ago I joined a woman's business networking group and met a soft spoken woman in her 50s (whom I will call Jane). Jane briefly shared her story of abuse with me after one of our meetings. I was on my way out to my truck when she called out my name. As we stood in the parking lot and I listened to her story, I was deeply touched by the pain that still brought tears to her eyes. She was no longer in her abusive relationship, by that point it had been a number of years since that relationship ended. With support from a transitional help center for abused women she was able to move on with her life, and is now a much happier, stronger person. But her need to share her experience wasn't about her being stuck in that painful place -- it was about reaching out to other women who need to know that they do not need to stay in abusive relationships. It was at that moment that I finally decided it was time to do a painting that addressed the issue of abuse.

It took me quite a while to come up with the idea of how I wanted to do this painting. Probably about a year went by before I even started sketching out my ideas. Maybe because I really didn't want to revisit that place in my own past.

As I was working on the painting in my art studio many thoughts came to me over and over about how many different situations there are where abuse occurs -- in marriages, in the work place, parental abuse, and the list goes on. Then on a larger scale, I thought about how a great number of people in our society feel abused by our country's leaders. Well, that's a whole topic in and of itself, so I'll just leave that one alone. Usually my first thoughts when I think of abuse I think of physical abuse, or sexual abuse, but mental, emotional, and financial abuse can be just as devastating on a persons life. Then there is also another side of abuse -- addiction; some people view drugs as their abuser. It's really all about control. The abuser's need to control the abused, and the abused needing to take back control over their own life. Recovery from abuse is not an easy road, but it's worth every effort it takes to get there. And it all starts with one decision.

The fact that I like to focus on the positive side of life's difficulties, and offer a sense of hope and inspiration in my work -- the topic of abuse posed as a real challenge for me.



Detail of wishing pot

Here's how the story in the painting plays out in my mind:

She felt trapped like a marionette with her life dictated by a puppet master. "Maybe if I try harder, maybe if I learn to do things better, maybe, maybe, maybe . . ." One day she shared her dreams with the puppet master who then turned and wrote them down for her on a piece of parchment and placed it in a wishing pot upon her request. The puppet master closed the wishing pot and adorned it with a pair of scissors as if to tease her, causing her desire for freedom to grow even stronger. Yet the scissors always seemed just outside of her grasp -- where her freedom continued to elude her. But one night she dreamt of a different life; the dream seemed so real. The next morning she decided she was going to do what it took to live that life -- a better life.


The message on the card will read:

Last night . . .

Marionette dreamt of dancing,
Laughing, learning, living.
At sunrise she did the one thing
She never thought she could.
She rose up and . . .

Note: I left the message unfinished so the reader can finish it off with her own story.


Detail of dancer










MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

Marionette & the Wishing Pot

What is the Spirit of Women?

What is the Spirit of Women?

That is the question I continuously explore in my art -- one little piece of the puzzle at a time. I offer my insight, not as a trained psychologist or expert on human behavior, but simply as a women, mother, daughter, sister, wife, two-times ex-wife, artist, and businesswoman.

There isn't a simple answer to the question, "What is the Spirit of Women?" Women are complex and fascinating subjects to paint. Even though there are so many different personality types, so many different beliefs, and so many different core values among women worldwide there is such a powerful connection between women that surpasses these differences. It's a sisterhood of empathy, and the ability to see past the invisible walls and directly into the heart.

Often in the eyes of men, it appears as though women can read each other's minds. What is that? How do they do that?

I hope to inspire women through my work and help open the door for communication. My work is based on real people and real life stories. I'm always searching for ways to spark an emotional connection whether it be on canvas or through my greeting cards.

In large part I also hope to offer men bits of insight into the Spirit of Women. What you do with it from there is up to you of course. As I said before, there are no simple answers. The best advice I can offfer to a man is to understand the value in nurturing a woman's true spirit, and that it's an ongoing effort. The key is knowing what that nurturing looks like, acts like, feels like -- well, you get the picture.

On these pages, and through my art I will continue to explore the Spirit of Women and hope you find my insights at the very least . . . entertaining.


MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

What is the Spirit of Women?

Getting Focused

Today marks a turning point on my blog. I have come to realize that I really want this blog to focus on the spirit of women, which is what my art is all about.

MiliGirl Fan Page on Facebook
I still have a need and desire to stay connected to other artists, and all like-minded creative types, so I have created a new place to do that on my MiliGirl Fan page on Facebook. If you have not already joined my fan page, I invite you to come on over and join me there. That is where I will be talking "All things Creative", and also posting images of my new art.

Click here to join my MiliGirl Fan Page

MiliGirl TV is coming soon!
I've been working on this new project creating a series of videos that I will post on www.MiliGirlTV.com. The series will be ongoing - or at least until I keel over. The site has not officially launched yet, I'm hoping it will launch by the end of this month. I'll keep you posted.



MiliGirl Note Cards make unique gifts for women. Find and send the perfect "Just Because" greeting card at the MiliGirl Collection online store.

Please share this post with others - Thanks! Melanie Banayat

Getting Focused

Follow Me & They Will Come!

You want to do this! And here's why . . .

This is another cool little gadget that I finally just added.

So now you can click on the 'FOLLOW' button in the side bar to add your happy little mug shot to the box. Then when someone clicks on your picture a profile will open up with all of the links to all of 'Your' sites, which makes it super easy for people to just click through to your sites. In other words, it's another way for people to find 'Your' blog and start following you.

You will need a google account to do be able to use this, but that's FREE and EASY to do at www.google.com. That way you will also be able to post comments on any blogger blog - like mine. : ) Oh Ya!

Follow Me & They Will Come!

What Can An Artist Do to Protect Their Career?

What Can An Artist Do to Protect Their Career?
That seems to be the question on many artist's minds.

Last week I was asked by a newspaper editor for a publication in Scottsdale, Arizona (where many art galleries have gone out of business recently) to comment on four questions for an article she was doing on "the effects of the economy on artists and the art industry". She only wanted two sentence answers to each of the questions. Of course, there was no way that I could answer her questions in a few short sentences. So I simply answered the questions with my full and complete thoughts, and suggested that she pull what she wanted out of my comments, because it's a topic that I'm obviously so passionate about - not to mention knee deep in the muck.

So here are the questions she sent me. (How would you answer them?)

1. As an artist, how has the state of the economy over the past 18 months affected you?

2. As you prepared the Artisan Festivals, you were in contact with artists in all different mediums. What were they telling you?

3. In your opinion, what can artists do at this time to protect their careers?

4. What opportunities do you see for artists and arts organizations at this point?


Here is how I answered her questions:

1. As an artist, how has the state of the economy over the past 18 months affected you?

With so many galleries going out of business it's been hard to find steady brick and mortar representation. And with low attendance at art festivals sales are way down. There were days when I felt distraught and heartbroken over the real possibility of losing my art business.

So I started talking with a lot of other artists to see what they were doing to keep their business alive. What I came across did not offer me much hope -- in general the majority of artists were at a loss for any NEW and innovative ideas. Teaching art classes was a common idea. "So does that mean there is going to be a swarm of artists teaching art classes now?" I thought to myself.

Fortunately I noticed that there were still some artists out there doing better than just holding on by a thread, so I decided to find out what "those" artists were doing, and what I learned inspired me to re-write my business model. In the meantime I'm hustling like most to do whatever necessary to keep paying the bills.

2. As you prepared the Artisan Festivals, you were in contact with artists in all different mediums. What were they telling you?

What I've heard from most of the artists is that jewelry and 3D art, (primarily sculpture, art funiture, or functional art) is selling better than 2D art. Therefore a lot of 2D artists are producing smaller, more affordable pieces to fit within collector's budgets. Reports from artists have been that sales are down about 40% (or more). Attendance is low at art festivals, and many artists had to cut back on how many festivals they participate in throughout the year. Some artists I know have gone the opposite direction and doubled up on how many shows they do in attempt to maintain what their income was. It's all haywire and trickling down.

3. In your opinion, what can artists do at this time to protect their careers?

As an artists who is associated with many other artists I can attest that the majority of artists do not know how to market themselves well. They would rather be in their art studio producing their art, and leave the marketing up to someone else - I know, because that is exactly where I would rather be. However, if artists want to protect their art career in this economy they need to be spending at lest 50% of their time marketing their work and learning the latest marketing strategies. And these days the best place to do that (with the added benefit of very low cost) is on the Internet. Traditional marketing methods are simply not as viable as they once were.

Unfortunately, too many artists really do not understand how to use the Internet as a marketing tool. Many think they are using the Internet to market their work because they have a website, and/or they have posted their art on some Fine Art Marketplace website. Sadly though, most of these websites are set up only as online portfolios, and most of the visitors to those sites are other artists -- very few sales are made that way. Artists need to learn how to get lots and lots of traffic (visitors) to their websites & blogs, and there are some great techniques and tools to do just that.

Fact is, more and more people are spending their time online getting their news, entertainment, and staying connected with other people via email and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. With the development of Web 2.0 technology over the past two years a lot of new marketing tools and strategies have made it possible for business people (like artists) to market themselves effectively and actually sell their products online -- including fine art!


4. What opportunities do you see for artists and arts organizations at this point?

I feel that the art industry has the opportunity to get downright creative, we are knee deep in uncharted territory, but we get to be a big part of breaking ground in this new frontier. I think we are going to see more artists "Getting Real", and developing their "Personal Brands". It's no longer about just making cool art, unique art, or pretty art and then putting it up on display someplace; it's about getting to know the artist behind the art. We have to become more transparent; we have to allow people to really get to know us - the real us. Not the "Us" that hides behind a bunch of clever marketing gimmicks, taglines or fancy designed websites. It means stepping outside of our comfort zones and doing the things that we are unfamiliar with -- things that scare us, like network marketing on the Internet. LOL!

The Internet has opened the door for a new breed of art collectors. Many people feel intimidated by the traditional art gallery environment. Whereas online they don't have the added pressure of someone trying to "qualify them" determining if this person is worth their time and effort. The Internet is a friendlier, non-judgmental arena.

Let's face it, artists and art galleries have been spoiled by the false economy for the past two decades while people were busy living beyond their means, and galleries and art festivals were pushing prices up and up taking advantage of the consumer's luxurious spending habits. We have an opportunity to start fresh, and do things very differently now. Better and smarter.

People still want art in their lives -- they always will.


Let me know your thoughts on the topic.

What Can An Artist Do to Protect Their Career?

I'm finally on Facebook

Well, It took me a while to finally get around to starting a facebook page, and I'm so glad I did. Connecting with friends that I haven't seen or heard from in over 25 years is pretty cool.

I also started a Facebook Fan page, which is also pretty cool. Don't have any fans yet. LOL!

I posted my nifty MiliGirl Fan Page widget in the sidebar here on my blog. I love widgets. Widgets are fun little "thingymajigs" aren't they? Oooops, I just deleted it and I can't seem to get it back. Bummer. I'll see if I can figure out the problem.

Well, for now if you'd like to join my facebook fan page it's called: MiliGirl

I'm finally on Facebook

I Like My Comfort Zone!

Kicking and Screaming!

Boy I tell you I've had some pretty frustrating moment over the last several months. It felt like I was having a few good old-fashioned "5-year-old" temper tantrums.

Many artists are known for having gypsy lifestyles. Always chasing down the art festivals, always on the move. I, on the other hand, happen to prefer the stable studio. Oh, I have done my fair share of art festivals, and traveling for my opening gallery receptions (blah, blah, blah). I do love the part where I get to meet people. I love that part! Oooops, I already said that. It's the packing up, the breaking down, the unpredictable weather, the damage to equipment and artwork, and the late night trips after the shows. That's the part that I don't care for. I guess it boils down to the fact that I don't like the "M" word. -- moving.

The past five years of my life have not only included chasing down art shows, it's also included uprooting my home base (10 times!) Ten times in 5 years! Where is the stability in that! It sucks! That's been much worse than the art festivals.

Then the economy pummels the art industry and I find myself pounding my head, fists, and feet on the pavement screaming, "What Now!" "How do I hang on to my art business?!" "How much more can I take?" Booo Hooo. Right? That's embarrassing to admit. It's not like I'm alone in this -- most people are in the same boat, Melanie.

Soooo..... I finally took a breather and looked up. When I did I realized I was trying to stay in a place that simply didn't exist anymore. We are in the midst of a major change and I needed to either hop on and get creative or get out! And since I'm a die-hard artist to the end -- I decided to hop on.

I may be a slow learner, but I finally get it. Change opens the door for new and exciting things -- that's how I'm choosing to deal with this recession. Watch out people! There's going to be some big changes goin' on round here at MiliGirl.com! Stay tuned!

I Like My Comfort Zone!

Artists who blog

No S#/t...I Won't Quit!
or is it ...Hell No I Won't Go!?!?!

The last nine months "This Artists" has been on the Behemoth Roller Coaster Ride. Both in my personal and professional life I've had to tend to some things that have required my undivided attention. So my priorities were shifted and "blogging" was simply not a top priority.

Then when I was finally able to get back to blogging -- "it" happened. A glitch. Yup, a yucky, dirty, nasty glitch. I tried to publish a new post and got an error message. Talk about frustration. Ugh!

But I'm back now. : ) :o

Sooo . . . Let me re-introduce myself. I'm Melanie. Welcome to the world of "Melanieville"/

Have a look at some of my newest drawings below. I continue with my fascination with the human figure. This time I did a little manipulation of some gorgeous yoga poses.

Tomorrow I hope to find a victim (I mean a willing volunteer) to let me draw her during the 4th Friday Art Walk in Prescott at the Satori Design Studio Gallery. Maybe I'll do a little manipulation of her hair. Could be fun!

"Scorpion Pose - Thistle" by Melanie Banayat



"Pigeon Pose - Bird of Paradise" by Melanie Banayat



"Crane Pose - Flower" by Melanie Banayat

Artists who blog

I love a good show!

Nudes & Nature Exquisite Art Exhibition

There's nothing quite like a good combination of Nudes, Food, Wine, Music and Fire to make for an exciting inaugural "Nudes & Nature" Art Exhibition.

It was fun to be part of such a refreshingly new exhibit here in Prescott, Arizona. The response was so good -- we look forward to doing it again next year!

We have lots of pictures!
Have a Look . . .


Nudes & Nature Artists (left to right)
Robert Burford, Joy Tkach, Ann Alexander, Melanie Banayat
Michael Colbert, and Neil Orlowski

I love a good show!