Life with g

The Artist Wife

2012-02-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

My husband has been living in my craziness for over 34 years and we were talking about howliving with an artist is a little different than living with a "regular" person (quoted from my husband)

So....to share a little insight into our union, I asked him to write an article about what it was like living with an artist. He came up with the title "The Artist Wife" and wrote this article for us. It is published in the Loew Cornell newsletter and it seems to have hit a key with lots of artist because I keep getting little notes on facebook about it.

I thought I would share it here:

http://www.loew-cornell.com/the-artist-wife-pages-265.php

Thanks, Lovee, for taking all my craziness in stride and continuing down this path with me.

Valentine Fun

2012-02-05T10:27:00.001-08:00

Valentines Day is just around the corner, and, like other holidays at our house, I cannot let it slide by without decorating my front room for the event. I like to keep out some of my year round decorations and add some fun stuff to it ...luckily my front room is red and it works for all occasions!! Enjoy!

Salute to Love

2012-02-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

My friend, Vicki Gardiner created a delightful valentine tower with fancy beads and hearts on it. I loved the idea so much that I created one of my own. This packet and wood will be for sale on my website soon. There is something about hearts that just touches mine...well, and of, course, the color red!

Furniture shop hop

2012-01-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

Nony and I are so excited to share our inspirational ideas as we go on road trips in 2012. We will write about our adventures in Paintworks magazine so be sure to join us in each issue.

The April issue (on checkstands soon) features our stops to a furniture shop to find a table for Nony's front room for game playing. We have fun finding great furniture and displays in an antique store in Utah. Come along for the ride!

This table is a preview of what we found-a work in process.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-04T08:41:00.001-08:00

Each year, I always start out the year by saying that I am going to be a better blogger, painter, wife, employee and friend. Sound familiar? Well, this year I am going to throw that idea out and just be ME! I have realized that I am a work in process, kinda like my creativity, so I am going to embrace ME and all of my craziness and just BE.

Join me on this journey, or not....as I plan to blog when the spirit moves me and just hope it will not just move me, but it might move you as well! Happy New Start!!

Best week ever! and Paintworks Magazine

2011-06-22T19:19:00.001-07:00

So..I just got the newest Paintworks Magazine, August 2011, and I had 3 articles in it! The first article (on page 10) talks about how you can change your summer decorations outside with your use of paint and really make your tables, dinnerware and even furniture look new!

The second article (page 29) is a box that I painted using stencils

for my initial pattern and then acrylic washes to complete

the painting and then detail. I used the Loew Cornell Fine Line Painting Pen

to do the "weaving, or stitching" that makes it look like a tapestry. If you have not used this tool, you just gotta DO IT! Such a fun piece for any level painter!! I got the wooden box from Smooth Cut Wood and it was sanded so great that I just got to start the painting without alot of prep. (SmoothCutWoodproducts.com)

The third is such an easy pendant (painted with the new Double Filbert brush) that you could paint a bunch of them in a short time for gifts and all your holiday gifts would be DONE! I got the pendant from Della (at Dellaandcompany.com) and it could be embellished with some hanging beads or fancy rhinestones.

It can be painted using 2 brushes!!!

The cover features some gorgeous poppies painted by my friend Kathi Hanson and the background is amazing. I will definately be trying that technique.

So many wonderful things to paint...so little time.

Society of Decorative Painters 2011

2011-05-25T14:36:00.001-07:00

Just returned from the Society of Decorative Painter's show in Wichita. We did not have any tornados while we were there, but I did have lots of fun demonstrating the new brushes, attending the banquet and speaking at the chapter gathering. As you can see, my Loew Cornell gang and Doxie all had their share of fun as well!

New England Traditions 2011

2011-02-20T16:11:00.001-08:00

I have been working on new submissions for 2012 and just was notified that I was accepted to teach 2 classes at the New England Traditions convention in October. How lucky am I that I get to enjoy my two favorite things...fall colors and painting! I will be teaching the frankencandle that has a batter operated candle and the beginner stacking wood drybrush project. Can't wait to share all of the fun techniques with everyone.

Craft and Hobby show-2011

2011-02-04T06:07:00.000-08:00

I am back from my most recent jaunt to Craft and Hobby Association show and wanted to share some trends and ideas.

I was so excited to be at the Loew Cornell booth and introduce the new line of brushes with them. We are looking for a release in March or April, so keep posted and you will be the first to see them! I also discovered a couple of great products in the line that I had not previously seen. There is a great palette foldable palette and a small, fun sketchbook from the "Simply Art" line. oh, and did I mention some brand new brushes? (can't wait to show them to you...check back for another post later in the month). They also showed some great new woodsie kits and would be fabulous for you and if you have kids a great way to get them started in crafting. They paired some "Little Golden Books" with some animal shapes and they are adorable!

Remember last year when I started talking about "Zentangles"? Well, that kind of black and white art was everywhere....my favorite addition was in the button categories..look for some great black and white stuff in your future. Don't be afraid to pair it up with reds, greens and yellows..lots of that on the floor!

After walking the floor and finding out about the newest products out there, a couple have been haunting my creative mind.

At the "Viva" booth, they had this Crysta "gel" that you put all over a glass bowl and then swirled it around in circles that made it look like the glass was embossed. It came in colors and was gorgeous! I can't wait to play with it. The same booth they had what they call the pearl pen. You squeeze little dabs of liquid (in a variety of colors) and it looks like real pearls. They had a model that was wearing a wedding dress that had the entire bodice done with the pearls and it was unbelieveable. The picture here does not get the idea across, but it was so amazing. One of their designers made a string of pearls by laying down a piece of string and then squeezing the pearls along it, letting it dry and then doing the other side...it looked like a real string of pearls. Gotta get my hands on this pen! They had some other interesting products, but these are the ones that I want to play with. see their other great products at viva-decor.us

DecoArt has a couple of great new products that they were introducing too! My MOST FAVORITE was the MagicCoat, the low odor "Decopage", and glass paints. I am all about using products in different ways, but I gotta copy this heart! They used a piece of styrofoam and carved it into a heart and then carved swirls into the heart...painted it with the magicoat (you know how hard it is to paint styrofoam!!) and then glazed an antique look into the creases. It looked like something that you would buy at Pier One or Target in the home decor section...my mind is reeling!! They have increased their glass paint category and I wish I had taken some pictures of the finished items...they have a great paint markers and some really great colors, are they are dishwasher safe! They also had some great new stencils that I am drooling over. Stencils were everywhere on the floor, and I, for one, am so happy to see them all. All of my classes that paint with a base of stencils are always in demand so I am happy to have such a great selection available to my students. (Yes, I am available to travel to your group and show you this fabulous technique). Check out great projects and the full line on www.DecoArt.com

Tim Holz (idea-ology) booth was packed with all kinds of new embellishments and they are so fun that I love to add them to my art. His booth is a perfect example of how crossing into altered art/scrapbooking can increase your creativity as an artist. He has some great videos on his site to show you how to use them all. timholtz.com. I am thinking that my next project submissions need to be using some of them....waiting for them to hit the stores so I can get some of my own! (I am not a very good, or patient waiter)

One of the most amazing parts of the show is the way that the booths go all out to to show off their products. My favorite was maniquins that were dressed in beautiful, elaborate dresses that were made of scrapbook paper. I wish I had pictures to share! I just stood there and gushed over how creative they were.

Plus...all of the great demonstrations and set ups that are made from designers that know how to get our creative juices flowing.

Wool, felting and anything with yarn was HOT! There were so many wonderful displays of knitted, crochets items that you had to slap my hands away because I wanted to touch them all. The needlefelting category continues to grow as well. They are now molding wire into shapes and felting over them to create 3-d pins and flowers. I watched the demonstration at the Clover booth and have a list of things that I need to start creating. Go to Clover-usa.com for project ideas.

Lots of punches, cutting machines still making their way as well as ways to organize ALL THE STUFF we need to have in our studios.

FLOWERS were everywhere...from punches to hardboard to paper to fabric, buttons...you name it...they have a flower made in it!

Birds and birdhouses still seem to be hanging in there..

I will have to have a month of "hibernating" just to get all of my ideas into my journal. Speaking of, if you have not read my latest article about how to make this your most creative year ever, you need to follow this link www.loewcornell.com and get started...perhaps you can start with the little "Simply Art" journal and get going!

4th of July

2010-07-08T10:01:00.001-07:00

This year on the 4th of July, our city sponsored its first sidewalk chalk festival. I was so excited about it that I made sure my family knew this would be part of our 4th of July day. We were not disappointed. Here are a few of the pictures. I will be putting the whole slideshow on my facebook. I think I might just have to enter next year!

A sweet little deer came out to greet us when we visited the Fish and Game area at a local park.

Our new friends Jackie and Jim that were visiting our in-laws!

Relay for Life

2010-06-26T15:33:00.001-07:00

The time is quickly coming up for us to pull our allnighter for the Relay for Life fundraiser.

Here are some pictures of the costumes and the mural that we are using at the event.

It is on July 9th at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, so be sure to mark it on your calendar.

If you are interested in getting a luminaria to honor a loved one or friend who had/has cancer, be sure to call, they are going fast!

Loew Cornell Advocate!

2010-06-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Well, it is official!! I have been announced to be the Advocate for Loew Cornell. It is a sweet position for me because I have been using their brushes for over 25 years and am so excited to be working with them. They are bringing back their pay for publication program for artists and I, for one, are thrilled. You can check it all out at loewcornell.com . I will be attending several trade shows in their behalf and will be demonstrating at their booth, so drop on over and say hi and brush up on a technique or two!

fence redo

2010-06-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, our neighbor was cleaning his fence with pressure washer and we got the idea to spruce ours up as well. We got Brian working with the washer and it turned out amazing. He added a couple of coats of water seal this week and it looks brand new. Going to capture the other side this weekend...and the shed..and the cement..and the house...wow..so many projects, so little time with the power washer!

Creativity PLUS!

2010-05-23T08:58:00.001-07:00

I am always hearing how "uncreative" people are, and want to share with you some amazing photos of table decorating that went on when I was at the convention in Wichita. Chapters were invited to decorate a table for the annual banquet and the ones attending get to take home some of the decorations after the event. These are just SOME of the tables that were decorated. Talk about creativity unleashed! WOW!!!

SDP with Loew Cornell

2010-05-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

I have just returned from the Society of Decorative Painters convention in Wichita, Kansas. While there, I was introduced as the new advocate/spokesperson for Loew Cornell and I am thrilled. I had to opportunity to work with my new peeps at the show and we had a wonderful time renewing friendships with decorative painters and making new friends. The theme of the show was 50's rock and roll, so we dressed up in our 50's attire and took pictures with the attendees. My boothmates did not have saddle shoes, so we painted canvas tennies to look like saddle shoes and they were a hit! Shari from Brushes n'more gave me the glasses to wear. We were all stylin'. How can a job be this much fun??!!!

Moving outside the color box

2010-04-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

There is something about painting for someone that you don't know that makes it so much more satisfying when you are done. I recently agreed to paint a wooden recipe box that a man had made for his wife for her birthday. He had put an ad on Craig's List looking for a decorative artist to paint the box for him. I contacted him and asked for an idea of what he wanted painted because he had sent me a pic of a dark blue rosemal design that was painted on a box his wife was presently keeping her recipes in. (I am not particularly fond of that type of rosemaling)

He said she liked the size of the box but kept it in a cupboard because she was not especially keen about the design on the outside. He brought me a cloth that she had purchased in France and said that it was her favorite and to incorporate the colors. After pressing him for more information, he said that she had visited my website and loved my look and to just do whatever I wanted with the design.

When I saw the cloth, the orange border on the cloth was the perfect match for Marigold, but I have not painted with this color as a major design element because I thought I did not like it...well, as you can imagine, after playing with the palette, I am a new convert. I used a dark brown background so that my drybrushing technique would work and used the marigold color on the edges and in the design on each side. I thought the box needed a little lift, so I added ball feet with polka dots and the same design inside the lid of the box.

I am pleased with the way that the palette worked and how nicely it incorporated the fruit on the cloth and her love of chickens. I can't wait for them to see it!

Another lesson in painting outside your color comfort level-boy, seems that I am learning that particular lesson alot lately!!

April packet

2010-04-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

It was a wonderful winter..just a little snow and enough cold for me to wear my favorite layers and remain hunkered down to paint. But...now it is time to transition to spring-flowers, gardening, spring cleaning.

I found a piece of fabric that had this great combination of colors on it and thought I would stretch a little to paint outside of my "color comfort zone". We all have colors that we attach to and paint in and sometimes we need to step outside that box and try something new.

I am drawn to the dark chocolate background with teal, but never did use it for any of my designs, and am pleased with the results. My love of folk art and pennyrugs made for a fun combination, but you would be able to change the colors to ones that you love!

This will be the piece for the pattern club for April. If you need information on how to join the club, check out my website: giselepope.com and get signed up today. You will receive all of the back patterns from Jan-now and have an opportunity to sign up for the second club that starts in July.

March pattern club pattern

2010-02-28T14:12:00.000-08:00

Just got back from the Creative Painting show in Las Vegas where I was wearing my new pin for the March edition of the pattern club.

It was such fun to entice other "holiday happy" painters with this club exclusive!

If you are a member of the pattern club, you will be receiving your packet along with the wood piece as your next delivery. Just enough time to get it painted for Easter.

2010-02-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

It is that time again! Time for a new pattern release for the pattern club.

I am so excited to bring you this small tray. When I was designing it, I could not stop at just one, so there will be series of 4 (total) that could be displayed in a row or grouping. Not sure if the others are going to be available before May...gotta get those directions written! Wood is available through paletteandsawdust.com, so you might want to order 4 pieces now so you will be ready when the other patterns are released.

There is still time to join the club, 5 packets from Jan-May and a new set of 5 packets available from July-Nov. if you are interested, contact me at timberandtole@hotmail.com

Busy weekend

2010-01-24T20:03:00.001-08:00

I spent the weekend at a seminar with folk artist, Heidi England. She visited Boise a couple of years ago and was driving down Vista Avenue and noticed an Icon of the Magtag Washer Woman up on the sign. She was so inspired about this washer woman that she did some research and found out that her clothes change by the season and that she had been there for so many years she should be considered an antique. The designed a drop leaf table that featured the washer woman, an ironing lady and two other figures. She used Moda fabrics for her color inspiration for this special design and came back to Boise for a 3-day seminar to share the designs with us. I, the rebel that I am, wanted to paint the piece, but not on the table, or in the colors featured, or with the quilt blocks. I had my own inspiration with a sewing cabinet that had been given to me by my dear friend and student Trish, so I dug it out and decided to paint it with stacking quilts on the sides, Heidi's people on the top and sides and after 3 intense days of painting, I am still painting...and will be for a few more days. I will share pictures as I work on the completion, so be prepared for the wait!

Peek at first pattern club pattern!

2010-01-01T12:21:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!

As promised, I am blogging today to introduce the first pattern included in the pattern club.

I had a list of patterns all set for the club and I was shopping at a local shop and found this great box that was on one of the shelves. It has four flat sides with slots that fit into the bottom to create this nifty box....then I saw this beautiful paper and it inspired a new design in my head... a trip down another aisle in the store and I found these great wood cut outs reminded me of the jacobean floral designs that I have been working on.

Intrigued with the idea of 3-d layers, I came home with the idea of making a valentine box. If you are familiar with traditional lap desks, this is like that, so if you would prefer not to make the flowers in a 3-d fashion, you are able to just paint the design directly on the lid. The paper made it easy to complete the project quickly. I just used sealer as my glue and attached it to both sides of each slat so the inside is beautifully finished too! If you find a great paper that you want to use, change the flower colors and customize it to your liking. I would love to see what you come up with.

This design will fit nicely on other surfaces, so let your imagination fly..how about an oval tray? it will also fit easily on any square surface.

I am so pleased to share this first design with you. I will have suppliers and other information included in the packet, but if you are just dying to get started as soon as your pattern arrives, email me at timberandtole.com and I will drop by the store and get yours packed up to send with your packet. If you have not signed up for the club, just request a sign up card to be sent to you and we will include you in this first shipping.

Can't wait to fill my box with valentines!!

Newest Quick & Easy Painting article!

2009-11-11T15:03:00.001-08:00

I just received my newest copy of Quick & Easy Painting today and I opened it to find this fun ornament that I submitted a while back.

It is painted on an open framed wood piece and I embellished it with the fleur de lis clay pieces that were made with Fimo. The wood is available from Viking Woodcrafts (http://vikingwoodcrafts.com/) #207-0361. I have unpainted premade clay pieces available for 1.25 each (http://www.timberandtole.com)%20-guess/ I will have to get them on the site asap! They work up so quickly, you could have one for each family member in no time!

Get your copy of Quick & Easy Painting at your local bookstore or grocery store!

Catching up on artwork

2009-10-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

Just sent my stuff to HOOT for 2010....deadline is tomorrow, so I am complete with submissions for conventions at this very minute and feeling good! Next, comes the pattern club, so if you have not signed up yet, there is still time! I will be posting pictures monthly of the patterns so that you can see what is included in the club! Meanwhile, I gotta go get working on the directions and photos! I can paint all day...it is the photos and directions that make me lose focus!
Chat with you soon!

Goin to the weddin' part 3

2009-10-12T20:34:00.001-07:00

Have been settling in after the wedding and going thru the 280 pictures I took, so I have not been blogging lately. I am going to finish up with the pictures this week and promise to post the pictures. I do not have one single picture of ME with the bride and groom because I was holding my camera (typical!)..so I will have to rely on friends to send them to me! catch up with you all soon!

Goin to the weddin' part 2

2009-10-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

After all of the hoopla of the big singing picnic night, we engaged our organizational skills and set out to make THE LIST of all lists. Since I had been there in May and we talked a million times a day, we pretty much knew the drill and just needed to put together the rest of the decorations before everyone arrived on Tuesday. We added wire to the jars so that we could fill them with coffee beans (salute to their meeting at Starbucks!) We gathered and sprayed frames for the photo wall, and we got goldfish for the gift table (wait till you see how they look later on!) We had to stop a little early because that was the night of the wedding shower at her mother-in-law to be's place. She lives about 30 minutes away in an amazing home that she had decorated for fall and the shower. Jess looked beautiful and received some great gifts and I had the opportunity to bond with my new "family". I do love that her marriage will create this extended family for all of us to enjoy.

The next morning, we started early with the cleaning of the waterfall, and I washed a bunch of bottles that would later be filled with punch, tea or lemonade. They had some friends that had been saving them forever! We did some shopping and made plans for father and brother who would be coming that evening. Her grandparents were also on their way, but we did not want to overwhelm them with chores upon their arrival. One of the jobs that Jim had was to construct a photo booth for the guests to have their pictures taken in. This would be a way for Jessica and Trae to keep pictures of the guests for themselves. The finished booth would be papered and would have framed wedding of other married family members.

Goin to the weddin' part 1

2009-10-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

Never one to let any moss grow under my feet, I attended the Jonny Mercer event in Savannah after I arrived. My son-in-law to be, Trae Gurley was to be one of the performers and it was held in a beautiful local park
I had expected a few blankets and people, but nothing could have prepared me for this event.

This was an annual celebration to local singer Johnny Mercer and the town was THERE! I thought that I had seen spreads for picnics before, but I was amazed at the effort these people went thru to have a party. There is a prize for the greatest picnic set up and these people bring their couches, porches, silver candleabras, and dress up like you cannot believe. One group had candles lining the grass to their place and others were set up like a dining room, complete with large floral arrangements and elaborate food. Of course, we thought we were going to be "fancy" by bringing an quilt to sit on and some cheese and crackers...

Home again!

2009-10-01T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am home from Portland and had a great time teaching again!
I taught two classes, one combined class with Nony...teaching guess what? Metal, of course! We had a great time with creativity and color and I know that the group enjoyed their finished projects.

I was lucky enough to be invited to work with Bev Canty from Palette and Sawdust (www.paletteandsawdust.com) and she put my patterns in her booth. I demonstrated for part of the show and met the cutest foreign exchange students who were there enjoying all of the art.
Marlina was from Indonesia and she enjoys painting in oils, and does nots of Batik painting in her country.

Ani Galstyan was from Armenia and paints in gouaches, so we talked about her style and the types of things she likes to paint.

I will hook up with them on facebook in the future to see what kinds of things they are working on.

It is always fun to have/and hook up with previous students and people that I have met in other travels. Lots of the gals that joined my classes either knew me from other classes or the articles that Nony and I write for Paintworks and Quick n Easy magazines each month . www.paintworks.com.

I am still unpacking and getting ready for the wedding so more posts to follow when I return from Savannah.

Sneak peek!

2009-08-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have been working on new designs and began starting a couple, but never finished them up. I was truly inspired this weekend and actually finished 3 separate designs (some will be in my pattern club!) I have been studying the jacobean floral style along with some architectural designs, so I have incorporated both styles into the tray and the candle holder.

Now, I just need to sit down and put them into packets and figure out if they will be part of the pattern club, a convention or seminar class, or will be sold separately. I would love to hear what you think!

For info on my pattern club, see my website: timberandtole.com.

All three of the wood pieces can be purchased from paletteandsawdust.com.

My students inspire me!

2009-08-23T18:22:00.000-07:00

Just received the newest Quick 'n'Easy magazine for October 2009 and am really excited to share this fun project with you!

Trish, in my morning class came over and wanted to paint a purse because she saw one her friend had that had cost in the $$hundreds, so, of course, I took on the challenge to paint up something fabulous as well. Here is what I came up with.

My real lesson to you is that you can paint or design on ANYTHING....just give it a try.

If this is not fabulous enough, I got a call from Vicki in Florida that was so inspired by this project that she brought it to her painting chapter to use as a fundraiser for a local women's charity. They plan to paint purses to sell and use the proceeds to donate to the charity AND want to make it an annual event!

Just think, Trish, if it was not for you and your desire to paint on
something out of the ordinary...I never would have come up with this article!

The article also featured another one of my students, Stephanie's purse. She loved it so much that she used it when she attended her class reunion! So proud of her finished project!

So satisfying

2009-08-19T20:23:00.001-07:00

I am constantly looking for color combinations and fun ways to display. I was so intrigued by the open market across from the show and the creative way that they displayed food that I had to take pictures to share with you!

The ice cream place used real wine in their ice cream and CORN! There were some really weird combinations...but they intrigued me and I don't even like ice cream! These ravioli came in black and pink stripes and looked so beautifuland who could ignore cookies from this case?
The picture on the left is part of the gals in the class that posed with their finished memo boards. Everyone was pretty much finished when we wrapped it...and that makes me so happy!

I had a stencil demonstration scheduled back to back with the booth demo, so on Thursday I was running. Lucky me that Nony came by to take a picture of me in action....with so much going on, I think it was all a blur!

Can't wait till my next event in Portland!

If you cook....they will come!

2009-08-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

I blogged earlier about the special event that Nony and I would be teaching in Ohio and all I can say is....that if you mention cookin" in the event title, you are gonna get some people to sign up!

Nony and I cannot seem to do anything in a small way, and this class was no exception. We shipped several boxes of samples, merchandise from generous sponsor and kits for each person to use in their creativity efforts.

We had a palet of stuff to breakdown for the class and used at least 4 hours of our time just setting up. We had planned to display all of our samples and ideas on cookie sheets and were thrilled to find cookie sheets and this metal rack for display in one of the halls (who else could have found this? The event took some time setting up, but once we got done and opened the door, we had a LINE of students in the hall. I knew no one would believe this, so I took a picture of the line before they came in for the class....WOW...what a great response of participants---I think they signed up because they thought we were cookin dinner!

As always, no class of ours is complete without costumes and props, so we donned matching aprons and chef hats and played up the recipes and ideas during the class, creating excitement with the great products donated by our sponsors. Each place was set with magazines, books, clay, paint, gold leaf, mediums, and "recipes" (check out the picture)

The room was full of creative energy and we love how we can feed off of the creativity of the group while introducing new techniques and having fun! These are the trays of clay, pop can art and stencilling that we displayed and introduced at the class.

These gals are gathered around the clay and punch table coming up with their own interpretation of the techniques that we introduced.

Even though the classes ended at 10 pm, we were so excited after the class we just could not settle down to sleep.

We thank our sponsors for their generous donations and the students for their enthusiasm. This combination has our juices flowing for next year!

Gotta find a way to put cookin' in the title again!

2009-08-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

I know that so many of you have not had the opportunity to attend a painting convention, so I thought it might be fun to share the whole process with you.

The conventions are broken down into classes, a trade floor and other exhibits around the area. As an exhibitor, you pack your wares at home (or your shop/office) and either ship them or drive them clear across the country to the site of the convention. When you get there, you unload all of the boxes and then put it all together into an amazing display of your wares.

This transformation is always amazing to me and you should know that it goes from boxes to booths with alot of hard work.

We walked along the floor at set up time and then ventured down the row to find Kim Hogue and Barb Jones with their displays almost complete. (Luckily, this time we did not have to do our own booth, so we just helped our friends from Smooth Cut Wood do a little of their set up)

Along the way, we stop to chat with several of our good friends...Maxine Thomas and Nony caught up on what was happening

and when I told Maxine about the upcoming Pope wedding,
and the number of swans and flowers made, she gave this face....

ok...she gave a more shocked face and when I asked her to do it again so I could catch it in a photo...this is what came up....

we also stopped to talk to Prudy to see what she was up to and loved her new style with mice.

While on the floor, I happen to notice this sign and was so shocked by it, that I had to take a picture because I knew that nobody would believe that I was announced on the same sign as Kim Hogue AND Doxi e Keller....wow.....

The theme of the show was wizard of oz...so we took a minute out to get a picture taken of us by a complete stranger...I think she caught the our best side....

Stay tuned for classes and other adventures in my next blog...

Adventures with Nony and G - part 1

2009-08-15T18:15:00.000-07:00

It seems that each time Nony and I get together, we always have some kind of adventure or two, and this trip was no exception.
As we started our trip in Boise, we were approached by a United agent who asked if we wanted to be moved to first class...of course we took the upgrade and filled the first class section with paperwork, cards and other work related stuff, but we sure got lots of work done by the time we reached Chicago. In Chicago, our shorter flight, we did NOT get an upgrade and got to Ohio and to our hotel at aboue 12:45 only to be told upon our arrival that the hotel had been overbooked and that we were upgraded to the Drury Suite hotel next door and that we would get a suite for our room and that it would be taken care of by the Hyatt....then, the next day, we had this nice surprise plate of fruit delivered to our room along with a note from the hotel manager apologizing for the problem the previous night....so, within 24 hours of leaving home, we were in first class, in a suite and getting free fruit....what a life!!!

While we may look like we are always on top of everything and have it all together, we sometimes catch up with each other and create at the last minute.

If you have ever traveled with us, you know that our rooms seem to explode with all of the stuff we bring to paint, create, or design when we are on the road. The first picture shares what our first unpacking was like and then the next depicts our desk in the room when we got started.

Here is Nony acting up using our celluclay wall pocket as a horn (this girl has been hangin out with me for too long)

Special event fun-goin't to HOOT!

2009-08-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Each year, the Heart of Ohio Tole group puts together the greatest painting convention you can imagine.

Last year, Nony and I decided that we needed to teach together again in Ohio (one of our favorite conventions!) and so we put together a fun event called "Cookin Up Creativity" with Nony and G. Since we like to introduce different techniques and surfaces in our magazine articles with Quick'n'Easy and Paintworks, we thought we should really give the painters suggestions that would enhance their creativity.

The idea was to take several different products and create different surfaces and techniques using them on an inexpensive surface and infuse creative ideas among the attendees, introduce new uses and create a "cookbook" of ideas in the process.

In January, we talked to several manufacturers about letting introduce their products for use in the class to get the painters creativity flowin' in another way.

For each of the attendees, will have a special box loaded with all kinds of fun supplies and surface choices. We will be using clay, gold leaf, tissue paper, decoupage, texture paste, celluclay, tags, antiquing...etc. It will be such a great time!

These pictures are of us putting together the packages for each of the 100 painters that will be in attendance.

Boy, did my studio get a workout that week! Sally was so great to help us pull it all together (as she always does) so now all we have to do is wait until Thursday..ok, we won't be waiting...as we have overcommitted (surprise) our time and will be each teaching other classes, demonstrating, working in booths, meeting with editors, etc.. BUT....how lucky can we be that we get to teach, paint, play and hang with our paint friends for an entire week. ( I had planned to share a picture of the cookbook with you and realized that I had already shipped it to the show before I blogged about it! dang...)

Check back for pictures of our project and how it all went! Can't wait to catch you up when we return!

The fruit of my loins

2009-08-07T13:33:00.000-07:00

I have a birthday alarm that tells me when my special friends/family are having a birthday and it keeps me on track. Several years ago, I sent out the automatic invite to everyone to include their birthday in my list. For the past couple of years, I get this note in my email that there is a birthday upcoming for "The FRUIT of my loins" and it indicates that my daughter's birthday is just about a week away. Not that I would need a reminder because I would NEVER forget my kids birthday....my hubby, and especially NOT MY OWN!

My theory is that if you are celebrating birthdays...you are still ALIVE...ok, maybe just breathing, but it sure beats the alternative.

All that being said, today is the birthday of the fruit of my loins and no one can be happier than I am that she was "birthed". She has brought sunshine, love, fatigue, smiles, laughter, worry, happiness and, did I mention love? and I am truly blessed to have her as not only my daughter, but my friend, listening panel, nagger, conscious, and spiritual advisor.

Because you don't like cake, sis, I salute you with a glass of your favorite wine and a tatoo that reads "The fruit of my loins enriched my life and will "Finish what I started"....I love you and have already sung "Happy Birthday" but will just do the second verse for you.
May the dear lord (or Emily Och), bless you....
may the dear lord bless you.....
may the dear lord bless sissy...
may the dear lord bless you....Now blow out 26 candles for me!

Planter update

2009-07-07T08:45:00.000-07:00

So..got working on the planter and selected the plants...most of them had come from the original planter and have been divided, but I added a few new ones like the twisted spruce and cedar.
The rocks were from our mining expedition and have 300 bulbs to plant, but most of this is set for now.

This little group grows infront of my vegetable garden, next to the place where we will add the new pad.

This is the new path that goes from our yard to the park next door. Before it was a gravel path and now it is a beautiful rock path..I love it!

This is a sideview from the park...

I adore my japanese maple..have another one in the yard too...

I really get crabby about the heat of summer..but love the plant and tree growing. Can't wait till next spring when all of this will be enhanced with beautiful bulbs poppin' out!

Miner...49er....

2009-07-07T08:36:00.000-07:00

I always get these big, crazy ideas in my head and this month is no exception. In addition to getting ready for the wedding, a special event for 100 people, 2 classes at convention and a demo....oh, and the new job....I decided that we needed to redo an area in the backyard and the front (remember the bulb planter?)

So...my son, Brian, his girlfriend, Amy, his friend, Austin and his sister, Randi and I all took a little trip..ok...so it was a LONG trip to do some "mining" so that we could have rock for the path and the pad that I want in the yards. Brian took his truck and I took the hubby's big truck and we headed out with 2 wheelbarrows, lots of water, a pick axe and lots of shovels.... we got....2 trucks of rock.

Here in Boise, you go to the Bureau of Land Management and get a permit for $20 (we did this before and the permit was about $5 and we mined over $800 worth of rock and did 2 ponds!) This time, we had a specific purpose...the paths..so we were selective about the kind of rock we needed. It only took about 1 hour to mine the rock, so the driving was the longest part of the event, but look what we got! This would have cost a ton of $$ and would not have been the fun adventure that it was.

This weekend hubby and I layed the path to the park, next to the replanted planter and this house is lookin sweet. Going to use the rest of the rock for the backyard this weekend..we are on a roll!!

So many bulbs...so little time

2009-06-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have a planter in the front that I have been wanting to redo for some time so I pulled most of the plants out of it last fall.

This spring, we took out the rest of the plants and most of the bulbs so that when I get it ready to plant, we can put these back in. There are about 8 years of life on these and many had to be divided. I ended up with so many little jewels, that my spring will be so beautiful.

Now, if I can just get the hubby to finish up the planter...

Wedding fun!

2009-06-13T08:23:00.001-07:00

When my beautiful daughter and I got together to talk about the decorations for the wedding, she had found a pattern for some flowers that she wanted to decorate her tables.

With her background and love of fibers, we knew this was coming....she started my sweet neice on the task of making 200 origami swans to hang and got me started on these flowers. I conned Skyler into making a couple and then got my mother-in-law folding. I put together the petals this week and they are looking great. They will have buttons in the centers and will be mounted on wooden twigs and used as arrangements for the tables. They are gonna look amazing!

Jess...be ready, these are gonna be wrapped and shipped your way pretty quick....along with 200 swans!

Convention work!

2009-06-13T08:07:00.001-07:00

I was previously blogging about convention and the work that it takes to get there, so I thought it might be fun to show the process. When you attend these conventions as a student, you are lucky enough to just show up and have your piece prepared for you beforehand so that you can work on the lesson and not have to waste time preparing the surface. In this case, I selected a wood piece with TWO panels (without thinking-lesson learned!)

I received the woodpieces from the woodcutter and had to remove each of the individual cork panels, paint them and put them back into the proper frame because they are custom made. This took a while, but when it was done, I was ready to paint the panels.

Lucky for me I have a nice big studio and could lay the panels out to paint.

First you need a sealer coat on the panels, and then a basecoat of color. You can see the clear coat in this picture.

After the color has been applied 2x, I let them dry and then applied the patterns with white graphite paper.

Each of the flowers will take some time in class to get the details on, so I decided to block the first layer of each color in the design.

I do this basecoating and all of the work like an assembly line.

After I got it all finished, the packing began. I have the patterns just about done and each student will receive a painted panel, the directions, pictures and the original line drawing.

So glad to have this part done ON THIS CLASS...only 2 more to go!

slackin!

2009-06-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

I know that my post has shown me on vacation since May...but I really have been back and in cyber mode. After returning from my daughters place, I came home to getting my convention stuff together. I am teaching a class with 35 students....another with 36 students and a demo. For each class, you have to prepare the surfaces and get the patterns ready. I had previously done a test run on the pattern I was teaching and decided that I needed additional prep on the one class and had to block in color on every surface as well. I have taken pictures of the whole thing and will post as soon as my other computer reads the pic files (cannot find the cord!)...in addition to that...I am also coteaching a special event for 100 people and have to gather all of that (and make samples)...so I have been busy....oh, wait...did I also mention that I got a job and started that the day I got back from Savannah...and have been making flowers for the wedding (beautiful paper flowers) and am getting ready for a garage sale by cleaning out my storage unit?
this is why I have not been updating...will catch up with you soon...

vacation!

2009-05-18T07:02:00.000-07:00

I am currently in Savannah Georgia with my daughter, Jessica, redoing her backyard for the wedding in October. Her and her beau, Trae, worked long and hard to get the current plants all ripped out or cut down before I arrived. On Saturday, we had pretty good weather and worked on a chicken coop that will be housed in the vegetable garden area.
Sunday, I raked and moved mulch while Jessica moved topsoil into the raised beds...and had planned to go get some soil ammendments and plants while we took a break from the hard work. We were at Loews and so excited because they had their plants on sale, so we loaded a flat cart and were headed out the vegee section when it began..I am not talking sweet Boise rain either...it was huge buckets of pouring rain flooding sections of the garden area and lightening. We were in the outside area under the gaden ceiling when the lightening hit the fence and sparks showered, the electicity went out and the alarm started. WOW....what an adventure. We went inside the store to wait out the rain and luckily the auxiliary lights were on so we could still shop (troopers that we are!). I wish I had pictures of the parking lot...we could have taken a swim!
The rain finally got a little weaker, so we set out the front where the vegetables were and picked out a few and the downpour began again. We brought in our new finds, checked out and sat waiting again for the rain to slow down. We had already probably wasted 30 minutes waiting when we decided to go for it. Got some plastic for the car seats and had Jessica pull up as close as she could...meanwhile some guy parked his car at the entrance (where we were going to pull in) and decided to leave his car there because he did not want to get wet going in..he blocked our way, so we had to hike to the car with our finds. These nicely watered veggies are going to be beautiful in the garden...if the rain ever stops... I will spend a little more time indoors than planned because it is raining again today..
oh, well...I am getting to spend time with my beautiful daughter...no matter what the weather...tomorrow is a road trip to Atlanta....and if you know me...there will never be a dull moment...

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first Mother's Day that I had since my mom passed away last June and it hit me alot harder than I had thought it might.
I reflected on how many traits of my moms that I have inherited...and thought they were reflected nicely in the presents that my family gave me for the day.Mom made ballet costumes when I was young and then did designer curtains, so I credit my creativity and ability to create to
her. She was also the one who would fix the toaster, hairdryer, etc if it was broken, so I attribute my lack of fear about taking things apart to her as well. My daughter, Jessica made sure I had the "Big Ass Book of Crafts" sent to me for my day and I have been drooling over all of the great stuff in it. (I will write another blog about that later!)
My favorite pasttime, gardening was nurtured by her too. I remember one summer asking if I could have a "plot" of my own in the backyard, and she and my dad agreed, thinking that I would start and see how much work it was and not finish. I dug out trees, shrubs and moved bricks to get that plot and I planted my first tomatoes, carrots and broccoli there. It was my first introduction and a great harvest, so I continue to this day with my hands in the earth. Brian, my son, made sure I had flowers on my table, and my father in law gave me an azalea plant-and I found the most wonderful urn to show it off in! While in the garden, I enjoy the birds singing and just flying by, so Lovee, my sweet hubby, got me a new birdfeeder, complete with no sprout seed and filled it and hung it up for me. Mom loved the birds too, and as I reflect on who I am, and the things I love, I see her in some of the very best parts of me and send my love her way. Happy Mother's Day Mom, I love you!

Green Mother Earth

2009-05-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have a "thing" about throwing useful objects away. When I was cleaning in my office, I found this cd tray and it was just the perfect item to use for incubating my seeds. To get a head start in gardening, I usually put my seeds on newspaper or on a papertowel on a styrofoam meat tray. I thought I would try this little idea..and wow...my seeds were sprouting in no time. Today, they found a home in my garden and in a couple of days, these little babies will be well on their way to being zinnias and sunflowers. I love nature!! a little seed...a lot of beauty!!

Fundraising Frenzy

2009-05-04T16:00:00.001-07:00

The painting group that I belong to had a fundraiser on Saturday and here are some pictures to show what a grand event it was. The committee made the room so festive and fun that you just could not help but have a great time!
The tablecloths were muslin that had spray painted flowers in the center. Each table had a box of handmade mints that were contained in a little "dice" box. Nony painted the girl that was in the corner of each table that instructed the losers to stay and winners to move after each round...she was delightful!!
The room was decorated with balloons, hand made tissue flowers, colorful cardboard flowers and so many raffle prizes, you cannot believe. Many of the prizes were hand painted by the members and the participants really bought the tickets!! We played bunco, ate salads and dessert and got lots of prize!
It was such a great event..and the best part is that it was a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald Charities of Idaho and ICHA...so not only did we have a great party...we made $$ for nonprofits! I think I will call it a FUNRAISER...

I love Spring!

2009-04-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is why I love spring.
Enough said!!

Auction Action

2009-04-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I have been going to a local auction every Saturday and buying junk. When our daughter, Jessica, was out to visit she asked us to look for some buddhas and small glass figurines and we thought we struck gold with this find. We waited through all of the IVORY *(no one was sure if they were real...but they were betting lots of $$ hoping)...anyway we waited through all of them and then this cart of chinese figurines came up. We got engaged in the bidding and ended up with the entire lot for $22...got home and looked them over and there is NOT one buddha in the bunch...so are alternate plan is to have them as gifts for those that attend her wedding. The single man and woman will look great as cake toppers. Who says people from Idaho don't know how to put on a wedding????

Weary=creativity!!!

2009-04-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

For those that know me well, I have this thing about April Fools day and love to play pranks...but, this April Fool's Day..the joke was on me.

Sally and I decided to have a sale on my site to celebrate my favorite day and encountered lots of cyber issues. We (ok..Sally) spent the day trying to get html changed so that the payments for the orders were sent to the right account and so that we could actually see the orders...it was not FUN!! So, while Sally worked like a slave, I decided to play a little. I took my latest design and clipped elements from it and put it into photoshop. I love how this flower looks sort of contemporary...I think I will turn it into a needle punch design....sometimes you just gotta ignore it all and create!!

Thanks, Sally for always taking such good care of me!

Daughter returns!!!

2009-03-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

It finally happened! Jess came home with her man and we had a wonderful week. Extra points to Brian's girlfriend, Amy, and to Trae for their love of "thriftin". We did lots of shopping,

eating, shopping, driving, flying, visiting, partying, and that was just the first couple of days!!

I love this picture of them at Rembrandts coffee house where we met her grandparents for breakfast.

On a jaunt to the co-op, Jessica shows us the products from the Working Class Studio, where she is the director of marketing...so fun to see her stuff there!

Brian and Amy took their spring break to hang out with the troops!

here is a little view of the truck after one of our shopping expeditions

Our driver, James...

I did get a couple of pictures of them sleeping in the car because that was the only time they could get a little sleep....sure loved the visit!! Thanks, Trae and Jess...

ONE MORE DAY!!!

2009-03-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

I already blogged about how excited I was that my daughter and her beau were coming to visit, but I am busting at the seams with excitement that they will be here tomorrow...
Can't wait!!!

Karma and Spring Cleaning

2009-03-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

I have been working on my KARMA big time this past month. I painted memory boxes for the hospitals, saved a cat by flying with my son Brian to Oregon to pick it up so that they would not put it down. He continued the flight to Sun Valley with the cat and the new owner is thrilled. This is a great program and it made us feel so good to do! Got some things to donate to the women's shelter too!

I have been painting up some items for our chapter's fundraiser and workin in my yards, so I am really getting caught up on some things, including my spring cleaning. I always feel better when I have accomplished something visible. Cleaning out the closets and washing the floors and windows for spring cleaning just weren't cutting it. My gardens are starting to look good and I will probably post them in the future, when the bulbs are up. I had planned to demonish one side planter this spring, but did not get it thawed before the bulbs were popping, so I will have to wait a bit to redo that one...it is not like I don't have l00 other things in line to get done.

Sun is shinin..life is good!!

my baby is comin home!

2009-03-16T15:51:00.000-07:00

I am counting the days till this little miss comes home. She is going to bring her beau with her and we have non-stop fun planned for both of them. She lives and plays in Savannah GA and even tho we talk all of the time, it is not the same as squeezing her little body and kissing her face. We are so much the same in the way that we look at life, love to create and junk. Can't wait until Sunday!!

Community Service

2009-03-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

The painting group that I belong to here locally has a special thing we do for a community service. We donate painted boxes to our local hospitals to use to pack up the belongings of babies that did not make it into our world. Some chapters that belong to our national organization had been doing this and we jumped on the bandwagon, sponsoring one hospital. We added others as our membership grew and we continue to do this every year. I am so glad to be a part of this endeavor. Above are my two latest boxes that will be given to the chairman for the hospitals. I like to keep the colors bright and cheery as the families that we have heard from keep the boxes forever as a memory of what could have been. It touches my heart to be a part of making that memory last and to touch these families in a special way.

Creativity intensified!

2009-03-12T20:29:00.000-07:00

It seems that I am always so lucky to meet great people who have similar interests. I have recently hooked up with a new woodcutter here in Idaho that lives about 40 minutes away. I LOVE to take a field trip to see woodshops and this one was one of my favorites...while I was there, I saw a swing box that they had cut and thought I needed to add some feet and handles to it to make it more my style. Bev and hubby got right o it and when I got it, I was so excited that I ran right home and painted up this little number.

My goal lately has been to take a piece of fabric that I like and pull the colors used in the fabric and ONLY paint with those colors selected. The brown and teal look has been really popular and I added gold and red (could not help myself). This exercise has taken me out of my comfort level, but I think I am learning so much about myself and my own designing. Still in the folk art floral and jacobean floral phase, so I put them both together for this piece. Feeling super creative and wish I had more time to paint!! so many ideas...so little time...

Smiles and Birthdays

2009-02-19T08:13:00.001-08:00

Most people that know me are aware of my love of birthdays. I cannot let a birthday go by without the cheesy song, a card, or a piece of cake...or in Trae's case...a pound of candy.

My "son-in-law" well, kinda, Trae lives in Savannah GA with my beautiful daughter, Jessica and I have come to know him over the past 7 years through her eyes...pretty insighful. The first time I met this beautiful man was when I visited her and they were purely "FRIENDS". I knew at once they loved each other but would never admit it and was so happy when they finally woke up about a year ago and admitted their feelings. Hubby and I made a trip last February to cinch the deal and found him warm hearted, kind, crazy and in love with our daughter. Knowing this family, and our daughter, the crazy part was a prerequisite, and he did not go running into the night screaming after our visit...so he must be a keeper.

When I found out he had a love for CHOCOLATES-part of his 25 things listed in his facebook, I ran out and picked out some dark chocolate truffles and candies from our very own Sees Candies. Mailed those puppies to him for his birthday and found out that he had never experienced this delicious confection..just look at the smile on his face as he eats his first bite!.

So now...he is a real family member, addicted to the Sees candy and stuck with us all. Happy Birthday, Trae, we wish we were there singin...but you are on the lucky side of that!!!

purse update!

2009-02-18T15:54:00.001-08:00

A while back, I made a post about purse painting and showed this purse partially started...

I have been working feverishly to get it done for an article in Paintworks...so here is a peek for you!

Going to paint a couple of things to go with it (secret) so you will have to wait for the magazine to see the results and get the painting instructions for your own!

Spring cleaning

2009-02-18T15:43:00.001-08:00

I have been working on cleaning the studio lately. A while back, I had gone to a garage sale and this guy had lots of cut out letters on his grass that I loved. I picked out the words "create" and wanted to put them in the studio and found some really great initials...I thought I would get a bunch of "g"s and put them on the wall as a collage, and then thought it might be kinda conceited, so I picked up a "P" for my initials and put them on the wall anyway. I love how it turned out!! I justified the letters by making them a class study in drybrushing...so if someone is trying to figure out how red looks drybrushed over blackberry, for instance, I could send them to my "G" wall and they would see how it would look...ok...it was kinda conceited...but how fun do they look????

Wish I could share the rest of the studio with you, but when you clean one side, the other sides need it too...will keep you posted on my progress!!!

Special Olympics Sunday

2009-02-08T17:16:00.000-08:00

We are so fortunate to live in Boise and I truly love this town. This year, Boise was selected to be the site of the Winter Special Olympics and there are festivities all over town, so hubby and I decided to see what all the fun was about. We headed downtown to one of the festival events and were pleasantly surprised.

There was a nice crowd with entertainment right next to the place where our hockey games are played. The parking was easy, the entertainment and crowd were all great and we got into the skating competition and got great seats without alot of people on top of us (not much for crowds!). Opening ceremonies were last night at another location and they moved the torch during the wee hours of the morning.

There was lots in the stadium, but they rotated through as the events changed. I was so excited to see how well they skated! so much concentration and effort and so many from other countries! After the competition was over, most people left, but we got word that Scott Hamilton and a skater from Canada were going to skate with the participants. Wow! What a thrill for them to visit and skate together. I left with a warm glow!

I am excited for my friend Alicia Paulin as she will be participating this week in the snowboarding events in Sun Valley...GO ALICIA!

I wrote a little note on the big olympic board for her!

Superbowl sleepers

2009-02-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

We invited my husbands parents over to watch the superbowl with us. My son and his girlfriend, Amy, were there too and watched the boring part of the game. I made some yummie Angel Chicken and chocolate cream pies. I did not have a vested interest in the teams playing so I chose my team by the color of their uniforms. I love red, soI picked the Cardinals. Hubby chose Steelers and we bet $5 on the outcome.

You can tell how much these guys enjoyed the game and the coziness of our chairs..

They left at half time when the fun kicked in! I had to call them when there was 4 minutes left and my team was in the lead...I guess I was a little overzealous because the Steelers took it at the end.

It was a really great game to watch and I will gladly sacrifice my $5 to hubby......

Popes selling on each coast

2009-02-02T08:31:00.000-08:00

Just in case you had been missing me, I was in Anaheim at the Craft and Hobby Association show. (My daughter was in NY at the gift show so there were Popes selling stuff on each coast!) CHA is a huge show for the buyers of craft and hobby supplies. Manufacturers, Designers, Distributors and buyers are in attendance.This time, I was there to demonstrate for the brush company, Loew Cornell, ! I loved my half round demo desk and, of course, had lots of supplies to play with. I even got Jeremy (the marketing guy) doing some brush strokes!

I love this show because you get an opportunity to see all of the newest products before they get to the stores. There are tons of demonstrations and how-to's going on. There are celebs hacking their products..Vanna White is always there because she is a major knitter, and this time it was Jane Seymore, Paris Hilton (kids kits???). We have attended some of the speaker at the convention and saw Henry Winkler, and Barbara Bush-who I did not know is a super stitcher. She told us she used to take her needlework to the speeches and sit and do her projects.

I had the opportunity to hook up with my neices and have a nice dinner at Cheesecake Factory, but forgot to take pictures of their sweet faces!! Always glad to get back home.

So much beauty...in a market!!

2009-01-15T10:06:00.000-08:00

When we were in Folsom this past weekend, we had the opportunity to go to this really great store called Nugget. This store had such beautiful displays of food throughout and I was so intrigued with the containers they used and how nicely they displayed them that I had to take pictures.

The use of terracotta pots and extra fill between the veggies was amazing.

The best part of the whole display was the green scallions. They turned them both directions to create a peace sign. I LOVED THIS!!

Dresser update

2009-01-07T07:39:00.000-08:00

I have had this dresser in my studio under the stairwell for a while. I use it to house my beading stuff and negatives of pictures for my designs (ok..really old school now that everything is digital!). It had sunflowers painted on it and was in my daughters room when she was little...now she is 24 and updated..I thought it was time to update the dresser. I was not willing to invest alot of time or money doing it because it sags, has had to be reinforced over the years, etc..ok..it is cheap...but I love the different sized drawers and it has been with me for a long time.

Any way...I decided to paint the drawers white again and found these great sticker dots at a stationery store and thought it would be great to color code the drawers so that I could distinguish what was inside by color. It looks new and cute and I guess I should now work on organizing inside the drawers...shoot..one thing always leads to more work..

Painted Purse for Pennies

2009-01-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

I love it when my gals ask me to do special projects. Trish came to class and told me about a friend of hers that had paid $250 for a purse that was hand painted. I took a look online to see "painted purses" and saw that they were verrrrrry expensive, so, of course, I took up the challenge to do my own. This purse was originally a castoff from Trish that I had been using, but I started playing with circle flowers and color and came up with this beauty. I still have the backside to do and maybe a little more detailing on this side, but Trish if you want this purse back, it will cost you $300!! oh wait, you are going to paint your own in class...can't wait!

Painted purse for pennies!!

2009-01-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

I love it when my girls want to do a special project. Trish told me about a friend of hers that bought a purse that cost about $250 that had been "hand painted". Never to be outdone, I took an used purse I had been using (castoff from Trish originally) and started designing flowers from circles.

I am totally loving that I can use it with any outfit, but not done yet. I have the backside and the bottom areas to decorate and I am having such fun!!

Thanks, Trish...you can buy back the finished purse for about $300!! Or..better yet...paint one when we do them in class!!!!

been workin up a storm!!

2009-01-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

I love it when my gals ask to do special projects!
Trish, came to class and told me about a purse her friend bought that was about $250...the reason it was so expensive was because it was hand painted...so...not to be outdone...I started messing with paints and a purse that I had been using (castoff from Trish, previously) and I have started working up some crazy designs on it. So far, I am loving this purse and have the other side to do.. I think I will do some more crazy designs on the stripes or the open sections on the bottom before I move on..

Love you Trish..thanks for the inspiration...you can buy back your purse for $300.....

New floral design-well, sort of!

2009-01-05T16:31:00.000-08:00

Still stuck on the jacobean floral theme. A couple of months back, I used this pattern to create a stitchery and thought I could use the same design and paint it on watercolor paper. I love the frame and it would be fun to do one for every season. Not sure what color I will paint the frame...I love black, of course, but am thinking a little more neutral for this one. I would love any suggestions you might have!!

America's top model

2009-01-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

I have been working on putting together some new patterns. I got a bunch of old wool sweaters from the thrift shop, washed and felted them. I was going to make slippers for everyone for christmas, but got started on this bonnet and used the felted wool, some regular felt and needlework stitches and came up with this little beauty. I have the most amazing model in my niece, Samantha, so even it was ugly, this cute little face would make it look cute! This is her second modeling stint....her first was as a pumpkin in a patch this halloween....thanks Sam for the inspiration!!!

2008-12-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Today, in the mail, I got back my acceptance for the HOOT convention in OHIO in August, 2009. This is the Jacobean Floral that I will be teaching there.

It is so satisfying to create a design, design the wood surface, assign the colors and technique and then paint it. I have a certain palette of colors that I love to paint in, and this one was an experiment in coloring outside the lines. I had a piece of fabric that I loved because of the colors. I took out the fabric and pulled my palette using only the colors on that piece of fabric. I usually do not go for purple or coral, but both were so beautiful in this piece that when it was completed, I liked it alot. (I don't always say that when I have finished a piece).

I am so thankful for Bev Canty and her husband (Palette and Sawdust) and for their ability to design wood pieces at my whim, and I think this one was in their stash-functional and beautiful! It is scheduled for Tuesday evening. 8-11-09 from 6-9 and I would love for you to join me. The convention catalogs won't be out until March I think, so be sure to ink me in!!

The weather outside is frightful...

2008-12-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

I love the snow. One of the best things of our move from Southern California 16 years ago, was the weather. We had a wonderful white Christmas this year, and it is snowing again today. I thought I would share a look out my back window for those of you with 70+degree weather. So cozy sewing up patterns today watchin it snow

The snow makes no difference to the little snowdog, Leena, she keeps begging to go out and play. I love how it is all piled up and so quiet. I don't want her messing it all up with her deep snow jumps and running, so, for a bit, she will just have to watch it out with window with me.

Christmas cheer....

2008-12-26T12:03:00.000-08:00

Here are the traditional rolls that I make every year for the holidays. I like to let them rise in the am and then partially cook them before we bring them for dinner. We went to my inlaws for dinner and present exchange and here are some pictures of the day. Little Sam was my model for this sweet little pattern that I am working on. She had black eye from falling and hitting the table so I will have to take other pictures or people will think I abuse her...

This pic is of the family talking to Jessica (my daughter) during dinner

The boys munchin the christmas fare of turkey, tatoes, stuffing and rolls...mmmm..

And I wish I would have taken pictures of the dessert...yummie raisin pie and pumpkin squares.

Glad I have a one week reprieve from Weight Watchers.....gonna have to get my walk on, big time!!

Salute to BLUE!

2008-12-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Last night was the BSU game in San Diego. Boise State Broncos are our local team and they have the admiration of everyone in the city. You have to see it to believe it. We went to one of the games this year (thank you Trish and Tim for the tickets!) and people tailgate in the parking lot, at the surrounding park and on the grounds with huge bigscreen tvs, tons of food, bbq's and comfy chairs, and don't ever enter the stadium. They go to watch the game, hear the fans and enjoy the whole experience. So, last night, we had our own home tailgate party. As our boys slugged it out in San Diego, we were tucked into our cozy snow covered home, in front of the fireplace, with warm chili, crusty bread and yummie pumpkin squares, watching and cheering-- on our high def tv. Our neighbor, Jerry, came over to cheer on the team with us and my girlfriend, Bobbie and her granddaughter came too! It was a great home tailgate party and we thank you all for your company!! BSU lost by one point, but we were proud of their effort and skill, and the fact that they made it to this bowl game. GO BLUE!!!!!

Vision of sugar plums

2008-12-23T08:15:00.000-08:00

As visions of sugar plums dance in children's heads, my vision was a visit from my daughter for the holidays. It did not work out, but I was still hopeful. My husband and I decided that we didn't really need anything for christmas this year and were going to forgo gifts for each other. We decided last year to set a limit of $40 and, of course, neither of us stuck to it, so I should have known that he would not honor this agreement either. (I love him for this!) I had been having computer problems and the only solution seemed to be to get a new hard drive. He ordered one on the internet and installed it when it arrived, but seemed to be spending time in my office after the installation was complete. I was a little suspicious of his activities and thought he must be stealing my pictures off the computer to put together and little something for Christmas.

He came home from work the other day, and he went down to my office and was messing with the computer while I was getting dinner ready. He came up and said, I need you to look at something, so I went downstairs...on the screen of my computer was my daughter's beautiful face, and she was talking to me...my darling husband had gotten me a webcam, mounted it to my computer and had my daughter set it up so we could talk. It took a while for the both of us to stop crying over the situation because as much as we talk on the phone, this felt like we could touch each other. I feel like my husband gave me my daughter back....I did not realize how much I needed to see her sweet face so that I could feel her again. As much as we talk on the phone (and we do alot...ask her beau, Trae!) I cannot believe how much this has helped us cope with the distance between us. I can share whatever I am working on, ask her opinion as I am designing, show her my latest home improvement project, whatever. We have been sending pictures back and forth, but being able to have the conversation live is amazing. I recommend this little purchase for anyone who has someone they love living more than 10 miles away...I feel like I am going to get to have a relationship with my new granddaughter and son-in-law because they will get to know me better in person (ok....cyberperson..) I am not a person that has regrets in my life, but with this bittersweet year of loss, I only wish that my mom would have had one so that we could have chatted in person more often. I hope to get my sisters and brother on board so that I can see them more often too. Lovee, you are one thoughtful husband, but this was your finest hour and I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful gift.

Love that snow!

2008-12-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

When we moved from Southern California, my favorite part of the move was the seasons. I love the snow, the beauty of waking up with the complete stillness of the morning and the beautiful reflection of the white. Unfortunately, we have not had many snows in Boise. If it snows, you better get out and make a snowman in the am, because it will be melted off by the afternoon. The nice thing is that you are not a slave to your house, because the roads are clear and you can really enjoy it all. This has been a wonderful week because it snowed, stayed a little cold so the snow stayed and it will snow again later in the week. My hope is that it will be snowy on Christmas Day! My dog, Leena, loves the snow as well and continues to nag to go out to play ball. The great thing is that the ball is easy to see among the white!

Christmas Goodies

2008-12-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago, my husband tried his hand at making Chex party mix and it has been his tradition every year since to make several batches of it. I, on the otherhand, like to stick to the traditional cookies, bars and "texas trash" (party mix with white chocolate...yummie!) I have finished the baking part and will now begin the packin' it up for friends and neighbors part. I think this is my favorite part of the holiday. Sharing goodies with my peeps...

Goin" on Etsy

2008-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

So many of you have been asking where you can get some of my handpainted items, so I have decided to start selling them on Etsy. If you are looking for a one of a kind gift, look no further.

You can check me out on the Etsy.com site and look for salt and pepper shaker sets. These are pictures of some of the things listed. I am always up for custom painting, but don't have much time before Christmas for special color orders, but if you are looking for one for yourself and want to place a special order for after the holidays....I am all over it! happy shopping!

ain't she sweet

2008-12-08T12:52:00.001-08:00

This sweet little baby is Sam, the newest Pope edition. It will be her first Christmas ever and recently she taught herself to crawl so that she can get as close to all of the presents as possible. She is a doll!

Grinch no more

2008-12-08T12:21:00.000-08:00

I have felt like kind of a grinch this christmas and have not had much energy to do the whole christmas thing. I usually decorate each room with a tree and some kind of theme, even the bathrooms, so you can imagine how much stuff I have to store and take out each year. My neices and nephews were so sweet to volunteer to put up and decorate my tree and I agreed without batting an eye. I had Lovee bring home the tree and the box of ornaments and set them to work. My sister in law, Stephanie, (love you girl!) brought over the clan and she put the tree together. Lexi loves to fluff the tree branches and had it looking so great as the boys placed the ornaments. All of the ornaments that I had them use were either handmande, given to me as gifts or were ones that the kids received from someone. I love that it is all hand done. I have other boxes in storage for the other trees that have store bought ornaments, but these are my favorite. I have not found the angel topper yet, but used a wonderful whole cloth red quilt that my friend Nony gave me at one time. I am feeling better about the holidays thanks to them all!!
The best part of the afternoon was when we finished and they all took a picture by the tree, proud of their work, and the smallest one, Sam, crawled for me for the first time. You would think that she would crawl for toys...but her greatest incentive is a remote for the TV...I remember the days of stuffed animals and toys. I seriously hope that when I get old, they don't try to chum me with a remote...I much prefer a painting project or a 3-musketeers bar...

GO BLUE!!

2008-11-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

We are huge Boise State fans at our house. For the game this week, we had extra power when our dog, Leena, joined the fray. Donning her favorite BSU shirt, she was all BLUE!! She kinda looks like a linebacker in this picture...and, ok, maybe it needs a little alteration...She wore this outfit to greet my father in law, Padre, (his real name is Richard, but we never call him that) and my husband when they were gearing up for the game. Unfortunately for us, she had just started a new dog food on the same day and had a bit of indigestion...she created a bit of a "fog" in the room. It made me believe that she just cannot watch these closer scoring games... phewwwww!!

Flyin' high

2008-11-18T18:16:00.000-08:00

This weekend, my son's girlfriend had a gig in Sun Valley and then one in Idaho Falls. The rest of the group drove, but having a pilot boyfriend in training has its perks. Luckily, mom gets to share the perks every now and then. He flew her up to Sun Valley on Friday night during a training lesson. Then, on Sunday, I flew with him to Sun Valley to pick her up and take her to the next gig in Idaho Falls. The mountains had snow on them already (my favorite) and some of the trees had color to them....so beautiful. I had never been to Idaho Falls and thought it would be like Niagara Falls, but found that it was alot smaller. It was brisk and beautiful. We were lucky enough to see Amy play in the orchestra and flew home while the moon was rising.
Amy and I gettin' our pose on....
The cute couple.......
This is the sweet beater car that we got to use while there.
This picture is burned in my head. It is the only picture that I have from Sun Valley and I took it because it was really bizarre. The "clothesline" is large rifles with a bunch of clothes hanging on the line...not quite the pic of Sun Valley most have...but that is just me...always seeing the weird stuff! Thanks for the great flight bppilot!

2008-11-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

We live next to a park and Leena thinks that it belongs to her. She has had her nose out of joint for a bit because they are making some major improvements. The orange netted area is where she does her daily run (until now) and she has not taken well to the changes. Each day at 7:45 I take her to the park to chase the ball and she has definite ideas about what part of the park this takes place. She catches for a bit and then goes to visit the other dogs that surround the park. They greet each other, piddle a little and then she gets on with the chase. The fencing has prohibited her visits and I cannot believe how much it has affected her disposition. She is one social creature. They plan to have it all worked out by January, but my hope is that she will had adjusted to the side strip she is running each day. I think change can be good, especially since I don't have to wait during her daily visiting ritual.

Fall Bounty

2008-11-16T08:09:00.000-08:00

I have an old chair on my front porch that reflects the seasons. I have taken Leena for a couple of walks and collected pinecones, pine boughs, acorns and many other fall favorites. I put together this fall pan on the porch and it brings me such joy. The sunflower seed heads were from my garden this summer and the squirrels just recently discovered it as you can see from the mess in the left picture. They quickly ate the ones in the back and are now feasting on this new arrangement. Happy Fall!

View of Fall

2008-11-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Fall is such a fabulous time of year and I happen to notice how beautiful this tree was outside of the window. We have about 5 really heavy leafed trees in the yard and most had dropped already when I happen to see this red beauty.

Visitors from Savannah

2008-11-15T17:13:00.000-08:00

I hate having my daughter live so far away from me, but the benefit is that she makes new friends that drive across the country and feel inclined to stop and meet her family. We have been so fortunate that Jessica's friends need to find out why she "ticks" like she does, so they go to the root of the problem...we know that is the real reason they stop by. No matter the reason, we have recently been graced with a visit from Darra and D...they had been driving from Sun Valley to Portland and spent the night and got the Pope tour the next day. I know why she wanted me to meet them as they are fabulous, fun, people! We stayed up pretty late chatting and checking out the new HD TV system that we had put in that day so we decided that they should have a little sleeping in time at the house. My schedule is always wild, and I had previously invited a friend to visit from Idaho Falls and she was to arrive in the afternoon for lunch, but I wanted to be sure the tour was enough to whet their appetite and hope they decided to move to Boise instead of Portland, so that I could get my daughter and her beau to consider moving out West. I think we had them on the line... We stopped at the bakery to die for, Pastry Perfection, and hit the road. We went by the capital, stopped at the auction, toured the downtown district and completed the tour by driving passed all of Jessica's educational institutes, elementary, middle and high schools...phew...brought them back to the pope palace and then they hit the road...but forgot the plate of pumpkin squares for the road....guess they will have to come back by....Thanks D & D for taking the time to visit...it was great fun!

Creating with Nony and G

2008-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Nony and I are asked to do lots of classes and seminars around the country, and it doesn't seem to matter to us where we are, where ever it is, we have a good time! At retreat, we did a class called cookin' up creativity with Nony and G. As you can see by the picture, we dressed up for the class and even had volunteers...it was great fun and gave US a million new ideas!! We used paperclay, fimo, pop cans, gold leafing, leaves....phewwwww...it was so much fun!

Painting? Retreat

2008-10-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

For an event at the retreat, we were given a metal pizza pan and categories for creativity. We were to paint our pans and enter them for prizes. Here is the group of ladies that took on the Challenge. My two students, Carol and Dorothy won in their categories...and I am so proud of them (wish their pictures would have turned out to post!!)

Nony did not have time to paint hers..so she claims she was going

"Green"

I love getting gifts and at the retreat, my secret sister gave it her all. I have created this little grouping as a salute to her...Carmen, you outdid yourself, sister, and I love all of the fun you brought and will think of you each year when I add these sweet items to my display. The bracelets have not left my wrist and the toothpic holder is so beautiful it warms my heart everytime I look at it. Thanks for knowing me so well and for all of the effort. I love you girl...almost as much I love getting presents!

There are some people that you just cannot hang out with because they bring out the crazy in you!! I attended a retreat this weekend in the mountains and we paint, play bunco, bond, have secret sisters, bond more, play, paint, and share lives. Some of the people I don't get to see except once a year at this retreat and I cherish the time I get to spend with them.

If you know me well, you know that I am a bit competitive, but I think I have found my match in my buddy, Carol. She had just gotten her first bunko (bunko virgin until this night...mark it in on your journal, Carol) and was giving me the "winner face" in this picture...

The pic on the left is my yearly partner in crime, Sally. She is wearing the halloween headband given to her by her secret sister. I had an opportunity to visit with her and her mom Mary and friend Phyllis...they are just as crazy and me!!

Decorating for the seasons

2008-09-30T07:04:00.000-07:00

Every year, I spend countless hours hauling boxes of fun stuff to and from my storage unit to decorate for the holidays. It gives me a change in the house from my regular decorations and adds lots of color and fun. I have begun the transformation for the fall and have only set out 4 of the 12 boxes and will only put out a little each day so that I am not so overwhelmed. I thought you might want to see the first setups...This sweet pumpkin is a gourd that lites up and the crazy glasses are some kitchen tools bent to hold them on your ears with salt and pepper shakers for the eyes. Since I paint so many sets, my hubby and I decided it would be a great prop for the booth..I will have to get my pic with them on to give you the full effect!!! Enjoy this day and have a little FUN!

I love this dog!

2008-09-23T17:26:00.000-07:00

This little face is so sweet...she, the dog herself, is not always sweet, but this face sure can save her bootie when she is acting up. It is this face that keeps me throwing the ball at the park and going for walks....

Being missed!

2008-09-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

On the road again!!

2008-09-23T16:32:00.001-07:00

Back from Seattle, teaching an embossed candleholder. The class was a blast and the ladies were excellent painters...so a great time was had by all.
I did not remember to take pictures before everyone left, but got them at the end of the class when we all got done. Don't they look like they are happy painters??

In this pictures, I think there are a couple hiding from the camera...I guess they don't want anyone to know they were in my class!!!
I was lucky enough to go and take classes this time around. I never get to as I am always busy working on the trade floor, making appointments, but did not set up major plans before I went, so I was free to visit and paint. Boy...did I ever paint. I don't have my finished projects to brag about (share) yet as I sent them home with a friend who was driving..but will be sure to blog when I get them all back..

Night out with my peeps...

2008-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with my girlfriends always brings out the crazy in me..ok, so I am crazy most of the time. But, we had a girls night out at the Thursday night art here in Boise and we found these cigs at Urban Outfitters. In order to really embarass the kids we were with (our goal in life) we bought the cigs and greeted the kids with them hanging from our lips...the results were hilarious..enjoy.

Selling and buying

2008-09-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Spent Saturday setting up and working at the Saturday market downtown. It was so fun to see the local people appreciate what I do. On Sunday, we decided to replenish my supply of metal junk, so we headed off to Sumptner Oregon to the flea market there. It is only 3x a year and is usually great, but the vendors were very scarce and they were asking alot for the pieces that I wanted (what is with that?) I only got a couple of great finds so I will have to find my inspiration elsewhere. This doll was being held captive in a booth at the flea market and I felt pretty sorry for her...took her picture to send with the ransom note...not getting any bites on her yet....

Another day, another set of tea

2008-08-27T08:36:00.000-07:00

I have been feverishly working to get ready for the Saturday Market. I have been invited to be one of the "emerging" artists in town and they let me display and sell my painting on this one day. I am really excited to do this again this summer. I wanted to have 3 teasets done to sell, but have only two completely finished (there are 2 more days, so I have hope!) I will be selling butter dishes, salt and pepper sets, casserole dishes and bowls. Everything is one of a kind so that makes it great fun to see what everyone likes. Wish me luck!

Canned Fruit

2008-08-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Not sure what they actually called this project, but it is exactly why I love the Idaho Fair. It was in the "Other Media" category and I found it to be so fun that I had to take a picture of it. I entered several painted pieces in the fair this year and was awarded some ribbons, but I thought this really warranted some recognition!! I called it canned fruit!!

My class in Ohio

2008-08-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

Fun on the road

2008-08-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

WOW! what a great time I had at my most recent convention! On the first day, I had a scheduled demonstration that I entitled Sneaky Tiki Tips for Decorative Painters. What I love so much about this kind of interactive demo is that I learn as much from the group as they do from me. It went really well and from there I went to the show floor to demonstrate fun art tools and brushes for Loew Cornell. They have been super kind to me over the years and their brushes are my very favorite. Shirley Miller, the director of education was in the booth with me and we were painting with hershey kisses, life savers and other crazy things. We decided that we are gong to initiate a challenge to create a fun design using anything that is "not" an art tool to see what everyone will come up with.
My class was full, and I was really lucky to have such a brave group take my class---because it was not the traditional "project" class, it was more a design class, each student developed their own original design during the class session. I was so proud that they took the challenge seriously and worked so hard. I am hoping that they will be sending me pictures of their finished pieces so that I can post them. The organizers of the HOOT convention always go all out and treat us so well that I always look forward to teaching there.
What a thrill it was to connect with the readers of Paintworks and Quick and Easy Painting. I had not realized how many people look forward to reading the monthly articles that Nony and I write...I got lots of input about fun articles for 2009, and the editor and I agreed on the content, so we're going to be busy writing and painting! If you are a metal nut like I am, get ready for the fun (this is all I can tell you!)
My mind is reeling from the inspiration that I received from the class, so I think I will be journaling and designing for most of the week while the ideas are fresh.

my life in a booth

2008-08-11T07:24:00.000-07:00

This week, I am getting ready to teach at a convention, something that I absolutely LOVE! It is great fun to meet new people, make new friends and just get caught up in the craziness of the adventure. I usually have my own booth which requires lugging or shipping a ton of boxes to the site and spending a day and a half setting up. This time, I will be working in Loew-Cornell's booth (my favorite brush company!) and demonstrating and selling product. I feel like a princess being able to fly in, play in the booth all day, sign books, and teach class at night. I should come back with some great stories, new products and a bunch of new friends~can't wait to go!

Lessons from the garden

2008-08-06T12:38:00.000-07:00

As many are doing this year, I have recently read "The Last Lecture" and loved the stories and life lessons presented in it. One of my favorites was about when he was a kid and he asked his parents if he could paint his room by himself. He locked himself and his siblings in the room and painted a rocket, a quadratic equation and an "elevator" on the walls. ( I loved the elevator idea and may just steal it to use over a door I have to my basement studio. ) What this book reminded me of was a memory I had in my garden. When my daughter, Jessica, was young, she wanted to plant a garden in MY GARDEN (sacred ground, if you ask me) and I agreed to let her clear the weeds, plant the seeds, water, and harvest. She thought this was great but did not last long. It was not quick growing enough and she quickly got bored, but asked if her and Emily (her best friend) could paint the fence. They agreed on a mural, in BRIGHT colors, and set to work. They documented their lives at the time with the names of their friends wearing "cloud" pants and some of the activities they all enjoyed. I loved having this fence in my garden, as it "sprouted" imagination if nothing else. Although it is now a bit faded and chipping, I would not repaint over it as it has become a conversation piece and companionship for me since she has since moved and started her own life and garden. When people see if for the first time, I have to tell the story and they say how wonderful it was that I let her paint the fence in the first place. I had never thought twice about it and hope that this memory stays with her when HER child asks to paint their own room. After all, it is only paint!!

Old is new again

2008-08-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

I love old stuff, and I love old stuff that has been redone to look wonderful again. I wish I would have taken pictures of the before on these, because the look wonderful now, but were so awful when I started. So satisfying to get thru the process.

Fresh start

2008-08-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Whenever I begin a project it seems that I get possessed and cannot just let the project take its time, I have the need to get it done in a ridiculous amount of time (seriously unrealistic). So this time, I decided to take my time stripping the paper, painting, creating accents, etc.
Nothing comes easy. The windows needed new moulding, the toilet had to be removed to take the paper out, the walls needed to be patched and sanded, and washed, the fixtures needed to be redone....so I took a week (instead of a day) and have pretty much finished the project. I am in the decision mode now about the window. I had a small valance over it before, and am not sure if I want to put up a valance again, or just let it alone. If you have any comments or suggestions, I sure would love to hear them!

Tables clear, must be wednesday!

2008-07-30T11:42:00.000-07:00

Got the tables emptied for classes today...a great feeling, but lots of unfinished stuff happenin' here. Going to drag it all back out tomorrow and see what I can finish.

I have been working on needleart the last week, some new designs I plan to packet..not sure if they will become pillows, small quilts, or what..but always decide when I am "in the moment"..