Husbands

I love it when my husband and I can work on  something together.  This is
a vintage plane that we picked up at a thrift store and I asked my husband
to transform it into a coat rack to be hung in our entry way.  I love what he did and it goes well with the eclectic decor in this area.    So....I guess

after I just re-read what I wrote he did the thinking and the work so he deserves all of the credit...and that is a good thing.   I love how he incorporated the vintage cane into the plane's ring on the left side.

Get Positive and Enjoy

Some Intelligent insight quotes about art and artists.....by Suzi Blu an extremely talented mixed media artist.


"I believe it is PASSION, NOT a degree, that makes you an artist.  It is your excitement about materials, colors and textures, your enthusiasm when you see work you like and oooh--you want to run home and do it too.  THIS makes you an artist."


"The only difference between you and an art master is time."


"Happy is more important than impressive.
I feel so sorry for artists who are "stuck" in yesterday, enveloped in negativeness, and can't see past
"themselves" or their preconceived ideas of what is and isn't art based on what they "think". 

New Year Ponderings

It is time to begin thinking about New Years Resolutions, Goals, Inspiration and a brief
review of the past year.  Hmmmmmmm.  


This will be a "good thing" to have as the first page of my 2011 Journal.   I am hoping to 
do an art one and one that is just daily jibber jabber, and impromptu  thoughts and happenings.

Totally Handmade/Homemade/Handcrafted

My daughter and son in law created their own special gift for family members and friends this year and I just had to "show off" the creativeness.


The bottle of liquor was lemon vodka and mmmmm was it good.  We opened and enjoyed it Christmas Eve.   Michelle and Chris corked it, shrink wrapped the plastic seal and Michelle created the label.  "Houser's Lemony Libation" and Happy Holidays 2011 was on the label along with the ingredients.    She then made  bottle stoppers for everyone with her handmade lamp work beads.  I wish the photo showed how vibrant the bead colors were.   What a neat idea.   (Craft beer and liquor is just one of the "big" things here in Bend.) 


She really had some "special" gifts this year also making handmade pictorial memorial Christmas tree ornaments using her lamp work beads.  How neat to include those who have passed in a pleasant way by including them in the festivities.  


It was a great holiday and I really hate to go to bed tonight and know that tomorrow I have to wake up to a normal day.


I hope everyones' holiday was special.

FOR BIRD LOVERS

I love watching the birds and we really do get quite a few different species so it is fun to watch them "inter-act" and I laugh a lot as I watch their antics.  


It is fun achieving good close up photos.   

Handmade Lampshades

My sister lives back East and has a couple of Etsy sites:


http://www.retroemporium.etsy.com for her vintage and antique items, http://www.recycledmemories where you can find her vintage fabric items that she makes from vintage bedspreads, material and vintage tablecloths.  Everything from purses, to clothing to these magnificent lampshades.  Our grandmother was the "towns'" seamstress  so Cindy has picked up this art form and carried it backwards and forwards again.


These are a couple of her beautiful lined handmade lampshades....aren't they awesome?

She will be adding these to her Etsy site recycled memories soon...

This is an 8 x 8 canvas piece that I painted for my husbands' doctor.  She has been such a help to Larry with various stages of dealing with back and knee pain.  The last time we were in to see her I had a watercolor book with me that I was studying and she was really interested in the book so I thought I would do a small painting for her. 


I love painting winter, water, trees, mist, fog, clouds, snow, etc.  I am in hopes she will like this piece I did for her. 


I used one of my winter photos as a reference.  I have several albums that are full of scenery "shots" as painting landscapes really intrigue me and come from my heart ...  I love "feeling" and "temperature" so I strive to achieve this as I paint.


My brushes of choice are Dynasty's Ink,Pastel,and Chalk brushes;
their decorative series line of dry brushes and foliage wave brushes, and their wonderful faux squirrel line for flats, rounds,  daggers, liners, etc.  


What a difference when you use artist quality paints by Liquitex, a high quality top of the line hand wrapped canvas board and brushes.  I am lucky to have such wonderful suppliers.... 

8 Foot 2 Man Saw

I have painted walls that were done with vertical designs but this is my first large horizontal design.

Surprisingly most of my hand painted pieces are sold to men vs women.  This gentleman will be 80 years old next month and requested a scenery with a barn,  little cabin, mountains, and an elk or deer.

I worked evenings spending between 4-5 hours per day until it was finished.  I am showing the saw in
3 increments of the design....the barn and house, the middle section which was the small lake and mountains, and the right hand portion was the ice fishing shed and an elk.

Both he and his wife were delighted with the piece.

The piece was painted using Liquitex acrylic paints and my favorite Ice Crystal Glamour Dust paint for the glitter on the snow, ice on the lake,  lights in the cabin windows, etc.  I took the photos with the saw laying flat which creates the look of slightly "non straight" lines for the buildings but they are straight....

ACRYLIC PAINT REMOVER.......

It is 2:00 AM and I had decided it was time to go to bed (I am working on a commissioned 8' cross cut saw.  I turned around and when I did I heard "something" swoosh to the floor.... ye, Gad's....was my first

thought, my second and third.  I had knocked over the paper plate that I use for my palette (I am standing to do this piece) and NATURALLY it landed upside down/paint down on the carpeting (brown, beige, green with a few specks of black) that is on my floor.  Very "gingerly" I picked up the plate and sure enough....not only did paint get on the rug but it was PAYNE'S GREY........  Now What???  Just what I DON'T want to think about or do at 2 AM.  So my mind ran through what I "might" use and I decided on a product that I  purchase on a regular basis for tough stains called "Grandma's Secret Spot Remover".... When I looked at the instructions the first removal item was "PAINT" and I most definitely had that.  I laid a paper towel on top of the paint and pounced my hand a little to blot the most of it up....then I squirted on some of the "Secret Spot Remover" and left to get myself a good stiff drink of Pepsi.

It ended up taking me about 3 small applications for a spot about the length of your little finger and as wide as a thumb....but I be doggoned it  removed the paint out of the rug.....and just a VERY faint

spot.....  I was amazed, thrilled, delighted and excited that it had worked...

I purchase this at Hancock Fabrics where they most generally have it in a wicker basket on their check out counter, and my last bottle I found at JoAnnes......in with misc items...you know how JoAnnes is...

you can never find things where you would expect them to be.....  It is a tiny little 2 oz bottle, and a bit

pricey but when it saves clothing stains and my carpeting....it is a very practical investment.   The bottle is white, cap black and there is a picture of a little grandma on the front label....which is a real light yellow.   It is thick and creamy clear and you don't need a lot so it goes a lonnnnng way.  I only used about a teaspoon on my Paynes Grey mess...... Maybe tomorrow when I am refreshed again I will take a photo of the bottle so you will know what you are looking for.....it is not an easy product to "find"...

Oh and by the way for those who like to try and fault it IS ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE.... NON TOXIC, no chlorine and biodegradable.  There is a website listed http://www.grandmassoap.com

Just thought this was a product worth telling about....for any of you who might like to save a few dollars

with "paint" spillage, splashes, daubs, etc.

So now I can go to bed and go right to sleep and not worry about a stain to remove tomorrow...YIPPEE.

NIGHT.