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Painted Chair

This was originally an old beat up

white chair that I found at a thrift store. 

I was drawn to it by the carved

flower on the top.

I picked out a piece of fabric from

my stash  to recover the seat.

The chair colors were chosen accordingly. 

I look for pieces that are unique 

in design and stable in structure.

I don't mind some repair work,

but usually nothing too extensive. 

It adds a bright pop of color

to my mix matched chairs at the dinner table. 

Ink Drawing

I've been a little out of sorts lately.

My husband and I are empty nesters for

the first time in 26 years. 

Some days have been great and other days

I feel like a lost puppy. 

Yesterday was a really good day.

Today I'm a lost puppy.

I think it's because I moved

my "office" into my 

daughters old room.

The finality of the whole

thing has been getting to me. 

One chapter is ending and a new one

is beginning for all of us. 

I have to remind myself to give it some time.

After all, it's only been 17 days, 14 hours, and 32 seconds.

I'm going to move on to another subject now. 

After all, art is the real focus of this blog.

I thought I'd share a drawing I made

using all sorts of pens and colored pencils.

I really like the way the flower, her eyes, and her lips turned out.

I'm still working on the mirror

and the tambourine, or should I say not

working on them. 

That's why I don't have

a picture to show you yet. 

I'm doing some organizing and deep cleaning

first, but promise to get back to them soon. 

Beaded Cuffs

I came across these amazing beaded cuffs

on my recent visit to Sunflour Market.

I LOVED them both.

The lighter one is my favorite.

Since then, I've been searching to find

something similar online and haven't had any success. 

I'd love to spend an afternoon 

with the artist/creator and learn her techniques. 

I've been scouring bead books at the library

and can't find anything like it. 

I want to know how to do this!

The cuff base is some sort of metal

or hard plastic.

The lining is a soft suede/leather of some kind. 

It's one of those things you see at the store and 

think, "Why didn't I pick that up when I had the chance?"

I hope it's still there the next time I go. 

Projects of the Week~ A Little Sun and some Music

Being the lover of quirky and funky things that I am, 

I was so excited to come across this tambourine

at my favorite thrift store. 

I know most people would've passed it over, but

to me this was a fun piece that I couldn't wait to makeover. 

Before I did anything to it, I had to search for

'Last Train to Clarksville' on Youtube and give it a whirl.

Davy Jones would've been proud. 

Maybe not for any intrinsic talent I may have, but

based solely on my sheer enthusiasm. 

I can't wait to beautify it!

First I needed to disassemble it to it's bare 

bones before priming it. 

I've only primed and base coated it so far. 

The other project I've started is my 

carved wood sun mirror.

My husband helped me disassemble this.

The mirror was glued in and he has more

confidence and patience when it comes to those things. 

Fortunately he was able to

get it out without breaking

the mirror or the frame.

I could've taped off the mirror

and worked around it, but this'll be much easier. 

The first thing I did was to prime it 

and then paint it with a turquoise blue. 

Next I glazed it with yellow ochre. 

I just started detailing and will be

sure to let you see the finished pieces. 

I'm hoping to get them both 

done by the end of the week. 

Happy Monday!

Quick Ink Drawing

I usually take several days

to work on a drawing.

This one took an hour or so. 

I needed shift focus

for a bit from some of my other projects. 

This was also a switch for

me because I worked in a  much more

free flowing and unbridled

manner than I normally work.

I'd call it a nice diversion, experiment and exercise. 

Happy Weekend!

Tote Challenge

I contacted a couple of my sewing buddies and 

asked if they'd be willing to do a "tote challenge" with me. 

There were no rules for design, style, or materials.

The only stipulation was to get it done in a couple of weeks. 

Me being the gal that wants to use the materials

I have on hand (rather than buy anything), got

out my big box of fabric and started sorting 

through it. 

I'd been listening to Simon and Garfunkel 

and was 'Feelin' Groovy' this particular day. 

The music inspired me to draw a

pattern for a VW van for my design. 

I cut out my pieces and ironed them

on with fusible web.

I measured double-sided panels for the sides, bottom, and back,

and sandwiched some batting in between.

My daughter showed me how to make some

cute fabric flowers and I added one of those to a strap. 

 I zigzag stitched the panels

together and free formed stitched

the raw edge applique on the front. 

I've since added a fabric covered piece of stiff 

cardboard to the inside bottom of the tote so

it stands and looks a little more polished. 

I may applique the words 'Feelin' Groovy,

or 'California Dreaming' on the back. . . .

My friends told me that I won the challenge,

but I think they won. They're much more

experienced sewers than I am. 

It was a fun challenge and I told them I wanted

to do a fabric book cover next, but we've yet to

work out the details on that one. 

My Artsy Thrift Store Finds

Hunting for treasures at my local

thrift store is one of my favorite things to do. 

I love finding unique things

that I can transform into something special. 

Some of the things I find are perfect

just the way they are. 

I've got a mix to show you

from my recent $12 shopping spree. 

The following is a carved

wood sun mirror that I picked

up for just 5 bucks. 

It's dirty and a little

beat up, but I see a lot of potential in this guy. 

I can't wait to pull out my paint and start working on it. 

The next thing that caught my eye

was this coral spider vein stone ring. 

It's big, funky and chunky and I love it. 

It goes well with my spider vein

turquoise Navajo silver cuff. 

I paid $3.50 for this ring. 

The last item I want to show you is 

this sweet Jenny Krauss zip purse.

It's handmade by women in Peru.

It still has the tag on it and was only $3.49!

This is a great time of year to 

check out the local thrift stores.

There're a lot of donations coming in with people 

wanting to start out the year free of clutter.

Someone else's junk was this woman's treasure. 

Happy New Year dear friend!

Paper Mache Cross with Roses Shrine

I just finished my paper mache 

cross and roses shrine.

It can stand on it's own, or hang on the wall. 

I think I'd like to buy a little

flameless tea light for it. 

We had a wonderful Christmas filled with blessings.

I hope you did as well. 

Now we're looking forward

to our daughters wedding on New Years Eve!

I'm still trying to think of something

meaningful I can make for her and my soon to be son in law.

I'll be sure to share it when I do. 

Happy New Year!!!

Felt Gnome Ornament

I decided to make one more 

felt ornament before Christmas. 

Why not a Gnome?

It had to be a cute one, not a creepy one. 

First I drew my design out on graph paper,

and then started cutting out the pieces. 

Walmart has the best price I've found for felt squares.

I used a cardboard insert, the same way

I did with my sugar skull ornaments.

I glued, stitched, and embellished

until it was finished. 

I think he turned out pretty cute,

although I like the drawing better.

Maybe it's the eyes. I need to tweak them a bit. 

Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful and blessed holiday season. 

Wood Plaque Art

 My community has a neighborhood newsletter

that's delivered every morning to my inbox. 

It's filled with trivia about the particular day, or 

something special about our town, 

or it's residents, past and present.

 Neighbors may post things they are selling, giving away, 

services they want to recommend, or are in search of. 

One of my kind neighbors was offering dozens

of bare wood plaques along with some wood boxes.

Although I wasn't the first to respond, 

I was the only one that showed up. 

That's a metaphor for life isn't it?

The people most likely to succeed are the people that show up!

I need to remind myself of this incident and be ready to 

show up when opportunity arises. 

Fortunately for me, she gave me everything 

she had. She said she was going to throw it all in 

the green barrel (plant recycle) but decided 

to see if anyone could use it first.

I was truly grateful and expressed my appreciation to her. 

There were about 50-60 wood plaques like this!

I only spent about an hour on the following

piece. It was an early Christmas present for me. 

I was so excited to make something, . . . anything!

I decided to make the subject one 

of my "life verses". 

I'll probably go back in and do some more 

work on it (after the holidays), but here it is so far. 

Field Trip to Sunflour Market

Our friends opened a cute little shop

in Superior Arizona. 

My husband and I decided to take a 

ride to visit them and check it out. 

It's called Sunflour Market.

It used to be an old west diner that was

designed and used as part of the set in a movie 

with Jennifer Lopez (which I never saw). 

Although my friend who bought the shop

said she invited a group of her church

friends over to her house to watch the movie

after they got the place. She said  

they had to turn it off when it started 

getting a little too hot and heavy. It turned out not 

to be an appropriate movie for a church group. 

I couldn't help but laugh. That's something I'd do.

Our friends ended up completely redesigning the place. Now it's

a bright, sunny, coffee shop, bakery, and boutique/market. 

I thought some of the details were so cute

and wanted to share them with you. 

If you ever get a chance to visit, you'll 

be glad you did. My advice would be

to go on the weekend when most of the towns stores are open, 

and don't miss the nearby Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

Items near the front window.

They have an enclosed outdoor patio area. This is looking up above the front window.

Looking out the front window from the outdoor patio area.
There's a new hotel being built across the street.

Wind chimes and a copper wall. The wind chimes were selling for around $15!

You can see part of a sunflower painting on the patio with some cute planters.

Pail light fixtures. Note the skeleton on the back wall. You'll see it again soon. 

Terra cotta and turquoise, two of my favorite colors.

She has a lot of pretty vignettes set up all over.

Painted oil drums with wood tops and stools are used for patio seating.

Skeleton mural on the back wall of the patio.

I loved this painted window. It was even prettier in person.

This is from the front of the shop looking toward the back.
There were lots of fresh baked goodies on the counter. 

This is looking out the front window onto Main Street. 

This is the hall mural near the restrooms. Poppies and butterflies!

These are baskets made in Africa~ very pretty and colorful. 

I hope you found some inspiration, 

and enjoyment from my little getaway!

Fabric Collage

While sorting through my fabric stash,

I was inspired to make a fabric collage.

This is my first and only so far,

but I must say it was a lot of fun.

I kind of wish I would've looked up advice or

techniques before I started so I wouldn't have 

had to make things up as I went along.

Fabric is not the easiest thing to work

with in this manner.

  I knew I wanted the subject to be an eccentric older lady. 

I didn't have a picture or photo for inspiration. 

Her face began to develop as I went along.

You may be able to see that I've got it set up on a 

piece of plexiglass to make it easier for myself to move around. 

I lightly tacked the pieces together

with white glue when I felt confident with their placement. 

I added a pop of blue color for the background and then

sandwiched the whole thing between 2 pieces of plexiglass.

Before doing that, I drilled 2 holes in the
back and added a plastic coated wire
for hanging. 

Then I "framed" it by wrapping the whole thing

with bright red duct tape. 

While duct tape is not the most professional finish,
it kind of fits with the organic composition

of the piece as a whole.

Overall, I'm pleased with the

way it turned out and look forward

to doing another one.

Although I may do something similar

with assorted paper instead of fabric.

Oak Stool Upcycle

I found this oak stool

at the thrift store for seven dollars.

I saw some potential and couldn't pass it up. 

It wasn't wobbly, or in need of repair

which is an extra bonus for me. 

All it needed was some paint and a little TLC. 

Pieces don't have to be cosmetically perfect for 

me to work on. I don't do much

sanding and patching, unless it's really bad. 

A really good full coverage primer

to start will usually takes care of things to my liking. 

After priming, I started with a bright green acrylic base. 

I usually pick out my colors in advance,

but the design is created as I go. 

For no rhyme or reason, I typically choose an odd 

number of colors (usually 3, 5, or 7), and it 

always seems to balance nicely.

Here's where I drew out a rough pattern

on the seat and started filling it in. 

Now I'm starting to get somewhere.

Here's the finished piece after

I gave it a couple coats of polyurethane. 

This is a close up of the seat. 

This project took me about a week to complete. 

Turning trash into treasure

is one of my favorite things.