Painting with a Twist - Pet Portraits

Painting with a Twist  - the concept is basically a BYOB painting class. You show up with your wine, they provide the art supplies and instruction based off of the design for that day. There are similar classes, such as Sip 'N Doodle, Canvas and Corks, etc. These can be found all around the country. Every so often they offer a "Paint Your Pet" class.

A few weeks ago, my friend and I went to a Paint Your Pet class. We emailed the pictures of our pets ahead of time and when we arrived, they were sketched out for us, ready to paint.

That night, I painted my chihuahua Kola.

 

A few weeks ago I went back to paint Cissy my rat terrier.

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

 

 

My new etsy shop!

I love making art. I love crafting. It's in my blood and I've been doing it for years. And even though I'm not a shy person, I'm sort of timid when it comes to putting myself out there with these things. I know what I like, but I always think it's not going to be what other people like. I'm not a traditional art kind of girl. While I can appreciate a still life and the landscapes, I'm just more into bold colors, all things funky, crazy and whimsical.

While I've been on "hiatus" from the corporate world (which, by the way, doesn't look like it's going to be ending any time soon, and that's freaking me out), I've been able to spend more time in my craft room. And I've been enjoying it quite a bit!

So after much encouragement from my hubs, I'm putting myself out there. Maybe it will be good, maybe not, but at least it's giving me a reason to continue to do something I enjoy, which I'd put off for a very long time. :)

Take a peak if you have time!



My etsy shop

Time to dig that box of fall stuff from your attic

My housework is done for the week, and since we've had a lot of rain the last two weeks (as in I'm-going-to-trade-my-xterra-in-for-a-boat kind of rain), I'm in the mood to pull out my fall stash. Something about dreary weather screams fall to me.

Here's some inspiration for you from Better Homes and Gardens as well as Pottery Barn. Everything here can be copied/made easily yourself for very little money.

How cute are these pillow cases? All you'd need is a stencil and some $.59 craft paint from Michael's. You could also do this on napkins, table runners, etc. If you wanted to decorate your bathroom with a touch of fall, how about taking an inexpensive white shower curtain and stenciling brown, orange or green leaves on it (or a brown shower curtain and white leaves)? Seriously, that would be so cute and super easy. I came up with that idea myself. :b



Little leaf buttons simply attached to plain white napkins.



I love this wreath. It's neither fancy nor colorful, but it's natural, and that's what I like about it. Wrap a styro foam form with ribbon, glue nuts and you're done.



Same idea as the acorn wreath, but with leaves. I think you can never have too many wreaths. I hang them all over...on the front door, from the pantry door, the back door, my windows....so get cracking and make a few to spruce up your space!



This little cutie could be easily made using one of those dollar store tin pails and a little paint. How cute!



I adore Halloween...it's my absolute favorite. This tray is awesome, however it's $25. Instead, buy a thrift store tray, spray paint it black and silver, then decoupage a skull (or other "character") to the top. Seal it up and it's ready to go!



Candy corn topiary...we all need one of these. Use paper, rick-rack and a dollar store pail.



A ribbon and leaf can really add just enough oomph to a simple napkin. Love this.



If you have any ideas, please share! Happy crafting and decorating!

Vintage glass flower frog turned wind chime

My mom and I have been collecting vintage glass flower frogs for several years now. We've made quite a few wind chimes from them. This is one I made one for my neighbor for her birthday.



I used glass beads and a ceramic "B" for the center since their last name begins with a "B."



It's so funky and charming, don't you think? I'm such a great neighbor to have. :b



I love the clinkety-clink sound it makes in the wind.



I used my secret spy ninja skills to creep into her backyard this morning to take these pictures. =) She wouldn't mind though. We are really close friends. ;)

Recycle old pillows: no sew dog bed (or floor pillows for the kids)

Remember the no sew fleece blankets that were all the range a few years ago (I still have mine and love them...the dogs even have smaller versions, too)? This project is a spin-off from those. Here's a great way to recycle some old pillows you may have, you know, the ones that are flat and have lost their shape. We all have them tucked away in a closet somewhere! I have to warn you, the pictures came out dark for some reason. I hope you can still see.



I started by throwing them in the washer and dryer to freshen them up and get them somewhat fluffy again.

Next, take a yard of fleece and fold it in half, cutting along the fold so you have two separate pieces. I'd have preferred to use brown fleece, but since this bed is for my 15-year old dachshund, and she's almost completely white now, I knew the brown wouldn't work as well because she sheds so much...I didn't want the bed to look like it had a fur coat on. ha!



Start by cutting a 4" square from each of the four corners.



Then cut 1" wide strips all the way around.



Once you've cut strips all the way around, begin tying knots from the back and front pieces. I doubled-knotted mine because I know my dogs will scratch and dig at the pillow to make it just the right degree of comfiness, but I'm sure a single knot would be fine, too.



Tie knots all the way around, leaving enough space to stuff your pillows inside. You have two options at this point. You can leave the knots showing on the outside. This looks nice, like fringe. Or, you can turn the fleece inside out so the knots are on the inside, then stuff your pillows. Knot the remaining strips, and tuck inside (if you aren't leaving fringe on the outside).







{Join the DIY party and share your latest projects at Kimba's!}

Quick and easy accent pillows

Here's a project that will take maybe a half hour from start to finish. Longer if you are like me and do a lot of it in front of Law and Order. ;) If you can sew a straight line, you can do this.

I've seen this done many times over the years on tv and in magazines and always meant to try it, but never got around to it (you know how that goes, don't you?!). I was browsing the other day and saw it done most recently here. I've been wanting to make little lumbar shaped pillows for my kitchen chairs for, oh, I don't know, the last 4 or 5 years or so. When I saw this idea yet again, I knew it was the answer. Quick, easy and cheap.

I bought 4 place mats for $1.78/each at the W when grocery shopping last night. I love the woven cotton fabric for it's texture and durability. And the colors are bright and cheery, perfect for my kitchen.



I did mine slightly differently than Sarah did hers, though, but it's still very simple. Unlike Sarah's, my place mats are not doubled sided. No problem. I simply folded them in half (right sides facing each other) and sewed up the 3 open sides (leaving enough space on one side to turn the pillows right-side-out and stuff with fiberfill).



But before turning right-side-out, be sure to clip the extra fabric from the corners so the shape will be more natural. So far, this whole process has taken *maybe* a minute or two, tops.



Next, stuff the pillow. Here's a little tip: if you have a difficult time reaching down into the corners to stuff the pillow, use a skewer to push the filling down where you want it. Afterward, I just stitched up the hole using a basic "over and through" stitch.



And that's all there is to it!





{Join the DIY party and share your latest projects at Kimba's!}

Chalkboard paint project (thrift store rehab)

I scrambled to get my project done for Chrissie's Chalkboard Paint Party. And I do mean scrambled. Our weather has been really ugly lately, so I haven't been able to get outside to paint.

I had found this really blah plaque at the Goodwill.



It was simply a matter of peeling off the paper that was glued to the front, sanding off all the sticky residue and painting.



Eh, I'm not too thrilled with how it turned out. It looked much better in my mind's eye. That seems to happen a lot! I'll probably rehab this rehab eventually.



If you want to join the party, visit Chrissie's blog and see what cute projects all of these other creative gals have come up with. Mine really pales in comparison. I just don't have the knack for this one. But I had fun!

Chalkboard Paint Party

Chrissie is having a party today! My project isn't finished yet, so I'll have to link up with it tomorrow. However, please go over and show everyone your creations using chalkboard paint!

Happy Friday!

Artsy fartsy

Ever since I was a child, I've enjoying doing art through many mediums...sewing, painting, clay, beading, etc. I took art classes in elementary, junior high and high school, and continued on in college. During the summer, I'd take the bus to the fabric shop and take a sewing class where we made hideous shorts and laundry bags. Even now as an adult, I really enjoy taking classes at bead shops, art stores and online. A couple of years ago I went to an art retreat and had a blast. I think it's good for my soul.







I was thinking the other day how it's been quite a while since I picked up a paint brush, plugged in the sewing machine or beaded a bracelet. And honestly, it makes me sad. I've been blaming my lack of interest on the fact that my craft room is such a disaster that I just can't go in there and create anything. I think that's true to some extent.







I think I enjoyed making arts and crafts more so when I was working, because it was a good creative outlet for me, a stress reliever after a long day at work. Now that I'm on "temporary hiatus" from the corporate world, I haven't really done a thing. It's kind of funny how you manage to get a heck of a lot more done when you are busy than when you aren't. That's true for me lately.







I've also noticed I go through stages. I'll be in an art making frenzy for a month or so, then won't touch it again for 6 months. I need to change that.







So in an attempt to motivate myself, I pulled out a few collages I made the last few years. I think when I feel the texture of the papers and see the bright colors of the paint, it starts to renew my love again. And I get excited. I thought I'd share a few of my funky, whimsical pieces with you. I think seeing them up on my blog will help to spark my interest again, if that makes sense. Because really, I have all the time in the world now, and there's no excuse not to use this time to do something productive, right? :)

Edited to add this little ray of sunshine from one of my posts from last fall: the proof is in the pudding as they say! ;)