paintings

So, what if I didn’t get anything done for the art show today? I had fun being inspired by the great prize package of goodies I won from Vickie http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/ and made this bucket with it.  I seem to be on a bucket binge.

I found the coolest buckets with a space to weave ribbon through.  So I used one of the ribbons from Vickie’s packet.

I lined the bucket with paper she gave and topped it with lace from her also.

Vickie had a cute little tag stamped with birds, I used that idea to paint some little birds on the tag I tied to the bucket and painted some birdies on the branches I painted on the bucket itself. Then, glued on  the mini scrabble letters that spell out "spring."

While I was in the bucket business, I painted this one too. 

Here is the front.

And there are mini roses on the back, with a sheer gold ribbon tied up on it. 

I also listed some signs on Ebay, including "Simplify" which I showed earlier today.  Hey, maybe I’d get more done if I wasn’t on the computer so much. Two postings in one day??  I should go finish my portraits I need to work on.

Or paint more buckets? I have two more to do, and they are fun.  Hey, if you’d like one, they are $10 for the painted rose one and $12 for the embellished birdie bucket plus $4.05 postage each. I paint fast and can keep my prices down.

You can still enter the MAY BUCKET drawing- just comment on any post, and I’ll enter you.

My banner is beginning- here are some of the first brush strokes.  Yes, I know I have an art show May 6th that I am not ready for yet. Yes, I know I have my husband’s boss coming for dinner and a big birthday bash planned that week and should at least try to kill some of the larger dust bunnies in the house.  And yes, I know that I have nothing listed on Ebay.

BUT BETH GAVE ME A BANNER AND I WANT TO PLAY WITH MY NEW TOY!!

I was wondering if anyone wanted step by step instructions on how I am doing the painting?  I have been asked lately to do some, maybe this would be a good place to start?  I’ve done "how to" articles for magazines and enjoy it.   Not because I just like telling people what to do, either.  I’d rather think of it as sharing.

Hey, there is something new in the May Bucket!

And it is not too late to enter, keep commenting, at the bottom of any of these posts and you will be entered. As many times as you would like to enter. 

I’ve looked around and have ideas for a 2nd prize too, since soooo many inquired about the May Bucket.  Maybe a 3rd prize will have to be found too.

I have had some emails not go through when I have tried to answer some of the comments or personal emails I have been getting. Sorry. I do answer each one, but I have had about a dozen come back this week for some reason. 

It has been one of those wonderful days that seem to have extra hours.  I didn’t get up early, but here it is only 3pm and I feel like I have got a lot done and still have a chunk of daytime left and energy to do more!  Plus, tonight LOST is on.  What a good day!  I might get take out Tai food and sit in front of the TV after I accomplish a few more things!

What did I do today, so far?  Well, after enjoying an hour or so of reading favorite blogs (if only every day could start like that!)~ I added something to the May Bucket Give Away.

Not exactly a big accomplishment, but fun to do!  Here it is- a vintage pearl bead necklace in Robin’s Egg Blue.  It is a nice heavy one, and knotted between each pearl.  I adore the color, and can’t imagine anyone who it would not be pretty on.  Although, I’d love to see a redhead win it… that color would look so good with firey red hair. 

In the May Bucket Give Away so far:

• well, of course, a hand painted floral bucket- a prize in itself?
• a china shard pendant on a sterling silver bail
• delicate lace trimmed hankie
• 2 old keys, foofed up a bit with silver paint and a bow
• vintage pearls in robins egg blue
• NOT THE PUPPY- (unless, I can’t convince her to stop peeing on everything)

I worked on a watercolor of my other Dorkie, Sparkle.  Here is her painting. Still wet, and maybe not done. I’ll finish it tonight and get a frame while out junking tomorrow.  Yes, I know!! I am not only getting a wonderful day today, tomorrow I get a junking day!!!!!!  How lucky am I????

Here is my Sparkle painting so far.  Also, I started a rose painting and added a rose to these cool little doodads I found in the burn pile. Should never let a husband clean out the garage, he’ll put great stuff in a bon fire.

I’ll add hooks to the back of the doodads and hang them on the wall. Or maybe I can sell them to someone else who likes pink roses on green doodads on their walls.  Any takers?  I can mail them right to you, $8 each!

My last big project for today was to haul all of these rocks and arrange them to form a flower bed. I added an old iron headboard that I will plant evergreens behind, and set a chair in front of.  This area needs major work after the construction that has been going on here- it was all torn up ( I used to have a cute pond in that spot, sigh) I am off to the garden center for mulch and shrubs and to TJ Maxx to see if they still have the big white iron chair I drooled over last week. 

A client came by to pick up and pay for  some artwork.  She is always hard to deal with (before I wrote this about her, I asked if she reads blogs, she doesn’t know what they are, so I can feel free to say how nasty she always is to me.)  Why do I paint for her again, after bad experiences?  Well, I like to paint.  And she does pay me.  although, not a lot, I am very reasonable because I am fast.    She always complains and has me redo everything.  And not in a nice way.  This time, she got the watering cans and said, "You will have to paint something on the back, I will be facing it the other direction".  No, "I’m sorry I didn’t tell you this before you painted it" No, "I’ll pay you for your time". No "please or thank you".  I should have charged her more, but instead, I decided to be gracious, and added a sprig of geranium to the back while she waited.   I feel like unkind people should be shown how to act properly, and try to set a good example. 

And anyway, I want people to be happy with what I paint for them. Even if some people just don’t seem to know what ‘happy’ is.  Sour puss, crabby, nasty, person.  Oh, well, that wasn’t very gracious, was it?

Well, the eggs (and fingers) are all dyed and the goodie baskets passed out and all is left are the remnants of the party. But it is colorful and pretty and I just might not pack it all away quite yet. It looks festive! And I hate to waste the dye, might just have to do a few more eggs this afternoon.

The 3-5 year olds came up with some glittery colors on their boiled eggs while I was hand painting the hollowed out ones. Of course, the kids had a go at the paints too, and luckily I keep a cupful of old brushes just for these type of occasions.  Here are a couple of my painted eggs

In my studio, everything gets glitter on it, whether I meant it to or not.  Today was no exception. 

  Bagsful of treat filled eggs were found after a hunt that went much quicker than the time it took to fill and hide the eggs! Kansas Spring time weather is always iffy, but we had a break between last night’s storms and today’s scattered showers. 

Yes, yes, I know I already posted today. And yes, I know, I should be getting ready for my egg decorating party tomorrow.  But haven’t I mentioned before that I tend to get side tracked and do what I feel like doing instead of what I should be doing?

I just added a photo album of some of my murals to this blog, and as I came across this picture, it just made me giggle a bit.  Of course, no one would want real squirrels on top of their kitchen cabinets (too rat-like) but how fun to have some mischievous painted ones.   Looks like the scene outside my studio window right now, squirrels running around, excited that spring is here.

This morning has slipped by and I sit here still in my jammies, with all the things I meant to do, still waiting. I ended up spending time figuring out my camera’s options and reorganizing picture files on my computer.  Not exactly a waste of time, but not what really, really needed to be done. 

Anyway, I got a decent photo of this rose watercolor I had done a couple of years ago.  I have a snippet of it on my blog already, but this picture is so much better, I wanted to show it.

My sister and I were having a great junking day in Indianapolis a few years back and came across a gorgeous old painting on faded paper.  I bought it, and painted my own version of it, and this is it.  Old paintings inspire me, and I do change them a bit when I do them and make them my own, so I try not to feel like a "copy cat" of the original artist’s work.  Heck, I’d be flattered if someone was inspired to paint by one of my watercolors.

My good friend, Angie, is going through a rough time and I wanted to do something to cheer her up.  So, I snuck over to her store when it was closed and painted some dark pink roses on her front door.  I almost felt like I was a vandal, but I think she’ll be happy to see them and won’t have me arrested.

Here is a close up, just a sweetly simple rose on each door panel to brighten up her entrance when she comes in to work tomorrow.  I lightly roughed up the panel with sandpaper, added the roses, then topped them with a water based clear coat.  They were dry and protected, and I was done in under 30 minutes.  Made me think that I should take more time out of my day to do something nice to surprise a friend.  Well, at least I hope she thinks it is a nice surprise and not some sort of graffitti by vandals!   I didn’t sign my name just in case…..

Her store is called "My Father’s Daughter" and is an example of her romantic, wistful style and she has plenty of roses inside to go along with the ones on her door.  Next time you are in Lawrence, Kansas you really should drop in to see what she has.  Plus, you’d enjoy meeting her, she is about the nicest person around.

Two entries for today and something every day this week.  Maybe I should have been working harder on something else and not playing online so much this week?  I have enjoyed writing but can’t promise to post this often every week.  Art shows to get ready for, things to list on Ebay (if I can get over my hatred of packing and shipping), house guests arriving (rooms to redo for guests!!!), gardens to plant.  Hip, hip, horay, it is springtime!!!

Spring’s arrival, with the Kansas wind blowing and a few little blooms starting to peek out of the backyard was a promising start to the season.  Between clicking from blog to blog on the virtual tea party (see 3/21 ‘s post) and meeting lots of new blogger friends online, I spent an hour painting these two watering cans and picked some budding forsythia to place in them.  A client I have done a few painting projects for over the years dropped the cans off and asked me to paint them white with red geraniums and ivy.  Hope she likes them, I liked doing them. Felt like a very springy type job and made me start thinking about my upcoming garden.  I think I’ll buy a few flats of pansises today, that is a flower that is safe to plant this early around here, we could still get a few frosts or freezes yet.

I just saw a darling tea party invitation at http://artsymama.blogspot.com/, what a grand idea!  Any of you who would like to participate, check it out.  I will be having a tea party myself, if you’d like to join me.   I do love teapots, and even though I have edited my collection in the last few years, I have plenty to chose from and use for the day.

Here is one of my teapot watercolors in a vintage frame.  I don’t know why I don’t do more watercolors, I love to paint. The days just get away from me.  I do have 3 upcoming orders for pet portraits in the next few months.  I think I’ll gear up by painting my Yorkie, Sparkle. (or Dorkie, as we call them)

Details on my party later.  Join me (here in Kansas!) or online along with all of artsymama’s guests.