Laurie's Charming Designs

Heart Tag Giveaway

2012-01-26T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm giving away this Doodled Tattered Angel spritzed Tag (the one above)

Please leave me a message

*******

The four tags below are extras, I'm listing them on Etsy

***Update***

I couldn't get them into Etsy.

If you are interested, they are $3.00 each

There many steps to making them look vintage y

Hope you enjoy seeing them finished

I am linking up with

My Romantic Home

Whats on my craft table

2012-01-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

A close up of a couple of the tags, a work in progress. I still want to write "NEST" on them

How much would you pay for a sweet little cabinet?? Stacey fell in love. This little cabinet came apart so it fit in her little car. There was no back on it so she got it for a great price.

I cant wait to see what she does with it, I see black, turquoise, white (thats what she does with everything.lol) You've got to love "RETRO"

28 tags, watercolored nest with eggs, touch of vintage lace, dyed crinkled rayon ribbon.

I've been reading blogs about "giving" So I contacted Karla Nathan about giving her these tags for her upcoming "Bird Song" workshop, to put in her little goodie bags.

Testing Absorbant Ground

2012-01-24T08:23:00.000-08:00

I coated one tag with Daniel Smith Watercolor Ground, the one on the right, the one in the middle was Golden. The one on the left...turned out the best, no ground.lol

I liked Daniel Smith the best of the two. You cant go over it with a Micron, it ruins it. I used a permaball pen, it was to thick, but this was just a test...

Finishing an Art Journal

2012-01-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

I have left room for journaling or for a photo or two
Some I left simple, some I worked a little harder

Some I painted little pictures on canvas then stiched

vintage lace and paintings

The one above is the front page. Now I need to start working on the covers and spine

there are 3 signatures of 4 sheets of paper each, a total of 48 painted pages

I am linking up with Show and Tell Friday at "My Romantic Home"

on Saturday "Pink Saturday

ART DAY

2012-01-16T18:08:00.000-08:00

Are you taking the free Strathmore workshop? Traci Bautista is teaching right now. I didn't do the first 2 videos, but I had time to give this one a try.
We were to use "something" found for a texture stencil. I found this on the ground a couple of months ago. I have no idea what it is, but it worked great

I can't wait to see what we do with it next week. I used my new paper pad!!

Fun Day

2012-01-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

Yippee for Dick Blick Art Store!! Drove into Pasadena, 50% off these two books...I used my 40% off coupon on the letter stencil.I signed up for Joanna Sharpe's Letter class in Feb. Its not to late to sign up...I want to make some little journals so you cant have to much paper!!
oh lookie what Stacey found at a garage sale...another retro chair...for a whoppen $2

Shes already gotten the pad off and ripped out the old cane, filled the holes.

It will be fun to see how she changes it. (she thinks she may have an "old chair" addiction!lol)

My boss is coming to town tomorrow, I'm making sure everything

looks clean and tidy...do you do that?

I went and bought a bunch of new flowers, got them planted

dusted off the mailboxes (I'm an apt. manager)

hosed down the entryway.

Made sure my paperwork is all filed.

whew! lol

Watercolor Rose

2012-01-13T18:26:00.000-08:00

The picture above, I played around with it in Photoshop, I "enhanced" the color

I
I'm linking up with "Pink Saturday" Watercolor and Micron

Glittery Tray

2012-01-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

I signed up for Show and Tell Friday with My Romantic Home Here

Martha Stewarts Tinsel Glitter encased in Resin

Yesterday I thought I'd keep my art page simple, today...not so much.
This little tiny page took me much of the day...snipits of time.
I let it dry naturally
I have a hard time with abstract. I've been stalking (in a good way)
these artists.
Alisa Burke
Roben-Marie Smith
Traci Bautista
Martha Lever
Joanna Sharpe

I also didn't want to use my "normal" supplies
Heres my list:
Watercolor crayon
rubberstamp
metallic ink
texture paste
stencils
glimmer mist
india ink
wite-out pen
acrylic paint
micron pen
Yep, all those on one little page 3 1/2 x 4 1/2

keeping it simple

2012-01-12T09:15:00.000-08:00

I didn't have much time, this was all about the frame...I'll be doing a better frame later, I just kept it simple for today...

Art Journal Page 11

2012-01-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

Well, the project was to sketch, paint, photograph...cooking or preparing food.

Thank goodness I have a husband and daughter that love to cook!

I do make myself a cup of coffee...this is a wonderful vintage cup, that I love
my pages are getting done...what fun this is,

The class with Alisa Burke is art daily for one mo.

the challenge will be to continue after Jan.

Thankfully I signed up for another class in Feb. with Joanne Sharpe

Daily Art Journal, Day 10

2012-01-10T09:16:00.000-08:00

Please don't make these pictures larger...my photography skills didn't kick in..lol. Blurry!!!

I'm caught up posting my work...I think...I love that I am challenging myself to create art every day. I usually sketch out what I want...then in the evening, I have a "bed tray" or "art tray" that it has now become, my movable art studio. The cup holder now holds my water to rinse my brushes.

Daily Art Journal

2012-01-09T20:36:00.000-08:00

Watercolor page...3 1/2 x 4 1/2

Daily Art Journal

2012-01-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

I really have been keeping up with my daily art. I just got around to getting photos taken.

The top one, just doodles, then going over some of the lines to make them darker

This one above...dripps and dribbles of watercolor
Another fruit one. I added a few white gel pen marks to see what they would do,

I also used a micron pen .005 to outline.

Nice Day in So. Calif.

2012-01-08T17:31:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Pasadena, I painted this fresco about 18 years ago on a 100 year old mansion. Whenever I visit, I feel the need to post pictures.
This is the back side, it is t'wo stories, in the front it is 3 story's high. I used a cherry picker
Going by LA I snapped a picture of the buildings shining in the sun
Went to the Venice Farmers market. No one knew how to dress, boots and flip flops
I had to snap a picture of this guy...the ultimate California surfer dude.
Love this old bug
HOpe you enjoyed taking this trip with me today.

Went to Santa Ana, Ca

2012-01-07T20:46:00.000-08:00

Lights were still on the trees, moon in the sky..."Art Walk"...not, not all experiences are good
The picture above is my abstract from "my daily art" class with Alisa Burke.
She also wanted us to find pattern, I came across this tonight, cool huh
Another shot of the art walk, there wasn't much art, the music sound like it was from the 70s and they were on drugs...awful!! But we laughed and had a good time...

Went to Santa Ana to Jenny Doh's open house.

Art Journal Day 4

2012-01-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm on a roll...can I keep it up for 361 more days?? lol. I'm going to TRY!!

"TRY"

2012-01-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

My word for this year "TRY". Try new things. I'm taking a class with Alisa Burke, this one was doodling with a ball point pen. I couldn't leave it, so I added watercolor, it bled a bit, I think I used a gel pen, not the old fashion ball point. Next page, I'm going to lay down some watercolor first, then find the right kind of pen. My goal for doodling is to get better and better. I have doodled all my life...yes, on homework too. I'm also signed up with Joanna Sharpe starting in Feb. It will be fun to see my little pages evolve, I'm glad you are here for my journey.

New Art Plan

2012-01-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

I have a plan...3 1/2 x 4 1/2...a little piece of art every day...I've started, plan to keep at it...
My word for the year is try. Try different and new things
I purchased this expensive watercolor paper years ago while on vacation. What am I saving it for???
So I folded it to make a doable size. Now I have eight smaller

areas. Should make a great book at the year.

Wonderful Day

2012-01-01T17:11:00.000-08:00

I finished my book. The cover was a 1/4 inch to short, so I found a piece of brass trim that I took of an old album, it worked great. I added resin to the embellishment. I finished adding buttons and lace to the spine
A day at Laguna Beach. 85 degrees...on JAN 1...I cant believe it

bird prints
This was from Stephanie Lee's on line class

New Years Sparkle

2011-12-31T09:21:00.000-08:00

Here we go. The finished chairs. When we went to LA to find the fabric we found this clear fabric with silver stars. $2.50 a yard. Then we had to figure out what to put under it. We looked and looked, when we would find yardage that looked the right color, when we would put this clear fabric over it, it would change color.

We had taken a swatch of aqua paint...so then we had to test and test the fabric, layer on layer

we found it!! $2.00 a yard. Batting 99 cents a yard and padding $5. Each chair. ended up costing $10 including the price of the chair...pretty good

This is what it looked like when purchased
This is the clear fabric

Happy New Year everyone!!

Pink Saturday

Glitter Love

2011-12-29T18:44:00.000-08:00

If you could see the glitter, it might hurt your eyes...so bright, so shiny
All the pictures are backwards, the one above shows it without the handles
Stacey found this rather ugly tray for a couple bucks. she tore it apart...
Primed the wood. the brown stuff in the middle was like burlap
you can see it on the floor here. she painted the burlap turq. the wood was painted white, then with white pearl.

Then....Martha Stewards tinsel glitter "feldspar"was glued down....when that was dry...

RESIN...some of the fine pieces of glitter started floating....

it is soooo beautiful

Went to LA today, we found the fabric for the chairs...Come back

and visit tomorrow for pictures.
I'm joining
My Romantic Home

Retro Chairs

2011-12-29T08:03:00.000-08:00

I went to the Goodwill, Whenever I hear Stacey suck in her breath...I know she has spotted something...looking over were these two chairs...we looked all over for a price. Not finding one, I found the manager...before I tell you the price...we played a game in our mind, how much are we willing to pay...how much is to much, what is our top price, how much do we think they'll be...
seems like chairs usually run$20-$25, oh I hope not...$15 would be a good price

so...when she said...$5.99...Yeppers!! We came home with the two chairs.

Stacey got them sanded and painted...off to LA fabric district today. Cant wait to

see what she will pick for the cushions...stay tuned...

Crafting Goodies

2011-12-26T18:14:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting some of this putty. I had these two doll faces. After letting the putty dry I put in some paper clay...I cant wait to put some paint on them...do I know what I'm going to do with them??? nope, not yet.lol
oh boy, this picture didn't turn out..anyway it a Tim Holtz LARGE tag die, it works great on cereal cardboard.

I went to Jenny Dohs site...shes having a book signing with some of my favorite crafters, I signed Stacey and I up to go, should be a good time!!

Cupcake Wars Rob Machado Guest Judge

2011-12-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Had such a nice peaceful day. We have no family down here, Dean and I took a very long bike ride with the sun on our back...74 degrees. aaaah. What a winter.lol.

The reason I'm posting tonight...I am sooo excited. I am watching cupcake wars "surfs up" and I got so excited when I recognized the guest judge. Rob Machado. Here's why, a couple years ago when Stacey and I came down to Huntington Beach for vacation. We just happened to hit it when the US OPen Surfing...we were starving, so we stopped in one of the outside restaurants "Longboard" The city was bumper to bumper people. We finally got a table...a table for four..all of a sudden this guy and his son asked if they could join us. We said yes and they jumped over the fence to sit at our table. People were say hi to him...he mentioned that he might be a little famous and we laughed...We never got his name, he did say his picture was on a poster on the surf shop...He is also a Hurly model... anyway...what fun to see him on Cupcake Wars...he really IS famous, computers are great...we were able to google him.

Thought I would share my story

Merry Christmas from My Birdies

2011-12-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

All my birdies sold so I thought I better get busy, it is nice to have them around for the holidays!!

Merry Christmas

How Sweet The Sound
My Romantic Home

Hand Painted Journal

2011-12-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

***SOLD***

I just added this journal to my etsy...I just sold my last birdie and some spoons, I got busy today and finished a couple more...check out ETSY. Its really prettier then my photo with lots of texture

Am I Up for THIS???

2011-12-20T19:33:00.001-08:00

I went to visit Christy Tomlinsons blog and she had been contacted by these people and they asked her to put it on her blog....so I thought a minute...and then I jumped in and contacted them...am I crazy?? I have been working on a "word" for 2012...the word I wrote in my new journal is "TRY" I started a small list of things I want to try...well, I think this ad falls in this category...If I don't try, I wont know if I can. I did hear back from them, they wanted a photo of me and to list the the things I do...I had to laugh, but I started listing, and listing...I'll keep you updated!

Little Wool Birdie and Tag

2011-12-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

I just sold this little birdie on Etsy, yippee, I decided to make a little tag to go with it.

Snowman Watercolor

2011-12-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I know I showed this recently, but I wanted to sign up with Show and Tell Friday. Cindy had over 500 people showing their stuff. You can find it HERE I'm think of scanning it and making cards

Journal page

2011-12-14T09:27:00.000-08:00

Stacey suggested birds on a wire
to put behind the "mirror"

I might go with this one...I need to add beaks.lol

I know this is a bit springy, I started this journal over the summer, lots of sketches. I want to
have it finished up before the first of year. Last night it was fun to sprinkle watercolor and lots of inking...love micron pens .05 and .005

A Couple of Snowmen

2011-12-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

I tried something new...I bought some mirror spray paint...and I followed the instructions from JoAnnA.. it didn't go so well, It might look better once I solder it... I don't know, I had to try.
Then I've been following Tim Holtz 12 days of Christmas tags. I don't have a lot of his supplies,
but I took my favorite tag and "made it my own". I painted and cut out the snowman, covering him in the crackle. I used glimmer mist on the tag. I wanted you to be able to see all the shine and shimmer.
I hand dyed the ribbon to match...anyway, if you go to his blog, I took his #4 tag
I get so frustrated with Blogger for mixing up the photos and I don't like taking the time to do one at a time...anyone else have that problem?? I was trying to make the snowman look vintage and then the two pieces of glass I "mirrored" but when I put them together...not a great look

Shoes Gone Awry

2011-12-11T17:53:00.000-08:00

Popped into Burlington today....oh my...the shoes, what a mess

I wasn't looking for shoes, thank goodness!

Journal Page Merry and Bright

2011-12-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Merry and Bright. oops, I forgot to paint the base of the snow globe!
I'm linking up to Pink Saturday

Watercolor Book

2011-12-07T20:04:00.000-08:00

Out of one sheet of watercolor paper, no waste, yep, used it all up. The perfect size for me...8 pages 7 1/2 X 5 1/2. I worked on the first page....aaaaah. Love watercolor paper!

I can't wait for Jan. 1 !! and then Feb. ! I'm already signing up for classes!! I love love love taking online classes, its a place where we can share and chit chat and get inspired and meet new friends. The first class is with Alisa Burke...30 days of inspiration! Check it out...great price. In Feb. she has another class too. Then Joanne Sharpe has a class coming up...$35, you cant pass up on the price!! Love her lettering. Check my previous post if you would like to win my tags, I'll pick a winner this evening
Thats all I have for now....

Giveaway Tags 2

2011-12-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

Garage Sale Gal, Deb, you won yesterdays tags I need your address. Here is another set...leave me a message and I'll pick a winner so I can get these sent out.

I'll come back tomorrow with the pages I made out of a big sheet of watercolor paper

Giveaway Tags

2011-12-06T20:32:00.001-08:00

Please leave me a comment, I'll pick a random winner tomorrow eve. This is for all 4 tags.

Journal Page

2011-12-06T08:19:00.001-08:00

This is not watercolor paper, it makes it real hard to move color around, this paper just sucks up the watercolor. Since I know I like this size, I'm going to make my own watercolor paper journal

Pink Saturday Doodle Page

2011-12-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

I played with doodles last night. I'm joining Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

Playing in my Journal

2011-12-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

It all began with this sweet tree that is tipsy after the storm

Here is the end result, my watercolor journal page

After sketching, I added a mask. When that was dry I put on a background wash then sprinkled with salt

Here it is after the rubber was taken off

I'm really enjoying this Strathmore mixed media book,
it takes light washes well, and the size is perfect for doodling

Major wind storm in So. Calif

2011-12-01T18:02:00.000-08:00

No major damage

Just a broken fix that was fixed today

It was a long day, it took the landscapers 8 hours today and they have another full day of cleaning up...and then they say it is suppose to be windy again tonight!!

A Day At Laguna Beach

2011-11-30T19:56:00.000-08:00

How delightful is this little girl playing in the waves

It was 85 on Sunday

I was looking for the unusual to photograph

The view from our favorite place to dine...Rockin Fish

This fountain had a beautiful turtle

Looking through a parking structure was a little treat of flowers

Loved finding this beautiful lantern

Blue umbrellas with the beach beyond

A wonderful sculpture table and chairs

Having Way to much Fun

2011-11-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

I wasn't feeling real great last night, so I crawled into bed early, got my tray out, a little water, a brush, watercolors and tags...I LOVE making these little birdies, you never know quite how they
are going to turn out

I did have to get up to get something...these called for a sprinkle of glitter

I'm going to be listing them on Etsy later today

Cuteness

2011-11-27T08:45:00.000-08:00

Love Lori Vliegen's blog and her class on Letters at Creative Workshop is great. In her blog she shows these birds from watercolor splots, or splats. I wanted to give it a try. So fun!

Etsy Sale !!

2011-11-25T08:59:00.000-08:00

I just marked down my birdies on my Etsy, check it out!
Sale is through the weekend

Wool Birdie Pincushion

2011-11-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

I had a chance today to add a tag and a needle holder to this pincushion

Took a drive up into the mountains. What a beautiful day

Close up of my bird...its made out of wool, it is my own design

I made a small needle holder the cover is raw silk, inside is wool felt

A little coffee stained tag

listed on my Etsy

Our vacant street, the yellow trees are spectacular

Sketchbook~Snowman Watercolor and Charms

2011-11-22T20:42:00.000-08:00

I painted this snowman watercolor. Added lettering learned from Lori Vliegen

Thanks to Hobby Lobby, I picked up some charms, and some new epoxie, these are future Christmas presents

I played around a little more, adding more color then decided to ink it up
I love working in the Strathmore Mixed Media book, 40% off with coupon!!

Pink Birdie Pincushion

2011-11-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Here is one of my little pink wool birdie Pincushion
A sweet pink metal vintage pin is added for a little glitz

I dye the wool myself to come up with just the right color of pink

A vintage spoon holds the lace filled pincushion, A little tag saying a "spoonful of sugar" was added. I'm adding this to my ETSY

Snowman Tag

2011-11-20T21:14:00.000-08:00

A fun little tag, I painted the snowman on a coffee dyed tag
for sale in my ETSY

Mixed Media Painting

2011-11-19T18:15:00.000-08:00

I painted this last year. Its fabrics, texture medium, watercolors, acrylics, vintage lace, old buttons. If you are interested I listed it on Ebay, you can find the link on my sidebar

A Little Snowman Giveaway

2011-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

Its been quite awhile since I've offered a giveaway. Here is a sweet watercolor I did. I will choose a winner on Saturday. Just leave me a comment.

Latest Spoon Ornament

2011-11-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

A little vintage Christmas music,

a monogram on a vintage spoon handle

A sweet pearl/shell vintage button
A touch of lace
All sprinkled with glitter

This is the back. This would make a great add-on to a package for gift giving, or hand on a tree

Hand Painted Spoon Ornaments

2011-11-11T16:21:00.000-08:00

After a two year break, I'm back at it again. Bending, hammering, priming, painting, glittering
I've had a thought...I'm wondering if there is enough interest in this big ol world for a "workshop", videos in the process and painting...I would do it over at Gails "Creative Workshop"

Let me know what you think...

Of course...I'd have to dig out the video camera, get my hair cut (lol) clear enough space on my desk...so much to think about!

I'll be listing these babies on Etsy

Not all Artwork turns out!

2011-11-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

The above is what I started out with...wrong paper, it wouldn't take watercolors at all
So, I am not one to like repeating myself, but I really liked the design
so, out came a watercolor pad.
I'm taking a great class over at Creative Workshop with Lori Vliegen
I didn't follow her instructions very well, but I will on another project

Playing in my Journal

2011-11-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to improve my journal writing, so, visiting blogs, I followed what they did, so I could learn and have a page I could refer to
A little plain but I wanted to incorporate the word with the nest
Pen and ink...first I sketched with a pencil then used a micron pen and a waterbrush with pencils
I got this little book for $3 at Dick Blick, it doesnt take water very well, just having fun. Not working in an expensive book gives great freedom from "messing up"

I picked up a store catalog and thought I'd try drawing the chairs.
Hope you enjoyed a bit of journal fun

What Happened today

2011-11-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

My husband and I decided to go out for breakfast/lunch today. As we were pulling up to the Cheesecake Factory, my husband asked me to go ahead and jump out, he'd go get a parking spot. I'm halfway out of the car when we saw and heard a crunch of a car hitting another, right next to us. She pulled up, stopped, the guy in front of her started yelling, as she is taking off my husband said "she isn't going to just take off is she" yep, there she goes, peeling out (the streets were really wet, in California, that is not a good thing) he yells at me, GET OUT...as he does a u turn to follow her. She was driving so fast, Dean got on the phone to call 911, as he turned the corner he spotter her, then there was a big bellow of smoke. She ran a stop sign and slammed into the side of another car. It was a brand new Mercedes, no plates yet...then he saw a baby in the back seat with blood, he was still on the phone with 911 and said to bring an ambulance. The lady that was driving erratic, pulled back and went around the car trying to take off, but all the airbags had deployed, and there was no front end, it was totally crushed...a new BMW. Dean was able to give a statement. after lunch we drove over (just a block away) to see the cars, the police told us they hauled her off to jail, she also had a baby in the car. So sad, none of this would of happened if she had taken the time to do the right thing and tell the people (in the Lexis ) that she hit their car, there was no damage.
We had a beautiful thunder and lightning storm this evening. What fun!

BEST NEWS EVER!

2011-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

I was visiting a bead shop yesterday and she mentioned in passing that she bought something at Hobby Lobby. I'm thinking she just got back from a trip or something, so I asked her where she went...Rancho Cucamonga...WHAT??! NO, What?? She said "oh yes, they just opened a Hobby Lobby" Guess what I did on my over extended lunch break today! YES, my first trip EVER to a Hobby Lobby, I'm in love, and also a bit broke! Its fabulous, no wonder everyone talks about it.

Just want to let any of you Oregonians know that Oregon wont let them in, but it is real similar to Craft Warehouse, but about 4 times bigger then the one in Salem

Used the 40% coupon. I'll be going back, I didn't make it to the fabrics or the art supplies...I know, I should have headed right there, but I was hyperventilating about then.

Painting Page Part Dux

2011-10-31T09:40:00.000-07:00

I tried One Step Crackle on the above pages. The one on the left I coated the whole thing, the one on the right I just did spots. It didn't work I think the plaster absorbed it.

Watercolors and a micron pen work great on sanded clear gesso

my favorite is scratching and glazing

More abstract scratching

These I waxed, since they are for pages, it went on to thick, as it was cooling, I scrapped as much off as I could then reheated with a heat gun. The one on the left has a bit of vintage lace, I plan to do a rub on transfer, the one in the middle I used a rubber stamp. The one on the right is watercolor, acrylic, scratching and wax.

Painted Pages

2011-10-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

This worked so great, clear gesso on plaster pages then scratched on detal, then paint. my favorite out of everything I tried...now for a brief interruption... cookie goodness....
First I had to share a bite of the BEST cookie EVER. We found a new little shop in Santa Monica.

Dark chocolate caramel cookie, made fresh. So good, if you ever thought paying $3 for a cookie was outrageous... Nope, best $3 I have spent in a long time!

Now on to the painted pages, I wanted to try different mediums on my pages, I'm just going for

backgrounds right now. White Gesso, no good

This is raw plaster, no good, soaked right in

Digital white ground, mixed with the paint instead of water, went on really smooth.

Little metal book

2011-10-27T14:47:00.000-07:00

Still a work in progress...I got the backside soldered...lots of pages

The pages are dry...not sure if I want to color them before I stitch them into a book

This is how thick it will be if I choose to use ALL the pages. I might just finish it with a few pages so I will have a sample finished as a reminder...decisions decisions.

Stephanie Lee's online class

2011-10-26T16:58:00.000-07:00

First I must share last nights beautiful sunset

Our sleeping baby, how he doesn't fall off I'll never understand.

I'm confused, I thought with blogger that the first photo you upload is the last one on the blog, did they change it? Anyway, here is the book cover I made from Stephanie Lee's class. If you haven't taken from her and you have a desire to play with a torch and solder, sign up, she's the best. I made the bezel and filled it up, then a little painting. The pages are drying, cant wait to show you

Last week at the flea Market

2011-10-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful day to go to the Long Beach Flea Market, lots of fun stuff

cute little bottles

Bottles of all colors

What color do you like??? so funny that these are now vintage.

I hid the addresses, but this is what you can do in 2 min. when it is a rush to get it to the postman.
Another lovely weekend coming up, really warm again, in the 90's
Have I mentioned lately how much I'm loving the warmth and sunshine!!

Stress

2011-10-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

I'm not a big fan of stress, it got a hold of me this week. Not good. We fired our maintenance guy, he was angry, it is so scarey this day and age, you never know how people are going to react. We did find one guy out of 200 applicants, we hired him today.

We had a major leak in the pipe under our shower, thankfully after 2 hours it was fixed without to much damage. ugh

Stacey had another job interview, 30 min away, now we wait

Stacey and I went out to dinner when we walked in, there was a sign saying Gorden Ramsey had just done his show Kitchen Nightmares. The place was packed, the decor was great, but, there wasn't any vegetarian dishes. we had a couple of appetizers, cant wait to see it on TV, they said it could be from 3 mo to a year before it is shown.

I need to get some crafting in, its driving me crazy

Journal Page

2011-10-15T16:46:00.000-07:00

I've slowly been working on this, enjoying the progress. How long does one work on a piece before you say DONE. I don't feel like this is done, but I will move on.
Gesso, Golden fluid acrylics, w/c crayons, oil pastel, pen and ink. I worked on this old ledger page then glued it into my journal.

No Job

2011-10-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Quick update...A sigh of relief. Stacey wont be moving to Novato, yes, we are glad, for a lot of reasons. He wants to hire a couple, which is the biggest issue Stacey is having.
She has an interview next Fri. in Garden Grove. Its funny, now that we thought she might be moving 8 hours away...1 hour is nothing..

Beautiful Mountains

2011-10-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

Love going up into the trees, sitting a spell...I need to go back and sit and wait, yep, we are still waiting. No call came in today, not sure what that means.
This is a road that goes up out of Redlands. so beautiful (except for the flat tire we got!)

A Little Stitching and Glue

2011-10-12T09:24:00.000-07:00

I didn't know which picture to show...so I'm showing both, I stitched the watercolor paper onto some scrapbook paper then glued it onto the cardboard
Today is the day...does Stacey get to move to Novato, CA or does she stay here and keep looking for an allusive job I'll let you know as soon as we hear!!. "We are just keeping busy...trip to Ikea for more hangers.

ugggg

2011-10-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

My boss called at 3:00 today...said he had 2 more people that he promised to interview...but he would still like to make it work with TRACY. I have no idea what he's thinking...but TRACY. I told him her name was STACEY, she gave him her resume, that says STACEY. He paid for the plane ticket that said STACEY...so we laugh and hope he gets it right when he hires her...
We're still waiting, he said he would talk to her tomorrow. I hate waiting!!!

Whats in my Sketchbook

2011-10-11T08:30:00.000-07:00

I love fall and painting pumpkins. I also love sketching over it with of bit of ink. Love this sketch pen, noodlers ink...fabulous. Added a bit of splattering.

Staceys Day in San Fransisco

2011-10-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Rainy day in Mill Valley, a trip to Tyler Florence's shop

Love this photo, wheres the water??

She got some great photos from her car window

Love the lines in this photo

She even found a mission

All the sailors were in

She had her job interview, does she have the job???? we wont know for a couple of days.
Does she really want the job? Not really, will she take it, yes. He said he had a couple more people to interview.
If you're new to my blog, my daughter is Stacey, she was flown to San Fransisco to interview for a job as an apartment manager....and we now wait....

Lots and Lots of Furniture

2011-10-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is a piece of fabric that we got downtown LA

Looks great on the purple chair

And the freebie chair has a silver pad

Look at the sparkle...vinyl for the pad

Head board...first Hammered Iron, then sprayed on "mirror" paint

This is my favorite...this Cabinet Stacey picked up at the Flea Market...it turned out beautiful

Shes had this retro shelf for years, its really functional

We found a guy that goes to storage auctions...he knows the guy that does the "Storage Wars"
He had this in his garage, and delivered it to us for free...It got finished today, I'll show it soon

One of the drawers was made with cedar

Here is the bench that will be at the end of her bed, with the sparkly vinyl

Taking Stacey to the airport tomorrow morning...shes off to her interview and to visit the apt. complex she will be managing. Lucky her, just gets to go to Berkeley and San fran and Los Gatos, she'll fly home late Monday night. We've pretty well got her packed up. We still have no idea when she'll make the actual move. We plan to help her drive the uhaul then fly home...

another update

2011-10-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

So busy painting and the emotions, oh my, the emotions. Staceys sweet kitties...I feel they know something is up...they have been so snuggly. The house is going to be so different not having them around. I'm thinking new kitties might be in our future.

Stacey waited and waited all day for a phone call to find out when she was she is suppose to fly off to see where her new home will be, the call never came, then came the doubts...does he really want me for the job?? We took her to dinner in our little town, a lady sitting next to us started talking...

said she was a property manager and need and assistant...what??? She kinda offered Stacey a job about a half an hour away, only thing is, she cant live on site, its for 65 plus. She is also suppose to go on an interview on Fri...when it rains it pours...

I didn't get around to taking pictures today, rent checks all came in today...lots of banking.

We got so much done!

2011-10-03T20:12:00.000-07:00

We worked on Staceys stuff ALL day...this plant stand got another coat of silver

Sorry, its blurry, but this bench got a coat of purple

I cant wait to show you this chair tomorrow. We found it along side the road with a FREE sign

it got a coat of paint and new seat

This was a mission style bench, it got a new coat of black paint
This morning we decided she needed a bunch of fabric, foam, batting....
so...we headed downtown LA what fun. She found a great rug
all the fabric she needed. Foam is so cheap, batting $1 a yard

This is the drawer with great handle

This cabinet is so gorgeous...I'll show the finished product tomorrow

I know this is upside down, we started with hammered iron, then spray a mirror finish. beautiful

Silver and black retro table
Its all getting done!!
One more little cabinet and finish the bed frame
more pictures tomorrow!!

Busy Day

2011-10-02T20:08:00.000-07:00

It was suppose to rain today. We woke up to sunshine and decided to go to the Pasadena Flea Market. Stacey needs a few things that she had gotten rid of when we moved down here. On this list: new bed, end tables, table and chairs, desk, etc. so that is what we were going to look for.

What started out as a leisure day, turned upside down. She found an end table which was clear on the opposite corner of the parking lot...we paid for it, ran to the car, parked in the street, put it in the trunk. We ran next door to a thrift store...found another end table, tossed it in the back seat.

On the way home we saw a "estate sale" sign...went in, found a queen "mission style" bed frame, she came way down on the price, we ran home, took out our end tables, ran back with two cars, put the headboard on the top of our roof, ran home.

We a really good deal on mattresses at Big Lots the night before

Now the fun began...ran to OSH for spray paint, we pulled all the furniture that she had a started painting...I'll have great photos to share tomorrow

Life

2011-10-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Oh the ups and downs of life. Just popping in to say we've been on a little roller coaster ride.

A few days ago my boss, out of the blue, offers Stacey our daughter a job. Shes been on unemployment and it ran out last week. Jobs are sooo hard to get. The only thing...its 8 hours away. way up there, above San Francisco. He is going to fly her up there, meet with her, then send her out to look at the apartment complex she will be running.Its in Novato, neat little town, close to San Fran and Berkeley. What an adventure!!

New Little Birdie

2011-09-28T09:35:00.000-07:00

I just listed my sweet little baby shoe with my birdie sitting on top. I added a vintage lace flower

I added vintage lace to the wing and tail

I just listed this on my ebay

Beverly Hills

2011-09-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the Beverly Hills Farmers Market, it was such a beautiful day. We then went to Rolling Greens, if you are ever in the area, it is a delightful place to visit

Love all the birdhouse on the wall

Great display

Great letter cubes

A little burlap on outside furniture

How about these great books, 5 books for $112

Love their burlap pillows

One of these HUGE books, $125, ouch

bits and pieces of lace

Ribbon and buttons

Wonderful large "bird" plant holders

Nice Rust

I would love to have a cluster of these concrete orbs

B-day Sunset

2011-09-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

Went to Monrovia Farmers Market last evening. The sky was so beautiful, big drops of rain fell, a 7 year old girl held her hands up and announced to the world " It DOES rain in So. California" everyone laughed...then ran for cover...pretty funny. We had my Birthday dinner at a new little restaurant...Delish...had the best asparagus soup

New Header

2011-09-22T16:25:00.001-07:00

I thought I would change my header on my blog, it takes a lot of time to scan and crop pictures, and I still didn't get the size right...I put in 700 w and 192 h, then I went with 665 w, it didn't seem to make a difference...Anybody know what size to put in the black lines?

Little Tiny Mixed Media Journals

2011-09-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to list these little itty books on Etsy

Black Crow and Pumpkin Charms

2011-09-19T14:44:00.000-07:00

I just made a few of these Fall soldered charms. I've listed these two on Etsy. They are l 1/2 square, I drew my own design and used watercolors on 140lb. paper

Thats weird, they did Not show up like I planned. Anyway, there is a crow on one side and a pumpkin on the other...

The top and bottom picture go together and the two middle ones belong together.

Back from Vacation

2011-09-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

We started our trip with a plan...that changed quickly. We decided to just hit the back roads and see where it would take us. We ended up at Lake Tahoe. Isn't it beautiful

In the back country we found this quaint general store

Beautiful sunsets

The entrance to Squaw Valley, the Olympics where held here 1960

Deans favorite fishing spot on the Truckee River

Lake Sabrina out of Bishop...snowing up high

We started out at Lake Isabella

Love me some country cows!
Its good to be back home

Sweet Birdie Pincushion

2011-09-08T15:40:00.000-07:00

It's been over a year since I have put my birdies on Ebay. I'm starting up again, I'll have to start building up my business again, it was going so great, but, I got a bit burned out and then we moved from Oregon to So. Calif. I love it here and there is so many places to go, so much to see and do...I am leaving on vacation next week and I plan to take along some things to work on.

I plan to fill up my etsy and ebay with goodies

If you are new to my blog, my birdies have been featured in the Stampington Mag. that are listed on my sidebar. You can also get to my ebay by clicking on the ebay link.

This is a charming English Staffordshire China creamer
I dyed the wool to match the green in the leaves.
I am linking up at
Romantic Home
Pink Saturday

HOT

2011-09-07T19:38:00.000-07:00

108 is a little to warm for me!!

Fair Day

2011-09-06T19:42:00.000-07:00

Only $1 to get in!! I LOVE taking photos of Ferris wheels, I don't want to go on them!

Do you try the fresh handmade tortillas before or after the ride??

I love love love this shot with the smaller one in the background. The day is so beautiful, and warm. I have such a fun time walking through the (air conditioned) buildings to see what everyone is trying to get you to buy...I could have bought a new bed, a massage chair, a sewing machine that hooks up to your computer...and a knife that costs $150 and.... you get the picture.

New Couch in the House

2011-09-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

love this pillow from Target, I really didn't go so I took it back...but I have plans to paint/make a pillow similar, I like the idea

I showed a friend the swatch of fabric, she said this picture looks darker then what it is

The rug...I just couldn't pay $300 with cats, so I found this one at Lowes, on sale...$69

The dark maroon goes with my husbands leather chair

Stacey painted the walls a soft yellow

We wondered how our cabinet would look once we got the couch in...perfect

French General Craft Day

2011-08-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

First I thought I would share Poodie enjoying the packing that came off our new sofa

Behind the entry door hangs this charming pocket full of goodies

Lots of French ephemera

Cubbies full of French goodness

Walls full of yummy material

More goodies

All the walls are packed with eye candy

In the center of the room they found places to hang ribbons of all colors

And then there are the vintage beads and baubles. Next mo. I want to make a bracelet

This was my work station. Kaari's mom came and sat across from me for a while, just a delightful lady. It's so fun to be playing along side other crafters

Urban Barn

2011-08-23T07:18:00.000-07:00

Met up with a friend at Urban Barn in Escondido, How cute are these pillows

They brought a vintage trailer

Glittered WISH

Anybody know what this is??

Been busy. All of a sudden Stacey is getting a lot of interviews to be a property managing

when its a long way away, I have been known to go along for the ride,

She has another today (close by) and another in San Pedro on Friday

another in Tustin...all over the place.

Went to pick up my new sofa yesterday, which we were told was in

it wasnt, what a waste of time and energy.

Its suppose to be over 100 for the next week

thank goodness for air conditioners

Art for the Day

2011-08-18T09:53:00.000-07:00

I signed up for a swap through the Mary Ann Moss Full tilt boogie class

I have to do 6 signatures of 3 folios...18 pages, both sides.

I have a month to get them sent in, I got busy this morning, started

inking, then some watercolor. I don't like watercolors on card stock, the colors are washed out

I think I'll add some glitz with glitter pens

How sweet is Poodie

A bit of ART everyday

2011-08-17T10:52:00.000-07:00

I have a new goal. A little bit of art everyday. I have such wonderful tools, I need to start putting them to good use. Taking the class from Pam Garrison really kick started my creative juices.

I also signed up for Alisa Burkes fabric painting class. I have always enjoyed fabric painting, it will be fun to do it along with someone.

This little birdie was done with a calligraphy pen, I know the ink bleeds, so I used my Sennelier Oil pastels that I bought last winter. I just smudged it with my finger...I wonder if there is a better way???

Another great weekend

2011-08-15T19:38:00.000-07:00

Had another fun weekend. On Monday Stacey and I went to Venice Beach. I love how she blends in with the graffiti.

I dont know who this gal is, but I wanted to show this face that was put on the wall with spray paint, incredible

We have been wanting to try a crepe, never had one, this was scrambled eggs, avocado and spinach. it wasn't great

Here is a post that was painted

Staceys pointing at the post...its behind the guy

Here we go, this was sundays class with Pam. She was delightful and informative. I didn't do much but listen and learn and take in all the info

I learned so much, there will be more art in my future for sure

Here is the wonderful building we were in, with windows overlooking....

This, Malibu, beautiful

A wonderful day!

Hand Painted Apron

2011-08-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

I was reading the list of things to take to my "Pam Garrison" workshop that I am SOOOOO

excited about...and one thing was a painting apron...I ruin my clothes, I dont wear an apron,

on a previous post I mentioned how many clothes I can go through in a day while crafting...

ummm a painting apron, maybe its its time...I have a JoAnns right down the road, I was think of making one...but that means getting a pattern, getting the fabric, cutting it out...etc, I don't have time for that! In a box they had these aprons for $4.00 I couldn't pass that up... Now when I got home and unfolded it, it looked so BLAH, and...I couldn't show up for a craft day and look like I'd never worn an apron, I'm always a bit envious of the gals that have paint smeared all over their apron (not their clothes, like me) . Whats a girl to do, get out the paint and smear some paint. It was sooo fun, I'm going to add the big aqua buttons (they are just laying there for the photo shoot. At least now, I will feel like I fit in. hahaha

Here is the "in process" cabinet, This is about the only thing I ended up with from my Grandmother. The brown wood just wasn't doing it for me any more, so out with the paint cans

Just wait till you see the finished project, it is gorgeous. Did I mention I'm changing my colors. At the moment we have a navy blue couch...well, I just ordered a dark teal couch...I cant wait to get it. we painting our walls yellow. Pictures will be coming.

This is one of those "hope chest" little boxes. This is what Stacey did to the $1 one she found

See this box that is holding fingernail polish...Stacey made it, all mitered and everything, It has a little trim on the front...she actually made 3 of these...how clever is she!!

Its Friday evening, I'm tuckered out, I think I'll join the kitties, what do you think...

This is Poodie, he LOVE paper, and bags

A blanket underneath would be nice too

I don't show Bug that often, he's kind anti social

but boy can he do a back bend!!

I'll be back on Monday to show you my workshop pages!!

Today in LA

2011-08-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

my photos aren't great, I was using Staceys camera which I'm not use to, but the biggest problem was not getting caught taking pictures by the store owners.

Today was a hoot, Stacey and I downtown Los Angeles today, to the dirtiest, loudest, jam packed full of people part of town. I went looking for a new carpet...

Shoes, glasses,

hand bags...yes, one went home with Stacey

Look at these shoes

What do you think about this look

What team do you like...they had them all

Need a special hat, I think they have it

Skinny jeans...they have them too

We spent hours down there. The fabric district is fabulous,

Store after store of rugs. One that I was thinking about, $200

I walked away and in an instant, he said "You take it for $100"

well, I didn',t but I did realize they dicker
I had one guy go from $100 to $35 on one carpet. too bad I didn't like it.

My feet hurt! But we made some great memories

Sat. Part 2 and Silly Poodie Pictures

2011-08-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

Still don't think I need to invest in the Copics......except...Love the airbrushing!!!
I made this little flower quickly out of air dry clay last night, so I could see how it would
do with the air brushing...LOVE IT. It works soooo great. Did a little bit with a paper doily stencil.
They guy that showed us was soooo bad, didn't really learn anything, .

oops, I turned them around, but they didn't get put on straight. Beautiful outdoor florist

Now for the REAL photos. Beware...you might not want to see what a bad Poodie can do

Yes, he is looking so Innocent...but he's not

SEE! What did I tell you

This door closes off the bedrooms and extra Bathroom...He know just how to open it,

when he does, he goes to Staceys room and MEOWS soooo loud...mind you, this at 5 AM

So my plan was to block it. I put the kittly litter tub, vacumm, he could still get around it

So, I added a blanket on each side, He pulled it, scooted it, snuggled up in it and GOT Thru!!!

I laughed and laughed. Silly little Poodie

2011-08-06T06:08:00.000-07:00

I just visited an etsy shop where she had pages and pages of her artwork. It was quite interesting, all looking a bit the same. she diffentantly has her own "style" It got me to thinking...am I always trying something new because I'm looking for MY OWN STYLE? I dont know...I don't think so. I think I just enjoy the learning process of something new. I am always looking for that "next" new thing to try.
I just picked up Stephanie Lees Plaster Studio book, I chose not to take her online class, her books are so good, I want to try it on my own. I have to many "irons in the fire" this mo. So I'm making a date with myself to give this plaster thing a try. I did buy all the supplies so I'm ready.

One of my husbands best friends dad died yesterday, he was my husbands first boss and they were very close, Dean was able to be with him up to the end. It brought back memories of when his own dad died. Its so hard.

I got a piece of glass cut for the top of my Postcard table, I plan to put some old postcards and letters under the glass, I thought that would be fun. Maybe even a piece of old lace, um, I guess a bit of a collage on a grand scale...now I cant wait to get started on that.lol.

I bought some new creative paperclay to make some more "dolls" Michaels has quit carrying it, so I HAD to go to Dick Blick...which by the way "Dick" is not to be found...I guess its just called Blick. I just love a good art supply store!.

This was part one of my post, I'll be back after my Copic workshop

few more pages

2011-08-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

A doodle watercolor page, I put pink embossing powder on the cage
A tag I made awhile back

A piece of old tape, the grid thing is a bag

The flap on the right opens

Tomorrow I am going to play hookie for a few hours.

One of my favorite art stores is having a 2 hour demo

on the Copic pens and air tool,

I got a certification on Copics a few years ago...but they were new to me

and I didn't want to use them for what they were intended

now things have changed and have moved in new directions

I'm a lot more interested now, I'll let you know how it goes!

Art Journal Book

2011-08-04T08:25:00.000-07:00

I'm also taking a class at Artful Gathering from Nellie Wortman. Fabulous! We learned to paint on

photos. It might be hard to see, but I added shading and highlights, then adding a bit of shabby chic around the edges...so fun

More photos to come...

Class with Christy Meyers

2011-08-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

I'm taking this class from Artful Gathering. I had a few issues, not having the proper supplies, so I did the best I could. I ran out of clay, so poor thing has not arms or legs, then to top it off, Michaels stopped carrying the clay, so I have to order on line. I didn't have the correct sandpaper, so its a bit rough...do I sound like I'm making excuses? hehe. This was a great learning experience!

Oh What Two Girls and a Pood can do

2011-07-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

It started with this table that was given to me, its an Ethan Allen, so I knew it was a good table. But the top was this HEAVY laminate.
I got the wood, an new chop saw and away I went,
chop chop chop

I took the legs off, I wanted the length shorter, so I did some cutting

Yes, I did this all in the dining room

Here's Pood, he's a big helper

A little white, a little yellow, a little blue, then a bit of spray bronze.

now I must say Stacey...did all the painting, it was fun to see what she would do.

(Stacey is my 29 year old daughter, who is such a decorator)

Then...We decided to make the table look like an old postcard. I got the idea from

Graffic Fairy

Stacey took a bowl , wrapped blue table around the lip then took black paint

and put this on the blue tape. Turning it upside down it made a great circle.

Then did the same to make a smaller circle.

Rubber stamps to do the writing in the circle.

A little writing and swirly stamps...sanding them down to make them look old

We had the top all done, not the legs...so we turned it upside down and sprayed the legs

with flat black and then sanded the edges, then she sprayed it with bronze

Here it is in the dining room, we have to work on the chairs tomorrow.

next...a coffee table!
Stacey did such a great job, its just what I wanted...Thank you, Love you!!

Bike basket

2011-07-27T08:32:00.000-07:00

picked up a nice wicker basket with a wire frame, from my local Goodwill, for just a couple of dollars. A little spray paint. Then I sewed up a liner. It all goes together beautifully (hard to tell from this photo)

Flea Market Goodies

2011-07-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

We went to the Torrance Flea market...love it, I've been wanting some papers to cut up and put in my journal books, I've been looking at the prices on ebay and etsy,

So I knew when I had me a good deal. This Full Tilt Boogie class with Mary Ann Moss is fantastic, I just need more old paper

The insides of these books are wonderful. I love the "notery" book

This ledger book is my favorite. No writing, but then the price is right and I want to use

the cover for a new journal

Bridge and Gin Rummy pads

Lots of goodies, not to bad on the pocket book...$15 for everything.

Gotta love a good flea market!!