Ladies and Gentlemen....

My heart beats fast when I spy a % off sign on Target's Dollar Spot items....little trinkets for Easter baskets, stocking stuffers and birthday party favors.  Well, recently, when circus-themed Dollar Spot items were 50% off I knew, then and there, that little Evan would celebrate his 3rd birthday with a circus-theme.  My mind was whirling....face painting!...popcorn!...games!...prizes!....oh my!  To help celebrate, circus-style, I decided to create peek-a-boo photo op boards...

I picked up some foam core board for a dollar!!! at the Dollar Tree, penciled on some fun sketches and dug thru countless kid markers to add color to the designs.  Next step is to cut out the ovals so that the boards are ready for fun party photos!  I have one last board to complete.  I want to do something that two kids/people can peek thru.  Any ideas? 

right or wrong

BEFORE

Something has been bugging me.  A few days ago I posted my new kids art creation- - the tissue paper robots.  I tore the tissue paper versus cutting out the shapes.  This little experiment pushed me a bit.  I like things pretty crisp/defined.  Well, when I posted the image I just wasn't happy with it.  I've been thinking about it since.  So....right or wrong....I went back with a small paintbrush and black paint and decided to outline the robots. 
I'll set it aside to see if it 'speaks' to me again....hopefully it will whisper "I'm done"...   :)

AFTER

Bless all who enter

One of my wooden bowls has found a home in our living room.  The deep red rim and shades of green fit perfectly in the space.

Christmas in July?!

The weather here has been terribly hot and humid.  This morning I bolted outside before it got too bad so that I could matte spray some recent paintings.  I'm all out of boards, so I'll be shifting to canvas and a fun old window screen.  I need to focus on some 'everyday'-themed creations as well as winter.  It feels like 100+ degrees here and I've gotta think snowmen.  Maybe I should put up a Christmas tree in my studio and dig out the holiday music....hmmmmm..... 

Take me to your leader...

Just taking a moment to create some kids art.  This has a painted background, tissue paper robots and smudged charcoal pencil detailing.

It was nice to take a break from painting pumpkins and owls, but I gotta get back to creating for fall....it'll be here in a blink of an eye.

I'll have photos of some new fall pieces to share asap.

SAY CHEESE!

To help make my niece's 30th birthday a real humdinger, I drew up a few peekaboo photo op poster boards.  Here's one of the three that I created....

It was fun having guests place their face in the cut out oval for a photo. 

I am already looking forward to creating some with a circus-theme for my son's birthday party this fall- -I think on foam core this time.

Too fun.

Lovin' my new bakers rack that I snagged at a garage sale for $2!!!  It's perfect for drying small painted plaques, plates, etc.

There's a spark of excitement in the studio!

I can feel it.

Incorporating tissue paper and charcoal pencil into my designs is helping me stretch myself and my work.

I'm excited about creating.  

In fact, I'm all out of surfaces to paint on.  That's a sure sign that I'm in the groove.

('Gotta get into the garage to sand drawer fronts so that I can keep painting.)  

I guess it's true what they say- -that creativity has peaks and valleys and you just have to ride the ride.

birthday banners

They're finished!!!  As mentioned, I've been working on a few large wood pieces that combine paint with tissue paper.  They are perfectly sized for the front door - 24"H. x 13"W.
Decorating the front door in preparation for a holiday, season or any celebration has become a tradition for my family. The kids love creating something special for all visitors to see. This is where I took inspiration for these pieces. My hope is that both cupcake creations find a loving family that display them on the front door of their home to celebrate a child's birthday- -year after year.

I started out basecoating the boards with fun colors- - adding some varying shades for visual interest.  Then, I grabbed the pile of funky tissue paper and my scissors and cut out the entire design.  Once happy with the placement, I adhered the tissue to the board.

For the finishing touch, I used my charcoal pencil to outline certain design elements.  The charcoal got a good smudge using my fingertips.  (I have to push myself to relax and let the charcoal smudge.  It's a bit freeing...and nerve-wracking...all at the same time.)  The verbiage was added using stamps and black paint.  Lastly, I sprayed the entire piece with a matte spray to set the charcoal and protect the piece.  Note:  These tissue paper paintings are hung by heavy black wire- -coiled in the front.

Happy 4th!

Super simple and fun for the 4th....dip strawberries in melted white baking chips then in blue sugar!

lots going on in the studio

Currently my studio looks CrAzY and scattered....er...shall I say....I've been multi-tasking.

One table has an explosion of bright and patterned tissue papers.  It's a mess....but soooo fun!  There are two large wood birthday door pieces in the works here.  They are a combination of paint, tissue and charcoal.  I'll post images once they're finished.  Have I mentioned that I am so excited to work with tissue paper lately that I can hardly contain myself?!  These birthday items will head to Prairie Hearth asap.

I've just completed some fall pieces that will soon be wrapped up and tucked away until upcoming fall shows.  Seems out of sorts to be painting pumpkins when it was 100 degrees yesterday, but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do in order to have a large offering for quickly approaching September/October gatherings.  Again, I'm having fun adding tissue elements to my paintings- - as shown here.

Lastly, the largest table in my studio is currently holding stacks of plates paired up with little thumbnails sketches.  These will become my next collection for The Hearthside Collection that I will submit late November.  I've been working on basecoating these. 

Gotta just keep pluggin' along.