Watercolor Landscapes

Well, I'm back to blogging after taking a nice little break for Christmas.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

I was going to share the most recent birdhouse gourd I painted for someone for Christmas, but I didn't finish it until Christmas Eve and forgot to take pictures before I gave it away- sigh.  This gourd was the hardest one to paint.  It was a prairie scene with a windmill and trees.  I had such a hard time getting it done, but I finished it and was happy... until the person it was being given to decided not to join us for Christmas.  That was disappointing.  So the gourd was left there and I still don't know if it is liked or appreciated so I think I'm taking a break from gourd painting for a while.

So... onto happier things..... watercolor landscapes! These three scenes I painted years ago: two while I was in college and the other while my husband was still in college.  I have all three hanging up in my bedroom and they never cease to bring me joy :)

Grey Crochet Earmwarmer

So, I ran across a couple more free patterns for crochet ear-warmers and of course, I HAD to try one out! These patterns are much cuter than the one I came up with a few months ago.  Nothing can beat the shell stitch with crochet- it's my favorite :)

I actually used two separate patterns to create this ear-warmer.  The pattern for the headband came from tangledhappy.com. Sadly, the site is no longer running so I can't link to the original pattern I used.  You can check out the Ripple Shell Ear Warmer Pattern on Ravelry for something that is similar.

The pattern for the flower comes from Melody Maria Fulone on Ravelry.  Check out her Cozy Flowered Headband.  I haven't tried out the headband part yet, but the flower pattern is awesome!

And since I won't be posting again until next week, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

A Look at my Sketchbook

I'm still struggling to get those birdhouse gourds painted for Christmas, even though I only have a few days left to do it- yikes!   So for now, I'm leaving you with a sketch from last summer.  I was sitting on a beach in San Diego at sunset and it was heavenly.  I can't wait to go back someday!

Holiday Pine Cone Garland Tutorial

I love pine cones!  They are beautiful, free (if you live any where near pine trees) and are great for decorating.  Here's one idea I came up with to put pine cones to use for the holidays.

Pine Cone Garland Tutorial

Materials:
Pine Cones, washed and dried
String
Ribbon
Spray Paint
Push Pins

Step 1:  Cut a long piece of string and wrap one end around a pine cone.  Tie it off leaving a little tail at the end.

 Step 2:  Continue wrapping pine cones down the length of the string leaving even spaces in between. Tie a knot around each pine cone to hold them in place.  When you get to the last pine cone, leave another little tail at the end.

Step 3:   Grab your paint and beautify your pine cones. I used some gold metallic spray and it looks ama-zing on pine cones!

Step 4: Cut small strips of ribbon and tie them in bows or knots in between each pine cone on your garland.

Step 5: Hang your garland on your walls, hearth, or wherever you like.  I tied little knots at each of the ends and stuck them with push pins to hang on the wall.

Happy decorating and Happy Holidays!

Pink flowers make me happy

This painting makes me happy! Well, pretty much all flowers make me happy, but I'm even happier when I can capture one in a painting.  Especially since flowers are kind of scarce this time of year.

You can also check it out at my Etsy Shop.... yep, it's for sale!

When I see fruit

 When I see fruit... my first thought is not to eat it (although I love fruit).  My first thought is to paint it!

Call me weird, but I actually pick through the pears at the grocery store to find the ones with the best shapes and colors.  And then once I get them home, I don't want to eat them right away.  I've had many pears go almost rotten because I didn't want to eat them until I had painted them.  I guess I'm hopeless.  I think about painting stuff A LOT.  It's my passion!

So enjoy more delicious fruit paintings by me :)

 

My first attempt at painting an orange in watercolor....

And yet another pear... I think I've painted at least 10 of these now.

Painted Birdhouse Gourds

I've been working on a few gifts for family.... painted birdhouse gourds! 

I painted some with my family earlier this fall (check them out here), but this time I got my husband to drill holes in them so that they can be used for actual birdhouses. 

With a little acrylic paint and a final coat of polyurethane, I think they turned out quite nicely :)