'Brushed By An Angel

Christmas Spirit ...

2011-12-23T14:51:00.000-06:00

It seems when the holidays come along, I find all kinds of reasons to clean and reminisce. As I was going through my photo albums, I found a book stored along with the albums that I really love. It's title is "Leaves of Gold". I purchased it years ago while thrifting and since I love books, especially ones with poems or quotes, I pulled it out of its hiding place and started reading. I found a sweet verse called "Christmas Spirit" by E.C. Baird. Now, I do not know E.C. Baird but I love what he wrote and wanted to share it with you today.

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT - I am the Christmas spirit!
I enter the home of poverty, causing pale faced children to open their eyes wide, in pleased wonder.
I cause the miser's clutched hand to relax, and thus paint a bright spot on his soul.
I cause the aged to renew their youth and to laugh in the old, glad way.
I keep romance alive in the heart of childhood, and brighten sleep with dreams woven in magic.
I cause eager fee to climb dark stairways with filled baskets, leaving behind hearts amazed at the goodness of the world.
I cause the prodigal to pause a moment on his wild, wasteful way, and send to anxious love some little token that releases glad tears - tears which wash away the hard lines of sorrow.
I enter dark prison cells, reminding scarred manhood of what might have been, and pointing forward to good days yet to be.
I come softly into the still, white home of pain, and lips that are too weak to speak, just tremble in silent, eloquent gratitude.
In a thousand ways I cause the weary world to look up into the face of God, and for a little moment forget the things that are small and wretched.
I am the Christmas Spirit!!

Isn't that beautiful? Christmas - probably the only word in the English language that can immediately bring a smile to the face no matter the age. The excitement that stirs in every soul - not for anticipated gifts but for the presence of loved ones, the memories of those who have passed, and for the love that both have brought to our lives.

I wish each of you peace in your heart this Christmas season. And much love and happiness in the coming new year.

I wish you Peace, Joy, and Hope...

2011-12-10T17:30:00.000-06:00

I wish you Peace, Joy and Hope this Christmas season. Painting ornaments has been my major task these past few months. But as Christmas draws nearer I slow down my painting so I can do my holiday shopping for my children and grandchildren. Mind you, I shop throughout the year but for the high ticket items I wait until I know for sure they really want it. Here are three of my favorite, Peace, Joy, and Hope- wish I could have found one that said Love but I was lucky to be able to purchase these when I did. Many of the stores are completely out by now. Each one is painted in a soft sage green with pink roses - one of these days I will start to add holly leaves to my roses - I just never liked painting them!!

I hope you will join us at How Sweet the Sound Pink Saturday.

How Did It Get So Late ....

2011-12-02T10:09:00.000-06:00

“How did it get so late so soon?

It's night before it's afternoon.

December is here before it's June.

My goodness how the time has flewn.

How did it get so late so soon?”

I love Dr. Seuss and this is one of my favorite quotes from him - doesn't it just fit for this time of the year. I am hosting our annual Christmas party for my painting friends tomorrow and it seems like it was just a few months ago that we were together for the same thing!!

Now for the little fellow under the tree - no he is not for real but it has confused some of my visitors who think one of the grandchildren feel asleep peeking through the gifts.

Happy shopping, y'all.

Decorating the Christmas Tree is finished and I am POOPED!!

2011-12-01T14:01:00.000-06:00

Like so many of you I am in the process of decorating the house for Christmas. There is still so much to do but I was fortunate enough to have my grand daughter, Megan, over yesterday to help out. She had a perfect place for every ornament - most being on the bottom branch. But that is the joy of Christmas when you can see it through the eyes of little ones. I am only moving a few of the "glassables", as she calls them, to the top of the tree. But the tree will stay the way she decorated it - and we will love the way it looks knowing she did it with love. Wish I had half that energy! Off to do a little more decorating - am looking forward to seeing everyones decorations over the next few weeks. By the way, I love my little Charlie Brown tree which was a present from my sister, Debbie. The family thinks I have WAY too much Christmas decoration and thought this would simplify it a bit. Too funny!!

Congratulations - Diane at LavenderDreamsToo

2011-11-21T04:40:00.000-06:00

I have been super busy this past week with preparations for a show but I did take time to draw a winner for the three little snowmen ornaments. It was:

November 8, 2011 12:20 PM

~Lavender Dreamer~ said...

How precious! I love pink, too! I'm a new follower now...#100! Congrats on lots of happy followers! ♥

Congratulations, Diane. I will start painting your ornaments today and have them out to you by the end of the week. And there will be a little something extra since you were my 100th follower.

For Thanksgiving this year I am sharing with you one of my favorite artist's, Frances Brundage, Thanksgiving Greeting Post Card. I am not sure who is more scared on that post card - the turkey or the little boy!! I hope y'all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, full of family, friends, love, and laughter - and a little turkey always completes the day!!

Exercise is a "dirty" word....

2011-11-20T18:28:00.000-06:00

Just thought this would make you feel better.

Don't let Granny make the pies!!

2011-11-16T09:32:00.001-06:00

I couldn't resist - this is so cute!!

2011-11-14T23:16:00.000-06:00

I am 39 and holding - that's my story...

2011-11-11T22:12:00.000-06:00

Ok, I am not really thirty-nine but that is what I have been telling my grandchildren for 10 years!! They are not sure of my real age and I think we will keep it a secret as long as possible. I know that they will find out one day but by then maybe they will just pretend that I am still 39 for this old lady's sake. When they ask why I am younger than their parents I simply tell them the good lord said I didn't have to get any older once I became a grandmother (that was almost twelve years ago and I was 50 at the time!!). I even told them I had a certificate that said the same thing - but they are all computer savvy and said I could have printed it up myself! When did kids get so smart at such a young age?? I am glad I still have sweet little Megan (five years old) who still believes everything I say.

Christmas - it get's earlier every year.

2011-11-11T07:30:00.001-06:00

The other night I told my husband as I laid in bed watching TV that I saw my first Christmas commercial from the big hardware store - and it was only the first of November!! (He didn't answer since it only takes him two minutes to fall asleep when he hits the bed - takes me an hour!!) Actually, I don't mind the Christmas commercials and advertising in the stores being out so early. I love the excitement and the feelings you get when it is time to start preparing. We have always felt that Thanksgiving is the beginning of a month long Christmas celebration by first giving thanks for the many blessings that have been bestowed upon us. Then by making home made gifts for our family and friends, shopping a little, and planning Santas visit to our home at our family only Christmas Eve dinner. I am so glad that there is a lot of time in between to enjoy the anticipation - especially when there are little ones around.

Now, as you know I love to teach painting every chance I get. This week I taught this sweet Santa to a group of my painting club friends. You never know what they will show up with to paint on - small round wood salad bowls, a triangle shaped wood purse - as for me I painted mine on a 13" silver tray. I love silver but I do not like cleaning it so once it has reached a point of no return - on with the paint. Haven't decided what I will do with it yet - perhaps I will display it on a small tripod or maybe I will list it in my shop. I really do not need another Christmas platter or decoration - my husband had a storage building built just to hold the decorations!! But you can never have too many when there are grandchildren around - they have always wanted to "take this home with me" every year so I must have more!! So, I am off to Old Tyme Pottery this morning even though it is freezing outside (it was suppose to get down to 38 degrees last night but thank goodness it will be back up to 78 degrees by Tuesday). Just can't stand the cold!

I know this is really not pink but I was running out of things to write about. It does have a pink rose, hope that counts. Check out Pink Saturday at Ms. Beverly's.

I am having a Christmas giveaway...3 little snowmen

2011-11-06T12:10:00.002-06:00

If you have been following me you know I love pink - but I also love blue, lavender, browns, reds - almost any color - but my least favorite is orange - I only like it in the fall. At any rate, I am having a Pink Christmas giveaway - but wait - if pink isn't your color I will custom paint the ornament in your choice of colors. You have several chances to win and are not complicated at all.

Rules are:

1. If you are not already a follower become one and you have one chance of winning.

2. If you post this on your blog you get another chance of winning.

3. And for my followers, I so appreciate you that I am giving you two chances of winning.

That's it - easy-peasy!! I will host another giveaway in a few weeks so stay tuned. I will be busy painting and sewing up until the week before Christmas - I do need a few days to shop!

I forgot to tell you the date of the drawing will be 15 November. OOPS, I forgot to tell you that the giveaway is for a set of three ornaments as you see on the left.!!

Snow??? Not!

2011-10-30T02:40:00.000-05:00

I spoke with my sister in Pennsylvania and she told me it was snowing on her mountain!! I can't even imagine snow anytime of the year - but it seems to be a bit early for the good folks in Pennsylvania. I am sure it is a beauty to look at especially when it is covering the ground. So, for her, I am sending pictures of her home state - Florida. I want her to remember what it is like here - this isn't snow even though it is the same color - it is the beautiful sands of Pensacola Beach after the storm washed ashore and covered the roads. When we drove down Fort Pickens Road the mounds of sand made me wonder if this is what it looks like when the snow is shoveled to the side of the road. So, for you Barbara, Florida beckons - if it gets too bad up there in the mountains - head for home. We might be able to give you the look without the cold and wet!!

Happy Pink "Christmas Ornament" Saturday

2011-10-28T12:03:00.002-05:00

I simply love painting ornaments! But I find it much more interesting to paint on items you would not normally think of as an ornament. As most decorative painters do, I have painted many spoon ornaments and lightbulbs. Items you can find in most any home - and it is a great way to recycle. These are a few of the spoons I painted this year. They are painted in the soft blues and pinks that are so popular but I do have some painted in the traditional colors. Santas, snowmen, beach scenes, country scenes and of course, the popular roses and daisies. By the end of the holidays I rarely have any left between my ETSY shop and the art show I do each year - and the special orders I still receive from my customers who frequented my brick and mortar store many years ago. I feel honored that they look forward to their special ornaments each year. I am joining Ms. Beverly at How Sweet the Sound later today for this week's Pink Saturday. Come on over and check out what all the other participants are posting.

2011-10-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I have never been much of a fall person - and I never knew there were white pumpkins. But last year I had a request to paint roses on a pumpkin. At first I thought - pink roses on an orange pumpkin?? No, not on the orange ones, but on the white ones. So I went shopping for a white pumpkin and they actually had them in the stores!! Since I will paint on most anything, this was not a new challenge. I picked up several white pumpkins - you never know when you will need more, right? Well, I have finished painting the last of my stash of pumpkins and this is the only one left. She turned out nice, I think. I topped her in a gathered pink lace with pink ribbon, a couple of white feathers, and a few strands of pearls - then topped that with several white paper roses. I have added her to my ETSY shop but I won't be too disappointed if she doesn't sell. She will be pretty on my table until time to decorate for Christmas - heck, I might even include her in the Christmas decorations as well.

Did you see the notice at the top of my page? Only 62 days left til Christmas!! That isn't enough time for me to get everything done - but I am ahead of the game in some ways. I shop throughout the year for presents for my children, the trick is trying to keep them from finding them - and for me to find them when it is time to put them under the tree. I have been known to hide them so well we don't find them until the next year.

My daughter loves to shop in my house - she will go from room to room and look for things to decorate her home. I don't mind since I have too much stuff anyway. She has deleted everything from my guest bath - including the soap (she liked the color), she found a small table, curtains, and paintings for her place. Last night as she was shopping she found a drawer of stocking stuffers I had purchased in New York this past summer. With some really fast maneuvering, I managed to get the drawer shut before she emptied it - she managed only to get a book mark out. Now I am off to find a new hiding place for everything in that drawer. I suppose I should just place everything in one of those Rubbermaid containers but that would make it too easy so I am thinking under the bed - no one ever looks under there!!

Save the tatas---

2011-10-07T15:09:00.001-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday, yall. My older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer about ten years ago. After months of chemo and radiation she is now cancer free. In honor of her and the struggles she went through with this disease - and because she is a very funny person and can appreciate my humor, this ornament is for her. Stop by How Sweet the Sound and see what other lovelies the ladies have come up with.

(Sorry about the second post, I had to come back and add the photo)

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-10-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

Less than 12 weeks before Christmas - Can you believe it?? Maybe it's my age but time seems to fly by - my body says I am getting older faster but in my mind I still feel and think young. Oh, well, it is what it is. I have been very busy lately with grandchildren and painting Christmas ornaments for my ETSY shop - which has the same name as my blog. I have been painting for more than thirty years and have accumulated a lot of stuff. Now I find I want to destash my little "studio" and clear out some of my clutter - besides, my children's biggest fear is that I will leave all of that "stuff", as they so lovingly call it, to them. While going through some of the cabinets this weekend I found a box of ribbon I had forgotten about. So in my attempt to declutter I made these ribbon pinecone ornaments with the ribbon I found. And of course I gravitate to the ribbon with pink circles. This was my first attempt to making this ornament and I wasn't sure how to do it. I have one given to me by a friend but I didn't want to take it apart so I just looked it over really good and went from there. I think it turned out nice so while watching Dancing with the Stars tonight I will make a few more.

Ever come up with an idea and then say to yourself "What was I thinking?" I found a box of vintage ornaments that were given to my daughter by her mother-in-law. They are hand blown in Poland and very fragile. While trying to paint on one I held it too tightly and it shattered in my hand so I decided to try something simpler - a bow and a rose. Then I thought it looked too plain so I added the little snow pellets - but still needed something more so I hung a "snow drop" inside the ornament. I stood back and admired my little creation. Then my sweet angel, Sofie Rose, who sits on my right shoulder, said to me "Sugar, that turned out nice!" Then I have the other angel that sits on my left shoulder, Suzanna Jane (named after my fictional sister) - you know the one - the one that tells it like it is. She said "Girl, what were you thinking!! Who would hang a snow drop made of glass inside a very fragile glass ornament?" And she was right - one whack against that glass and the ornament is a goner!! I just love those little angels. Although it would have been nice to hear from them before I put that glass snow drop in every one of those fragile glass ornaments.

I will be linking up with How Sweet the Sound's Pink Saturday this week, I am just a little early in my postings. Stop by and see what other goodies everyone is posting.

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-09-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

In many places the weather has turned cooler and the leaves are falling - all the showings of a beautiful fall. But I live in Florida and we usually don't have a fall or really cold weather (when it gets down to the 40's) until January and then it is usually only cold to us for two months. This week has been much cooler than normal and it has me wanting to paint for Christmas. I always save my lightbulbs even though I don't use the typical incandescent type much anymore. And I love pink so I painted this lovely trio in pink with a iridescent top coat. I free hand the faces so even though they are so similar, no two are identical. These are one my most favorite ornaments to paint each year. I sell most of the ones I paint but on occasion I find my husband sneaking one off to give a golfing buddy for his wife. I don't mind because I know they will love it - and what a sweet thing to bring home to the wife after a hard day golfing!!

I also paint snowmen every year and this year I added several new colors to the line up. This one is painted on a white crystallized background ornament. And of course, I added a pink rose head band. I love doing these cute faces - now I just need to do a few for myself. Every year I paint a few for my tree but what better gift to give a visitor than an ornament off your tree and these are the ones they usually choose.

I am off to my studio - I have so much to do and only a few more months to get it all done!!

Thanks to Ms. Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday, go on over and check out all the other pink pretties - you are going to love it.

I am one proud American.....

2011-09-11T10:08:00.000-05:00

Like so many Americans, I was at work when we were attacked. We had just started a Training Conference in my building aboard Naval Air Station. We always kept the lounge TV on the news chanel and as I headed back to my office I heard the news of the first tower being hit. By the time I got to my office, my phone was ringing and we were told the base was on high alert. I turned on the tv in my office and we gathered around to watch the horror - all the time being in shock and tears flowing down our cheeks - the fear must have been tremendous for those poor souls. Being on a Naval Base during this time was different than any other time in my twenty eight years of work there. We got word that our Commanding Officer ordered all non-essential civilians to evacuate the base immediately. Being that I was the Director at our conference center meant I had to stay - I didn't have a choice anyway because my vehicle was being serviced that day and I had to have my hubby come to get me - however, even though he is a retired Navy Chief, he was not allowed on base. It was a long, sad day - compounded by the fact that my employees were gone (I had several Federal prisoners working for me and one was a Muslim from Palestine who was scared to death) and I was by myself most of the day. I sat glued to the tv - Once I was able to get home we stayed up most of the night - I am very emotional and when I see someone crying, I cry too. We lit one of our large candles and did what many of our neighbors did - we put it outside in our yard for the world to see.

We could not comprehend what had happened - how was this possible? How could someone come into our country, train as a pilot then turn around and use that knowledge against us? What was it about American they so dispised? Was it our generousity, our patriotism, our love for fellow human beings? What have we done to deserve this? Are we not the first ones to respond when another country needs help? I don't think we will ever have an answer - how can you know what goes on in the minds of sadistic terrorists? But what I do know is that as Americans we will go being the wonderful, generous and sometimes forgiving people we have always been.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Don't you just love a happy ending??

2011-09-09T22:27:00.001-05:00

On the first day, she sadly packed her belongings into boxes, crates and suitcases. On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things. On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful dining-room table, by candle-light; she put on some soft background music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar, and a bottle of spring-water.

When she'd finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow centre of the curtain rods. She then cleaned up the kitchen and left. On the fourth day, the husband came back with his new girlfriend, and at first all was bliss. Then, slowly, the house began to smell. They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place. Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned. Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to set off gas canisters, during which time the two had to move out for a few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool carpeting. Nothing worked!

People stopped coming over to visit. Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.. Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and decided they had to move, but a month later - even though they'd cut their price in half - they couldn't find a buyer for such a stinky house. Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return their calls.

Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.. Then the ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her divorce settlement in exchange for having the house. Knowing she could have no idea how bad the smell really was, He agreed on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house had been worth ... But only if she would sign the papers that very day.

She agreed, and within two hours his lawyers delivered the completed paperwork. A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched the moving company pack everything to take to their new home ....... ... And to spite the ex-wife, they even took the curtain rods!

I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?

I love weddings!!

2011-09-05T18:59:00.000-05:00

Last month my great nephew married his true love, Rebecca, in New York. I was fortunate to be able to attend. The wedding was beautiful - from the bridesmaid's blue dresses to Rebecca's beautiful lace gown. And my nephew look quite handsome in his tux. One of the traditions at the weddings I have attended up north is the giving of a monetary gift in an envelope - vice the giving of a wrapped gift. Pretty good, huh? Here in the south we give gifts more often than money but I like this idea. My talented nephew (the groom's father) built this beautiful box to hold the envelopes during the wedding. This box is approximately 18" wide. I promised to paint it for them and I am so pleased with the way it turned out. Now that the wedding is over they will be able to use the box in their home to store keepsakes. Such a nice tradition, wish my children had one when they married. Now, all I need are a few photos of the wedding - that will come in a later post.

Hope all of you in the path of the past two storms have made it through without damages. We are still experiencing the wrath of TS Lee - it is so windy and it rains off and on. The good news is we needed the rain and the wind has cooled down the 100 degree temps. Tonight it will be around 61 degrees - record lows for us. So I am off to get my blankie - I love it when it is cool at night!

Flying Saucers ......

2011-08-10T16:14:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen a flying saucer? We have on many occasions. Actually, it is a rental house on Pensacola Beach in the Florida panhandle. Someone had it built many years ago - someone with a different sense of humor I would say. It has been featured in many magazines and seems to be a fully functioning house. It sits on top of a small concrete house and has its own ramp leading to the front door. I was born and raised in Pensacola and even though that house has been there "forever" I have never been inside. The owners have an alien sillouette in the window and there are always tourists stopping by to take pictures. I can only imagine the view of the Gulf of Mexico from the windows - it must be beautiful. I think it would be great fun to take a tour - if I do I will be back with more photos.

Where has all the time gone????

2011-08-03T10:29:00.000-05:00

Why is it there never seems to be enough time - so much to do but not enough time in the day to do it?? And why won't this weather cooperate so I can get outside and do a little painting? I shouldn't complain because I know the people in the Mid West are suffering so much from the heat and ours has been relatively normal - high 90's. But the humidity makes is a bit miserable. We can always head off to our beach which is only twenty minutes away - but I haven't been in a bathing suit in quite some time - oh, well, I will just give you a picture of our lovely white sands and think cool.

Ultimate Dog Tease

2011-07-30T09:02:00.000-05:00

Pinking in Pennsylvania

2011-07-29T17:21:00.001-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday, yall!! I recently visited my sister in the mountains of Pennsylvania. As always, I was on the lookout for PINK. I was first facinated with the little churches and the beautiful scenery when as we drove through one of the quaint little towns I saw this beauty. Not wanting to get out of the truck to take pictures (my brother's truck does not have a running board so getting in and out was difficult) I found a really nice construction worker who was happy to oblige - of course, being the old ladies that we are - we flirted a bit with all of the guys (my brother-in-law didn't mind at all) and I was able to get these few shots. It makes me wonder who lives there and who decided to paint the house pink - isn't she a beauty??

Everyday of my visit we were out shopping and visiting the sites. From Sally Alley to Goodwill to the Antique Shop and even to the Flea Market. The Flea Market was the best - I found the sweetest little pink tricycle and thought it would look perfect in my back yard in our soon to be flower bed. But it looked old, possibly vintage and I knew the price would be too high but my sister, Barbara, insisted I ask anyway - guess what, it was only $5.00!! Can you believe it - SCORE, as my grandchildren would say. I drugged it back to the truck being stopped once by a lady asking if I wanted to sell it - No, Way, I say. Then an older gentleman stopped me and said he thought it was from the 1930's - well, if that is the case, maybe I shouldn't put it outside. But who knows, it might be a reproduction - and it doesn't matter, it is pink and even has a fender skirt over the big wheel (does anyone remember cars with fender skirts?) She still needs a good cleaning but she is a cutey!!

As I said we shopped a lot and the Antique Stores there have such great things - one of the things I love to find when we visit are baby spoons. I found these sweet silverplated spoons and decided to paint a few little rosebuds on them and with a pretty pink ribbon they will be perfect on the Christmas tree this year. Since I have more than I can ever use, I will offer a few in my shop here.

Not only did we shop all my favorite places but we also went to Victoria Secrets with my niece. To my surprise VS has a pink shop - it must be a very popular color this year. Even though I could never wear these little outfits - I still think they are cute and of course, they are pink. My favorite find in the store was the Pink Polka Dot Chair (it needs a good cleaning but I like the idea).

This was a great trip, my nephew received his Doctor of Physical Therapy Degree one week and the next he was married in a beautiful ceremony at an old Victorian Plantation type home in New York. Of course, the bride was beautiful and the centerpieces would have made any tea drinker happy - sunflowers in antique teapots surrounded by an assortment of flowers in antique tins. There was a lot to take in during the short two weeks, now just a little rest and I will be ready to go again.

Happy Pink Saturday, and please visit Ms. Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see what all the other Pinkies have to offer this week.

Happy Birthday to Mr. C...

2011-07-27T19:05:00.001-05:00

Today is my hubby's birthday. He is the nicest man you could ever meet and some say I am spoiled because he does so much for me. Well, they are right. He is a fantastic cook, he takes care of the lawn and the cars, he does his own laundry and he vacuums. He helps me color my hair and he doesn't mind squirting on that awful smelling lotion when I decide I am going to put some curls in my hair. He even pulled the hair through the cap when I did my own frosting (but I never let him near the scissors!!) He is good!! And for him I am uploading one of his favorite songs by Carrie Underwood. Enjoy!!

"I was drugged"....

2011-06-26T23:40:00.000-05:00

I received this in my email some time ago and thought I would share it with you. I am sure some of you have received the same email but in case you didn't, it is a nice read. I love the sentiment -

"The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in an old

farmhouse, and he asked me a rhetorical question, ''Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I

were growing up?''

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young: I was drug to church on Sunday morning. I was drug to

church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather. I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.

I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card,

did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flower beds and pick bales out of dad's fields.

I was drug to the homes of family, friends, and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood; and, if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, and think. They are

stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today's children had this kind of drug problem, this

country of ours would be a better place.

God bless the parents who drugged us."

We have a Winner!!!

2011-06-25T17:29:00.000-05:00

When I asked my hubby to help pull a name for my giveaway he was so happy to oblige. He made such a big production of shaking up the bag of names, moving his hand around and around - then he pulled one out and said - "The official winner is Marie". I told him thanks for doing such a good job and took the winner's comments and headed back to the computer to post the winner's name. Marie - I don't remember a Marie on the list - I looked at the comment but I can't see without my reading glasses - so off I go to get my glasses. Then I saw it - the winner was Mari of A Pocket Full of Roses. Congratulations, Mari, I am so happy that you will be receiving my little giveaway. Mari is the sweetest blogging friend. Email me Mari so I can get your address and I will be packing it up and mailing it off Monday before I go on vacation.

Thank you to all of you for participating. I wish I could have given something to each of you. And since it was so much fun, I am planning my Blogaversary giveaway already and anticipate doing something a little bit different with my blog later this year. As you can see I love to paint but what I have not shown is my furniture transformations. I recently purchased a new paint sprayer which will make the painting faster and once I get the hang of it I will be posting my before and after pics. Also expect to see a few tutorials within the next coming weeks!! Have a great weekend!

One more thing to add to my giveaway....

2011-06-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

Today I am adding a strawberry sachet. The fabric has tiny little pink hearts scattered around and the top is white lace with pink around the edges. Pink and off white flowers and pink ribbon with white angel feathers, a bit of tiny pearls adorn the top of the sachet and a tiny little heart that says "Made with love" is attached. It is fragranced with "Lavender and Vanilla Lace". It smells delicious - perfect in the car, in the closet or hanging from your bedroom lamp.

The rules are simple, become a follower and then come back here and post a comment. If you are already a follower you only need to comment. I will have one more small thing to add tomorrw.

See you then,

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T12:37:00.000-05:00

My mother and father had eleven children and I am right in the middle of them all. Nine girls and two boys!! Unfortunately, he did not live to see them as adults. I was eighteen when he died at the early age of only fifty-seven so I felt I never got to know him. I have memories though, of him taking us fishing, we played in the water catching crabs (I wonder why I had no fear of crabs then but am scared to death to pick one up now??). I remember the Easter egg hunts where he would forget where he hid the eggs and had to help us find them. And I remember he called all the girls "Tootsie" when they were babies. I think it was easier than trying to remember everybody's name! With so many girls in the family it wasn't unusual for him to call us by the wrong name - usually he had to go through the whole list of girls before he got the one he wanted - and he would become very frustrated. Often the last name he would come to would be "Suzanna Jane." We just knew to answer when it got that far - never knew who "Suzanna Jane" was because I didn't have a sister by that name!! Not only was he the father of a lot of girls but he also had my mother's three younger sisters living with them after my grandmother died. And I remember him calling my mother "Flossie" (her name was Florence) and how he would come up behind her while she was cooking and give her a big old bear hug, then often pinching her on the rear before he walked away (don't think we were suppose to see that). I still sing the little song he would sing when we were about to get into trouble - "Oh, me lordy, turn me aloose, and I'll go back to the buzzard's roost". We didn't know what a "buzzard's roost" was but we knew we had better straighten up or we were gonna "get it".

He reminds me of James Dean in his younger days. He was a good ole' boy from the south who often got into trouble, a very strict father but my mother's husband for more than thirty years and she never remarried after he died.

I am adding to my giveaway......

2011-06-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

I am adding a few things to my giveaway. I thought you would like something from the sea. I live on the Great Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. Our beaches are like none other that I know of - we have sugary white sands, emerald shades of water and lots of different seashells that wash ashore each year. I am adding a sand dollar ornament with a painted beach scene to my giveaway. Sand dollars can be found all along Pensacola Beach and if you are lucky you will find one that is not broken. They are also very porous so when I paint them it takes several coats of paint plus a really good varnish. This one I based in ice pink and then proceeded to paint the beach scene, a quick and easy project. I hope you will like it.

Visit this post to sign up for the giveway which will be held on Pink Saturday, 25 June. I still have a few more things, next is the pink heart strawberry sachet. Will post pics tomorrow.

Giveaway Has Been Extended

2011-06-14T09:25:00.001-05:00

I don't like long giveaways and had hoped to do the drawing last Saturday. However, I did not know that Blogger was having major issues with members posting comments until I received a lot of emails. I found that if I unchecked my "stay signed in" button I could comment on others postings. If not it sends me back to sign in each time and even after signing in I still could not comment. Frustrating. So, I will give it two more weeks. I apologize for those of you who sent me emails, even if you don't get to comment I will include your name in the giveaway. The new date will be 25 June. Stay tuned, I am adding a few more things today.

Happy Pink Saturday and 100th post giveaway

2011-06-03T17:28:00.001-05:00

Finding pink things around my house is never hard. If I don't have it or can't purchase it, I will paint it. In honor of my 100th post, I am having a giveaway. It was hard trying to decide what I should offer. So I went through some of my things and picked several things in varying shades of pink:

A small tray with pink roses - painted with pink wisp
A perfume bottle with pink roses - a very pretty shaped Avon bottle
A shoe pin cushion with pink roses - a vintage baby shoe with pink roses
And a small re-purposed cigar box - with pink and white hydrangeas!!

I will add a few more things but this is what I am starting off with. And for the rules - they are easy - just comment on this post that you are a new follower - or that you are already a follower. Easy-peasy!! I will post the winner on 11 June - just one week away.

Thank you, Ms. Beverly, for hosting another Pink Saturday. Check out all the other participants at How Sweet The Sound Pink Saturday. Off to visit the Pinkies.

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-05-20T15:55:00.002-05:00

What to post for Pink Saturday??? Well, anything pink, of course.

So, how about pink rose petals in the shape of a heart from the garden?

And when going to the beautiful beaches here on the Gulf Coast, only pink flip flops will do.

And on those hot summer days, a pink fan to keep you cool.

When you need a little comfort, a sweet pink bear will cheer you up.

And just in case there is someone out there that didn't know, Real Men Wear Pink Boxers!!

Happy Pink Saturday, with love from

Please stop by Ms. Beverly's and see what all the lovely Pinkies are up to.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

"When we set an example of honesty, our children will be honest.

When we encircle them with love they will be loving.

When we practice tolerance they will be tolerant.

When we meet life with laughter and a twinkle in our eye,

They will develop a sense of humor."

Be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:12

When I was a little girl, about nine years old, there was nothing I loved more than going to church. Our pastor would often have what he called "Bible Drills". The children who wanted to participate would come to the front of the church and after the pastor called a Bible verse, we would race to see who would find the verse first. I knew my Bible quite well and won many times. If we won we were allowed to pick something from the prize chest. That was the best part for me - after all I was only nine years old!! One of the items I picked was this "Mother" plaque. I couldn't wait to get it home and give it to my mother. My mother hung this in her kitchen for more than forty years!! I think she must have truly loved it. When she died ten years ago, my youngest sister went through her things and knew immediately that this needed to come back to me. It now hangs over my kitchen sink. I have printed out a little card that is placed on the back so when I am gone my children will know the importance of this simple little plaque.

Happy Mother's Day!!

My mother came through many hard times in her life. She had eleven children, cooked home made meals from scratch every day, washed our clothes many times by hand or in a wringer washer, sewed most of our clothes (except the undies - she hated working with elastic), carried the sack for my father when they went fishing (hard to do at 4' 11" tall - my father was 6'), cared for her own young children and four younger siblings after the death of her mother, and took in every stray - human or otherwise - that came to our house. With all that she did - I did not learn much from her in the cooking department, I was much more interested in drawing and coloring. She often commented that the only cooking I knew how to do came from the can, freezer, or microwave. And she was so right. That is why I can't help but smile when I see this little plate that hangs next to my "Mother" plaque above my sink. My mother gave me this when we bought our first house - it is the Kitchen Prayer. It has the sweetest pink roses on each side of the fireplace which has a bean pot over the fire. The verse goes like this -

Lord of all pots and pans, and things, since I've not time to be a Saint by doing lovely things or watching late with Thee.

Or dreaming in the dawn light, or storming Heaven's gates, Make me a saint by getting meals and washing up the plates.

Although I must have Martha's hands, I have a Mary mind, and when I black the boots and shoes, Thy sandals, Lord, I find.

I think of how they trod the earth, each time I scrub the floor, accept this meditation, Lord - I haven't time for more.

Warm all the kitchen with Thy love and light it with Thy peace. Forgive me all my worry, and make my grumbling cease.

Thou who didst love to give men food, in room or by the sea, Accept this service that I do, I do it unto Thee.

Happy Pink Saturday yall!! Stop by Ms. Beverly and check out all the pink pretties from some very sweet ladies.

ECS Cottage Colors

2011-04-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

It's Cottage Colors Monday at Etsy Cottage Style - and the color today is my most favorite - PINK!! Since I post a lot on Pink Saturday, I won't bore you with too many repeats. I love, love, LOVE teacups with pink roses, pink crochet items, pink shoes, pink wedding dresses, pink cars - oh, the list could go on and on. But what I like most is painting pink roses. Here are a few of my favorite things -

A Christmas ornament made from a recycled chandelier bulb.

A beautiful pink embroidered wedding gown - I loved this when I saw it on "Say Yes to the Dress".

Who wouldn't love zebra heels with pink soles. I can't even imagine wearing something so high!!

And my favorite all time car - the 1955 T-Bird - and it comes in pink. The downside is they didn't have air conditioning and in Florida I would not survive in a car without air conditioning. I will just have to admire it from a distance.

And my little plaque that I recently painted. I haven't painted in oils for a while and with a very limited palette of pink, I decided to try them again. Of course, now that I am looking at it I should have added one more rose or bud - you should never have even numbers, looks so much better in groups of three, five, etc.

Join the ladies at Etsy Cottage Style who will be sharing all their PINKS today.

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-04-23T08:32:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it has been over a month since I last posted!! My 2 1/2 year old computer died and I had to purchase a new one. Now I am having to learn new programs and I am not particularly fond of new computer "stuff" so this has been a challenge.

Since I haven't participated in Pink Saturday for the longest time I thought I would share with you today one of my demitasse teacups. This particular one is a favorite of my grand daughter Megan. It is made in the USSR and all I can tell by the makers mark is that it is pre 1991. It is small and very dainty. Perfect for Miss "M". She loves having her orange juice (sometimes decaf tea) in this sweet thing but what she loves most is being able to choose from my very large collection, a tea cup for the day. She is so gentle with them and shows me the correct way to hold the cup - with the pinkie sticking out, of course. She is so prissy and her favorite color is pink also.

Aren't these the cutest candle bobeches? They are pink, of course, but they are not crystal or even glass. I found these several years ago at the dollar store in several different colors - including lavendar which is so pretty (not so much the candle but it is the only short candle I had available).

Our garden has a lovely assortment of roses - my favorite being the pink and the lavender rose. I cannot grow anything - but the hubs can and he especially likes the roses. Yesterday I cut several of the sweetest smelling pink ladies and they now sit next to my place on the sofa - the smell just drifts across the room - not too much, just the right amount. I painted this sweet little plaque to honor the first pink rose of the season. I haven't painted in oils for some time now and I had forgotten what it feels like to have oil paint on your brush instead of acrylic - I just love it!! Am I keeping it? - No, I can't keep everything I paint so I am sharing it with you - and you can find it in my ETSY shop.

Lastly, I leave you with this quote and one of my favorite Easter Illustrations from the wonderful artist, Frances Brunday. Have a Happy Easter, everyone.

"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness." ~Floyd W. Tomkins

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-03-05T17:32:00.005-06:00

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a shopper - I do not enjoy shopping for clothes, shoes, even groceries but I do like the hardware stores and the big home decor stores. I recently went to Old Time Pottery in Alabama and while I was looking through their clearance bin in hopes of finding something to paint on - I came across these desk organizers. They were perfect with their white over ivory crackle finish and the black design. The front has a raised molded area with the word "Pure". I don't get it - what does the word pure mean on this box?

I thought the box was too pretty to pass up so I picked up two with the intention of removing the word "pure" and painting the inside area. Thinking it was much easier than doing it. After sanding, cutting, and even using the heat gun I managed to get a somewhat smooth finish. I decided to do a black background to coordinate with the details on the box and the simple pink rose finished off the project. To protect the rose I used two coats of Triple Thick which equals to about six coats of varnish - it is almost like looking through glass now. I am pleased with the way it turned out - but I am not sure I am willing to go through all that work again to remove the word "pure". Does anyone know what it means, perhaps in another language? Til next time, Happy Pink Saturday. Visit Ms. Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see everyone's Pink goodies.

Pink Saturday

2011-02-27T11:36:00.006-06:00

I posted last week that I was having a hard time finding things to blog about so this week I decided I would paint something pink and what could be better than this pretty vintage sewing machine drawer. I found this while out antiqueing several weeks back. These are such versatile drawers - they look so pretty on a dressing table or on the bathroom vanity - very sweet and feminine. Lots of stroke work and rose buds. The color is a variation of Plum Pink. It is going to be hard parting with this but I can't keep everything so it is off to my ETSY shop. Hope you all have a chance to visit all the other pinkies at Ms. Beveraly's How
Sweet the Sound. Stop by and say hello. Til next week....

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-02-20T10:14:00.005-06:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. I have a house filled with pink items but I am finding it more and more difficult to pick something to write about each week. This week I decided to show you a sweet little jewelry box I recently picked up while out thrifting. She was the usual brown color but I fell in love with the cabriole feet. After sanding, priming and several coats of creamy white paint, I painted a little vine of pink rosebuds and tea roses. When you lift the lid you will find several cascading tea roses, and even one on the back. Although I am not a fan of the distressed look I decided to try it this one time - well, I like the way it turned out and will be doing it again - who knew?? As sweet as she is she will be going into my ETSY shop where I hope she finds someone who will love her as much as I do.

If you have followed my blog you know I hate cold weather - I don't hate winter just the cold weather. This week we have had temps in the seventies (we only have about eight weeks of cold weather) and I am a happy camper. If I am lucky my sweet neighbor will come out to play with me - I sit on my swing - she sits in the sun to gather rays (I sit in the shade - the sun wrinkles me) and we chat for hours. I know - I should be in my studio painting but I am on my way out to read and watch the birds. In the meantime, please take a second to visit Ms. Beveraly at How Sweet the Sound and see what our Pink Participants are showcasing this week. Until next time,

Pink Saturday

2011-02-11T16:22:00.007-06:00

Happy Pink Saturday yall. Recently, my friend Rebecca of Green Gables Lane showed me a stack of post cards saved by her grandmother since the early 1900's. There were several very pretty cards in the stack for Valentine's Day. These are a few of the hundreds she has on hand. I love the sweet little children on these cards. Some of the images are red but may have faded over time. She has these items in her ETSY shop, to see more give her a visit.

And to see the other Valentine goodies for Pink Saturday, visit Ms. Beveraly at How Sweet The Sound. Until next time,

Brenda

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-02-04T16:03:00.008-06:00

Happy Pink Saturday, yall. Today I am showing off my newly painted vanity mirror. This is an unusual piece for me to paint. I have been desperately trying to paint some of the wood items I have stashed in my little studio. I promised myself that I would not buy anything more until I destashed my painting area. This is one of the pieces that I purchased and it has been sitting around just waiting for sweet little pink roses. I painted a small pink rose bouquet on the front side and small little pink rosebuds on the back surrounding the handle. As with most items I am tempted to keep it but have decided it is heading to my ETSY shop. Stop by and check out my other handpainted items. And be sure to stop by Ms. Beverly's - How Sweet the Sound to see what everyone else is posting this Pink Saturday. Til next time.

Pink Saturday

2011-01-28T20:31:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. Every week Miss Beverly of How Sweet The Sound hosts Pink Saturday - a chance for those who love pink to show off a special pink item. Please stop by for a visit.

If you have stopped by my blog before you know I love to paint. Normally, I am a little burned out after Christmas so it takes me a while to get back into my studio. The past few days I have been going through some old photo albums and it brought back some wonderful old memories of when my children were babies. I loved rocking them - even when the doctor's said you shouldn't rock babies to sleep - I was right there rocking away. I loved the way they felt when they snuggled their little heads against my neck with one hand on the other side holding on to my hair. I could stay that way for hours. Then along came my grandchildren. I was fortunate to get two at the same time - twin boys. I would rock both of them in the beginning but before you knew it they were too big. It wasn't long after that the little girls came along. What a special feeling - rocking and singing their own special songs - but I don't think I have a very good voice because they would say "Don't sing, yaya!" and then put their little hands over my mouth. So when I painted this little heart it reminded me of some of the best moments in my life.

I hope you all have a great weekend - with temps in the high 60's, it was so nice outside today we were able to sit in the swing and catch up with the neighborhood happenings. I just can't wait til spring.

A little antique shopping

2011-01-26T09:59:00.002-06:00

There is nothing better than visiting the Antique stores in our area. One nearby is called the Copper Possum - don't you just love that name? It is a really nice store - lots of room and so clean. I went with my good friend, Jane. She finds the neatest things in almost every booth, things I would just pass over - she sees. We spent hours going through each booth. I told myself before we set out on our visit that I would be good and only buy if it was something I really, really wanted. And on the most part I was good - but I couldn't pass up these darling baby shoes or the baby spoons. I really do not need another pair of baby shoes and for sure I do not need more baby or demitasse spoons, but the prices on these were so good - some of the booths even had 20%-50% off. Now the spoons will be painted and turned into ornaments for next Christmas and those little shoes - haven't decided what I will do with them but most probably will paint them. Oh, and I bought the little drawer in the picture for only $5 - not sure if it is from a sewing machine or what and it isn't detailed with any carvings but I liked its rather plain design - I plan to paint it anyway.

Now to other news - I will be doing a review for CSN stores (I have seen reviews and giveaways on a lot of blogs for CSN - a virtual store with everything you could wish for from baby to wall art and decor ) and I am excited. Check out their store - you will be amazed at all the things they carry. And I will let you know how it goes once the review is complete. It should be fun!!

Until Pink Saturday - have a great week yall.

Pink Saturday

2011-01-21T18:07:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. I love vintage teacups and dishes. I have more sets than I can count but that doesn't stop me from bringing home a new one to add to my collection. My hubby is so sweet about it even though we have ran out of space in the china cabinet and the German Shrunk and have now taken over the shelves in our linen closet. I don't always have a complete set - some I have just plates and some just plates and cup/saucer. But when you place them on a nice white china plate with gold trim - they look like they belong together.

This first plate is a 9" luncheon plate made in Bavaria, Germany. It is called Antique Rose and I am fortuante enough to have eight of them.

The next plate is an 8" dessert plate made by Royal Albert and is called American Beauty. Again I have eight of these and a larger cake plate.

I know nothing about these dishes except that I love the designs. They have beautifully scalloped edges and the roses are perfection.

I hope you will visit Miss Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see what everyone is posting this week - one thing for sure it will be something pretty and pink.

Happy Pink Saturday

2011-01-15T08:17:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I haven't posted since Christmas. I hope yall had a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year will bring you all your heart desires. I am writing this weeks blog a little early so I can get it posted on Friday - I don't want to be late again for Pink Saturday. With that said, I wanted to share with you the artwork of some of my favorite artists. They each have fabulous stories to tell - but that will be another post. I love Frances Brundage and Maude Humphreys - they paint the cutest children, and Catherine Klien paints the softest roses, and Igor Levashov's roses - you feel as if you could pluck them right off the canvas, then there is Harrison Fisher - he painted hundreds of portraits and knew how to make each and every one of them beautiful. Their work can be seen in prints, postcards, greeting cards and advertisements. I love looking through my collection, you can't help but admire such wonderful talent. Do you recognize their work? Many of us use their art in some of the things we make - I have seen them on pillows, stockings, and altered art.

Please stop by Ms. Beverly's How Sweet the Sound and check out everyone's pink for this week. Back later - oh, the last painting is mine. I painted it in the eighties. She was the first "person" I attempted to paint - notice I didn't paint the face, I took the easy way out and did the side of the face only. She now resides in my sister's home in Pennsylvania. And did you notice there is no pink on her?? What was I thinking?? I will have to correct that the next one I paint. Til next week,
Brenda

Merry Christmas everyone!!

2010-12-24T16:59:00.002-06:00

I am sitting here waiting for Santa. He called and said he had to stop by Walmart on his way. Since my children were little we have always had Santa visit them on Christmas Eve. Now that I have grandchildren the tradition continues. The older grandchildren are on the edge of not believing but they don't want to take any chances just in case. So that my daughter-in-law and son-in-law have a chance to spend time with their folks we opted to have Christmas for the kids on Christmas Eve. Tonight they will come, they will eat all the food that took all day to prepare, we will visit with Santa and open presents. It is so much fun for us to see how excited the young ones are and that look of amazement when Santa enters the room. Then tomorrow we will cook again and celebrate with our friends. Tomorrow night I am going to rest!! I love the holidays but I am usually relieved when it is over.

With all that said, I wanted to say Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope that you are blessed with health and happiness in the coming new year.

Pink Saturday- No Place Like Home for the Holidays

2010-12-17T08:24:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. This weeks theme is Favorite Holiday Music. I love all songs of Christmas but one in particular is special to me. "No Place Like Home for the Holidays". Being a military wife we traveled a lot and lived in many different places. I come from a very large family with lots of sisters and brothers and it was hard to have a Christmas without my family. I soon found out that the military is a family all its own. There were times when my husband would be on a military cruise lasting seven to nine months leaving my children and me alone for the holidays. But we lived in military housing which meant there were other families experiencing the same thing. They were our friends. We would all get together - mostly wives and children - cook up our special recipes, bring in Santa dressed in his finest (sometimes Santa was female) and have the best time with our children. It helped ease the loneliness for a while. So "No Place Like Home for the Holidays" had different meanings for me - being with my "big family" back in Florida, or it could mean having your husband home sharing the holidays with the children.

Oh, there's no place like home for the holidays
'Cause no matter how far away you roam
When you pine for the sunshine Of a friendly face
For the holidays, you can't beat Home, sweet home.

I met a man who lives in Tennessee And he was headin' for Pennsylvania
And some home made pumpkin pie From Pennsylvania folks a travelin' down
To Dixie's sunny shore From Atlantic to Pacific, gee
The traffic is terrific.

Oh there's no place like home For the holidays, 'cause no matter
How far away you roam If you want to be happy in a million ways
For the holidays, you can't beat Home, sweet home.

For Pink Saturday I am showing one of my favorite ornaments - a Pink Flamingo. This pretty little bird is made from a gourd, painted pink with pink feathers attached. I just love Flamingos even though we do not see them in this part of Florida. As we traveled during our years in the military, Flamingos always reminded me of home. Please stop by Ms. Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to view the other pinks for this week. Merry Christmas, everyone.

There's nothing better than a plain old box...

2010-12-12T20:47:00.004-06:00

It doesn't matter what the present is, the box is always better. Last year the whole family was over for Christmas Eve. The kids were opening their presents as quickly as they could and came back for more. Not my youngest grand daughter, Megan. She found something better. After one of the boys pulled out his toy from the box she grabbed her best friend, Teddy, and climbed in the box. She was quite happy playing in that box no matter how many gifts she received she headed back to that box. It sure doesn't take much to make a little one happy!!

And it doesn't matter what occasion as you can see from this photo from her birthday. She just loves those boxes!!

Pink Saturday

2010-12-10T16:52:00.003-06:00

I love my Santas. And I always have to have a little pink added whether it is to the background or just his rosy pink cheeks. I painted this one for the Baptist Medical Group who so generously loans us a room to use each month for our chapter meetings. He was suspended in an oval wreath with beautiful pink rose ribbon surrounding him. He is a design inspired by Shirley Wilson, one of my favorite Santa painters. Please stop by Miss Beverly's place for our weekly Pink Saturday and see some of the most talented ladies and all their pinks.

I AM HAVING A SALE!! I am offering everything in my ETSY shop at 20% off until 21 December. Just type in the coupon code AngelBrush20 to receive your discount. My ETSY shop is located to the left of this post.

Pink Saturday

2010-12-03T16:29:00.003-06:00

I love painting Santas. And I especially like painting them when I can add a little pink to his hat or the background - and sometimes his beard. This little guy has a bit of all my favorite colors - even aqua. I painted him to go inside the center of a wreath and with a pretty ribbon and a few pink poinsettias, he ended up being a gift for Dirty Santa at our Annual Christmas Party. It is a design by Shirley Wilson, one of my favorite Santa painters. The only thing missing - a pink rose. Well, darn it, I will have to paint him again and this time put a pink rose on his hat - what do you think?

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I still have lots of shopping to do but I work well under pressure. Thanks to Ms. Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting another great Pink Saturday, head on over and check out what everyone is doing. You won't be disappointed.

Pink Saturday

2010-11-27T09:41:00.004-06:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. These little guys are the cutest on my Pink Christmas Tree. They are also the favors for the ladies attending our annual Christmas Party next week. So much fun to paint! However, it is hard to come up with something new every year for them. I have painted angels, jingle bells with roses, snowman and Santa spoons, and for the life of me I can't remember what I painted for 2009. Whatever it was they loved it. It is fun to watch them go around the tables looking for the favor they like best. They will all get an ornament but the faces are usually different. I know they will love these sweeties this year. Please visit Ms. Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound and check out the other Pink Saturday posts. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. See you next week.

Christmas is right around the corner

2010-11-12T20:23:00.003-06:00

I love decorating for Christmas. And because I have so many Christmas decorations to put out and not all are pink, I decorate each room with a different color - the main bathroom is lavender, the Florida room is pink, the living room and family room are traditionally burgundy, the kitchen red and white, the dining room is done in pink and burgundy, the master bedroom in blue. The guest room is in pink and rose, the second bedroom is in burgundy and golds, and my paint room gets the leftovers - there really isn't any room in there to decorate. My husband likes the third bathroom and it has a jungle theme - thinking about changing that now.

For Pink Saturday I want to show you this pretty wreath I purchased several years back. It is about 36" round and hangs in our Florida room. When I first saw her I knew I wanted to bring her home with me - I have a difficult time passing up anything in pink. The sweet little bear is dressed in a rosy pink felt dress and a pink hat. I even had someone ask to buy her as I was on my way to the car - of course, I said "NO WAY!!" I just love her and if I could I would leave her up all year because she is so pretty. Thankfully, I have a hubby who has no problem with pink or all my decorations. I am constantly trying to get the children to take things home with them now so I can tone down the decorations - but actually it's so I can shop for some of the newer things. Thank goodness for grandchildren. They are always wanting to take some home for their house and I can't say no to them.

Again, thanks to Ms. Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday each week. Please stop by her blog and check out all the participants blogs. There is so much "pinkness" to see!!

Change is Good...

2010-11-10T21:05:00.004-06:00

I love Christmas but I can't always find just what I want. So I buy many things for their shape or for their base colors and then I whip out my paint brush and transform them into something special. This little Santa was very pretty with his dark red coat but he didn't have much else going for him. Now, after meeting up with my trusty paint brush, he has personality. Soft pink roses on his coat and one in his beard. I would be proud to display him on my mantle but he will be going in my ETSY shop, at least for now. I have a tendancy to fall in love with the things I paint and that makes it difficult to let go.

These two cuties were not all that great when I found them. She was wearing a red coat and he had on a really dark coat. Since I put up a snowman display every year and most are in pastels and several are snowmen angels, these two would be perfect but they stood out like a sore thumb - what to do?? Well, of course, re-paint them, dry brush here and there, add a little sparkle and now they are one of the family. I just love them.

So, don't be discouraged if you are on the hunt for that Santa in pink or the Snowman in lavender - if you can't find it, paint it!

2010-11-06T07:31:00.002-05:00

Isn't she a beauty?!! I loved her from the first time I saw her on a Sandra Lee episode and looked all over for one but, alas, there were none to be found. Then on a trip to visit my sister in New York we went out shopping (something we do a lot of). We stopped by Home Goods - we didn't have one here in Florida yet. I loved the store and picked up a few things. As I was in line at the register I had the hubby stay with the cart and walked over to an aisle that said "clearance". I can't just pass by one of those. And to my surprize there on the top shelf were three of these little beauties!! I was so excited I ran to the end of the aisle and hollered at my husband "I found her, I found her!!" (we holler in the south). I wasn't the least bit embarrassed that those in line turned around to look at me. And my sister, who also was in line knew it must be something good when she saw how excited I was and she whipped that buggy around and got over to that aisle as fast as she could with her hubby close behind (and one of the ladies from the checkout line was right behind him). It took all of about a minute for us to get those jars off that top shelf!! I didn't even put it in the cart, I carried mine to the checkout.

The problem was now to get her back to my sister's house in one piece (she lives in Pennsylvania and shops in New York). We were in a king cab truck and with very little room in that back seat - no worry, I wrapped that sweet little thing in a towel and hugged her all the way back to my sister's house (three hours). Then from Pennsylvania to Florida - she got her own comfy ride in a rubbermaid container all by herself - double wrapped in towels.

Now she has a place of honor at our house for every event we host. My grandchildren think it is the coolest to get their drink from this little beauty. At my Christmas party she is the center of attention when she holds the champagne punch (sometimes we have to hold back on the champagne). I just love her. And then the other day I found one almost like her at JoAnn fabrics in the wedding department!! Guess she is getting to be very popular.

That is my pink post for this week. Please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see what everyone else is showing. There are some pretty terrific blogs over there and I know you will enjoy the visit.

2010-11-04T19:05:00.002-05:00

Another chance to win one of Teacup Stitches beautiful Christmas stockings. Visit her website for a chance to enter the giveaway.

I love teacups

2010-10-30T11:26:00.009-05:00

I love teacups!! I have so many but my very favorites are the pink ones. And my grandchildren have a fondness for tea. Nothing feels better on a sick tummy than a good cup of tea. My grand daughters pick out the ones they like the best for their tea. And, yes, they pick out the real china ones. As much as I love teacups, I love my grandchildren even more so I don't worry if one gets broken, they are replaceable but my grandchildren's memories are not. Megan, the youngest one picks out a different one each time (she likes juice in hers). The photo shows her drinking her juice from one of her cups (nothing like bacon, hash rounds, and ketchup for breakfast). This cup is one of her favorites. It is actually a very small one (a demitasse) made in Russia. I have to refill it constantly because it doesn't hold very much but she is so cute when she drinks from it and so very careful. She is also the littlest one in the wedding photo - she is the one sticking her tongue out at the photographer because he made her mad!! And my twin grandsons like them also but not pink - they like Garfield!! Between Tristan and Brandon (twins) and Mackenzie (10 year old), they have learned to make their own tea. Megan has to wait a few more years. Have a very Happy Pink Halloween everyone, and thanks again to Ms. Beverly for hosting this event every Saturday.

Pink Saturday

2010-10-23T16:39:00.006-05:00

I love little baby shoes. I started collecting them about twenty years ago to make candle holders and little flower vases out of. I still have quite a few including ones from my grandchildren and a special little pair from my own children (my oldest is 44). This darling little pair of booties was handed down to me by my sister after her son and then her daughter wore them home from the hospital. When my son was born he wore them and then my daughter. We couldn't let the tradition end there so when my nephew's son was born, again the booties came out for him to wear, followed by his sister, then they were passed on to my niece who had a son and daughter and they also wore those simple little booties.

It took a long time for our dream of a grandchild came to be and we were so excited. But there was a problem - my daughter was pregnant with twins. How were they suppose to wear these booties? We solved the problem and each wore one bootie home. Not long afterwards my son had two little girls and they each wore the same booties as their dad did thirty four years earlier. Since then the booties have returned to my house for safe keeping or until there is another baby on the way. A sweet tradtition that I hope carries on for a long time.

Now, for Pink Saturday, this is a pair of the little shoes I have saved. I actually started painting them back in the eighties but never finished. I hesitated painting them because I knew I wanted to put them in my ETSY shop but there are a few very sweet bloggers who have done the same style shoe. I hope they understand. I didn't like the original painting I had on the shoe so I painted over it and added the sweet little rosebuds. I think I will keep the other - but then what am I to do with the other dozen pairs I have in my studio just waiting to be finished??

Thank you, Ms. Beverly for hosting another Pink Saturday. To see more beautiful pink items click on the link above. Until next week.

Pink Saturday

2010-10-15T20:57:00.003-05:00

I love little tables and this one in particular because it can be round or pull the sides up and it is square. A perfect piece to place near your chair to hold your cup of tea or a little plant. When I first found her she had been given a coat of black paint with webs of gold sprayed over her. Then someone tried to make her look shabby and did a very poor job of it. But with her curvy little figure I just knew she needed a much more feminine look. I chose a creamy white for the background and then dressed her in pink roses. Now she is perfect. My little grand daughter, Megan, says it is her table and that is alright with me. She likes to place her tea set on top while we have cups of rosie tea.

Thank you, once again, Ms. Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday. I don't think I will ever run out of pink things to show but it is getting tougher deciding on which one to post about.

Breast Cancer Awareness

2010-10-08T16:07:00.002-05:00

My sister is a breast cancer survivor. I also have several close friends who have survived this disease and a few who did not win the fight. In honor of all of them, Ms. Clause has changed her dress this month from red to pink. It is a reminder to all to check your ta-ta's every month.

Pink Saturday

2010-10-02T13:31:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday. A big thank you to Ms. Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday. Click on the title above to take you to allt he other ladies who are joining in. I waited til the last minute to post and then had problems posting my picture. So I am trying again. As you all know by now I love to paint for Christmas and especially on light bulbs. This is the lightbulb ornament I just finished this week. She is painted on the round bulbs you often find in your bathroom lighting. She is painted a pale pink with a irredescent finish. And of course, a pink rose and pine cones adorn her cap - and a pink pom pom on the back. My very kind neighbor, Rebecca, is always bringing me things to paint. She found this little measuring spoon and I painted pink roses on both front and back. Now it is a cute ornament - wonder if she wants it back now?? Til next time, Happy Pink Saturday.

A New Blogger

2010-09-25T17:22:00.005-05:00

Please join me in welcoming Rebecca of Christmas Gal Chronicles. She is new to the blogging world and I have been urging her for a while now to start her own blog. She makes the prettiest quilted ornaments among other things. I have told her the best and most caring people around are in Blog World. So hop on over and show her some blogging love at http://christmasgalchronicles.blogspot.com/. My mind has gone blank and I have forgotten how to insert a link, I will have a refresher course later.

Pink Saturday

2010-09-24T20:50:00.007-05:00

My contribution to Pink Saturday this week are these two sweet little hand crochet dresses that my daughter and then my nieces wore about forty years ago. The first little pink one is made with a shell stitch - can you see the sweet little pink buttons. This was made by a friend that wanted a little girl so badly but had cute little boys instead. The second was made by my husband's cousin. I don't think you can see it but the pockets have her initials crochet in - B and C. I wanted a little girl but was too afraid to wish for it, so I had her named picked out - Brian Todd. When the docs said it was a girl - I had not picked a name for a girl so I had to come up with something quick - hence, Brian became Bre'ana (the e is pronounced like an A) and for the middle name - Vania (the last five letters of Pennsylvania, the homestate of my brother-in-law who is more like a brother to me). Bre'ana Vania. I love that name. But she wasn't very keen on it growing up because not many could pronounce it. Now back to the dresses, those dresses were passed down to my nieces and finally came back to me. One day I will pass them on to my daughter - I hope she will treasure them as much as I have.

Stop by Ms. Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to check out all the Pink Participants this week. (click on the link above)

From Lightbulb to Santa at OneTrueMedia.com

2010-09-24T12:33:00.001-05:00

I put together some photos showing how I paint my Santas on a lightbulb. Thought you would like to see.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Pink Saturday

2010-09-18T05:48:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Pink Saturday,
How quickly Saturdays roll around!! First, let me thank Ms. Beverly for hosting Pink Saturday and for giving us all a chance to show off our wonderful pinkness. You can visit everyone who participates by clicking on "Pink Saturday" above and it will link you to Ms. Beverly's blog.

As you all know I am a painter, I love to paint and though I do not paint every day it is rare for a week to go by that I have not painted something. There isn't much I haven't painted - barns, fields of snow, flowers, beaches, portraits, Santas - you name it and I have probably painted it at one time or another. But I also have another love - it is teacups and dishes. I love my teacups with pink flowers on them. I would like to share with you one of my favorites. This teacup is part of a china pattern called Trinity Rose by Crown Staffordshire. I only have part of the set, four cups and saucer and the salad plates but I use them every year at Christmas. They are beautiful on a white china plate. And my recently painted large lightbulb in pink fits in the cup perfectly. Of course, I did say I love dishes, especially the ones with pink roses on them. This set is only one of about 7 different sets. I collect them even if the set is not a complete one. But I will show them on a different Pink Saturday or perhaps on Tablescape Tuesday. Til then, have a great day, ladies and I will defintely see you again next week.

Painting for Christmas

2010-09-14T12:11:00.004-05:00

I always start painting in July for Christmas. I have so many things I want to paint and never enough time to complete them. I have a very good friend, Lucy, who is always traveling out on her own. She loves a good yard sale and is such a good friend that she even picks up things for me to paint. Last year she brought me three wood sleds, she said she just knew I could paint up something pretty on them. They are only about 5 1/2" wide x 16" long so the painting surface wasn't real big. But this little Santa fit on there nicely. He is painted on traditional red, a bit different than my normal pink Santas. There is lots of little scroll work surrounding him and I just love how he turned out. Now I must find something to paint on the other two. I wonder what Lucy will find next, whatever it is I am going to have a lot of fun painting it!!!

Remembering 9/11 on Pink Saturday

2010-09-10T21:16:00.004-05:00

Thank you, Ms. Beverly, for hosting our weekly Pink Saturday Blog Party. And to all who will be thinking of the 9th anniversary of September 11, I can only say we will remember always.

For Pink Saturday I am posting a few of the ornaments I recently painted. I love painting anything for Christmas, but I especially love painting Santas and roses. I picked up these hearts from a lady who had salvaged oak flooring from an old home and then cut out the hearts. She cut so many she was unable to use them all so I was able to purchase a few from her. I can always paint on hearts - Santas, Snowmen, or even roses. This darling little Santa is all dressed up in his pink Santa suit, I just love him.

And the snowmen with their candy cane noses - orange is one of my least favorite colors so for my snowmen to have candy cane noses, well, it just seemed right.

What can you do with a lightbulb that has a wavy pattern? Can't paint a Santa or snowman but roses will work.

That is my post for this week. Now I am off to see what everyone else is doing.
(wow, I didn't realize how big the pics would turn out!! The white spots are from the reflection off the high gloss varnish, sorry)

Pink Saturday

2010-09-02T19:07:00.003-05:00

Happy Pink Saturday, Yall!!

Thank you, Ms. Beverly, for hosting Pink Saturday once again. These days it seems I only have time to post once a week. This week I want to show you a few of my ornament I have painted for my ETSY shop. I love painting Santas as I am sure I have said many time in past posts. But finding unique surfaces to paint on is difficult. As a Decorative Painter we are known to paint on anything! About fifteen years ago I started painting on burned out lightbulbs, can't remember how it happened or who told me it would be a good idea but they have been a favorite with my customers and a surface I can easily find. I always had an abundance of bulbs, everyone saved them for me and since I worked near the military housing unit, there were an abundance of bulbs in my paint room. At one point I even said I wasn't going to paint anymore bulbs - but, here I am showing you the one I just completed. This is my chandelier Santa. Isn't he sweet? I painted him on the flame tip bulb from my dining room chandelier and he can be used as an ornament or as a pendant. He is wearing pink - my favorite color, of course, and he has already found a home with my neighbor, Rebecca. I do paint him in other colors, he can't be in pink all the time and some people are not pink lovers - can you believe it???

During the many years I worked on a military base I was fortunate enough to meet so many people - from the young enlisted to the top military admirals. But some of the best times were with the maintenance workers on base - the ones I relied on to keep my building together for those visiting dignataries. One of those were my electricians. They supplied me with a lot of burned out bulbs and the most interesting one was the outdoor lamp found on street corners. So here is my Santa, in red, painted on a very large lamp - an 8" bulb. Interesting isn't he?

Thanks for stopping by, yall. Hope you will come back soon as I have lots more pink to share.

Pink Saturday and Blessings

2010-08-26T19:52:00.006-05:00

Today is a very special Pink Saturday. It is a day for not only showing the pinks we love but in celebration of the many blessings we have received. I have been blessed with a wonderful family which consists of eight sisters and two brothers, a mother and father who have since passed away, a very caring husband, two great children (including a daughter-in-law and son-in-law) and four beautiful grandchildren. We have all been blessed with good health. But the past few years have been difficult at times. A beautiful little newphew was kicked in the head by a horse which required several brain surgeries. He is now doing so much better but may require more in the future. It could have easily have been a tragic story but with prayer and faith, Tyler is back in school and acting like any other 10 year old. Then my grandson, Tristan, began having unusual symptoms which the Doctor told us was Tourettes Syndrome. But, not all things are what they seem - and with the help of the internet we soon found out he had Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsyciatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus - P.A.N.D.A.S. A simple blood test showed his blood titers were off the chart with strep - who would have thought that something that children get all the time "Strep Throat" would cause such havoc in the brain. He had complained several weeks prior to the onset of the symptoms that his throat was a bit sore but no fever. The doctor ordered a round of antibiotics and now he is symptom free. It doesn't mean he is cured but he may never again have the symptoms, and if he does it can be treated with antibiotics. It makes me wonder how many children out there have been diagnosed with OCD, Tourettes and ADHD and may have PANDAS. Please read my earlier post about PANDAS and check out their website www.pandasfoundation.org for more information. Many doctors are still skeptic about this disorder but if you have a child or know of a child who suddenly became obsessive, exhibited motor tics (legs or arms twitching, head jerking) or verbal tics (cursing, yelping), have the doctor check them for PANDAS. It only takes a simple blood test. We have been truly blessed with a little miracle in Tristan, you would not know to look at him that he was ever sick with PANDAS.

Please check out this blog - http://www.katillacshack.com/ - and read about Colette Gauthier's Miracle Makeover. It is an uplifting and inspiring story.

My contribution to Pink Saturday this week is this pretty little pink tin sign that is quite appropriate for this week - "Believe"

Pink Saturday

2010-08-06T16:53:00.004-05:00

Pink Saturday sure comes around fast!! I am posting a little early because I have a meeting tomorrow with our painting club and won't be home til late. I didn't want to miss this fun party so I hope you don't mind. I have always loved the 1957 T-Bird and thought it was the one car I would just love to have and it should be pink. Of course, I don't have a pink T-bird as of yet and probably never will - I have sat in one and found out it isn't the most comfortable ride and very hard for me to get out of (too low to the ground). My wonderful nephew, Frankie, sent me this little reminder that you should always hold on to your dreams.

I also try to paint as often as I can and with the holidays fast approaching, I have started painting ornaments for my Etsy shop. As I was out shopping last week I noticed our Hobby Lobby had put out their Christmas Decorations - I know, a bit early, huh? Anyway, I found several that I thought would be great to paint on. The first is a wood stocking painted in Bavarian white with a pink glittered cuff. The bells were originally brass but I sprayed them pink. I love the Santa with his pink hat and the rose on the fur. I also stamped pink snowflakes on the front and the back. As much as I like him, he will be heading to my Etsy shop. Then I found this pretty glittery tin puffed heart with cutouts on both sides. I just knew I could paint a little rose on it to make it even prettier - but I didn't really think it through. Once I started I soon found out it is very difficult to paint over this glittery stuff. But I managed to get one little rose on it and now I love it. It too will be heading to the Etsy shop.

Please welcome my friend Jeanne Downing to Pink Saturday. She is a beautiful artist and a wonderful teacher. This is her first time to participate in Pink Saturday and you just have to see her luggage. I am not sure how to insert the link but her blog is: JeanneDowning.blogspot.com.

See yall next week.

Pink Saturday

2010-07-29T22:14:00.007-05:00

Another Pink Saturday is here thanks to our wonderful hostess, Beverly, at How Sweet the Sound. Click on the Pink Doll on my sidebar to visit the other blogs participating this week.

I have a rather large collection of teacups and this is my all time favorite. I purchased it online and managed to win the bid by just a few seconds. It is a cup I use rather than let it sit and look pretty. The outside of the cup is black and the saucer is black on top but white underneath, rather understated. But when you look into the cup it is beautiful. It reminds me of some of the dearest people I know, their beauty lies within. It is made by Queen Anne.

I have a tendancy to hold on to things - I held on to this particular piece of wood for a very long time before I decided to paint it. Of course, pink paint is always on my palette so I painted the little roses and added the pegs.

All of my grandchildren love to paint or craft. My little grand daughter, Mackenzie, painted this little pup from a kit she purchased today. She then became very creative and added the pink boa and pink tutu. She has a great imagination (a lot like her Daddy).

That is it for this Saturday. I am so looking forward to seeing what everyone is posting. Until next time.

Anita Renfroe - Before I Eat

2010-07-28T10:07:00.000-05:00

A lot of us can relate to this video. Anita is just so funny, so enjoy.

Time to buckle down and get to work

2010-07-24T17:17:00.004-05:00

I have been very laxed in getting things ready for my ETSY shop this year. I just finished painting this sweet remote control holder for the shop and I was fortunate enough to find some cute vintage items to add also while on my trip to Pennsylvania. I have collected a lot of items for some time now and I am running out of space in my home to store them.

I am also painting new ornaments this year and by request some of the ones I have done in the past. Keep checking - new things are being added almost daily.

Pinkaholic

2010-07-11T11:12:00.004-05:00

Hello, my name is Brenda and I am a Pinkaholic!! I have always loved Pink. And now I have a wonderful Blog Party every Saturday that feeds my craving for this beautiful color. Ms. Beverly at How Sweet The Sound hosts Pink Saturday every week and I have been lucky enough to participate. Stop by and check out all the wonderful blogs, they too share the love for PINK.

This week I am showing the great items I picked up in Pennsylvania and New York while on a visit recently. The antique shops there are filled with such lovely things and of course, I found a few pink things to bring home with me. First, are the pink tablecloths. One has a soft pink damask with 12 napkins. I also picked up pink chargers - the one color I did not have.

The other is a bit brighter and looks great on the lanai.

I couldn't resist the cute little napkin holder with the pink crochet rosettes. My mom had one years ago and although it won't hold my napkins, it will look great holding my mail on my desk. And who could resist the cutest little pink fan I picked up at one of the craft stores. It runs on batteries and is only about 8" high. It works great when I want to sit on the swing on a very hot Florida sunshiney day.

That's it for this Pink Saturday. Hope to see yall next week.

Wrinkled Ladies

2010-06-19T12:19:00.000-05:00

Pink Saturday

2010-06-11T15:26:00.007-05:00

Beverly at How Sweet the Sound host Pink Saturday each week. This will be my first time to participate - that is if I can figure out how to insert the links.

I have so many things I have wanted to paint over the years but never seemed to find the time to finish them all. This darling little shelf has been in my stash for a very long time, thought it needed a few pale pink roses before placing it in my ETSY shop. And the little tote, I think it held a hair dryer back in the day - some of you may recall that we had bonnet style hair dryers before the blow dryer came along. It was a brown color but of course, I painted it pink - my favorite color. And the little wild flowers on a plaque - just something a bit different but still in my favorite color. The shell may be abolone - I am not so sure even though that is what the lady told me when I found it in a yard sale. It makes a perfect soap dish, again painted with pink roses. And the little napkin holder or letter holder, needed an updated look - with pink roses of course. Pink is on my palette right now but I think I will change my colors this weekend with another of my favorite colors - lavender/purple.

My flowers

2010-06-07T12:31:00.003-05:00

I am not a gardner, I try but most of my plants die so while they are still here I thought I had better get a shot of them. I prefer pink, white and purple flowers. I never buy yellow and I particularly dislike orange colors. So here are my little wonders.

First, My Mimosa tree (I am not sure of the name)

My Crepe Myrtle

My cream color rose

My purple petunia

My pink periwinkle

My striped purple petunia

My dark pink begonias

My flamingo rose (is actually a pink salmon color)

My pink and cream hydrangea

I have more, my gardenias are beautiful this time of the year but they are just about on their last bloom.

AND THEN THERE WAS THIS - IT JUST BLOOMED THIS WEEK - AND IT IS ORANGE!!! He looks yellow in the photo but he is a bright orange. But I don't have the heart to get rid of it, thank goodness it only blooms a short time. He looks really odd with all the pinks and purples.

Wow, it's been a while....

2010-05-29T15:02:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been this long since I posted. Here's to all of my blogging friends, have a great Memorial Day weekend. Will be back to posting soon.

Love my little chickadees...

2010-03-19T20:22:00.006-05:00

I have my painting desk in a back room of my house which overlooks the back yard. I sit in front of the window so I can watch the birds who feed right outside the window. There are so many black cap chickadees that feed there and they are very particular, they love to pull out the sunflower seeds. I also have tufted titmouse, cardinals, a little wren and on occasion I get a bird that I do not recognize. I have decided that this year I should try my best to paint up the items I have been storing so I started with this match box. The chickadee was a perfect fit with the pretty pink dogwoods. I don't think we have pink dogwoods growing in the south but we sure have pretty white ones.

P.A.N.D.A.S.

2010-03-11T12:39:00.004-06:00

You will see many posts from me about P.A.N.D.A.S. It is so important to get the message to parents, doctors, teachers, and friends, that when a child starts to exhibit different/unusual behaviors there may be a very good reason for it. Strep can cause many things to go wrong in the body, it can lead to heart problems and it can cross the blood brain barrier and cause the brain to start attacking its own antibodies. When this happens the body reacts in different ways, a child may have verbal outbursts, tremors in the legs and arms, head jerking, eye blinking, they may be fearful of leaving their home and become clingy, they can become hostile, and many start having OCD symtoms. There are ways to treat it, usually with a simple round of antibiotics and in some cases IVIG is required. Many times the strep infection could have been very mild and gone without incident. I am so thankful that a blood test was performed by my grandson's doctor and it showed he had a large amount of strep in his body. The antibiotics he was given has alleviated most of his symptoms, he still has a few but you would not know it unless you were looking for the signs. He is well on his way to recovery.

Please watch the video attached at the bottom of this message. It shows the little girl who could not stop sneezing - actually it wasn't a sneeze at all but a tic - she was diagnosed with P.A.N.D.A.S

www.msnbc.msn.com

2010-03-11T12:39:00.000-06:00

www.msnbc.msn.com

Vintage Bags and Totes

2010-03-04T14:49:00.005-06:00

I have always loved vintage suitcases and bags. I found this little bag and I think it may have been used to hold a hair dryer at one time. It was originally the dusty dark blue - same color as the strap. But I wanted to paint it a pretty cottage white with pink flowers. I added a few blue flowers and a blue ribbon to tie in with the strap, then added the little checks on the side. Love it so much more now than before.

Got Strep???

2010-01-21T16:09:00.007-06:00

Did you know strep can cause more problems for a child than just a sore throat? My grandson recently started displaying symptoms of Tourettes Syndrome. This normal little nine year old with an outgoing infectious personality because someone we did not recognize. He had verbal outbursts, piercing yelps, tremors, and head jerking to the point where he could not go to school. He was scared and confused by his body and mind doing things that he did not want it to do. When I was told that it might be Tourettes, I simply would not accept it. There had to be more to it. I spent my days and nights on the internet searching everything I could about Tourettes. Then I typed in "symptoms mimicing Tourettes" and there was an article about P.A.N.D.A.S. - Pediatric Autoimmune Neurophysiciatric Disorder Associated with Strep. We didn't even know that my grandson had had strep. The Neurologist said it was Tourettes and my daughter was wasting time and money on any tests. But when the Pediatrician ordered a blood test it showed his strep level was off the charts. Immediately, he began taking omnicef (an antibiotic). Within days he was almost symptom free. He was able to go back to school after missing a month. He was no longer lithargic, no outbursts, just a few tremors. It appears he may have PANDAS. He still has more blood work to be done and may be on antibiotics for a while and he may have the symptoms return if he gets an infection. But at least for now he is doing better.

How many children are out there exhibiting these symptoms only to be told it is OCD, Tourettes, or some other disease. If you have a child or know of a child that might be displaying the symptoms listed on the attached card, please ask your doctor to order a simple blood test. It may not be the answer for all but if it is for just one child it is so worth it.

Our Chapter Christmas Party

2009-12-15T19:43:00.002-06:00

Our Painting Chapter has an Anuual Christmas Party for the members. Since half of our members live out of town we are lucky to get a dozen people together. No matter how many come, we always have a good time. We have an ornament exchange and we play Dirty Santa - and we eat and talk. These are pics of the party at my house - although I should have waited to take pictures of the tables when they were completely decorated. The spoons on each plate are a gift - I try to paint something different each year for the attendees. There really isn't anyone under the tree - it is a decoration of a child's bottom peeking under the tree for presents. I just don't have the presents under there yet.

2009-12-15T19:33:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas in any color..

2009-12-08T14:08:00.008-06:00

But I especially love pink. I have a lot of pink/pastel decorations which I stage on my table all together. There are more but I didn't have time to put up the pastel tree this year, or the bird tree, or the aluminum tree or the purple tree in the bathroom. I usually try to have one tree in every room but time got away from me. I love handmade items but most of these were either given to me or bought. I love angel snowmen and sometimes I find them in a color that doesn't appeal to me but I always have my handy brush and paints around to change them to pink.

What to do???

2009-11-05T20:52:00.002-06:00

I have had this little piece of wood for more than 15 years. It was originally a Christmas tree necklace but not something I would wear. So today I finally decided to do something with it. I painted Santa on it in hopes of disguising the look of the tree. I used Triple Thick varnish and it always makes everything look so soft. I am not pleased with the cording so I will have to get with one of my beading friends to show me how to add the cording and beads correctly. Can you see the form of the tree?

A Bowling Bag for Hope

2009-10-11T19:26:00.003-05:00

Hope is my niece - a beautiful girl with a beautiful voice. She has decided to take up bowling. This is her bag but not a very girly bag. So in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and because I like pink, here is her painted bowling bag. I hope she likes it.

And the winner is.....

2009-10-11T07:14:00.006-05:00

Rebecca - ChristmasGal. What a funny drawing today. We went to my grand daughter, Mackenzie's, Fall Festival Pow Wow at her school. I typed up everyone's name and put them in the bag for her to draw from. The very first name out was my sister's. So we decided to try again - tada.. there was our winner - ChristmasGal. My sister Barbara in Pennsylvania said she wanted another winner picked because not only does she have a snowman but she can come down and get whatever she wants. So to be fair we had to draw another name. And then you have to have a second place winner - Julia from Foley, and a third place - Kay from GW, California. I will get your items off to all of you this week. Congrats to all of you and a special thank you for everyone who participated. I never thought I would enjoy having a blog but I am beginning to love it after meeting so many nice people. Can't wait til December - I may have to have another giveaway.

My blogaversary is coming soon.... more items added

2009-09-28T15:57:00.001-05:00

I HAVE ADDED A FEW MORE ITEMS TO MY GIVEAWAY....a snowman, a snowlady taking tea, and a pink rose plaque.

Can't believe I have been blogging for a year already but it is so exciting. I will get to have my very first GIVEAWAY!!! I am putting together some of my favorite things and it will be so easy to enter. You will be counted once if you leave a comment and twice if you become a follower. Now I would add more like grab a button but honestly, I am still trying to figure out how to do some of those things. I will give you a hint a some of the items in the giveaway - they will be handpainted..(like you didn't suspect), some will be pink and some will be for the holidays. Then I have a few extras to throw in. I can hardly wait. I started blogging on 10 October 2008 so that will be the day we will draw for the winner. Here are a few of the items in my giveaway - just in time for Christmas.

Santa's coming to town

2009-09-22T19:48:00.000-05:00

I have just finished making this Santa that will be auctioned off for my Decorative Painting Chapter http://northwestfloridaseaoats.blogspot.com/. He is made with a beautiful red jacquard fabric with gold threads running through it. His beard and hair are made from real mohair (I actually buy this unwashed and boy does it stink when you wash it - smells like lanolin) and his fur is mink from an old mink stole. He is weighted to sit in a small chair or on a table. His face is handpainted and he is wearing glasses. He is 25" long, 15" high when sitting. I have been making this Santa for about fourteen years and just love him. One of these days I will actually make one for myself and keep him. I often make him from other fabrics such as moire and in other colors - pinks, blues, greens, etc.

2009-09-10T20:56:00.000-05:00

Pink Roses

2009-09-06T10:09:00.001-05:00

These little pink roses are so quick to do normally. And then there are times when I struggle just to do a stroke. But I am in the mood and still have pink paint on my stay wet palette so I will paint them until I run out of paint. This is the cutest brush holder someone made me and it has been in my wood stash for several years. I brought it out and gave it a quick coat of my favorite creamy white paint and then it was off to paint roses. Once I get going I paint the front and the back and sometimes I will start on the bottom to practice. I am thinking of putting a quote on the back with one little rose bud - so it's off to my painting room (it is actually our 4th bedroom which has been converted to my studio) so I can finish this up and start on another. I am try to "de-stash" some of the items I have been saving so I can move around in my "studio".

Trash to Treasure??

2009-09-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

I love boxes in all shapes and sizes. When I saw these little boxes in the clearance bin I could understand why no one wanted them - they were butt ugly!! So, I brought them home and with a little time and paint transformed them into these little beauties. Painted in a creamy white with pink roses - one of my favorite combinations. I know, I know, I get a little crazy when I start painting. So I added a rose on the bottom - just testing the surface, and a little one inside - you can never have too many roses. These little darlings are going to my Etsy shop, hopefully they will find a new home as mine is overflowing already.

Still painting Santas

2009-08-08T10:09:00.001-05:00

I don't think it is ever too early to paint Christmas. I will be teaching this 6" clothespin at our Azalea City Decorative Artists painting chapter paint in next week. This is such a fun time for us. We have so many members in our painting chapter that paint beautifully and are willing to share their talents with us. You never know what they will teach next. Last month we painted very tiny ghords but we used embossing powders and the heat gun - I had never done that before and it was FUN!!

I will be adding this Santa to my ETSY shop - that's right, I finally set up a shop. Now, I don't have anything listed yet but I have started the basics. I will be offering my ornaments, personalized sign boards, lots of handpainted roses, some vintage items, and Christmas items. I am in the process of sorting through the items and taking pictures. Will add an ETSY button once I have completed the process. Thanks to Celeste (Celestina Marie Designs) who encouraged me to try this particular avenue of selling my items.

If it stands still long enough, paint it

2009-07-15T22:43:00.000-05:00

I don't like wasting my paint even though I have hundreds of bottles of acrylic paint. If it is on my palette, I plan to use it. With just a little left on my palette several days ago, I was looking for something small to paint - right in front of me I saw my palette knife and my stylus. I have two palette knives that are my favorites - one I had painted some time ago but this was going to be painted with the fuschia color paint I had on the palette. So, I have attached a photo - even though it is not very clear - of both the knife and stylus - rendering true the saying " if it stands still long enough, I will paint it".

A great day to paint...

2009-07-13T12:09:00.000-05:00

It has been a lazy weekend for me - grandchildren are home in the pool, husband is golfing, the weather is too hot to go out, so I just stayed in and painted - with a few breaks to read my favorite blogs. I will be heading to Houston this weekend for the Art Expo - so excited! My friend Sherry, had her husband make us a stand for the clipboards we keep our notes and pictures on during class. Being like most painters, I can't go to an Art Expo with a plain old clipboard - so I painted it!! I used Genesis paint - a heat set paint that does not dry until you heat set it with a embossing heat gun. I have not used these paints in four or five years so I struggled with them for a while but I like the way my rose turned out. The texture is like oil paint - but I still prefer oils over heat set paints.

A litte story - several years ago we had a terrible hurricane named Ivan. It destroyed about 80% of the building I worked in. During the reconstruction phase we had to wear hard hats to enter the building. There is nothing worse than a man handing you a hard hat that has been on someone's sweaty head! So I asked for my own hard hat which they graciously obliged. The very first day I had it one of the construction workers asked to borrow it - well, you know I didn't want it after he used it. Before handing him the hat I removed the foam so it would be easier to clean when I got it back. Then I brought it home and painted flowers on it. You know what, they didn't ask to borrow it again!! Can't imagine why, I thought it was quite pretty and the only one like it on the military base. And they let me keep it as a momento of the 18 months of fighting and stressing over getting the building put back together. Three months after re-opening, I retired! Here is a photo of the hat.

Time to start painting ornaments

2009-07-04T09:17:00.001-05:00

I know it is only July but I love painting for Christmas. On a recent trip to Joann's Fabrics with my grand daughter Mackenzie, we passed by the dollar bin. There are always an assortment of goodies available but this day they had packages of small wooden spoons. One spoon had an oval shape and the other a round shape. I picked up several packages. I often pick up items I think the grandchildren will like painting on especially when they are only a dollar. I have painted on regular stainless steel spoons before and decided to try a Santa and a Snowman on these. And the color - I love the color pink and the pink rose is my favorite. I will paint the other spoons in shades of cream, aqua, and blue. This time I took a picture before varnishing to avoid the glare.

A future Decorative Painter

2009-06-19T09:50:00.000-05:00

My grand daughter Mackenzie loves to paint (as well as the other three). She painted this little bumble bee yesterday and I think she did quite well. She is eight years old and is very particular about the colors she uses. She even scumbled in a few clouds on top and around the sides. Isn't she a beautiful little girl?

2009-06-11T09:04:00.000-05:00

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose......

My husband's roses are beautiful this year. In shades of baby pink, creamy yellow, ruby red, and flamingo pink - and they smell gorgeous!! I can't grow a rose or anything else for that matter - it is a lot like cooking for me and every one knows I don't cook. I would rather paint than cook, so I painted up a couple of quick plaques. These are small 5"x7" wood plaques which are perfect for these tiny roses. Enjoy!

2009-05-10T09:29:00.000-05:00

My Cottage Vignette

This was fun to paint but you could spend hours tapping in color for flowers and shrubbery. It looks a little crooked in the picture but that is because it isn't standing straight in the chair. Painted in one of my favorite colors - Americana Ice Blue and outlined around the edges with my favorite Krylon Silver Leaf Pen.