Shoo fly, don't bother me....

I want to thank Tina over at Old Glory Soldiers for the inspiration on this one. I love the look of vintage kitchen pieces, and although this one is new, it is made old again by using the rusting technique of spray black paint and cinnamon. I wanted to put something inside that would add to its uniqueness, so I mixed up some "fixens" of miniature clothes pins, rosehips, coffee beans and cinnamon stick pieces and put them in an old aluminum jello mold. The distressed hang tag has a copy of an old Farmer's Almanac.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Oh, I can't begin to tell you how excited I was to find this lovely antique scale at my favorite little antique shop. I have searched FOREVER to find just the right one to use as a background for my version of a favorite design of Terrye French. The scale has a metal plate on either side that reads, "Wimberly & Thomas Hardware, Birmingham, Alabama." Isn't it ironic that after all these years, this piece was found only 45 miles from where it was originally used? I love to think of what it weighed over the years... nails, screws, or seeds perhaps? I wonder about the stories it could tell. I don't think it minds one bit that it has found a new life as a candle stand or maybe a base for a mason jar full of rosehips.

Oh Diane...... find a scale as quick as you can. If you thought that garden trowel was fun to paint on, just wait until you try this!!!

What's for Supper???

I bought some lovely peppers and Vidalia onions at the market. I found this recipe that I am going to try tonight. It sounds exactly like something my dearest will love! I think I will serve it on poppy seed buns with a roasted new potato salad and fresh fruit on the side.



Italian Sausage Sandwiches
1 lbs. ground sweet Italian sausage
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 green peppers, sliced & seeded
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 c. red burgundy wine
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c. grated cheese (Romano or Parmesan)

Brown and remove from skillet. Add peppers to same skillet (do not rinse), stir quickly as peppers stick. After 3 minutes, add onions and mushrooms. Saute until onions are transparent. Add red wine, scraping pan as you stir. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, add cheese and stir before serving. Place in a large bowl and top with a little extra grated cheese. Serve with Italian bread or as a sandwich on sub buns.

Chicken and Fruit Topiary

I have long been inspired by Rosemary West as well as my wonderful friend, Diane Knott. They both have distinctive techniques in their painting styles that I so admire and strive for. Rosemary's tole painting is flawless and I love her choice of color, patterning and banding. Diane is an artist extraordinaire... the warmth of her personality shines through in her work. Each piece is a treasure and I especially love those with fruit and berries. So, that being said, I decided to do a piece in which I would try to incorporate all these qualities. Here it is, a topiary painted with fruit and a chicken finial on top!

Precious Memories Altered Book Box

The Old Farmhouse Gathering Team on Etsy is preparing for a Mother's Day Celebration and this is the first of my two entries. I love making assemblages in book boxes. This one has a page from an old "campground meeting" song book decoupaged on top of vintage style paper. Lots of other goodies include a baby shoe candle light, a little cameo, forget-me-nots, tea stained lace and antique buttons. I experimented with printing a vintage photography of two little children in a wagon onto osnaburg cloth and I love the way it turned out! This was a departure from the painting I have been doing and nice for a chance of pace. Sometimes going in a different direction is a good thing.

Prim Angel Altered Guitar

This is a child's 1/2 scale guitar that I just finished. I found it without strings and shoved in the corner of a shop. I felt its days were numbered since it couldn't be played any longer --- what was I to do other than rescue it???? So, with a favorite Terrye French angel in mind, I began to layer on the paint and antiquing glaze to get the proper patina. And here she is, holding a wooly lamb with a saltbox scene on her dress. I love her baby's breath wings and halo... who said angel wings had to be feathers? I had a wonderful time painting this little piece.

My Recipe!!!

What a surprise was in store for me when the electric bill came and one of my recipes was printed inside! Almost a year ago the Alabama Power Company sent out an invitation statewide to submit easy recipes that required a minimum of ingredients. At first I didn't think much about it, but at the urging of my dearest and Megan also, I finally sent in a few. One of them was a recipe my daddy had shared with me years ago. He loved to cook and was always finding "new and improved" dishes to prepare. Well, the people at the Power Company chose "Papa's Supper Bread" to be the recipe of the month for April. My daddy would be so proud!!! I hope you try it --- it is especially good with soups and stews.

My wonderful artist/designer friend, Diane Knott, is having a fabulous give away. Be sure to tiptoe over to her blog, Diane Knott's Musings, http://dianeknottsmusings.blogspot.com/ to sign up. The drawing for this precious little creation will be on Sunday, April 19. I have all my fingers and toes crossed that I will be the lucky winner, but I want you to have a chance too!!!

This is a vintage teacup, slightly crazed by age,a soft ivory color with a sweet floral pattern. The "flower" is a copy of vintage sheet music printed on faux parchment in a soft golden shade.The "nest" is made from excelsior.There are three real feathers, three velvet leaves and two hemlock pods and in the center a faux bird's egg in a soft shade of aqua green. Who, beside Diane, could come up with such a delightful little masterpiece. Thanks Diane for offering one of your darling little whimsies!

This is a child's suitcase that I painted with many layers of blue, sage and antiquing glaze to provide depth and a wonderfully rich patina. The sweet prim angel is based on a design by Terrye French. She wears a wooly coat that has been adorned with our favorite prim elements: a fluffy sheep on wheels, grapevine wreath with baby's breath, a cabbage rose and a shiny black crow. Her cape collar has a "stitched" flower and little pearl buttons. The wings on the angel are decoupaged ephemera paper. She wears a baby's breath wreath on her head. A large, heavy cast iron key is tied to the handle with a lovely piece of old sage green ribbon. The back of the suitcase is decoupaged with music torn from a vintage church hymnal. Oh the memories I have of standing between my sweet momma and daddy at church and singing this song ("by heart"). I think my next piece will have to be a "precious memories" theme.

Santa's Snow Globe

This is my entry in a "North Pole Day Challenge" on the HGTV Holiday Craft Board. I found this little globe (about the size of a grapefruit) and couldn't believe it! It is the smallest of the many, many globes I have painted. I gave this guy a good dusting of glass glitter and applied two sizes of three-dimensional snowflakes on top. I promise, I won't post any more globes.... for the time being that is!

Finished at last!!! Summertime Globe

Thanks to all of you who encouraged me to finish this globe and to use a fireworks theme. I had a terrible time locating a pattern to use for the central theme and finally wrote to Terrye French, asking for help. I cannot begin to tell you what a nice lady she is! She sent me the pattern I needed immediately with the sweetest note. Isn't it wonderful to know that someone who's artwork you have admired for so long is a lovely person? So here is the finished globe.... Terrye's design of saltbox houses and fireworks, and my additions of the prim American flag on top of the globe and the watermelon border on the bottom. I hand lettered a few lines from "My Country 'Tis of Thee" on the opposite side from the little village scene. This was so much fun to paint!!!

Loving Easter Wishes

The warmest and best of Easter wishes to all my blogging friends. When I count my blessings I include each one of you.

Sweet Spring Globe

I finally finished the springtime globe. Although I have always included a church and a variety of prim houses, this is the first time I have tucked a school into the landscape. I don't know why I haven't painted one before now. It seems it would be the natural thing to do after teaching for so many years. My parents, all my aunts and uncles and many cousins were all educators so I guess it was in my genes! Anyway, I am happy with the finished piece and already beginning to plan a summer globe. I am thinking it will be a night scene with fireworks..... what do you think???

Globe Trotter!

I suppose you have guessed by now that I love painting on unusual things. The more of a challenge, the better I say. Globes are a favorite (but wait, I say that about suitcases, coffee pots, baby shoes, kerosene cans and the list goes on and on....). Yes, the globes like your teacher had in her classroom, or the kind that gathered dust on the top shelf in the library. I have been lucky to find all sizes and shapes but I really like the old fashioned, regular kind. I have a series of seasonal globes going.... Autumn and Winter are already complete and living with a great artist friend in North Carolina. Today I started on Spring. Hopefully, I will have it finished in a day or two if nothing major comes my way to disrupt me. Stay tuned...

Bliss Baby Shoe Light

Here is another project from my treasure trove of lovely junk I posted the other day. I chose one of the baby shoes and used it to make a candle light. The music decoupaged on the toe is vintage ephemera. All the buttons are antique and made from shell. I love forget-me-nots (pink of course!) and I used them to encircle the base of the light. The old key hanging from the ribbon shoe lace has a rusty heart affixed to it. This was so much fun to make.

pRiM aUTuMN cAKe cOvER

Here is the first project from the collection of "good stuff" I acquired a couple of days ago. The cake cover, with its acorn knob and acorn and oak leaf border, just begged for an autumn scene. This is a broad interpretation of a pattern I got from Debbie Richey at The Sugar Bucket. I love everything about it, especially that big sunflower! I rubbed the acorn boarder with a metallic copper stamp ink to highlight it. The knob was perfect as it came --- I like to think of all the times it was used to lift the cover off a baker's delight inside.

LOOK! LOOK! LOOK!

I am beside myself with excitement over the great things I found this morning!!! I have been looking for an old cake cover to paint for ages and when I found this beauty I could have jumped for joy!!!! It has an acorn for a handle on top and acorns with leaves are embossed all around it. I already know what I am going to paint on it and can't wait to prime it and get started!!!

I found two great old pot lids, a pair a sweet baby shoes and an ice cream scoop (it will be a snowman!). The little wagon is in pretty sad shape but it had two wonderful wheels that I know I will be able to use some way or another. I am off to prime and paint on this beautiful April Fool's Day.