More Building Block Houses....

Oh, I just love making these little guys! I decided to go ahead and make a set for Christmas, Halloween and an Americana set for all the patriotic holidays! I continued using all sorts of ephemera to cover the sides and bottoms of the houses. A large variety of three dimension items such as rusty stars, an old brass key, buttons and typewriter keys were used for embellishment. I am going to make a set with a chicken/rooster/egg theme for my kitchen I do believe. My dearest put his foot down sometime back about halting the addition of any more feather fowl there but these will be small so maybe I can sneak them in!!!! :o)

Prim Chicken Gourd - Miss Pitty Pat

I love painting on gourds!!! They are all unique in their own way and when cleaned, the surface is like silk! My stash is running low, but the Farmer's Market is up an running, so my gourd man will be back and I will be a happy, happy girl.

Turning an otherwise hum-drum gourd into a chicken is so much fun (and I give them all names). I decided to take my new favorite Terrye French design and see if I could paint it on a gourd. I am happy with the way this little lady turned out. Her beak, comb and tail are cut from wood (this takes some time, but well worth the effort). Her shawl is a piece of tatted lace and it is tied with a homespun "ribbon". She sits on a nest that rests on an old bed spring.

Stay tuned..... I am going to paint another chicken tomorrow. I think I feel a new trend taking shape in the studio!

What an inspiration!!!

Do you ever fall in love at first sight? Oh, I don't mean the "romantic" kind of love, although I do believe in that phenomenon having been a victim 30 years ago myself! I am referring to the kind that you feel when you see a little vase, a piece of silver plate or, for me, a precious antiQue doll trunk. I found this gem at an estate sale not long ago. The outside showed that it had been well loved by its previous owner but the inside is in almost perfect condition with the original paper and hanging rod still intact. I used one of my Terrye French patterns for inspiration and painted this "twilight" angel on front. I cut her wings from my collection of vintage sheet music and applied another piece on the back. All that was needed for finishing touches were the ribbons and lace tied to the handle along with a cast iron key.

Transformed Traincase

I found this great traincase at one of the consignment shops I love. It is bigger than most and a perfect container for books, file folders, or anything!!! The design is one of my own in the springtime series. I love the hollyhocks that are growing beside the cottage. Sadly, I have had no luck with any I have planted so these will have to satisfy my longing for those beauties. I decoupaged wallpaper bluebirds and a picket fence around the bottom. My dearest reminded me that everything I paint lately has been pink. I guess I need to switch from this phase but I dearly love that color and just can't help myself!!!

Old Sifters --- New Life!

I am drawn to old kitchen utensils. I love to find old flatware and serving spoons that have been well loved and well used over the years. Old teapots and coffee pots are my delight!!! I go back to my childhood when there were no coffee makers and my mother would perk coffee every morning on the stove top. Who needed an alarm clock when the smell of fresh brewed coffee did the trick? I can see my grandmother even now as she baked in her kitchen. My job was always to sift the flour and, even though I got more on me and the surrounding work area than in the bowl, she never lost patience.

Sifters of all sizes are perfect pieces to breathe new life into for me. I love their knobby cranks and handles and the indentations for the measurements. It is so much fun trying to decide what do do with each one that comes my way. Here is a tiny little sifter, only one cup, that I found at my favorite thrift store. It was just the perfect size to hold pencils and maybe a pair of scissors. I think a bunny and rosemary make a great design for this little guy.




Sometimes it's not what you paint on the sifter that is important, but rather what you put in it. Using an old sifter as a container for a little kitchen Christmas candle light composition was just the ticket for this piece. Cinnamon dough ornies, little apples with evergreen and "candies" formed the perfect compliment to the cinnamon coated light. Even the silicone bulb had that fabulous spice in its coating.


My latest repurposing started with an old Bromwell sifter that had seen a lot of use. I decided to try out one of my new designs and use it also for a candle light. This time a wooly sheep surrounded by a verse from Psalm 100 seemed the perfect thing to paint. I have pieces of an old antique quilt that is so worn the cotton batting is coming out. I used a piece to cover the top (and the bottom) of the sifter. The candle light is stained to make it blend in with the old pieces. And the hang tag???? What better than "This Little Light of Mine"? I have always told my friends I have never been bored a day in my life. How can I be when there are so many sifters to paint?

Cottage Teapot Easter Tree

My husband says I will paint on anything if I can get it to hold still long enough.... I just smile and nod my head. I guess it's true. I have painted a ukulele, more chairs than I can count, and bushels of gourds. But I must say here and now that my favorite thing to paint on by far is a teapot! Tall and skinny, round as can be, dented or not, I love them all. This teapot has been in my stash for a long while and today it was calling my name. So I decided that it would be the perfect palette for a new cottage design. Here is the result.... a pink plaid background with a little cottage, flowers and picket fence. The eggs are gourds (yes, really!!!) painted and trimmed with ribbon and forget-me-nots. The birdhouse is decoupaged in pink polka dot paper on the sides and pink toile on the roof. I can't wait to show my dearest this one --- he will just smile and nod his head.

All hung up....

I smocked so many little dresses on bonnets when Megan was little. She was always decked out in some creation that had tiny flowers and bunnies, ladybugs and strawberries or just her monogram. I keep one on display always --- I can't bear to pack them away. I wanted a special way to display her little frocks. I cut a piece of wood to make this baby hanger and I love the way it turned out. I made two little hangers..... one to keep and one to put in my shop!


Here is another idea using a premade wood hanger... a whimsical way to display your lovely old doilies and handiwork. These are old family pieces made by my mother-in-law years and years ago. I think I will make another to put in the cottage kitchen --- perfect for a dishtowel collection I think!!!

My little bird friends......

The mockingbirds are once again preparing for a new family! They have begun to build a nest in my now bare crepe myrtle. Mr. Bird takes this construction very seriously and makes a great show of flapping wings and loud cries if anyone, including Suki my dog, gets near. I decided that this would be the perfect inspiration for a painted and decoupaged canvas. The bright blue egg and robin are the ideal heralds of what Shakespeare calls the "best season of all." Now, off to my little studio to see what else I can dabble with today.