Weighing In!

I love painting on "delicious surfaces"! I spend hours searching through antique shops looking for appealing and unusual pieces that will become perfectly prim folk art works. Some of my favorites are old scales. Here are a few that I have painted lately.

The first features a laying hen on her nest of colorful primitive eggs. She is a Terrye French design. She now resides in Ohio with my friend, Linda, who is a collector extraordinaire.
Another chicken is featured on this vintage scale (also a TF design). She is painted to look like old muslin. Terrye is a folk artist who lives in Oklahoma and creates the most delightful patterns ever!

Here is one of her latest designs painted on a scale for my collector friend, Shirlee. This scale was in fabulous condition considering its age. Shirlee reports that it is living happily with her vast array of prim collectibles.

Finally, I found this rusty old scale at a recent tag sale. It require a lot of preparation before transforming it into a piece of Americana folk art. It is going to live with my artist friend MommaB (Vickie) in her home that is filled with all sorts of treasures.

For more of Terrye's exciting work, please visit her site... http://www.thepaintedpearbasket.com/

Waiting for Spring

I am longing for springtime and the time when I can get in the garden and start digging. Meanwhile, it is still cold and wintry here. The chilly temperatures aren't keeping me from doing some spring painting however and I want to share a few pieces with you.

The first is a door crown that is a Terrye French Design. My dear friend, Diane, who lives in England is the new owner and I know it will look lovely in her home. We exchange notes about the comings and goings in our lives. Her writings of trips to Sweden and working in her cottage garden just sweep me away!


I have another friend, Linda, who is suffering through the long winter as I am. Living to the north, she is receiving more than her share of snow and frosty temperatures. We both talk of how spring is surely around the corner and how we are waiting impatiently for its arrival. She recently purchased this "springy" prim bread board. Don't you just love the black bunny and the little robin's nest with its blue eggs?

Wendy, who lives in Japan, is getting her share of snow too. I hope this prim sheep skillet will give her a glimpse of springtime. We have become fast friends through our convos on Etsy. What a dear she is!

Snow is in the forecast for today so my beloved pup, Suki, and I will stay inside my warm little studio. I tell her to be patient but she wants a warmer, sunnier day. Hugs go out to all of you from the both of us!!!

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue (and watermelon too!!!)

I couldn't wait to paint one of the sewing machine drawers I bought yesterday. I knew exactly what pattern I would use... one of my favorites from Terrye French with my own twist. I just love that big fluffy sheep with the watermelon slice balanced on its back. The pear, the crows, the quilt and the sunflowers are the essence of a prim American summer, aren't they? I lined the drawer with a piece of an antique quilt. The tin star is painted with the stars and stripes to mimic the flag. I cut the watermelon piece and painted and distressed it. The candlestick holder is a copy of a "courting" type. Your daddy would adjust the height of the candle according to the time your beau could stay... when it burned down it was time to say goodnight! Finally, I covered the center of a sunflower with lots and lots of buttons. This was so much fun to make!!! I am already thinking about what to paint on the second drawer!