Bed and Breakfast at Mountain View

The boys and I took an impromptu trip to Mountain View, Arkansas this weekend. We had an awesome time. Beau got to explore the Ozark National Forest, and I got to stay in one of the cutest bed and breakfast cottages I've ever seen! Here are a few pictures from our trip.

We went the long way home and drove through Batesville. I took some great snapshots while I was there too.

Button Art

I think I've got my creative spirit back tonight. After days of feeling blah, I had a sudden burst of energy tonight. I worked on two canvases. The first one is an iron on patch that I glued on top of a canvas I painted blue.

Then I painted another canvas cornflower yellow and then drew a tree using silver acrylic paint. I then glued buttons to the end of each branch. I think this one is my favorite.

I went to a birthday party at an art studio earlier today and bought a cute print from one of the owners. I put it in this double frame I stuck together out of two salvaged frames I bought at Good Will. The finished product turned out really well.

It was a pretty productive day...I even got to spend it with one of my main men, Beau Dillon, who posed for a few pictures while we were out.

Owl Necklace

Owl Pendant with beads.

My Indigo Cottage: Simple T-Shirt Scarf

My Indigo Cottage: Simple T-Shirt Scarf: Here is an easy and inexpensive way to dress up a plain shirt and jeans. I started making these last year, and now I wear them with ever...

Repurposed Bookcase

I had a productive weekend thanks to my husband and a retired art teacher. 

I decided to show my paintings to a friend of mine who recently retired from elementary art. She wasn't negative but gave me lots of tips and tricks for starting to learn how to paint and draw. She also gave me four assignments - a still life, a portrait, a landscape, and a figure - to complete before we meet again. I know I'm not going to be a professional, but I feel like a kid again learning something new.

In other business, my husband watched the boys while I finished a project that had been on a my mind. I had   a boring, "catch all" bookcase in my living room and while watching HGTV, got the idea to upholster it.

Here's the Before:

I found a great fabric at Hancock's yesterday. I just used a staple gun to secure it to the backboard of the bookcase.

I also finished a new necklace to match a navy and fuisha dress I bought Saturday.

Pride and Prejudice

It's been a wild day today. I went home sick from school this afternoon and at about the same time, my nephew got a piece of pea gravel stuck in his ear (while on the playground). He had to have emergency surgery to get it out afternoon; but now, all is well. Who knew pea gravel could be so dangerous?

I managed to finish two things tonight. First I worked on a new painting today. This time I used a canvas I bought at Hancock's Fabrics. I like the fact that I don't have to frame it and it can go straight on the wall when it finishes drying.

Then I made a necklace for my friend, Christina. It's a belated birthday present. She really reminds me of Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice, so I found a P&P bead. I also have a Jane Erye bead that I'm keeping for myself. I guess the heart of an English major never changes.

My Big Red Flower

Since I haven't been able to do a lot of furniture re-purposing lately because of the weather (and I'm getting a little bored with beads), I decided to try something new this week.

I've always wanted that free-spirited artist life, but the creative writing career I planned took a hiatus right after college. I still enjoy writing, but I think now I need something a little more visual and faster to finish...that's why I enjoy repainting and creating new life for old furniture.

Well Saturday I bought pastels and canvas...which led to watercolor and acrylic paint sets. I don't think I'm past the novice stage at all, but it's been fun trying to get there.

Here is my "Big Red Flower." I stopped before I finished because painting, parenting, and exhaustion do not mix (and my one-year-old has the red hands to prove it). I guess I'm going through some sort of Georgia O'Keefe flower stage because that's all I seem to want to paint.

  

Tiny Inspiration

I found real inspiration at the Good Will the other day. I was going through the jewelry and came across this hand-painted pin. It's signed by the artist. It's simple but at the same time, very different and eclectic. 

So, this has really caused the creativity to flow. My artist friend and I have been coming up with concepts similar to this one. I'll post my first prototype soon!

Wonderland and The West

At the moment I have two very different styles going with my jewelry...Western and Fairy Tale. Maybe it's watching so many Disney movies with my kids or my own love of a good happy ending but I have found myself with six different fairy tale-themed pendants to go with my repurposed beads. Here is one I made for my aunt, a librarian. Inside the pendant is the shadow of the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I am also enjoying making Western and Native American-inspired jewelry. Ever since I found that awesome turquoise pendant and cuff at the GW, I have been hooked and Googling different styles. Below is one I finished for myself tonight. It is the pendant from GW, with some animal print beads I found at Hobby Lobby. I call it Western with flare.

Bauble Holders and Bubble Wands

This post has actually been twelve hours in the making. At nine this morning I had finished a lovely bracelet for my friend Marvell and was blogging about it on my laptop. Suddenly my one-year-old, Ryan, comes out of nowhere with his brother's bottle of bubble suds...lid open, wand out. He had a sour look on his face and I could only guess he'd tried a little on the way in there. Anyway, without warning he just tossed it on me, my couch, and my laptop. Needless to say we will be in the market for a new laptop now. It will turn on, but the keyboard is totally shot.

Anyway, after a trip to my grandparents' church (where my five-year-old Beau, who had had hid a Spongebob recorder under his shirt, began playing off key as we sang the hymns), and a wild day of lesson planning and grocery shopping, I think I am finally able to sit down on Scott's old PC for those few extra minutes and finish this blog.

Marvell's Bracelet:

Tonight, I spent the time between Super Bowl commercials organizing my stuff.

My Art Supplies:

My Big Bauble Holder:

My Tiny Workspace:

Organizing My Hobbies

 

It has been a few days since my last entry, but I am glad to be back on the blog. Today I finally found time to go to the Hobby Lobby in Little Rock, and as luck would have it, they were having a huge bead sale! I really lucked out with some beautiful pieces that I can't wait to start using.

I've also been trying organize all my goodies. It's been tough since I have to small children who like to get into Mommy's things. I have found some creative ways, however, to stash things like material and beads.

 

I have also started a small handsewing project. I found an old army bag at G.W. and I have started sewing on patches and buttons. I plan to start carrying my beads and things in the bag so I can be more mobile with my crafting.