In the studio 6-25

The month of June has flown by. We returned from a wonderful trip to New Braunfels and spent time with Todd's family. Here's a picture of J.T. jumping into the river. Fun times.

As I mentioned, I love painting on these circles, so I chose them as a canvas for 2 paintings I finished this week for fundraisers. The floral circle went to the Claiborne Charity auction and the Owl one went to an event in West Monroe called Shake 4 Jake. Both excellent groups of people who help others in need.

I continue to find "treasures" just begging to be re-purposed. I've added some photos of recent trips. Let's just say I never take over $20 in a store with me....and I always leave with change ! The Rebel Man I found for less than $1, gave it a fresh new look, and left it on my cousin's doorstep yesterday. They are West Monroe Rebels. I have come across 2 of those ceiling medallions lately. Love them. I need to find a place for them in my house. See the 3 glass/wooden canisters? I just painted those black. I have a hard time deciding on what I want to keep for myself and what I want to sell. If you see something you like, let me know. I'll show the canisters soon.

I'm starting orders for the gallery next week, so I plan to be busy in the studio and crank out some paintings including a couple of Write-Ups and some windows.

I've also had the pleasure of meeting a precious little girl who will be starting private art lessons with me next week. I'm looking forward to it and am reminded that is my calling. If anyone reading is interested, I plan to start private lessons now that the boys have both graduated. I can start anytime this summer or after school. Please contact me at toddsuzy@bellsouth.net or give me a call. I will be teaching on Monday and Tuesday afternoons.

Search for inspiration this week.

Suzy

In the studio 6-11

The "Emilee" painting above is a gift for a friend and matches the cute Pottery Barn bedding green Daisy Garden. I don't know if Jennifer W. reads my blog but this is her surprise. I had a cabinet door (several of them actually) that I bought in Canton. They were cheaper than canvases and have a nice architectural detail.

Two others things above are from Canton. First, the picture of some ribbon. It reminds me of my 2011 word: HAPPINESS. THIS ribbon....makes me so happy. Inspiring. Beautiful. Fabulous. Yummy.

Then on "Junk Alley" (anyone know where I'm talking about?) I found this cute little white wooden box sitting there. It has probably been there for months just waiting on someone to notice. It was only $4. It was already white like this...and antiqued. I knew right away I could use it as a display to sell my gift tags and notecards. I had a drawer knob that Todd added for me and then I tied some of that fabulous ribbon on. My latest addiction is re-purposing. Some call it up-cycling. I like to think of it like this: "Use what you have (or buy really cheap) to create something better".
Now speaking of re-purposing, it makes me happy to support local thrift stores. There are some that are ministries started by people who love the Lord and want to help those in need. I'm not sure how much I "need" most of the things I buy, but I sure consider them treasures and it makes me happy to clean them up, give them a fresh new look and ready for a new home. Today my total bill was $6.00 for 25 items. SERIOUSLY. Check out the vintage milk bottles. I found 5 of them, cleaned them and "shabbied" them up with some ribbon. They're for sale. See the CUTE fabric they're on? Like a soft cotton vintage piece with crocheted edges? Yep, THAT was one of the 25 items today. You can see it better under my notecard box. Then the other piece. OMgoodness. I bought the black base on another trip. It was not-so-pretty when I bought it but a fresh coat of black paint and ta-da. Today I found the tall glass dome. Perfectly in tact. These sell for atleast $25 retail. Yep, one of the 25.

So, I guess the theme of my post tonight goes back to some earlier posts...ART is all around you. TREASURES are all around you. Train yourself to look for them. Notice pretty things. What can you find?

Do what you love and love what you do.

Next post: Windows and Write-ups.

Suzy

P.S. You know what people are putting in glass jars or bowls now in up-scale vintage shops? Birdseed and Glitter. I loved both. White glitter in a little vintage glass jar = happiness. Birdseed in a silver footed bowl with a pewter bird: oh yea. Check out www.laurieannas.com It is a cool place in Canton.

In the studio 6-8

Since I last posted my mom, sister and I took a road trip to Canton. It was very hot and thankfully mom had the foresight to get us a hotel room. We ended up staying 2 nights and had so much fun. I cannot begin to tell you all of the creative things that I saw. I call that "Idea Overload" lol.

Back in the studio I have been finishing some baby paintings. I love baby names. I actually have some picked out for my granddaughters some day hehe.

And... we're off again next week Thurs- Sun. The 4 of us will be going to New Braunfels for a family reunion w/ Todd's side of the family. I went last year w/ my in-laws and it was so much fun. I couldn't believe we had never made a point to go. They have been meeting every year for a LONG time at the same spot.

Here's a look at 3 of the baby paintings. One little boy ironically will be named Allen. No relation. The "Cute Announcement" was fun to paint. I like owls lately. This girl made contact w/ me by getting my info. from the back of a Cute Announcement I painted for her as a gift from a mutual friend.

Then, there's the "Murphie" circle painting. Have I mentioned I am hooked on painting using circles as my canvas? I love how they are different, bold, and graphic. The first floral one I did is in the window at the gallery in Magnolia right now. I found a few "odd" things to paint on in Canton too and am excited to get started. Working on re-purposing some treasures and I still have a couple of Write-Ups and window paintings to finish.

Coming Up: Claiborne Charity fundraiser and a cool event called Shake4Jake in Monroe. More information soon.

Do what you love and love what you do...

Suzy