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

In the studio 5-29

Geesh. Over a month since I've posted. I like bloggers who update daily, so I'll try to do better than once per month :)

Where did we leave off.....

The month of May was a little rough to say the least but I'm thankful to have a job and one that I love. Nothing is perfect and I had plenty of paperwork to remind me of that, however, it's done and I now have almost 3 months off. Ahhhh, the joys of teaching.

I've done 2 more "write-ups" and 2 more on order. I'm drawn to big, colorful, graphic florals lately and was inspired to do something on a circular canvas. A creative friend is good at cutting out wood and she did a huge wooden circle for me. It's in the gallery in Magnolia so stop by if you get a chance. The Cosmopolitan Ladies Club is full of fabulous art... such an inspiring place.

I've also made a set of "color-your-own" notecards. They are black and white and come packaged cute with envelopes and colored pencils. A great idea for kids to do in a restaurant or party.

I have a few baby paintings to catch up on this week and MUST finish a large mobile mural for our church youth group. Our youth minister is starting a ministry in the community and I think this will be the logo/backdrop. I'm so thankful the Lord does not procrastinate.

Looking back over the week....even though I feel extremely exhausted....it has been fun. Last Friday was the last day of school. That evening we had a local fundraiser called "Potluck for the Pots" where the town raised money to re-do the bathrooms at our local event center the Fair Barn. It was the CUTEST theme and was a reminder we have so many creative and generous people in our town. Over $17,000 was raised and kudos to the Killgores who lead our creative, generous people. The centerpieces were rolls of toilet paper wrapped in tulle, tied with a ribbon and a gerber daisy. Genious.

Saturday I went to the Blossom Festival by myself and had a nice day looking at artwork. (I like going places by myself BTW..and if you see me I will be in another world). I'm always inspired by art shows and they make me realize I need to step up my game as a teacher.

On Saturday night there was a wonderful event at our local museum to unveil a new show they have on designer Geoffrey Beene, a Haynesville native. It also included Folk Art by the students in our parish and the adult workshops. On Sunday the museum also hosted a reception for the public featuring the work. Another great local place you should visit. The exhibits are first-class. Look for workshops later this year on recording oral histories...I cannot wait.

And THEN....Sunday afternoon I escaped to the "River". We call it that b/c the guys usually go there to trout fish. It's the Little Missouri River in Murfreesboro, Ar. I HIGHLY recommend staying at the SWAHA cabins. They are located at Narrows Dam on Lake Greeson. My mom and dad give the guys a night at the cabins for Christmas and we did not get to use them for trout fishing earlier in the year, but instead they fished Lake Greeson for the first time and it was GREAT. Did you know that locusts make a noise that sounds like an alarm? Wierd ! Anyway just the 4 of us went and it was perfect. It's only a 2 hour trip and it is the most beautiful river. I sound like Rick Rowe LOL. Do YOU need a STAYcation planner?

Friday Todd and I went to Shreveport and came home with a new truck. Suckers. For only $12 per month more we could buy new LOL. And, we did. It is very beautiful and black vehicles are my favorite. My husband does work very hard and I'm happy for him.

Saturday was the Claiborne Jubilee. They also had an auction where local artists painted chairs. They were all so impressive ! I visited with some friends there and met up with a most interesting folk artist from Minden, my friend Alma = the next Clementine Hunter.

I left there a while and went to another fundraiser for my friend Kelley. Are you getting all of this? I know what you're thinking....geesh at all of the fundraisers but that is the point ! Life is all about helping others. It's a great big circle of loving and giving and it's just what we do. Sometimes there is a need and sometimes you just do things because the truth is there's nothing we can do. Life is in God's hands. Thank goodness. So, like 1000 people were there to EAT. Todd was working and only had about 5 men there so I grabbed them all plates and delivered them to work. I must say that was the BEST BBQ. I don't know who cooked it...or who seasoned it but good grief it was good. WHO cooked that peeps? Do you know? I know 50 men cooked it, but who seasoned it? yummy.

Then today.....today is my mom and dad's 46th Anniversary. What a blessing. 10 of us met up at Mudbug Madness. It was fun.

And now, it's almost 10:00 and my husband is making comments about me being on the computer so long to which I lovingly remind him of his Angry Bird addiction.

Oh, I forgot to finish posting about the Jubilee Saturday and the Art Show. I'll save that for another post though. This has been long enough, so thanks for reading :)

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

Suzy

In the studio 4-27

I'm hooked on creating these mini designs in black and white. I had some scraps of nice paper that I did not want to throw away. Plus, a friend asked me to create some give-aways that would fit in a 3-1/2" square box. They need a name....help Erin.

Even my students are excited and I think they are lovin' it as much as I am. If any parents are reading (or anyone who wants to try these mini's) ...there is a special pen at WalMart. I'll add a picture. These are probably in the scrapbooking section and are permanent, acid-free, etc. I'm using a .01 tip size but anything small will work.

I also spent a couple of hours at the photo kiosk at WalMart. I knew I wanted something resembling a business card, and I ended up doing a collage advertising the "Write-Ups".

Hope you enjoy all of the pictures tonight. I encourage you to look for ART all around you. Make a point to recognize it and appreciate what the Lord has created just for us. He's the Maker of all things....

Suzy

In the studio 4-19

Not much happening in the studio this week. Judged some local art (not my students) for the first time yesterday. So impressive. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE children's art? Pure imagination.

I received some pictures today from the talented photographer and former student of mine, Miss Heather Lee. I'm not crazy about having my picture taken, but I do love the props and backgrounds. I'm working on some artist cards and an artist bio so I needed a creative picture or two.

I came across something cool this week called a "Zentangle". Check them out at zentangle.com. I'm stuck on creating these zentangles whenever I have a little bit of time...like waiting on a coke at Sonic or something.

So, you start with something called a TILE. This is a 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" square piece of paper. Something nice and thick. Then you draw a STRING. The idea is to quickly draw a line without thinking to get you started. Imagine if you dropped a string on the paper, how would it look? Draw it. Real quick.

Then you basically doodle patterns and designs to form patterns to fill up the tile. The overall piece is called a zentangle. Zen represents the idea that these should be relaxing. A tangle is the pattern.

Here are a few pictures to give you the idea. This is a perfect example of a project that looks really hard, but it's not. They are fun. Try it.

Do what you love and love what you do.

Suzy

In the studio 4-13

Sothankful after being disappointed today with student behavior

that I can come home to my studio. (Bedroom at home turned into an Art Room which I now call my Studio)

I need to practice my 2011 word: happiness. My studio makes me happy. My "write-up" paintings make me happy. Therefore, I'm showing pictures of these 2 one more time. I had to um, CORRECT the spelling on my purple one. Then I finished adding the last few lines on the Go Green Write-Up yesterday afternoon.

Here's a couple of up-close views too. Have you "read" these yet?

Next there is a photo of my bookmarks in a display piece I re-purposed. This was a Home Interior basket with apples on the label.

I also had a spice rack to match. Ran out of room in my kitchen and it dawned on me the other day to re-paint the labels with chalkboard paint. So, voila.

My altered art instructors always issue a challenge for us at each meeting. Last month they gave us a baby food jar and an egg. We can make anything we want. I'll let you know how that turns out...

I'll leave you with another idea from the list I mentioned a few posts back. The website is www.kerismith.com. I'm lovin' it.

*** Glue an envelope in your journal and for one week collect items that come your way ***

Do what you love and love what you do.

Suzy

In the studio 4-12

"GREEN JEANS" is the title of a new exhibit my students are working on. The picture shown here (sideways) is a pair I painted as an example. I'm working on my photo editing skills but until then I figure a sideways picture is better than no picture at all. Maybe. All of the green talk gave me the idea to use that as a theme for a new word painting. Thanks again to my friend for coming up with a name for this. It helps to have a Creative Writing Teacher nearby. Today was her birthday and she managed to give me a gift of inspiration today. I owe her big time. Thanks for sharing 3 life-changing books also. After going back and forth, I've decided to call these "Write-Ups". I finished this Go Green Write-Up today so this will hopefully be heading to the gallery in Magnolia soon. I managed to complete some paperwork today and still remain inspired. I had a student work in the studio with me today after school. She is so creative and is working on a special piece to send to the Governor's Mansion. Then, I headed to the library in Homer with Linda, Maxie, and Martha. Dr. Weber from La.Tech was giving a presentation/review on Folk Art. There was even a show-and-tell where I shared a few of my students' paintings and stories along with some other folk art pieces I have. It turned out to be a very interesting and fun night. Speaking of Going Green and using our resources....USE our local libraries friends. I'm sure you are like me and forget to go there very often but you'll be amazed at what you find. Do what you love and love what you do. Suzy