Animal Portraits

I work on commissions quite a bit.  In fact, when one job ends, another one seems to begin, but at a nice slow pace which is appreciated, especially during the school year, when I have little to no time to complete any outside work. In May, I was asked by the head of our Library/Media Center to paint a picture of her little dog for her daughter's birthday.  Since her daughter just graduated from high school, this painting was something she could easily bring with her to college. When Kathy saw it, she said she couldn't believe how much the watercolor portrait looked like their little dog!                                                                                                                                                             
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The principal at my school has 2 very sweet shih tzus, Tommy and Toby.  I created a pastel portrait, of Tommy, the black and white one, for her when he was a puppy, but when she adopted Toby, she sent me a photo of the 2 dogs and hinted that she would love a portrait of the 2 dogs for her birthday in June.  This time I made a watercolor of the pups and this was the result.  She loved it!

 

Although I never considered drawing animals my specialty, I do love to create pet portraits along with my drawing students when we do a lesson on pastel animal portraits.

 

Here are a few of my pet portraits.

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annie Doll and Onesie Gift

My newest grand niece was born in October, and will be baptized this month.  She is a beautiful dark haired beauty with big, beautiful eyes and a cute little button nose!
I already made her a rocking chair for the baby shower to match her room theme of little grey elephants, so I looked for some inspiration to make her something special for her christening, which, unfortunately, I will be unable to attend.
I dug through my storage bins filled with fabric and patterns accumulated over the years from fabric stores, flea markets, and rummage sales.  I love making dolls and get the strong urge every now and then to make one.  Now was one of those times. I know that this choice of gift isn't religious in nature, but it's a cute little set nonetheless, and something that comes from my heart, so I went ahead with the project.   I didn't have a photo, just a pattern, and although I thought I hadn't used the pattern before, I actually had, which I discovered, the further into the project I got. 
I love this little Annie with her striped legs and fuzzy yarn hair.  I also made a matching Annie faced onesie and matching bag for little Libby, my sweet little grand niece.  Happy Christening Day, little one!

 

 

 

 

                                          

Ironing Board Cover Facelift

Today is a school holiday.  Yesterday, my husband and I were ice-bound and unable to set foot out of our house because of terrible icing conditions.  It was a Sunday, so most people on the top of our hill had no particular place to go anyway.  Today is sort of a thawing out day, so I opted to stay put, let things outside get back to normal, and get some things done inside. 
One thing my husband had on his Christmas list this year was a new ironing board cover for our wooden ironing board that also folds up into a seat.  We keep the ironing board open in our bedroom all the time, so the seat pad is never used and is in mint condition, while our ironing board cover has been replaced several times.  We used to order our covers from a place in North Carolina which has since closed, and I have discovered that there are very few places who make these covers for what I consider a reasonable price.
I figured I had enough sewing experience to easily create my own, since it's an odd size and can't be purchased at stores which carry ironing board covers.  I searched around and found this tutorial which actually uses the casing portion of the old ironing board cover.  So I gave it a whirl this morning.  It took me a little over and hour and I used fabric and batting from my stash, so it virtually cost me nothing but my time!  I am pleased with the way it turned out and pretty proud of myself to boot!  It's only noon and there is plenty of time left in the day to accomplish lots more!

 

 

Woodland Adventure

What's that old saying....what are the 3 best things about being a teacher?  June, July and August! Although I am the first to admit I love being a teacher, I also love the fact that those 3 months off certainly sweeten the pot. Those 3 months allow me quite a bit of scheduling freedom!

So when my daughter and son-in-law invited me to their home for two weeks to visit, I jumped at the chance!
The first week was spent celebrating my daughter's last week of maternity leave.  While my son-in-law traveled a few days for work, my daughter, my baby grandson and I went shopping and out to lunch, went for a very short stroll in a nearby park and generally enjoyed each other's company.  My daughter rented a movie for us one night and proceeded to fall asleep about 3/4 of the way through.  I smiled because that's usually me!  Ah, young mothers!  She and I even snuck away Saturday morning to scope out baby bargains at some local yard sales.  It's very rare that I get to spend so much time with my daughter, and I totally loved it!

The second week she went back to work, very teary-eyed, and I got to spend this week of my visit babysitting my sweet grandson. I sent my daughter texts, photos and videos throughout the day, reassuring her that her little man was just fine.  It's been a long time since I was home all day with a baby, and I have to admit, I am not exactly used to entertaining a 3 month old, but my love for my grandson, far outweighs my desire to do just about anything else, so I played kids' songs for him on my computer, and, believe it or not, I still knew the words to almost every one!  My grandson smiled the widest when I sang them for him and made funny animal sounds!  

My visit is at its bittersweet end.  They will drive me back home to return to my son and husband who have been fending for themselves for 2 weeks. Although the time away from the house was a nice change, I missed them both and will be happy to see them.  I can only hope there is some semblance of order in the house when I return!

Two weeks back, when I arrived at my daughter's house, she had the guest room neatly arranged with a sweet little note tacked to a small bulletin board hanging over the bed, welcoming me and letting me know how happy they were to have me there.  I immediately started thinking of some little thing I could do to return the sentiment.
My grandson's room is sweetly decorated, in a woodland sort of theme, with little animal pillows I made, a turquoise ceramic owl, a white ceramic snail, and bunny, and  white ceramic deer head on the wall.  A bear printed tea towel is framed and hanging over his crib and a imitation birch stump holds some knickknacks and photos and a tiny felt rabbit on a detailed colored pencil background in a shadowbox frame I made to accompany a book I made for him.  A rocking chair I painted with his name sets in the corner of the room.  

So in keeping with the woodland theme, I returned the lovely gesture of the welcome note, and I left a few little handmade gifts of my own on the bulletin board in the guest bedroom. I made an ink drawing of a little squirrel which I left in the baby's room, and a tiny fox painting on burlap paper I purchased on one of our shopping trips with a little thank you sign over it tacked to the bulletin board.
I hope my grandson still remembers the Grammy who lives 4 hours away as he grows, since our visits will be limited by logistics.  I know he won't remember this very special visit, but maybe when he hears some of those silly songs, my face will flash through his little mind.

My beautiful summer adventure is coming to a close, but many others lie ahead, as I look forward to spending many more happy times with my little Cole.
                                                               

Crafty Imitations

Now that school is out for the summer, it's time to gear up for camp season! Parents are always on the look out for some stimulating and fun activities for their children to keep them mentally and physically active during those long, hot summer days.
Our school offers a 2 week summer program during the months of June and July.  It's my feeling that you can't offer a summer program without having something artsy/craftsy involved, so I am always one of the first teachers to sign up for our summer academy.
Two years ago when we ran the program, I offered "Fashion Runway", which was based very loosely on the show "Project Runway".  I had the middle school aged students start off the week with a t-shirt and with the embellishments and sewing techniques they learned throughout the week, they created their own designs and modeled them for their families at a mini fashion show in the school cafeteria at the end of the week.

This year, I offered a class entitled "Crafty Imitations" which was based on knock off ideas from stores like Anthropologie, J.Crew, Pottery Barn, and more. I wanted to strike a balance between accessories and decorations, so we created some jewelry, containers, sharpie "tie dye" t-shirts, sharpie mugs, yarn wrapped coil pots, and patterned paper dress designs on canvas.  The beginning of each week began with a power point showing various products from various companies and their knock off versions to show the girls what they would be creating during the week. Our first project both weeks were pom pom pens.  These were a big hit, and came out very well.

One of the students I taught the first week said she didn't know how we were going to finish all of the projects in one week. I smiled the smile of a very experienced art teacher and told her that she would be surprised.  As promised, at the very last minute of the very last class the final project was completed.
I took a few photos of their projects, forgetting to capture some of them, but the results of the 6th graders were very cute and they really seemed to enjoy each project. The second week I taught 7th and 8th graders and tried and a few different ideas with equally successful results.
When the second week was over, I closed up my classroom one last time for the remainder of the summer, ready to embark on my own creative journey!

Sweet Little Monster Baby Shower

Spring is finally here, and I'm sure we can all agree that this winter was a very long and trying one.  The one saving grace to a winter like this, was an abundance of snow days!  There is something about a snow day for a teacher.  It's a  warm, fuzzy, hang out in your sweat pants kind of day.  It's a sweet little surprise during the week, right when you need it the most.  It's a day full of plans for getting caught up on all that schoolwork, or getting caught up on life in general. Either way, it's a day full of promise for wonderful activity or lack thereof.  As for myself, I'm just grateful I didn't have to drive up the hills to my house through the snow at the day's end!  For me, the best part of a snow day is just standing in my living room, looking out the window watching the snow fall.  It's amazing how snow can be a beautiful thing when you're safe and warm inside your house, and horrible when you have to drive through it.

My daughter is having her first baby in a few weeks and we just had her baby shower.   It was a very rainy day, but the up side was that it wasn't snowing! 

I spent many of those snowed in days the past few months creating a monster of a baby shower....literally.  Since we had so many snow days,  I took advantage of each one to work on the decorations for the baby shower.  Even before we found out the baby was going to be a boy, I had 2 baby shower themes in mind.  If it was a girl, I wanted to do a fairytale shower.  If it was a boy, I wanted to do a little monster baby shower.  So about a week before Christmas, I found out it would definitely be a baby monster theme.

I searched the web, Pinterest, and my brain, and came up with some fun ideas. Being a graphic designer, my daughter decided to create the invitations herself, which I initially felt bad about, but actually was glad she did.  They were amazingly adorable, complete with fuzzy monsters with varied expressions in each of our chosen colors of lime, orange and turquoise!   

 

For the tables I created some cute monsters which were paired up (one large and one small) at each table.   I made 2 tulle wreaths  I found on Pinterest which I hung above the drink table.  I made a swag of paper flags and staggered letters of the baby's name  painted in monster letters and hung it on the gift table.  I made a version of this adorable monster head sign.  I also made another sign welcoming our baby monster with more paper flags at the entrance to the venue.  I created a version of this fabulous looking cake.  My version was truly a monster ( 2 16" x 2"layers!). Besides my daughter, I think the cake was the star of the show!

 

    

      

I made some monster stuffies with a little inspiration for all the little ones who were in attendance, and made utensil holders inspired by these tissue box  monsters.

Our menu included sandwiches and wraps, fruit on skewers, and salad. Our drink menu included a punchbowl full of sangria, water bottles with monster face labels, and juice boxes for the little ones.  I made one-eyed monster cake pops, chocolate covered marshmallows, along with the monster cake for the dessert table.  Small glass containers with goldfish crackers, and a stack of bite sized brownies were perched atop handmade cake plates.  Thanks to some family and friends, we were able to set everything up in less than an hour!

My daughter is counting the days to becoming a mother, as I am counting the days to becoming a grandma! 
I am very happy that winter is in the rearview mirror, but I am secretly thankful for all those valuable days snug at home in my comfy clothes making monsters!  The shower was a huge success and although I spent almost every minute of all those snowy days making those little details that made the shower perfect, it was well worth the effort!

Owl Mania

One of my favorite subject matters lately is owls.  A popular image in lots of arts and crafts these days, owls have been popping up in all sorts of places.  Two years ago I made the cutest owls with styrofoam balls and felt with my Sewing Club students.  This year, we made stuffed felt owls. 

                                    

           

I have been painting owls on embroidery hoops, stools, and now I'm into making cute little stuffed owls. 

I found a tutorial for these owls on Pinterest.   I absolutely love them and the best part is that they're so easy to make.  I think in one afternoon, I made 7 of them!

I started by making the original pattern larger, made my own eye patterns, matched up some fabric pieces, stitched everything together and suddenly there were lots of sweet  little owls perched in front of me!  I'm going to continue to try different sizes, eyes, and color combinations, maybe even adding a few handpainted details.  The possibilities are endless!