A Few of My Favorite Things

It's time for me to write about one of my favorite things, teddy bears.   I don't know when my obsession began, but for as long as I can remember, I have always been enamored of those furry, chubby cheeked, shiny black eyed huggable creatures.  They surround me everyday, in my bedroom on a wicker trunk, in my den on an old fashioned record player and on a shelf in my kitchen. There's something very comforting about having them around.

One thing I like about as much as I like looking at my teddy bears, is painting them.  In addition to painting the bears on my Christmas ornaments, I also paint bears on children's stools.  Although I usually do a sketch before I begin painting, sometimes I just begin with a rough idea and let the muses lead me where they will. 

I recently painted stools for a set of quadruplets, 2 boys and 2 girls.  I painted a fairy bear in a garden of flowers and butterflies for Lily, a bumble bee bear in a garden of sunflowers and bees for Edda, a sailor bear with a toy boat and anchor for Timmy, and my favorite, a fisherman bear with fish and frogs for Wyatt.  The woman who commissioned me to paint these stools is a friend and former colleague of mine for whom I have painted several ornaments, stools, rocking chairs and a table for her grandchildren.  I have painted lots of different bears for her, so I wanted to do something different for these four stools.

Although I will paint a copy of one of my stools for someone if they ask, I enjoy the challenge of creating new and different themes because each bear I paint has a slightly different look, different color fur, and no two are alike.  Each has its own personality and sometimes I don't know what the bear will become until I begin to paint.  Another colleague of mine, who uses my stools as her go-to baby gift, simply tells me the child's name, lets me know what the mom or dad's hobbies or favorite sports are or where they went to school, etc., and lets me take it from there.  Sometimes people just tell me colors and the sex of the child and let me do my own thing.  Those are my favorite stools to paint.

It's a wonderfully creative process for me to go through each time I paint.  Although I've been doing this a long time, I never tire of the journey!

Babies in Bloom

About a month ago, one of my nieces approached me about creating centerpieces for her sister-in-law's baby shower.  She is having twins!
Since I created the centerpieces for my daughter's wedding, this was something I enjoy doing, and could definitely have fun with. I have also been creating centerpieces for my high school's "Senior Breakfast" every year for the past 20 years.  It's alway a challenge coming up with new theme ideas each year with the freshman class student council who hosts the event.

I got busy sketching on my tablet computer and came up with some fun ideas for the baby shower centerpieces, which I then sent to my niece for approval.  Although she liked all the ideas, she especially liked the one I did using a topiary form.  I filed away the other sketches because my daughter's friends, after a year or two of marriage are starting families one by one, so I'm sure I may again be called upon to create a few, if not for her friends, then one day for my future grandchild's shower!
I had to make eight centerpieces and after many hours of making each flower with tiny pearl bead centers and gluing them to the topiary ball, wrapping ribbons around the dowel, painting the pots and adding Spanish moss, I was finally finished.

It was time consuming, but fun, and the resulting centerpieces, I must admit, came out very well.

Embroidery Hoop-la!

I haven't written about my Sewing Club in awhile.  The fall is usually bustling with club activity, however,the winter months tend to become very slow as special activities and winter sports begin. Then comes spring and all the wonderful things that come with it, more sports, the spring play and the temptation of sitting at the picnic tables outside having a snack and just spending time with friends after school.   This seems to happen every year. Once students become involved in a sport or activity that keeps them from coming for a few months, they get out of the routine of attending meetings on a regular basis and seldom return .  But I do have between 7-12 students who come faithfully out of the 25 I began the school year with.   That's not necessarily a bad thing.  I am free to work with the students on the sewing machines more and do more intricate projects.  With fewer girls, I can help everyone and there isn't a line for the sewing machines.

 I found this idea that was quick and easy, something that the girls could complete in 1 or 2 meetings.  I tried it myself and was very pleased with the results. I like to give the students a few options, since some projects require several meetings to complete and they may get tired of working so long on the same project.

My club is making this "Embroidery Hoop Wall Pocket".  A few girls are done or have cut out their circles to date.  Other girls are finishing up past projects.  I am glad they are sewing and happy with what they are doing, which is the main purpose of the club, well that, and learning a little bit about sewing along the way.

I have moved the embroidery hoop idea into my own work as well.  When I was young, I was constantly engaged in some art or craft activity.  I painted, drew, sewed, knitted, crocheted and crafted.  I loved embroidery and  used a hoop when I embroidered. The embroidery hoop is making a comeback in the crafting world in a more decorative capacity, as a frame for letters, or as a showcase for pretty fabric. 

I decided one winter Friday afternoon, that as long as I was going to be indoors the following day due to one of the rare impending winter snow storms, I would get a 12 inch hoop and see what I could create.  I decided to paint on muslin.  I painted this cute little owl perched on a button adorned tree limb with flags hanging overhead ready to be personalized, a letter in each flag. 

It's funny how one thing leads to another, one inspiration leads to another just like a wonderfully creative chain reaction!  I also love how my inspirations at school lead into my inspirations in my own work.  I am seldom at a loss for ideas wherever I am!

Gifts

My mom is turning 89 this week.  I would be remiss if I didn’t include her in my blog of inspirations because she was my first, and continues to be my strongest, source of inspiration.  I love her dearly, and would like to thank her for being my muse throughout my artistic life.

I have an incredibly gifted life.  True, I may not have a lot of money, fame or luck, but I have many gifts in my life for which I am eternally grateful.

 I grew up in a great family.  Yes, we have had our issues, as all families do, but I have wonderful memories, strong values and faith in God.  These gifts were all given to me by my mom and dad.  The things I remember most about our family of 6 ( mom, dad, 3 kids, and a grandma), are things like helping my grandmother prepare and serve snacks for my parents’ card parties when it was their turn to host the monthly neighborhood get together.  I remember my mom teaching me how to sew on the sewing machine, my grandmother teaching me how to crochet and my dad playing his music on the record player in our finished basement.

Mom has always been the rock in our family.  The quieter, calmer of the two parents, Mom was the one who held our secrets, gave us advice and had the patience to teach us things like driving a car.  When I had to commute to our state college because of the housing shortage first semester freshman year, Mom worked and I didn’t have a car, so she drove me a half hour each way, every day to school.  That’s dedication.  I remember lots of shopping trips on Saturdays with Mom and Gram which always ended with lunch at the diner.  I attribute my love of sewing, and crafts to my mom who loved to do both. Mom was always making something, sewing up stuffed animals, making Christmas tree decorations or making clothes for herself, my sister, or me.   My gram was a great cook and baker and Mom inherited those talents as well.

She is a true supporter of the arts (or at least my art).  She and Dad encouraged me throughout my creative life.  Mom wore every creation I crocheted or knitted, good, or bad.   She hung every picture I ever drew, and displayed every Christmas door decoration and ornament I ever made.  Looking back on all of that, she deserves a medal for bearing with me as I struggled to become the experienced artist and crafter I am today.  Thanks, Mom.

Mom is a modern woman.  She is a handy-“woman”.  There is seemingly no tool she hasn’t touched, no part of her house she hasn’t painted, and no toilet she hasn’t fixed.  She is always searching (and I mean searching because her house is spotless) for things to repair or clean in her house.  She has a computer ( did I mention she is turning 89?).  Mom was a secretary, so she is no stranger to the keyboard.  She picked up the tricks of surfing the net, reads her email every day, views photos sent to her by her kids and grandkids, checks the news, visits my online shop and reads my blog (thanks, Mom),checks the news and the weather, and changes her backgrounds to match the seasons.  She shops online, prints out recipes and plays games.  Did I mention she was turning 89?  Mom is a marvel and she is the most treasured, beloved and most unique of all of my gifts.  I thank God each day for all my gifts, especially for her.  Happy 89^th Birthday, Mom!

Kid's Room Painting Inspiration

I am an art teacher, but I am also a crafter and I love to try out just about any craft idea that comes my way.  I have to do it, and I have to do it now, which also means I don't always have the right materials for the project, but since I have been doing this for a very long time, I welcome any opportunity to improvise.  I have taught painting and drawing for many years and love to incorporate both into my craftwork as well.  There are lots of crafters who are not artists, but I consider myself lucky to be able to do both.

 I found a site that got my wheels turning, and although I got inspiration from this project, I turned it around to be my own.  I handpaint stools mostly with my favorite theme, teddy bears, and personalize them, so this project was not a far cry from what I usually do, only on a different surface.  My daughter, although a few years away from starting a family, had mentioned she liked the name Ava, so I chose that name as the departure point for this first personalized painting.  I formulated a theme as I was painting a background, made a bear fairy template using a member of my bear collection as a model, and began working.  I am always amazed at how my original idea undergoes a metamorphosis along the way.  It's added to, subtracted from,and tweaked until I reach the desired result.

I was very happy with personalized painting #1, but during another of my nights of waking up at least 4 times, a thought came to me and I began a second child's room painting, this time using the word imagine.
I wrote the word out using various fonts for each letter, turned the i into a tree, added some fanciful creatures interacting with the word, some glitter paint and finished painting #2.  I forgot how much I love painting, since I often go back and forth between mediums.  I don't teach painting this year.  With the advent of graphic design, I have been busily teaching several classes of graphic art and don't get much of a chance to paint anymore.  So when the opportunity presents itself, I fall in love all over again. 

This weekend is supposed to be a snowy one, so I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will be staying in, doing laundry, vacuuming, shoveling the driveway, but, best of all, planning out my next project.  Today I will make a quick stop at the craft store to pick up a few things I might need, then to the grocery store to join the "stock up  before the storm" crowd and I will be all set to begin my next adventure!

Sneaky Santa Inspiration

My Winter Scene handpainted glass vase with "snow"

I needed a little Christmas inspiration because not only do I love Christmas, but I love to create a lot of my own gifts at Christmas.  I'm always on the lookout for new ideas.  I feel that my gift giving wouldn't be complete without some little handmade addition to Santa's sack of goodies for friends and family.
The faculty at my school does a voluntary gift exchange which we fondly call "Sneaky Santa".  This year I picked the assistant pricipal's name, and although we began working here some 36 years ago and have probably been each other's Sneaky Santa more years than most teachers at my school have been teaching, I still feel the need to give her something handmade in addition to a storebought item. 
Another reason I like to give handmade gifts is because they're different, unique and from me and hopefully the recipients will enjoy them just a little more for that reason.  I put a little of myself in everything I make.  I am not a really confident storebought gift- giver because I always second guess myself.  Can the person can use it? Will they like it?  Will someone else get them the same thing?  It's so much easier to whip something up and rest secure in the knowledge that they will not receive anything else like it.
The other day, I spent about 2 1/2 hours scouring the stores at our local strip mall for a unique gift to give my Sneaky Santa because the gift I was planning on making was not finished.  I picked up countless candles, potpourri containers, baskets and even thought about making a little bag of Christmas wrapping paper, bows, gift bags and tags, but for the amount we were supposed to spend, the bag looked pretty meager.  So I found these pretty felt snowflakes placemats, which, I have to admit, I have been eyeing myself.  I bought 4 and a little red felted cardinal ornament.  I wrapped it all in tissue paper and put it in a Santa themed felt bag, added a card and a ribbon and was set to deliver the gift.  But then I just didn't feel right because there was nothing handmade in the bag.

The next day I had a thought,  I only had a couple of hours before I was going to give the gift to her, but since I get to school early, I figured I had enough time make her an additional gift and finish it before homeroom or at least in my free periods. I was a woman on a mission.  I packed up a glass container I purchased at one of our local department stores, and my brushes and set out to school ready to  paint!

Wine Bottles Christmas Display
from www.cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com

I found a beautiful inspiration a few weeks ago for the gift I was about to make. It was a wine bottles Christmas display.  I tried this out on a large wine bottle, but since I wanted to add a more artistic touch,  I painted a little scene with houses and trees in the middle of the bottle and added the "snow" at the top and bottom.  I wanted to work a little smaller for this gift, so I purchased a nicely shaped glass container, gessoed it. and sponge brush painted the sky and snow, so it would cover easily.   Sponge brushing is so much more forgiving than using a regular paint brush.  I painted tree branches and evergreens with a little cardinal perched on a twig.  I added the Epsom salt snow (what an inexpensive and clever idea from the tutorial) on the bottom of the container, the top and randomly in the sky.  I used Mod Podge as the glue for the snow, but also added a layer on the container and an extra layer over the snow to help it adhere.

Detail of my Winter Scene handpainted vase

By my first class, I was finished and let it dry a couple of hours.  When it was dry, I wrapped it in red tissue paper which I actually forgot to bring with me, but being an art teacher with a closet full of miracles, my problem was solved.  I slipped it into a candy cane striped gift bag that I brought with me and brought that and the store bought gift with me to our holiday luncheon and presented the assistant principal with my final Sneaky Santa gifts.  I can't wait to see how she liked her gifts, after all, I left a little bit of myself wrapped in that red tissue paper in the candy cane bag!

Countdown to Christmas

I haven’t written about my sewing club much lately.  We have been working on the same projects we started several weeks back.  It’s hard to really get anything done in a half hour after school, but the girls don’t seem to lose interest in their projects, even if they miss a meeting or take longer than expected to finish.

      Fleece hedgehog pattern and tutorial from the book Wild and Wonderful Fleece Animals

My little hedgehog

Last time we met, I had planned on making cute upcycled mittens made from old felted sweaters.  One of my students felted a very heavy sweater which was difficult to work with, so she abandoned that project.  Another girl, who used a thinner felted sweater, actually cut out a pattern and made one mitten today.  Some of the girls worked on their felt owls, pillows and some began this really cute fleece hedgehog pattern I found online before the meeting.   I tried it out 45 minutes before the meeting and was putting on the finishing touches when the meeting began.  The girls fell in love with this little hedgehog and much to my delight, were definitely onboard with the project.  I had enlarged the pattern slightly and brought my fleece out of the closet.  I made mine in gray, but some opted for pink, turquoise or multicolor hedgehogs. One or two of them have decided to give their little creatures to a younger sibling for Christmas.

The pattern called for sewing the hedgehog by machine, but I made mine by hand and decided that was a quicker and easier route for the amount of students who showed up for the meeting.  I explained how to cut out and pin the pattern, how to place the one piece on the fold, and how many of each piece to cut.  Some just cut, some just pinned, and one actually stitched her hedgehog body to the bottom and added the eyes.  The one student who started putting her hedgehog together has had several years of sewing experience, so she catches on to projects immediately and works quickly and skillfully.  Although some have very little sewing experience, they are moving along pretty well.
Honestly, I don’t care which project they work on during the meetings, I am just happy to teach them a little bit about sewing and watch them as they become more adept with each new project.

Student hedgehog in progress

When I was out and about doing a little Christmas shopping about a week ago, I was inspired by the little felt gift bags for sale in several stores, and thought that would be a great project for the girls during this holiday season.  They can decorate the outside of the bag with hand stitched appliquéd shapes and then stitch the bags and handles via the machine.   I’d better introduce that project soon.  I can’t believe we only have 2 more Thursday meetings until Christmas vacation!