Left-Brain, Right-Brain....and Lana's Giveaway!

Well, it happened. Our school started today, here is a link to our online K12 school:

K12 Online School

This will be our third year to home school with the online curriculum, and it has been a great fit for our family.
But, now I have to think about things like Algebra, Grammar, Vocabulary, Composition, Literature (actually, I love that subject), Physical Science, Biology, US History, Music, and Art....and Game Design! (My oldest decided to choose "game design" as one of his High School electives!.aaaaaa!)

So, our summer is over and it is time to dust off the left side of my brain, which doesn't get as much use in the summer.

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A Giveaway is being held over at Lana's blog....she wants us to list some icons/motifs we like, and use in decorating.
Yes, I had to use my brain a little, but it was a nice warm up for the beginning of the school year!

Click on over to join the fun and sign up for a chance to win one of Lana's original creations!

Honeysuckle Lane Giveaway

Just a few things....

We've just returned from a quick trip to Portland, OR. We stayed 2 nights and spent a day in Portland with my in-laws. They made the trip down from WA and we met in the middle.
We had so much fun at the OMSI . The boys really enjoyed all of the hands-on science exhibits, and they were able to tour a submarine. Since my husband grew up in the area, my in-laws have their favorite spots. The weather was beautiful and we strolled in a few of the historical neighborhoods, ate at a favorite restaurant and even stopped in an antique shop.

Part of our trip was celebrating birthdays. August is a big month for birthdays in our family. My mother-in-law's, mine and my son's. We exchanged gifts and my mother-in-law blessed me with some books from her library! She gave me two volumes of Godey's Lady's Book Vol. 39 July-Dec. 1849, and Godey's Lady's Book Vol. 77 Jan-June, 1869. And a Arthur's Home Magazine, 1969.

(we were driving down the highway and were already in OR when I realized I had forgotten my camera!!! So, no photos of the trip to share,Grrrrrr!.......I did remember to pack the children though!)

Here are some photos of my birthday treasures~ Thanks Nana!

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The Primitive Gathering will be updated on the 15th (or late in the evening of the 14th).
Here are a few pics of my new offerings.


I took a vote among family and friends and the consensus was that the new pumpkin head paperclay doll (see a few posts below) looked more like a boy after I painted the face than a girl! So, I'd like to introduce you to Peter!~

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her.
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
and there he kept her very well.

(An English Nursery Rhyme)

(guess his wife must be in the pumpkin he is holding!)




....and I'm finding inspiration in the vintage postcard images again this season. I've painted a watercolor reminiscent of a fall vintage postcard. It is hand-drawn with my own design, then hand-painted onto stained heavy watercolor paper. It is framed in a lightly distressed off-white frame. (81/2 X 6)



Here is a link to my page on The Primitive Gathering:

Me on The Primitive Gathering

.... (just refresh the page if you still see silhouettes!)

"Masterpieces"

It's been a busy week and I can't believe the summer flew by so quickly....school starts in just a little over a week and that means I REALLY have to get organized!

The "paperclay-class-at-the-kitchen-table" worked on their creations this week, and I think they are all pleased with their results! The final step will be sealing them.
Here are a few pics of the "Masterpieces".......



My youngest wishes we would buy him a bunny of his own, so every art project he does has to involve a bunny! ......and as a rule, no bunny should be without an extra set of whiskers!

My son's therapist sculpted a turtle and painted geometric/Aztec designs on the shell, which I think turned out really well. Then we "antiqued" it so it wasn't too bright.

And my older son finished sculpting the face of his giraffe. Then he painted it and added spots. He really put a lot of time into it and it shows.

Thanks for letting me show them all off!

And thanks so much for the birthday wishes.....all day I was "trying" to forget I was turning a year older! Oh well, it's better than the alternative!

A crispness in the air....

at least in the new Autumn paintings. It is still in the 90's and 100's here, so thinking ahead to the fall somehow helps with the heat!



For TDIPT's update on the first I've put together an Autumn Journal. There are five watercolor paintings bound in a book form. The covers of the book are wrapped in a pretty paisley in autumnal colors. The front cover has a black metal frame with the title "Autumn Journal" and bittersweet painted on watercolor paper. The front cover is also hinged and the binding is wrapped in brown leather. Each painting is done on heavy, 140lb. coldpress. The pages are deckled and stained before painted. The paintings are scored slightly so each page in the journal is easily turned. The journal measures 5 1/2 X 7.



I've also painted two silhouettes. A pair of pilgrims, to be more exact. The man wears a hat with a buckle and the woman a bonnet. Both are painted in watercolor and have been accented with white accents for emphasis and shadowing. The frames are beveled and painted a deep green with gold trim. Each painting measures 7 1/2 X 8 1/2.

TDIPT~Pear Tree Primitives

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The past few weeks we've had "Paperclay Class" at our kitchen table. My boys have wanted to give it a try. They usually prefer a "one-day" or "one-hour" project over one that takes patience and time. But they have really seemed to enjoy creating their sculptures these past 2 weeks. My younger son's therapist also wanted to be part of the "class", and everyone seems to have had fun. They inspired me to work on a few sculptures for fall while we all sat at the table together. (I usually like to work alone when everyone is in bed !), but this was fun and I did get a few things sculpted! Here are a few pics of our "creations". (Let me give you a hint as to what they are!). My younger son sculpted a bunny (the brown bunny on a green stand). My older son is still in the process of sculpting his giraffe. And my son's therapist sculpted the turtle. The next step will be the detail painting. I'll post pics later of the "finished masterpieces"!




My "creations" are almost ready for paint....pumpkin heads and an acorn person.
And one has been painted...but still needs to get dressed!

Seasonal Sneak Peek

"No Spring nor Summer has such grace
as I have seen in an Autumned face."
~ John Donne

"Winter is an etching, Spring a watercolor, Summer is an oil painting and Autumn is a mosaic of them all."
~Stanley Horowitz

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."
~ Albert Camus

..........a sampling of the Autumnal offerings I've been painting for TDIPT's update on the 1st.

Weekend Work

This weekend we did a little remodeling. My poor husband is not getting much of a summer vacation. The "honey-do" list never seems to end! A friend of ours had some wood flooring leftover from his own home improvement project and it was just enough to cover my son's bedroom floor. The wonderful thing is that the stain matched the wood flooring we have in the main rooms and hallway.




My son felt the need to "help" since it is his room! He started the project early by ripping out his carpet earlier in the week, so the "honey-do" project became a "must-do" project!





On Friday another friend came over to lend his expertise and nailer...so it went down fairly quickly. They even finished the detail work of putting on new baseboards. The next "project" in his room is a platform bed. We'll see how much energy "honey-do husband" has next weekend!

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While the wood flooring project was going on, I kept myself out of the way and busy by changing the color of the shutters we use as a fireplace screen. Do you have a piece of furniture in your home that you've painted every color under the sun at one time or another?
These poor shutters started out stained, then I painted them red, which went really well with the "americana/folkart" family room in our last home. For this home, I painted them black to go with the "colonial/cottage" look...but black stays sooooo dusty! Especially standing next to the French doors. (Here are "before " and "after" photos)




So, I thought maybe cream would hide the dust a little more, and be a little more "cottage-y" than colonial. I think I may put an antique stain over them to give it more of an "aged" look.
But, they probably won't stay this color for long! (Oh, I see another "project" to put on the list, now that I see this photo! A tiled hearth would look really nice, hmmmmm???)

Something New

Vacation is over...well, I never really took a vacation from painting, (thank you for keeping me busy with special orders!). I also went a little "box" crazy and painted a few sets of silhouette trinket boxes for The Primitive Gathering update today (July 15th).

(Blogspot was being fussy and wouldn't let me upload more photos, so I tried the slideshow instead....hope it doesn't take forever to show on your computer!)

I also painted Mattie, who is done in watercolor and is framed in a painted faux maple grain frame. Mattie is a full-length profile portrait reminiscent of one painted by an artist at the American School in 1845.
Thanks for peeking, oh....here is where to peek:

The Primitive Gathering