Random Stuff and Art

This is the painting I like that I get to keep. After I got the easel I set it up and just started painting without having any idea what I was going to paint. Why a blue vase and apple, you ask? Well, because the vase is just what came out of my noggin and there was a large bowl of apples sitting on the island. Plus I love blues and greens together- it's one of my faves. I'm not completely done with it. The brown blob next to the vase is supposed to be a shadow but I'm not sure I like it since it's just brown and the rest of the background seems very fluid.

And during the Christmas season I was one crafty girl. I made several handmade things for friends children and started several handmade things for friends but it seriously took longer than I anticipated. I finished one hand towel and did 75% of another but all of that took at least 9 hours to do so I ended up buying things for them. Oh, and I originally intended to do 4- yikes! They're super cute, but I can't show them to you because they will still end up as gifts.

I had no idea what to do for our friends kids and was a bit frantic about it when I saw some chalkboards at JoAnn's and thought, "what kid doesn't like a chalkboard?" And if it's personalized all the better. So I painted all of them, put their name on them and made individual chalk holders that double as an eraser. The holder/eraser is made from felt that I just wrapped around the chalk (long way), stitched around it with embroidery floss (all 6 strands and a different color for each child so they didn't mix them up), added a snap and voila! It was more time consuming than I thought but everyone seemed to like theirs. Originally I wanted to do skateboards or something else that the kids liked but I just didn't have time.

And here's Halle's finished stocking. I actually finished it Christmas Eve night just before we opened stockings so I had to finish it on a machine. It ended up being skinnier than I wanted to I may have to re-do it. And at the very end when I was sewing the loop to hang it I broke the needle on my machine. Gaaa! I like the stocking though.

And this is Mary's painting. I've already shown it to her so I guess I can show it to you. I had to do some touch ups because I got some espresso colored paint on the front that I was using on the sides so I had to clean that up. I use the espresso color on the sides so that she doesn't have to have it framed. Now I need to touch up my signature and varnish and I'm done.

I wish I could show you the other painting but the recipient hasn't seen it yet. I had to completely re-work it but I like how it's turning out even better now.

OK, and one more thing. I have to show you the super-cutest table runner ever- that I didn't make. I guess this was my Christmas present to me because I love it! I didn't have a Christmas-ey anything to put on the table or island and I saw this at Target when I was Christmas shopping. I love cute stuff!