Fourth of July Painted Plates

I thought I better get busy and create some things for the up coming holidays, so I did some plate painting with acrylic oil based paints that come as markers and I just love them. One can find them in any art store or a Jo Ann's. I bought mine in the local art store and love them lots.

It's a way I can show off my drawing ability each plate is original in that I just draw the picture free hand and I use no patterns.

This first one came out so cute I thought, a little boy and his wounded dog are playing the Yankee Doodle song. You can't eat on this plates they are only for decor and need to be cleaned only with a dry towel. I have sealed them by baking them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 min.

The second plate is with a little angel and her dog and I borrowed a famous quote from Robert Frost.

Both plates are in my Etsy store; here is the link http://www.etsy.com/shop/pamelastocker1?ref=si_shop

Both plates are $10.00 and shipping is $6.00 in the United States

Now I have to get busy and do something for Father's Day! that is in just a few days so I am headed back to the plates and painting.

Steps I use in Creating a Picture On a Wooden Unfinished Jewelry box in Oil Pastels and Acrylics

You can also do this Project, using a wooden unfinished jewelry box, on fabric, on chalkboard, or what ever else you may like. In this case I am using a an unfinished wooden jewelry box I found in a craft store.

In this instant I used my own ideas to create the look I want, but you can use a pattern you like or draw up your own design. I am using a fine pen acrylic paint to draw out my design; which is some way out sun flowers.

This next photo is my other design a crow in some sunflowers, again I just free hand drew this onto the wood but you can easy get a pattern that you like and transfer it onto the wood by coloring over the pattern and rubbing it on or tracing over the pattern to transfer. In the picture I am combining a bit of oils and acrylics. I have brushed on the black of the crow with acrylics and some of the orange is acrylics and the yellow are oil pastels that I am blending with a q-tip.

In the photo with the large flower I am adding my oils over the top of the flower which was painted with an orange acrylic paint and the green was also acrylics then I began rubbing the oil pastels in using various colors and sometimes with the q-tip or my fingers and just wiping with a small cloth.

Okay as you can see I am almost done I have my project completed in the oils and acrylics but I want to make this look old and grubby so I am going to add a stain that is walnut in color and oil based. I love how the crow and flowers have come out just the way I wanted, my crow is a bit human looking don't you think?

In this last picture you can see I have rubbed my oil based stain on with a cotton cloth and wiped away the access, now you can stain it too but I suggest using an oil based stain for better results or just leave the stain and and seal with a good sealer. I will mention what all you will need for this project: pencil, transfer paper, pattern of your choice, oil pastels, acrylic paints, q-tips, small pieces of soft cotton cloth, heavy sealer, walnut oil based stain. This can be lots of fun to do, I also want to mention if you are going to stain let the oils and acrylics dry for 2 days at least before staining. This allows the paints to dry good and the pastels to set a bit. I love how mine came out, but then I love the grubby look and bright colors.

Happy Memorial Day

Remembering those who have fallen and honoring them, to honor, families who have loved ones in the service, honoring my husband who is a army vet, all my uncles who served in the Navy, my sister-in-law who was in the army, her husband who was in the Air Force, my husband's father, my grandfather, cousins, half cousins, and so many more!!  I have borrowed these wonderful photos and art work I just thought they made the point in a beautiful way.

It's Thursday, The Happenings for Today May 17th 20012

Heaven's it seems this month is just flying away! Today I have been adding some products to my Etsy store Maplea's Rag Dolls and Animals. I created these all some time back, the first is a cute set of small primitive kitties. I used some scraps of Berber and quilting cotton fabric. I did not use any patterns, I just took some scissors and began cutting these guys out of the fabric to my amazement they turned out not too bad. I have filled them both with fiber fill and used black beads for noses and eyes. I stained both with my super sauce of instant coffee and vanilla.

A while back I had some interesting and color cotton blend fabric that is nice and heavy for making this cat from a vintage pattern. I went away from the instructions of the pattern a little, by not using fake fur or muslin. I added buttons for eyes and the buttons are mismatched a little thing I like to do now and then.

The bear turned out so cute, he was created last fall from an neat vintage pattern that I have changed, actually I used a bit of 2 vintage patterns to make this little guy.

This is a want to be clown rag cloth doll that I created and it started from a vintage pattern but I added my very own ideas, I painted the face white with acrylic paints and designed my own facial features, along with designing my own outfit for the doll.

Lastly there is a great celebration going on at Etsy and it's from the Old Farm House Gathering on Etsy, lots and lots of talented people sharing their wonderful crafting abilities so come check it out!! Here is the link http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?q=stcofg&order=most_relevant&view_type=gallery&ship_to=ZZ

What I have been working on this week and my Mother's Day present

Late afternoon to all!
Anyway this is when I started writing this post, I have been crafting just a little these past few weeks before the grand baby arrived. I did some painting on small chalkboards. I used oil based paints for the painting and some oil pastels for the wood around the chalkboards. One chalkboard wall hanging is for fall time and the other one is for summer time. I drew the crows and scene free hand using no ideas or patterns, basically just going with the flow of things.
Both will be cute wall hanging for the two seasons, I have also sealed the chalkboards with a good sealer and the wood has been done in oil pastels. What I did was to color wildly onto the wood using the pastel and then rub the pastel into the wood using some Q-tips the method worked quite well.
In the second photo is my mother's day present from my wonderful husband! I am hoping it will attract some humming birds. There are several colors of fuchsia in the pot and I will be trying to get some starts off of it.
This week I am hoping to get some dolls sewn seems my sewing machine is in neglect so hope to start sewing again. I have an 18 inch doll all cut out all I need to do is sit down and sew!

I am a Grandma!! Josephine is Finally here!

I became Grandma April 30th 2012 Josephine is so wonderful we are so blessed and thankful she is here!  My daughter had to have a emergency C Section as the baby's heart rate kept dropping very low.  I am so proud of daddy and my son who both went with my daughter into the operating room to help her!  Josephine is my little china doll and boy am I going to spoil her!!

Today Working on 3 Different Projects That are Simple and Fun

Today I have been working on 3 different items for my store different in that 2 are painted plates and the other is a wooden sign for Halloween decor. I am painting on each of these my very own designs or ideas all done free hand with no patterns.

At the top is the small wooden sign for Halloween decor I have used some wonderful graphics from the Graphics Fairy at http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com/ What I did was to paint a scene around the the graphics I have printed up. Next I will stain and sand the whole thing for a old aged look, I am not sure yet if I will use a walnut stain or a lighter stain, I may use my oil based stain and just rub it onto the wood. I am painting with acrylics that have an oil base and just love them.

The second photo is a small clear plate with snowmen on them and a cute quote about snowmen. I again just began painting free hand to just a small thought in my head and I am using acrylics and will seal the plate, the plates I create are for decor not for eating on or from.

The last photo is an 11 inch plate and the verses are taken from conference's from the LDS chruch. I loved the talk that was given I thought it would be neat to share with all women.

Each project is fairly simple to do and they did take an entire afternoon, although I am not quite finished with them. Soon I will have them in the Etsy store to purchase and I will share that.

I wanted to mention that I did a pet adoption about one week ago I have just fallen in love with our new addition Popeye, who has only one eye but is so very special. Popeye is a little male Jap/Chin and is 5 years old, he did have 2 other brothers who I hope will get adopted soon. If I could I would have adopted them also but I have Oreo, Daisy and Marvin and now Popeye!