Mermaid Palette Set on eBay this week

 If you like mermaids, I have a mermaid theme palette set on eBay this week~ just click on the link to my eBay auctions if you would like to see it!   My daughter said I couldnt do a mermaid without a "dinglehopper".. which is what Ariel called the fork she used to comb her hair in the Little Mermaid :)

Slate Frames

Thistle Threads Double Casket Panel Placement

 I have had alot of emails asking what size of frame will fit what~
...a medium frame will fit the Thistle Threads Door'd Mirror.
...a large frame will fit the Thistle Threads Fancy Mirror.
 As for caskets~ well it all depends on how you prefer to stitch, and how large of a frame you are comfortable stitching on. I have traced templates for all the panels of a Thistle Threads double casket  and laid them out in my slate frames to show one way they could be arranged. I like to stitch all panels of a project at once, so I can have continuity of threads/colors. I especially like to stack an entire side at least, so it sits on the frame just how it would sit on the casket~ this keeps you from going hog wild on one panel, and then go off an a tangent and have it not meld in some way with the other panels once finished.   IF you like to stitch on smaller frames, all the panels for a double can be arranged on 2 medium frames, and one small one, as shown in the above and below photos

  If you want to get everything on one frame, all should fit on a large with it extended out to its maximum size.

Bears & Sea Shells

Summer Sea Shells on eBay this week!

  I hope everyone had a Happy & safe Independence Day holiday! I finally finished the above palette set and they are on eBay this week! I say finally because its taken a bit! I designed the clam shell palette for a custom mermaid set I did a bit ago and had shells on the brain~ I have wanted to paint some for a while....they were such a popular motif to paint at the beginning of the 19th c~ I wanted to see what all the hub bub was about. well. Oh My Golly! I love painting seashells!  They are quite involved actually and take extra time to paint, but are so much fun~ so colorful and happy!  I picked some favorite sea creatures to go with~ a star fish, seahorse, and clam for thread winders. So if you are one of the many who have been requesting seashells, you can find them here on eBay this week.   I think perhaps I should paint a bear on the next palette set.....

  We have had a few visitors this summer....I usually get so excited I forget to get my camera...a few weeks ago we had a little 2 yr cub...the blondest bear I have ever seen in my life~ he was the color of a bananna ~ I am not kidding!  This fellow stopped by day before last...well, early in the morning, and was so comfy in our tree he decided to take a nap so had plenty of time to go get the camera...perhaps I need to put him on a skep palette...or maybe a dancing bear!

Made to order Slate Frames

In several sizes & hard to find extra large 36" square

  I have had much interest in my slate frames and after going wood shopping I have some details~ much easier to post here than send out so many emails~ so here are the particulars~
 firstly, for those of you who are not familiar with where I live, well...I live in southern Colorado....and for shopping for just about anything, I may as well live on the moon. My nearest store that sells wood stock if you can believe is a 98 mile trek north up I25 to Pueblo....and thats one way!  I went wood shopping on the way home from taking daughter to the airport in Denver this week and was able to pick up  a nice selection of Poplar and some Red Oak for slate frames. Couldn't find any maple~ booooooooo!
 I am planing on making slate frames 'inbetween' other projects...dolls, my flat top casket, padded mirror cases, and some kit work I am working on....so you can watch the Diamond K Folk Art blog for what I have ready made, or you can order a slate frame and Ill work on it priority like I always do with orders~ cause hey, I don't like waiting for things, and don't like my customers to wait either!  If you are interested in having a slate frame made~ I am offering in 3 sizes~ small, medium and large. The medium frame is dimensions of mine I just made with 24" stock and will fit a Thistle Threads Door'd Mirror frame.  The small is from 16" stock, and large 36"~ which yes, will fit the Thistle Threads Fancy Mirror Frame.
 Working area within each frame are approximate, depending on how you lace your frame, and are as follows~
Small~ 16" horizontal & vertical bars(4), with working area apx 11 x 12"
Medium~ 24" horizontal & vertical bars(4), with working area apx 19 " x 20"
Large~ 36" horizontal & vertical bars(4), with working area apx 31" x 32"

 Since the Red Oak is quite a bit more expensive than the Poplar, there is a price difference~ I hope you will find the below chart easy to follow~ but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. The prices are for plain, unstained, clear varnish finish, and do not include shipping. I would of coarse be more than happy to discuss a custom painted frame if that is your pleasure~ cost is dependent on the design and intricacy of the work.

Slate Frame Small~
Poplar~ $100.00

Slate Frame Medium~
Poplar~$135.00
Red Oak~$155.00

Slate Frame Large~
Poplar~$175.00
Red Oak~$195.00 
     
******PAINT is ADDITIONAL***********
   I am happy to work out a custom one of a kind design for you~ just ask!
 Allover Rose (like mine)~ 100.00 per MEDIUM frame
 Old English Monogram (like mine)~ 50.00 per frame
 Script Monogram~ 25.00 per frame