Painting~in the New Year

'Some' of my latest slate frames

  As part of my New Year's resolution, I am going to really try and blog more often! I have been kept quite busy with painting (and happily so) and thought I would share a couple of my latest slate frames, now that they have reached their new owner across the pond. I often get asked what I paint on my frames and such...to which I reply, whatever the customer wants. It is at times, quite challenging for me, which is a good thing, as getting out of my comfort zone helps me to grow.  The frame above is in process of being painted with a pirate theme~ I chose to paint the top slat with battling pirate ships, and the bottom slat the ocean floor, with treasure chest, corals and fish, an anchor and scattered things one may find in a shipwreck. If you look close on the top slat,  you will see there is even a cracken eating a ship!

  No treasure chest would be complete without real gold flake for treasure.....

 The fully painted ground using watercolours I think was the hardest part of the entire frame for me

 My given subject was 'pirates and skeletons'....so in keeping with the theme of the previous frame, I made this one Pirate Skeletons! Its really fun and lighthearted....don't ask me how a skeleton still has a mustache... he just does!

 After I draw my designs, I ink the frames first~ all or part it depends on what I want to paint.  Above are two teddy bear frames in ink ready for paint

  I spent so many days in this exact position....there are 217 of my signature roses on these frames! Plus 22 pansies...not to mention what seemed like an entire earth's population of teddy bears!

 I really love how the dark purple and black of the pansies stand out and contrast with the softer colors in the rest of the frame

  A frame with pansies in on my own wish list!

 One cannot have teddy bears without honey~ these fellows are lounging on the vertical slats of a large frame

Both of these large frames are a 'double paint', which I have yet to add to my paypal options. If you are interested in having this much of your frame painted, just drop me an email and I can invoice you directly. The difference between a double paint and regular paint is the painted surface area of the frame~ a regular paint covers about half, and double paint I try and cover the entire surface.

Happy 2016!

New Year...New Dollys... New You!

 Happy New Year! I can't believe we are a week into 2016 already!  I want to thank all of my wonderful customers for their much appreciated patronage last year, and say that I hope to continue to grow my business(s) this year~ making dollys, painting, making ya'll beautiful tools and teaching embroidery & beadwork. I have so many wonderful things planned for this year I hope I can get to them all! I have some really new exciting projects planed to make that I have never made before~ exciting but also a bit intimidating...but if I can do it, so can you! I challenge all of my readers to try something new this year they have never done before! 'Just do it!'. 

 I have been hard at work designing some new embroidery projects, some kits, and of coarse sculpting some fresh new faces. The three dollys above are part of my Ladye Grace series of early 19th c dolls, with antique glass eyes and elaborate sculpted coiffures. These are spoken for, but there are several more on the table patiently waiting their turn.  

Cheers to a Happy & Healthy 2016 filled with all in life that makes your inner light shine bright!!!