Butler's Pantry Before Photos

Yesterday we got started on the butler's pantry at Eric's house.  I love these built in cabinets!  This is the view through his office doors.

A view from the office with the doors open.  How about that 70's light fixture.  Our daughter, Amber, is taking that.  It really doesn't go in this period of home.  I'll have to share the history of this house sometime.  It's very interesting!

I think this home was really meant for Eric.  See his ghost in the doorway.  

There are great glass doorknobs throughout the house.  Love this color.

The swinging door you pass through to the kitchen:

Don't you just love the detail in these cabinets?

Rick and Eric removed the ceiling tile in this room.  Did you notice that light fixture is gone too?

Eric looks a little doubtful.

They've got a lot of patching to do.

Eric and I got that wallpaper removed and the walls are in need of lots of repair.  It will be a labor of love though. 

I'll try to remember to take a photo of the outside of the house today.  Back to work!

Summer Cottages

Today is a big day for us.  Our son, Eric, is buying his first home and closing on it this morning.  I can't wait to share photos of his new place.  It's the cutest little cottage and has the neatest butler's pantry.  We'll be over there today stripping wallpaper and lots of other fun things.  His home reminds me of something that I would put in one of my paintings like this one:

"Wild Rose Crossing"

Paula realized, a little too late, that she had outgrown her bike from the previous summer and keeping her feet on the pedals was no longer possible. 

This is one of my favorite paintings because I, like Paula, would love to ride a bike down a hill with the wind blowing my hair straight back.  

Have a Paula kind of day!

Memorial Day

My dad, Tom, my hero!  Miss you so much!

Thanks to all our service men and women and for their dedication to our country.  You are all heroes to me!

Mother's Day

So sorry I've been down and out, but I came down with a summer cold on Mother's Day and have just gotten back on my feet.  

I did have a fabulous Mother's Day though because my kids came out for the day.  Amber and I spent the day piecing our new "Friendship Braid Quilts" and the guys spent the day fixing a great meal on the grill.  Thanks Rick, Eric, and Amber for making it such a special day!

I'll keep you updated on the progress of our quilts.  

I promise that I'm still painting and I've been working on video taping a small segment for you to prove it!  Not sure how to edit video, so it may take a while.  Hope you had a fabulous Mother's Day too!

How Does Your Garden Grow…..

I've been busy cleaning up the flower beds around the house since we finally have some good weather. The first day I went out and pruned back 10 rose bushes and had the blisters to prove it.  After waiting a few days for those to heal, I headed back out to prune the remaining two in the front yard.  This time I ended up with a very swollen hand near the joint of my right index finger.  A couple days later it was very red, swollen, and warm to the touch and I could hardly move my index finger.  I looked up rose thorn injuries on the internet and knew I didn't want "Rose Thorn Disease".  I headed to the doctor yesterday and they put me on antibiotics for a week.  Today it looks a lot better and hopefully will heal quickly.  If you work around roses a lot be sure to wear gauntlet gardening gloves.  I will be purchasing a pair real soon.

My lilac is blooming and sending it's wonderful aroma through the air as you open my back gate and enter to the back porch.  What a lovely greeting!

This morning I learned how to take out the power lines in this image using photoshop.

I put this clematis out last year and didn't get any blooms, but this year it is covered with buds and I'm so excited over the first appearance of the lovely flowers.  As I head down the stairs in the morning, I can see these two flowers through the landing window smiling up at me to greet the day.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Mother's Day!

May Day Desktop Calendar

I love the idea of May Day even though we have overcast skies and unusually cold weather.  To cheer me up I visited one of my favorite blogs, Going Home to Roost, to get my new May calendar for my computer desktop.  You can grab it for yourself too and tell Bonnie Christine I sent you.  It makes your screen look like a piece of art instead of a big box.

"Spring Breeze"

I can't wait to open the windows like I did a week ago and let those spring breezes blow through the house!  How about you?

A Bathroom Off the Kitchen

Yes, we have one.  The dreaded bathroom off the kitchen.  You know the one that everyone complains about on HGTV's show, House Hunters.  "Who would put a bathroom so close to the kitchen or dining area", the young couple remark as they shiver and walk away.  Well we live in an old house and one of the prior owners put a small bath downstairs in the only location that would work and it has never been a problem or disgusting to us.  It's been a blessing for us to simply have a bathroom downstairs.  I also don't have granite countertops and yes mine are old pink laminate. If you want to see that shocking horror story, you can witness it by visiting a previous post, "Living With Pink Countertops".  

Now on to this past week's horror story:

I was busy cleaning and dusting right before Easter.  As usual, I was trying to hurry and get as much done as possible.  While dusting my old china tea cups I dropped one of the saucers and smashed it to pieces.  I remained calm and cleaned up the mess.  Being proud of the way I handled that situation, I continued on.  The tiny "bathroom off the kitchen"  needed clean hand towels and the only place to store them is on top of the metal medicine cabinet.  While reaching up to grab one,  I accidentally knocked off an old antique medicine bottle which of course landed right on top of the pedestal sink below.  Now we had two drains and one of them was plenty and I had broken two items within a very short amount of time and everyone knows that these things generally happen in threes.

In my defense, there has always been a hairline crack running through the sink since the day we bought the house and that bottle knew it's target.  There were only a couple days remaining before family arrived for Easter dinner and I knew we were in a pickle.

My husband, Rick, remained very calm and asked me to please stop for the day.  We ran to Lowe's the next evening and picked out a new sink and he spent several hours the next night (until 2:00am) with his body crammed in that tiny area between the sink and the wall hooking the new sink up.  It was a great lesson in "patience" for him and he earned a neck rub as his reward.

I like this one so much better than the old one.  Don't you?  

Wander if I can drop something on those pink countertops!  Remember it comes in threes and the third one hasn't happened yet.

A New Spring Apron

I finished my apron last week and completely forgot to photograph how I used grandma's old apron as a pattern.  Basically I just folded her apron along the seam lines and laid it on my new fabric and cut it out.  Her apron had darts, but mine doesn't and it really doesn't fit any differently.

I asked Amber to model it for me because I do dislike having my picture taken.  It's a little hard to wear an apron with a cowl.

I thought spring would never get here.  Yesterday I woke up to this weeping cherry tree in bloom when just the day before it was covered in buds.  It's always the first thing to bloom and reminds me of fireworks!  

Let's take a closer look.  See that nest in the center?  I'll be keeping my eyes on that.  

Spring is my favorite time of year in the garden.  I have so much to tend to and need to get out and get those leaves out of the beds.  How is your spring so far?

Mother and Daughter Quilting Day

Last week my daughter, Amber, and I made trip up to Missouri Star Quilt CO. in Hamilton, MO.  This was her first trip there and she is now addicted to quilting.  We spent the day working our our quilts Sunday afternoon and she finished her quilt top all except for the borders.  We were doing this in the middle of our dining room since I don't have a sewing room.

This is the Jelly Roll Race 2 and you can find the link for the directions at the bottom of this post.

I spent the day binding my quilt with a black and white stripe that looks like checks after I sewed it on.

My next sewing project will be to replace this old worn out apron that was Grandma Edna's.  The last time I washed it, it had a big hole in the center.

I love this style of apron and the old retro fabric.

This is the fabric I'll be using:

I will also be trying to do a time lapse video of me working on a painting this week.  Wish me luck!

Bee Sweet Cupcake Painting

I've done it again!  I painted this sweet little design to get a better image for prints and have listed it in my Etsy shop.  It's painted on an  8 1/2" x 8 1/2" sheet of watercolor paper and does not come framed.  Everyone has different tastes in matting and framing, so I'll leave that up to the person who buys it.

"Bee Sweet Cupcake"

"Bee sweet and have a great week!"

Ladybug Cupcake Painting and Copyright Problems

This week I decided to paint this cupcake again so that I could get a better image of it for prints.  It is now available in my Etsy Shop.  This is painted on watercolor paper instead of a canvas so that I could scan it quickly for an order.  It would be great framed and matted.  I'm selling the painting only with no framing.

"Ladybug Cupcake"

This week I found out by searching for the address of a few of my images on google that several people have been stealing my images especially the one from this post, Making a Reflection Image in Photoshop, and using them on their websites and blogs.  Some have even gone so far to put them on free clipart websites.  These websites have no contact information on them so that I can contact them and ask them to stop.  Therefore, I'm  asking if you see someone using my artwork out there would you please contact me?  Some of it is legal because I do license my artwork, but most of it is not.

You can find out who is using your artwork if you click an image on your blog and copy the address into a google search and you can see where it's being used.  This was not a pleasant surprise.  I've been going back and making sure that my images have my copyright on the image even though it states on my blog that are my images are copyrighted.    I'll stop my complaining and get back to painting.

Thanks for your help!

Spiced Apple Cupcake Painting

I just finished painting this sweet little cupcake and forgot how much I enjoyed painting on top of the recipes.  I haven't done one like this in a while and hope you enjoy it too!  It's now listed in my Etsy Shop.

"Spiced Apple Cupcakes"

A spiced apple cupcake topped with maple butter cream frosting is painted on top of a little recipe that is decoupaged onto a cute 4inch square canvas. The 1 1/2 inch edges are painted beige and a sweet black and beige ruler ribbon is wrapped around the edges and tied in a bow at the top and there is no need for framing.  

I found this great ribbon on Etsy a while back and forgot that I had it.  

It's been in the 70's here for the last couple days, but is supposed to snow tonight.  Is your weather as crazy as ours?

You've Got Mail - Layer Cake Friendly Quilt Project

Back on Valentine's Day I did a post about my friend, Betty, and I going up to Hamilton, MO to the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  We sat in the audience while they filmed her new DVD.  We didn't realize that NBC news was there also taping and she was on the news last Friday evening.  Betty and I didn't make the cut.  It was such a great day and I'm now addicted to quilting.  They are one of the fastest growing companies in the US and they are located in a small farming community.  Her family has remodeled an old building downtown where she holds quilting retreats.  Between the retreat center and the shop they are putting in a new restaurant because there isn't much in town besides a Subway shop.  

If you love quilting you probably already know about Jenny's online store and her online tutorials, but just in case you haven't heard of her you can click on the video below to enjoy her great instructions and her fun personality.  

Yesterday was a very, very big birthday for me.  I mean that number is really big this year!  So, to make myself feel better I ordered my birthday gift and purchased some new quilting supplies.  I'm feeling a little better about that number now.  

Please check out the Missouri Star Quilt Company website and let me know what you think.

Also, check out my friend, Teri's blog, The Hummingbird Thread, to see the quilt that I'm making following her tutorial.  I'm using the same fabric that she used.  

New Retro Red Velvet Cupcake Original Painting

Hot off my paint table is this new little 6 inch x 6 inch Red Velvet Cupcake painting.  I must admit that I haven't painted any cupcakes in quite some time.  I also have a new folk art scene started and will be working on it tomorrow.  Hopefully I can try out Rick's new camera soon while I'm painting, but he'll have to be here to help me with it.  

I listed this new painting on Etsy today if you would like to purchase it for your home.  It's ready and willing to travel through snow, sleet, or whatever your weather might be and arrive on your doorstep handed over by your cheery postal worker.

This yummy Red Velvet Cupcake is decorated in retro colors of red and aqua. The paper cupcake liner is painted with red roses and aqua sprinkles dot the creamy white frosting. 

Remember, Spring is just around the corner and we'll soon be mowing, digging in the dirt, weeding, and cleaning the gutters!

February Snow Storm

I gave my poor brain a workout today trying to edit Rick's first Go Pro Camera video and then trying to figure out how to get it to transferred to YouTube.  I love how his shadow is the star of the show as he creeps around to the front yard with the camera attached to his forehead and tries to find the sidewalk that runs in front of our house.  

We got this snow at the first of February and today it is finally melting.  It's so hard to believe it can go from all this snow to 60 degrees in a matter of a couple weeks.

Do you think I should hook his camera on my head as I paint?  

Be Mine Valentine!

Today my neighbor, Betty, and I are headed to Hamilton, MO to the Missouri Star Quilt Company.  If you quilt, you've probably heard of them.  They are filming a new DVD and needed audience members.  They are one of the fastest growing businesses in the midwest and they are smack dab in the middle of a tiny farming community.  I'll keep you posted on our little trip when we return.

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

Burrowing in During the Storm

Last night as the wind howled and the snow fell and covered the earth with a large white glittering blanket, Rick kept watch over the fire in the stove while I knitted.   The scent of beef stew simmering on the stove helped to ward off the chill too.  We woke up this morning to a good 12" of snow.

Poor Rick is outside shoveling and cleaning everything off.  He's got his new GoPro camera attached to his head so I'll see if I can load a video for you tomorrow.  He's pretty new at this camera, so I won't make any promises.

I spent the better part of yesterday and today changing up my blog and learning how to put my artwork into the background.  

Hope I can remember how to do this the next time I want to make a change!

Did you get snow yesterday or are you from one of the few lucky states that missed this storm?

A Late Start to a New Year

I must apologize to my friends who have been trying to comment and have been unable to.  I made the mistake of linking my profile and comments to google+ not realizing that unless my readers use google+ they would not be able to comment and I could not moderate comments.  I now have resolved this problem and believe me it's never simple, but hope I haven't lost too many readers in the process.  

Getting creative once again after the holidays and the loss of Grandma has been quite difficult as well.  

I'm also moving into a new world of a gluten free diet.  My daughter, Amber has followed this diet successfully for several years and is encouraging me and helping me along.  Hopefully this will help my energy level.  Any tips or experience with a gluten free diet will be much appreciated.  Wish me luck because I'm definitely going to need it!  

Grandma Edna

Edna May Holman, my husband's grandmother, had her 103rd birthday on Saturday, January 4th and we had her funeral on the following Saturday.  We never got to have her birthday party because she got pneumonia and didn't recover.    One of my grandmother's died before I was born and I only met the other one once.  Edna was really my only true grandmother and what a great grandmother she was.

She had been ready to go home to heaven for quite some time and it was truly a blessing to know that she can once again hear the birds singing and garden to her hearts content in the most beautiful garden of all.

This photo was taken when she was in the midst of having the old siding removed.  I believe she was 100 in this photo, but it looks older because of the sepia tint.  See that little rascal in the distance on the right?  That's Lady and she now resides with us.  Grandma out lived several dogs that she adopted over the years.

This is what the house looked like once the siding was removed.

With the siding removed, the outline of the old kitchen fireplace was revealed.  I'm sure she probably cooked meals in that fireplace.  This woman has cooked on everything from wood burning stoves to microwaves.  She's seen a lot of changes over the years.  She and her sister road a horse to school and had a remarkable story to share about that.  The stories she would tell are forever in my memory and I've started saving them on my computer.

This is the house with the siding almost completed.  At 99 years old she asked the man who sold her the siding,  "How many years is the warranty?"  She was a very optimistic lady!  Edna did live here by herself until she had her 101st birthday and then went into a nursing home.  

I will share more of her stories because she had such a great influence in my life and in my artwork.

Miss you grandma!