Come and Join Me For Front Row Seats at Wingate Place

It's finished!!  I just listed my new painting on eBay:

"Front Row Seats at Wingate Place"

A few things were added since the last post and a few things were cleaned up. 

We should play that game where you try to circle all the things that are different.  There really aren't that many though.  I did add some white pumpkins to the top of each post on the fence. 

"Front Row Seats at Wingate Place"

Sitting on the porch at Paulette and Don's home, guests get a front row seat to the most amazing show around and it's in color (blazing vibrant color). The rockers are more comfortable than theatre seating. Home baked goodies made by Paulette are better than buttered popcorn. For those popcorn enthusiasts, popcorn balls are sitting on a platter in the kitchen as well. Blankets are at the ready for those who are chilly. You don't have to be quiet or whisper. In fact conversation goes well with after dinner coffee or spiced cider. Turning off your cell phones is encouraged though or you might get one of Paulettes stares (you know the ones your mother used to give you).

I always paint my originals on 1 1/2 inch deep, staple free canvas.

The scene wraps around the edges on all four sides.

I've been thinking about changing to a regular 3/4" canvas that would fit into a frame.  I don't know if people prefer to frame paintings or not to frame them.  What do you think?

Catherine Holman

Still Finishing my Autumn Folk Art Painting

Remember when I showed you the beginning of my new painting?

I started with the sky and lots of clouds...

The ground area was painted and then the house was started....

A light comes on in a window and details are started on the house...

The house is completed and ready for landscaping.....

Here is where the painting is at now as I take a break to watch tonight's debate......

Touch up, fine details, and cleanup to come...

I will finish this week, list my painting on Ebay, and share the final painting here.

By the way, this house is from Long Island and I believe that's where the debate is tonight. 

Catherine Holman

Painting House Details On Folk Art Scene

Today I finished the first floor of the house adding curtains in the windows, rockers on the porch as well as the porch railings.  Bushes and a sidewalk were also painted and pumpkins and autumn leaves will be added once the surrounding area of the landscape is painted.

Below are more autumn prints that are available in my Etsy store at 15% off when you use the code BLOGREADER11 at checkout.  I would love it if you would subscribe to my blog in the righthand column on Linky or Google Friend Connect, but it's not necessary.  Just use the discount code and you will get a discount on your entire purchase each time you visit my store.

"Autumn Spice Cupcake"

"Peace Be to This House"

"Hometown America"

 I'll be back with more details added to the new autumn folk art painting.  I also need to start thinking of a title and if anyone has any ideas, please share in the comment section.  Hope you are having some wonderful fall weather wherever you are!

Catherine Holman

Autumn Folk Art Painting Progression

Here is a peek at the autumn painting that I'm currently working on.  You can see the progression if you check out this previous post.  The details in this house are pretty time consuming.  Working with acrylics involves waiting for layers to dry and for those of us who are impatient (and don't like watching paint dry), a lot of drying with a blow dryer. 

For those of you who are impatient like me, I have a lot of autumn prints in my Etsy store like the one below.  Make sure to use the 15% discount code (BLOGREADER11). 

"Autumn" 



Catherine Holman



How to Make a Pendant Light From an Old Rusty Egg Basket

Last night Rick decided to make our light fixture for over the kitchen sink.  We wanted to use one of grandma's rusty old wire egg baskets.  While walking around Lowe's a couple weeks ago for what seemed like hours we finally came up with what we would need to make our basket into a light. 

Items needed:

Mini Pendant Light Kit (only used the shortest rod in the pkg.)

White coated wire (because this is not going to be wired direct)

White Lamp Cord Switch

White Plug

 Vintage 60 Watt Light Bulb

 We took a few things back that we didn't need too....

I couldn't wait until morning to take a picture because I was so excited!  I think Rick was shocked that it was so easy and everything went smoothly.

Our cabinets do not go all the way to the ceiling so drilling a hole through the wood above the sink, rewiring the pendant light with the white wire, threading this wire through the hole above the sink and running it across the top of the cabinets over to another hole drilled through a cabinet and down to the outlet that hides behind that large scale on the counter, was all that was needed to get this thing of beauty up and turned on...wheww!  The egg basket is just hanging on the pendant and nothing is holding it in place. Amazingly the hole in the bottom of the basket was just the right size for the pendant light to fit through.

I'm rather curious to see how long that almost $10.00 bulb will last.  I've been wanting to try one but never had a lamp suitable for one.

See that little rectangular label on the front?  It's perfect for blocking the light from the huge bulb directly into my eyes while washing the dishes.  I had thought about painting that with chalk board paint and writing "eggs" on it.  Anyone got a better idea or should I just leave it's old rusy patina alone?

Lots of autumn artwork is available in prints through my Etsy store.  All blog readers get a 15% discount when you use the code BLOGREADER11 at checkout. 

"Autumn at the Village Inn"

Catherine Holman

Autumn Folk Art Notecard Party

Here are my picks for Vee's Notecard Party for September.

These are some fairly old paintings that I thought you might enjoy.

Join us here for all the fun:

Catherine Holman

Dieting on Cheetos

Have you ever had one of those days? 

Deciding to start my diet this week I leave 3/4 of a pan of "Pumpkin Pie Squares" from Saturday to Thursday.  Lifting the foil of said cake, the smell of mold wafts up my nostrils.  I realize the Lord is beside me reminding me of my diet.  I then turn seeing the bright orange and turquoise Cheetos bag sitting on the counter that we bought to take to Grandma Chickie (101 years old) who is in a nursing home.  As I munch on her treat (three Cheetos, four, five, six....) guilt sets in and I roll down the top of the bag, clip it shut, and wonder how I'll explain this to Rick.

Pumpkin Pie Squares

1 - 13 oz. can evaporated milk

2 teasp. pumpkin pie spice

1 C. sugar

3 beaten eggs

1/2 teasp. salt

1 - 1lb. 13 oz. can pumpkin

1 pkg. yellow cake mix

1/2 to 1 C. chopped nuts

3/4 C. margarine

Combine evaporated milk, eggs, spice, salt, sugar, & pumpkin. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix over top. Thinly slice margarine. Place margarine squares over top of cake mix. Sprinkle with chopped nuts. Bake 50 min. @ 350 degrees. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 1-15.

I can't even sign my name to this post.

New Cottage Kitchen Light Fixtures

I wanted to share the new ceiling light fixtures that Rick put up this week.  I apologize for the photo because the weather is very cloudy, but I just couldn't wait to share these with you. 

We bought these pendant light fixtures at Lowes this past weekend.  We Rick shortened them because our ceilings are not that high.  They aren't producing the amount of light that we are used to, but hopefully the new light that will be installed over the sink will help.  We may have to add some lighting over the cabinets so the top half of the kitchen doesn't look so dark.

I'm going to be sharing some of my older autumn folk art prints in my next posts to get you in the mood for that cooler fall weather.

"Hometown USA"

The scent of autumn rises into the air along with billows of smoke drifting from the chimney tops in the little village of Hawthorne. Leaves gently fall from trees forming a kaleidoscope of color on the rolling hills. Families dine in the local café after church and walk home in the cool evening air. Tillie, a local business owner has been dating Mr. Hankins, the Farmer’s Bank president, who was won over by her warm smile and kind heart. They plan to be wed at the village church and the reception is scheduled for the Hawthorne Inn, owned by LuAnn, Tillie’s best friend. The entire village is invited so Mr. Hankins might have to dig deep into his pockets for this event!

Catherine Holman

Living With Pink Kitchen Countertops

We inherited pink counter tops when we bought this house 12 years ago.  Upon moving in we painted the kitchen brown thinking it would make the counters look beige instead of pink.  It didn't work.  I painted the walls yellow recently and then everything in the kitchen looked so pastel it sort of made me a little ill.  Then the big decision came to paint the cabinets white.  I'm now tickled pink and will learn to live with these counter tops for a while longer. 

The problem is that the upper hutch area sits directly on top of the counter tops and even has a shelf built over the back splash.  I love the hutch area and don't want to replace my cabinets or tear them up trying to replace the counters.  I may in the future have someone resurface them for us.  They simple apply a finish over the top of the previous counters. 

Last week I made a curtain from pink, yellow, and red fabric to try to tie all these colors together and to create more storage below.  I need to make some curtains for the two windows in the kitchen too.

This little cubby was originally intended to store cookie sheets.  But, with a cat and two dogs roaming around and I'm not particularly fond of seeing my old cooking sheets exposed, they have now become wine storage. 

This is my favorite part of our kitchen.  These old stools, as explained to me by the previous owner of the house, were from an old ice cream parlor. 

I just love how the wood base between each stool has worn down where customers passed through to have a seat.  Look how those old seats (especially the one on the right) have worn thinner on one side where people have slid off the seats for so many years. 

I love to think of little children spinning on these stools while licking their dripping ice cream from their cones.  Who knows who might have sat here. 

Before I painted the cabinets white, these didn't show up as nicely because they blended in with the knotty pine. 

Hopefully this week Rick will be installing the new light fixtures including one he is making from one of Grandma Chickie's old egg baskets.

Stay tuned.....

Catherine Holman

How to Paint a House

Bet you thought I was still painting cabinets.   This painting was started in July and then the weather went crazy and I spent a lot of time outside trying to keep my gardens and yard from frying.  Then I started painting my kitchen cabinets and that went on for four weeks.  Now, I'm happy to say, I'm back to my autumn folk art scene.  I love painting autumn scenes.  This is by far my favorite time of year. 

A few years ago I used to travel around the country teaching seminars on my style of painting and for me painting a house is like putting a puzzle together.  Old houses have a lot of different sections.  I take lots of photos and really study them before I start my drawing.  I wanted the light source to be hitting the house from the front, leaving the side of the house and the area under the porch in the shadows.  That is why some areas are white and others are gray.  I basecoat using thin coats of paint and a flat brush that fits the area that I'm painting.  Smooth coats of paint will make it easier when I start adding all the details.  I'll keep you posted on how the painting progresses and when it will be listed for sale.

Catherine Holman

The Difference Between Good and Evil

Yesterday I made a bad choice.  Not the kind of choice that you could call a "sin", but a bad choice all the same. 

I made these...

(good)

the day before I have to take these...

(evil)

Now, I'm sure you can probably figure out what I'm having done tomorrow.  Today is a liquid diet of 8 oz. of water every hour until bedtime, plus the above evil items.  I really do not like Gatorade at all.  No offense to Gatorade or those of you who love it.  I have to gag it down.  The last time I went in for this procedure, they couldn't do it because my heart beat was causing a problem on the monitor.  I was then sent to an appointment with a heart doctor who made a change in my blood pressure medicine and all is good.  I did the prep and didn't get the colonoscopy.  This time I'm not leaving that table until the procedure is over because I'm not doing this prep again this year. 

I'm trying to stay out of the kitchen today, because I'm not sure with my memory that I can remember to stay out of the chocolate chip cookies.

Now, Rick, just remember there had better be some cookies left in that jar when I get home tomorrow because that would be considered evil and so would whatever I might do.

Wish me luck!

Catherine Holman

Painting the Kitchen Cabinets Saga

It's been a very long process, but I'm about to see the finish line as I continue painting the kitchen cabinets.  Here are the stages I've gone through:

1.  Wash cabinets

2.  Sand lightly

3.  Fill holes

4.  Drill new holes for new hardware

5.  Wash again to make sure no saw dust remains

6.  Cover knot holes with knot hole sealer

7.  Caulk

8.  Apply one coat of sealer

9.  Apply two coats of paint

Rick picked up a second gallon of paint for me the other day and told the salesman that I would do a commerical for their Benjamin Moore Advance Satin paint because I love it that much.  Brush strokes level out and you are left with a very smooth finish.

I'm seriously in love with this paint! 

This cubby is for my new white microwave but is temporarily housing items from across the room.

Here the bottom cabinets were finished and I was about to tackle the top cabinets.  My husband loved the knotty pine cabinets and I liked them too, but they were in pretty bad shape.   He does admit that they look much better now.  See all those pesky knot holes I had to seal.  If you don't apply knot hole sealer they will bleed through the paint.  I know this from experience.

Everything from the top is now stored below. 

That black dishwasher is headed out as soon as I sell another large painting. 

I'm loving this new cottage look with the white paint.

The only thing left is to finish up painting the doors.

I'm lining drawers and shelves with the red and white check liner.

Only one more coat of paint on my doors tomorrow and then three days to dry before putting them back up.  With a 16 hour dry time between coats of paint,  it becomes a very long process.  Hopefully next week I can put everthing back and share the completed project with you. 

I hope to be back to painting on canvas again next week!

Catherine Holman

Garden Whimsy and Plain Hard Work

Recently I noticed the seat on my bicycle that sits in my garden was looking more than a little shabby.  With all the colorful yarn that I keep stashed in a basket, I decided to crochet a slip cover.  It blends in so nicely that it's hard to tell the flowers from the seat cover.

The basket on my bike is full to overflowing with blooms!  I used the "bloom" tool on Picmonkey to edit these two photos.



As for the hard work mentioned in the title, I'm painting my kitchen cabinets.  In this photo I have primed and today I got one coat of paint on this section including all the doors and drawers.  I can't put the second coat on until tomorrow because it needs to dry for 16 hrs. before a second coat.  This is the most amazing paint, unless something happens between now and the next coat.  I'm using Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Alkyd.  It's hard like an oil, but cleans with soap and water.  It also smooths out beautifully with very few brush marks.  There is almost no smell too!

Don't you just love the harsh lighting from the bare bulbs!  Remember the light fixture episode from an earlier post.  We are still looking for a new glass shade replacement.  I also plan to spray paint those brass fixtures if I don't have to replace them. 

What's for supper honey?

Catherine Holman



Hey Sweetie, You Are The Frosting On My Cupcake

I did this painting a while back and never finished it.  The print is now available in my Etsy and Ebay stores.

Today was the perfect timing for this print because, my blog readers are the best!  You sweeties, are the frosting on my cupcake.  Your comments on my last post made me feel better about myself and the fact that I hadn't burned the house down even though my memory is failing me horribly. Thinking of all ten of my blog readers when the phone is ringing constantly day in and day out with recorded campaign messages that keep getting left on my machine and that tiny little beep from downstairs letting me know there is another in a long line of campaign messages waiting for me to make the long treck down the stairs once again to delete it; yes, you my blog readers make me smile and remind me that God is good and I have a lot to be thankful for.

My name is Catherine Holman and I appreciate your support and I approve this long run on message.

Burning Down The House or How to Get Your Kitchen Thoroughly Cleaned in One Day

Do you multi-task? I used to be able to do several things at the same time running here and there, picking up this, dusting that, baking a cake, and on and on…..

Well yesterday I had been outside early moving the sprinkler from spot to spot making sure everything was getting watered thoroughly due to this infernal heat wave and I came back inside to make some toast. I slathered my bread with butter, placed it on some foil, and put it in the oven under the broiler. I prefer this method over a toaster. Then out of the blue I get this hair brained idea that I need to quickly run outside and turn off the sprinkler. I then proceed to weed some of the flower beds, water the potted plants and then clean up my new hosta bed removing all the dead leaves that this weather has fried. Feeling pretty proud of myself over the amount of work I had just accomplished, reality of the situation set in. In plain English this means my husband was yelling out the back door, “Are you trying to burn the house down”, as he choked on the smoke billowing out into the morning air. It still took me a minute or two for it to register that I had toast in the oven under the broiler. Luckily we have a privacy fence or the neighbors would have been enlightened to this situation as well. We threw open the windows, enlightening all the neighbors as the smoke rolls out turned off the stove, and then turned around to see all the ash and soot that had settled on everything in the kitchen. I slowly opened the stove door and there was my soot filled oven and charcoal briquette toast. My husband was trying to explain to me that he could have been burned to death while taking a shower. Now, I ask you, “Is that even possible?” Anyway to make a long story short and a day of dusting and cleaning really long, I spent the day cleaning my oven the old fashioned way, by hand. Have you ever tried to set a gas oven to self cleaning when the temperature outside is triple digits?  Not wanting to add that to my list of developing problems for the day, I then dropped my favorite Anthropology small, green bowl that holds my scrubby into the cast iron sink and broke it. Then not to be out done by that last little drama, one of the glass shades from my ceiling light fixtures slipped through my hands while putting it back up. That couldn’t have happened to it before I went to the trouble of washing the blackened grime from it.   

I now have one very clean kitchen and one ceiling light fixture with bare bulbs and no shade. Just don’t look up when you come over for coffee.  I'll be sitting today with my leg elevated with an ice pack from the muscle I pulled.

P.S. I really would like to thank everyone for their kind response to the previous post on our dog, Annie. She drew her last breath on July 26^th and will be sadly missed by her loving family. 

Catherine Holman