Evolution of a Pocket Painting

Here's another project in my series on ART FOR SMALL SPACES.

Miniature Still Life Painting

This started with a celebration of color applied with a small palette knife.

I was inspired by one of my old paintings to try painting a vase and flowers over it. My Favorite cousin gave me this vase decades ago and though the actual vase broke years ago I take it's memory everywhere I go.

The real trick would be whether or not I could paint it about an inch and a half tall and less than half an inch wide. Very tiny brushes were required.

Because I was working so tiny I decides to use daisies this time using the smallest brush I could find. By the time I got to the centers of the flowers I had to paint them in with a toothpick.

Here's the pair of finished paintings together.

I liked it quite a bit at that point but decided to see how far I could push the idea by adding a teapot, cups and saucers. Even more delicate work than painting the vase.

Realizing that all the white of the daisies would throw the balance off. I decided to research what sort of blue flowers that I could add.

I settled on turning some of the daisies into Grecian Wildflowers to balance with all of the blue in the dishes.

Making the Most of your Work

The mind is an amazing thing and I was startled today to discover the similarity between my Tea Time painting and this ceramic button that one of my sisters had given me years ago when I was making some crazy quilt Christmas Stockings.

I was absolutely stunned at the similarity. Do you see it too? Apparently even things we're not thinking of or hadn't really noticed can really influence or inspire our thought processes.

I've been doing a lot of things with that painting since I finished it. This was a bone china cup that I had made for my Mom. It's a gift for one of her friends who hopefully isn't one of my readers. I'd hate to spoil the surprise.

I've been designing a lot of different things with that painting (or parts of it) on them in my zazzle store and I 'm pleased to say that I've already sold it on a postage stamp.

Here are some stickers that I made with some of the hats.

I love the design process and am so happy to see my art go out and play in the world.

It's always a challenge to see just how far I can push a design or how many different things I can turn it into.

It inspires me every day and seems to take on a life of it's own.

I can't wait to see where it takes me next!

Plans and dreams come true

I'll bet you've been wondering why there hasn't been a post the last few days. As always I've been busy with a lot of different things and just don't have photos of some of it.

The most important thing was having a dream com true. Ever since I was a little girl I wanted to see my paintings and drawings on fabric and this week I found out that I can do it on Zazzle so I spent days
seeing just how much of it looked good done up that way.

I took some time to paint pine cones on another wooden horse that I had carved and painted and have been moving things around in the studio (my dining room table) as I decide what I'd really like to work on next.

Sitting back for coffee and taking some time to relax I noticed that another dream had come true and I hadn't even realized it. Don't you wonder how often that happens? We get so caught up in the day to day of life that we don't even realize when something amazing happens.

There in the middle of my inspiration board was a photo of a blue and white tea set and an electric kettle that I'd been wanting for a couple of years. The electric kettle was a rose floral and as it turns out when we finally got an electric kettle the best one we could find was blue and white and just happened to come with a matching tea set so the reality of it all was even better than I'd dreamed.

I guess life can really surprise you if you let it. sometimes I can't wait to see what's next.

Minnesota Winter inside out

It made me laugh to see the ice pile up around our little solar hula dancers behind the coffee machine this morning.

It was funny too to notice that I hadn't put my watering can away last summer. As I look at the snow piled up around my favorite tea table I find myself missing the garden and wishing for spring.

I don't bother to go out much when the weather is like this, do you?

I do enjoy watching the birds...and it looks like I need to wash the windows.

Setting the Halloween Tea Table

It's a little hard to tell from this photo but the extra skeletons are poked in here and there in the centerpiece.

It's also hard to tell from this photo but the skeletons sitting on the teacups have teacups, teapots, spoons and a tiny charm of a tea bag wired on to them...and are wearing black bow ties to dress things up a bit.

Entertaining is a multi purpose room is always a challenge because there are lots of things around that have nothing to do with the party.

The flowers and skeleton will come off the table when the food comes in.
Today's Menu:
tea
shrimp ring
salad
meat and cheese tray
crackers
sliced apples
pumpkin pie

Yes, I spent as much on the food as I did on the decorations but I've been looking forward to this party for a long time. I'll post again soon and let you know how it went.
                                                                                                             

Changing Seasons

The very last lily

Windswept sunflowers, tiny because they were planted last.

Taking the flowers in to draw and paint and enjoying some tea among the falling leaves. A neighbor even stopped by to join me.

Gardening on the edge

Before

After I saw this photo I ran right out and bought some hedge trimmers.

I'm making slow progress but feel good about it because one of the local news stations was doing a story on a garden designed by an artist but they had 100 people to put it in and a small staff to maintain it. Here, there's just me, my husband and a few hand tools...and there's more art in mine.

If you've got some physical limitations just be careful, take it slow and remember to stop and rest often. It doesn't have to be a chore, you can really enjoy it and make it fun for others. We serve tea out here every day for anyone that wants to join us and chat about the art or the garden.

We still haven't moved the rest of the soil from that planter we took out yesterday but we don't care, do you?

 We don't have very many wildflowers yet this year in spite of the fact that we put in POUNDS of seed.

Those hedge trimmers worked pretty good but I had to resort to pruners for some of this stuff.

There's still a lot more work to do but I think this is quite an improvement from yesterday. Don't you?

Tea time

It's all in how you look at things.

Most people couldn't relax so close to the street in the city but we don't mind at all. people stop and visit from time to time and there's always something to see.

The world situation being the way it is I know how lucky I am and both enjoy and appreciate it.