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My Journey As A Creative Designer - Woodworking and Beyond

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7M views 13K replies 477 participants last post by  teaklight12 
#1 ·
Beginning this Blog

I recently was referred to this site by Steve Good, who has a wonderful, comprehensive scroll saw forum and blog page. Although I have been doing woodworking for almost fifteen years, I have finally reached a point in my life where I am able to make it the main focus of my activities. Since my life revolves around my woodworking and business, I believe that this blog will reflect that very clearly, although it will also be somewhat personal. But I think that woodworking is very personal anyway.

It has been a long journey to get to this point. There have been many good times and some not-so-good ones, but I appreciate every single step because I think that if even one thing was different, I would not be where I am today or who I am inside. It isn't only the positive events in our lives that make us what we are. Many times it is the negative things that mold and shape us and teach us to look at things in a certain way. I try to remember that when things are tough and move ahead.

I have learned that there is only one thing we can be certain of in life: change. Whether things are good or bad, we need to hold on and appreciate the moment, as we can be certain that things will be different before long. This helps us to not only appreciate the good days and things we have now, but also hang on when things are not so good, as we know that they will be different soon. I like this philosophy.

I liked reading about the new contest offered by this site in the newsletter. Fluidity. It is a perfect theme for projects because our existence itself is fluid. I am anxious to see what interpretations are going to be, as I am sure everyone else is. It will be an adventure for all of us for sure.

So why am I starting this blog? The other day I received a call from a customer who had a question for me. He kept saying how surprised he was that I answered my own phone. I have worked as a Contributing Editor for Creative Woodworks and Crafts Magazine for the past 13+ years and I guess in the scroll saw community, many people have heard of me. It seemed so odd to me that he would think I would have a secretary or staff. We kind of laughed about it, but it really got me thinking about his interpretation of my life. We all tend to form opinions of others from very limited information. We see the outside of a person as they are presented to us and many times are very quick to categorize that person in our minds. I do it myself.

But in my years of talking with and dealing with many people from many different places, I have come to realize that people are like icebergs. We only see the tip of them and below the surface is a vast, complex side of them that is the basis of their actions and thinking.

Everyone has a story. Everyone has traveled a journey. No two people have traveled identical paths. Thus, we are all unique in our thoughts, actions and creative processes. I enjoy hearing others stories. I think that listening to others and hearing their experiences helps us to understand each other. With that understanding, we learn.

I have used the phrase "Knowledge Is Power" in my signature since I have been on the web. Once someone told me that they thought it was quite arrogant of me to say that. He thought that I was implying that I knew more than anyone else and he found that offensive. I told him he couldn't be more wrong. My interpretation of the phrase is that our QUEST for knowledge EMPOWERS us to make better decisions about things in our lives. We are never finished learning. I learn every single day from my friends, colleagues, fellow woodworkers and students. We never know when we will learn something new. Sometimes you can learn from even a seemingly insignificant event. I feel the key is that we need to be open to learning.

Everyone has a story.

So I will close today with those thoughts. I don't know how often I will post here, but I hope to make it a habit. I don't know if anyone will even read this, but somehow it doesn't matter. Writing is a key in self-awareness. By writing things down we categorize our actions and it helps (me anyway) to keep my life organized. Organization leads to peace as far as I am concerned.

I am quite overwhelmed with the scope of the site here. I am still getting my footings and lurking around. I think for the first several days or maybe even weeks I will be more of a passive observer while I find my comfortable position among the others here. I want to upload the new things I am working on here. Like everyone else, I am anxious to see the response they get. I love seeing others projects and could spend my days just looking.

Although it is quite intimidating, the forum looks like it is full of friendly, knowledgeable and wonderfully creative people.

I think I am going to like it here.
 
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#11,019 ·
Finishing Up

I kept myself pretty busy yesterday finishing up the new projects that I created for the site update. Today I will be writing the instructions for them and hopefully getting a newsletter out either later on tonight or early tomorrow. We have been trying to send out a newsletter every other week or so, as we feel that time frame is comfortable for our customers and is a good goal to complete our next round of designs. Now that we don't have Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine to think about and we feel we can devote more time to our website. While we are still doing projects for the other magazine, it isn't a regular thing such as it was with CWW. In the long run, it may be good for us because we won't have the confusion of creating projects and then putting them on hold. We hope to make it work for us in the best way we are able.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I planned on painting my new SLD480 Bat Pillar Candle Holder pieces. I liked the way they looked in natural wood, but bats are typically black, and since ebony is very pricey, the next best thing to do is to use some paint on them. I used DecoArt acrylic paint in Lamp Black for the base coat, and then I tried a few different colors of the DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint as an overcoat to make them look amazing:

Hand Finger Wood Creative arts Art


I really love the Glamour Dust paint because it gives such a wonderful sparkle to the pieces without any mess. Since it is very finely ground glitter, it isn't 'chunky' like that Craft Twinkles and covers very evenly and fully. Not too long ago I decided that I wanted to try to use 'real' loose glitter on a project and I was quickly reminded what an awful mess it makes. By the time I applied it to my surface, parts of the undercoat had dried and it didn't stick evenly. I then found that I had glitter all over EVERYTHING and the results on my pieces were not great. It also would 'shed' glitter every time I touched it. What a mess!

With the Glamour Dust paint, the glitter is suspended in a semi-transparent base. The base is very lightly tinted in a coordinating color so adding the glitter paint really enhances your projects nicely, yet it allows your base color to show through. You just brush it on and in one or two coats you have beautiful and even coverage without any shedding. It is clean, fast and beautiful. I could use it by the gallon!

I find the Black Ice gives a kind of silvery/charcoal/black shine to black pieces. That was just the look I was going for when I made this lovely Gothic candle holder.

But I also wanted to experiment with other colors on the black, and I tried Gold Glitz (on the left bat) and Sapphire Blue on the right bat, with the Black Ice in the middle:

Product Grey Font Jewellery Art


You may not be able to see it in the photo very well, but there are very cool and subtle differences between the three. I also think colors like Sizzling Red or Neon Orange would look pretty cool on the black bats. I wish I would have cut more of them! You can get the DecoArt Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint at your local craft supplier or at DecoArt's online store here: Glamour Dust Glitter Paint. They have 24 beautiful colors to choose from and I use them all the time.

I am really thrilled with how this project came out, and I will be offering the pattern for all the pieces in one packet:

Light Lighting Font Toy Metal


I also want to make a note that I don't recommend using regular pillar candles with these holders. While they are sturdy, they are tall and I highly recommend using the very cool battery operated candles that I show with them. It is better to be safe than sorry and the pillar candles especially look like real candles.

So today will be pretty busy with me writing. We have enjoyed a beautiful autumn here so far. It has been warm and for the most part sunny and the trees are just beginning to shed their leaves. I try to spend some time out on the deck with my cat Pancakes, as he loves it outside and I don't allow him to roam. He loves eating grass though, so I bought him a little planter that I fill with freshly picked grass daily. I call it his "trough" and he loves his afternoon snack:

Cat Window Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


Oh - what a joy my kitties are! I have more fun with them than you can imagine.

I wish you all a wonderful day! Hopefully I will get some better pictures of the candle holders today, as black is difficult to photograph (and the glitter paint makes it even harder). But with some natural light, I should be able to do OK and finish up the packet for the site. For those of you who are on our Mailing List - watch for your newsletter later today or tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday to you all!
 

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#11,020 ·
Finishing Up

I kept myself pretty busy yesterday finishing up the new projects that I created for the site update. Today I will be writing the instructions for them and hopefully getting a newsletter out either later on tonight or early tomorrow. We have been trying to send out a newsletter every other week or so, as we feel that time frame is comfortable for our customers and is a good goal to complete our next round of designs. Now that we don't have Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine to think about and we feel we can devote more time to our website. While we are still doing projects for the other magazine, it isn't a regular thing such as it was with CWW. In the long run, it may be good for us because we won't have the confusion of creating projects and then putting them on hold. We hope to make it work for us in the best way we are able.

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I planned on painting my new SLD480 Bat Pillar Candle Holder pieces. I liked the way they looked in natural wood, but bats are typically black, and since ebony is very pricey, the next best thing to do is to use some paint on them. I used DecoArt acrylic paint in Lamp Black for the base coat, and then I tried a few different colors of the DecoArt Glamour Dust Glitter Paint as an overcoat to make them look amazing:

Hand Finger Wood Creative arts Art


I really love the Glamour Dust paint because it gives such a wonderful sparkle to the pieces without any mess. Since it is very finely ground glitter, it isn't 'chunky' like that Craft Twinkles and covers very evenly and fully. Not too long ago I decided that I wanted to try to use 'real' loose glitter on a project and I was quickly reminded what an awful mess it makes. By the time I applied it to my surface, parts of the undercoat had dried and it didn't stick evenly. I then found that I had glitter all over EVERYTHING and the results on my pieces were not great. It also would 'shed' glitter every time I touched it. What a mess!

With the Glamour Dust paint, the glitter is suspended in a semi-transparent base. The base is very lightly tinted in a coordinating color so adding the glitter paint really enhances your projects nicely, yet it allows your base color to show through. You just brush it on and in one or two coats you have beautiful and even coverage without any shedding. It is clean, fast and beautiful. I could use it by the gallon!

I find the Black Ice gives a kind of silvery/charcoal/black shine to black pieces. That was just the look I was going for when I made this lovely Gothic candle holder.

But I also wanted to experiment with other colors on the black, and I tried Gold Glitz (on the left bat) and Sapphire Blue on the right bat, with the Black Ice in the middle:

Product Grey Font Jewellery Art


You may not be able to see it in the photo very well, but there are very cool and subtle differences between the three. I also think colors like Sizzling Red or Neon Orange would look pretty cool on the black bats. I wish I would have cut more of them! You can get the DecoArt Glamour Dust Ultra Fine Glitter Paint at your local craft supplier or at DecoArt's online store here: Glamour Dust Glitter Paint. They have 24 beautiful colors to choose from and I use them all the time.

I am really thrilled with how this project came out, and I will be offering the pattern for all the pieces in one packet:

Light Lighting Font Toy Metal


I also want to make a note that I don't recommend using regular pillar candles with these holders. While they are sturdy, they are tall and I highly recommend using the very cool battery operated candles that I show with them. It is better to be safe than sorry and the pillar candles especially look like real candles.

So today will be pretty busy with me writing. We have enjoyed a beautiful autumn here so far. It has been warm and for the most part sunny and the trees are just beginning to shed their leaves. I try to spend some time out on the deck with my cat Pancakes, as he loves it outside and I don't allow him to roam. He loves eating grass though, so I bought him a little planter that I fill with freshly picked grass daily. I call it his "trough" and he loves his afternoon snack:

Cat Window Felidae Carnivore Small to medium-sized cats


Oh - what a joy my kitties are! I have more fun with them than you can imagine.

I wish you all a wonderful day! Hopefully I will get some better pictures of the candle holders today, as black is difficult to photograph (and the glitter paint makes it even harder). But with some natural light, I should be able to do OK and finish up the packet for the site. For those of you who are on our Mailing List - watch for your newsletter later today or tomorrow.

Happy Wednesday to you all!
Nice effect with the paints. Like the candle holder design, and your suggestions re candle safety. Guilty cat is a wonderful photo. Have a great day.
 

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#11,024 ·
New Patterns Up on Our Site

Today's blog will just be a short announcement that all the new patterns are available on our site. I have received lots of emails from those of you asking when they would be ready, and they all are at this time.

We added several new patterns to the site and we are very proud of them. There are some holiday patterns, as well as some for general occasions. Keith's SLDK396 Self-Framing Love Always plaque pattern would be great for a wedding gift, anniversary, or any time you just want to say "I love you."

Rectangle Font Wood Art Pattern


It's a perfect keepsake and sure to be very popular.

Keith also created three beautiful large Bible verse plaques, that came out just stunning. The first one is SLDK400 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 shown here:

Font Wood Pattern Drink Liqueur


The other two are SLDK401 Proverbs 3:6-7 and SLDK402 Romans 12: 9-10. He plans to add to the sets if they are popular, and it already appears that they will be. Since we posted them last evening, several sets have already sold.

He is offering a SPECIAL SET price for all three patterns for a limited time which is a great deal. These plaques could be used as shown, or even displayed in parts for smaller areas. I really think they came out beautiful and I like that because they are made up of smaller pieces, they are easier to cut.

Font Rectangle Poster Pattern Wood


My contributions to the update are some of the designs that I have been showing here on my blog. My SLD480 Bat Pillar Candle Holder and Tea Light Holder pattern set will include the large pedestal holder as well as the tea light and place card holders.

Toy Toy block Lego Font Art


I also created two new candle trays. I love making the candle trays and still have ideas for many new ones. I was a little worried that I had been making too many, but I often get requests for more so I thought I would add a couple more into the mix.

For Halloween, I created this SLD481 "Boo" Candle Tray :

Glasses Vision care Eyewear Body jewelry Jewellery


I think it coordinates nicely with the Bat Pillar candles, as I used some of the same elements in the design.

I also created a pretty "Give Thanks" Candle Tray (SLD482) that could be displayed all autumn long. I love the way the curly maple gave additional movement to the leaves:

Glasses Toy Serveware Art Artifact


I must say that it felt good to get back to some woodworking. I suppose that is why I am always excited about what I do. I thoroughly enjoyed doing the delicate scroll sawing on the trays and building the candle holders. It is fun to flip back and forth between painting and scrolling.

I am thinking now about some new Christmas things that I can add on the next update. I have lots of ideas as usual, and can't wait to get them moving. With the upcoming holiday weekend (Thanksgiving here in Canada) I have some cooking and other things to do around the house as well. It may be a good time for me to take a short breather and enjoy some of the season. I am sure though in the background that I will be working on my new things for next time. There is always so many nice projects to do.

Happy Thursday to you all.
 

Attachments

#11,025 ·
New Patterns Up on Our Site

Today's blog will just be a short announcement that all the new patterns are available on our site. I have received lots of emails from those of you asking when they would be ready, and they all are at this time.

We added several new patterns to the site and we are very proud of them. There are some holiday patterns, as well as some for general occasions. Keith's SLDK396 Self-Framing Love Always plaque pattern would be great for a wedding gift, anniversary, or any time you just want to say "I love you."

Rectangle Font Wood Art Pattern


It's a perfect keepsake and sure to be very popular.

Keith also created three beautiful large Bible verse plaques, that came out just stunning. The first one is SLDK400 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 shown here:

Font Wood Pattern Drink Liqueur


The other two are SLDK401 Proverbs 3:6-7 and SLDK402 Romans 12: 9-10. He plans to add to the sets if they are popular, and it already appears that they will be. Since we posted them last evening, several sets have already sold.

He is offering a SPECIAL SET price for all three patterns for a limited time which is a great deal. These plaques could be used as shown, or even displayed in parts for smaller areas. I really think they came out beautiful and I like that because they are made up of smaller pieces, they are easier to cut.

Font Rectangle Poster Pattern Wood


My contributions to the update are some of the designs that I have been showing here on my blog. My SLD480 Bat Pillar Candle Holder and Tea Light Holder pattern set will include the large pedestal holder as well as the tea light and place card holders.

Toy Toy block Lego Font Art


I also created two new candle trays. I love making the candle trays and still have ideas for many new ones. I was a little worried that I had been making too many, but I often get requests for more so I thought I would add a couple more into the mix.

For Halloween, I created this SLD481 "Boo" Candle Tray :

Glasses Vision care Eyewear Body jewelry Jewellery


I think it coordinates nicely with the Bat Pillar candles, as I used some of the same elements in the design.

I also created a pretty "Give Thanks" Candle Tray (SLD482) that could be displayed all autumn long. I love the way the curly maple gave additional movement to the leaves:

Glasses Toy Serveware Art Artifact


I must say that it felt good to get back to some woodworking. I suppose that is why I am always excited about what I do. I thoroughly enjoyed doing the delicate scroll sawing on the trays and building the candle holders. It is fun to flip back and forth between painting and scrolling.

I am thinking now about some new Christmas things that I can add on the next update. I have lots of ideas as usual, and can't wait to get them moving. With the upcoming holiday weekend (Thanksgiving here in Canada) I have some cooking and other things to do around the house as well. It may be a good time for me to take a short breather and enjoy some of the season. I am sure though in the background that I will be working on my new things for next time. There is always so many nice projects to do.

Happy Thursday to you all.
You have been busy. All the best with these designs.
 

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#11,027 ·
A Breather

For the last couple of days I have been fighting a cold, so I think it is time for me to take a little 'breather'. I was happy to get the site update done the other day and yesterday we had a really pronominal response from everyone. I can honestly say that nothing feels as good as working hard to make our projects and seeing how much others enjoy them. The excited responses we received from everyone meant more to both Keith and I than anything. It was - as they say - PRICELESS!

I actually slept in this morning until 7:30. That may not seem 'late' to most of you, but for me it was like missing half my day. Usually I am up around 5:30 or so and when I awoke and it was already light out, I knew I slept later than usual. I think I have to blame it on the cold medicine that I am taking. But at least I was able to sleep. The few nights prior to last night I couldn't really settle. I think it was catching up with me.

It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada and Keith and I are invited to two dinners. The first one will be Saturday at our dear friend's Bernie and Ellen's place on the lake and it should be a wonderful time. The leaves are nearly at peak now and the lake is always beautiful. It should be a wonderfully relaxing time and a great visit.

On Sunday we are going to Keith's mom's for dinner #2. I also look forward to that because she makes the best stuffing in Canada (as well as other good treats!)

On Monday, which is the 'official' celebration of the holiday, we will have a quiet day here. In all probability I will be cutting wood and back to work, as I have some orders to fill and will want them posted by Tuesday when the post office is open again.

It sounds like a good plan.

In between I want to bake and do some small organizational things around here. I have some ideas for projects and before I jump in I want to dabble with a couple of things I was thinking about. It isn't often I get time to do that. It seems like a good time for a breather.

I did want to let you all know though that my favorite rhinestone supplier, Rhinestone Canada has added some really cool things to their store. I really love this company because their service is great and the products are fantastic and very reasonably priced.

Linda, the owner is very good about getting things shipped fast (usually the same day!) and is very helpful with questions, etc. when ordering.

Anyway, she told me that they added these adorable neon skulls for Halloween (or steampunk art, or whatever) to their supplies:

Art Font Happy Toy Pattern


They are 10mm x 12mm (you can see them next to a dime in the picture) and are only $2.00 per gross. Aren't they cute?? You affix them with the heat wand as you do the other rhinestones and rhinestuds.

They even have a starter package which includes some black and orange rhinestones, skulls, heat wand, and other things to get you started for only $37.00.

Rectangle Magenta Fashion accessory Box Art


It is really a nice package. You can see their new things on their Halloween Page of their site.

I also asked Linda if she could get some hot-fix STARS in for projects and she is going to try to do that! I can see so many uses for sparkly stars in projects and ornaments not only for Christmas, but also for patriotic or even prim types of things. I will certainly keep you all posted when she finds them. I hope you give her company a try. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

That will be about all for today. I wish I didn't feel as 'fuzzy' as I do. I honestly feel as if I can sleep all day long, like my cats.

It is bright and sunny here and another cool and breezy autumn day here in Nova Scotia. I couldn't ask for better. I wish you all a Happy Friday and hope you enjoy your day!
 

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#11,028 ·
Time Travel

After celebrating Thanksgiving the past two days here in Canada, I feel refreshed and ready to get back to some serious designing. Even though it is still the early part of October, I know how quickly this time of year seems to pass as we busy ourselves for the upcoming holiday season. I am always amazed at how the pace seems to pick up this time of year and time passes even quicker than usual.

It is sometimes difficult for me because I always seem to have so many different ideas that I want to develop and there is never time to even scrape the surface for most of them. I used to think that it was perhaps because I wasn't working quickly enough and I would scold myself when I didn't get to the end of my 'list' and get everything that I wanted to get done. But I have somewhat mellowed over the years, and I am a bit kinder to myself. I am realizing that thinking of these ideas takes far less time then actually implementing them, and if I want to do a quality job on things (which I do!) I need to allow each project the time it needs to materialize and not look back at regrets at all that I was not able to finish. There is always 'next year'.

And usually, by the time the next year rolls around, the original idea is somewhat modified. Or there are new ideas that take precedence over the old ones and the priorities may shift because new and more exciting ideas may have come to light. Such is the life of a designer.

I feel very fortunate that I have many different ideas for projects. I find that keeping lists of ideas and thoughts on what to do really does help me a great deal. For all that I feel I am being productive, there are those times when there is a lull in productivity and what may have felt like a wonderful idea at an earlier time may not be so exciting at another. I don't know how or why things work out that way, but they just do. It seems that (for me anyway) I work in waves of creativity where one moment I can be wondering what to do next and five minutes later I can't choose which project to start first. It is at these times that I need to go with my 'gut' feeling and just move forward. More so than not that seems to be the best decision.

There comes a time in the holiday season though when we realize that it is time to abandon our game plan for this year and move ahead to get a jump on the next holiday. I am somewhat at that point now where even though I have many different ideas for the Halloween season, I think it is time to move ahead and work on some new Christmas things. It is difficult for me to put aside the cute ideas that I had in my head for another year, but practicality tells me that if I don't get moving on some Christmas items, it will be too late for that season as well.

After years of working with print magazines and heeding to their deadlines of six months or more prior to the season, I think I have conditioned myself to design just about anything at any time. It is hard though not to want to get caught up in the present though, as there is something satisfying about painting pumpkins in October, turkeys in November and angels and Santa Clauses in December. I must admit that most of my best Christmas designs were drawn up while I was wearing shorts and sitting on the beach or in the sun, and my spring designs of butterflies and flowers usually were 'born' while there were several centimeters of snow on the ground. I have trained myself to think 'off season'.

But now that the magazine is no longer a driving force for me, it is perhaps a bit easier to be closer to the time frame than before. I don't mean that I can completely follow my own present calendar, but a larger time frame can be devoted to the current season than before. (Or can it?)

Part of me wants to enjoy this reprieve from early deadlines, and another part of me (perhaps the logical/business part) is telling me to keep myself on the early schedule to remain ahead of the game. I find myself fighting between wanting to enjoy the season like a 'normal' person and wearing my designer hat and looking months ahead. I suppose it will take some getting used to. That is where self-discipline comes into play.

So with all that said, it is mid-October and I am thinking ahead to Christmas and beginning to feel that I am arriving somewhat late to the party. Not really perhaps, but any more delay and I certainly wouldn't be at the front of the pack. I need to once again re-adjust my thinking and start looking a bit further ahead.

With that said, I began drawing up some Christmas ornaments yesterday. These are going to be for the scroll saw and I think they will look really cool when finished:

Vertebrate Organ Mammal Organism Gesture


I am afraid the sample doesn't really show too much. But you will see more in the next couple of days, for sure.

I am also working on a new painting pattern, as well as a combination painting and scrolling pattern. Something for everyone, I think. I would love to have the three things done by our next update and it will be a bit of a push for me to do so. But I feel that I am up for the task.

Sometimes stepping back a bit is just what we need to see things more clearly. Prioritizing, making lists and focusing helps as well. I really need to make sure that I am at my most efficient so that I can get as much done as I can. There are so many wonderful things that I just can't wait to share, and figuring out where I need to be in time and what I need to work on when is the key to getting the most done.

I wish you all a Happy Monday! Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends as well.
 

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#11,029 ·
Here, There and Everywhere

Have you ever tried to do several things at once? I feel that is how my day went yesterday. I was doing some drawing, sanding some orders to go out and I even began painting my new Painting With Friends design (inspired by Terrye French) that promises to be a really fun and cute project. I actually didn't know which direction to head first.

Keith was also busy, as he headed to the lumber yard and spent the afternoon and evening at our friend Bernie's shop planing and dressing wood. It is getting to be that time of year when we need to replenish our supply that is right here at hand so we have enough to last us through our winter designing. While I miss going to the shop and working on things (I love running the planer!) it really didn't make sense for me to go with, as too many people doing things at once only seem to make it more cluttered.

So I stayed here and made a pot of soup to nurse my cold and tried to get some painting done.

I must say though - I wasn't at my painting best. I started out painting the first of the eight figures that will be in this set only to head back to the sander around 5pm in the evening. I simply HATED how the piece came out and there was nothing else to do except sand off the paint and start again. Thinking back, I wish I would have thought enough to take a photo of the blunder. I want those of you who are new to painting to realize that even though you look up to us as teachers and 'professionals', we make mistakes as well. Sometimes there is a broken path between our 'vision' and the execution of the design. While there is no shame in that, it certainly can feel frustrating! I felt as if I wasted much of the day only to be looking at a blank piece at 5:30 in the evening, after putzing with it all day!

Oh well - it was worth it after all. I am much happier with the revised version anyway.

So I only have one piece to show you today . . .

Textile Finger Toy Stuffed toy Wood


This little guy is the first of a set of eight that will make a set of Christmas Pull Toys that can be used as ornaments or as stand-up pieces. The first one I painted so dark, he looked like he was burned in the oven. :( This little guy is brighter and just the right crispiness!

I have some additional details that I will be adding to him, but he is on his way and hopefully the other pieces will go a bit more smoothly. I will be painting again today for a bit.

I also need to scroll out the ornaments that I hinted at yesterday. I will tease you further by telling you I sent the pictures to my friend Leldon to look them over and he LOVED them! (That was a good boost for my confidence!) But I have three more to draw today as well and then I can start cutting them out. I am torn which way to work today. I think that is a good problem to have though! ;)

Keith is also finishing up a new design for our next update. He asked me to show you a hit as well:

Nose Head Hand Leg White


Humm . . .

They look very 'autumn-like' to me . . .

I suppose I like teasing you all a little bit. It just shows you we are working on things and not sitting here eating bon bons! (well - we could sneak a bon bon in once in a while, I suppose! Or a tootsie roll! Now THOSE are good!)

Thank you all for your encouragement. I hope this keeps you guessing and coming back to see. I should have more to show tomorrow . . .

Have a great Tuesday!
 

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#11,030 ·
Here, There and Everywhere

Have you ever tried to do several things at once? I feel that is how my day went yesterday. I was doing some drawing, sanding some orders to go out and I even began painting my new Painting With Friends design (inspired by Terrye French) that promises to be a really fun and cute project. I actually didn't know which direction to head first.

Keith was also busy, as he headed to the lumber yard and spent the afternoon and evening at our friend Bernie's shop planing and dressing wood. It is getting to be that time of year when we need to replenish our supply that is right here at hand so we have enough to last us through our winter designing. While I miss going to the shop and working on things (I love running the planer!) it really didn't make sense for me to go with, as too many people doing things at once only seem to make it more cluttered.

So I stayed here and made a pot of soup to nurse my cold and tried to get some painting done.

I must say though - I wasn't at my painting best. I started out painting the first of the eight figures that will be in this set only to head back to the sander around 5pm in the evening. I simply HATED how the piece came out and there was nothing else to do except sand off the paint and start again. Thinking back, I wish I would have thought enough to take a photo of the blunder. I want those of you who are new to painting to realize that even though you look up to us as teachers and 'professionals', we make mistakes as well. Sometimes there is a broken path between our 'vision' and the execution of the design. While there is no shame in that, it certainly can feel frustrating! I felt as if I wasted much of the day only to be looking at a blank piece at 5:30 in the evening, after putzing with it all day!

Oh well - it was worth it after all. I am much happier with the revised version anyway.

So I only have one piece to show you today . . .

Textile Finger Toy Stuffed toy Wood


This little guy is the first of a set of eight that will make a set of Christmas Pull Toys that can be used as ornaments or as stand-up pieces. The first one I painted so dark, he looked like he was burned in the oven. :( This little guy is brighter and just the right crispiness!

I have some additional details that I will be adding to him, but he is on his way and hopefully the other pieces will go a bit more smoothly. I will be painting again today for a bit.

I also need to scroll out the ornaments that I hinted at yesterday. I will tease you further by telling you I sent the pictures to my friend Leldon to look them over and he LOVED them! (That was a good boost for my confidence!) But I have three more to draw today as well and then I can start cutting them out. I am torn which way to work today. I think that is a good problem to have though! ;)

Keith is also finishing up a new design for our next update. He asked me to show you a hit as well:

Nose Head Hand Leg White


Humm . . .

They look very 'autumn-like' to me . . .

I suppose I like teasing you all a little bit. It just shows you we are working on things and not sitting here eating bon bons! (well - we could sneak a bon bon in once in a while, I suppose! Or a tootsie roll! Now THOSE are good!)

Thank you all for your encouragement. I hope this keeps you guessing and coming back to see. I should have more to show tomorrow . . .

Have a great Tuesday!
Cute gingerbread man! Keith's design is interesting - it lights up the imagination!
 

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#11,032 ·
More Pull Toys

Yesterday was a wonderful and relaxing day for me. Not only did we have the pleasure of Keith's mom's company all day, but she brought with all the remains of our Thanksgiving dinner from Sunday. Talk about a treat! :)

I truly love turkey dinners and I am not the type of person that gets tired of it easily. Since our families are a much smaller these days, creating an entire meal usually means lots and lots of leftovers. Some may complain about that, but not me! I can think of a variety of different ways to have it over and over again - or even 'straight up'. And even though we had turkey Saturday at Bernie and Ellen's and Sunday at Keith's mom's - by yesterday I was ready for another round. I sure wasn't disappointed either. We just set everything out buffet style and filled up our plates and heated them individually. Nothing fancy at all. But boy, it was good again and since there was little mess to clean, it seemed to taste even better. Even the cats got a sampling and liked it a lot. That also meant that I had plenty of time to work on my latest project, and I made good headway on that as well.

I had shown the first little pull toy yesterday from my latest Terrye French inspired "Painting With Friends" pattern that I am developing. This is a collaboration of designing that I do with Terrye and it is fun and relaxing and I love it. I am not the greatest cartoonist, but Terrye has an excess of ideas. So she shares her line work with me and lets me take it where I envision it. In fact - she does this with several of the other "Painting With Friends" designers and it is wonderful to see the different blends of ideas that result.

After the great popularity of the Harvest Pull Toy set that I have been providing the wood kits for, I thought it would be a nice idea to do a Christmas themed set that was similar. I was given some of Terrye's drawings to use as a springboard and I added my own touches to them and so far here is what I have:

Textile Orange Creative arts Toy Red


Four of the eight pieces are just about done! I still have some details that I want to add, but they are well on their way and you can get the general jest of them. I have some other cute ideas as well and I can't wait to implement them.

I especially love the Christmas Chicken:

Dishware Serveware Ingredient Cuisine Art


And the Santa's face came out adorable! :)

Hair Beard Gesture Facial hair Hat


But there are four more figures to finish out this set and lots more surprises.

I will be offering both the pattern and the wood pieces for this set. I am thinking I may also offer a pre-cut wood kit with flat ornament shapes so you could hang them on a tree. I hope that appeals to many of you.

I will be working on these as well as my new scroll saw project in the next couple of days. Hopefully the patterns will be available sometime next week. I know that there are many of you who are eager to get started on these.

Working with someone else is fun. I think that collaborating with another artist is a wonderful experience and also helps us grow in our own skills and styles. I am very grateful to be part of the Painting With Friends group and I just love the opportunity being part of it offers.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Have some fun finding something creative to do! :)
 

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#11,033 ·
More Pull Toys

Yesterday was a wonderful and relaxing day for me. Not only did we have the pleasure of Keith's mom's company all day, but she brought with all the remains of our Thanksgiving dinner from Sunday. Talk about a treat! :)

I truly love turkey dinners and I am not the type of person that gets tired of it easily. Since our families are a much smaller these days, creating an entire meal usually means lots and lots of leftovers. Some may complain about that, but not me! I can think of a variety of different ways to have it over and over again - or even 'straight up'. And even though we had turkey Saturday at Bernie and Ellen's and Sunday at Keith's mom's - by yesterday I was ready for another round. I sure wasn't disappointed either. We just set everything out buffet style and filled up our plates and heated them individually. Nothing fancy at all. But boy, it was good again and since there was little mess to clean, it seemed to taste even better. Even the cats got a sampling and liked it a lot. That also meant that I had plenty of time to work on my latest project, and I made good headway on that as well.

I had shown the first little pull toy yesterday from my latest Terrye French inspired "Painting With Friends" pattern that I am developing. This is a collaboration of designing that I do with Terrye and it is fun and relaxing and I love it. I am not the greatest cartoonist, but Terrye has an excess of ideas. So she shares her line work with me and lets me take it where I envision it. In fact - she does this with several of the other "Painting With Friends" designers and it is wonderful to see the different blends of ideas that result.

After the great popularity of the Harvest Pull Toy set that I have been providing the wood kits for, I thought it would be a nice idea to do a Christmas themed set that was similar. I was given some of Terrye's drawings to use as a springboard and I added my own touches to them and so far here is what I have:

Textile Orange Creative arts Toy Red


Four of the eight pieces are just about done! I still have some details that I want to add, but they are well on their way and you can get the general jest of them. I have some other cute ideas as well and I can't wait to implement them.

I especially love the Christmas Chicken:

Dishware Serveware Ingredient Cuisine Art


And the Santa's face came out adorable! :)

Hair Beard Gesture Facial hair Hat


But there are four more figures to finish out this set and lots more surprises.

I will be offering both the pattern and the wood pieces for this set. I am thinking I may also offer a pre-cut wood kit with flat ornament shapes so you could hang them on a tree. I hope that appeals to many of you.

I will be working on these as well as my new scroll saw project in the next couple of days. Hopefully the patterns will be available sometime next week. I know that there are many of you who are eager to get started on these.

Working with someone else is fun. I think that collaborating with another artist is a wonderful experience and also helps us grow in our own skills and styles. I am very grateful to be part of the Painting With Friends group and I just love the opportunity being part of it offers.

I hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday! Have some fun finding something creative to do! :)
Kids, both young and old, should love these-hope they are a big hit for you!
 

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#11,038 ·
Making "Pretties"

I know that I haven't been blogging as regularly as usual. There have been some things going on that have just sort of gotten in the way. Part of it was because I have been fighting a cold and it has taken its toll on me a little. I don't have my usual energy and I have been working at a slower pace and sometimes I feel like it is best to get to my daily tasks rather then take the time to write about them.

I speak often about how busy we have become, and I certainly appreciate that. I realize that as a small company we are very fortunate to see our followers grow, as that is the goal of being in business in the first place. But with that growth comes the added responsibility of tending to increasing tasks. There is more paperwork and correspondence, as well as time needed to go our general working operations. Again - it is all good but something needs to give from somewhere, and there are times when I have to pick and choose which direction to head first. So I see myself missing a day here and there with my posts and hoping you all understand that it is not because I am not busy, but pretty much the opposite.

I spent the day yesterday finishing up and packaging and shipping some wood orders that I needed to do. I really do enjoy this part of the business, as it allows me to play in the sawdust a bit more than I used to and I think of each and every customer as a fellow painter and friend and I delight in the thought of me providing them with a nice surface to transform into something wonderful.

I'ts funny how I think that way, isn't it?

But each and every piece that I carefully cut and wrap I view as something that will be 'tomorrow's treasure.' For me it is a very satisfying part of the process and it means a lot more than just cutting and sanding wood. One of my customers told me that the pieces that I sent out yesterday would be gifts for her daughter and daughter in law for Christmas. She was going to paint on them and put their favorite characters on them. I found myself thinking about how happy they would be opening the package when their faces saw the unique and wonderful things their mom lovingly painted for them and it made me truly happy inside for the small role that I may have played in that.

I suppose I am feeling particularly nostalgic these days though, as I see so many of my friends creating items for future gifts that they plan to give and sell. Especially now it seems that hand made is the best gift you can give. At least in my circle of people. Perhaps it is because I am at the age where I don't 'need' much of anything that I don't already have. While what I have may be meager by some people's standards, it is certainly adequate and then some for me and I have lived on this planet long enough to appreciate that it isn't how much you have, but how much you enjoy your daily life that is important. In that respect I feel I am richer than most.

So enough of this mellow rambling on my part. I have a lot of work to be done today!

I plan on cutting my new Christmas ornaments out today and hopefully assembling them. They are dimensional ornaments and a little bit different than what I have made before. But I think they will be nice.

I also need to get back at the pull toys and continue to finish up the other four designs. I hope to get them finished over the weekend as well, and have the pattern and wood kits on the site with the next update (Yes - I said kitS - I plan on making kits for both stand ups and hanging ornaments for them!)

Once again, I find that time is not my friend. I love this time of year and it always passes by much too quickly. I think of all the wonderful ideas I have for creating both Autumn and Christmas projects and there is probably no way that ten people could accomplish them in just a few short months. So I resolve myself to doing what I can as my list for "next year" grows longer and longer. I do feel that I am not alone in this dilemma, as many of my artist and creative friends seem to say the same thing. But isn't it a wonderful problem?

Keith has been working hard as well. He has several new items for the next update already and is adding to them daily. I am so much slower than him at creating though so I always feel that I am behind. Here is a sneek peek at one of his newest plaques:

Rectangle Wood Font Wood stain Natural material


It will not only be appropriate during the Thanksgiving season, but all year as well. It will be on our site shortly. You will have to watch for the next update, which should happen next week.

With that said, I had better get moving today. I have a lot to accomplish and the clock is always ticking. It is a windy and rainy autumn day and very dull and dark. A good day to stay in and "make pretties".

I wish you all a wonderful Friday!
 

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#11,039 ·
Making "Pretties"

I know that I haven't been blogging as regularly as usual. There have been some things going on that have just sort of gotten in the way. Part of it was because I have been fighting a cold and it has taken its toll on me a little. I don't have my usual energy and I have been working at a slower pace and sometimes I feel like it is best to get to my daily tasks rather then take the time to write about them.

I speak often about how busy we have become, and I certainly appreciate that. I realize that as a small company we are very fortunate to see our followers grow, as that is the goal of being in business in the first place. But with that growth comes the added responsibility of tending to increasing tasks. There is more paperwork and correspondence, as well as time needed to go our general working operations. Again - it is all good but something needs to give from somewhere, and there are times when I have to pick and choose which direction to head first. So I see myself missing a day here and there with my posts and hoping you all understand that it is not because I am not busy, but pretty much the opposite.

I spent the day yesterday finishing up and packaging and shipping some wood orders that I needed to do. I really do enjoy this part of the business, as it allows me to play in the sawdust a bit more than I used to and I think of each and every customer as a fellow painter and friend and I delight in the thought of me providing them with a nice surface to transform into something wonderful.

I'ts funny how I think that way, isn't it?

But each and every piece that I carefully cut and wrap I view as something that will be 'tomorrow's treasure.' For me it is a very satisfying part of the process and it means a lot more than just cutting and sanding wood. One of my customers told me that the pieces that I sent out yesterday would be gifts for her daughter and daughter in law for Christmas. She was going to paint on them and put their favorite characters on them. I found myself thinking about how happy they would be opening the package when their faces saw the unique and wonderful things their mom lovingly painted for them and it made me truly happy inside for the small role that I may have played in that.

I suppose I am feeling particularly nostalgic these days though, as I see so many of my friends creating items for future gifts that they plan to give and sell. Especially now it seems that hand made is the best gift you can give. At least in my circle of people. Perhaps it is because I am at the age where I don't 'need' much of anything that I don't already have. While what I have may be meager by some people's standards, it is certainly adequate and then some for me and I have lived on this planet long enough to appreciate that it isn't how much you have, but how much you enjoy your daily life that is important. In that respect I feel I am richer than most.

So enough of this mellow rambling on my part. I have a lot of work to be done today!

I plan on cutting my new Christmas ornaments out today and hopefully assembling them. They are dimensional ornaments and a little bit different than what I have made before. But I think they will be nice.

I also need to get back at the pull toys and continue to finish up the other four designs. I hope to get them finished over the weekend as well, and have the pattern and wood kits on the site with the next update (Yes - I said kitS - I plan on making kits for both stand ups and hanging ornaments for them!)

Once again, I find that time is not my friend. I love this time of year and it always passes by much too quickly. I think of all the wonderful ideas I have for creating both Autumn and Christmas projects and there is probably no way that ten people could accomplish them in just a few short months. So I resolve myself to doing what I can as my list for "next year" grows longer and longer. I do feel that I am not alone in this dilemma, as many of my artist and creative friends seem to say the same thing. But isn't it a wonderful problem?

Keith has been working hard as well. He has several new items for the next update already and is adding to them daily. I am so much slower than him at creating though so I always feel that I am behind. Here is a sneek peek at one of his newest plaques:

Rectangle Wood Font Wood stain Natural material


It will not only be appropriate during the Thanksgiving season, but all year as well. It will be on our site shortly. You will have to watch for the next update, which should happen next week.

With that said, I had better get moving today. I have a lot to accomplish and the clock is always ticking. It is a windy and rainy autumn day and very dull and dark. A good day to stay in and "make pretties".

I wish you all a wonderful Friday!
Looking forward to your new Christmas ornaments patterns. Keith's plaque looks great. A perfect gift for any time of the year.
Fall has definitely arrived on the Westcoast - rain, rain and then for a change rain! We can't complain. We had a long run of great weather. Have a great weekend.
 

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#11,041 ·
Cutting, Cutting and more Cutting

The past few weeks, I have really lived up to my name "Scrollgirl". It seems I have spent more time than ever at the scroll saw. But that is a good thing, right? It goes to show me that it may very well be possible to be able to design both woodworking and painting patterns and keep things in balance.

It helps tremendously having a partner like Keith. He is so talented and when I meander over to the painting side of things for a while, he is always busy keeping our scrolling followers happy by creating new designs. Between the two of us we have the bases covered fairly well. Below is another new pattern that he will be offering at our next update:

Wood Rectangle Font Signage Metal


I have been trying to alternate between scrolling and painting designs. But sometimes there is a bit of overlap between the two. Because we share the scroll saw here for the most part (unless we are putting out a big wholesale order, when in that case we bring up our second saw from the basement) we kind of take turns as to who gets to cut.

I drew up a new set of scroll sawn ornaments this week. I wanted something different, that would be somewhat simple, but elegant. I also wanted something that would look nice and make a nice impression on the tree.

Lately I have truly enjoyed creating Damask style designs. Their flowing lines and pretty shapes seem to go hand in hand with scroll sawing. They also are popular in the 'shabby chic' style of decorating, which can be used in so many styles of decorating. My thoughts were to take this style of ornamentation and make - well - ornaments - out of the central motifs. To make them even better, I decided to make them dimensional, so at first glance they look somewhat like snowflakes, but like 'fluffy' balls of snow.

They were so much fun to cut! I also decided to create them with NO inside cuts at all! They are fun and easy and will be a great project for even those who are newer to scroll sawing, as the designs themselves are very forgiving.

After a full day of cutting, here is what I wound up with:

Wood Pattern Art Creative arts Font


A table full of fun and 'fluffy' wood ornaments.

As always - I have some wonderful ideas for finishing them. I am going to play with that in the next coupld of days.

I also haven't forgotten about my Painting With Friends Christmas Pull Toy pieces. I plan on finishing up those in the next few days as well.

It will certainly be a busy time, but an exciting one as well! :)

I hope you all have a great Saturday. We have a calm and beautiful autumn day coming it seems. The leaves are just about at peak and it is difficult not to just take off for a drive. (Who knows . . . maybe I can get Keith to play 'hooky' with me! After all - Winter is coming!)

Happy Saturday to you all!
 

Attachments

#11,042 ·
Cutting, Cutting and more Cutting

The past few weeks, I have really lived up to my name "Scrollgirl". It seems I have spent more time than ever at the scroll saw. But that is a good thing, right? It goes to show me that it may very well be possible to be able to design both woodworking and painting patterns and keep things in balance.

It helps tremendously having a partner like Keith. He is so talented and when I meander over to the painting side of things for a while, he is always busy keeping our scrolling followers happy by creating new designs. Between the two of us we have the bases covered fairly well. Below is another new pattern that he will be offering at our next update:

Wood Rectangle Font Signage Metal


I have been trying to alternate between scrolling and painting designs. But sometimes there is a bit of overlap between the two. Because we share the scroll saw here for the most part (unless we are putting out a big wholesale order, when in that case we bring up our second saw from the basement) we kind of take turns as to who gets to cut.

I drew up a new set of scroll sawn ornaments this week. I wanted something different, that would be somewhat simple, but elegant. I also wanted something that would look nice and make a nice impression on the tree.

Lately I have truly enjoyed creating Damask style designs. Their flowing lines and pretty shapes seem to go hand in hand with scroll sawing. They also are popular in the 'shabby chic' style of decorating, which can be used in so many styles of decorating. My thoughts were to take this style of ornamentation and make - well - ornaments - out of the central motifs. To make them even better, I decided to make them dimensional, so at first glance they look somewhat like snowflakes, but like 'fluffy' balls of snow.

They were so much fun to cut! I also decided to create them with NO inside cuts at all! They are fun and easy and will be a great project for even those who are newer to scroll sawing, as the designs themselves are very forgiving.

After a full day of cutting, here is what I wound up with:

Wood Pattern Art Creative arts Font


A table full of fun and 'fluffy' wood ornaments.

As always - I have some wonderful ideas for finishing them. I am going to play with that in the next coupld of days.

I also haven't forgotten about my Painting With Friends Christmas Pull Toy pieces. I plan on finishing up those in the next few days as well.

It will certainly be a busy time, but an exciting one as well! :)

I hope you all have a great Saturday. We have a calm and beautiful autumn day coming it seems. The leaves are just about at peak and it is difficult not to just take off for a drive. (Who knows . . . maybe I can get Keith to play 'hooky' with me! After all - Winter is coming!)

Happy Saturday to you all!
Now you are just being mean. I can't seem to get finished what I am working on and you come up with another great idea.
 

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#11,045 ·
Day Trip

It seemed like as good a time as any. We have been so busy lately that it is sometimes difficult to pick a good time for us to take a day off. But as I finished my post yesterday and the sun came up, I could see that it was promising to be a nice day and I took advantage of the moment. I jumped in the shower and awoke Keith and asked him if he wanted to take a 'spontaneous day trip' with me. He had mentioned more than once about taking a drive through the countryside to see the beautiful autumn leaves. They are just about at their peak now and I know that things would only get busier as we got closer to the holidays. After that, the snow would begin to fall and the inevitable winter weather would be upon us. We would be house bound for the most part until the spring thaw. So we jumped on the chance to make what could be our final day trip of the season. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Within less than an hour we were heading out the door.

As we get older, we are learning to appreciate simple things like taking a long ride through the countryside. I spoke yesterday of some of the things that make me content with life. I honestly believe that most of the things that will make us happiest are right here within our grasp if we only take the time to appreciate them. For myself, after spending many years accumulating 'things' and still not finding true happiness, I have learned that what makes me happy is more of what we already have within ourselves - an attitude if you will. I am fortunate enough to have decent health, which is a huge thing. I also have two healthy children, whom I love and care for deeply. I have a partner who is also my best friend, and with I am able to share the ups and downs that life brings with him, and somehow it makes the burden of these things easier to bear.

We stopped for breakfast at our favorite little diner in Weymouth, which is not too far from our place. By the time we finished eating, the somewhat cloudy skies had began to clear and the sun was shining brightly on the beautiful foliage of the Nova Scotia countryside. We decided to take the detour through Bear River, and saw some breath taking views:

Cloud Sky Plant Natural landscape Grass


The tide was almost high and the hard wood trees along the river were in all their glory:

Water Sky Cloud Plant Natural landscape


We even took a rare 'selfie':

Forehead Smile Happy Iris Travel


The car looked pretty, too. Even though it is now almost 13 years old, it still is a lot of fun to drive:

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Hood


We meandered through the back roads and along the highways, and made a couple of stops along the way, and wound up in Dartmouth, right outside of Halifax. We didn't really buy a lot, but we did find some fun things. I picked up a bar of my favorite Chanel soap from the mall and I also found some flavored coffee syrups to enjoy over the winter with my morning coffee. We toyed with the idea of getting a planer when we were at Busy Bee Tools, but we decided to wait until the spring and see what was available then. We already had most of what we will need for winter wood ready, and we saw no reason to rush into it now.

We had a wonderful dinner as well at our favorite bar-b-que place in Dartmouth. There was even enough left for a take home meal.

Even the outdoor shopping mall was beautiful:

Plant Sky Leaf Natural landscape Tree


We were both surprised at how crowded it was, and by the time the sun began to set (around 7pm) we were ready to start heading home. The three hour trip back was nice and relaxing.

We picked through lots of places and found many things to inspire us. Even though it is mid-October, many of the stores were already preparing for Christmas. We probably won't go back to the city before the holidays, as the weather soon will be treacherous and we both know that all we need we are usually able to find in our own back yard.

Today I will be sanding my ornaments and finishing them up so I can write the patterns. I also want to work on my painting project - the Christmas Pull Toy set. I feel good and refreshed though, and after a wonderful day of relaxing, I am ready to tackle things head-on.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some photos of our beautiful area. I also hope you take the time to enjoy what beauty surrounds you.

Have a wonderful Sunday!
 

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#11,046 ·
Day Trip

It seemed like as good a time as any. We have been so busy lately that it is sometimes difficult to pick a good time for us to take a day off. But as I finished my post yesterday and the sun came up, I could see that it was promising to be a nice day and I took advantage of the moment. I jumped in the shower and awoke Keith and asked him if he wanted to take a 'spontaneous day trip' with me. He had mentioned more than once about taking a drive through the countryside to see the beautiful autumn leaves. They are just about at their peak now and I know that things would only get busier as we got closer to the holidays. After that, the snow would begin to fall and the inevitable winter weather would be upon us. We would be house bound for the most part until the spring thaw. So we jumped on the chance to make what could be our final day trip of the season. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Within less than an hour we were heading out the door.

As we get older, we are learning to appreciate simple things like taking a long ride through the countryside. I spoke yesterday of some of the things that make me content with life. I honestly believe that most of the things that will make us happiest are right here within our grasp if we only take the time to appreciate them. For myself, after spending many years accumulating 'things' and still not finding true happiness, I have learned that what makes me happy is more of what we already have within ourselves - an attitude if you will. I am fortunate enough to have decent health, which is a huge thing. I also have two healthy children, whom I love and care for deeply. I have a partner who is also my best friend, and with I am able to share the ups and downs that life brings with him, and somehow it makes the burden of these things easier to bear.

We stopped for breakfast at our favorite little diner in Weymouth, which is not too far from our place. By the time we finished eating, the somewhat cloudy skies had began to clear and the sun was shining brightly on the beautiful foliage of the Nova Scotia countryside. We decided to take the detour through Bear River, and saw some breath taking views:

Cloud Sky Plant Natural landscape Grass


The tide was almost high and the hard wood trees along the river were in all their glory:

Water Sky Cloud Plant Natural landscape


We even took a rare 'selfie':

Forehead Smile Happy Iris Travel


The car looked pretty, too. Even though it is now almost 13 years old, it still is a lot of fun to drive:

Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Hood


We meandered through the back roads and along the highways, and made a couple of stops along the way, and wound up in Dartmouth, right outside of Halifax. We didn't really buy a lot, but we did find some fun things. I picked up a bar of my favorite Chanel soap from the mall and I also found some flavored coffee syrups to enjoy over the winter with my morning coffee. We toyed with the idea of getting a planer when we were at Busy Bee Tools, but we decided to wait until the spring and see what was available then. We already had most of what we will need for winter wood ready, and we saw no reason to rush into it now.

We had a wonderful dinner as well at our favorite bar-b-que place in Dartmouth. There was even enough left for a take home meal.

Even the outdoor shopping mall was beautiful:

Plant Sky Leaf Natural landscape Tree


We were both surprised at how crowded it was, and by the time the sun began to set (around 7pm) we were ready to start heading home. The three hour trip back was nice and relaxing.

We picked through lots of places and found many things to inspire us. Even though it is mid-October, many of the stores were already preparing for Christmas. We probably won't go back to the city before the holidays, as the weather soon will be treacherous and we both know that all we need we are usually able to find in our own back yard.

Today I will be sanding my ornaments and finishing them up so I can write the patterns. I also want to work on my painting project - the Christmas Pull Toy set. I feel good and refreshed though, and after a wonderful day of relaxing, I am ready to tackle things head-on.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some photos of our beautiful area. I also hope you take the time to enjoy what beauty surrounds you.

Have a wonderful Sunday!
Sounds like a great way to recharge the batteries. Beautiful country.
 

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#11,051 ·
Monday, Monday

Once again we are here on a Monday.

I have always loved Monday's, as they represent a fresh start to a new week and the promise of endless possibilities awaiting! I have always viewed Monday with enthusiasm and joy - even when I worked at other jobs outside my home or attended school. I suppose I always felt that every day - no matter what day of the week it was - would only be what we make of it, and I have always chosen to make it the best day I could. I don't see that ever changing.

Our day away was wonderful and refreshing. I can now head into the long Nova Scotia winter with some beautiful memories of the countryside, painted as only mother nature can do, and look forward to those warmer spring days ahead when the trees again would awaken and come alive.

I don't ever really mind winter though. Even though I am a bit more house-bound, I am always able to find some creative things to keep me busy. You may or may not have noticed that I have sadly neglected my embroidery piece of late. Between the busy season and the teensy cold that I have been fighting, my evenings haven't been spent working on it. But that is OK. I know there will be a time when I will be able to do so and complete it and I look forward to that. I had told myself in the beginning that it would take probably a year and I didn't really begin working on it until March. So I am still on my own self-appointed schedule. And even if I do miss that deadline, so what? I promised myself that I would only work on it when I didn't feel tired or overworked and I didn't want to burden myself with guilt or shame. It wouldn't be a 'leisure' activity then, would it? Sometimes we just have to do things when we are ready. I will know when the time is right to proceed.

I had a wonderful and full day yesterday, finishing up my Slotted Damask Ornaments. I am really pleased with them and I think they came out beautiful.

I cut mind of maple, and sanded them all and sprayed them with a couple of coats of lacquer. I was truly pleased at how nice and elegant they looked finished:

Art Wood Tints and shades Symmetry Ornament


But those of you who know me, know that I wasn't going to let them be like that. After all - what are Christmas ornaments without a bit of "sparkle" added to them? I decided to add some beautiful crystal rhinestones to them and I think they really look much prettier.

I used hot-fix rhinstones from Rhinestone Canada. (I always like to add their link in my posts because they are a WONDERFUL company with AWESOME products and I get asked every time I mention them!)

The heat wand makes it so easy to apply the stones neatly and quickly. For these ornaments, I chose to do half in a beautiful green called "Olivine":

Art Wood Terrestrial plant Creative arts Flooring


. . . and the other half in a brilliant red called "Light Siam":

Creative arts Art Pollinator Petal Ornament


I used 3mm and 4mm stones and I think they came out wonderful! I must say though - even though the process was quick, I didn't realize how many sides of ornaments that I needed to decorate! I had 12 ornaments with two pieces each (that's 4 sides for each ornament) for a total of 48 sides! It took me the better part of the day to complete them all. It was fun and relaxing though and we had some good music and some good TV on while I was working. And the results are stunning!

Wood Body jewelry Natural material Jewellery Font


Wood Ornament Font Art Metal


These are only half of the ornaments, of course, and I am really thrilled with the outcome. I am very excited about this project. The pattern will be available later in the week with our next site update.

Today I will be working on the remaining four Christmas pull toys that I am painting for the Painting With Friends group. I had thought that I would get time to work on them yesterday, but my day was just gone by the time I was finished with these.

I never mind shifting things around a bit - especially when what I am making comes out better than I expected. I suppose there is just no substitute for spending time on some projects. Like my embroidery piece, it is well worth the effort and taking a bit more time than expected. Not everything can be done instantly.

I wish you all a great day and a great week ahead. I hope you join me in looking upon Monday as a fresh start to a new and exciting week. I truly believe that having a good attitude about things positively influences the outcome of many things. It is also nicer to have a positive disposition.

Happy Monday to you all! May you have a wonderfully creative week ahead!
 

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#11,052 ·
Monday, Monday

Once again we are here on a Monday.

I have always loved Monday's, as they represent a fresh start to a new week and the promise of endless possibilities awaiting! I have always viewed Monday with enthusiasm and joy - even when I worked at other jobs outside my home or attended school. I suppose I always felt that every day - no matter what day of the week it was - would only be what we make of it, and I have always chosen to make it the best day I could. I don't see that ever changing.

Our day away was wonderful and refreshing. I can now head into the long Nova Scotia winter with some beautiful memories of the countryside, painted as only mother nature can do, and look forward to those warmer spring days ahead when the trees again would awaken and come alive.

I don't ever really mind winter though. Even though I am a bit more house-bound, I am always able to find some creative things to keep me busy. You may or may not have noticed that I have sadly neglected my embroidery piece of late. Between the busy season and the teensy cold that I have been fighting, my evenings haven't been spent working on it. But that is OK. I know there will be a time when I will be able to do so and complete it and I look forward to that. I had told myself in the beginning that it would take probably a year and I didn't really begin working on it until March. So I am still on my own self-appointed schedule. And even if I do miss that deadline, so what? I promised myself that I would only work on it when I didn't feel tired or overworked and I didn't want to burden myself with guilt or shame. It wouldn't be a 'leisure' activity then, would it? Sometimes we just have to do things when we are ready. I will know when the time is right to proceed.

I had a wonderful and full day yesterday, finishing up my Slotted Damask Ornaments. I am really pleased with them and I think they came out beautiful.

I cut mind of maple, and sanded them all and sprayed them with a couple of coats of lacquer. I was truly pleased at how nice and elegant they looked finished:

Art Wood Tints and shades Symmetry Ornament


But those of you who know me, know that I wasn't going to let them be like that. After all - what are Christmas ornaments without a bit of "sparkle" added to them? I decided to add some beautiful crystal rhinestones to them and I think they really look much prettier.

I used hot-fix rhinstones from Rhinestone Canada. (I always like to add their link in my posts because they are a WONDERFUL company with AWESOME products and I get asked every time I mention them!)

The heat wand makes it so easy to apply the stones neatly and quickly. For these ornaments, I chose to do half in a beautiful green called "Olivine":

Art Wood Terrestrial plant Creative arts Flooring


. . . and the other half in a brilliant red called "Light Siam":

Creative arts Art Pollinator Petal Ornament


I used 3mm and 4mm stones and I think they came out wonderful! I must say though - even though the process was quick, I didn't realize how many sides of ornaments that I needed to decorate! I had 12 ornaments with two pieces each (that's 4 sides for each ornament) for a total of 48 sides! It took me the better part of the day to complete them all. It was fun and relaxing though and we had some good music and some good TV on while I was working. And the results are stunning!

Wood Body jewelry Natural material Jewellery Font


Wood Ornament Font Art Metal


These are only half of the ornaments, of course, and I am really thrilled with the outcome. I am very excited about this project. The pattern will be available later in the week with our next site update.

Today I will be working on the remaining four Christmas pull toys that I am painting for the Painting With Friends group. I had thought that I would get time to work on them yesterday, but my day was just gone by the time I was finished with these.

I never mind shifting things around a bit - especially when what I am making comes out better than I expected. I suppose there is just no substitute for spending time on some projects. Like my embroidery piece, it is well worth the effort and taking a bit more time than expected. Not everything can be done instantly.

I wish you all a great day and a great week ahead. I hope you join me in looking upon Monday as a fresh start to a new and exciting week. I truly believe that having a good attitude about things positively influences the outcome of many things. It is also nicer to have a positive disposition.

Happy Monday to you all! May you have a wonderfully creative week ahead!
Oh, you teaser. I definitely need those patterns only think I will use different woods without the glitter.
 

Attachments

#11,061 ·
More Christmas Pull Toys

Sometimes no matter how much you get done in a day, it doesn't seem like enough. I know I am not alone in this way of thinking because I see many of my friends are going through the same thing. One of the best parts about having so many creative friends is that we all can relate to each other in terms of "deadlines" and "getting things done". It seems from August until the end of the year so many people are frantically creating for holiday shows, craft fairs and the upcoming holiday season. I find this not only exciting, but also inspirational. I am constantly amazed at the wonderful talents and creativity of so many people. I especially love seeing my own customers use not only my ideas, but those of other designers and how they put all the projects together.

What has kept me busy as well has been cutting some wood surfaces for the painting friends that I have made. I find myself at the scroll saw much more than usual, and it truly gives me a chance to enjoy the woodworking side of my work. Some people would think that it would get boring to cut the same shaped pieces over and over, but I find that it is not the case with me. I have such a wonderful environment that it is truly a pleasure to do my work. My saw is a wonderful piece of machinery and everything here is set up in a clean and organized way. Many times I just put on my cordless headphones and some of my favorite music and I simply get lost in the moment. It is quite a pleasant way to make a living.

As I mentioned the other day, I also look at each piece individually and think of the person that I am creating it for. While I know that there may be 'cheaper' sources out there, I try to make my wood pieces the nicest that I can, and I carefully create each piece with that in mind. In the past few weeks that I have been doing more cutting and providing more surfaces, I have had countless notes and letters from my customers who receive them as to how nice they are. It boggles my mind to think that they would take the time to write and tell me, but it is - as they say - PRICELESS and to me it is worth more than anything to know I did a good job and they were happy.

I mention this not to brag. but to let all my fellow artists and creators know that there ARE people that are looking for QUALITY - and they don't mind spending a little more to get it. I see so many of my fellow designers and woodworkers get discouraged because there is so much cheap garbage that is being sold from China or other overseas countries and while many people settle for dollar store quality merchandise, there are still many more who are tired of 'cheap' and are looking for 'quality'. Sometimes you just have to be patient and let your work speak for itself. It may only take one or two people who are happy with your items to start spreading the word and soon you will earn a reputation that will grow your business quicker than you can imagine.

I believe the trick (if you can call it that) is to always do your best and stay focused on yourself. I find that if I am looking from side to side at what 'others' are doing, it distracts me from looking ahead. I would prefer to keep focused on moving forward in a positive direction rather than spending time worrying about what everyone else is up to. I set my own standards for myself and that is good enough for me. it keeps me focused and productive and also keeps me somewhat unique.

With that said, I have a lot in front of me today so I am going to get busy.

Yesterday I continued working on the next set of pull toy stand ups and ornaments for my next Painting With Friends pattern which is inspired by Terrye French. I showed you the first four pull toys that I designed last week:

Textile Orange Creative arts Toy Red


The response from them was incredible!

But things got kind of busy and I wasn't able to continue working on them until late yesterday. While I didn't get them all finished, I did get another piece almost done.

Horse Mythical creature Toy Unicorn Fictional character


I still want to add a little more to this guy, and I will probably do so when I am completely done with the set of eight pieces.

My hopes for today are to finish the remaining three pieces with this round of preliminary painting so I can create the pattern packet by the end of the week. Since I have had several people ask if I am planning on doing ornaments of these pieces, I think that besides the stand-ups I will offer a 1/8" ornament set of wood as well. That way people will be able to hang these darling toys on their trees or in a wreath, or even on the refrigerator as magnets for the kids to 'play' with. (I love ornaments!)

My thinking is that I will wind up taking "Pre-Orders" for the pattern and the wood pieces, as I know Keith has several new things for the update and we need to get it done. I am sure that I should have everything ready to ship by next Monday so the pre-order would only be for a few days. I had polled the girls in one of my large painting groups and most - if not ALL - said that they never minded pre-ordering things. So perhaps I will give it a try.

Well - that's about all for today. I have to hop to it if I am going to finish up these pieces today. It looks beautiful out with the sun shining nicely. It's very cool though and winter is definitely not far off.

I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday! Happy creating to you!
 

Attachments

#11,062 ·
Busy Times

With the holidays quickly approaching, I can see all of my creative friends kicking things into high gear. Many people are not only doing items for craft shows, but also for thie own holiday gift giving. I find that more people are looking to make gifts rather then buy them from the store. This is great news for designers and crafters alike, as not only does it keep us busy, but it helps perpetuate our hobbies and small businesses as well.

Yesterday I didn't get as much as I would have liked to get done (what else is new?!) and I promised myself that I am going to be really focused today. I did get up early this morning and I worked on some new pattern packets for the site update which (hopefully) will occur tomorrow. As I mentioned, I am still working on the cute Christmas Pull Toy pattern and I should have at least the photographs done by tomorrow so you all can pre-order the pattern and kits for both the stand up toys as well as the ornaments. Hopefully I will finish the painting today and get the photos done in time for the update. But it will take some concentration on my part, as I am a slower painter.

I also need to finish up the pattern for the slotted ornaments that I showed you all in yesterday's blog. I was thrilled that so many of you seemed to like them so much, and I really appreciate the positive feedback.

For today, I wanted to show you a picture of a friends' Halloween tree that I loved seeing. My friend Elizabeth has this incredible tree in her home, and it is decorated not only with ornaments that I designed, but other designers as well.

Creative arts Christmas ornament Plant Art Tints and shades


Isn't it fabulous and FUN? I really love seeing others enjoy decorating for the different seasons as much as I do. To me it is nice to have something fun and positive to focus on to keep us cheerful. Thank you very much Elizabeth for allowing me to share this photo of your amazing tree with my readers. I hope it inspires many of them!

I also wanted to bring attention to a new publication that is available to anyone from the Society of Decorative Painters. As a business member of the organization, I was invited to offer my information about my company and services for this beautiful and comprehensive PDF catalog that is not only available to members, but non-members as well. It is a wonderful source for patterns, surfaces and supplies for decorative painters.

Amber Font Publication Recipe Book


There are many ads for those who enjoy colored pencils for creating, too. The Society of Decorative Painters is a wonderful organization for networking and growing your painting business, as well as a great source for learning more about any type of decorative painting. You can find local chapters as well as many other resources through the organization, and it is a great way to meet and learn from others who share your passion for painting. You can look at and download your Holiday Catalog here: SDP's 2014 Holiday Catalog and keep a copy for future reference. While you are at it, take a look at the SDP site and see all the great things they have to offer painters of all skill levels. You will be glad you did!

I am going to leave it at that today. I was going to give a couple more sneak peeks at our new patterns, but I will do that tomorrow. Right now I want to get busy finishing things up so they are ready for the update.

I hope you all have a great Wednesday. Have fun and do something creative!
 

Attachments

#11,063 ·
Busy Times

With the holidays quickly approaching, I can see all of my creative friends kicking things into high gear. Many people are not only doing items for craft shows, but also for thie own holiday gift giving. I find that more people are looking to make gifts rather then buy them from the store. This is great news for designers and crafters alike, as not only does it keep us busy, but it helps perpetuate our hobbies and small businesses as well.

Yesterday I didn't get as much as I would have liked to get done (what else is new?!) and I promised myself that I am going to be really focused today. I did get up early this morning and I worked on some new pattern packets for the site update which (hopefully) will occur tomorrow. As I mentioned, I am still working on the cute Christmas Pull Toy pattern and I should have at least the photographs done by tomorrow so you all can pre-order the pattern and kits for both the stand up toys as well as the ornaments. Hopefully I will finish the painting today and get the photos done in time for the update. But it will take some concentration on my part, as I am a slower painter.

I also need to finish up the pattern for the slotted ornaments that I showed you all in yesterday's blog. I was thrilled that so many of you seemed to like them so much, and I really appreciate the positive feedback.

For today, I wanted to show you a picture of a friends' Halloween tree that I loved seeing. My friend Elizabeth has this incredible tree in her home, and it is decorated not only with ornaments that I designed, but other designers as well.

Creative arts Christmas ornament Plant Art Tints and shades


Isn't it fabulous and FUN? I really love seeing others enjoy decorating for the different seasons as much as I do. To me it is nice to have something fun and positive to focus on to keep us cheerful. Thank you very much Elizabeth for allowing me to share this photo of your amazing tree with my readers. I hope it inspires many of them!

I also wanted to bring attention to a new publication that is available to anyone from the Society of Decorative Painters. As a business member of the organization, I was invited to offer my information about my company and services for this beautiful and comprehensive PDF catalog that is not only available to members, but non-members as well. It is a wonderful source for patterns, surfaces and supplies for decorative painters.

Amber Font Publication Recipe Book


There are many ads for those who enjoy colored pencils for creating, too. The Society of Decorative Painters is a wonderful organization for networking and growing your painting business, as well as a great source for learning more about any type of decorative painting. You can find local chapters as well as many other resources through the organization, and it is a great way to meet and learn from others who share your passion for painting. You can look at and download your Holiday Catalog here: SDP's 2014 Holiday Catalog and keep a copy for future reference. While you are at it, take a look at the SDP site and see all the great things they have to offer painters of all skill levels. You will be glad you did!

I am going to leave it at that today. I was going to give a couple more sneak peeks at our new patterns, but I will do that tomorrow. Right now I want to get busy finishing things up so they are ready for the update.

I hope you all have a great Wednesday. Have fun and do something creative!
Now there is someone who loves halloween! Your friend Elizabeth's tree looks great.
Thanks for sharing the SDP catalogue. Lots of cool ideas in there from so many talented artists including yourself.
 

Attachments

#11,067 ·
Site Update In Progress

Lately we have been trying to keep updating our site about every two weeks. It seems with the holiday season approaching, we have lots of new things and we don't like to overwhelm everyone with too many new choices at a time. I guess it is a good problem to have.

Since I do more painting things, they tend to take a little longer to complete than the scrolling patterns that I do. And even when I do scroll pieces, I like to offer different 'versions' so that our customers can choose which one suits their own taste and the market they are selling to. For this reason, I find that sometimes I really seem like I am running behind in things in compared to Keith.

But it is what it is and I do really think that my customers enjoy the diversity that both Keith and I can offer to them. I always say that our differences really do compliment each other and I honestly believe that. It is wonderful to have such a talented partner to work with and I do think that between the two of us we are better able to 'cover the bases' and offer a better variety of patterns. So we go with the flow and try to bring you what we have every two weeks and go from there. It makes it fun and interesting.

Yesterday I completed the remaining pieces in my new Painting With Friends Christmas Pull Toy Set pattern. I am really thrilled with how this grouping came out and I know from the positive responses that they will certainly be strong sellers. Here is a photo of the finished pieces:

Product Yellow Red Event Art


I am really pleased with these. I will be putting them on the site today as a "Pre-Order" item, as I will be spending the next day or so working on the pattern for them. I will be offering the STAND UP WOOD PIECES as shown here for sale, as well as 1/8" THIN ORNAMENT WOOD KITS for those who are interested. I have had several requests for both kits and I think they would look wonderful hanging on a tree as well as on a mantle or a table centerpiece.

The other pattern that I am finishing up today is for my SLD483 Slotted Damask Ornaments that I show the other day.

Body jewelry Wood Font Jewellery Food


Wood Font Ornament Metal Jewellery


The ornaments are obviously finished, but I am spending the day completing the instruction packet prior to sending our our newsletter. So they should be up on the site by the time you get the newsletter later on today (Thursday). If you want to sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: Sheila Landry Designs Mailing List We put out a newsletter about every two weeks to announce new specials and patterns and we never share your information with anyone. That way if you miss a blog post or two you will still be able to see what we have new to offer.

I have also added my SLD474 Damask Christmas Shapes Ornament Patterns to the site. These pretty ornament pattern has two versions - WITH and WITHOUT the date. I also included the full use of numerals so that the pattern can be used for several years to come.

Font Jewellery Body jewelry Pattern Metal


And for the painters, I have the painted version of these ornaments - SLDPS224 Traditional Damask Ornament Pattern and Wood Kit where I offer the pattern and the easy painting instructions, as well as the wood cutouts for these pretty ornaments. All instructions to create the porcelain-like crackle finish are included. They truly look lovely - almost like stone.

White Textile Font Creative arts Art


Now for Keith's additions to the site -

He created another addition to his Self-Framing Leaf Bordered Series - a beautiful Pheasant (SLDK238)

Bird Beak Wood Chicken Rectangle


He also added to his word art plaques, which have been so wonderfully popular. This is his SLDK396 Self-Framing Love Always Plaque:

Rectangle Font Wood Art Pattern


And here is his SLDK397 Sisters Always and Forever plaque:

Rectangle Textile Wood Handwriting Font


And for Thanksgiving, his SLDK398 Self-Framing Give Thanks Plaque:

Rectangle Wood Font Scroll Signage


And finally - for the upcoming holiday and Christmas season, Keith made these beautiful SLDK450 Joy and Peace Sectional Scroll Saw Plaques.

Wood Font Rectangle Poster Signage


The pattern includes both versions for our Christian and non-Christian customers.

So you see, we have both been really busy. As always, we both appreciate so much our wonderful friends and customers who are so encouraging and supportive. Every day is filled with something positive to focus on. I think that is much needed - especially in today's harsh world.

I hope you all liked seeing this little preview of our work. Since Keith doesn't blog, I want ot share his work with you all as well. He is such a wonderfully talented partner and adds so much to our business. I love giving him the credit he deserves.

If you subscribe to our newsletter, watch for your copy late this afternoon or early evening. I need to finish up my pattern packet first and then I will work on the newsletter. It will also highlight some of the new sale patterns we will have as well as these products.

It is windy and rainy and it appears that many of the leaves have already fallen. Autumn's glory is certainly at its end. But focusing on these many wonderful fun designs keeps me chipper and happy and I look forward of what is to come.

I wish you all a wonderful Thursday.
 

Attachments

#11,068 ·
Site Update In Progress

Lately we have been trying to keep updating our site about every two weeks. It seems with the holiday season approaching, we have lots of new things and we don't like to overwhelm everyone with too many new choices at a time. I guess it is a good problem to have.

Since I do more painting things, they tend to take a little longer to complete than the scrolling patterns that I do. And even when I do scroll pieces, I like to offer different 'versions' so that our customers can choose which one suits their own taste and the market they are selling to. For this reason, I find that sometimes I really seem like I am running behind in things in compared to Keith.

But it is what it is and I do really think that my customers enjoy the diversity that both Keith and I can offer to them. I always say that our differences really do compliment each other and I honestly believe that. It is wonderful to have such a talented partner to work with and I do think that between the two of us we are better able to 'cover the bases' and offer a better variety of patterns. So we go with the flow and try to bring you what we have every two weeks and go from there. It makes it fun and interesting.

Yesterday I completed the remaining pieces in my new Painting With Friends Christmas Pull Toy Set pattern. I am really thrilled with how this grouping came out and I know from the positive responses that they will certainly be strong sellers. Here is a photo of the finished pieces:

Product Yellow Red Event Art


I am really pleased with these. I will be putting them on the site today as a "Pre-Order" item, as I will be spending the next day or so working on the pattern for them. I will be offering the STAND UP WOOD PIECES as shown here for sale, as well as 1/8" THIN ORNAMENT WOOD KITS for those who are interested. I have had several requests for both kits and I think they would look wonderful hanging on a tree as well as on a mantle or a table centerpiece.

The other pattern that I am finishing up today is for my SLD483 Slotted Damask Ornaments that I show the other day.

Body jewelry Wood Font Jewellery Food


Wood Font Ornament Metal Jewellery


The ornaments are obviously finished, but I am spending the day completing the instruction packet prior to sending our our newsletter. So they should be up on the site by the time you get the newsletter later on today (Thursday). If you want to sign up for our newsletter, you can do so here: Sheila Landry Designs Mailing List We put out a newsletter about every two weeks to announce new specials and patterns and we never share your information with anyone. That way if you miss a blog post or two you will still be able to see what we have new to offer.

I have also added my SLD474 Damask Christmas Shapes Ornament Patterns to the site. These pretty ornament pattern has two versions - WITH and WITHOUT the date. I also included the full use of numerals so that the pattern can be used for several years to come.

Font Jewellery Body jewelry Pattern Metal


And for the painters, I have the painted version of these ornaments - SLDPS224 Traditional Damask Ornament Pattern and Wood Kit where I offer the pattern and the easy painting instructions, as well as the wood cutouts for these pretty ornaments. All instructions to create the porcelain-like crackle finish are included. They truly look lovely - almost like stone.

White Textile Font Creative arts Art


Now for Keith's additions to the site -

He created another addition to his Self-Framing Leaf Bordered Series - a beautiful Pheasant (SLDK238)

Bird Beak Wood Chicken Rectangle


He also added to his word art plaques, which have been so wonderfully popular. This is his SLDK396 Self-Framing Love Always Plaque:

Rectangle Font Wood Art Pattern


And here is his SLDK397 Sisters Always and Forever plaque:

Rectangle Textile Wood Handwriting Font


And for Thanksgiving, his SLDK398 Self-Framing Give Thanks Plaque:

Rectangle Wood Font Scroll Signage


And finally - for the upcoming holiday and Christmas season, Keith made these beautiful SLDK450 Joy and Peace Sectional Scroll Saw Plaques.

Wood Font Rectangle Poster Signage


The pattern includes both versions for our Christian and non-Christian customers.

So you see, we have both been really busy. As always, we both appreciate so much our wonderful friends and customers who are so encouraging and supportive. Every day is filled with something positive to focus on. I think that is much needed - especially in today's harsh world.

I hope you all liked seeing this little preview of our work. Since Keith doesn't blog, I want ot share his work with you all as well. He is such a wonderfully talented partner and adds so much to our business. I love giving him the credit he deserves.

If you subscribe to our newsletter, watch for your copy late this afternoon or early evening. I need to finish up my pattern packet first and then I will work on the newsletter. It will also highlight some of the new sale patterns we will have as well as these products.

It is windy and rainy and it appears that many of the leaves have already fallen. Autumn's glory is certainly at its end. But focusing on these many wonderful fun designs keeps me chipper and happy and I look forward of what is to come.

I wish you all a wonderful Thursday.
Wow! You have both been very busy. Beautiful designs there! Love them all. Now if there were only 32 hours to the day :)
 

Attachments

#11,070 ·
Inspiration

I am often asked how I can keep coming up with new and different ideas. When I think about it, I realize that it isn't really a conscious thing that I do. Actually, it seems that when I try the hardest to think of something to design, it tends to be when I have the most difficulty thinking of something that I really can get excited about. It is funny how that works.

Lately it seems that I have more ideas then I have time. For a designer, that is a good thing. While we sometimes feel that we are accomplishing very little of the things that we set out to do, it is nice to have the sense of security that we feel when we have some ideas in reserve - just for those days when we aren't feeling very inspired.

I used to keep quite a detailed list of future ideas. But I admit to you all that I have become somewhat lax in that practice. When I look back to check on the list I realize that the last time I updated it was many months ago, and I know that there have been many other things in the works since then. But I still feel it is a good thing to do, as even now when I glance at it, I have those "oh, yes!" moments when I am reminded of something else that I want to create. While it may be somewhat overwhelming for the moment, when I already have several things in my head and I am fighting with myself to decide what to work on first, I still like the safety net of those few ideas that will keep me moving ahead on those days when inspiration eludes me. It is like an insurance policy.

So where do these ideas come from?

I can't really pinpoint it. If I were to answer in a word or two, I would have to say "attitude".

I bet you are probably thinking "well - attitude is not a THING or PLACE". I think you would be correct in thinking that. But to me, attitude is somewhat of a lifestyle, and one thing that I like about attitude is that not only does it have a very heavy influence on our daily lives, but it also can be very much under our control. And that, my friends - is what I feel is a wonderful key to being creative.

My partner Keith often teases me because he says I like to live on a "pink cloud". By that he means that I tend to be an optimist about things. I can take even a not so good situation and I will try to rationalize something good from it. This doesn't happen by chance, although by now it has become quite a habit. I think it is my way of dealing with negativity and bad situations. I try to find the small bit of good in them - be it a lesson, a learning experience, reason for change, etc. Sometimes it is difficult to do, but usually I can succeed. I do this because I try to search for something to make me feel better, even in the worst situation.

Some people choose to feel better by sharing the negative things that happen to them. That's OK for them, but to me, I feel that only perpetuates the hurt, pain and bad feelings. I feel that for myself, looking on the brighter side of things helps me heal quicker and move on to better things ahead. My favorite saying "we follow where we focus" is one that applies to my every day life. This applies to so many aspects of our lives. It doesn't mean that we don't feel when something bad happens. But when something happens like the senseless tragedies that pepper the daily news occur and we feel helpless, sometimes re-focusing can be the best response.

My favorite way of doing this is by doing something to make someone happy. I know that is a vague statement, and it is a very broad way of thinking. Some people call them "Random Acts of Kindness" (RAK's) and I think that I have been doing them all along. It could be something small like taking the time to give a genuine compliment to someone. Or sending someone an extra pattern. Or taking the time to write a short note just to see how a friend or acquaintance was doing. These things cost little, but mean a great deal to people. And it feels good to me to think that I made someone smile - even for a minute of their day. I think if we all tried to do at least one RAK a day, the world would be a happier, softer and more creative place.

Yesterday I was on the receiving end of one of these random acts. I received a "Treasure Box" from a wonderfully creative friend of mine that I met through a painting exchange on Facebook. We were partners this summer and have developed a lovely friendship of kindness and inspiration to each other. She had sent me some unexpected 'goodies' before, and I had sent her some in return. "Just because."

But the box I received yesterday was filled with lovely gifts of things that I had mentioned that I liked. I was certainly taken back by her kindness and generosity.

Textile Font Ingredient Pattern Fashion accessory


There were treats, an ornament, a beautiful painted plate, a darling pin that said "hope" and I think my favorite piece was an adorable prim kitty named "Boo."

Textile Wood Creative arts Tree Fawn


All the things were hand crafted by Sue and they were all wonderful! (Sue's Facebook page is here - Andersons General Store if you would like to see or purchase some of her art) I had seen the kitties when she posted them, and loved them so much! I was going to make a 'kitty' for Edgar my little Elf that I got from Brenda at The Rusty Thimble last year, but I just haven't had the time. I love "playing" with my elf and my 'real' cats enjoy him as well. He makes my life FUN! We even have an Elf Club with all of our elves that came from Brenda. It may seem like utter nonsense, but it brings joy and makes us laugh. And I believe that is what life should be all about. I think that Edgar and Boo make a perfect pair!

Pumpkin Calabaza Cucurbita Toy Winter squash


As you can see, they have become fast friends. :)

It is things like this that inspire me. Sometimes it requires looking at life through a child's eyes. Sometimes it means acting just a bit silly or 'quirky'. It seems for me that the more fun I have and the more positive I think, the more inspired I am.

I try to wake up happy each day. Even if I don't, I try to search for a grain of happiness from someone or something around me.Or I do something to make someone happy. There are so many things in life to be grateful for. Good health. Wonderful friends. A sense of peace. I find if we focus on the good things around us, finding inspiration in them is easy and endless.

That's my story and I am sticking to it!

Have a wonderful Friday and a beautiful, inspirational weekend!
 

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#11,071 ·
Anticipation

I must admit that I awakened today feeling a bit overwhelmed. As I thought of all the things I need to accomplish today, I sit here this morning at my computer wondering how I will ever get everything done. I even considered not writing here today, but since I haven't written in the past two days I really didn't want to miss again. After all - I think that by putting my thoughts into writing each morning, it really helps keep me organized and grounded and sharpens my focus on what I need to accomplish each day. (See - the blog here isn't just for your entertainment - it helps me a great deal as well!) But I look at the clock and I know that it will march unrelentingly through time and before I know it, another day will be crossed off the calendar on the wall and another day would have passed. They just move much too quickly!

I honestly don't think that I wasted much time this past weekend. I barely cooked. I didn't socialize much online and I stayed pretty much focused on the tasks that I set out to do. Yet - before I knew it, it was Sunday night and I was pretty tired and I realized that the weekend had passed in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Although I accomplished what I had set out to do, my initial thoughts were to have it done by Saturday evening, not Sunday evening.

Once again my downfall is my gross lack of ability to estimate how much time something takes me to do. It has always been my nemesis. It is the beast that I cannot tame. Perhaps my optimistic thinking bleeds out a bit too far sometimes?

Yes. That must be the case. The thoughts in my head just seem to move so quickly, it is difficult for my body to keep up.

Certainly that must be the problem. I am beginning to think that I need to admit defeat and not get upset or anxious about it. Perhaps it is just a part of my make-up and embedded in my soul. Perhaps that is the price I need to pay for being creative. If that is the case, I need to come to terms with it and accept it as part of the process. That way I will at least find peace and not beat myself up for not finishing things quickly enough.

I have read stories and accounts of many of the great artists and their creations. Many of them took years to complete. Be it composers, builders or even painters, something that I haven't recalled seeing is that they worked quickly and without stumbling. I need to keep that in mind.

Don't get me wrong - I am in no way comparing myself with the great artists which I am referring. But part of me thinks that sometimes we forget that doing something well may take some time. Everything can't be done quickly. Not if we are going to do our best. It is hard to remember that sometimes.

We live in a world of instant gratification in so many aspects of our lives. Whether we are communicating with our friends, buying supplies, or even ordering food, we expect what we want to be in our hands almost instantly. Technology has played a huge part in fast-forwarding our lives and allowing us to do more than we ever thought possible.

But with that privilege comes a bit of sacrifice. We sometimes lose the pleasure of anticipation. The excitement of 'what is to come' can be as thrilling as the thing or event itself. I am old enough to remember the thrill of receiving a letter in the mail. I also remember the wonderful smells that filled our home when a scrumptious meal was cooking in the oven. I loved the anticipation of waiting week to week for my favorite television shows to play. Some of these things are long forgotten in today's world.

I feel the same about my art. To me, it isn't only the final results that brings me joy, but the process itself. My "A Perfect World" embroidery sampler is a fine example of that for me.

Plant Flower Pollinator Leaf Rectangle


I began it in March and I am giving myself a year to complete it. If it takes longer, so be it. For I believe that I will find more pleasure in the journey than anything else.

We have somewhat conditioned ourselves to work at a frighteningly fast pace to do most of the tasks we need to do. The 'more is better' mentality to me, isn't something that is always positive. I find that when I push so hard to accomplish so much in a short amount of time, I lose the pleasure of the process and I find that takes away not only from the finished product, but the journey along the way. I don't always allow myself to savor the joy of being an artist - whether it be in woodworking or painting or embroidery - and the loss of that joy is a shame.

So I take a breath. Calm my thoughts. Slow down a bit and try to remember why I am doing what I am doing in the first place. Usually that causes me to come back to a place where I don't feel so anxious and once again I take in all that I am doing instead of just going through the motions and once again that delightful anticipation returns. Sometimes it just takes some conscious thought about it.

That is where I find myself today. Taking the time to be aware of what I am doing. Taking the time to enjoy the process without feeling guilty or anxious because I am not doing it fast enough. Even just writing the words here helps me absorb these feelings.

I spent the weekend re-painting my next Painting With Friends pattern pieces inspired by Terrye French. The adorable Christmas Pull Toys came out even better the second time around, I think:

Baked goods Cuisine Wood Christmas decoration Dish


When I design a painting pattern, the first time I paint it I am kind of 'guessing'. Especially when I am not working with a realistic subject right in front of me. I try this or try that to see what looks good. Some parts work out, and some don't.

After the initial design is done, I usually re-paint the piece(s) a second time. This time I know where I am going and have a clear direction for my painting. I take the time to take step-by-step photos, I adjust colors and techniques, and it is much easier to refine the patterns and make them into something that I really had in my vision when I began. While many of you won't notice the subtle adjustments that have been made to these, I see them very clearly and in my heart I know that I have improved vastly on the original design. It are these unseen steps that I feel make my patterns nice and good for those who paint them.

I had originally thought that I would have the patterns completed by the weekend, and while they are close, they are not done yet.

Did I waste my time re-painting these pieces?

Absolutely not.

I am extremely pleased with the outcome, and the painting process was pure joy for me. Along the way I took many high quality photos so that I will have complete, comprehensive step-by-step patterns that I will be proud to put my name on. I believe they will be worth the wait.

So it is with my head held high that I tell you today that "I'm not finished yet." For I know that when I DO finish, the quality of the pattern will be that which I hope you associate with me. Because of that, I hope that you all will have the same amount of fun and joy painting these pieces that I did.

I almost got sucked into the trap of looking to my side to see what others were doing and how quickly they produce things. But not only are my observations of what they do in all probability inaccurate, but I also need to remind myself that we all work at our own unique pace. I am best to mind my own 'p's and q's'. My pattern will be ready when it is meant to be ready, and it will be something that I will be happy with, as it will be my best effort. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this anticipation for the world!

Thank you to all who have encouraged me along the way.

I wish you all a wonderful and creative Monday!
 

Attachments

#11,072 ·
Anticipation

I must admit that I awakened today feeling a bit overwhelmed. As I thought of all the things I need to accomplish today, I sit here this morning at my computer wondering how I will ever get everything done. I even considered not writing here today, but since I haven't written in the past two days I really didn't want to miss again. After all - I think that by putting my thoughts into writing each morning, it really helps keep me organized and grounded and sharpens my focus on what I need to accomplish each day. (See - the blog here isn't just for your entertainment - it helps me a great deal as well!) But I look at the clock and I know that it will march unrelentingly through time and before I know it, another day will be crossed off the calendar on the wall and another day would have passed. They just move much too quickly!

I honestly don't think that I wasted much time this past weekend. I barely cooked. I didn't socialize much online and I stayed pretty much focused on the tasks that I set out to do. Yet - before I knew it, it was Sunday night and I was pretty tired and I realized that the weekend had passed in what seemed like a blink of an eye. Although I accomplished what I had set out to do, my initial thoughts were to have it done by Saturday evening, not Sunday evening.

Once again my downfall is my gross lack of ability to estimate how much time something takes me to do. It has always been my nemesis. It is the beast that I cannot tame. Perhaps my optimistic thinking bleeds out a bit too far sometimes?

Yes. That must be the case. The thoughts in my head just seem to move so quickly, it is difficult for my body to keep up.

Certainly that must be the problem. I am beginning to think that I need to admit defeat and not get upset or anxious about it. Perhaps it is just a part of my make-up and embedded in my soul. Perhaps that is the price I need to pay for being creative. If that is the case, I need to come to terms with it and accept it as part of the process. That way I will at least find peace and not beat myself up for not finishing things quickly enough.

I have read stories and accounts of many of the great artists and their creations. Many of them took years to complete. Be it composers, builders or even painters, something that I haven't recalled seeing is that they worked quickly and without stumbling. I need to keep that in mind.

Don't get me wrong - I am in no way comparing myself with the great artists which I am referring. But part of me thinks that sometimes we forget that doing something well may take some time. Everything can't be done quickly. Not if we are going to do our best. It is hard to remember that sometimes.

We live in a world of instant gratification in so many aspects of our lives. Whether we are communicating with our friends, buying supplies, or even ordering food, we expect what we want to be in our hands almost instantly. Technology has played a huge part in fast-forwarding our lives and allowing us to do more than we ever thought possible.

But with that privilege comes a bit of sacrifice. We sometimes lose the pleasure of anticipation. The excitement of 'what is to come' can be as thrilling as the thing or event itself. I am old enough to remember the thrill of receiving a letter in the mail. I also remember the wonderful smells that filled our home when a scrumptious meal was cooking in the oven. I loved the anticipation of waiting week to week for my favorite television shows to play. Some of these things are long forgotten in today's world.

I feel the same about my art. To me, it isn't only the final results that brings me joy, but the process itself. My "A Perfect World" embroidery sampler is a fine example of that for me.

Plant Flower Pollinator Leaf Rectangle


I began it in March and I am giving myself a year to complete it. If it takes longer, so be it. For I believe that I will find more pleasure in the journey than anything else.

We have somewhat conditioned ourselves to work at a frighteningly fast pace to do most of the tasks we need to do. The 'more is better' mentality to me, isn't something that is always positive. I find that when I push so hard to accomplish so much in a short amount of time, I lose the pleasure of the process and I find that takes away not only from the finished product, but the journey along the way. I don't always allow myself to savor the joy of being an artist - whether it be in woodworking or painting or embroidery - and the loss of that joy is a shame.

So I take a breath. Calm my thoughts. Slow down a bit and try to remember why I am doing what I am doing in the first place. Usually that causes me to come back to a place where I don't feel so anxious and once again I take in all that I am doing instead of just going through the motions and once again that delightful anticipation returns. Sometimes it just takes some conscious thought about it.

That is where I find myself today. Taking the time to be aware of what I am doing. Taking the time to enjoy the process without feeling guilty or anxious because I am not doing it fast enough. Even just writing the words here helps me absorb these feelings.

I spent the weekend re-painting my next Painting With Friends pattern pieces inspired by Terrye French. The adorable Christmas Pull Toys came out even better the second time around, I think:

Baked goods Cuisine Wood Christmas decoration Dish


When I design a painting pattern, the first time I paint it I am kind of 'guessing'. Especially when I am not working with a realistic subject right in front of me. I try this or try that to see what looks good. Some parts work out, and some don't.

After the initial design is done, I usually re-paint the piece(s) a second time. This time I know where I am going and have a clear direction for my painting. I take the time to take step-by-step photos, I adjust colors and techniques, and it is much easier to refine the patterns and make them into something that I really had in my vision when I began. While many of you won't notice the subtle adjustments that have been made to these, I see them very clearly and in my heart I know that I have improved vastly on the original design. It are these unseen steps that I feel make my patterns nice and good for those who paint them.

I had originally thought that I would have the patterns completed by the weekend, and while they are close, they are not done yet.

Did I waste my time re-painting these pieces?

Absolutely not.

I am extremely pleased with the outcome, and the painting process was pure joy for me. Along the way I took many high quality photos so that I will have complete, comprehensive step-by-step patterns that I will be proud to put my name on. I believe they will be worth the wait.

So it is with my head held high that I tell you today that "I'm not finished yet." For I know that when I DO finish, the quality of the pattern will be that which I hope you associate with me. Because of that, I hope that you all will have the same amount of fun and joy painting these pieces that I did.

I almost got sucked into the trap of looking to my side to see what others were doing and how quickly they produce things. But not only are my observations of what they do in all probability inaccurate, but I also need to remind myself that we all work at our own unique pace. I am best to mind my own 'p's and q's'. My pattern will be ready when it is meant to be ready, and it will be something that I will be happy with, as it will be my best effort. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this anticipation for the world!

Thank you to all who have encouraged me along the way.

I wish you all a wonderful and creative Monday!
I hear you! Here it is the end of October and I've only ticked off maybe half of the projects I wanted to get done before closing down the workshop. There will still be the odd day I will get out there but it will be Spring again before I can spend the hours in the day that I like. I did get a couple of hours today to finish off some Christmas ornaments. Ah well, lots of painting and sewing projects on the list now. The pull toys look great!
 

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#11,075 ·
Night Shift

Most of you all know that I am a morning person. Any time after 5am is a good time for me to get up and start my day. I love the morning quiet and I feel like I accomplish lots of work during that calm time of the day. Give me a cup of coffee, a cat or two on my lap, my computer and I am good to go!

Because of this, I try to stop working some time before 9pm. While that sounds like a long day to some, you all have to remember that I really love what I do and most of the time it doesn't even feel like 'work' to me. But usually around nine I like a change of pace and either visit with my friends on the computer or take out my embroidery or even play a game or two to wind down until I am tired out. But sometimes I don't always get all the things done that I intended, and I work a bit past that time.

Last night was one of those cases. I was bound and determined to finish up my PWF05 Christmas Pull Toys painting pattern for the Painting With Friends group that is inspired by Terrye French. Not only have I had a lot of people request the patterns and kits, but I also needed to get to cutting today and doing other things. The pieces were painted, but I still needed to adjust and organize the photographs and write the instructions. It was quite a busy day needless to say.

I am really thrilled with how the photos came out though. I had learned to use the "white balance" adjustment on my camera and it made a world of difference. That paired with the little light box that Keith made resulted in beautiful raw photos that were easy to adjust to be true to color and crisp and clear. Those who create paintings from patterns know how important this can be to a pattern. And I am happy that along the way I am learning to do things a bit better and more efficiently.

I turned in last night with just a couple pages to go. I was getting tired and it was around midnight, so I figured I would call it a day and turn in for the night. That way my chance of mistakes would be far less and I would be fresh to start in the morning.

I got a wonderful rest and awoke around six this morning. I was fighting with myself between writing my post here and finishing up, and I chose to finish up instead. I wanted that weight off of my shoulders and I didn't have the heart to write here and say "it will be done by tomorrow."

I think I made the right choice though, and even though my blog is just a little later than normal, I am proud to say that I FINISHED with my pattern packet and can move on to other things today. (YAY for me!)

Here are some of the final presentation pictures of the eight pull toys included in the pattern:

Green Vertebrate Toy Marine invertebrates Creative arts


Green Beard Creative arts Rectangle Art


Creative arts Art Font Event Pattern


Horse Product Green Creative arts Toy


I am really pleased with this ornament set, as well as the photos and pattern packet. The packet came out to be 23 pages, with over 40 color photos. This isn't because the design and painting is very complicated, but it is because I like to give clear and easy instructions so that even a beginner can paint. You can see by the details, that the painting is somewhat basic, but still really cute:

Christmas tree Christmas ornament Leaf Nature Wood


Of course - they are loaded with metallic paint details as well as DecoArt's Glamour Dust Fine Glitter paint. I don't know how much it shows in the photos, but they are beautiful in person. Bright and cheerful and very fun and colorful. I think this was one of the most fun I had creating a pattern in a long while.

I am going to be offering the wood kits for both the stand-up pieces (PWFK05A) and also for 1/8" thin ornaments (PWFK05B) so they can be used for table favors, on mantles or centerpieces, The ornaments can be used in wreaths, on garlands, and of course hung on the tree. I purposely left the sleds blank so people could add the year date or even personalize them with names. There are so many cute uses for these ornaments! I know they will be very popular.

So today I can get back to making sawdust and catching up on my orders. I have several sets of wood for these pre-ordered already, and I thank everyone who was very patient in waiting for them and also the patterns. I also want to thank Terrye French, who is still recovering from her stroke this summer. Many people don't understand the "Painting With Friends" concept, but all the designs included in the group are inspired by Terrye. She gives us sketches or drawings and allows us to run with them in any direction we like. Sometimes as a designer, it is great to have a starting point and it open a flood of creativity. Terrye is so gifted with her endless creativity that she loves to share it with many others. Together we make up a great family who create fun designs that are better than we may have done on our own - because we do it together with our FRIENDS!

I hope you all like the new pattern. I am glad I worked the "night shift" and finally got my pattern finished! I also hope you all have a wonderful day today, filled with fun and creativity!

Happy Tuesday to you all!
 

Attachments

#11,076 ·
Night Shift

Most of you all know that I am a morning person. Any time after 5am is a good time for me to get up and start my day. I love the morning quiet and I feel like I accomplish lots of work during that calm time of the day. Give me a cup of coffee, a cat or two on my lap, my computer and I am good to go!

Because of this, I try to stop working some time before 9pm. While that sounds like a long day to some, you all have to remember that I really love what I do and most of the time it doesn't even feel like 'work' to me. But usually around nine I like a change of pace and either visit with my friends on the computer or take out my embroidery or even play a game or two to wind down until I am tired out. But sometimes I don't always get all the things done that I intended, and I work a bit past that time.

Last night was one of those cases. I was bound and determined to finish up my PWF05 Christmas Pull Toys painting pattern for the Painting With Friends group that is inspired by Terrye French. Not only have I had a lot of people request the patterns and kits, but I also needed to get to cutting today and doing other things. The pieces were painted, but I still needed to adjust and organize the photographs and write the instructions. It was quite a busy day needless to say.

I am really thrilled with how the photos came out though. I had learned to use the "white balance" adjustment on my camera and it made a world of difference. That paired with the little light box that Keith made resulted in beautiful raw photos that were easy to adjust to be true to color and crisp and clear. Those who create paintings from patterns know how important this can be to a pattern. And I am happy that along the way I am learning to do things a bit better and more efficiently.

I turned in last night with just a couple pages to go. I was getting tired and it was around midnight, so I figured I would call it a day and turn in for the night. That way my chance of mistakes would be far less and I would be fresh to start in the morning.

I got a wonderful rest and awoke around six this morning. I was fighting with myself between writing my post here and finishing up, and I chose to finish up instead. I wanted that weight off of my shoulders and I didn't have the heart to write here and say "it will be done by tomorrow."

I think I made the right choice though, and even though my blog is just a little later than normal, I am proud to say that I FINISHED with my pattern packet and can move on to other things today. (YAY for me!)

Here are some of the final presentation pictures of the eight pull toys included in the pattern:

Green Vertebrate Toy Marine invertebrates Creative arts


Green Beard Creative arts Rectangle Art


Creative arts Art Font Event Pattern


Horse Product Green Creative arts Toy


I am really pleased with this ornament set, as well as the photos and pattern packet. The packet came out to be 23 pages, with over 40 color photos. This isn't because the design and painting is very complicated, but it is because I like to give clear and easy instructions so that even a beginner can paint. You can see by the details, that the painting is somewhat basic, but still really cute:

Christmas tree Christmas ornament Leaf Nature Wood


Of course - they are loaded with metallic paint details as well as DecoArt's Glamour Dust Fine Glitter paint. I don't know how much it shows in the photos, but they are beautiful in person. Bright and cheerful and very fun and colorful. I think this was one of the most fun I had creating a pattern in a long while.

I am going to be offering the wood kits for both the stand-up pieces (PWFK05A) and also for 1/8" thin ornaments (PWFK05B) so they can be used for table favors, on mantles or centerpieces, The ornaments can be used in wreaths, on garlands, and of course hung on the tree. I purposely left the sleds blank so people could add the year date or even personalize them with names. There are so many cute uses for these ornaments! I know they will be very popular.

So today I can get back to making sawdust and catching up on my orders. I have several sets of wood for these pre-ordered already, and I thank everyone who was very patient in waiting for them and also the patterns. I also want to thank Terrye French, who is still recovering from her stroke this summer. Many people don't understand the "Painting With Friends" concept, but all the designs included in the group are inspired by Terrye. She gives us sketches or drawings and allows us to run with them in any direction we like. Sometimes as a designer, it is great to have a starting point and it open a flood of creativity. Terrye is so gifted with her endless creativity that she loves to share it with many others. Together we make up a great family who create fun designs that are better than we may have done on our own - because we do it together with our FRIENDS!

I hope you all like the new pattern. I am glad I worked the "night shift" and finally got my pattern finished! I also hope you all have a wonderful day today, filled with fun and creativity!

Happy Tuesday to you all!
You have to be the most dedicated person I know! I know you absolutely love what you do, if you didn't the pattern packet would not be 23 pages long! If everyone in the scroll saw/painting industry cared as much as you, just think how many new scroll sawers or new painters the crafts could have! (Although I know you would still be the best! :) )
 

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#11,080 ·
I'm Feeling a Bit "Human" These Days

I am having trouble these past few days writing. I don't know if I am overwhelmed or overworked or a little bit of both. I am not mentioning this to complain - rather to explain.

It is funny how a designers' mind works.

One minute we are flooded with so many ideas that we don't know what to do first and the next minute we sometimes don't know where to start. We get so muddled up that we find ourselves rather 'stuck'. How can that be?

I don't think that I am the only one who goes through this type of thing. One thing that is good about having so many designers as friends is that we support each other and as part of a group, we don't feel so odd when things like this happen. Just a couple of days ago, I witnessed one of the most prolific painters that I know proclaim that she was 'uninspired'. I easily recall myself thinking "Wow! I never thought I would see that happen!"

I suppose it was because whenever I saw her, she was busy producing an insane number of beautifully painted pieces. I have such a great deal of admiration for her.

But seeing that she too got bogged down at times made me realize something. Unlike the image I had in my mind of her being up on a pedestal as a 'creating machine', it dawned on me that she was REAL. Just like me and so many of my other wonderful creative friends. And like us - she had her good days and her slow days (and even her 'uninspired' days!) And I found myself liking her even MORE than I had before.

We sometimes forget that those we admire are somewhat 'normal' people. Most of them are just like you and I. I think that sometimes we look at others through the proverbial rose colored glasses - seeing the victories and not really thinking about the struggles. There are times we try to hold ourselves to the same standards that we imagine others to hold and naturally we are unable to do so, as we exaggerate things in our minds in ways that no human could ever live up to.

I know I have done it, and I have seen others do it as well. Then before long we are beating ourselves over the head because we don't compare. What a self destructive path that can be.

But if we take the time to look at things more realistically, we see that those who we idolize are probably a bit more similar to us than we thought. And to me (especially times like this) it is comforting.

So what have I been up to?

Lots, it seems. I finished cutting and sending out all the wood orders I have had. I also lined up the new orders for my Christmas Pull Toys stand ups and ornaments to be cut on the weekend.

Baked goods Cuisine Wood Christmas decoration Dish


I am also going to work on getting my Etsy shop up to snuff, as I have sorely neglected it. It is a good place for me to be exposed to new audiences that wouldn't otherwise see my designs. And I need to work on an ad that I am submitting to a new digital painting magazine It is called Painting Ezine and is being published by Sharon Chin, the owner of The Decorative Painting Store and Susan Kelly, owner of Puddles of Paint. You can read about it at PantingEzine.com. I am really excited about the magazine! It is wonderful to see so many companies recognizing how important offering digital products to their customers can be. For just over $1 an issue, you get 12 digital issues per year filled with patterns and articles from many well-known and new artists. I think that "digital" is really the way to go with shipping and printing costs so high. I will certainly talk more about this issues

Well - I already feel a little better about things. So often when we get 'stuck' it isn't because we have nothing to do, but we just don't know what to do first. The saying "see the trees through the forest" comes to mind. There are times that even when we are very busy we need to stop and take a breath and perhaps step away for a little. When we return our focus, we can once again see things a little more clearly, and we have a better sense of which direction to go first.

Thank you for reading my ramblings today. I hope that next time you are stuck, you remember that it happens to everyone. It is only an indication that you are pretty normal as far as a creative person goes.

Have a wonderful day! Happy Halloween!
 

Attachments

#11,081 ·
I'm Feeling a Bit "Human" These Days

I am having trouble these past few days writing. I don't know if I am overwhelmed or overworked or a little bit of both. I am not mentioning this to complain - rather to explain.

It is funny how a designers' mind works.

One minute we are flooded with so many ideas that we don't know what to do first and the next minute we sometimes don't know where to start. We get so muddled up that we find ourselves rather 'stuck'. How can that be?

I don't think that I am the only one who goes through this type of thing. One thing that is good about having so many designers as friends is that we support each other and as part of a group, we don't feel so odd when things like this happen. Just a couple of days ago, I witnessed one of the most prolific painters that I know proclaim that she was 'uninspired'. I easily recall myself thinking "Wow! I never thought I would see that happen!"

I suppose it was because whenever I saw her, she was busy producing an insane number of beautifully painted pieces. I have such a great deal of admiration for her.

But seeing that she too got bogged down at times made me realize something. Unlike the image I had in my mind of her being up on a pedestal as a 'creating machine', it dawned on me that she was REAL. Just like me and so many of my other wonderful creative friends. And like us - she had her good days and her slow days (and even her 'uninspired' days!) And I found myself liking her even MORE than I had before.

We sometimes forget that those we admire are somewhat 'normal' people. Most of them are just like you and I. I think that sometimes we look at others through the proverbial rose colored glasses - seeing the victories and not really thinking about the struggles. There are times we try to hold ourselves to the same standards that we imagine others to hold and naturally we are unable to do so, as we exaggerate things in our minds in ways that no human could ever live up to.

I know I have done it, and I have seen others do it as well. Then before long we are beating ourselves over the head because we don't compare. What a self destructive path that can be.

But if we take the time to look at things more realistically, we see that those who we idolize are probably a bit more similar to us than we thought. And to me (especially times like this) it is comforting.

So what have I been up to?

Lots, it seems. I finished cutting and sending out all the wood orders I have had. I also lined up the new orders for my Christmas Pull Toys stand ups and ornaments to be cut on the weekend.

Baked goods Cuisine Wood Christmas decoration Dish


I am also going to work on getting my Etsy shop up to snuff, as I have sorely neglected it. It is a good place for me to be exposed to new audiences that wouldn't otherwise see my designs. And I need to work on an ad that I am submitting to a new digital painting magazine It is called Painting Ezine and is being published by Sharon Chin, the owner of The Decorative Painting Store and Susan Kelly, owner of Puddles of Paint. You can read about it at PantingEzine.com. I am really excited about the magazine! It is wonderful to see so many companies recognizing how important offering digital products to their customers can be. For just over $1 an issue, you get 12 digital issues per year filled with patterns and articles from many well-known and new artists. I think that "digital" is really the way to go with shipping and printing costs so high. I will certainly talk more about this issues

Well - I already feel a little better about things. So often when we get 'stuck' it isn't because we have nothing to do, but we just don't know what to do first. The saying "see the trees through the forest" comes to mind. There are times that even when we are very busy we need to stop and take a breath and perhaps step away for a little. When we return our focus, we can once again see things a little more clearly, and we have a better sense of which direction to go first.

Thank you for reading my ramblings today. I hope that next time you are stuck, you remember that it happens to everyone. It is only an indication that you are pretty normal as far as a creative person goes.

Have a wonderful day! Happy Halloween!
Trick or Treat. :)
 

Attachments

#11,086 ·
"Unstuck"

Well, it appears that I am on the 'other side'. Whatever was causing my creative block has moved on, and things are once again moving in a positive direction. I wish I knew what caused those little hiccups in my creative process. As I said the other day - I think all designers and creative people go through it at one time or another. When we are in the midst of that 'creative block' we simply can't understand why nothing seems to feel right. Is it mood? The weather? The position of the moon? I think if I were able to figure out the cause and the reason as to why it happens, I would be one of the first.

But no matter now - I just want to move ahead. Whatever was blocking me seems to have passed and I am once again excited and thrilled at what I am working on. Furthermore, I don't want to linger on the reasons I have felt so 'flat' the past several days, and embrace the new feelings of creativity and excitement of seeing my new projects come to life. I only wish to recall these feelings the next time it happens to me - and it will happen again - and not trouble myself about it. I do believe that the more I worry about not being creative, the less creativity I have. If I have learned anything, it is that worrying only perpetuates that 'stuck' feeling. The sooner I let go of the worried, the sooner those creative feeling return.

I have had quite an exciting couple of days. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, I went from a muddled fog to feeling productive and focused. I am not quite sure how this came about. I had given up trying to analyze things and decided it was high time to pick up my embroidery piece and spend some time with it. It had been about three weeks since I worked on it and not only did I feel guilty about that, but that added in part to my anxiety as well. I am so close to being done with it, and things were really going along well. What I hadn't imagined that I would finish until March or April was probably about three quarters done. I certainly feel as if I am in the home stretch with it. If I were running a marathon, I would compare it to approaching the 20th mile.

There was part of me that didn't want to allow myself to work on it because I was so unproductive in my thinking throughout the day. I kind of look at working on it as a reward every evening - after a full day of work, I allow myself to sit back and relax and do something that has no other motive attached to it other then the satisfaction I feel of the process. Sometimes, as a professional designer, that mindset gets lost. We are always under deadlines and always doing things for 'work' or profit or to better the business. My needlework is different because its first purpose for me is to enrich my soul and give me the pleasure of creating something for "me". While I so share it with you all as I complete each panel, the ultimate reason that I am creating it is completely selfish - my own satisfaction. Whether you are dazzled by it or think to yourselves "meh" is inconsequential. This isn't because I don't regard your collective opinions as important, but more so because I need to have something that I create that fully and completely is for myself. And while I truly appreciate your thoughts and comments on it, I think I need to have something that I am doing first and foremost for me. With that under my belt, I feel that it allows me to put just about everything else that I create out here on the block for your judgment and/or criticisms. It is as if I have something in reserve that I truly feel is my own. Consequently, if something that I do isn't quite the best or doesn't draw positive reviews, knowing that I have something in the wings that I am happy with myself somehow softens the blow. I look at it as my little bit of reserve peace of mind, that I CAN do something nice. Even on the days when nothing seems to be working.

Enough of that talk though - let's get on to the new designs . . .

Somewhere along the way, I had an 'idea' for a new set of scroll sawn ornaments. I love ornaments and I think they will be just the thing to get things jump started in a nice direction again. I spent the entire day yesterday drawing, and I now have a dozen that are in their first stages. As I printed out the drawings at the end of the evening, I noticed some adjustments that had to be made, which I am going to do today. Hopefully, I can at least begin cutting them today when I cut some other orders.

Here is a little sample of what I am working on:

Hair Hairstyle Vertebrate Organ Human body


Oh - these are going to be FUN!

Wait until you see how I plan to make them. I also have something special for the painters as well. I am working on several things at once again. (YES! I am back to normal!)

I really think that these new ornaments will be cool. I can't wait to finish drawing them so I can begin cutting them out. I was laying in bed last night THINKING about them and how I would change and improve what I already have. It feels great to be excited again!

As I look back on the past several days, I can't really pinpoint what had me 'stuck'.

Very little has changed from last week to this. But somehow, I feel completely different about things.

I suppose that is why it is so hard to figure out. When I am in that kind of 'mood', there is no rhyme or reason as to the cause. I need to learn to be patient and perhaps just back off and allow myself to 'be' for a while. I need to remember that trying to force creativity only seems to stifle it further. (Remind me of that the next time I am in a rut!)

Today is the day we turned our clocks back. We have an additional hour to get things done. I am very happy that I am in a place where I am able to use that hour to the fullest, and enjoy that extra hour to accomplish. What a gift that hour will be! I think of all the painting and scroll sawing designs that I will have coming up and I know I will enjoy that hour even more.

Remember no matter what..

"How good it is or

How Bad it is.

It won't last…

' Life is forever changing'…..

This too shall pass away"

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday.
 

Attachments

#11,087 ·
"Unstuck"

Well, it appears that I am on the 'other side'. Whatever was causing my creative block has moved on, and things are once again moving in a positive direction. I wish I knew what caused those little hiccups in my creative process. As I said the other day - I think all designers and creative people go through it at one time or another. When we are in the midst of that 'creative block' we simply can't understand why nothing seems to feel right. Is it mood? The weather? The position of the moon? I think if I were able to figure out the cause and the reason as to why it happens, I would be one of the first.

But no matter now - I just want to move ahead. Whatever was blocking me seems to have passed and I am once again excited and thrilled at what I am working on. Furthermore, I don't want to linger on the reasons I have felt so 'flat' the past several days, and embrace the new feelings of creativity and excitement of seeing my new projects come to life. I only wish to recall these feelings the next time it happens to me - and it will happen again - and not trouble myself about it. I do believe that the more I worry about not being creative, the less creativity I have. If I have learned anything, it is that worrying only perpetuates that 'stuck' feeling. The sooner I let go of the worried, the sooner those creative feeling return.

I have had quite an exciting couple of days. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, I went from a muddled fog to feeling productive and focused. I am not quite sure how this came about. I had given up trying to analyze things and decided it was high time to pick up my embroidery piece and spend some time with it. It had been about three weeks since I worked on it and not only did I feel guilty about that, but that added in part to my anxiety as well. I am so close to being done with it, and things were really going along well. What I hadn't imagined that I would finish until March or April was probably about three quarters done. I certainly feel as if I am in the home stretch with it. If I were running a marathon, I would compare it to approaching the 20th mile.

There was part of me that didn't want to allow myself to work on it because I was so unproductive in my thinking throughout the day. I kind of look at working on it as a reward every evening - after a full day of work, I allow myself to sit back and relax and do something that has no other motive attached to it other then the satisfaction I feel of the process. Sometimes, as a professional designer, that mindset gets lost. We are always under deadlines and always doing things for 'work' or profit or to better the business. My needlework is different because its first purpose for me is to enrich my soul and give me the pleasure of creating something for "me". While I so share it with you all as I complete each panel, the ultimate reason that I am creating it is completely selfish - my own satisfaction. Whether you are dazzled by it or think to yourselves "meh" is inconsequential. This isn't because I don't regard your collective opinions as important, but more so because I need to have something that I create that fully and completely is for myself. And while I truly appreciate your thoughts and comments on it, I think I need to have something that I am doing first and foremost for me. With that under my belt, I feel that it allows me to put just about everything else that I create out here on the block for your judgment and/or criticisms. It is as if I have something in reserve that I truly feel is my own. Consequently, if something that I do isn't quite the best or doesn't draw positive reviews, knowing that I have something in the wings that I am happy with myself somehow softens the blow. I look at it as my little bit of reserve peace of mind, that I CAN do something nice. Even on the days when nothing seems to be working.

Enough of that talk though - let's get on to the new designs . . .

Somewhere along the way, I had an 'idea' for a new set of scroll sawn ornaments. I love ornaments and I think they will be just the thing to get things jump started in a nice direction again. I spent the entire day yesterday drawing, and I now have a dozen that are in their first stages. As I printed out the drawings at the end of the evening, I noticed some adjustments that had to be made, which I am going to do today. Hopefully, I can at least begin cutting them today when I cut some other orders.

Here is a little sample of what I am working on:

Hair Hairstyle Vertebrate Organ Human body


Oh - these are going to be FUN!

Wait until you see how I plan to make them. I also have something special for the painters as well. I am working on several things at once again. (YES! I am back to normal!)

I really think that these new ornaments will be cool. I can't wait to finish drawing them so I can begin cutting them out. I was laying in bed last night THINKING about them and how I would change and improve what I already have. It feels great to be excited again!

As I look back on the past several days, I can't really pinpoint what had me 'stuck'.

Very little has changed from last week to this. But somehow, I feel completely different about things.

I suppose that is why it is so hard to figure out. When I am in that kind of 'mood', there is no rhyme or reason as to the cause. I need to learn to be patient and perhaps just back off and allow myself to 'be' for a while. I need to remember that trying to force creativity only seems to stifle it further. (Remind me of that the next time I am in a rut!)

Today is the day we turned our clocks back. We have an additional hour to get things done. I am very happy that I am in a place where I am able to use that hour to the fullest, and enjoy that extra hour to accomplish. What a gift that hour will be! I think of all the painting and scroll sawing designs that I will have coming up and I know I will enjoy that hour even more.

Remember no matter what..

"How good it is or

How Bad it is.

It won't last…

' Life is forever changing'…..

This too shall pass away"

I wish you all a wonderful Sunday.
all the best laid plans ….

sometimes our body/spirit just needs a rest
regardless of what we might feel/think

best to go with the flow
and recharge naturally

even the horse we ride around on
needs a break once in a while
 

Attachments

#11,097 ·
Ready to Cut

I had a wonderful, relaxing and productive day yesterday. Whatever was bothering me last week has certainly passed and I was on a good roll with drawing. While I drew the basic shapes on Saturday, I took the entire day yesterday to refine and detail things out. I am now ready to get to the scroll saw.

I am truly excited about this new set of ornaments. Each one was drawn with the utmost care. I believe each one will be a little 'masterpiece' in itself.

Textile Gesture Art Style Font


I had dabbled with the idea of splitting the set into two, but I don't think that will be the way to go. I really still try to give value to my patterns, and hopefully if I can offer them at a reasonable price, people will be honest and purchase the pattern rather than pirating them off the internet or sharing. I know that is an optimistic way to look at things, but it really is all I have to rely on - people's integrity. When I think though of the many hours it took me to perfect the drawings so that they are able to be cut, I honestly can't see why someone would want to spend the time to try to replicate them from screen shots.

I only bring this up because I am continually warned of posting head-on screen shots of my work. The only thing I can mention in response is that even if I do not, all it would require is a customer to do so and any effort that I have made would have been a waste of time. Unlike painting patterns, scroll saw patterns are primarily line work. Because of that, I suppose I have to be a bit more careful how I show things. But my philosophy is that I can't for the life of me see why one would wish to spend time re-tracing a skewed drawing when there are reasonable alternatives that support the designers and help them keep designing. But that is just me. So with that said, I do my best and watermark my photos (if I remember) and focus on the good people that help keep me doing what I do. It is the best way I can deal with things.

Besides . . . I decided that I will be offering one of these pretty ornaments as our next free pattern. I actually drew up 13 of them - a dozen for the pattern and an additional one to give away. I haven't decided which one I will share though just yet - I will see after they are all cut.

As you can imagine, I am truly excited about cutting these and seeing them come to life. Usually the line work is far less impressive than the actual pieces, and this morning I have already chosen an array of beautiful hard woods to make my samples from. I also think that I may make a plywood set via stack cutting and perhaps paint a set as well. You can never have too many ornaments, can you?

I also decided that I am going to make a beautiful sleigh ornament to offer free for the painters. This one will be cut only in silhouette, and the details painted. I have an idea for something that is classic and beautiful as well, and I will be trying to draw it today. It shouldn't take too long, as most of the details will be in the painting.

I have some orders to cut as well, and my usual errands of shipping things out and shopping and the gym. It is going to be a busy day!

It feels wonderful to be back in the swing of things. I woke up today happy and motivated and excited about seeing my new projects. You would never know I was in a rut.

Happy Monday to you all! I wish you a wonderful, exciting and creative week ahead.
 

Attachments

#11,098 ·
Ready to Cut

I had a wonderful, relaxing and productive day yesterday. Whatever was bothering me last week has certainly passed and I was on a good roll with drawing. While I drew the basic shapes on Saturday, I took the entire day yesterday to refine and detail things out. I am now ready to get to the scroll saw.

I am truly excited about this new set of ornaments. Each one was drawn with the utmost care. I believe each one will be a little 'masterpiece' in itself.

Textile Gesture Art Style Font


I had dabbled with the idea of splitting the set into two, but I don't think that will be the way to go. I really still try to give value to my patterns, and hopefully if I can offer them at a reasonable price, people will be honest and purchase the pattern rather than pirating them off the internet or sharing. I know that is an optimistic way to look at things, but it really is all I have to rely on - people's integrity. When I think though of the many hours it took me to perfect the drawings so that they are able to be cut, I honestly can't see why someone would want to spend the time to try to replicate them from screen shots.

I only bring this up because I am continually warned of posting head-on screen shots of my work. The only thing I can mention in response is that even if I do not, all it would require is a customer to do so and any effort that I have made would have been a waste of time. Unlike painting patterns, scroll saw patterns are primarily line work. Because of that, I suppose I have to be a bit more careful how I show things. But my philosophy is that I can't for the life of me see why one would wish to spend time re-tracing a skewed drawing when there are reasonable alternatives that support the designers and help them keep designing. But that is just me. So with that said, I do my best and watermark my photos (if I remember) and focus on the good people that help keep me doing what I do. It is the best way I can deal with things.

Besides . . . I decided that I will be offering one of these pretty ornaments as our next free pattern. I actually drew up 13 of them - a dozen for the pattern and an additional one to give away. I haven't decided which one I will share though just yet - I will see after they are all cut.

As you can imagine, I am truly excited about cutting these and seeing them come to life. Usually the line work is far less impressive than the actual pieces, and this morning I have already chosen an array of beautiful hard woods to make my samples from. I also think that I may make a plywood set via stack cutting and perhaps paint a set as well. You can never have too many ornaments, can you?

I also decided that I am going to make a beautiful sleigh ornament to offer free for the painters. This one will be cut only in silhouette, and the details painted. I have an idea for something that is classic and beautiful as well, and I will be trying to draw it today. It shouldn't take too long, as most of the details will be in the painting.

I have some orders to cut as well, and my usual errands of shipping things out and shopping and the gym. It is going to be a busy day!

It feels wonderful to be back in the swing of things. I woke up today happy and motivated and excited about seeing my new projects. You would never know I was in a rut.

Happy Monday to you all! I wish you a wonderful, exciting and creative week ahead.
What I can see of the pattern looks really well done, and the results will be wonderful. Good news that all is back on track.
 

Attachments

#11,101 ·
Half Way There

Yesterday was a busy, yet positive day. Mondays are always busy because we have the trip to the post office, the bank, shopping and the gym. I like getting these things out of the way though and it puts me on a good track for the rest of the week.

I was really anxious to get home though, as I couldn't wait to begin cutting out my new designs. Because of all the errands though, I didn't get started until mid afternoon.

I decided to do the sleighs using maple for the sleigh beds and the runners would be done in different hard woods, as well as stack cut using 1/8" plywood for another version. (You will need to come back later in the week to see what I am doing with that.)

Over the years, I have accumulated quite a collection of scraps of beautiful hardwood pieces. Keith keeps trying to get me to throw them out, saying they are 'too small' to do anything with, but I save them especially for times like these when I want a variety of colors and grains. The wood that I used for these pieces is sepele mahogany, padauk, and I believe hickory. I still have some walnut and an unknown pretty brownish wood that will be used for the additional pieces. By making all the sleigh beds in maple, it pulls together all the pieces and makes them look like a set, even though the styles are quite a bit different. I finished with cutting seven of the thirteen pieces. Here is a photo of how they look, but I want you to be aware that while I did sand the pieces, there is still no finish on them. The colors of the wood will not be as washed out and will look much deeper and richer once I apply the shellac to them:

Font Art Rectangle Metal Graphics


I must say that I am pretty happy with them. I tried to make the set of the sleighs in a wide range of both levels of difficulties and styles. I had initially intended to make the set six piece, but my creative floodgates seemed to burst open after my dry spell and I could have easily made twenty. I will probably make another set later on for next year.

Some of the sleighs were admittedly more difficult than others, as you can probably guess by looking at the photo. I think my favorite so far is the sleigh in the middle. I loved the beautiful curves and lines of the runners, as well as the sleigh bed. It was pure pleasure cutting it out!

I had cut the runner from sepele, and I think that I would recommend a wood that is harder, denser and has less open grain. The runner is quite fragile although once it is glued to the sleigh bed, it will be much stronger. You can see the open grain in the photo and imagine how it could weaken the piece.

Brown Wood Font Material property Pattern


The other woods, such as the jatoba were both beautiful and a bit stronger. Their color was also amazing against the light maple.

The maple was the perfect choice for the sleigh beds, as the tight, hard grain did will with the intricate details.

Wood Font Line Tints and shades Pattern


I haven't quite decided which sleigh I will offer as the free pattern. I am leaning toward my favorite - the one in the middle of the picture. My only reservation is that it may be a little difficult for someone newer to cut and I don't want to discourage anyone. While I would like to give away something that represents my best work, I may opt for a mid-level sleigh instead so that everyone can be successful. I still need to think about it.

Today I will be cutting the remaining six sleighs and runners. They took a bit of time to do these so far - probably about four hours - but with the help of good music, beautiful materials, and wonderful tools, it was a fun and pleasurable experience.

I can't wait to do the rest! I should have more to show you tomorrow. The patterns will be available later this week, when we complete our next update to the site.

It is cool here, but sunny. Yesterday was the first hint of snow flurries. The trees are mostly bare now except a few stubborn leaves that refuse to let go. While many are complaining, I really don't mind the colder weather. Each time of year has its purpose and place. I choose to enjoy them all.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
 

Attachments

#11,102 ·
Half Way There

Yesterday was a busy, yet positive day. Mondays are always busy because we have the trip to the post office, the bank, shopping and the gym. I like getting these things out of the way though and it puts me on a good track for the rest of the week.

I was really anxious to get home though, as I couldn't wait to begin cutting out my new designs. Because of all the errands though, I didn't get started until mid afternoon.

I decided to do the sleighs using maple for the sleigh beds and the runners would be done in different hard woods, as well as stack cut using 1/8" plywood for another version. (You will need to come back later in the week to see what I am doing with that.)

Over the years, I have accumulated quite a collection of scraps of beautiful hardwood pieces. Keith keeps trying to get me to throw them out, saying they are 'too small' to do anything with, but I save them especially for times like these when I want a variety of colors and grains. The wood that I used for these pieces is sepele mahogany, padauk, and I believe hickory. I still have some walnut and an unknown pretty brownish wood that will be used for the additional pieces. By making all the sleigh beds in maple, it pulls together all the pieces and makes them look like a set, even though the styles are quite a bit different. I finished with cutting seven of the thirteen pieces. Here is a photo of how they look, but I want you to be aware that while I did sand the pieces, there is still no finish on them. The colors of the wood will not be as washed out and will look much deeper and richer once I apply the shellac to them:

Font Art Rectangle Metal Graphics


I must say that I am pretty happy with them. I tried to make the set of the sleighs in a wide range of both levels of difficulties and styles. I had initially intended to make the set six piece, but my creative floodgates seemed to burst open after my dry spell and I could have easily made twenty. I will probably make another set later on for next year.

Some of the sleighs were admittedly more difficult than others, as you can probably guess by looking at the photo. I think my favorite so far is the sleigh in the middle. I loved the beautiful curves and lines of the runners, as well as the sleigh bed. It was pure pleasure cutting it out!

I had cut the runner from sepele, and I think that I would recommend a wood that is harder, denser and has less open grain. The runner is quite fragile although once it is glued to the sleigh bed, it will be much stronger. You can see the open grain in the photo and imagine how it could weaken the piece.

Brown Wood Font Material property Pattern


The other woods, such as the jatoba were both beautiful and a bit stronger. Their color was also amazing against the light maple.

The maple was the perfect choice for the sleigh beds, as the tight, hard grain did will with the intricate details.

Wood Font Line Tints and shades Pattern


I haven't quite decided which sleigh I will offer as the free pattern. I am leaning toward my favorite - the one in the middle of the picture. My only reservation is that it may be a little difficult for someone newer to cut and I don't want to discourage anyone. While I would like to give away something that represents my best work, I may opt for a mid-level sleigh instead so that everyone can be successful. I still need to think about it.

Today I will be cutting the remaining six sleighs and runners. They took a bit of time to do these so far - probably about four hours - but with the help of good music, beautiful materials, and wonderful tools, it was a fun and pleasurable experience.

I can't wait to do the rest! I should have more to show you tomorrow. The patterns will be available later this week, when we complete our next update to the site.

It is cool here, but sunny. Yesterday was the first hint of snow flurries. The trees are mostly bare now except a few stubborn leaves that refuse to let go. While many are complaining, I really don't mind the colder weather. Each time of year has its purpose and place. I choose to enjoy them all.

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Looks like Santa has a sled for everyday of the week. :)
 

Attachments

#11,105 ·
Six More Sleigh Ornaments

To begin with, I want to thank you all for the encouraging comments on the new ornaments. It really feels nice to have so many cheerleaders when I am making a new project. It makes all the hard work so much worth it, knowing that people appreciate what I am doing.

I spent the bulk of yesterday working on cutting out the remaining six pieces, and I began the finishing process. The cutting took probably about three hours and then I carefully sanded the pieces. I was a little concerned about using my 1/3 sheet Makita orbital sander on the delicate pieces, but I can honestly say that not one piece broke. I am thinking I will be blogging in the future how to successfully sand this type of fretwork with minimum breaking. I say "minimum" because sometimes mishaps occur. However, clear-drying wood glue can be your best friend when working on delicate projects such as these. I do admit that two of the pieces broke, but it was not because of the design, but rather my own lack of concentration when sanding. As with working on any project that is fragile, care needs to be taken so that your attention is focused on what you are doing. One of the main reasons that I prefer to cut my own samples is so that I can properly assess what may need to be adjusted in the line work. The best way to learn about any project is by building it myself. While I have had many offers from others to cut for me (thank you!) I prefer to do things myself. I believe this makes me a better designer.

I did stack cut these pieces - making two sets of maple sleigh beds and an additional two runners of 1/8" plywood for each piece. As usual, I will have two different versions of finishing the pieces, as I realize that many don't have access to the beautiful hard woods that I used for the runners. The alternative version is also going to be beautiful though, and it will be a quick and inexpensive way to create an equally stunning result.

Of course, you could stack up to six layers of these pieces if you are cutting for production or to sell at craft shows. You only need to be aware that trying to hurry the process by forcing the wood through the small 2/0 blade that is required may distort the bottom layers. You need to allow the blade to do the cutting and resolve yourself to going S-L-O-W! You will still gain because of the multiple pieces. So taking your time and relaxing will give you the best result possible.

For myself - I would feel most comfortable with limiting myself to about four layers. While six would be possible, I think it would be much more relaxing and easier to keep things to four.

Today I am only going to show the natural colored, hard wood versions. I will show the alternate finishing version tomorrow.

Below are the six remaining pieces:

Rectangle Sleeve Font Headgear Art


They look even better than yesterday's pieces I think, because they are fully sanded and sprayed with several light coats of shellac. The shellac really deepens the tone of the runners, and warms up even the light maple nicely. In person they look amazing!

Here are all thirteen of the completed ornaments:

Jaw Font Wood Metal Rectangle


You can see from the photograph, they range from some basic, simple designs to beautifully elaborate. I wanted that to be the case, as there will be something for all levels of scroll sawyers in one pattern. It is my hopes that this will encourage people to try something that may be a little beyond their skill level and learn to improve their cutting. The beginners can start with the more basic designs and take steps out of their own comfort zone to push themselves to a higher level.

The woods that I used for the runners were walnut, sepele, jatoba, cherry, blood wood (I incorrectly referred to it as padauk yesterday, but when I sprayed it with the shellac, I realized it was more red in tone than the orange-red of padauk) and I do believe the last type was hickory. They are all fairly tight grained hard woods, which held up to the design very well. The only one that was a bit fragile was the sepele mahogany, as its grain is a bit more open to than the rest, leaving it a little more vulnerable. But its beautiful brown color was too pretty to pass up, and with care, it worked out fine.

Together they make a stunning set:

Brown Wood Textile Sleeve Font


And here is a photo of me holding one of them so you can see the size. (They are approximately 5.5 inches in length each)

Wood Font Jewellery Art Metal


Today I will be finishing up the second version and writing the pattern. I hope to have the new pieces on the site and a newsletter going out tomorrow.

And for my painting followers - don't worry - I have a beautiful sleigh in mind for you all as well that I will be offering as a free painting pattern. As soon as the update is done I will get to work on it. Please keep coming back here to my blog for the previews.

Keith has some new projects as well, which I will also showcase tomorrow. Together we hope to have enough new things to keep you busy.

It is a calm and beautiful day here. Slightly overcast and somber. I was out early to take the trash to the curb and I could hear the river happily rushing by. It seems with the leaves off of the tree, the sound of the river is more evident. What a beautiful place I live in.

I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday. I hope you enjoy your day and do something to make your heart happy.
 

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#11,106 ·
Six More Sleigh Ornaments

To begin with, I want to thank you all for the encouraging comments on the new ornaments. It really feels nice to have so many cheerleaders when I am making a new project. It makes all the hard work so much worth it, knowing that people appreciate what I am doing.

I spent the bulk of yesterday working on cutting out the remaining six pieces, and I began the finishing process. The cutting took probably about three hours and then I carefully sanded the pieces. I was a little concerned about using my 1/3 sheet Makita orbital sander on the delicate pieces, but I can honestly say that not one piece broke. I am thinking I will be blogging in the future how to successfully sand this type of fretwork with minimum breaking. I say "minimum" because sometimes mishaps occur. However, clear-drying wood glue can be your best friend when working on delicate projects such as these. I do admit that two of the pieces broke, but it was not because of the design, but rather my own lack of concentration when sanding. As with working on any project that is fragile, care needs to be taken so that your attention is focused on what you are doing. One of the main reasons that I prefer to cut my own samples is so that I can properly assess what may need to be adjusted in the line work. The best way to learn about any project is by building it myself. While I have had many offers from others to cut for me (thank you!) I prefer to do things myself. I believe this makes me a better designer.

I did stack cut these pieces - making two sets of maple sleigh beds and an additional two runners of 1/8" plywood for each piece. As usual, I will have two different versions of finishing the pieces, as I realize that many don't have access to the beautiful hard woods that I used for the runners. The alternative version is also going to be beautiful though, and it will be a quick and inexpensive way to create an equally stunning result.

Of course, you could stack up to six layers of these pieces if you are cutting for production or to sell at craft shows. You only need to be aware that trying to hurry the process by forcing the wood through the small 2/0 blade that is required may distort the bottom layers. You need to allow the blade to do the cutting and resolve yourself to going S-L-O-W! You will still gain because of the multiple pieces. So taking your time and relaxing will give you the best result possible.

For myself - I would feel most comfortable with limiting myself to about four layers. While six would be possible, I think it would be much more relaxing and easier to keep things to four.

Today I am only going to show the natural colored, hard wood versions. I will show the alternate finishing version tomorrow.

Below are the six remaining pieces:

Rectangle Sleeve Font Headgear Art


They look even better than yesterday's pieces I think, because they are fully sanded and sprayed with several light coats of shellac. The shellac really deepens the tone of the runners, and warms up even the light maple nicely. In person they look amazing!

Here are all thirteen of the completed ornaments:

Jaw Font Wood Metal Rectangle


You can see from the photograph, they range from some basic, simple designs to beautifully elaborate. I wanted that to be the case, as there will be something for all levels of scroll sawyers in one pattern. It is my hopes that this will encourage people to try something that may be a little beyond their skill level and learn to improve their cutting. The beginners can start with the more basic designs and take steps out of their own comfort zone to push themselves to a higher level.

The woods that I used for the runners were walnut, sepele, jatoba, cherry, blood wood (I incorrectly referred to it as padauk yesterday, but when I sprayed it with the shellac, I realized it was more red in tone than the orange-red of padauk) and I do believe the last type was hickory. They are all fairly tight grained hard woods, which held up to the design very well. The only one that was a bit fragile was the sepele mahogany, as its grain is a bit more open to than the rest, leaving it a little more vulnerable. But its beautiful brown color was too pretty to pass up, and with care, it worked out fine.

Together they make a stunning set:

Brown Wood Textile Sleeve Font


And here is a photo of me holding one of them so you can see the size. (They are approximately 5.5 inches in length each)

Wood Font Jewellery Art Metal


Today I will be finishing up the second version and writing the pattern. I hope to have the new pieces on the site and a newsletter going out tomorrow.

And for my painting followers - don't worry - I have a beautiful sleigh in mind for you all as well that I will be offering as a free painting pattern. As soon as the update is done I will get to work on it. Please keep coming back here to my blog for the previews.

Keith has some new projects as well, which I will also showcase tomorrow. Together we hope to have enough new things to keep you busy.

It is a calm and beautiful day here. Slightly overcast and somber. I was out early to take the trash to the curb and I could hear the river happily rushing by. It seems with the leaves off of the tree, the sound of the river is more evident. What a beautiful place I live in.

I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday. I hope you enjoy your day and do something to make your heart happy.
As usual, all your designs are great but I really like the new one on the bottom left. That is outstanding!
 

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#11,111 ·
New Patterns are Posted

I intended to write a post yesterday, but I had a Java update that played a little havoc on my computer. Nothing major, but their attempt to install unwanted software really kind of irked me. I hate when companies try to sneak something on to your computer that you don't want. It is deceptive and I think a very poor practice. Unfortunately, Java script is a program that most of us need to function online and because of that, we are forced to have it (and all that it brings with it) on our computer. Long story short - I spent some time removing the unwanted programs and by that time I needed to move ahead and didn't have time to post even a short entry.

I spent most of the day working on another site update. Between Keith and I, we have been adding quite a few new patterns to our website. Our updates have been steady at intervals of about ever other week and we think that is a good time frame because it doesn't overwhelm our customers, yet it keeps them interested in seeing 'what's next'.

I always like to show things here in the blog as well, as not everyone likes to subscribe to mailing lists. This way they can see our new things without having to subscribe to our list. I think it helps bring us new people as well.

Keith has found continued success in creating beautiful word art patterns. It seems that people love to create and give plaques that are attractive and bring positive messages. Keith certainly has mastered making that combination work well. Between inspirational sayings, seasonal phrases and popular Bible passages, he has been able to offer quite a collection.

This time he created some new plaques that are both seasonal and non-seasonal. His SLDK451 Joy, Love and Laughter sectional plaques are really beautiful. I love these plaques and I love that there are two versions available. That way people of all faiths can enjoy them.

Wood Rectangle Font Poster Art


Also for the holiday season, Keith created another set of beautiful filigree ornaments. This time the subject was reindeer and he created nine prancing reindeer and a sleigh with Santa as the pilot. SLDK504 - 10 Filigree Reindeer Ornaments
Font Wood Fawn Grass Pattern


H
e also created some non-seasonal plaques - a set of Grandma and Grandpa "Blessings" plaques (SLDK505 - THREE versions of the plaque included):

Brown Rectangle Wood Font Handwriting


And finally a set of "I Love You" word art plaques (SLDK399) that would be appropriate for just about any time of the year.

Rectangle Wood Font Signage Metal


As for me - I finally got a chance to build the pattern packet for the cute Jumping Santa and Elf pattern that I had shown a couple of months ago. (SLD465 - Jumping Santa and Elf pattern)

White Christmas ornament Holiday ornament Santa claus Ornament


This was one of the projects that I had intended for the Holiday issue of Creative Woodworks and Crafts magazine, but as most of us know by now, the magazine went out of business before the issue was published. I was happy to get my pieces back and I really think this will be a popular pattern. The painting on the figures is simple - only blocking in with NO SHADING - but the use of DecoArt Metallic paints make them look really nice anyway.

I am also offering kits for the Santa and elf jumping toys in two sizes - Small (about 5" tall) and Large (about 9" tall). The small kits can be found here on my site: SLDPK115A and the large kit can be found here: SLDPK115B. I have had a lot of interest from my painting follwers for these items and I think they make wonderful painting projects for painters of all levels. :)

And finally, I completed making the pattern for the pretty fretwork sleigh ornaments that I had shown earlier this week. (SLD484 - 12 Dashing Through the Snow Fretwork Ornaments)

Jaw Font Wood Metal Rectangle


I really, really loved making these ornaments, and I was thrilled at the positive response I received when I showed them. Because of this, I also decided to create a pattern that I am offering for FREE on the site which contains one of the ornaments from the above set as well as another exclusive ornament. You can download the PDF pattern on our Free Patterns and Resources page.

Rectangle Vehicle Font Metal Oval


I tried to make the free sleighs a medium level project so that everyone can enjoy creating them. The pattern of 12 contains sleighs of all levels and types - from simple to intricate - so those who are newer can work on improving their skills.

I am also planning to work on a new free painting pattern for my painting followers this weekend. It has been a while since I updated that and I want to have something nice to offer them as well. I have a good idea and will take the time this weekend to work on it and get it up on the site.

So that is where I am at today. I still have lots to do and I have to work on a couple of things here at home. It has been incredibly busy, but I truly enjoy every day and appreciate that so many people like what we are making.

I hope you all have a good weekend planned. It is very dreary and autumn-like here today, but that is part of the season. I am sure that I will have fun working on some new things and creating. I hope you do as well.

Happy Friday to you all!
 

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#11,112 ·
"A Perfect World"- Panel 14

I took some time this weekend to catch up on my house things and take a step back from most of my work related things as well. It has been a busy couple of weeks and I was feeling like I was getting behind in everything else. I think it is good for me to do this from time to time, as it seems that after I take a step back I am more eager than ever to get back to designing and doing the things that I love so much. For me, it is difficult to walk away from it though, because it doesn't ever really seem like it is a burden.

Our site update kept us very busy over the weekend filling orders and answering questions. (Like I said - I never really get totally away from things). I also spent some time planning some new things which are going to be very exciting. I am not ready yet to share the details yet though, but I think it will be something that will be very good for my designing. You will just have to stick around and see how things unfold in the next few months. (I know - I am a tease!)

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the penny sale for the feral cats in our area. I usually like to donate my sample projects to the organization to sell or auction off, and every November they have their biggest fund raiser of the year - a penny sale - which helps them get through the long cold winter and care for the cats. Not only is it fun to attend, but it is for a cause I hold very close to my heart. I didn't win a thing, but I had a great time and they set a record as to how much money they raised for the organization. I was very happy for them.

When I got home, I spent a couple of hours cutting out orders that came in over the weekend. I was just going to set them up for today, but I did feel like cutting and it felt great to get them done. I even cut some extra kits, as I was loving the music I was listening to on my headphones and I was having fun. It is so nice when work is something that I enjoy so much!

I finished after seven and I decided to spend the evening working on my "A Perfect World" embroidery piece. I have felt bad because I haven't had much of a chance to work on it the past several weeks. I had been working until late in the evening and just haven't had time to concentrate on it. I had told myself when I started that I would give myself a year to complete it and with only three panels to go, I think I will be on track for that. This was panel 14 that I just finished up. I had only given myself a night here and there to do it lately. Add to the fact that it was my most complex panel to date and you will understand why it took so long. But the results are really nice and I am very pleased with it.

Here is a photo of the entire panel completed:

Flower Leaf Botany Plant Textile


It may just be my favorite panel to date! The bulrushes are made with silk ribbon stems and fluffed silk thread:

Botany Textile Flower Creative arts Terrestrial plant


Then there are the beautiful pink Dierama flowers, with the delicate stems embroidered with a single strand of silk thread. The light green silk grass was also fun to add, as it sits loose on the panel and adds so much dimension:

Flower Plant Petal Leaf Botany


And then the little fish! He is embroidered on the panel, and then a thin layer of sheer organza is placed over him to give the effect of sparkly "water". It is a beautiful illusion and really looks amazing in person!

Brown Green Textile Creative arts Sleeve


And then the darling frog! I chose to needle paint him by filling him in completely with pure silk thread. He has a glass bead eye and sits on a little lily pad which is a separate piece from the background. I added a little padding in him as well to plump him up.

Botany Rodent Iguania Wood Art


And the center focal point of this panel is the beautiful dimensional water lily. The back petals are done first of silk ribbon. Then I needed to make a slit in the piece to tuck in the stemens and secure them. (I CRINGED when I made that cut into the piece! But it came out fine!) Finally a layer of front petals was added - again of silk ribbon edged in silk thread stitches. I am very pleased with how it came out.

Plant Flower Textile Creative arts Petal


Together with the frog, it would make a lovely picture in itself!

Plant Insect Leaf Pollinator Butterfly


Here is a final photo of this panel. See how dimensional it is?

Botany Textile Flower Creative arts Art


I am so excited to be this close to the finish. What an amazing learning experience this is for me! And I do feel that many of the things that I learn from this process I can apply to my other designing aspects - even painting and woodworking!

Today I need to get my orders out and then I will be putting on my "painting hat" and working on a new design for my painting followers. I am so pleased that I had suc a nice weekend and I feel refreshed and excited about all the things to come.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. We are supposed to get some cold weather (near zero) by the end of the week. Winter is indeed coming. I don't mind though - I will have plenty to do here at home to keep me busy and happy.

Have a wonderful Monday!
 

Attachments

#11,113 ·
"A Perfect World"- Panel 14

I took some time this weekend to catch up on my house things and take a step back from most of my work related things as well. It has been a busy couple of weeks and I was feeling like I was getting behind in everything else. I think it is good for me to do this from time to time, as it seems that after I take a step back I am more eager than ever to get back to designing and doing the things that I love so much. For me, it is difficult to walk away from it though, because it doesn't ever really seem like it is a burden.

Our site update kept us very busy over the weekend filling orders and answering questions. (Like I said - I never really get totally away from things). I also spent some time planning some new things which are going to be very exciting. I am not ready yet to share the details yet though, but I think it will be something that will be very good for my designing. You will just have to stick around and see how things unfold in the next few months. (I know - I am a tease!)

Yesterday I spent the afternoon at the penny sale for the feral cats in our area. I usually like to donate my sample projects to the organization to sell or auction off, and every November they have their biggest fund raiser of the year - a penny sale - which helps them get through the long cold winter and care for the cats. Not only is it fun to attend, but it is for a cause I hold very close to my heart. I didn't win a thing, but I had a great time and they set a record as to how much money they raised for the organization. I was very happy for them.

When I got home, I spent a couple of hours cutting out orders that came in over the weekend. I was just going to set them up for today, but I did feel like cutting and it felt great to get them done. I even cut some extra kits, as I was loving the music I was listening to on my headphones and I was having fun. It is so nice when work is something that I enjoy so much!

I finished after seven and I decided to spend the evening working on my "A Perfect World" embroidery piece. I have felt bad because I haven't had much of a chance to work on it the past several weeks. I had been working until late in the evening and just haven't had time to concentrate on it. I had told myself when I started that I would give myself a year to complete it and with only three panels to go, I think I will be on track for that. This was panel 14 that I just finished up. I had only given myself a night here and there to do it lately. Add to the fact that it was my most complex panel to date and you will understand why it took so long. But the results are really nice and I am very pleased with it.

Here is a photo of the entire panel completed:

Flower Leaf Botany Plant Textile


It may just be my favorite panel to date! The bulrushes are made with silk ribbon stems and fluffed silk thread:

Botany Textile Flower Creative arts Terrestrial plant


Then there are the beautiful pink Dierama flowers, with the delicate stems embroidered with a single strand of silk thread. The light green silk grass was also fun to add, as it sits loose on the panel and adds so much dimension:

Flower Plant Petal Leaf Botany


And then the little fish! He is embroidered on the panel, and then a thin layer of sheer organza is placed over him to give the effect of sparkly "water". It is a beautiful illusion and really looks amazing in person!

Brown Green Textile Creative arts Sleeve


And then the darling frog! I chose to needle paint him by filling him in completely with pure silk thread. He has a glass bead eye and sits on a little lily pad which is a separate piece from the background. I added a little padding in him as well to plump him up.

Botany Rodent Iguania Wood Art


And the center focal point of this panel is the beautiful dimensional water lily. The back petals are done first of silk ribbon. Then I needed to make a slit in the piece to tuck in the stemens and secure them. (I CRINGED when I made that cut into the piece! But it came out fine!) Finally a layer of front petals was added - again of silk ribbon edged in silk thread stitches. I am very pleased with how it came out.

Plant Flower Textile Creative arts Petal


Together with the frog, it would make a lovely picture in itself!

Plant Insect Leaf Pollinator Butterfly


Here is a final photo of this panel. See how dimensional it is?

Botany Textile Flower Creative arts Art


I am so excited to be this close to the finish. What an amazing learning experience this is for me! And I do feel that many of the things that I learn from this process I can apply to my other designing aspects - even painting and woodworking!

Today I need to get my orders out and then I will be putting on my "painting hat" and working on a new design for my painting followers. I am so pleased that I had suc a nice weekend and I feel refreshed and excited about all the things to come.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend as well. We are supposed to get some cold weather (near zero) by the end of the week. Winter is indeed coming. I don't mind though - I will have plenty to do here at home to keep me busy and happy.

Have a wonderful Monday!
I like this panel the best of all the ones you have done so far. Love that cute frog and the 3D effect of all the details really makes this one outstanding.
 

Attachments

#11,117 ·
Originality - The Child of a Variety of Influences

As a designer, one thing that can sometimes be difficult is creating something that is totally "original". With all the information at our fingertips through sites like Google and Pinterest, the world is at our feet as far as seeing the creative work from others.

Many years ago, when I just began my crafting and designing career,I began designing my own original teddy bears. Besides wood, I love working with fabric and sewing and creating the bears was really one of the reasons that I began scroll sawing and painting in the first place. I had needed some wood 'props' for my stuffed bears, mice and bunnies and seeing the stuff that they offered at craft supplies like Michael's just didn't turn my crank. My friend Cari had a scroll saw and I was fascinated by it and I credit her with introducing me to the art form. It was so nice to be able to create my own props and accessories for my bears and animals and it allowed me to not be limited by what I could purchase. I quickly learned that taking raw materials and creating something myself would be the key to my own originality.

To make a long story short, one thing led to another and when I met the people from All American Crafts, they were as much impressed by my bears I was fortunate to have several of them published in Craftworks magazine. It really gave me some credibility as as designer and earned me some recognition.

I loved designing soft animals along with their clothing. There was such a beautiful array of fabric available to me living in the Chicago area that the sky was my limit. Not only did I design the dolls themselves, but I also completely designed their costumes. Usually I was inspired by a cut of fabric that I was able to obtain and went from there. I don't have many photos of my bears left, as digital photography was in its infancy back then, but recently I came across some photos that I had scanned onto the computer of one of my bears. This one is a gypsy and I was inspired to make her by the beautiful iridescent fabric that I created her skirt with:

Outerwear Doll Toy Dress Purple


White Toy Textile Pink Sleeve


Toy Pink Fawn Happy Cap


Toy Carnivore Dog breed Pink Sleeve


Seeing these photos reminded me that sometimes in order to create original designs, you need to go about it in a round about way.

Originality is important as a designer. One needs to develop their own style that will be recognized as their own. With all the information and resources that are now available to us, it is sometimes a difficult thing to do. We are all influenced by the things we see, and sometimes it is difficult to filter them out of our minds when we are setting out to creating something that is truly unique. At least it is for me.

I have wanted to do more painting patterns as well as scroll saw patterns. While I like to paint and draw cute characters, I find it difficult for me to just come up with things out of my head - I need a subject to draw from.

I am pretty good at drawing from looking at something. If I have something in front of me, then I can pretty much replicate it in just about any form. So that is to my advantage.

However, without a subject, I am not very good at drawing from my head. I have a friend who is an artist (well - several actually) and I have a great deal of admiration for them and what they do. They seem to be able to draw wonderfully from thin air. It is something that I really think is a talent.

So where is this all going?

I have come to a decision that I need (yes - NEED) to make some three dimensional models to use as subjects for some of my next designs. That way I can put them into situations and pose them and create cute patterns while remaining in my own comfort zone. It will also ensure that my own drawings will be completely original and not be a copy of someone elses' idea or drawings.

When writing and reading that, it sounds almost too simple, yet I realize it will be a complex process.

I always say how ALL the creative things that I do overlap each other. Sometimes the woodworkers don't understand how painting can help my ability to design woodworking pieces. Or the painters don't understand how sewing can be an inspiration to a painting design. But I am realizing more and more that they are intertwined with each other and all part of the whole picture.

The more I think about this idea, the more excited I am about it. I am already imagining how I will pose and set my new little creatures so that I can paint them and use them for news series of patterns.

Over the next several months, you will see me meandering from one type of media to another. This will be part of the process I just described and I think and hope you will enjoy seeing this develop and that the adventure that I will be taking will also help inspire you all in your own creativity.

All along I have written this blog with the hope of inspiring others through sharing. If I just went through a cycle of "thinking/drawing/implementing" design after design, it may entertain you for a moment, but I am sure after a while it would be boring to you, as it would for me. By exploring new ideas and ways to create, I think it keeps us all excited and anxious to see just what is coming next.

So I will close with that today, and get to work on something new. I am still awaiting my 'creating supplies' for the new pieces. They should be here any day though and I promise to share them with you when I begin working with them.

I hope this will be fun and interesting for you all to see. I also hope it gets you thinking in other directions for creating things yourself. A whole world of fun awaits us all!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
 

Attachments

#11,118 ·
Originality - The Child of a Variety of Influences

As a designer, one thing that can sometimes be difficult is creating something that is totally "original". With all the information at our fingertips through sites like Google and Pinterest, the world is at our feet as far as seeing the creative work from others.

Many years ago, when I just began my crafting and designing career,I began designing my own original teddy bears. Besides wood, I love working with fabric and sewing and creating the bears was really one of the reasons that I began scroll sawing and painting in the first place. I had needed some wood 'props' for my stuffed bears, mice and bunnies and seeing the stuff that they offered at craft supplies like Michael's just didn't turn my crank. My friend Cari had a scroll saw and I was fascinated by it and I credit her with introducing me to the art form. It was so nice to be able to create my own props and accessories for my bears and animals and it allowed me to not be limited by what I could purchase. I quickly learned that taking raw materials and creating something myself would be the key to my own originality.

To make a long story short, one thing led to another and when I met the people from All American Crafts, they were as much impressed by my bears I was fortunate to have several of them published in Craftworks magazine. It really gave me some credibility as as designer and earned me some recognition.

I loved designing soft animals along with their clothing. There was such a beautiful array of fabric available to me living in the Chicago area that the sky was my limit. Not only did I design the dolls themselves, but I also completely designed their costumes. Usually I was inspired by a cut of fabric that I was able to obtain and went from there. I don't have many photos of my bears left, as digital photography was in its infancy back then, but recently I came across some photos that I had scanned onto the computer of one of my bears. This one is a gypsy and I was inspired to make her by the beautiful iridescent fabric that I created her skirt with:

Outerwear Doll Toy Dress Purple


White Toy Textile Pink Sleeve


Toy Pink Fawn Happy Cap


Toy Carnivore Dog breed Pink Sleeve


Seeing these photos reminded me that sometimes in order to create original designs, you need to go about it in a round about way.

Originality is important as a designer. One needs to develop their own style that will be recognized as their own. With all the information and resources that are now available to us, it is sometimes a difficult thing to do. We are all influenced by the things we see, and sometimes it is difficult to filter them out of our minds when we are setting out to creating something that is truly unique. At least it is for me.

I have wanted to do more painting patterns as well as scroll saw patterns. While I like to paint and draw cute characters, I find it difficult for me to just come up with things out of my head - I need a subject to draw from.

I am pretty good at drawing from looking at something. If I have something in front of me, then I can pretty much replicate it in just about any form. So that is to my advantage.

However, without a subject, I am not very good at drawing from my head. I have a friend who is an artist (well - several actually) and I have a great deal of admiration for them and what they do. They seem to be able to draw wonderfully from thin air. It is something that I really think is a talent.

So where is this all going?

I have come to a decision that I need (yes - NEED) to make some three dimensional models to use as subjects for some of my next designs. That way I can put them into situations and pose them and create cute patterns while remaining in my own comfort zone. It will also ensure that my own drawings will be completely original and not be a copy of someone elses' idea or drawings.

When writing and reading that, it sounds almost too simple, yet I realize it will be a complex process.

I always say how ALL the creative things that I do overlap each other. Sometimes the woodworkers don't understand how painting can help my ability to design woodworking pieces. Or the painters don't understand how sewing can be an inspiration to a painting design. But I am realizing more and more that they are intertwined with each other and all part of the whole picture.

The more I think about this idea, the more excited I am about it. I am already imagining how I will pose and set my new little creatures so that I can paint them and use them for news series of patterns.

Over the next several months, you will see me meandering from one type of media to another. This will be part of the process I just described and I think and hope you will enjoy seeing this develop and that the adventure that I will be taking will also help inspire you all in your own creativity.

All along I have written this blog with the hope of inspiring others through sharing. If I just went through a cycle of "thinking/drawing/implementing" design after design, it may entertain you for a moment, but I am sure after a while it would be boring to you, as it would for me. By exploring new ideas and ways to create, I think it keeps us all excited and anxious to see just what is coming next.

So I will close with that today, and get to work on something new. I am still awaiting my 'creating supplies' for the new pieces. They should be here any day though and I promise to share them with you when I begin working with them.

I hope this will be fun and interesting for you all to see. I also hope it gets you thinking in other directions for creating things yourself. A whole world of fun awaits us all!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!
Good morning Sheila,
I am looking forward to see the new direction that you are going in. I am always amazed by your creativity and how it all relates to each other.
Rick
 

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#11,125 ·
Organizational Triumphs

Once again I got the urge to organize things.

Seeing as I was kind of in between projects, it seemed like as good a time as any. Since we are already half way through November, seeing my little 'All Season Tree' adorned it Halloween ornaments began to kind of bother me. While I loved how it looked, it was just time to put them away until next year. So I went to the basement and retrieved the containers that I stored my Halloween items in and packed everything away.

I still have my autumn wreath at my entry way, and I left the orange lights on the tree, as well as the autumn leaf garland, but it looks a little bare now and I made a note to myself that by next year I will have to create some lovely Thanksgiving and autumn ornaments for it for that time between Halloween and Christmas decorating. Little by little things will get done.

I do have some lovely autumn items that I enjoy. I love decorating for each season, as it really makes our place look cozy and nice. Since we live in a small place, it doesn't take more than a few items to give things a festive look. Having too much would be too cluttered, I think - especially when we are working here many days. I like to put things away (naturally) when we are scroll sawing or doing anything that would make dust. Keeping things to a minimum makes that nice and easy.

I found my Autumn Pumpkins candle tray in my "Autumn" container:

Food Tableware Table Ingredient Cuisine


It has always been one of my favorites. I do keep some of the designs that I like best. This one I tinted only the pumpkins using DecoArt's Staining and Antiquing Medium and acrylic paint. I think that it is "just enough" color and still allows the pretty grain of the maple to show through:

Human body Neck Wood Art Pattern


The tray looks lovely with a pretty orange candle and the beautiful table runner that my Auntie Dorothy made for us. It really makes things look nice and festive and if I need the table for working, it only takes a second to fold the runner and move the candle aside. (That's my kind of decorating!)

After I cleared out the Halloween items, I decided to keep going. I wound up sorting all the closets and reorganizing some of my supplies. My little elf Edgar helped me with that:

Toy Beard Art Event Hat


We labeled all of my boxes because I seem to have quite a few and I forget what is in each. I didn't want to write on the pretty boxes, so I made little cards that I 'gently' taped on. This way if I change what I want to store in them, I only have to pull the cards off and add a new one. I do this with all of my boxes and find it works very well.

I am really proud of my organization here. Since the beginning of summer when my landlord gave me a corner of her basement, I have really enjoyed keeping things in order. I had purchased probably about 6-8 semi-sheer plastic containers of the same size to keep my seasonal things in. I didn't get the extra large ones because then they are too heavy for me to carry when they are full. I think that this is an important thing to consider when reorganizing. Our tendencies would be to go for the biggest containers, but then I find it is not only harder for me to pick up as I mentioned, but also so much stuff gets put in them that things get lost or broken. A good medium sized container is the best.

I also keep one (or two, if necessary) for each season. While some may be only half full, it still makes things much, much easier to find and store. When switching seasons, you only need to bring two containers up at a time - one for the season you are packing away, and one for the next season. Things get put away very neatly and you always know right where everything is. It is a wonderful system and I promise to take a photo when I swap out the Autumn things for Christmas. It only takes up a small amount of space and since the containers are not very heavy, I can stack them five or more high and retrieve them by myself.

It does PAY to keep things in order.

My closets are also all wonderfully organized. Those pretty boxes that Keith teases me about buying from Winners and Michael's and so forth are absolutely wonderful to keep all of my different supplies in. They are strong and well-made and they are not unattractive so that if I have them out for a day or two while I am working on a particular project, they aren't messy looking or an eyesore. (I have to get MORE - but don't tell anyone! I am a box hoarder I think!)

Nothing feels better than having all of your supplies in order. And believe it or not - even though we have a small place, there is room to spare! There are some half empty shelves and room for projects in progress or additional supplies. The trick here is to keep up with things and take an hour or so every so often to re-organize and make sure that things are in order. (AND to get rid of the things you don't need! I LOVE donating and giving away my finished projects to people who appreciate them! I give them to friends and family and what is left I donate to help the feral cats in our area. It is far better than packing things away and allowing them to be damaged or ruined! It gives me a good feeling to help them too!)

By the time I finished, it was almost dinner. I wound up spending an hour or so cutting out orders and getting things ready to mail today. I didn't get much designing done, but I still had a very nice and fulfilling day.

Today I will be working on a new painting design. As I sit here this morning, I am basking in my nice clean and organized home. I feel like I am in a good place and ready to work on a new design. I really feel good about things.

It is foggy here today. Still warm for the season. But from what I hear, the cold weather is on its way. Before long I will be parking my Mustang for the duration and spending much more time here at home. I don't mind though - I am prepared.

After the holiday yesterday, it is hard to believe it is Wednesday. It feels more like a Monday to me. Soon the weekend will be here again. Time moves much too quickly!

I wish you all a wonderful day!
 

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#11,126 ·
Organizational Triumphs

Once again I got the urge to organize things.

Seeing as I was kind of in between projects, it seemed like as good a time as any. Since we are already half way through November, seeing my little 'All Season Tree' adorned it Halloween ornaments began to kind of bother me. While I loved how it looked, it was just time to put them away until next year. So I went to the basement and retrieved the containers that I stored my Halloween items in and packed everything away.

I still have my autumn wreath at my entry way, and I left the orange lights on the tree, as well as the autumn leaf garland, but it looks a little bare now and I made a note to myself that by next year I will have to create some lovely Thanksgiving and autumn ornaments for it for that time between Halloween and Christmas decorating. Little by little things will get done.

I do have some lovely autumn items that I enjoy. I love decorating for each season, as it really makes our place look cozy and nice. Since we live in a small place, it doesn't take more than a few items to give things a festive look. Having too much would be too cluttered, I think - especially when we are working here many days. I like to put things away (naturally) when we are scroll sawing or doing anything that would make dust. Keeping things to a minimum makes that nice and easy.

I found my Autumn Pumpkins candle tray in my "Autumn" container:

Food Tableware Table Ingredient Cuisine


It has always been one of my favorites. I do keep some of the designs that I like best. This one I tinted only the pumpkins using DecoArt's Staining and Antiquing Medium and acrylic paint. I think that it is "just enough" color and still allows the pretty grain of the maple to show through:

Human body Neck Wood Art Pattern


The tray looks lovely with a pretty orange candle and the beautiful table runner that my Auntie Dorothy made for us. It really makes things look nice and festive and if I need the table for working, it only takes a second to fold the runner and move the candle aside. (That's my kind of decorating!)

After I cleared out the Halloween items, I decided to keep going. I wound up sorting all the closets and reorganizing some of my supplies. My little elf Edgar helped me with that:

Toy Beard Art Event Hat


We labeled all of my boxes because I seem to have quite a few and I forget what is in each. I didn't want to write on the pretty boxes, so I made little cards that I 'gently' taped on. This way if I change what I want to store in them, I only have to pull the cards off and add a new one. I do this with all of my boxes and find it works very well.

I am really proud of my organization here. Since the beginning of summer when my landlord gave me a corner of her basement, I have really enjoyed keeping things in order. I had purchased probably about 6-8 semi-sheer plastic containers of the same size to keep my seasonal things in. I didn't get the extra large ones because then they are too heavy for me to carry when they are full. I think that this is an important thing to consider when reorganizing. Our tendencies would be to go for the biggest containers, but then I find it is not only harder for me to pick up as I mentioned, but also so much stuff gets put in them that things get lost or broken. A good medium sized container is the best.

I also keep one (or two, if necessary) for each season. While some may be only half full, it still makes things much, much easier to find and store. When switching seasons, you only need to bring two containers up at a time - one for the season you are packing away, and one for the next season. Things get put away very neatly and you always know right where everything is. It is a wonderful system and I promise to take a photo when I swap out the Autumn things for Christmas. It only takes up a small amount of space and since the containers are not very heavy, I can stack them five or more high and retrieve them by myself.

It does PAY to keep things in order.

My closets are also all wonderfully organized. Those pretty boxes that Keith teases me about buying from Winners and Michael's and so forth are absolutely wonderful to keep all of my different supplies in. They are strong and well-made and they are not unattractive so that if I have them out for a day or two while I am working on a particular project, they aren't messy looking or an eyesore. (I have to get MORE - but don't tell anyone! I am a box hoarder I think!)

Nothing feels better than having all of your supplies in order. And believe it or not - even though we have a small place, there is room to spare! There are some half empty shelves and room for projects in progress or additional supplies. The trick here is to keep up with things and take an hour or so every so often to re-organize and make sure that things are in order. (AND to get rid of the things you don't need! I LOVE donating and giving away my finished projects to people who appreciate them! I give them to friends and family and what is left I donate to help the feral cats in our area. It is far better than packing things away and allowing them to be damaged or ruined! It gives me a good feeling to help them too!)

By the time I finished, it was almost dinner. I wound up spending an hour or so cutting out orders and getting things ready to mail today. I didn't get much designing done, but I still had a very nice and fulfilling day.

Today I will be working on a new painting design. As I sit here this morning, I am basking in my nice clean and organized home. I feel like I am in a good place and ready to work on a new design. I really feel good about things.

It is foggy here today. Still warm for the season. But from what I hear, the cold weather is on its way. Before long I will be parking my Mustang for the duration and spending much more time here at home. I don't mind though - I am prepared.

After the holiday yesterday, it is hard to believe it is Wednesday. It feels more like a Monday to me. Soon the weekend will be here again. Time moves much too quickly!

I wish you all a wonderful day!
Sounds like you and Edgar are having a productive day today. As for the cold weather, where I live, it's like somebody simply flipped a switch that turned Autumn off, and Winter on. There's snow on the mountains, and we've dropped about 10° to 15°C within the past 3 days.
Love the idea of your "All Season Tree".
 

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