Crosses & The Art of Distressing

I have been busy, busy lately with some fun projects! I just got done with 2 Distressed Crosses that turned out really great! I'm never sure if the colors chosen are going to turn out well when distressing, but these worked beautifully!

I have had lots of questions about distressing, and all I can say is that it takes time! There are lots of different layers involved to get that really aged look, so if you just want a little distressing, it isn't so time consuming. The red cross has 6 layers and then 3 glaze coats, and the green cross has 8 layers and 3 glaze coats! Whew...that's lots of painting!





I also did a new sign for our house! I needed a new one! It is also distressed, to match the rest of our house which is all rock and wood.


Then I did another canvas painting of a Cross. I don't think I've posted pics of this one yet, but if I have...forgive me, I'm a little scatter brained right now!

Now I know my ABC's

I found this super cute little wooden ABC puzzle the other day, and I just couldn't resist getting it make it adorable for little Lyla. I had fun thinking of different ideas of what to do with this one. I think it turned out really cute, and way more girly than the traditional little learning puzzles!

Each letter has my own special glitter glaze, with 3 extra coats of clear glaze to give it a little extra pop!

And then I also painted this sweet little canvas picture frame for Lyla's room too!

Bow Hangers

My sister-in-law, Amy is having a baby girl {Lyla} in early September, and she has been going crazy getting her room all ready. One of my contributions to this is a bow hanger. Now since I made one for the baby, I knew I'd have to make one for big sister Avery too, so they both got pretty new bow hangers! Caroline & Avery had to do the modeling for the pictures, it was quite comical...you'll see!










Amy went straight home and hung them in their rooms...with bows!

Baby Oh Baby

Caroline's teacher and her husband are expecting a little girl in the near future, and of course Caroline is thrilled! She adores, I mean absolutely adores her teacher, and is always painting or coloring for her. So, Caroline decided that I just had to make some burp clothes and a wall hanging for the new baby. I kindly obliged, as I also adore Caroline's teacher, Mrs. B.

So, I let Caroline go to my fabric stash and pick out the fabric she wanted me to use, so she would feel like she was part of the process. I think they turned out really well, actually, pretty stinking cute, if I do say so myself!




I got such a sweet thank-you note from Mrs. B, and the funniest thing was in there. She told me that the pink paisley fabric was the fabric they were using for the nursery! How crazy is that? What a really great coincidence!

And then of course, here is the wall hanging, made to match the fabric also, once I knew that was what Mrs. B. was using!




And I really wish I knew why blogger kept turning this stinking picture sideways! Any ideas?

Just For Fun!

Do you ever just get something in the mail, or an email, or phone call that just brightens your day? I love that feeling, but most of all, I love passing that feeling onto others! There really is something to be said for "random acts of kindness", which is something my mom passed on to me.

Sometimes I used to get mad because she was so involved in church, book clubs, a teen crisis center, teaching, and a list of other things, but I didn't realize at the time what she was doing for people. I have never hidden that I was a somewhat spoiled child/teen, and I demanded a lot. I have so many regrets about that, but I have always loved people. I was always willing to help my mom with her things and I did always get a great joy out of it, I just didn't get why she had to do it. Now I do. And, there are times when Caroline wants me, and I'm in the middle of something and tell her to hang on, and I see the same frustration with me that I had for my mom...talk about coming full circle! But at the same time, she already does for people, just like I learned from my mom, and that to me is a blessing. She loves making things for her friends, family, teachers, and she loves helping people. Donating time, money, walking for a cause...it does my heart good!

All this to say that I wanted to brighten a few peoples day that have already brightened mine through their blogs. Plus...I love to paint! So, here are a few canvases that I did just for fun!

Fort Thompson

The Drama Mama

MckMama

Canvas, Canvas, Everywhere

Some of these may be duplicates, I'm not sure, and I really don't have the time to go back through past posts to check! So, if I bore you with some old pictures, forgive me...please?

4x6 Name Canvas

Home Decor

4x6 Initial Canvas

5x7 Baby's Room

Bathroom

4x6 Initial Canvas

9x12 Name Canvas

11x14 Name Canvas

Name Canvas

My New Shop!

I finally caved in and got an Etsy shop! I know, I know...it's about time! I don't have it completely set-up yet, so you'll have to bear with me while its under going a transformation. So, when you get a chance, stop by Carolina Sunshine Designs on Etsy!