Boo To You!

I've been doing lots and lots of Halloween dots!

All of these have been shipped out. I hope they all find a happy home for this Halloween holiday! Thanks to you all!

More Teachers!

I finished this big batch of teacher canvases and thought I was done for a while, but the school orders keep rolling in. It's a good thing! No, it's a great thing! Thank you all so much! Since I am a teacher, I have a warm, happy feeling every time I get the opportunity to brighten up a classroom.
This sweet little hot pink and zebra print canvas would really match my classroom! Cute and perfect for those small spaces!

The classic red apple will always be popular. This one is adorable with the rainbow dots and gingham ribbon.

I rarely get the time to paint canvases as gifts. I made the time for a special principal friend all the way over in Japan. He has already emailed me that he immediately hung it outside his office and loves it. Woo hoo!

Amanda Lance at WCMS sent me a picture of her brightly colored door and wanted something made to match. Since the door was already so colorful, I left the background white and added the flowers and some rhinestones.

Finally, some rainbow dots with some super cute black lettering and ribbon. I think this might be my favorite design, but I keep changing my mind! Maybe that's why i don't have one in my room yet!

Thank you so much, teachers! Have a fabulous school year!

A New Look and a Project

I'm loving fall and this cooler weather and even the rain! I asked Jennisa at Once Upon a Blog to give my header a little fall makeover. I just love what she did! Today I am giving a tutorial on how to make wooden chalkboards - since it is my day off and all!

I have painted several of these for the Street Fair and have just had a ball with all of the possibilities. The larger ones with diamonds are planned for kitchens. How cute would it be to post your menu for the night in chalk? The smaller ones are designed for girls' bedroom doors. I love the idea of your little one getting write her "status" for all to see. She could put "studying" or "cleaning my room" or "no boys allowed"! Lauren is hoping that there will be one that doesn't sell!

1. I stumbled across these thin, flat sheets of wood in the Wal-Mart craft department. They are so cheap that I'm not even going tell you how much! I bought several of the small ones and two of the large ones. The large ones even have nice beveled edges. Lightly sand them and clean off all of the dust. Then paint them with two coats of white paint. This gives you a nice smooth painting surface.





2. Mark off your chalkboard space with a pencil and ruler. Choose the color for the edges around the chalkboard and apply two coats. Be sure to go around the sides as well!





3. Add any background details, like the diamonds on these.





4. The actual chalkboard paint is also available at Wal-Mart and most other craft stores. I even saw dry erase board paint at Lowe's. I'm going to have to check that out! Just follow the direction on the bottle. I did three coats.





5. Once that is good and dry, it's time for the fun part - details! Now you can do any lettering, ribbon, rhinestones, etc. that will make your chalkboard your own!





What takes the longest on these is the drying time between each coat. Be patient! I am so excited to be presenting all of these at the Autumn Street Fair on October 1. After that, I am hoping to get some more ready to go for your Christmas shopping!





Enjoy you day off, too!

Pumpkins!

My orange bottle of paint has taken a serious hit in the past couple of weeks! Not only have I been painting pumpkins for the Street Fair, but also as gifts and to fill orders. I've got lots of pumpkins saved up to show you this fall.

All of these are 8x10's and cost $25.00. I did the top two for some sweet couples from our church who are getting married. Now they have something personalized for the front door of their new homes. I love the polka dotted ribbon!

This one I did just have as stock - but I have to admit that it stayed on my front door after I took the picture! I'm set until December 1!

Tis the Season...

...well, almost! It is time for me to start getting ready for the season anyway. I am working on things for my Autumn Street Fair booth and have had a few holiday orders. This one went out to new customer, Lianna. I thought it turned out so pretty! How cute does that look on my front door?

One of these went out to my regular customer, Michaela. She's getting a jump on her Christmas wish list! The other one (along with lots and lots more!) will be available at the Street Fair on October 1.

Thanks so much, ladies, for helping me get in the mood for winter!

Spreading Myself Thin

That's how I feel right now...spread thin. I know you all don't want me to run through a list of all the things going on in my life right now. I know you all have the same busy lives and completely understand.



I am going to stop taking orders from now until October 1. That basically gives me the month of September to get caught up on that list and make up some stock for the Autumn Street Fair. My etsy site is on vacation mode!



Take that time to get your holiday wish lists ready for me! Please make plans to come to the Street Fair in downtown McMinnville. I promise to have lots of cute new designs and some old favorites. I'll continue to update the blog and facebook so check back often!



Thank you!!

Summer Breeze

I am in Oak Ridge this weekend for a baseball tournament. People ask if Carter is just now finishing up his season. The answer is no, he is playing fall ball this year with a team based in Sparta. There are several friends from McMinnville on the same team. We are really enjoying it! Carter needed continued regular exercise from his bout with pneumonia and loves baseball so it was a perfect fit.

It feels like summer just got a little longer for us! The weather this weekend is warm and sunny. We visited the hotel pool. We've all got "ball park tans". We've been eating Hawaiian Ices. Mmm....summer!

Debbie Haley is also extending her summer with this weathered "summer breeze" canvas. She design the font, layout, and colors. She also requested the weathered - not necessarily antiqued - look. I love it!