A Little Project for a Winter's Afternoon...

Here's a fairly quick project!

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Remember the green shutters (actually an old bi-fold door)

that I used behind my vintage chair and "caged" ornaments?

They've been on the front porch ever since, just kind of a backdrop

for the houseplants' summer home...

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Here's that photo from last year...

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I had been thinking for a while that I'd like to have a backdrop



of some sort behind the cabinet in my entryway...



There's just an open stairway behind it, and I thought it would be nice



to have something I could hang a wreath on, maybe.



So, I finally got the broom and swept all the spider webs off the shutters...



At first I was going to give them a little better base coat ~



(more of that "30s" green I love)



as it was actually warm enough earlier this week to spray-paint outside,



but it was just a bit too windy...more 30s-green was



getting on me than the wood. ;)

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So, I just dragged them indoors and started experimenting.

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I used Liquitex Soft Body Acrylic in Light Blue Violet



and Lumierre Metallic Bronze Acrylic and started



dry-brushing with a 1" brush.



As long as you don't use too much paint, there is really no wrong way to dry-brush.



You can begin with just barely brushing paint on an edge here and there,



then you can get more bold as less paint is left on the brush...



(also remember to brush a few strokes on a paper towel first to remove excess paint).



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You can always just go back over an area if you want to change it...



I like cross-hatching brushstrokes...



and there is very little drying-time...the dry-brush technique itself



helps the acrylic dry very quickly.



I think I like this!

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Here 's my finished "wintery" scene...



I just wasn't ready to put the snowmen away yet!

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The Crossword Anagrams letters are from my childhood ~ I just  recently "re-found"



them and thought they could be fun...for all seasons! :)

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That's all for now...



More soon!



(I'll be away for a few days but hope to catch up with everyone shortly...



thank you for "hanging in there" with me!)



Love,

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Oh, Such a Bad Blogger!

I told myself I wasn't even going to begin by saying anything about resolutions...

 it's over two weeks into 2014

(how did that happen?)

 and I am just now wishing you all a Happy New Year...

I hope it's going well for everyone!

Why is it that I put off things that I love doing?

♥

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I identify so well with this fellow!

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My good friend Ardeth sent me this cute kitty New Year's card...



Love it!

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And, I promised pictures of some of my animal-portrait ornaments,



so even though it is late, late, late...



(Or extremely early, depending on how you look at it)



I'll still post some pictures ~ :)



Hope you like them...I just love doing these ornaments!



Let's just pretend I'm really on the ball for 2014!



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Here's my painting set-up...satin glass ornaments and acrylic paints.

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I begin by lightly sketching in the face using a liner brush



 with thinned white acrylic.



This is my Tallulah ~ ♥



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Then I blocked in the main colors...



White always takes several coats!



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Leo, contemplating art and life...



and wondering why it's 'Lulah on the ornament!



(It looks like he's just drained the shot glass, doesn't it?



Those little glasses are perfect ornament-holders!)



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Making progress on Tallulah's ornament...

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Finished!

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Here are a couple of sweet canines..



Since I wasn't familiar with these fellows,



I did more detailed preliminary sketches before actually painting on the ornaments.

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Here's one of the finished pups...this is Kody ~ ♥



I'll also be adding house-portrait ornaments for 2014 :)

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Now, I'm actually going to do a second post with a little project I just finished!



Stay tuned!



I'm going to leave you with a few photos from Christmas...



hope all of you had a merry, blessed one!

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I didn't really have a plan for decorating this year...



I was so busy with commissions, and there had been so much going on...



Somehow little vintage toys just gathered themselves together...;)



and I decided that they were as good a theme as any...♥

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I know, there's a LOT of stuff...



When it was finished it kind of reminded me of a Christmas "I Spy" book



Jonathan had when he was little....

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The Crossword Anagram letters are from my childhood...



The truck was Nelson's, and the little iron was my mom's...as were the story books.



(Except "Alice", I got that when I was little.)

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The china doll, toy kitchen utensils and miniature furniture were also my mom's.

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The little vintage Santa belonged to husband Nelson's mother...



a birthday candle just fits in his holder ~ :)

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Antique German chocolate molds...many from my dear friends Elaine and Wendy. ♥♥♥

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An Ino Schaller belsnickle...in lavender...love him!

The celluloid reindeer has red rhinestone eyes...♥

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I filled my sleigh with all vintage glass ornaments...there's a Santa lightbulb,




twisted tin icicles, aluminum bells (also Nelson's mom's) and my little Woolworth's Nativity, too,




still in its original box (29 cents) in there, too!




Have a wonderful weekend, all!









Love,






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