Home Decorating with Art

I started decorating recently,  making tiny changes.
Here are pictures that show what I did. I love crates as book shelves. Gives my place a little country, in the city. Country never leaves, even though I am now a city girl.

Sand crates. I bought these at a craft store.

Pick your stain color. Mine is navy.

I found using one brush for staining then the other for smoothing it for a shabby look.

This corner of my dining area has not been decorated. I hide my laptop on this tv tray, but I know I could do better. 

Strangly this is not a photo bomb. Luna gave me a great idea.

These cook books are my aunt's, and the storage was also my aunt's. I brought this home from Tennessee.

So, I look the crates and stacked them. Put the books on it. Placed it in the corner of my dining area and used my aunt's scarf to decorate the top. With my Eiffel tower and cast iron teapot.

Nope not photo bomb, instead this made me laugh. Foxy is worried, because the cat food was in here.

But it is now in my aunt's storage box, hidden in a pretty box now as a piece of art!

And that's being creative with what you have.

The total cost was $30. Two crates and stain and brushes. 

Sewing On

I have recently got my hands on an unfinished cross stitch that is the size for a full size bed.

My mom began this years ago. It was stored at my aunt's for about 15 years.

I am determined to finish this. It has some stains on it. I will be looking in every store to find a way to remove set in stains.

If you wonder where I am, I will be sewing! 

Repurpose Calendar

Today I needed to be in the art studio. I couldn't find any media that I wanted to use. It was a day of sorrow and tears.

I had this calendar that I loved, I decided to paste the calendar pictures onto a canvas.

I used 6"x6" canvas

This is the calendar I used. (Thanks Maggy)

Supplies needed are mod podge, glue, calendar pictures, canvas-size depends on your canvas 

Also needed are a ruler and xacto knife.

Maybe a cat is needed to get in your way as you wanted to take pictures. 

Cut the pictures out and glue onto the canvas.  After it dries put a layer of mod podge over it to seal. Then if you want paint the sides of the canvas.

Since my cat was on the drying table, here are the finished results, taken on a not so pleasing table.

She likes to be near me when I am in tears. She might sleep all day. But she knows when I am sad.  And who could move her when she's such a good cat? 

Dreaming A Little Dream

 

 

As an artist we look for the "right" the "perfect" places, feelings and situations to explore.  I was thinking about a dream that I had but somehow through life's ups and downs, I ignored it.  My dream is to have a small house, whether a bungalow or cottage in the forest.  (kinda like Snowwhite)

 

 

 

The house would be tucked away, where a person must be in such a solitude state to only stumble on this house.

 

 

To be in my own world and discover nature differently than I do now.

 

 

To talk to my nature friends, even though I already do.  But wouldn't that be cool to have them sitting this close as Snow white did?

 

 

So, as I was dreaming, I painted what this house would look like, using watercolor paints. 

 

 

 Now would my ending of this dream have Prince Charming carry me away and fall madly in love with me?

 

To be determined.

Painting with Attraction

 

 

 

Yesterday was the first day of 2016.  It was a day, where my motivation and energy was extremely low.  So I decided to stay inside and paint on a canvas.  I played a video about positive thinking and the MetaPhysical Secret-Law of Attraction while I painted.  I needed to clear my mind and think about what I would like to work on this year.  I am not really focused on loosing weight (I have been without trying) and I don't want to focus on saving money (because when you have student loans, a car payment and mortgage and credit bills to pay, haha that's funny, save money) I want to do better thinking about how I do spend what I have.  But besides those typical goals, I was looking to go deeper.

 

 

 

 

 

As I listened to this film, I noticed that I need to be more optimistic and go for higher goals.  I tend to limit my goals.  So the big goal is to publish an art book.  I have been drawing pictures of animals and thought about putting it into an adult coloring book, since this is the rage in America right now.  But I want to go further, I want to write a story and illustrate it.  I thought about stories with having to take care of yourself (digging from my mental health counselor background) then I thought about a media and techniques book about art therapy. 

 

Which one do I like the most: the drawings of animals and put them into a story.

 

So now I need to spend some money on a graphic computer to put this into production!  I want to take this step, but something is still blocking me.  As the film explains, It is myself that is blocking me.

 

Back to the creating part of this blog, the painting I was making while thinking about my dream  goals was this:  I randomly placed colors of paint and placed them on the canvas.  There was no sketch, no pre-thought about how this painting should look.  It was all about expression.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The canvas became too wet to add more, so I relaxed then later in the evening fell ill to a sinus cold.  As I am posting this, my head is throbbing and all I want is a vanilla milkshake to soothe my throat.  So the painting remains until I return to listen to more about the law of attraction videos that are on Youtube. 

 

Ask, Believe, Receive

&

Dream Big

Caroline

 

 

Stitching to the New Year

 

 

The last day of 2015 was a day of calming and laziness.  It was getting cold and freezing drizzle, so it makes leaving a warm colorful home not realistic. So I curled up in my blankets, put on HGTV programs and watched Caribbean homes. While my cats and dog slept.  I decided I will retire in Barbados, blame the show for that! 

 

I have been working on a new blanket, not sure why, I just felt like it.  I decided to pick white and blue and gray as the yearn colors.  Not sure why either.  It just looked calming to me.

 

I only know one stitch for crochet... a slip stitch. (however, I think this stitch is named something else, but I don't remember) I learned it from a nice elderly lady, when I worked at the nursing home, she said it is simple and that I will always remember how to do it) I will try to learn a new stitch sometime, but I really like the look of this stitch.  It is close together and has a elegant and simple look to it. It reminds me of French knots in embroidery. 

 

below: (the green blanket is the one I recently finished)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Happy New Year. Welcome to 2016-Be nice to us!!!

 

Caroline 

Painting Thoughts in Watercolor

 

 

Paintings using watercolor. 

 

The concept is about thoughts in a bubble. When stressors increase we go into a bubble and form thoughts that only the self can hear.  When those thoughts are constantly cycling they wind up making bubbles of thoughts in your mind.  Those thoughts can be good or bad.  But once you nurture those thoughts, use care in those thoughts and let them deliver the "right" message, then growth begins.