"Art Girls"....Some of My Favorite Things

This is a photo of our 'front' bathroom....and for some reason unbeknownst to me....I decided today was a good day to show you these photos.  These are some of what I call my "Art Girls."  Most of them created by two of my favorite bloggers.  So, let me tell you about them.  Actually, you probably already know these artists, but you may not have seen these particular pieces.

This first small piece was painted by one of my favorite bloggers...Sharon Tomlinson.  I love her wonderful faces.  This one is an original and was painted on a 'page' from a child's board book.  Don't you love her too? 

Then, there is this beauty....another of Sharon's original pieces.  I just had to have her....Sharon taught me how to use decorative paper napkins in mixed media pieces.  And, gave me encouragement in trying that technique out for myself.  I am grateful, as I've enjoyed many hours 'playing around' with lovely paper and paper napkins.  If you've never visited her blog....you will learn something from her and enjoy it too....so why not check out what she does HERE.  Sharon lives not very far from where I grew up....tell her I sent you.  You will love her faces too!

These two pieces were created by Kelly Rae Roberts.  My daughter knows I love Kelly Rae's artwork, which is licensed and found in stores everywhere....so occasionally, I am gifted with a piece of her work.  Lucky me!!!  And, I also like it because my own daughter is also named Kelly! You can read all about Kelly Rae and her work Here.

This beautiful mirror was given to me by my daughter for Christmas.  It's quite wonderful...and I just had to hang it in this room with the other 'art girl' pieces...even though this one doesn't have a girl on it.  I love it hanging here and think the knobs are just great and the perfect place to hang some 'jewels.'  Reflected in the mirror is the opposite side of the vanity in this bathroom...more on that as we go.   This piece makes me smile....and I really enjoy the green frame around the mirror....as you all know...it's my favorite color~

This piece is one of my own creations.  Not on the level of Sharon's and Kelly's....but helped along by the inspiration I have received from their work.  Scrapbooking paper, text from a book or two, paper napkin roses, and vines hand drawn....I did enjoy making this.  Oh, the heading..."Thursday, April 16, 1916", was taken from a vintage ledger from my son-in-law's family store.  There were several ledgers...some over a hundred years old.  My son-in-law has kept the really nice ones for safekeeping, but there were some that were falling apart...those he gave to me.  I have used pieces of them on several different canvases so far.

 

This piece was such fun for me to create....just playing around with my chosen 'ingredients' and seeing what I could come up with.  I even used crystals for this lady's earrings.

  

This small piece of Kelly Rae's is so cute.  Another gift. 

As you may remember, around here, they call me the Queen of Everything.

A close up of this dear girl....Sharon...so inspiring!!

And, the Butterfly lady again....my name for her, not Sharon's.  She's quite lovely....I wonder what she is thinking?

 And, again...the mirror.  such FUN!!!

 Another girl from Kelly Rae.....delightful!  I also love the colors she has used.

 

This one is just great......and reminds me of Valentine's Day!!!   Love that tiny heart!

 

 Now these have nothing to do with the Art Girls....they just exist in the same room with them. And, since they appear in the same photo at the beginning of this post...though I'd show them too, as they truly are some of my 'favorite things' too.

 

 A little 'birdbath' with a tiny glass cloche....holding things dear to my heart.  That tiny handmade basket was given to me long, long ago by a friend.....no longer here, but not forgotten.  Little handstitched buttons there too.....so vintage...so sweet and delicate!  LOVE!

In my house (and out in my backyard studio also) you will find buttons in all kinds of containers and in all kinds of odd places.  I discovered this old jar a while back in my local flea market.....it just screamed 'buttons' to me!

And, this is the view in that mirror - given to me by my friend, Jim.  A lady embroidering.  Now, where would he have gotten that idea?

This little girl just had to be hung in this room with all my 'art girls.'  She's an old print...yes, from the flea market.  She reminds me of my niece, Gina.  A grown-up now...but I still see her in my mind at this age.  Both are beautiful!  And, yes, a real bird nest....and egg!

So, there you are!  Two of my favorite artist's work....for me to see as often as I'd like....wonderful!

Visit their blogs...you'll enjoy the visit!!!  Take care, pat

"Come Sit with Me"

I've been thinking about this blog post for days and days...trying to figure out what I wanted to say.
As usual, though, I finally just start typing and out comes whatever is in 'there' trying to get out.  I'm sure sometimes you are wondering just what I am saying.  Me too.  The beginning might be a good place to start....I found this photo of a settee in a magazine ad and just loved it, so cut it out with my tiny little paper cutting scissors...even the binoculars.  In the ad, they were on the ground.  One day, I was painting over a 14 inch x 14 inch canvas I had previously made a mess of and it became this background.  Next, I just sat that little settee on the canvas...and that is where I got the idea for this piece of art.

It had to have birds.  You know that.  And, leaves...either sewn or cut out of paper.  In this case, I painted some book pages and cut the leaves out freehand.  As you have seen here before, I made a rubber stamp of a bird outline and have used it several times by painting in the bird colors.  I'm not so good at it, but it's fun and that is all that matters.  I used Gel Medium to attach the leaves.  Yes, drew the tree too.  I'm not really an artist, I just pretend to be one for fun, and as with the birds, all I care about is that you realize the trees ARE trees!

 

The butterflies were cut from scrapbooking paper.  They seem to be a recurring theme in these mixed media pieces too.  Do you notice all those colored dots?  I don't know why they are there except that I have that cute 'dot rubber stamp' and love adding them all over and in different colors.  You'll notice them on several of my other pieces too.

And, then, I like to include quotes and other written words when I'm in the mood.  I couldn't find anything suitable for this piece, so I made this up.  It says:

"COME SIT WITH ME...WE WILL SPEAK OF MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS....FEEL THE
BREEZE SOFTLY BLOWING AND MAKE A LOVELY MEMORY."   pat eaton

Yeah, I wrote that myself.  It felt right, so once again, I didn't worry whether it was good or not, just that I meant it.  And, I had to ask myself....who was I saying that to?  After a while, it came to me, I wrote that to YOU.  I think of you often and think it would be wonderful if we all could sit and make memories....oh, yeah....I guess we do...for isn't that one of the things blogging allows us to do...'speak' to each other?

So, what would we speak of under this tree?  I've no idea, but I know it would be an important conversation, after all....I think we really are each other's therapists.  In a way.  Well, I know I receive comments from some of you and they make my day.  Hopefully, I say something that will help make your day and in that way....well, we make life a little easier for each other.  Don't you think?  I try to keep my posts on the lighter side of life so you won't be depressed when you leave here.  I'd like you to visit often.  And, it makes me feel good to do it.

                                               

It reminds me of something a quilting friend said to me many years ago.  We were having a serious talk and I said I just wish I knew why I was here.  She told me  "You are here to make life easier for everyone else."  I remember thinking "why ME?"  Evidently, I'm still living all these years to discover the why. And, I have to say, I guess - "why NOT me?"   Maybe this blogging thing came to me as a way to spread something good around.  I'd be all over that, to tell you the truth!  Not that I can manage it each and every post....but I'm touching base with you and you seem to be in lots of places over the planet.  And, that's a really great thing!  So, the why of it all is that the planet is small, and we are all on it together.  It's fun knowing we can communicate.  It does make life more interesting to me....and I hope it does for YOU.

And, this leads me to my final  'story.'  (You know by now there is always another story.)  It has to do with making life easier.  That comment worried me for quite a while.  After all, it is quite a heavy thought to imagine yourself making life easier for everyone else.  Very heavy, in fact - impossible.  So, I have tried to do my best even though I realize my efforts come up short.  Being human, I know my best is all I can do.  Being someone who isn't perfect....there is this little addtional bit of a story:

A few years ago, I was asked to show some of my quilts to friends of a friend.  I took three or four of my best quilts to her place of business and there they were...several of her friends, strangers to me.  They looked at the quilts, some admired them, some were quiet, and one of them said this - "YOU HAVE TOO  MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS AND SHOULD COME CLEAN MY HOUSE." At that very moment.......

 

                             I KNEW I didn't have to make life easier for absolutely EVERYONE.

So, rest assured, I choose to do my best for YOU....my blogging friends...and I thank you for all your visits to this blog!  take care, pat

"MAKE OF YOURSELF A LIGHT" said the Buddha before he died.   mary oliver

That Funky Chair

In my last post, I said I'd next show you something 'crazy' and here it is.  A regular sized kitchen chair I purchased from a flea market in Beebe, Arkansas, a couple of weeks ago.  When I saw it there, it made me smile.  So, I hope you smile too!  I did sit on it in the flea market to 'try it out,' and it seemed pretty sturdy,  but I wouldn't want to sit on it for very long, as there are support pieces missing on the front and back legs, but here is what I thought when I first laid my eyes on it:

We could put it in the downtown studio and use it for an easel!  Well, really, can you imagine how that crossed my mind?  I've no idea, but there it was, and because it made me smile, I had to buy it and because it didn't exactly 'break the bank @ $12.00....it promptly was purchased and the next time I went to work at the studio...it went with me.  I smile every time I look at it. 

There are maps all over it, quotes, all kinds of painted 'effects'...notice the polka dots on the inside of that leg.

We have some 'vintage' stuff in the studio now....because Cheri and I just can't keep our favorite flea market finds from showing up down there.  Some of them are for sale too.  Anyway, one of her pieces is this great old table, all chipped up and in our window.  We display artwork on it all the time, and so I thought putting the chair up on top of it was a really good way to display some artwork.  And, it is at eye level, which might make people walking by smile too.

If you click on the photos, I'm sure you can see these photos up close and perhaps read a few words here and there.  I'm especially fond of "Come away with me" a quote from Norah Jones.  Notice it up top of the chair in the photo below.

So far, I think I've sold two items because that chair was in the window.....maybe it catches the eye....
yes, I'm sure it does, but then, so does the artwork.

I certainly wouldn't call it the most well-made item I've ever seen, but it has lots of HEART....something that means a lot to ME.  And, it's FUN!   And, NO, I have no idea who actually had this idea and did the work on the chair, but I think I like them a lot.

I lust after that little old table.......perhaps I may 'wheel and deal' with Cheri sometime in the future and put it on my front porch!  Meantime, it has become a very cool part of the studio, if you ask me.

So, would you notice the chair if you walked by?  Would you stop and look or would you just walk on by?

No matter which...I bet you would smile too!!!  Take care out there, pat

My Latest Project from the Downtown Studio

A couple of years ago, I bought this frame at "Heart & Soul," a local store that carries some pretty fun stuff!  This frame was in a bin of damaged items....it looked pretty ragged,  but it did have a bird on it and you know how I am about them!  So,  I bought it for less than half price, took it home and there it has been for all this time.  You know how you INTEND to do something, but time just gets away?   Well, not too long ago, I took the frame to the downtown studio, thinking that would convince me to do something with it.  And, it did.  I had made some bird rubber stamps and wanted to do something with them...so, thinking I could accomplish two things at once, This bird collage just 'happened.'

I had to spend a bit of time getting the frame back into good shape...I lightly sanded it, then painted it with a bit of green paint...just to cover up all the dings and worn edges.  Then, I painted it with two or three coats of matte gel medium...just to give it a good finish.  We use painter's cloth as table covers in the studio and I tend to save all of them for one project or another, so the background for this collage is a piece of one of our used painter's cloths.  This piece is about five inches by seven inches.
I like all the reds and pinks and greens.  (Actually, I DID turn this piece over and use the other side of the one pictured here....and added a couple more colors, specifically, more red and green.)

I painted the tree, then stamped the birds on the branches.  They looked kinda sad until I put a little color on them....but before I could make sure they had wings, my daughter, Kelly, took a look and told me not to add another thing to the birds!  She's a minimalist and of course, you know, I will 'do something to death' if I'm not careful, so I took her advice and left the birds with just a touch of color.

Because I have lots of scrap paper around, I decided to cut the leaves from paper and sew them down with the antique sewing machine I keep down there.  I should say the 'seldom used' antique sewing machine.  I need to remedy that, for sure!  So, I just cut out some vague leaf shapes and sewed them to the canvas.  I did touch them up a bit with some oil pastels.  And, I felt there needed to be some kind of flower there...and a funky simple flower seemed a good idea.

There's some little musical notes there too.....well, the birds DO have a song!  I used a permanent pen for those.  

And, here you see the words I cut from old book pages.....touched them with a bit of that green paint, added a little bird nest with eggs from Hobby Lobby and it was done!  I like it.  Thought about keeping it at home....but, at this point, gosh, where would I put it....so right now, it's in the window at the studio downtown.  We are open this Saturday, as it is the second Saturday of the month...who knows, maybe someone will want to take some birds home!

So...what do you think?  It took me a couple of years to decide what to do with the frame...but I did finally decide on something.  One example, I suppose, of having things on hand when you do get an idea...and then, there's all that 'hoarding' of stuff until those ideas quit floating around in your head and actually land on something you've 'saved.' 

Hope you enjoyed the birds....now stay cool out there and take care....see you again soon.  pat

My New "Vintage" Collage

As promised, here is my new "Vintage' collage.  At the downtown studio yesterday, someone asked me where my ideas come from and I had to say "I just don't know."  They just happen.  Sometimes I might choose a paper napkin to use and that sparks an idea.  Sometimes I might choose a old ledger sheet that might give me an idea....or a color, or a photo, or a flower.  I never know as these things just seem to EVOLVE.

I think I've mentioned before that I am just 'playing' when I'm in the studio.  Unless I'm working on a commission piece, I just go where the mood takes me.  (And, yes, it's true, I'm no longer doing those pieces...at least for a while.)  Anyway, I just gather my little bits of 'this and that' and try to make something out of them.  I've got my personal favorites and this one is my favorite of the three I've shown you lately.

You already know that I use lots of paper napkins in my collages.  What a great idea it was to use those and NO, I didn't come up with the idea.  I saw it a couple of years ago on Sharon Tomlinson's blog and immediately went crazy over the idea.  Visit her HERE.  She is so COOL!  Isn't it amazing what we learn out here in Blogland?

Now, back to this new vintage piece.  Well, I call it a vintage piece because of two things.  #1, I chose to use one of the vintage ledger sheets from the very old ledgers I received from my son-in-law.  The date is Monday, May 15, 1916.  That sounded like a good place to start to me...so I tried to find a picture of a woman from 'around' that time...nothing has to be exact...isn't that a great thing?  So, I found this lady in a copyright free Dover book and promptly cut her out to add to my selection.  Always wanting to add birds, I found this little bird and the bird cage, in some scrapbooking papers I had.  See how this is going?

 There's that little tree also.  It's an odd little tree, but I really enjoyed drawing it and painting the leaves.  I WANTED a tree on this piece, although I've no idea why...except that I love trees.  Once again....it doesn't have to look like a real tree.  You KNOW it's a tree...no matter how it is drawn.  And, do you remember what I always say about trees?  I feel they are Nature's version of Lace.  Have I told you that I never knew what a tree really looked like til I was nine years old and got my first glasses.  I needed them from the beginning, but no one noticed til I was nine.  My teacher, Mrs. Ledbetter, kept putting me closer and closer to the blackboard until my desk was touching the blackboard and I still couldn't read it.
So, she took me home that day and I was taken to Waco where a nice lady eye doctor found out I couldn't see too much and gave me glasses.  We lived about twenty miles from Waco and all the way home I was amazed by what I saw...including trees.  Up until then, I thought trees were one big roundish thing...never knowing there were individual leaves.  I've loved them ever since that day!  Have you ever been driving at dusk and seen the trees against the sky....so 'lacy.'  That is how I decided they were Nature's version of lace.  I love that!

In this piece, I also wanted to use the rose napkin, as I have so often done.  (I need to quit using this particular napkin.  I do love it so, but all my pieces are beginning to look alike!!)  And, I also found a paper napkin with pretty pink and yellow butterflies.  My plan  (really - a 'plan'?) was coming together.  I painted the canvas and began laying out the piece....usually,  my collages have no message whatsoever...they just turn out the way they want to turn out.  After gathering together all these 'bits' it occurred to me that this woman was on the verge of getting to VOTE!  WONDERFUL!!  And, that's a message for sure!  Here she is...in 1916...and in just a very few years...she would get to vote...so the little bird is telling her to 'Spread Your Wings and Fly' and I expect it was (in 1920) like letting a bird out of a cage!  What do you think?  Well, that might be reaching, but I really like the concept as I think we should all be out there voting each and every time there is an election.  Especially women....so many have done so much so WE could vote.  So, there's my one attempt to be profound.  I like it.


I'm also showing you a black napkin with butterflies on it.  That is the one I left out of my last post if you'd like to go back and see these butterflies with the red tulips.  I did add a touch of oil pastels to them for a speck more brightness.  Also, I need to tell you that I did shine up the pink and yellow butterflies in this piece with a bit of clear embossing powder and my heat gun...I don't think it shows up in the photos, but they do have a nice clear shine on them that is raised from the surface a bit. 

So, there you are.  Hope you've enjoyed these last three canvases.  Yes, you will be getting a break from them, as I've no more to show at this time....so expect something completely different in my next post.  It could be flowers,  it could be chairs....maybe bread...who knows?  So, have a great 'rest of your weekend' and take care out there.  pat

PS.  I've noticed that I'm not the only person trying to get used to the new Blogger.  Forgive me if this post looks kind of awkward.  I figure it's better to get it posted than it is to post it perfectly.  Or, something like that!!