Treasure Hunting

I thought I'd share some little treasures I found last weekend at a local yard sale.
I'm in love with the vintage enamel numbers! My three favorite numbers.... what were the chances?
The old hot sauce bottle had nasty fermented sauce inside that took a while to clean out but I think it will make a perfect bud vase.
.....and how could I leave this mini birdcage behind.

I also found a couple great furniture pieces that I'm revamping and will show you the before and afters soon.

Question?

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good satin sealer/varnish? It's almost time to turn in my banner for the Arts Alive banner project and I'd really like to protect it from the elements. (rain, salt air, bird poop etc)
She most definitely would look pretty sad covered in grime at the auction.

The banner itself is a plastic sort of material so I need something that dries well and not sticky. I'd appreciate any advise. Karin

My Soldering Class Review

Okay.......so how do I put this........
Honestly, I'm kind of disappointed. If I was to give this class a grade it would be a C-.

Sure, there were some good things. The space was amazing and the table set up was lovely. The other students were very friendly and helpful.

And now for the bad.

First of all, I have taken A LOT of classes, taught many classes of my own over the years and the one thing that I've come to realize is that just because someone does something well, doesn't mean they can teach. Our instructor just sort of floated around the room. She was very quiet and seemed a little bored. My friend and I were left to just fend for ourselves, relying on our neighbors with experience to give us pointers. (oh yeah, people flew in from all over the country to take this class. Like craft cult groupies!)

No demonstration or troubleshooting tips on how to use and care for our soldering tool. ( which by the way is super easy to damage)

Trust me when I say I'm not one that needs a lot of hand holding and can pick things up pretty quickly, but I would like to know at least the names of the things I'm using.

The class was supposed to be from 9am to 5pm with a delicious lunch included. Cost for the class- $150.

My friend and I arrived right on time and proceeded to wait another hour while everyone mingled and ate danishes. I think I would have rather had that extra hour of sleep.
For lunch, they ordered pizza which I kid you not...it had 3 inches of cheese on top.

I learned more from the five minute U-tube video I watched the day before. I'm also glad I brought some of my own stones to solder into necklace pendants.
We were all supposed to make crowns which is fine but I'm not really into the whole tiara glitter thing. I wanted to make something I would use so I made a votive holder. It came out okay. The pendants turned out much nicer and I can't wait to do some more.

So there you have it. Now I know what people mean when they say they are self taught artists. They must have taken this class. I think they should have charged $45 and I'd bring my own lunch.

My venting is over and now I can move on to more uplifting topics.

Before and After

Remember these chairs I scored back in September? Well, I finally got around to recovering them. I ended up using a blue, brown and white upholstery weight fabric I bought from Etsy.
I love that these chairs swivel! Don't you think they go well in my studio? Should I paint the green table white now or is that just adding a whole new unnecessary project?
I just hope my students don't get any paint on them. Maybe I should make extra covers?
They already think I'm neurotic when it comes to messes. I admit, I'm only comfortable with my own mess.

So it seems that I subconsciously had a news years resolution and didn't know it (other than wanting a new kitchen).
I am determined to finish all my little projects around the house. Painting walls, furniture, recovering chairs, sewing a duvet, etc...etc....

One by one, they are getting done. It feels so good.


So....tomorrow I'm taking the soldering class at Urban Barn. It's an all day class and I'm so excited. If my project doesn't look too lame I'll post it here.

Hope you all are enjoying a beautiful weekend! Karin

Shame on you Max!

Knocking all my bags down......... laying on my tissue paper.....(double bad boy!)
Yeah, that's right.....keep staring at the wall like you can't hear me.

If you weren't so damm cute I'd kick you out of there, but being the bad pet parent that I am, I let you stay. Guess it's a good thing I'm not raising real kids...right?

So I think I'm done

Here's my street banner for the Arts Alive Project. I named her "The Beekeeper" and I even added a slight iridescent sheen to the honeybees.
I can't wait to see them all hung along the streets of downtown Cardiff and Old Hwy 101. Actually, I can't wait for the unveiling in Feb. and meeting all the artists. Still not sure on the actual date but I'll let you know when I know.

below is a little more info about the whole program...

Arts Alive

The signature activity of the 101 Artists' Colony is the Arts Alive banner program. 2011 marks the 12th anniversary of the Arts Alive Banner program in Encinitas. The event has grown from 25-30 banners in the early years to 101 in the present! Each artist paints an original work of art on banners that are displayed on street lights along six miles of Coast Highway 101 throughout downtown Encinitas, Leucadia, Cardiff's Restaurant Row and the Seaside Market parking lot.

Joining the 101 Artists' Colony in presenting these original works of art to our community each year are Cardiff 101, and Leucadia 101 MainStreet Association, with tremendous administrative support from Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association.

Having originated in Encinitas, the Arts Alive banner program has spread to numerous towns and cities throughout the country. Last year, a transplanted former banner artist used our program as a template to initiate a successful banner program for school-age children in the Las Vegas area.

It's Official!

I sold my candle business!!!!

After 17 years of making and selling candles, I am now ready to focus solely on my artwork. It was a great ride and I wish the new owners much success.

I really want to thank all my loyal customers out there for all your support and friendship over the years. (Do I sound like I'm at the Oscars?)
Anyway, don't worry....the new owners will be making all my signature scents and maybe a few new ones too. I'll let you know where you can get them as soon as they are up and running.

Corners of my house

Once the decorations were packed away I couldn't help but noticed the neglected corner and wall in my front room. Two walls are blue and the one on the window side was still green. I've been meaning to paint it the same sand color that flows into the entryway but never got around to it.
Yesterday, I did it! A fresh coat of paint, new curtains and yet another game of musical furniture.

The birch branches in the corner were salvaged from one of our trees that recently died. They were just too pretty to throw out.

One home project down................and many... many more to go.

My latest Project

I was so excited when Arts Alive asked me to paint one of their street banners for this years event. There are about 100 artists participating and I can't wait to see all the finished paintings. The big unveiling is in Feb., then they will hang downtown for 3 months before being auctioned off.
Thought you'd like to see the progression of my piece. I decided to do a different version of my beehive girl since I always regretted painting the original on a small 16x20 inch canvas. Can you believe how BIG this thing is? The last few days were spent painting from a little stool or up on a stepladder. I'm just about done and will post the rest of the pictures soon.

Was it the soup?

How did this child turn from this to this? It must have been the soup.
I love that Ethan showed up for dinner in his pj's.

So tonight I informed the family that my soup kitchen was open which meant we had nine for dinner... instantly. I served the potato leek soup recommended by Georgia from Modern Crush which was a big hit. Recipe here.
I made two versions.... vegetarian for my veggie side of the family and the original recipe with bacon. The vegetarian version won by a landslide. Go figure?
Also, you really don't need to add the flour since it has potatoes. I will definitely make this again. T'was perfect soup for a rainy day.

We ended the night with lots of games in my studio, plenty of wine, chocolate and then popcorn to seal the evening.

I then I tossed them out the door when I was done for the night. That's what I call a perfect evening.

I know...... I'm supposed to be hibernating, but I had to share.

Art Class Show and Tell

I had to wait till after Christmas to show you this adorable "Snowy Egret" painted by my nephew Andrew (age 7). He used it for his holiday card this year. Just look at the feet and shadows! I'm so proud of him. Love it!

--FYI.....all the art class projects from Carol, Francesca and I are on display at the Encinitas Pannikin all month if you want to take a peek.

................................now, back to hibernating. Karin