Better late than never

I made these Hypertufa planters for my husbands friend who's remodeling his house inside and out. They were on my "to do" list for months.
Because of their size...they are super heavy and take twice as long to cure. Oh, and I can only make one at a time.
Well, finally they are done....and just in time for his wife's birthday.
All the succulents are cuttings from my garden. That would have cost a fortune if I had to buy them. I just love that succulents propagate themselves.

**Here's something totally random but got my attention the other day. I saw an ad for an estate sale reading.....
"Once in a lifetime estate sale!"
Then I shot coffee shot out my nose...Cause unless you have nine lives, aren't they all? Geez...funny yet tacky, all at the same time.

Grant Pecoff Reception

It was a real treat watching Grant Pecoff paint live at his art reception over at Bliss in Encinitas. He doesn't know it yet, but he's a natural born teacher. I was seriously glued to his ever word while he explained techniques and color theory......well, at least until my friend Greta showed up. We drank wine, watched and chatted the night away...and then... she got "Shushed" in front of everyone by some weird guy! Wahaaaha, so sorry Greta. He obviously mistook the gala for the local library.

Glass Etching Tutorial

First off, I should start by saying....I am not a professional glass etcher. This was my first project. I may or may not do it again cause I'm tired of always finding the most toxic of chemicals to work with. Seriously, the stuff I've used over the years....I'm surprised I don't have an extra arm growing out my back.
So if you're not scared of corrosive materials and want to give it a try, I say..go for it.
The steps are pretty straight forward and simple. Just make sure you're in a well ventilated area with gloves and no one else in the room.
(ie..pets or husband..read below for why I said husband)

Supplies needed:
1. Armor Etch- I bought a small bottle from Dick Blick online right here.
I almost didn't have enough for the whole project, so if you have a bigger surface to cover, I suggest you get a larger bottle.

2.Contact Paper (you know, the stuff you cover your pantry shelves with)

3.x-acto blade

4.Paper towels and some rags

5.Glass or mirror to etch

Step 1: Draw your design or image on the contact paper and apply it to a clean mirror or glass. Make sure to smooth out any bubbles that get trapped underneath.

Step 2: cut out your design with your blade.




Step 3: slather on the Armor Etch (the thicker the better) Wait the recommended time for the solvent to eat away at your glass.




Step 4: I used a damp rag and paper towels to remove most of the armor etch. Throw these into the trash immediately. This stuff is crazy toxic and you don't want any left on a table or workspace where you could accidentally come in contact with it.

(So I thought I was being super careful. I was throwing away my paper towels and rags right after using them. Then along came Art my husband. He was taking out the trash. (perfect timing right?) Because my studio trash can is usually recyclable materials (paper), he dug his had in to grab the paper not knowing all my toxic man eating chemicals were on top. I screamed for him to wash his hands....and he took off lightning fast to the kitchen. He was lucky..no burns.

Step 5: pull off the contact paper. Clean off one more time with glass cleaner and voila...your masterpiece.

Ship Wrecked

That's the theme of the new display I just pulled together over at the Pannikin. If you look at the large oval mirror in the background, I tried my luck at glass etching a clipper ship and some birds in the distance. So relieved it turned out the way I envisioned it. Would have been a bummer to destroy the mirror. I'll post a tutorial "how to" next week.
...Don't you just love the old chippy gold frame? Didn't have to do a thing to it except clean it up.
The gray dresser was painted in my "ship wreck" finish. A great way to salvage a solid dresser with a worn out finish. Look how gorgeous the drawers are inside. This baby's solid cherry, has nine drawers and weighs a ton! Enjoy, Karin

Down and Dirty

No, not that kind of dirty....I'm talking about gardening here people!

Today, I spent the entire day in the yard. Now that I'm sitting inside, I can feel my body temperature trying to acclimate. It makes my cheeks burn and brings me back to the days I worked at a flower stand...oh, 17 years ago. Wow, that makes me feel old!

Anyway, back to the yard shall we.
My main goal was to rebuild a new table display for my bonsai's and other planting creations. Its crazy how fast I outgrew my last set up. I went from taking care of my Dad's 45 year old bonsai to acquiring three more. I totally pretend to know what I'm doing with them, but I really don't. Just trying to make them look like the pictures. Maybe I should take a class? They teach one down at Balboa Park. Can you just picture me sitting amongst a group of old timers! (I totally could!) Anyone want to take it with me?
So here's my new set up along with some pictures of the vegetable garden. It's getting big!





Then Art helped me hang this vintage window screen with tillandsia's (air plants) from under the eaves right outside my studio door.

Go ahead...just say it. I'm a plant geek.

Here's a shot of Art's sweet peas this year. Note the angle of my camera. These bad boys are over six feet tall!


And I leave you with one last shot. Some boysenberries I picked that Miss Ruby tried to fly up and grab from my hands. Since you get a small handful every other day, I'm thinking of freezing them and eventually making jam or a pie when I have enough. Anyone have a good recipe?

June show at the Pannikin

As promised, here are a few more shots I took of this months group show going on now at the Pannikin.




Hanging fish made from recycled materials constructed by Matt Mahoney. His message is simple.... protect our oceans and the creatures that call it home..please recycle. You can check out his website for more examples of his work. I love the sculpture of the man on the horse. Pretty amazing!



Surfer Girl--by Steve Burrows
Sea Goddess and Swami's Beach--by Christina Zeller
Betta Fish--hand carved wood block prints by Jeremiah Miller



Whale Preserve--by me...I know, I know, you've already seen it.



Hand cut stencils and wood paintings--by John Finkbiner
Ceramic Fish--by Mary Fleener
Seascape--oil painting by Hannah Schoetz



Octopus Surfboard--by Martin Nasim

Other artists not shown here but contributed artwork: Kevin Farrell, Andrew Palmer, and Aaron Regan.

Still trying to catch up

The last few weeks, or maybe it's been months (I've lost track), have gone by so quickly I can barely remember where I left off here.
I really thought today would be my first real day off....Boy, was I wrong.
This week I'm really going to focus on getting back in the studio and painting, painting, painting. Next month is my show at the Pannikin and I have several paintings I'd like to finish to complete a few different series I've got mulling around in my head.

So I'm going to rewind the clock and share with you a few of my latest (fun) distractions.

~First off, my little nephew Healey posing in front of my painted street banner right before they auctioned it off. (I really love the hipstamatic app on the I-phone, but sometimes it's a bit too orangey on the skin)





~My Whale painting which I titled "Whale Preserve" is finished and just in time for the group show at the Pannikin. Last night was spent hanging all the artist's paintings and also having special guest Matt Mahoney who spent hours on a 15ft ladder hanging his giant fish sculptures made from recycled materials of cardboard and duct tape. They look so amazing swimming through the upstairs of the cafe. If you live close, you should go check it out! This is the Pannikin's first 3-d installation.





-Some fresh cupcakes I made for a very special girls sweet sixteen party.



-And lastly, the first annual Lavender Art Festival was last Saturday. An amazing plot of land belonging to my friend/host who thought it would be cool to gather her artist friends and share her garden to the locals in good ole' funky Leucadia (Encinitas). Can't wait to do it again next year.