"Twas the Week After Christmas and All the Orders Were Filled...

All the grandchildren were here

With brushes in hand

And the little ones

Had one demand.

"B", PLEASE

Let US paint cypress knees!!!

Waiting patiently!

Pardon the messy house!

Showing off their talents!

The oldest one had previously painted both a snowman and a Santa so she wanted to try her hand at painting a Grinch.

She can hardly wait for me to let her start

helping me paint for my shows.

Think "Inside the Box"...

As I've said before, I have trouble thinking "outside the box"

...so I just decided to think "inside" the box...

the crayon box that is!

Having taught 1st grade for so long, I'm quite comfortable

with primary colors...

the inspiriation for this batch of my Santas.

I hope they "make a passing grade"!

A Break from Santas

Every now and then, just to mix things up, I have to paint something other than a Santa.  The change helps me to keep the "creative juices" flowing.

While checking out a flea market, I came across these wooden shoe forms and thought I might could paint something "Christmasie" on them.  Here's what came to mind. 

Sonething Old, Something New...

Oh, don't get excited! There are no wedding plans for anyone in my family.

Something old...that would ME, the artist who painted this Santa.

Something borrowed...that would be the IDEA (inspired by a Toni McQuire pattern) for this Santa.

Something new...that would be this OOAK cypress knee Santa.

Something blue...that would be this BLUE robe on this original hand painted cypress knee Santa.

                                                                   
         
                                                                      Other new Santas just off the painting table...

                                                                                                         



Santa's Workshop Has Been Busy

This lone elf has been cranking out more new Santas this week.  Here's a peek at some of my Santas with a little bit of a new look for 2011.  However, next week I'll be helping with VBS at my chuch and one of my granddaughters will be here for the week.

Better enjoy her while I can.  She will soon be to old to attend VBS as she has done each year since she was three years old.



Introducing First of 2011 Santas

Finally, I've completed the first batch of my 2011 Santas!

These are all hand painted on cypress knees.  For those who aren't familiar with cypress knees, they are part of the root system of the cypress trees that grow so plentiful at the edges of lakes and bayous in the south.  The "knees" pop up out of the water at the base of the tree.  Once the tree has been cut for lumber the "knees" are just useless.  That is until someone like me takes God's wonderful creation and gives it new life such as I did in creating my Santas.  Visit my website, http://www.wood-n-stitches.com/ to see more.

Here's a glimpse of before and after.

Before (actually "during" because I've already primed and basecoated)



After



Our Little Amish Experience

                  My grandchildren and I enjoyed our morning at a friend's newly opened Buggy and Carriage Shoppe.  Kim and her husband Nathan graciously treated us to the Amish experience that they fell in love with while on a pipeline job in Ohio.  Seems Nathan spent so much of his timeoff in the Amish community up there, that folks started calling him "Brother Nathaniel"!

We enjoyed seeing all the various buggies that the Amish use and learning a little about their lifestyle.  Of course the kids all had to have a horse from the gift shoppe to take home with them!

Kim gave us a nice ride in their new "Bailey Express".

"Brother Nathaniel" and my grandchildren were enjoying the surry ride.

If any of you are ever in this area, stop by for a visit.  While they presently host birthday parties and school trips, they have many other plans in store.

Like Grandma..Like Granddaughters

My oldest granddaughter called me last week from her talented art class!  Her art teacher wanted to tell me that she thought my artistic genes had surely been passed down to my granddaughter.  (She had received one of my hand painted cypress knee Santas as a Christmas gift.)   She was excited to inform me that my granddaughter had received 1st place on one of her artworks sumitted to the school district's end of the year ArtQuest!

ArtQuest featured more than 2,400 projects from students in Kindergarten through 12th grade throughout the school district.  The 1st place blue ribbon exhibits were showcased in the lobby of the convention center and the artists were recognized by the school superintendent who presented them with a gift bag containing art supplies. 

As we admired the fifth grader's award winning watercolor/ink composition, her younger sister announced to us that she, too, had a drawing on display.  News to all of us!!!!  She promptly located her school's section among the 2,000 plus exhibits and low and behold...though she had not received a blue ribbon...there it was!!!  Her "Bug" had made the trip from her 2nd grade classroom all the way up onto that exhibit hall wall!

Way to go girls!!!  Your "B' is so very proud of you.  So glad I could pass those artistic genes on to you, but sorry to say, you'll have to look to your other grandmother for those cooking genes!

Where Have All My Santas Gone...Long Time Painting

I've been painting Santas and snowmen , almost non-stop, since the end of July!  That's a lot of strokes, folks!  Most have been "adopted" and perhaps a few melted in the swealtering heat down here in the "dawg days of summer" in the deep south.

Here's what's left after 5 months of approximately 12 hour work days in this ole Santa's workshop.

Actually, it's not this one, but one very similar..

Actually, it's not this one, but one very similar.

I've added a green fabric cap and some painted vines since I took this picture.
I'd take another, but I lost my camera.