Christmas Postings

Well, the Christmas Holidays are behind us now, as we rest and rewind for the beginning of a blessed New Year. I for one am ready for a New Year, 2008 was a "tuffy" for me...in oh so many ways. Some things I took in stride and others just knocked me off my feet, still crawling from some of them. But with a new beginning ahead, I am spending lots of time in prayer that God will strengthen these wobbly legs of mine to stand strong throughout the coming year. I just wanted to share some pics with you of our Christmas day and tell you that each and every one of you made my life richer in your own sweet way!

YOU JUST HAVE TO LAUGH...

You have to laugh, or you will just want to cry! What is it they say, if you can't laugh at yourself....or whatever that saying is...I am not laughing yet...but I'm trying! My house is a mess, o.k., understatement, my house is horrendous :0! If that is a word at all, this is my kitchen window, BAD, oh so bad! You see that tiny little elve sitting on the ledge, that is the only Christmas decoration I have out besides the snowmen I made and listed on Etsy last week! And does that rubbermaid bowl with murky water and growing vine excite you? I am trying to get a head start on Spring...LOL! and that cute HOPE tin, a relic from last Christmas that just never got put up, really thought I could use some hope out all year! Then there is the collage of "stuff" in the window box, old clock faces, french truffle sign, metal flower hook, wire soap dish and oh yes, don't miss the blue scrubber sponge.....what a vingette!! Then there is the fall dishtowel that is hanging on the hook.....I have Christmas ones, still in the Christmas decoration boxes! and where is the window treatment you may ask???? What, after getting everyone elses put in place you want me to have one too? and the dust...do you see all the dust????? and the chandelier has it's polka dotted shades and not it's holiday shades! How many days is it to Christmas??? Oh, no really don't tell me, I can't handle it! I have exactly two days to clean house, decorate the tree, hang the stockings, plan the menu, wrap the gifts, oh, darn it that means I have to go shop too! All of this before Monday when I need to head out to work with a smile on my face to finish up last minute details for clients.....am I a bit too sarcastic this a.m., why yes, you might just say that!!! I spend my days in homes that have been decorated since before Thanksgiving, but mine, well, it has a long way to go in a very short time........very SHORT time. Each year I promise myself I will take time for my house and my family....here it is a few days till Christmas and I am in the same place as last year!!! Guess I better quit the griping/typing and get BUSY!!! Pray for me to have energy, stamina, focus or maybe we better start praying for a miracle on 7th St!!!!! Check out my sister site at www.warehouseartchix.com, and don't for get to buy some snowmen from the Etsy shop, it will make my day!!!

Winter Creations

Winter is the craziest time of year, the Christmas Holiday Season seems to come rushing upon us....for some of us, that means long hours at work, little time for relaxing and really contemplating the season. I did get lights on the outside of my house, though the tree is still not up. Probably won't be for at least a few more days. It is not that I don't have it, because I have a really nice pre-lit tree, in fact I have a large one, a medium one and two small ones in urns (for my front porch), it is not lack of ornaments or decorations....it is simply lack of time. And what do I do when I do have a moment to sit down in the evening? I sit at my worktable and create, it is the one thing that brings relaxation to my busy brain, rests my tired body. Well, at least I am creating with the season in mind...glittered snowmen, Joy-filled pictures, Holiday tags, little bottles adorned with Christmas themed goodies and filled with velvet holly...lots of ideas brewing, just not enough time to hit on all of them. Just wanted to post a few photos of some of the things I have been working on...they will be listed for sale on the http://www.warehouseartchix.com/ website, you can just click on the ETSY Shop button to view the items for sale and to purchase them. If Etsy is foriegn to you, just drop me an email to inquire about the price and purchase of any of the items.

More Holiday Displays!!

Why oh why do they not make these adorable clothes in our size too!!! If you have little cuties to dress for the holidays, all this and more are on sale at HEAVEN SENT children's boutique in Lewisville, Texas at MacArthur and Round Grove Rd....tell them Sandra sent you!!! It will not be a wasted trip if you have children or grandchildren to buy for!!!! Absolutely precious merchandise and the sweetest staff around!!!

Soooo much goin on...let's catch up!

It's that Holiday time of year again!!! And there are some new displays up at Heaven Sent children's boutique. Thought I would share some pictures of those...

Is this just so sweet....I mean manly!!!

My son went to his first Homecoming! He goes to a school that does not have sports, it is more of a college prep school that focuses on academics and technology...but, he was invited by a cute young girl named Ashley that goes to one of the larger high schools here in town...Soooooooo, with out a moments hesitation, I ran out and got all the stuff to make her mum. Yes, I know...I got a little carried away! (Really carried away...got enough to make more than one mum!) The mum is almost as big as she is!!! LOL , when I was in school (all those many years ago!!!) the bigger the mum the better, and the more it had hanging and dangling from it, we loved all that stuff!!! Well, I made sure there was lots dangling and hanging from this one, even had red glittered feathers and polka dot ribbon mixed into it!!! I hope she loved it as much as I loved making it!!! I forget on blogger that you can't post the pics in the text!!! So they look all jumbled...sorry! Just had to share this moment, my baby went to Homecoming....next year he will be a senior.....too much for me!!! My how time flies!!!

And now for the AFTER PICS...in reverse order it seems!!

Welcome little goblins and fairies, come enjoy our signs of the season here at HEAVEN SENT...CHILDREN"S BOUTIQUE. Things they are a changin and much rearranging is brewing in the air!!!! Check out the progress in the posts below....

Slowly But Surely ...all cream walls will be gone!!!

The store looks more playful and bright with all the new wall colors, here is a display on a clothes rack, I made several of these "bucket arrangements" to give the diplays pop...and if someone wants one to put on their nursery shelf, it is for sale too!

The upper wall at the back of the shop, I added a fun mannequin with a fluffy flouncy outfit and then a massive carved ornate picture frame that I nestled one of my heart paintings in...then another "bucket" of flowers and a large turqoise sap bucket...

on the side wall, I added another painting, some fun colorful merchandise...the harlequin will be wonderful in all seasons and the ledges can be changed out easily. The walls already had a wood retail display system on them...so I am working around that...

here you can see the wood system on the wall...kinda boring, but very functional for changing displays..I think I may need to skirt the tables to hide back stock, maybe give them a tutu effect!!!

Then I made a large moveable sign...one side has the store name and the other side is a sale sign....the colors are so much brighter in person...and ...yes, I forgot to take a pic of the other side...these pictures were taken with a disposable digital...I have lost my camera....again...well, it is grey, who notices something that is grey...now if it were hot pink or orange, maybe I could keep up with it better!!! Hope you enjoy the "AFTER" pics, this is only the beginning stages of our redo...there will be more to come as we complete the transition...feel free to come to Lewisville, Texas and visit in person...tell them Sandra sent you!!!

After....and then....

The wall outside the dressing room and leading into the play area is now striped in horizontal fuschia and tango orange, then the walls above the molding got a harlequin update to better show off the merchandise...

Then I added a fabric enty to the play area, the back plain cream wall will get a scene painted on it very soon with whimsical animals in fun attire! I wish you could see the this part better, I layered huge bright colored buttons with lots of ribbons to add to the points on the top treatment, then made tassels to match to tie back the panels...wanted it to seem kind of like a "big top" effect, when the animals arrive, it will have more of the look I want.

The stripes go onto the wall that the dressing room is on, so we made a fun sign to introduce that adorable spot!

Then, since fluffy, fun frufru tutus are a big seller, we created a fun frog wearing one of the tutus, if the kids touch her, she bounces...so perfect for the little ones to interact with!!!

Dressing Room Update

The dressing room got a complete makeover wit lots of whimsy and color..

I added some wooden flowers that were 3dimensional to the already curvy mirror, the flower hooks were already in place, but were just plain..so I painted them to match, added some dragon flies and vines...descriptive words around a pink scalloped border... and some stripes and more swirly flowers. Maybe by the end of the after pics, I will figure out the picture placement thing!! NEXT...

Now for some after photos...

Now for some after pics of what we have done at Heaven Sent children's boutique...

Changed out the front window display for Halloween-

A painted canvas panel serves as a changing background for the seasons or theme...then the most fun part...a witch that I put together on my dress form with a large pumpkin head that I painted!-

Here is a closer view..well, not sure how to get these in the right order...so you will have to decipher what text goes with each picture...is there a way to place the pics where you want them to be???? On to more of the transformation, maybe if I do each one in a seperate post, I can control the pics a little better....

first for the BEFORE pictures...

One of my latest projects has been the update of a children's shop in Lewisville. HEAVEN SENT is a small childrens boutique filled with the cutest clothes! The interior was pretty vanilla and needed some punch. Here are just a few pictures of the shop before the updating began....Sorry, looks like I uploaded in reverse order...anyway, you can see how it is pretty plain, very functional and in need of some "POP". One of my clients purchased the shop from the previous owner and that is how I got involved in the redo, the previous owner, Laurie still works a few days a week, she has a great eye for buying children's clothes and accessories. They are just now getting in their holiday dresses and they are adorable!!! So if you are in the area, just drop in to Heaven Sent in Lewisville and tell them I sent you!!! Now, very shortly I will show you the AFTER pictures of what we have done so far....is the suspense killing you????

Painted Hands

Yes, I have been playing in the paint!!! I spent all evening playing in my studio last night...and got up super early and started again!!! Wow, there is nothing more fun to me than to be in my studio...it makes me ever so thankful that God has blessed me with these hands that can paint and a wonderful space to do that in!!! That studio is a blessing for sure...it was for years just a crummy workshop/storage building ...twenty years ago I had the dream that it could be a studio...then life happened and years (many years later after my divorce) I began to clean it out and start the dream of a studio...It is really more like a small house, it has siding and windows, a french door for the entry, and now a pair of french doors on the backside that look out at my flowerbeds and little pond....(these looked so much better last year before the heatwave hit!!) Now the pond sits empty, because Vegas my studio dog, loves to get in it and pull out all the water lilys and water iris...and swim in that not so clean water! So it is now waiting for him to calm down a little before we redo that....but back to the studio, my wonderful neighbors took an interest in my redoing the building, two of them that are retired went to work on it....think it was like a coffee club for them, both their wives are on the go lots, so they would meet up at my little building and work until it got hot...they rewired the whole building, sheetrocked the walls and insulated the ceiling, hung vintage light fixtures for me....made sure there were lots of outlets... they just jumped in there and made my dream happen in fast motion!!! I can never thank them enough for helping me with that!!! Yes, thankful seems to be my middle name...thank you God for all your blessings....and for letting me have the time to create so that I can just empty this overloaded mind!!!

Whew! What a week....Oh, has it been two...

My how time flies...wow...is it Friday already??? Well, F is for Frog, but also for Friday. Love those Fridays, because the next day starts the weekend!! The chance of my getting some art done increases by 50% at least!!! I have three canvas just waiting to have funky kitties painted on them for a little girls room, and may try and get some ready to go to the childrens shop that I have been working on some lately....but the most important thing is that I am going to clean out my garage and storage building this weekend, in preparation for our neighborhoods annual street yard sale....hmmmmm, sure I can find a few things for that one!!!LOL, especially if you have ever been in my garage!!! The storage bldg is my dad's, and it has been almost four years now since he passed away, so I think I can finally narrow down the "keepers" out of it....time to take care of it and close that storage out...because I now have my mom's entire house in storage and she and I will begin the task of going through all of that. That one will be a treasure trove of cottage goodness and I will be offering some of that abundance on the blog to all you gals that love frou-frou, crackeled paint, old roses and cottage lovelies...so stay tuned for that! Should have the first "collection" of goodies up to shop through by the end of the weekend!!! Hope your week was a good one and that you are headed into a weekend of relaxing and creating whatever makes you happy!!!-Sandra

Creative Fix

The creative juices have been flowing and I have finally gotten my fix....an evening of painting!! Although I was too tired to go out to the studio, I did find a stash of acrylic enamels in a closet in the house...and a new unopened pack of brushes, so I just sat down and painted with my limited palette!! I have really been admiring some of the female faces in artwork lately...there are so many styles and subjects...so I decided to try my hand at it, well, at least half a face...then of course a floral on the next canvas so I could use up my palette. No paint going to waste around here...if I have any left, I just rub it all over a blank canvas to build texture, so never say I am not thrifty!!! Anyway...just wanted to share a pic and let you know that I have begun listing on Etsy again (checkout www.warehouseartchix.com for the link to our Etsy shop) and hope to keep adding to it!!! Stay tuned for more art, lots of vintage treasures and lovely little treats!!-Sandra

It's been a long time....

Just so you know I really am still here, thought I would post a recent picture....can you see the extra wrinkles life has added since we last spoke???Here I am in Waco, at my daughters with my everfaithful sidekick Vegas, what could be better in life than a dog that loves you!!!

Wow! How fast can time fly???? It has been two months since I posted on this site...and man has my life changed since then!! I just posted an update on the http://www.warehouseartchix.com/ blog, so I will give a condensed version here. I have not created art for the last two months either...to say that I am having withdrawals would be a major understatement!!! Oh how I long to spend just one whole day in the studio to empty my mind...but , life has me by the coat tail and is pulling me along on this bumpy ride. I know well and good that life is not all smooth sailing..if it were, we would not need our awesome God...so as we travel through the seasons of life, he most definitely shows us how much we need him. I alone can create chaos and confusion, but if I give it to God, he will lead the way and deliver me out of all of that.

Sooooo as I face this day filled with the care of my mom, the selling of her home, the moving of it's contents into storage, the workload that is never ending, an ex husband that is filing bankruptcy ( meaning I need to go to the courthouse and find out why I am listed in his list of creditors along with my daughter...does it ever end??? The divorce is over, but the drama continues.) the process of getting my daughter into college for her junior year and all the time and expense that takes, remembering to pay my own bills....and so much more....my brain is on overload!!!!! Calgon...take me away (maybe not, the bathtub being cleaned is at the bottom of the list!) But, it is a new day and I am looking for the silver lining in it!!!

Life is Sweet!!

Thought this little painting was oh so appropriate for today, this is the second week of my efforts to shape up and get healthier! I have walked three days out of each week, eaten healthy, had lots of water, no sodas.....you know the routine! So far I can tell I feel better, my energy is up.....but as for pounds.....just a few....so far. I am determined to take better care of myself! And that includes some creating time just for me in the studio this weekend! I have been busy with a commercial job, redoing the interior of a children's retail shop. I love this job...can not wait to show pictures of it! Just as soon as I clean out the van from work to see if my camera is buried in it somewhere!!!! Have a great Friday and may it lead into a fabulous weekend!-Sandra

Counting My Blessings!!!

Have you all had a chance to check out the creations for the Bird and Bonnet Swap, hosted by Karla (www.karlascottage.typepad.com) and Beth (www.bethleintz.typepad.com)??? The Vintage Workshop contributed some wonderful images to be used in this swap. I was so intent on finishing mine up and getting them in the mail....I forgot to take pics of them!!! Oh well, I probably couldn't find my camera anyway.....my life is on overload and overstuff (supplies for jobs and projects are piling up in my home and van....come on three day weekend!! I need ya!!!) Sometimes I wonder what would happen if my life were in order and all things were in their place.....would I have a bad case of artist block??? You know, like writers block....would the creative juices refuse to flow in my brain??? The older I get, the more I am willing to try the organized life (I know, those of you that know me are laughing really loud right now!!!) I am really trying to work on ME right now...so if you want to join me in prayer, that God will bless me with the gift of organization, all prayers are welcomed!!! You know how they say God has a sense of humor...please tell me he is not laughing right now too!!! I really want to be organized, almost as much as I want to paint when I should be cleaning house or cleaning out my van or studio.....painting just brings me such joy, it is so therapeutic to me, it is just part of who I am....cleaning and organizing just have not found their niche yet in my life!!!

Oh well, on to the blessings of this day!!! My mom had surgery today on her left hand. She has Osteoarthritis and her hands are knotted and bent from it...it really limits her ability to use her hands. She has always played at sewing, crafting, painting and plain puttering....so it is a tragedy to see her so limited in using those talented hands!! They operated on two fingers today, using local instead of anesthesia due to her use of oxygen and her COPD. They scraped the bone removing all bone spurs, then they fused the middle joints on both. They then "wired " the upper and lower joints once they were repaired. Recovery is about 8 weeks, then we will know if she wants to try the right hand and continue the repairs. I am so praying that this is a major improvement for her!!! A wonderful surprise today was that while she was having surgery, the administrator of Day Surgery came in the O.R. and it was her room mate from the Specialty Hospital where she had spent the month of February. Dee was in the bed next to my mom recovering from major back surgery and had not been able to walk for three months!! So it was a real treat to see her back at work and up and walking!!! She came out into the waiting area and found me to visit!!! A lovely surprise!!! It is such a blessing when someone crosses your path and makes an impact on your mind....when you know God placed them there for just the right reason....Dee was a sweet room mate for my mom and we enjoyed many evenings of visiting with her!!! Sooooo, a successful surgery behind us and recovery on the horizon....we are counting our blessings on this wonderful Wednesday!!! And the thought of the three day weekend headed our way is just what I need!!! -

Happy Mother's Day !!

My two darling children planned a special day to celebrate Mother's Day...they took my mother and I to brunch at a French Bistro and then had lots of presents and lovely cards! I got a new gas grill (wow!) and two new large coffee mugs, both pink (one Baylor Mom and the other an insulated travel mug)...think they get that coffee is the start of my day??? I love that my kids make every occassion special and always choose just the right gifts for me!!! So sweet! My daughter drove in for the weekend from college, right in the middle of finals. I love when she comes home, it is such quality time together. God has truly blessed me with two wonderful children!! Hope all you other mothers out there had a great day too! My mom is getting stronger every day, and it was so wonderful that she was able to get out with us and have some family time. I am off to enjoy the last bit of sunshine left to this beautiful day....thinking I might need to cook steaks on that new grill tonight!!! -Sandra

The BEAUTY of it all!!!

WOW!!! The first bloom of the season on the peony!!! I got this plant two years ago in Colorado at a quaint little nursery in Crested Butte. I am so thrilled it has bloomed again this year!! And the frangrance is divine!

Ok, how do you add more pics to a post without all of them appearing at the top of the post??? Guess I am just used to typepad and their format....there are things I like better on blogspot and then there are things I like better on typepad...want the best of both..on each of my blogs!!!

Chaos? Why yes I seem to be queen of that!!!

Have you ever known someone who could create chaos anywhere they are??? Well, you do now! Crown me queen of chaos....no one in my family will disagree at this time! My living room was just fine, completely decorated...very Old World Italian...I simply love that look when I do it for clients...but for some reason, I decided I wanted something playful, light, airy, clean, crisp....so......welcome PEPPERMINT TEA! Now I am not talking the kind you sip....yum! I am talking the paint color. My living room walls donned that color last week, which made me need to paint the ceiling, then the bookcases, then the french doors....then the baseboards...you get the picture right? Well, right in the middle of it all, my mom (who you know is now residing with us) said she thought it all needed a finishing touch, crown molding! Well, I am here to tell you that job is not as easy as it looks! I have three 12' strips of it, butchered, to prove it!!!! Last night I researched online and am about to go at it again...so keep those positive thoughts that a creative brain can think rationally, at least this once. Hoping by tonight to have the molding up and to paint the last coat on the bookcases before I collapse into a chair and watch some T.V., Brothers and Sisters is back on tonight. -Sandra

Hippity Hop Easter Swap day #10

Isn't she adorable??? Thank you Ann Marie Scrabo for this sweet bunny box! I have it perched on a vintage metal candlestick in my living room, the crown is just the perfect touch for that sweet little bunny!!! This truly was the best Spring swap ever!! Just filled with treasures and I can't bare to take them down yet!!!

How Lucky Can You Get!

Even though I had no idea my life would spin out of control this last month, I signed up for an Easter Swap headed up by Heather Bluhm . She was an excellent hostess, emailing us with all the details for the swap...there were 11 women in the swap, and we were to create an Easter/Spring creation for each person in our group. Heather was the one with the enormous task of sorting and mailing for all the groups.

Well I was one LUCKY GIRL !!!! Just look at the fabulous creation I unwrapped out of the package that Heather sent:

I will do the count down backwards (so appropriate for me!!!) from day 11 to day one!

Day 11 was this Sweet little chick box from Vivian at http://www.vivswhimsy.blogspot.com/ !!

The little chick is handmade and is dressed for Easter in a sweet pink ruffled collar and a pastel party hat!! the box sits on a nest of white crepe paper and I must agree with Kecia (http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com/ ) it does remind me of a cupcake or sweet confection! I just can't get enough of this one...she is perched on top of one of my mercury glass candlesticks in a layer of aqua paper Easter grass! Thanks Vivian, not sure I can put this one away after Easter, she may just have to sit with me in the Studio!!! Love it!!!