"A ship is safe in harbor, but that is not what a ship is for."

I've been wanting to design, burn, and paint this Lazy Susan for a year, and finally had time this summer while visiting with my children. I love nautical themes and I found a sentiment that is very fitting for this red, white, and blue design. You can find it on my Etsy shop here.

"The town that time forgot"

     I had the pleasure of meeting friends in a little town in north/central Utah called Spring City. This town is made up of original pioneer homes and out buildings that have been preserved and enhanced, filled with people committed to being a community of lovers of beauty. That sounds kind of lofty and the Spring City folks might laugh at that description of them, but they are artists in every sense of the word. Whether it is in their home, their garden, their oil paintings, their sculpture, their live radio show, their cooking, or their interactions with others, they have a love for art and its effect on people. I fell in love with this town and the people that I met.
     While there, we attended a live radio show that four people who have had this dream for many years made a reality this year. In a beautiful little theatre attached to one of their homes, a set which is a replica of the town graces the stage accompanied by local music and theatre talent who meet each week to air live on a local radio station, a program modeled after Prairie Home Companion. It's called, "Life Under the Horseshoe".  This is their website Horseshoe mountain is the backdrop for this bucolic town and a symbol for its residents. I enjoyed the radio show so much, and was so inspired by the creators whose dream this was, that I wanted to create something for them. So, I took their promotion logo and created a plaque which I am thrilled to hear is hanging in the lobby of their theatre. What a lovely moment for me to have received from my friend, a picture taken of them opening up my gift. Here is the plaque:

This a picture of the creators of the show opening up the gift. I love their faces.

This is a picture of us, our children, and our friends in the audience of the radio show. Notice the charming theatre and set.

This is a town, that someday I want to live in or at least paint in. It's magical because of the people who live in it.

It's all in the family

I just spent an amazing summer visiting my children and grandchildren. It was so wonderful being with them because they live far away. We were very busy doing great things, so I only was able to create a couple of pieces, but my children decided to create some of their own and I thought I would spotlight them here.
My son in law loves America and maps, so he created this fabulous shabby chic wall hanging. He loves it so much, he's decided to do one of every state.

I've included this on my Etsy shop here.

My daughter wanted to make a special gift for a friend who was taking a big step in her life. She identifies herself with a swan and it was the perfect image for a meaningful plaque. My daughter designed it, I burned most of it, and she painted it. It was so wonderful creating this special piece with my daughter for her dear friend.

I have added this to my Etsy shop here.

Latest pieces

I've had a recent flurry of activity with babies being born, friends getting married, and orders coming in.
 

I created a piece for my niece's new baby's nursery.  I love the name Penelope and the colors of the room, too.

I can't believe this young man is married.  He was just a little rugrat running around our feet!

This was an order from a woman who wanted to match the chevron pattern and colors on a quilt.  It was super fun adding all the colors.

Swing into Art!

Mr dear friend works with her child's school to help them emphasize art in their curriculum.  They culminate their year of art projects with a final offering from each class presented in an Arts Night. During the evening an auction is held to sell the projects and fund the program. I love this idea.  Anything to keep the arts alive in schools.  My friend chose the offering for her daughter's class this year and commissioned me to design and burn a swing seat for the kids to color. She said they had a ball coloring in the design using oil based markers.  What a great idea!  I'd never heard of them before.  It was a perfect medium to use for precise work on wood.  I love the way it turned out.  They did a wonderful job. I'm so glad that they enjoyed the process and I am thrilled to be a part of it by offering something that they can physically enjoy as well as artistically appreciate for years.

Owls!

My daughter just had her first baby!  Her nursery is adorable and one of the themes is owls.  So, I decided to make owl ornaments to hang on the banner she was planning.  I thought numbers were fun to add to the little birds.

Newest baby name plaques

Two dear friends who happen to be sisters had new babies last month.  I custom designed their name plaques to coordinate with the nurseries.  The "Otto" plaque may look familiar since I have designed two other plaques for this family here and here.  Otto and Jasper are sharing a room and Dr. Seuss is now firmly established as their theme.  ( I guess I forced it!)

.

Etsy Team

I am now a member of an Etsy team and I am so excited.  It's a Christian based team and includes very talented artists.  Every Monday a new treasury is generated and promotes those on the team.  The pieces are lovely.  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzQ4ODYxMnw0MTg5NA/uniquely-gifted-one-and-all

You are my Sunshine

My dear friends just had a sweet baby boy named Jonah.  An adoring aunt had painted a beautiful mural on the walls to celebrate the songs the mother had sung to Jonah in utero.  When I discovered that, I knew that my new baby gift plaque for them had to compliment the room.  I was tickled to see how my sun and moon name plaque turned out.  It makes me happy, and I hope it makes Jonah happy.

2012 Christmas presents

I have to wait until after Christmas to post the presents I created.  Here are the ornaments I created for relatives, friends, and for sale. 

 Ornaments for my sister, the Beatles freak, and my other sister whose decorations are all in pink.

 Ornaments for siblings who work in the temple regularly.  Monterrey, where my brother and sister in law are on a mission, and the Bountiful where my sister, my brother and sister in law work

A Christmas ornament for a new baby whose Mom loves owls.  This one was super fun.

I had tons of fun creating chevron coats racks for my children, with their decor in mind.

I so enjoy creating Christmas presents using my wood burning and painting skills.  I can be very versatile.