Merry Day #2....

 ~ Welcome to my ~

Day #2....

Well I spent my first day of December finishing. Dreaming about what I wanted to stitch and craft. 

HA HA!

I'm trying very hard to stay ahead of the game with finishing. I have about 5 packages I would like to get done by the end of the year, so I can be "ahead" (😂😂😂😂 yeah right) for next year. People are already lining up for 2022, I am blessed beyond my wildest dreams for finishing clients. Thank you - to any of you who have used my service! You helped us to send kids to college, pay bills and put food on our table (not to mention pay for my "hobbies") Yesterday I finished a couple of beautiful drums and a mattress pincushion that I'd love to share with you: 

I spend lots of time on my pieces for finishing - no matter what they are - to make them perfect. If they aren't perfect, I take them apart and redo them. I redid two of these twice. If I am not happy, I will not send them out - and I have very strong quality control standards. To make these - two work days. That's how slow I was going to make perfect stitches, full stuffing and straight seams. I was particularly pleased with how these turned out.

Today I'm going to talk about something I dreamed of knowing how to do....

for most of my adult life. What is it? 

PAINTING!

It's called by many terms: Tole Painting, Decorative Painting, Folk Art...

no matter what you want to call it I have always wanted to do it. 

I tried my hands at painting several times. In fact let me share with you an early try at the age of 8 in 1978:

Santa brought me a craft kit that year...it held dozens of little Peanuts wooden ornaments. It came with paint brushes and a small set of paint tubs....well I got to work right away.... painted through Christmas, and that was the year of the blizzard, and two weeks off school and I painted through that....sadly they all turned out like Snoopy 😂 my Mom saved snoopy to give to me when I had my own home. He's the lone survivor. He's been hanging on my Christmas tree since my marriage, because he is part of my history and a good memory. Here's a close up to appreciate the exquisite details: 

I particularly love his jovial, jaunty smile....

When I was in middle school....

(so that was the mid 1980's) Tole Painting was popular, if you dial your memories back to that time,  you will remember it was a big, big thing. My grandmother, took lessons at a local paint store in Ft. Branch, Indiana (the next small town next to Haubstadt, Indiana where I grew up). Granny would have been in her early 60's. (Gosh that makes me sad to think I'm only 10 years off from her age then...) Anyway she took lessons. She was a lot like me (or I guess I'm a lot like her) anyway, she jumped in with both feet, bought the paints, books, patterns, took the lessons, painted, painted, painted....

Here are some early ceramic ornaments she painted:

you can even see one by Snoopy:

There are others but we will leave it there for today....

As my granny progressed in her painting lessons...

she made lots and lots of things. My Grandpa would cut the wood surfaces for her and she would commence painting them. I own one of her wood pieces and it is in my bedroom and I see it every day and it is one of my favorite things in all the world.

This cat was meant to be a door stopper, but he sits on my bed. She didn't sign him, which makes me sad. I wish she would have signed him. (so THERE for those of you who never sign your work...SIGN IT! there is someone down the line who wishes you would)...but I know it is from her hand and all my kids know it is from her hand and to never, ever get rid of him. What is sort of funny is: My Granny despised cats (LOL!) so why did she make a cat?! LOL! But I love cats,  so he was meant to be with me. 

I think this post today sets the background of the story about my love for painting...you'll learn the rest of the story tomorrow....

Merry Day #2!

 Merry Christmas!

All my love, 

Vonna xxxx