Just Paint It

Painted Dollar Store Mugs

2014-02-25T09:01:00.001-08:00

I’m not sure if I mentioned it here before but I became a contributor to one of my favorite blogs, Saved By Love Creations.

Once a month I’ll be creating a fun l’il project and posting it on SBLC. (Today I’m sharing my Painted Retro Shoes!)

But before you click over there to see the shoes – and they are pretty cute, if-I-do-say-so-myself – I wanted to show you how to paint some mugs.

While these had a Valentine’s theme, they’d actually be pretty cute for any time of year, and they make great gifts too!

How To Paint Dollar Store Mugs

I picked these guys up at the dollar store. You might not be able to find the exact style but any white mug will work for this project.

Once you’ve cleaned the mugs with soapy water and they’ve dried, take a cotton ball and rubbing alcohol and go over the areas that’ll be painted. Let air dry.

The alcohol removes and traces of oil left by your fingers that would prevent the paint from adhering.

There are now a few different companies that make “multi-surface” paint. I happen to love Martha Stewart’s for a few reasons:

1) there are different sheens in the same color way, like the Pearl finish I used on these mugs, and

2) she has tips that screw on to the bottles allowing you to use the paint as a writer or for detailing. You’ll see more about that one below.

Since these mugs already had little oval indentions, I used those as a base for my “pattern”. I used two coats of Satin finish, allowing each one to dry thoroughly.

Next, I applied two coats of the Pearl finish in the same color as the basecoat. You could easily leave the Satin as it but the Pearl adds an extra shimmer which is really pretty.

Since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, I painted a couple of hearts with the Satin paint – two coats – and followed up with Pearl in the same color.

Now, if you’re a little uneasy about painting the heart freehand, I have a little “secret” that might help. Of course, if you have a stencil, you could always use that too but I like the relaxed look of the hearts not so matchy-matchy.

Okay, if you’re like me, sometimes it’s hard to ‘stay within the lines’, right?

Here’s a super easy way to “erase” a paint boo-boo:

Get a clean, slightly damp paintbrush and carefully stroke it once across the paint needing to be removed. Then rinse, blot excess water on paper towel, and repeat as needed.

This little ‘eraser’ saves loads of time and aggravation, believe me.

Now that you have some blocks of color and a couple hearts painted, you can add some detailing. Don’t panic! This is easy-peasy stuff.

As I mentioned above, Martha’s craft line includes a set of three different-sized tips that screw right on to the paint bottle. Love that.

If you’re not using Martha’s paint, you can get little squeeze bottles but since you only need a smidgen of paint, it’s not really worth the time and trouble.

Using the Pearl paint, I outlined the color blocks and then squeezed a few dots here and there. No big deal.

You could also use the end of your paintbrush to “dip-dot” too. Dip dots are so much fun and you can even make flowers with them!

You’ll want to “cure” the paint so the mugs will be washable – either by hand or top rack in the dishwasher.

You can either let them air dry for 21 days or if you’re impatient like me, use the oven. Set the mugs on a rack in a cool oven, turn it on to 350 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off; let the mugs cool completely in the oven. Painted glass should heat up and cool down in the oven. Set aside for 72 hours.

Aren’t these fun? If you paint two, you’ll either have a set or one to give away and one to keep!

And by all means, feel free to create your own design too! Painting glass and ceramic is great because if you don’t like the way something looks, you can just wipe it off with a damp towel and start over (as long as it hasn’t air cured for 21 days).

Make sure you drop by Saved By Love Creations, ok? If you’ve been wanting a Spring painting project, this one is perfect and you can knock it out in an afternoon!

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

How To Paint Wooden Shutters

2014-02-20T08:15:00.001-08:00

The next time someone you know, someone who paints, who writes a blog about painting . . . the next time she says “I think I’ll paint a canvas and show daily progress photos,” and asks, “Isn’t this a great idea?”

Please, for the love of all things paint, say noooooo.

Do me a favor and remind her that, while she may indeed actually paint said canvas every day, it’s just possible, even likely, that Life might have other ideas for her time.

That a simple little stenciled burlap art project and a demo at Michael’s will actually take a ton more time than she realized.

Stenciled Burlap plus Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

2014-02-16T08:28:00.001-08:00

I’ve mentioned a few times that I used to work in a craft store.

Honestly, one of the best gigs I’ve had in my 50+ years.

Not only was it fun . . . who wouldn’t like having an entire store at your disposal for making projects . . . but it was also a career-changer for me.

A life-changer, really.

That’s when I started playing around with paint . . . for displays, backdrops, signs, furniture, younameit. Eventually I started teaching painting classes there too.

A seemingly simple job at a craft store transformed my life and I’ll always be grateful.

So when Hometalk asked if I’d like to host a Pinterest Party at Michael’s this month, it was a total no-brainer.

Only one day? Can’t I stay longer . . . like forever?

I’ll settle for Sunday, February 16.

Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

2014-02-15T08:27:00.001-08:00

After seeing my Stenciled Burlap Art from the other day, I thought you might enjoy seeing what the 99 other bloggers came up with for their Hometalk Michael’s project.

Don’t forget, you can join in on the fun this Sunday too! Here’s the list of all the Michael’s Stores where Hometalk bloggers will be.

Another reminder – follow Michael’s on Hometalk to be entered to win $100!

Now . . . what have I forgotten? Probably something but this’ll keep us busy for today, right?

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a great weekend!

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

Stenciled Burlap plus Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

2014-02-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

I’ve mentioned a few times that I used to work in a craft store.

Honestly, one of the best gigs I’ve had in my 50+ years.

Not only was it fun . . . who wouldn’t like having an entire store at your disposal for making projects . . . but it was also a career-changer for me.

A life-changer, really.

That’s when I started playing around with paint . . . for displays, backdrops, signs, furniture, younameit. Eventually I started teaching painting classes there too.

A seemingly simple job at a craft store transformed my life and I’ll always be grateful.

So when Hometalk asked if I’d like to host a Pinterest Party at Michael’s this month, it was a total no-brainer.

Only one day? Can’t I stay longer . . . like forever?

I’ll settle for Sunday, February 16.

Everyone who’s close to my Michael’s store in Folsom, CA is invited to join me to make a Pinterest-inspired craft. The store has loads of ideas too.

I had a million ideas for making my own craft to demonstrate until I walked into Michael’s.

Burlap!

Not just Burlap! Burlap Canvases!

It’s like someone asked me what I think the next hot art/craft product should be. Only they didn’t. Or I would’ve told them . . .

Burlap Canvases!

Let me show you my first Burlap Canvas project.

Oh yes, there will be more . . .

How To Stencil Burlap Art

Materials (all available at Michael’s)

burlap canvas (this came in a set of three)
stencils
stencil spray adhesive
paint (I used White, Raw Umber and Deep Ocean Blue)
foam pouncers
painter’s tape
wax paper (not shown)
optional: ribbon, gem crystals and Max Tacky Adhesive

Since we’re stenciling burlap with a nubby weave, I recommend spraying stencil adhesive on the back of your stencils to prevent paint bleed-thru.

Trust me on this.

Another trust-me-on-this is to add strips of painter’s tape along the edges of the stencil so you don’t pounce paint where you don’t want it.

You could also use a bristle stencil brush. I tried that too. It takes a little longer . . . er, a lot longer . . . but bleed-thru risk is minimized. In the end I loaded a foam pouncer and made sure I pounced up-and-down without much pressure.

And one more trust-me-on-this . . . you do realize that this means I tried it another way and had issues, right?

After each paint/stencil application, set the stencil on wax paper and wipe all the paint off with a damp paper towel, turn it over and wipe the backside.

I’ve nevered stenciled a large surface, like a wall, so I don’t know how stencilists do it, if they wipe each time or not. For me, this was the only way to ensure no extra paint splotches.

After the blue chrysanthemums I stenciled white circles of dots.

The circle on the left was stenciled with a foam pouncer, the one on the right with a bristle stencil brush. It’s lighter, but less bleed-thru. You’d just need 2-3 coats with the bristle brush.

After the blue and white dried fully, I stenciled Raw Umber for the bird and branch. I didn’t get full coverage on the first go, as you can see the white and blue poking thru.

Since the bird and leaves were much larger with less detail, I just removed the stencil and went over the it again with a regular brush, making it more opaque.

You could leave it like this and have a cute little burlap canvas. But since this is for Hometalk and Michael’s I wanted to dress it up a bit more.

After the Raw Umber was fully dry I turned the canvas over, measured where I wanted my ribbon border and added a smidgen of glue.

Cute, huh? I ran another piece of ribbon across the bottom border too.

For a little bling, I glued a few gem crystals on some of the mum petals with the Max Tacky.

I love my little burlap!

I’m also going to love showing people how to make their own this Sunday!

Come join me, Michael’s and Hometalk this Sunday for a Pinterest Party!

February 16, 1-4 pm

Michael’s in Folsom

2715 East Bidwell Street, Folsom, CA

Check out the Pinterest inspired displays at your local Michaels store, buy your supplies, and meet us in the classroom to create your own pin-worthy project.

Not in my area? That’s ok, there are 100 bloggers around the country doing the same thing. Check this list to find one close to you.

Are you on Hometalk yet? It’s truly one of my favorite places to hang out for home and garden socializing. And check this out - Follow Michaels on Hometalk to enter to win a $100 Michaels gift card. Five winners will be announced on Hometalk's FB page on Feb 17, after the party.

I want to thank Hometalk and Michael’s for sponsoring this post and inviting me to host our local Pinterest Party. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

The Search for a Tagline

2014-02-11T09:20:00.001-08:00

Hi there.

I was all set to post How To Paint Wooden Shutters today. I had the photos edited, uploaded and everything.

But then I got to thinking. (which is always dangerous)

If you saw that title – How To Paint Wooden Shutters – would you think it was about painting actual wooden shutters?

This poses something of an issue around here.

If a post is titled How To Paint Pumpkins you’d think it would show you how to paint a design on an actual pumpkin.

But it doesn’t, does it.

Although it could. Because I do like to paint stuff.

Like pumpkins. And shutters.

And I like to paint stuff like paintings of pumpkins and shutters.

Confused? Me too.

This is making coming up with a tagline for this blog a bit . . . challenging.

Did I mention we’re going thru a redesign? Yes, we are. It’s time. Mainly because I need to move over to Wordpress but also because when someone new comes to visit and sees “Just Paint It” it’s not very clear exactly what is being painted.

Pumpkins or paintings of pumpkins.

Or both.

Along with the redesign I’m having to write an “About Me” page. sigh. At age 56 there simply isn’t enough space in the interwebs to cover it. So I’m paring it down to why I write this blog.

Seems simple enough. Because I like to paint.

Pumpkins and paintings of pumpkins.

How do I sum that up in one little tagline so new visitors will know what to expect here? (Besides lots and lots of words, of course.)

A while back, a dear friend told me to write a Mission Statement for the blog and after thinking long and hard, I came up with this -

Encouraging and inspiring others to discover the joy of self-expression thru art and crafts

That’s still my mission, but too many words for a tagline.

On my Facebook page I wrote this:

From simple spray paint to sophisticated stencils, New Year's to Christmas, we have one solution for every decorating dilemma - Just Paint It!

Again with the too-many-words thing. It’s a sickness, I tell ya.

Maybe I should hold a contest for a tagline because this is all I’ve come up with so far . . .

creative offerings from a self-taught artist (borrrring)
strokes of creativity from a self-taught artist (even more boring if that’s possible)
never underestimate the power of paint (should we have superhero capes too?)
joy from the tip of a brush (hmm, sounds almost kinky in a way)
creating joy with the stroke of a brush (ok, it’s getting kinkier)
I paint. You should too. (too bossy?)
decorating stuff with paint

Sadly, the last one is my favorite so far because that’s what we do here, decorate stuff with paint.

Of course, the name of this blog begs the tagline to be a clever preamble to the title -

when in doubt Just Paint It
grab a brush and Just Paint It
from stencils to spray paint Just Paint It

You get the idea.

But I don’t. I’m stuck. Nothing “feels” right.

So I went back to the basics – what do I blog about?

Paint, obviously.
How to paint stuff. (there’s that “stuff” again)
Crafts, yes. But decorative art too. But not so much art that we’re hoity toity. I try to write tutorials for any skill level.

Then I thought, maybe I should do a little tagline ‘list’ -

Art. Crafts. Tutorials. (again with the boring)

Or how about -

Move over Bob Ross.

I’d probably get in trouble with that one but, boy, you instantly get what we do here, right?

So there you have it. I’m stuck. The more I think about it, the more stuck I get.

If you’re a regular here, or even if you’re not, got any ideas? Something that would fit across the header (meaning, not a ton of words). Something that describes this blog. (Is that even possible in a few words?)

I would love to hear any and all of your ideas. Anything! Do you win something if I use your idea? Hmm . . . my eternal gratitude? No, I’ll come up with something better than that. Let me think on it.

Oh dear. Here we go again . . .

p.s. The Shutter post is coming. The one about painting a painting of shutters, not actual shutters.

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

How To Organize Your Stencils

2014-02-09T11:13:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. This should be a Day Whatever post on the French Country painting.

It’s not.

That painting is . . . coming along and I’ll post an update. Soon.

But I was rifling through my stack of stencils, trying to find one for an upcoming project and I.Had.Had.It.

A Non-Valentine Valentine’s Craft

2014-02-05T07:19:00.001-08:00

There are times when the Universe tells you to . . .

slowww dowwwnnn.

Did you know that? It’s true.

You might think you’re handling it all . . . hospital visits, daily blog posts, revamping the website . . . oh yes, you’ve got this.

Or, so you think.

And then you miss a date. A blog project date. Not just any blog project . . .

one where 13 other bloggers are counting on you.

But you, Miss Handling It All, you have it together. You have it on your calendar. You know you have enough time to . . .

do it all.

Until you’re sitting in a parking lot out of town, fiddling with your emails, and you notice one of the sweet 13 bloggers says . . .

Colleen, where’s your post today?

How To Paint a Rock Wall Background–Day 2

2014-02-04T10:37:00.001-08:00

No sooner than I posted Take a Trip With Me This Week then all of the self-doubts started creeping in . . .

can I actually edit photos and write a post each day?

will this painting actually turn out or will I have to scratch it and start all over?

maybe nobody will actually notice?

Apparently you noticed. And some of you even thought it was a good idea, to see a painting day-by-day, step-by-step, without knowing if it will actually turn out or not.

So here I am on Day 2. Not without a few hiccups though. The first being, this is the second time I’ve written this post. The first one is gone . . . into the internet ethers . . .

sigh. It happens.

There were a few other . . . issues too. So, in full disclosure, here we go.

Take a Trip With Me This Week

2014-02-02T11:55:00.001-08:00

I haven’t painted a ‘regular’ painting in quite a while. I mean, I’ve been painting dogs and craft stuff, but there are a lot of blank walls in my house and I decided I need to paint something just for me.

Usually I post all of the step-by-step photos after I’ve finished a painting and tell you what I’ve done along the way.

But I had an idea . . .

how about showing each day what I’ve done on the painting?

Now maybe that doesn’t seem like such a big deal. But it is.

I have to actually paint something each day.
I have to photograph and edit progress pics each day.
Then I have to write something fairly intelligible to go with the pics.
I have to do this each day.

Did I mention each day?

Poodle Puppy Illustration

2014-01-30T10:39:00.001-08:00

Since I’ve been doing dog illustrations recently I’ve had no shortage of requests from friends and followers. Which I love, because there are times that I simply don’t feel like painting.

What?!? Me, not paint?

True story.

It’s rare, but it does happen when I just don’t feel like creating anything. This poor pup got caught in the middle of one of those dry spells.

Burlap Love Banner

2014-01-26T19:28:00.001-08:00

It took me a while to jump on the “banner bandwagon”. I kept seeing banners all over Blogland. Parties, holidays, whatever-days.

I just didn’t get it.

Which, by the way, isn’t that unusual for me. I’m not much of a trend-follower.

And completely forget about me being a trendsetter of any sort.

If you’re being kind, you’d call my style “classic”. If you’re honest, you’d say “boring”.

Which I’m totally okay with. More than ok. I’m comfortable. I wear neutrals and black and very, very rarely any patterns. My home is pretty much the same.

Then there’s the whole Valentine’s Day, Sweetie Pie, Honey Bunch thing.

Ugh.

When you’re a widow, you dread most holidays. But Valentine’s Day in particular.

How To Organize Your ENTIRE House

2014-01-22T20:19:00.001-08:00

Have you ever spent a day sorting through a pile of clutter, picking through what you want and what you don’t, and then neatly putting it back?

Feels good doesn’t it?

And then, maybe a week or so goes by and you can’t remember what you put where?

You just saw it. You know you did.

Where could it be?

Have you heard the saying that we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time?

So that means when you want to find the other 80% of your stuff it takes you 75% longer.

Not really. I was on a roll with percentages and wanted to keep it going.

My point is, we can organize all we want, buy cute baskets and boxes and make all sorts of pretty labels. But if we can’t find anything when we’re looking for it, why bother?

Well, okay, because cute baskets and pretty labels are fun. But, you know what I mean.

My house is dual-living, meaning it’s actually two houses in one. I needed to come up with some sort of method so both my me and my mother could find what we want, when we want it.

I took the Plan I used in my old craft room and simplified it a bit and made an Organizing Binder.

For the entire house.

Every single drawer, cupboard, closet, and shelf – any place where stuff can sit or hang is in the binder. Every single room is in the binder – even the garage.

Before you think I’m Gramma-turns-Wonder-Woman, I’m not finished organizing. Far from it. But I’m off to a great start and the Binder is my guide.

Let me show you how to make one, but first I want to tell you about it.

Features of the Organizing Binder:

You can see every storage space – closets, drawers, cupboards, in a matter of minutes, all in one binder.
You can change it around as many times as you want until every item has a permanent home.
Everyone in the house can use the Organized Home Binder. If you have little kiddos who aren’t reading yet, use stickers to for their clothes and toy storage.

At first this will seem like a lot of work. It is a lot of work. Shoot, organizing any space is a lot of work. But think how nice it will be to have one binder with every single storage space laid out.

Supplies to make the binder -

plain paper
sheet protectors
ruler
pencil & felt pen
dry-erase marker
binder tabs
binder

Step 1 – Open a cupboard or closet.

Step 2 – Draw boxes that make a template representing the cupboard shelves.

Step 3 – Organize the space the way you want it (for the time being).

Step 4 – Place the template into a sheet protector. With a dry-erase marker write down all of the items on each shelf.

Step 5 – Move on to the next cupboard or closet!

Obviously the organizing will take a while but here’s the deal, if you take the time to make templates for all of the storage spaces in your house – closets, dressers, cupboards, toy boxes, wall shelves, and so on – then place them all into your binder, divided by room, you can quickly write down on the sheet protectors where each item is located.

If you change an item’s location, wipe it off the sheet protector and move it to where it’s new home is.

That’s it! Well, except for the organizing part. But from now on you’ll be able to find something after you’ve moved things around.

If you continue on, room by room, you’ll soon be able to see your home’s entire contents all in the confines of one binder.

And what about family members? Okay, so I won’t guarantee that this will stop the, “Honey, where is the . . .”, but at least now you’ll only have to flip thru a few sheet protectors. Maybe, just maybe, he’ll get the idea after a time or two and look thru the binder himself.

We can always hope, right?

If you’re lacking space, check out how I Maximize Storage Space. Pretty close to the same idea but not quite.

Did you check out my blog friends’ organizing posts? If you missed any, you can find them below and the date they posted.

Monday, January 20
Confessions of a Serial DIYer
Fresh Idea Studio
Rappsody in Rooms
Sweet Pea
Tuesday, January 21
Country Design Style
Curb Alert
Girl in the Garage
Wednesday, January 22
Just a Girl & Her Blog
Just Paint It
Our Southern Home
Simply Fresh Vintage

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

Arch Patterns

2014-01-21T09:54:00.001-08:00

As I make my way through my pile of old paint patterns I’ve drawn and used over the years, I figure I might as well start the posts at the beginning – with “A”. For Arches.

I’m pretty sure there has to be some mathematical or logical way to draw arches.

If there is, I don’t know it.

Let’s Get Organized!

2014-01-18T10:31:00.001-08:00

Was one of your New Year’s goals/resolutions to get organized?

Or is it just me.

Something tells me . . . . maybe not.

I asked some bloggy friends if they shared the same goal as me and *surprise* they do! So we packed up our holiday decorations and picked one area to clear the clutter and get it organized.

We’re sharing the results this week.

Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, we’ll inspire each other?

Here’s the Organizing Tour Schedule. I hope you’ll drop by my friends’ blogs.

Isn’t it fun to see other people’s organized spaces?

Monday, January 20
Confessions of a Serial DIYer
Fresh Idea Studio
Rappsody in Rooms
Sweet Pea

Tuesday, January 21
Country Design Style
Curb Alert
Girl in the Garage

Wednesday, January 22
Just a Girl & Her Blog
Just Paint It
Our Southern Home
Simply Fresh Vintage

Have a great weekend!

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

SHARE THE LOVE–Free Valentine’s Day Printables!

2014-01-14T04:00:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to Share The Love, a fabulous 16 blogger event where each of us has created free printable Valentines just for you! Today is January 14 which means there’s only one month until Valentine’s Day. Time to get busy!

If you’re visiting from Caitlin’s blog, welcome! So happy you’re here!

When Jamie first invited me to Share The Love, she had a long list of ‘cheesy’ Valentine greetings. Such fun!

But one in particular stood out. Practically called my name, it did.

You’re a deer to me.

Yep. If you’re a Just Paint It reader you know why, don’t you?

If you’re new here I’ll let you in on it – just the other week I sketched a deer head, my first time using colored pencils.

Obviously I had to use him on my Valentine printable! This is an 8 x 10 but you could reduce it down to fit a greeting card too. Click on the photo or here to download the high resolution printable (without watermark).

At the last minute I had second thoughts though. While I think Bucky is just as cute as can be, I wondered if maybe others wouldn’t want such detail.

So I made a simpler one using just a silhouette of the deer head. This is a 5 x 7, which should work for most greeting cards. Click the photo or here to download.

Thanks so much for visiting today! The next stop is over at Julia’s. Make sure you drop by to see her darling printable too!

Want to see all of the Valentine printables? Here’s the full listing. Have fun!

1. Jamie: "You mean the world to me!"

2. Lucy: "I love everything you dew!"

3. Roeshel: "You melt my heart!"
4. Vanessa: " Thumb-body Loves You!"
5. Lindsay: "You blow me away!"

6. Jamie: "You're o-fish-ally an awesome friend!"

7. Kelly: "No matter how you slice it, we make a great combination!"

8. Lindi: "You rock!"

9. Andrea: "You're the write one for me!"
10. Abbey: Valentines Day scavenger hunt
11. Jenna: "We're 2 of a kind!"

12. Emily: "I like you a latte!"

13. Bethany: "You're just my type!"
14. Caitlin: "You're sweet!"
15. Colleen: "You're a deer to me!"
16. Julia: "You are the bomb!"

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

Dog Patterns–Pug and Lab Puppy

2014-01-13T04:00:00.000-08:00

Like nearly everyone else at this time of year, I’ve been trying to organize around the house. (Notice I said “trying”.)

Sooner or later we all have to face that shoebox . . . the one with scraps of paper that have a bunch of numbers on them that seem to matter to accountants. And the IRS.

As I was rifling through the piles (before I got to that shoebox) I noticed a corner of tracing paper sticking out. Hmm . . . organizing receipts or looking at old sketches?

Friday’s Favorite Pins

2014-01-10T04:00:00.000-08:00

I had an idea.

Try not to be shocked.

My husband once told me if we could have a 1-900-number for all of my ideas we’d be rich.

This isn’t one of those holy-cow-how-did-you-ever-think-of-that ideas though.

This is just one of those hey-it’s-Friday-and-these-are-some-really-cool-pins-I-saw-on-Pinterest-this-week ideas.

Pug Illustration–step by step

2014-01-08T07:37:00.001-08:00

Today I’m letting the cat, er, dog outta the bag – I’m creating a line of all occasion doggie greeting cards.

There are a few avenues artists can take for success, I’ve heard.

(It’s nice that I’m finally listening after nearly 20 years.)

Of course there are art galleries. ahem. Yeah, well, that’s not ‘me’ exactly. And then there’s licensing, where your art is reproduced onto different products.

Downton Abbey Hat Illustrations

2014-01-05T11:53:00.001-08:00

With Season 4 of Downton Abbey premiering tonight, I had to try my hand at a couple of costume illustrations again.

Instead of the beautiful gowns from Season 1, I chose a couple of lovely hats.

There are times when I wish we still wore these hats from the Edwardian period.

Wouldn’t it be fun? To have a matching hat for every gown, adorned with flowers and feathers and draped in the finest fabrics?

sigh.

Rather than just thinking about them, it’s much more fun to doodle and sketch and get lost in my daydreams.

Each hat was done differently. The lavender was painted.

Boston Terrier Sketch and French Onion Dip

2014-01-02T10:08:00.001-08:00

For as long as I can remember there’s one thing, one “food”, that indicates it’s a holiday around our house . . .

French Onion Dip.

The special recipe too.

The one where you need a pint of sour cream and one packet of Lipton’s French Onion soup.

That one.

Stir well, then take a chip or a cracker or even a finger if no one’s looking and dive into that rich, creamy, tangy, delectable heaven.

And let the holiday merriment begin.

Top 10 Paint Projects of 2013

2013-12-29T09:18:00.001-08:00

Another Top 10 post?

Yes.

Is there a difference between Top 10 Posts of 2013 and Top 10 Paint Projects of 2013?

Yes.

You mean, you write about other things besides paint on a blog called Just Paint It?

Yep.

Are you going to do the same thing in 2014, write about other stuff besides paint?

A little. It really depends on you and what you want because I create projects to share and if you tell me what you want to see, then I can try and create it and have content that you like.

Merry Christmas!

2013-12-24T08:24:00.001-08:00

I wanted to take a moment to wish you the merriest of Christmases. I hope your season is full of joy and love.

We’ll be celebrating in a quiet way, just Mom and me, and that’s just fine with us. Oh, it’s easy to become melancholy if we don’t watch out. But honestly, I couldn’t wish for anything more than the blessings I have in my life right now.

And you, my friends, are a huge part of my blessings. You keep me going when I’d like to stop, keep me inspired when I feel empty, and give me encouragement when I need it the most.

I hope . . . I pray that I can return the favor in some small part.

I’m so looking forward to the new year, with loads of new painting projects, tutorials and whatever else Life has in store.

Merry Christmas, my friends. Thank you for being part of my life.

xoxo

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

It’s Monday FUNday!

2013-12-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to another inspired week of the Monday Funday Link Party!

We are excited you have joined the fun! When you link up, you will be seen on these 7 amazing blogs each week… that’s right, we added 2 guest co-hostesses to join us until the end of the year! So one link = being seen on 7 blogs! Our weekly blogs are...

C.R.A.F.T. ~ Lines Across ~ Uncommon Designs ~ That’s What Che Said~ Creatively Living

and our special guest hostesses are...

Just Paint It & Club Chica Circle

7 Blogs means TONS of exposure for your creativity and talent!

______________________

This week's main features were chosen by Colleen from Just Paint It.

Hello! Am I the only one having a hard time believing that Christmas is in a few days?!? Maybe you’re one of ‘those’ people who are completely ready (no judgment here) but just in case you’re not, I found some awesome projects from last week's party to help Santa’s helpers.

Ever run out of gift tags and then snip a square of wrapping paper, fold it over and call it done? Now you don’t have to, with these adorable holiday printables.

Faux Chalk Christmas Tags by Uncommon Designs * Baked With Love Tags by SohoSonnet * Christmas Gift Tags by Happy Scraps * Christmas Recipe Cards by The Grant Life * 12 Days of Printables by Carrie Elle * Merry & Bright Printables by Club Chica Circle * Holiday Tags by The Casual Craftlete

I’ve had a wonderful time co-hosting Monday Funday these past few weeks and can’t thank our awesome hosts enough! I hope you’ll drop by Just Paint It in 2014 for some fun – and easy – paint projects!

Merry Christmas!

___________________________

Thank you to everyone who linked up with us last week! And if you were featured today or throughout the week on our social media accounts… grab a featured button, you absolutely deserve it!

COPY AND PASTE THIS CODE INTO YOUR BLOG:

<center><a href="http://club.chicacircle.com/" title="Monday Funday Feature" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n575/beuncommon/MondayFundayFeature150_zpscd6cc8a3.png" alt="clubchicacircle.com" style="border:none;" /></a><center>

We love to pin your projects to our boards and to the MONDAY FUNDAY PINTEREST BOARD!

Make sure you are following us on Pinterest too!

C.R.A.F.T. ~ Lines Across ~ Uncommon Designs ~ That’s What {Che} Said ~ Creatively Living Just Paint It~ Club Chica Circle

_______________________________

NOW ON TO THE MONDAY FUNDAY PARTY!

<center><a href="http://club.chicacircle.com/" target="_blank""><img alt="Monday Funday at TWCS"src="http://i1109.photobucket.com/albums/h435/thatswhatchesaid/MondayFunday.png" /></a></center>

A few things to remember:

Please link to a specific post on your blog. Please no Etsy shops or items you are selling.
We’d love for you to pin the features, but please click through to the tutorial and pin from the original source!
By linking up to Monday Funday you are giving the 7 blogs, listed above the right to feature one of your photos on all of our SM outlets and blogs.
Click on lots of links and leave some comment love on posts you adore! That puts the FUN in MondayFunday!

Show us your latest creations! We are so happy your joined the Party!

Colleen

about Colleen

Subscribe to Just Paint It by email

Just Paint It

Painted Dollar Store Mugs

How To Paint Dollar Store Mugs

How To Paint Wooden Shutters

Stenciled Burlap plus Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

Stenciled Burlap plus Hometalk Michael’s Pinterest Party!

How To Stencil Burlap Art

The Search for a Tagline

Encouraging and inspiring others to discover the joy of self-expression thru art and crafts

How To Organize Your Stencils

A Non-Valentine Valentine’s Craft

How To Paint a Rock Wall Background–Day 2

Take a Trip With Me This Week

Poodle Puppy Illustration

Burlap Love Banner

How To Organize Your ENTIRE House

Arch Patterns

Let’s Get Organized!

SHARE THE LOVE–Free Valentine’s Day Printables!

Dog Patterns–Pug and Lab Puppy

Friday’s Favorite Pins

Pug Illustration–step by step

Downton Abbey Hat Illustrations

Boston Terrier Sketch and French Onion Dip

Top 10 Paint Projects of 2013

Top Posts of 2013!

Merry Christmas!

It’s Monday FUNday!