Inspiring Ideas with artist Jeanne Winters

Vintage Art - Vintage Restorations

2012-02-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

If you know my art, then you know my love for vintage. At the Las Vegas Market we saw fabulous restorations of vintage refrigerators, gas pumps and popcorn machines in the Made in the USA booth. Turns out the display was of Rick's Restorations – known as American Restoration on the History Channel – manned by Rick's brother! He encouraged us to stop by their location just a few blocks from Market Center:

Of course, we couldn't resist, so we popped in the next morning before hitting the show floor.

We met Rick's team and took the quick tour. Here's Rick in the denim cut-off shirt filming a segment:

They take relics that look completely hopeless with the decay of this world and restore them to such charming, gleaming beauty – they're given a whole. new. life. What a perfect illustration of what Jesus does for us!

While there, we met fellow market attendees, the Staubs from Bellevue, Washington. Here's the lovely Kathryn:

When asked what kind of store they had, Kathryn said to me "The kind you'd love!" And then they showed us pictures of their shop "Common Folk Co." and YES! She was right! I totally loved it without even stepping foot inside - gorgeous wood floors with vintage tables stylishly displaying jewelry, hats, scarfs, pillows, etc. If you're near Bellevue, definitely worth a stop into Common Folk for "Gifts they'll love you for!"

Love for DaySpring!

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I was so blessed to meet up with a few people from DaySpring. As many of you know, DaySpring.com carries several pieces of my art in framed canvases and gallery-wrapped canvases, as well as my book.

We connected at the Las Vegas Gift Market and it was such a treat!

We discussed which NEW paintings of mine they'd like to offer. Yay! :-) And, I got a sneak peek at some of their other beautiful new products coming online soon – a fresh, stylish assortment of things I know you'll LOVE!!!

They are such lovely, genuine people I always enjoy time spent with them! After a day walking the show our tired feet explored a few Vegas sites like "Paris" and many decorations for the Chinese New Year:

And my kids were thrilled with the treats I brought home - like these show badge carriers they went exploring with in the backyard! :-)

Cute Critter Valentine Cards Tutorial

2012-02-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

Time to make some easy, yet sweet Valentine cards for the family.
*Spoiler Alert! Grammies - look away! :-)

I made these with my daughter a couple years ago for her little neighborhood playmates. Simple hearts turned into little mouse and kitty cat personalities. I can't take credit for the original idea, but it's been around – I think it was from an old kids' book. They're so fun we're making them again!

You'll need:

Valentine patterned paper or at least red, pink and white.

Folded or flat 3x5 or 4x6 cardstock

Scissors

Paper hole punch

Glue stick

Optional - google eyes

Cut a heart large enough to almost fill your 4x6 card.

Cut 2 small hearts to make ears. Position the heart upside down for the kitty (below), or right side up for a mouse (above). Glue the ears in place so they tuck behind the big heart, then glue that down, too.

Use your hole punch to make the eyes and nose! Easy! Just empty the tray and see what you've got! :-)
You can use the 1/2" punch with a 1/4" punch on top like on the brown mouse card above. Or simple white like directly above, or the google eyes as shown below.

Now cut 6 straight and narrow paper whiskers and glue these down. Glue the punched circle for the nose right on top of the whisker ends. (You could also cut 3 long whiskers and have them criss cross under the nose.)

Breathe Kindness

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi! I've been a tad lax in my posts this month. Hope you are finding what you need around here! Don't forget to use my search box over on the right. You can also click on the topic in the 'tag cloud.' Many are looking for my past Valentine's Day ideas. Please click the link to see tons of festive Valentine holiday ideas!

I have been painting!!! I had to set aside the mouse to pick up the paintbrush! It feels so good!! I have a few new vintage inspiration prints available in my Etsy shop now.

"Breathe Kindness" based on Galatians 5:22-23 the fruit of the Spirit

and "SOAR on wings like eagles" from Isaiah 40:31.

I also painted two new verses in the same classic letters as my popular "God is Good All The Time" print:

"I Know The Plans I Have For You Says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11

and "I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me." Philippians 4:13

Wow - I feel better already just reading those short promises from God!! I hope you do, too!! Thanks for coming by!!

Glitter Glue & Glitter Paint Tutorial

2012-01-03T11:06:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!!

Today we'll take a look at glitter! A mini glitter tutorial on the various types of glitter available at the craft stores. Working with glitter is so exciting for kids (and adults) but can create quite a mess in a hurry.

We'll recap one of our ornament projects from our 2011 Kids' Christmas Craft Party - the station for painting wooden ornaments:

I had an assortment of thin wood Christmas ornaments for the kids to choose from. The supplies included acrylic paint, glitter paint, glitter glue pens, "real," "pour," or "regular" glitter, brushes, water cups and paper towels.

Glitter in all forms takes enormous amounts of time to dry, so plan accordingly, whether you're working on something yourself or a craft gathering.

Glitter paint. This medium is fairly new to me. Thinner than the glitter pens and easier, naturally, to get more surface area coverage. But it's a very translucent paint that primarily delivers glitter to the object. So for some we chose to paint the wood first with acrylic craft paint. This gives the desired opaque look and dries quickly.

(note: I prefer using opaque crafter's acrylics for little projects. Cheaper than my "artist's" acrylics but you can still mix to get your desired color. For group kid projects I like acrylics in these little bucket rows. No mixing trays needed and they're easy to share and pass around.)
Once the acrylic has dried, brush a second coat using glitter paint. The candy canes shown here are an example of these steps. You can see the areas where we painted the glitter coat on top:

The two green wreaths were done entirely with glitter paints. I applied the paint quite thick to achieve more color coverage, yet you still see the natural wood right through. I also swirled the green paint and brushed the pink and turquoise paint into the pattern of bows - the thicker areas show up darker. As you can see below the glitter paint dries flat.

Glitter glue comes in many forms: pens, squeeze bottles, tubes, sticks, etc. Pens are easy to hold and direct. Some new brands claim to retain a bit of roundedness when dry ... but take thicker takes even longer to dry. They are prone to globbing, but often the globby messes can be 'pushed' back into place or partially removed.

The glitter glue pens along with sprinkle glitter I'll continue in part 2 next time!

(added to original post)

I think the great ladies in crafting heaven invented glitter glue and glitter paint just for moms!! I don't recommend regular/sprinkle glitter for kids under 6. Maybe even 8. Depends on their dexterity. Glitter paint is the easiest form of glitter for little ones to control. They love the pens, but be ready for drips and blobs. But, these are washable!! Tables, chairs, clothes and floors can be easily washed.

If you've braved sprinkle glitter with wee ones, when you're done I recommend stepping outside for some active play! :-) Let them loose – dance, jump, run – to get all the glitter out. Clean the floor with a wet paper towel.

New Year's Prayer for 2012

2012-01-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Romans 15:13 (NIV)

Desserts for New Years Parties!

2011-12-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are two of my favorite New Year's Party desserts:

Spell out "2012" in chocolate turtles!

(visit the link for a complete tutorial and recipe for these assorted nuts, caramel & chocolate turtles!)

Flourless Chocolate Cake with "2012" medallion on top

It's hard for me to post these in time for others to do before the New Years parties ... so this year I'm trying to do better with these reminders of previous years. Desserts around here generally involve lots of dark chocolate, but this year medallion style could be done on any kind of cake. Enjoy!!

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas!

2011-12-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

Celebrate Jesus!

Kids Christmas Craft Party - Dipped Pretzels and Alphabet Block Ornaments

2011-12-22T14:38:00.003-07:00

I hosted my 2nd Annual Kids Christmas Craft Party yesterday! It was so much fun! There were about a dozen moms and 25 kids, ages 3-9. They painted, beaded, freeze danced and pretty much ran wild for 2 hours. :-) I simplified things a bit from last year and organized just three craft areas. The main project was alphabet block ornaments using their kids' school pics:

I made my samples up a few days earlier to practice and the ladies did SO good making their own and I totally forgot to take pictures!! We used both the big ones from Circo and the smaller classic wood alphabet blocks. I had loads of paints - acrylic and glitter; decoupage, glitter glue, sprinkle glitter, cut out paper squares and they all chose their own colors and which sides of the blocks to cover or let show:

Cut your child's picture the size of one panel and glue/decoupage on first. Then frame it in glitter glue and decorate the remaining sides as you please. I kept one side showing with their initial. Then papered or painted the remaining sides and wrote on their age one one and "2011" on the other. Screw a cup or eye hook into the top, add a ribbon and it's ready to gift or hang on your Christmas tree!

The second craft was assorted wood ornaments to paint and glitter - wreaths, angels, candy canes and bells. The third station was at the kitchen island making beaded candy cane ornaments. I had little colored bags to write their names on and tuck their finished projects in to take home. Drink bottles were available with their names on for ease of keeping track:

And every guest left with a chocolate and/or almond bark dipped pretzel rod:

with a Merry Christmas note from the kids:

Notes: Use a cooling rack as a drying rack since all things glitter take a LONG time to dry. Have some paper plates for the ladies to carry the still wet projects home on.

Christmas Star Napkin Rings

2011-12-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Grab a few simple crafts from your supply closet for this easy way to dress up your Christmas table:

Red napkin rings, craft wire, colored glass beads and star charms:

Happy Christmas entertaining!

Gift Card Holders for Teacher Christmas Gifts

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

Time for teacher Christmas gifts!

In the past I've done these gift card holders - paper boxes:

This year my kids' teachers will get their gift card in an up-cycled mint tin...

... freshly washed and decorated by my kids! I wanted the kids to be more involved with the gift, while still giving the teachers the "choose something for yourself" benefit of the gift cards. We traced and cut out from Christmas crafting paper 3 rectangles with rounded corners. These are for the cover and each inside. Before we glued them in place, my kids wrote the "to" and "from" and a little note.

Add gift cards & ribbons! Easy project for the kids!

Christmas Votive Place Setting

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

An easy Christmas place setting for your holiday entertaining:

These simple glass votives have an easy ridge on which to wrap a little paper strip that you print a Christmas message on:

Pop in a classic white ball ornament tied with a satin ribbon:

Decorate Railing Post For Christmas

2011-12-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

My stairwell landing post in my last house - decorated for Christmas:

Using gold pine cone, ribbon and jingle bell accents to dress up some fresh ever green boughs:

A handmade paper ribbon "Celebrate His Birth" in gold on green is the focus of this decor:

Christmas Greens Centerpiece

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Decorate an old paint can and add your Christmas tree trimmings!

I printed "Celebrate the birth of Jesus" on frosted white paper and wrapped it around a small paint can. Add water and some extra evergreen boughs. Accent with a large velvet wired ribbon for the finishing touch!

Thankful for God's Grace

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Amazing Grace - how sweet the sound!! 2 color choices for a new painting of mine.

In honor of Black Friday and Cyber Monday and all that jazz, I'm offer a 20% off coupon good on any order from my Etsy shop. Enter "SAVE20" to get the discount - good through Monday!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and loved ones!!

Christmas Blessings Gift Tags or Labels Free Download

2011-11-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

As you crafty ladies get an early jump on your Christmas crafts and gifts, I'm offering a free download of a classic Christmas Blessings gift tag or label. Share the blessing of CHRISTmas with these mini cards:

(download free label)

I used a Christmas scripture from Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born ...a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." You may download these and use as you wish!

(download free label)

There are three color choices. Tuck them inside your bills or upcoming correspondence to share the Joy of Christmas!! Print on cardstock and punch a hole to string your ribbon through to decorate a cute canister or gift box. Or print on glossy label paper to adorn homemade candle jars. Pass them out to busy store clerks as you're Christmas shopping.

(download free label)

Enjoy!!!

Thank You Veterans!!!!!

2011-11-11T09:31:00.001-07:00

Thank you to our veterans on this Veterans Day!!

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you
   from the fowler’s snare
   and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
   and under his wings you will find refuge;
   his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
   nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
   nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
   ten thousand at your right hand,
   but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
   and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
   and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
   no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
   to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
   you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
   I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble,
   I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91 (NIV)

Simple Pumpkin Fall Centerpiece

2011-10-25T07:30:00.000-06:00

Our favorite blue green pumpkin from our farmer's market outing takes center stage in a very simple tablescape for fall:

Our wood and metal platter from Blessings Unlimited is usually on a stand in a decorative grouping above our fireplace. But the pressed tin has a great cool tone to go with the cool sage of this pumpkin and the rich purple of a skinny eggplant. Altogether it makes a simple, yet stylish centerpiece as we decorate for fall.

Anyone know what our sage pumpkin is really called?

Fall Decorating with Squash, Pumpkins and Fresh Produce

2011-10-19T20:56:00.001-06:00

Fresh fall market produce!! So colorful and REAL!! A must for fall decorating. We fell in love with this sage green pumpkin – or is it a squash? – at the market and had to get it just for the fabulous unusual color!

The kids couldn't pass up the fun displays so they got to pick out their own harvest treasures to bring home. This wooden tray caddy piece from Blessings Unlimited was perfect to display the autumn produce on our coffee table:

Fine wood shavings complete the natural look:

May God richly bless YOU with abundance this fall!

Ice Cream Cake Recipe ... no chocolate?

2011-09-16T10:36:00.003-06:00

My son requested another ice cream cake for his birthday this year ... but "no chocolate!"
WHAAAAAAAAAAT? No chocolate?? Eee gads!! Should we keep him?! :-)
What's a mother to do?!

Why, make him an ice cream cake of course, even it's without our beloved food of the gods - chocolate. Last summer I first detailed our recipe for ice cream cake for that birthday party. If you want a big dose of chocolate, check that one out. To start this recipe:

Recipe for no chocolote Ice Cream Cake:

Crush about 25 vanilla or other flavor sandwich cookies and mix with 1/4 cup melted butter. Press into bottom of 9 inch springform pan. Stand 10 oatmeal or other large crispybcookies around the rim:

Fill the bottom with softened ice cream, mushing it in and leveling – we used a vanilla with peanuty pretzel things in it. Pop into the freezer to set up for about 15 minutes, depending on how soft you had it. Then use a second flavor to scoop into balls for your top layer. Here he chose peanut butter cup.

Cover and freeze until ready to serve.
Set out a buffet of toppings: all sorts of sprinkles, chocolate and carmel syrups, nuts and whipped cream. Here's daddy's choice:

My son's was covered in a wave of sprinkles, a dollup of whipped cream ... and NO chocolate! :-)

Tips on Hosting a Book Swap

2011-09-08T06:00:00.012-06:00

get ready for

summer with a BOOK SWAP!

Uh, ok. Summer is over, but we had our book swap in June and I still haven't told you about it. Well, fall is another great time for you to have a book swap! The kids are back in school and as the weather cools you'll want some great reads to snuggle in with, right?!

you’re invited to a book swap luncheon

enjoy munching and chatting while you trade your “awesome reads!”

when: saturday, june 25th, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm

where: so & so’s house / address

bring: a lunch item to share and 3 books you think someone else might enjoy. (books to pass on OR just loan out)

ps: this is a social, so come even if you don’t like to read! :-)

pps: you won’t want to be late - swapping starts at 11:15!

rsvp:

Our event was small but fun. I made the above invites and my friend hosted the swap. Asking everyone to bring something makes it much easier on the hostess, especially those of us with small kids where just cleaning up all the toys is quite a feat!

When each lady arrives hand her a number. This is her "picking" order. After everyone arrives, is introduced, gets a drink, finds a seat, etc. get started. Our hostess asked us each to give a short description of our 3 books. Since we had about a dozen ladies, we were able to fit this step in. It helps to hear someone say why they loved a certain book and to know whether it might suit your tastes or not. If anyone wishes a book to find its way back to her, say so now and have her be sure her name and address is inside. Also, have notepaper handy so she can get the name of who took what.

Then set all the books on tables – these can be on the other side of a great room or in the next room depending on your space. A bit apart from the gab fest that starts next, but I suppose you could pile them all in the middle of the floor should you choose. :-) Gal #1 gets to go look the books over and pick her first one. Then lady #2, etc. until each person has one. Then start over letting #1 choose a second book and on and on until they're gone! Everyone who brought 3 should go home with 3.

Meanwhile, the munching and chatting continues. That's it. An evening swap or genre swap - you can vary it any way you like. But you see there's not that much to it and it's a great way to recycle your books and hear about what others are enjoying. We had quite a varied book selection and I think everyone found something to go home with that interested them. I'm not big on fiction, so one of the first I chose was The Power of Patience by M. J. Ryan. Something I need and am still enjoying and (I hope) learning from!

Recently I was excited to win a copy – via SITS – of Secret Daughter, a first novel by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. I'm looking forward to reading it very soon for a twitter discussion with the author in a couple weeks. If I read fiction, there has to be some element of education or growth in it for me. Reading is a luxury in my life these days, but I think this book might take me to India and explore mother daughter relationships - there's a photo on the cover of a little girl my daughter's age. :-)

So, have YOU hosted or attended a book swap? How did it go? Please share your tips in the comments! Thank you!!

Kids Back-To-School Party Cupcakes, Annual Picture and Breakfast Traditions

2011-08-16T06:11:00.000-06:00

Our last Friday play group/pool party before the first day of school... where did the summer go? To make it a little special we made some colorful school-themed crayon cupcakes!

The kids helped frost and decorate two dozen strawberry cupcakes with bright colored sprinkles. Then they stuck a new school crayon into each cupcake for fun:

The first morning before school starts, since preschool, I take my son and daughter's picture as they hold the number of their age/grade. My daughter just started first grade! Last year she held a big "K" for kindergarten:

To make the first back-to-school breakfast special last year I made pancakes shaped like the first letter of their name. This year I made their latest favorite – french toast. A custom menu waited for them at the counter with breakfast entrees listed inside:

Last year we also made paper links to count down to the first day back to school, but this year they weren't very excited about school, so we didn't want to make it come any sooner than necessary! What traditions do your kids like?

Welcome SITS Ladies!

2011-08-12T05:00:00.015-06:00

Yay!! Today I am honored to be featured at SITS (The Secret is in the Sauce. A fabulous community of bloggers supporting bloggers.) Thank you, SITStas!

What a treat to have many new faces visiting today! I love a house full of fun gals popping into all my crafting corners peaking at projects new and old. You'll find ideas for wall decor, home accents, birthday parties, neighbor gifts, flower displays, delicious recipes and oodles more.

I am an inspirational artist, author and product designer. I've also been a graphic designer, art director and photo stylist. My career/work has adapted over the years - always artsy and always interesting! It's been a blessing to find an outlet to combine my faith with my art. I love to incorporate uplifting messages in my projects here on my blog, too, since that makes it a double joy!

I really appreciate you coming by!! Have fun exploring!!!

After just moving my blog from "blogspot" to my own domain, I've noticed blogger search is slow in re-finding all my posts, so if there's something you can't find, please drop me a note. Here are a few links to help you find out about some of the pics featured on the SITS post:

Tutorial - How To Add a Verse to a Cabinet

Baby Pop Art Tutorial Add Scripture to a Wall Mirror

Paint a Surfboard for Little Boy Bedroom

Girls 4 Year Pink and Purple Birthday Party Girls Jewel Birthday Party

Sharing Fruit Tree Harvest with Friends

Christmas Decorating with Greens 30th Birthday Party Crispy Rice Treat

Casual Stenciled Bucket Flower Centerpiece

How to Cover a Glass Vase to Match Your Room

2011-08-09T08:09:00.005-06:00

Carnations are a timeless and inexpensive way to dress up your home with fresh flowers.

A small bouquet of carnations can make a large impact when the stems are trimmed and arranged in a short vase.

In my case, the perfectly-sized vase was a simple drinking glass with a turquoise design I had painted on it years ago. But, I didn't want the busy pattern to diminish the impact.

A little red shimmery tissue paper, a burgundy satin ribbon and a big silver button are ready for a "cover-up." Wrap the tissue around and secure with double sided tape in the back. Tie the satin ribbon around next after stringing it through the decorative button.

Extras from my craft supplies – I used simple things everyone has laying around. And now I have a bright, stylish bouquet, packing quite a punch for little money and time.

. . . . . . . . . . .

And an update by request: a close up of my daughter's mixed-media art project done at our Saturday outing to the local museum a few weeks ago:

My daughter on the bridge, surrounded by cactus and desert flowers and plants.

Inspiring Ideas with artist Jeanne Winters

Vintage Art - Vintage Restorations

Love for DaySpring!

Cute Critter Valentine Cards Tutorial

Breathe Kindness

More Glitter on Our Alphabet Blocks Tutorial

Glitter Glue & Glitter Paint Tutorial

New Year's Prayer for 2012

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Desserts for New Years Parties!

Wishing You a Blessed Christmas!

Kids Christmas Craft Party - Dipped Pretzels and Alphabet Block Ornaments

Christmas Star Napkin Rings

Gift Card Holders for Teacher Christmas Gifts

Christmas Votive Place Setting

Decorate Railing Post For Christmas

Christmas Greens Centerpiece

Thankful for God's Grace

Christmas Blessings Gift Tags or Labels Free Download

Thank You Veterans!!!!!

Psalm 91 (NIV)

Simple Pumpkin Fall Centerpiece

Fall Decorating with Squash, Pumpkins and Fresh Produce

Ice Cream Cake Recipe ... no chocolate?

Tips on Hosting a Book Swap

Kids Back-To-School Party Cupcakes, Annual Picture and Breakfast Traditions

Welcome SITS Ladies!

How to Cover a Glass Vase to Match Your Room