New items!

Our Esty Team is having another wonderful Celebration! I made 4 new items to go along with it.

Santa! Pattern adapted from Chestnut Junction

Chris Mouse and his Candy Cane! Pattern adapted from The Olde Country Cupboard.

"A Snowman will melt your Heart". I don't remember where this pattern came from. I've had it a really long time but I'm pretty sure it's not one of my originals. Let me know if you recognize it.

Elvin the Elf. Adapted from a pattern by The Olde Country Cupboard.

If you'd like to see more items from the Team, just go to ETSY and type in the search bar the letters BICOFG!

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I finished my Pumpkins. Saved some for the kid's Teachers. I don't have them listed.

I also finished these last 2 items.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/208510777/fall-seasonal-mini-word-blocks

https://www.etsy.com/listing/208511949/halloween-fall-pumpkin-and-black-cat

I designed the Cat and Pumpkin for my 8-11 year old girls that I teach twice a month on Wednesdays. They are like Girl Scouts but our group is called Activity Day Girls. They are so cute and LOVE to paint with me! They are quite talented, too, so that makes it even more fun to see their pieces turn out so well! I love to teach kids!

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It's been beautiful here on the lake! The water has come up some but we're back in a dry spell again. We need consistent rain and Mother Nature is not so giving in the cooler months. Our local Yacht Club held their annual Sailboat Regatta on Saturday and they came in front of our place.

 

The weather has been gorgeous with a nice breeze coming in. The water is getting cooler now so our swimming will come to an end soon.

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Woke up this a.m. to a dead battery in my Van. Typical Monday.

Hope you're having a better start!

Stay Tuned!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

 



Something New for me.....Gourds

I've been shopping Estate sales lately. A friend of mine got me involved in an organization that helps families sell off what their dearly departed has left behind. You'd be surprised at how many people have gourds in their homes!

This is my small selection. I've been wanting to 'play' with gourds for awhile now. I love the different characteristics they have and when I look at them, my imagination takes off. I've got plenty of patterns that I can apply to these but I took some time to look up what Etsy had to offer.

Here are just a few shops that sell patterns that I liked.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintingWithFriends

https://www.etsy.com/shop/appletreecottage

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Paintingonjars

https://www.etsy.com/shop/primchickpatterns

Here are some of the pictures I found in my Bing search that appealed to me.

Oh, there were more, lots more. I'm loving the look of this Snowman and the Santa in the first picture. I thought they'd be cute and fun to make for some family gifts.

So now I'm off to learn how to prep them for painting and remove those, what I assume to be seeds,  shaking around inside. If you have any suggestions or resources, could you let me know, please? My mind is always willing to be educated.

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I have to attend Career Days tomorrow at my Twin's Elementary school (they are 4th graders). They're excited for me to come and show my crafts and share my knowledge. 80 kids altogether: 2 different sessions (40 kids each). I may have to ask for your prayers!!

Stay tuned!!

}}Hugs{{
Vicky

 

Making Pumpkins

I'm actually making more than just Pumpkins. Christmas has found it's way to my table but I DARE not show you in fear that you'll throw something at me!! Those of us in Retail/Wholesale have to stay on top of things but it doesn't keep the public from disliking the 'rush' on the holidays. I, myself, don't particularly care to hear Christmas music before it's even Halloween, however, I do find myself buying it all!

I don't have a pattern to share with you for the pumpkins. You can find a Tutorial HERE from ORP (Old Road Primitives). Kim shares her Tutorials FREE with everyone and her patterns are MARVELOUS to work with!

 

I don't have to paint these as my husband's Aunt gave me some upholstery fabric, some type of chenille/velour. I don't really know but it works great for these little pumpkins.

I DO want to show you my leaves though and how easy it is to make them. You can apply these to all of your FALL crafts and even make them as large as you need.

My daughter brought over a pair of white denim jeans that were stained on the bottom cuffs. I can always use a bit of denim/canvas for Bunny ears, etc. but my intentions this time were for some leaves.

I ripped them apart.....

...and pulled off the pocket and buttons.

Fold over 4-5 inch strip of denim and draw a shape similar to the one I have.

Take them back to your painting table and WET them with water first then paint them with greens, browns, oranges, and yellows.

Make sure you add a bit of color to the other side as these will curl up around the edges making them a bit more natural looking.

I haven't finished my pumpkins, however you can see how easy it is to place them with a dab of hot glue. A stem and a nice FALL tag will finish these pumpkins. I'm going to add a little Mouse, too.

Sales are slow right now and that's given me some extra time that I've been able to enjoy.

}}Hugs{{

Vicky