Good Morning Everyone,
I’ve been delinquent in my postings. I’m sorry for that. My husband had surgery. We needed to travel to St. Helena, California just outside of Napa. We were there for a week. The scenery was quite stunning.
I am happy to report that his surgery went well and he is recuperating.
To be honest, taking this time off has been good for me.
I have done a couple of DIY projects around the house.
I painted this Armoire for my living room. Here are the before and after photos. If you have the desire to refresh your decor I used Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint purchased from The Freckled Frog at the Summit Mall. What I love about this paint is you don’t have to sand your furniture. Just clean and wipe it down and paint. For this piece I used two Pure White coats of paint and taped it off to wipe on Chicago grey color to give a distressed look. And then two coats of water based sealer all by Annie Sloan.
My living room update is almost complete. I am looking to create a new art piece for it. Shush… it is a secret. I will reveal it when it is done.
Also, the winter was harsh on our fence and yard so we had it repaired and the brick replaced with pavers and updated. When I saw how fresh it all looked, I decided to make new seat cushions for my patio chairs as well. I was going to do that last year and bought all the materials to do so but got busy with art and shows so I never made them. I thought it is now or never. This is the result.
I also finished an art piece for Lynn Starnes of Great Wildlife Photography. This piece was created from her photo. It was on the docket for so long, and finally I got it done. I liked how it turned out and I believe she does too.
if you have an idea for an art piece for your home contact me for a commission. I would love to work with you.
As for my upcoming events, I have been accepted to do a show in May of 2024 with Roger Kinneman at The Sierra Arts Foundation.
I will be featuring mostly birds. If you have been thinking about a new art piece for your home then this will be the show for you. I will keep you posted when we get closer.
I have been asked to teach as well. I am in the process of thinking of putting a seminar together for teaching in 2024. I believe it would be in the fall. I will be teaching thread painting as it applies to drawing and animal creation. If you are interested in this class would you send me a note so I could have a head count as to interest? Drawing is a plus for this class but not a requirement and one can get around that if you are not a drawer. You will need a basic sewing machine in good working order with the feed dogs able to disengage. Most basic sewing machines can do this and you will know if you have a darning foot. You should also have good working knowledge of your sewing machine. Contact me if you are not sure about taking this class.
That’s all for now. I hope you are enjoying this summer and getting out to enjoy the sunshine and nature.
Blessings to you,
Holly Gardner Textile artist