Shelter Dogs are the Best

Max
 My Max passed on September 29th 2014. I have been so out of sorts ever since. Can't remember being this depressed. He was such a big part of my life. He was 14 years old and I got him when he was a puppy. I know there will never be another dog like him. He was so unique, intelligent and loving. 
With that said I could not go on without having another dog in my life. I decided I needed to rescue a dog from Animal Care Service which is basically the pound. We have such a bad problem here with strays and unwanted pets. I looked and looked through a lot of shelters like the humane society's and no kill shelters but in the end had to get one from the pound. Not a hard decision since they have over 400 dogs housed there. It breaks my heart even more looking at all of them and trying to decide which one to rescue. They all have a horror story that we are never told. 
I did not want a puppy. I would have loved to rescue an old dog but then I'm not sure I can go through the end of their life so soon. I wanted a calm dog, not a little dog and not a real big dog either. 

Soooooo.

I found Zoe....well her name was not Zoe in the pound...I renamed her.


Zoe
Zoe
She is very sweet. Definitely was abused but no one really knows what happen to her. She was brought to the pound with 6 puppies too old to be nursing her. She was very weak and malnourished. All her puppies were adopted out. Yea!
I adopted about a week ago. She does not like to walk on the tile. So I had to move her food and water dish close to the carpet. She is very timid, but hopefully in time she will gain some confidence. 

I still miss my Max and can't stop crying, but having Zoe in my life has helped the lonely house feeling. It's so nice to come home to a happy, excited dog to greet you at the door. 
With all this going on I have not been too industrious making art or being creative. 
Hopefully I get back into the swing of things soon.
Hugs,
C

Thanksgiving Apron Turkey Apron


Thanksgiving Turkey Print Apron


Hello everyone! I can not believe how fast this year went. Tomorrow is Halloween and we all  know that after Halloween, it is the start of the Holiday season.
Yikes!
So right after making Halloween decorations I started on Thanksgiving decor which includes aprons.
This one is for sale in my Etsy shop.
Click on the link on caption below photo and it will take you directly to the listing.
This pattern is actually from a vintage pattern, but.....I changed it up just a tad. :)
The original pattern does not have a ruffle on the bottom, and the ties around the waist are longer.  I changed the bib a little as well. The pocket has some appliqué flowers and I used my very own whimsy stitch around the edges.
Love it!
Oh well everyone have a safe, happy Halloween.
C.




My Halloween House

My House is just about ready for Halloween.
Every year I have a Halloween party, so I start decorating early.
I have some new things this year, but most I made last year.
Some of the new decorations are my paintings.
My painting "Are you a good witch or bad witch?" above my fireplace mantel is my newest creation.
I put together some really cute small canvases like,
the "Boo" canvases, two "Crow" canvases and "I put a spell on you!"canvas.
I found a vintage Pumpkin and Cat light up at the huge Flea Market In Warrenton.  


 My sitting room got decorated this year. Yea!


Centerpiece for formal dining table.


"I put a spell on you"...one of my new little canvases. In the guest bathroom.


One of my new canvases for the kitchen table.


I found this at a thrift store last year. One of my favorite finds.


I've had this cat for awhile, but still love her.


My "Boo" canvases for shelf  in sitting room.


I don't have the best hand writing, but love this idea I found on Pinterest.
I got that frame for $5.00 at Hobby Lobby. It was all chipped up.

Redecorated fireplace mantel including my new painting.


My new Painting.


Best find this year at Warrenton Flea Market.



Most of these items I made last year. 
Pumpkins I've been collecting for years.

Fall or Autumn Apron and Bunting Banner




So happy it's fall. It is still close to 90 here.  It would be nice if the temps were a little lower, like in the low 80's and at least stay that way for a little while. Keeping my fingers crossed. They say  it's going to be a wetter and colder then normal winter. :(

I thought this fabric print was too cute to pass up. Had to make something out of it.
As always I make things I like so if it does not sell I can keep it. Hee!
So for your information both of these are listed in my Etsy shop.
Just click the links under each photo and it will take you to that products listing. Thanks for looking.
Happy Fall Y'all!

BOHEMIAN TEXAS PAINTED CHURCHES

One of my sister day trips this summer was to visit some of the painted churches in Texas. 
We went to the ones in Fayette County, which happens to be real close to my home town, Yoakum. These Churches were built by Czech and German immigrants in the late 1800's. 
They wanted to replicate the churches from their homeland.
 My grandparents were Czech immigrants who settled here around 1906. I guess that is why they hold a special place in my heart. I love anything that has to do with the Czech culture. Yoakum is not far and the whole time I lived at home I only visited one...The Praha Church. 
 Located in small farming communities near Schulenburg and La Grange, we visited four.

The one below located in Dubina, has been designed the first Czech settlement in Texas in 1856.
St. Cyril & Methodious Catholic Church In Dubina

St. Cyril & Methodious

St.Cyril & Methodious

St. John The Baptist Catholic Church located in Ammansville 

St. John The Baptist

St. John The Baptist



Navitity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church High Hill Texas

Nativity Of Blessed Virgin Mary 

Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary

Nativity Of The Blessed Virgin Mary
St Mary's Catholic Church Praha

St. Mary's Catholic Church in Praha

St. Mary's Catholic Church In Praha


(Prague which is pronounced praha is the capitol city of the Czech Republic.)


Shiner has a very pretty Catholic church as well but I'm not sure it is designed  a Painted Church. And of course Shiner is home to the Shiner Brewery which was started by Czech immigrants.. So if one so desires to visit some of these churches, the brewery would not be far and if one so desires a cold beer one could take a tour of the brewery on the same trip.
Just had to throw that in.
Oh and Warrenton and Round Top are on the other side of La Grange and everybody knows about that place.

:)


Bunting Banners For Halloween, Christmas, Weddings Or Children's Rooms









The sewing bug attacked me again and as a result I made these banners.  They are made out of remnants that have been hanging out in storage.  I love it when I can use up leftovers or repurpose things. They are all for sale in my Etsy shop. Just click the link under each photo to find out more information or to buy. Or go to my Etsy shop by clicking the Etsy Mini on sidebar.
I think mine are unique because I added appliqué flowers on each flag. Except for the Halloween and Christmas ones, they only have flowers on the middle flag.
It's my prerogative how many flowers I put on each banner. Hee.
This is all I've made so far. I want to make a smaller version with more flags.  I'll get to that later 'cause now the painting bug has infected me so it's back to my easel. I always flip flog like that. One day I feel like painting, next day it's something else. I'm so fortunate that I have the luxury to do what I want when I feel like it. 
I made a Halloween paper banner last year for myself. It's really cute and have wanted to make these fabrics ones for awhile.  So glad I finally did these. Can't wait to make more.
C.


Code Blue


I know I've been away too long.  It's summer and I'm having way too much fun. My husband has been retired since March, so my free time is limited. He is always dragging me somewhere. lol. I still get a chance here and there to work on art. This one is not my latest but the last one I feel good enough to list in my Etsy shop. Here is the link to Code Blue.  That's the thing,,, I've done a lot of art but not a lot that I like. Just a lot of practice pieces. I've done a couple of free workshops and I bought Tracy Verdugo's book Paint Mojo!


I've only done a few exercise from it, but really enjoying them. This next painting is just one example of what I've done from the book.


It's on paper so I mounted it on black card stock. The exercise is to use leftover paint from pallet. Take a piece of paper and smooch it on top of the paint. Add other things to it, then look for little creatures or animals in the mess. Great way to use up the paint on the pallet that you don't need but don't want to waste.

Let me think what else have I been doing. Hmmmmmm.
We've gone to the coast three times....whaaaa whooo.
I've taken a cooking class. That was fun!
Gone on a few excursions with my sisters for sister day. I'll post pictures of that next time.
Gone to a couple of concerts at John T Floore Country Store.
Sightseeing the back roads of Texas, and visiting some of the great winery's we have close by.
Started reading Game of Thrones, even though I've seen every episode on HBO. Go Figure. Hee.
My summer is not over.... we will be going on our big vacations in a few. Going to Napa Valley! Cant' wait!
Hopefully I'll get better at this blogging thing come fall.
Enjoy the rest of the summer....life is too short.
Hugs,
C

Serendipity





Remember this background painting from last year? It's from a repurposed canvas I found in a thrift store. Really!
Painted over whatever, and this pretty background emerged. But then I got stuck. I felt more was needed but did not know what.
Well inspiration at last!
I'm really happy with the results. It's different for me at least, little more realistic and painterly. I still love using paper in my art but I'm trying to paint more, explore more options like painting outside, and going big. Now that's scary!

Little by little, step by step, brush stoke by brush stroke, art happens.
Hugs,
C

The Wedding



As promised some pictures of my sons wedding! It was so beautiful! The weather was perfect even though there was crazy weather up near Dallas. The same storm with all the tornadoes! Thank you Lord for not letting the crazy weather make it down near us. It was a little overcast with slight chance of rain, so it never got too hot. Great day for an out door wedding.
It was held at a lovely vineyard.
Next photo obviously me dancing with my baby boy! We danced to "I hope you dance". Luckily I got my crying out at the ceremony.
Then the beautiful bride and groom dancing.
Can't wait to see the photos taken by the professional.
Just so very happy for my son. Feeling so blessed.
Hugs,
C.