Steelers Colors Blanket

I feel like I have been neglecting this blog. Not because I haven't been being crafty, that is not true. I continue to paint, crochet and make jewelry. I just don't have time to blog, LOL! I am glad Christmas is over. One of my painted ornaments sold and I was very excited about that. I also sold one of my painted spray bottles, but somehow I misplaced it. So, instead of continuing to try and find it, I have refunded the money to the buyer. I can't imagine where it is. It is a small spray bottle, so I suppose it could have accidentally been put somewhere it shouldn't have. I have someone interested in a custom order, if I can find what she needs. I love custom orders, they are always a fun challenge. I just finished, tonight, this yellow and black crochet blanket, the colors of the Steelers, for my husband. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift. Oh well, I am only four days late. I had no idea how long a blanket big enough for a full grown man would take. It is real warm, and if you would like one, visit my Etsy store and click on the item to order yours to be custom made. Now, back to some baby cocoons. I love them, they are so cute! I will share some of my other creations soon. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

Wiinie The Pooh Hanging His Christmas Stocking

I love Winnie the Pooh. He is so cute, friendly, and very wise you know :) I made this counted cross stitch some years ago, now. I had it stored away, not sure what to do with it after I finished it. Recently, my mom, who loves to sew, made me this table runner and sewed the cross stitch to it. So, this is all handmade, though sewn with a sewing machine not by hand. If, you would like to purchase this, you can either click on the store widget above, or click here.

European Style Cuff Bracelet and Watch Pendant

Yesterday I sat down with Marcia, her daughters and myself, to do some jewelry making and painting. Faith already had a good supply of stuff, and some knowledge of beading and wrapping. Poor thing didn't feel good though, so she only did a tiny bit. I made a European style cuff bracelet, shown below, on my daughter's tiny wrist. Since I had never done one of these, super easy by the way, I was not sure how many beads to buy. Since I had seven beads, I wire wrapped them so they stayed in the center of the cuff bracelet. I like it. Not sure if I am going to keep or sell it. Then I wire wrapped, using colored craft wire, a watch face to this pear shaped gold tone was an earring now a pendant, setting. I added a pink jump ring to make the bail. Very cute and I like it a lot. It will be listed in my Etsy store shortly. Then I finished my Nativity on glass candle holder. Mine is in blue and you can see the finished product below. I tried to do this on paper also, which you think would be much easier, but it didn't go well, LOL! Since Marcia is apparently a perfectionist, I finished several projects before she was happy with the stable and star. She will have to finish hers another day. I forgot to take a picture of the other jar I painted. Will have to share that another day.

Easy Jewelry Making Tutorials

I have asked by a fellow homeschool friend to teach some basic jewelry making skills, and painting to her and her daughter. I am not sure I know how to do this. So, I am studying some videos to learn how to teach someone else to do this. I have been making jewelry for years now, but never had to teach someone else. As for painting, well I have only been doing that for a year, and am not at all confident. But, I will do my best and try.

White Gold Blue Zircon Earrings

If you were born in the month of December, then you probably know your birthstone is Blue Zircon. You are very lucky. Blue Zircon is one of the loveliest and very collectible blue gemstones. It is fairly expensive as well. You can substitute Blue Topaz, which many people do, due to it being much more affordable to Zircon. Check out the lovely earrings below. Wouldn't these make a lovely gift for a December baby?

Citrine and Garnet Teardrop Ring

Before we run out of November, I would like to share this, SS pear shape Citrine and Garnet ring. Citrine is the birthstone for November babies. This ring is a size 6 and available for purchase in my Etsy store. I offer a free layaway service, so be sure to check out all my items.

Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday Sale

From now until Monday November, 26 2012 you can get 25% off all items in my store, including this brand new listing shown below. Use code small, at checkout, to get the discount automatically taken off the final sale price. I also offer a free layaway service, so be sure to take advantage of it. Shop handmade, and shop small business with me. Most of my items are one only so don't miss your favorite. Visit my Etsy store now. Even if you have never used Etsy, it is easy to sign up, and then pay with Paypal.

Sold Blue Footed Booby Handpainted Ornament

My very first ornament has sold! Not the first one I painted, the first one I sold, LOL! This is one of my absolute favorites, and is going to the home of someone who has a true love of this bird.

Citrine and Green CZ Cocktail Ring

Continuing with the Citrine theme, here is a lovely sterling silver cocktail style ring, featuring a round all natural Citrine. Surrounded by green CZ's all around and down the shoulder of the ring. I love this ring, and if it was my size I would gladly wear it. As you can see it is rather large for me. Citrine is a buttery soft yellow color, that will add sunshine to your day even on the gloomiest of days. It is the birthstone for November and goes with everything. It has a hardness of 7 on the Moh's hardness scale and is suitable for everyday wear. To see this ring, and all my other awesome items, visit my Etsy store. I do offer a free layaway service and combined shipping.

Citrine Princess Cut Necklace November Babies

November the Month of Citrine

It is November and that means it is time to talk about Citrine, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have been so busy that I have not had a ton of time for blogging. I am hoping to get back into the swing of it. I used to blog every single day. Now I am lucky if I get in once a week. Citrine is the birthstone for the month of November. The most common variety of Citrine is the buttery, sunshine yellow color as in these stud earrings, from my Etsy store. While Citrine can be natural in color, the majority of Citrine on the market is made by heat treating very light Amethyst to the bright yellow color shown. It is a durable gemstone. These are sterling silver stud earrings. I offer a layaway service, and combined shipping. Be sure to check out all my other great items in my Melissás Menagerie of Stuff Etsy store.

Newborn Baby Boy Blue Green Snuggey Sleeping Blanket

I made a hot pink baby sleeping bag, and now this one for a baby boy. This yarn is lovely, and with the little hat, it is truly sweet. Your little infant boy will be warm and cozy in this sleeping bag. There are no zippers or buttons to fuss with. Just slip baby in, and watch him sleep so peaceful. To see all the details, check out my Etsy store. I can make this style in different colors. Just contact me through my Etsy store for details. Same for the little girl sleeping bag as well.

Pink Tourmaline Angel Necklace

For the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am sharing this angel necklace, featuring Pink Tourmaline and Diamonds. What a beautiful gift for the breast cancer survivor in your life.

Pink Jacket

Pink Topaz Heart Necklace and Earrings

Continuing with the pink theme for, Breast Cancer Awareness, this cute heart necklace with Pink Topaz and matching earrings. Love it!

Neon Pink Infant Baby Sleeping Bag Bunting

I have officially renamed my Etsy store to, Melissa's Menagerie of Stuff. Now I need to make a new banner, and I love the one I have, LOL! I think I can use the same image and just change the wording. I changed it to match my FB fan page, for two reasons. One to increase visibility in search engines, with both having the same name. Two, I don't just do jewelry and gemstones anymore. I am now painting, crocheting, counted cross stitch, and I am always looking for new things to learn. Photography is one I would love to pursue more. I have a lot to learn about editing and printing though. Just because it looks awesome on my computer doesn't mean it would look awesome elsewhere. Anyway back to this adorable neon pink baby girl tulip baby sleeping bag. I am calling them sleeping bags because that is what they remind me of. Baby can comfortably placed in the sleeper without zippers or buttons, and baby will be snuggly warm. This is a nice, heavy yarn and done in a pretty pattern. It looks like a tulip to me, with the scalloped edging, so that is what I am calling it. It comes with a matching hat. I am working on a baby boy one, and will take orders for colors in both designs, so let me know if you are interested. I have figured out how to make a leopard print dress for my daughter, for her fashion show in January, and I can't wait to start on that, and my hubby wants a Steelers blanket. I guess I will be busy, LOL! To purchase this or place a custom order, click on my Etsy store widget at the top of this blog.

Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Watch

Continuing with pink items, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, is this lovely and feminine pink watch. I love it!

Think Pink!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and pink is all the rave. This ring is a beautiful pink tone Rhodolite Garnet cocktail style ring. This is a petite cocktail ring, for the more petite hand. Rhodolite Garnet in its finest form has a lovely pink raspberry hue to it. Rhodolite Garnet can be substituted for Pink Tourmaline as the birthstone for October. Hop on over to my Etsy store to purchase this beauty of a ring. Maybe you know a breast cancer survivor and this would make an awesome special gift for her. I offer a free layaway service too.

Precious Opal

For the month of October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will be trying to post about all things pink and Opals. Opals because I love them, and they are the birthstone for babies born in October, but Pink Tourmaline can also be used as an alternate. Opal is not necessarily rare. There is Common Opal which is basically just white, with very little or no play of color to it. Precious Opal is a fine Opal with beautiful play of color. There are synthetic Opals, doublets and triplets, plus Mexican Fire Opal and Brazilian Fire Opal. Jelly Opals are some of my favorites. I hope to cover all of these in the month of October. I had one Opal doublet ring, that had the most brilliant colors. I sold it, and I hope the owner is wearing it with great pride. The video below will tell you about Opals in general. Check it out.

Painted Pilgrims on Glass

This is my first attempt at painting people. I have done animals, on ornaments, which I really enjoy, but no people. These are cute little pilgrims, and is a gift for a dear friend of mine. The man's arms are too long, as he is supposed to be carrying a basket of food next to his body, not a pot of food, away from his body, LOL! As I continue to learn I think of new ways to simplify the process of some of these harder items. For example, the next one I try, I am going to try and draw the outline with a black permanent marker, then I can paint over the outline when completed. I have used paint to do this, but you don't have as much control. So, I will try it. This took a very long time to complete, as you have to wait for the paint to dry to add the next layers. I always try to do at least three layers of paint, sometimes more, on glass to make it as bright as possible, and durable. I don't like to see the glass through the paint. What do you think of my pilgrims?

Featured Artist: Shanghai Tai

This is a Share the Love Bloggers Unite post. Each week the On Fire For Handmade team picks an artisan to feature. I try to remember to do these each week, but unfortunately life gets to busy and I miss some. Lucky for you, I remembered this week. Here is a small bio on Shanghai Tai:

Shanghai Tai is this weeks Featured Artist on Share the Love, Blogger’s Unite. My journey in jewelry-making began in Shanghai, China. While living there I learned about pearls; first buying pearl jewelry while shopping with the other tai tais (wives), then designing my own personal jewelry and having it made by the shops there, and buying a variety of pearls. With my family I also traveled extensively in China in addition to other parts of Asia. After returning to the U.S., I began taking jewelry classes in order to use the large supply of pearls I had accumulated. My shop is named “Shanghai Tai” because one tai character means “too”, as in “too much”, “too expensive”, like “extreme”. Two of the same character together though, is tai tai, which means “wife” or “Mrs.” To me, Shanghai Tai represents the lifestyle that western expat women live in Asia. My designs often have an Asian influence as a result of my many travels and exposure to Eastern cultures.


 She is very well versed in the many types of jewelry making. From glass to wire, even metal and clay. She can make pretty much anything you might want. She can be found on many venues where handmade items are sold including, Blog, Artfire, Pinterest, her own website and Facebook.

So you can see there are a variety of ways for you to see and love her work.  I love the pearls, they are my absolute favorite.  So special and precious, soft and beautiful. 

Halloween Delight!

Halloween Delight is the name of my newest painting, just completed last night. I wouldn't say I love Halloween, but I do love the colors of Fall and the creepiness of Halloween. We very much enjoy decorating for the Fall Harvest, Halloween, or whatever you choose to call it. My kids go Trick or Treating, though DJ is too old now, but I am letting him dye his hair bright blue for Halloween this year. He is growing his hair out so it looks even creepier. I thought I had a frame for this painting, but it didn't fit quite the way I wanted with the matting. So, I am going to look for another, or just remove the matting, not sure yet. This will be listed in my Etsy store by tonight, so be sure to watch for it if you want it. It is a one of a kind, as are all my pieces of art, to this point.

I Love Cows

Do you love cows? I love cute, adorable cows. These cows I painted, using acrylic paints, are absolutely adorable. Since I am still learning, always learning LOL, it is not quite perfect, but special to anyone who loves whimsical things. I hope to do some more of these in the future, but none exactly like this one. All my paintings so far, are original paintings one of a kind, with no repeats. They are not prints. They are done on acrylic painting thick paper. I do not put them on canvas on purpose, to keep the prices lower. I am in the process of framing all my paintings. This one is not yet framed, but you can certainly have it framed. If you know a farmer, or just anyone who loves animals this would be a cute and wonderful gift idea. Be sure and check out all my unique paintings, when you visit my Etsy store.

Reverse Painting on Glass Plates

This is only my second time painting on glass plates. When you paint on a glass plate, the back side of it, you have to paint the background first and then the foreground. This is a very hard thing to do. I did the sunflower correctly, but the moon and cat silhouette, I forgot. If you were to turn the plate over, it is still very nice, but you can't hardly see the tree branches, because they should have been painted on first. Oh well, practice and learn. It is like telling your brain to be backwards, LOL! This is part of my new Fall theme dining room table. I have lots more to share with you in the coming days. I was on JTV and Ebay today adding things to my Gemstone Collecting and Jewelry Making Pinterest boards. Christmas is coming after all, and I feel like I haven't made any new jewelry in a century. Of course that is not true, but it feels that way. I can't wait to make some new pieces. Click on the widget to my Etsy store, at the top of this blog, and check out all my paintings and jewelry pieces.

My New Hand Painted Fall Table Setting

Check out my Fall table. I have hand painted all the items shown. Some were great treasures that I found at a thrift shop and revamped via painting into something new and beautiful. My daughter and I also painted the shower wall in the one bathroom. I will share that later. I will go through each piece on my new Fall table, in the next few days, so you can see them up close. I will tell you how I did it, and how you can do it too, all for close to nothing. Painting can be an expensive hobby, but I am finding it even more affordable than jewelry making, which I still love and adore.  There is one piece missing from the table, but I will show it when I get to it.  The Modge Podge sealer works best of all the sealers I have tried.  The others leave a film that I do not care for at all.  I reduced my Christmas ornaments down half price, because I don't like the way the other sealers look on them.  I hope to be getting a new batch of ornaments done soon.  Be sure to visit my Etsy store to see all my paintings and painted items up for sale.  Plus all my jewelry, cross stitch, and loose gemstones

September Birthstone

Were you born in the month of September. Chances are you are a Virgo, and the Sapphire is your birthstone. The video below is a lovely little video with all kinds of great information about the Sapphire. Check it out.

Blue Snowman Ornament

I have the cutest snowmen I want to paint on ornaments. So far I have only does this beautiful blue snowman. He is blue and white for his body with a yellow hat, and of course his carrot nose and licorice mouth. His scarf is dark blue with yellow polka dots. I am working on a whole collection of Christmas ornaments. Many of them are already listed in my Etsy store. You can click on any image, in the gallery at the top of this blog, to go to my Etsy store. These are hand painted by me, dated and signed, with acrylic paints and then sealed for durability. What a unique gift to give to someone you care about.

Tiny Handcrafted Love Knot Pinky Ring

New in my store is a petite size 3 love knot pinky ring. I made two of these, but only have one for sale. I think I want the other, LOL. If you have small fingers like me then you know how hard it is to find a pinky ring that will stay on your finger. So, I made my own. It will fit a 3-3 1/2 size finger. It was made using soft, pliable colored craft wire in three different colors, black, mauve, and silver. It is very comfortable on the hand. I hope to make lots more of these, but with the kids back in homeschool mode, I don't have a ton of free time. I miss Summer Vacation! Anyway if you are interested in this cutie visit my Etsy store to purchase. I offer a layaway service as well.

Blue Sapphire Ring

I have been focusing a lot on learning to paint, draw and take awesome photos. But, I have not forgotten about my love of jewelry and gemstones. September is the month of Sapphires. If you were born in September, than your birthstone is the beautiful Sapphire. Sapphires are durable, can be worn everyday, and quite valuable. With that comes a hefty price for a fine quality, good size Sapphire. This ring is a sterling silver, size 7, ring setting featuring a lovely blueberry blue synthetics Sapphire. It has checkerboard faceting is in the antique cushion shape. It is a true beauty, at an awesome price. Visit my Etsy store and find out how much you really can afford a lovely Sapphire. Plus, I offer a layaway service, so you can start Christmas shopping now.

Featured Artisan Thunder Rose Leather

Woo Hoo I hope everyone had an awesome Labor Day! In case you didn't notice I haven't been around much. I have been busy drawing, painting, learning new concepts and of course thinking about new jewelry pieces I want to make. I also collect gemstones, which is why I make jewelry, so that is on my mind as well.


But, never mind all that, I have an awesome artisan to share with you. I am a member of the On Fire For Handmade Etsy and Facebook group. Each week they pick a new artisan to feature. Some of us bloggers join in the fun, and help promote the featured artisan. Now sometimes I am caught sleeping at the wheel, and I miss the featured artisan. But, lucky for Thunder Rose I was paying attention this week. At Thunder Rose Leather they make the cutest baby moccasins, of course made from leather and beads. I just love this white pair with the pink beads. Makes me almost wish I had a baby so they could wear them. You notice I said almost. I am going to have to do some investigating to see if they make them in larger kids sizes. My daughter is funny about shoes. Matter of fact she has had lots of shoes she flat out refuses to wear. I think maybe she might like these. They are slip on, soft and comfy leather, and oh so cute. Of course they make various bags and purses too.

Christmas is coming, will be here before you know it. So hop on over and see if there isn't someone on your gift giving list who wouldn't love something from Thunder Rose Leather.

End Of Summer Sale!

This post will stay here until my End of Summer Sale has ended, on Labor Day 2012.  Since I have been learning to paint, I have a wide variety of nice items in my Etsy store.  Used to be mostly just jewelry.  Now I have paintings, painted gifts such as Christmas ornaments, finished cross stitch pieces, loose gemstones from my collection, and of course the jewelry I make.  I still have tons of painted items to add, but I am trying to add one new piece each day.  So, be sure to check back often.  Even new items will be included in the sale.  It is simple to get the sale price, at checkout use code SUMMER12, to get 15% off my already awesome prices.  It is never too early to start thinking about the holidays, and I am not sure if I will have another sale or not.  So be sure and get the piece you love, most are one of a kind, or two of a kind.  Give a unique and specially handmade gift this year. 

Peridot August Birthstone

Upcycled Hand Painted Mosaic Candle Jar

For the past couple of years, my kids and I, have been learning about reusing, and reducing waste. Now I have found a new thing called Upcycling. Upcycling is basically where you take garbage, and make it into something new again. I have found so many cool ideas for Upcycling products. Anyways I love candles, and I love to paint. So, I decided to put it all into one project. The result is this beautiful hand painted, by me, mosaic upcycled pizza sauce candle jar. So far I only have one of these, but will be doing more in various mosaics and colors. It almost looks like stained glass. Anyway there are at least three layers of paint for each color, and some colors took up to six layers to be dark enough for my liking. Then, I put on two more layers of black outlining. Then it sits for two weeks, and then I seal it with two layers of durable sealer. This one is not dated or signed, but my future pieces will be. I then filled it half way with marbles and added a votive candle. You could add or remove marbles as you see fit. I think I would like them less to get more of the mosaic lit up. You could also add one of those candles that don't actually burn, so it will stay nice and clean. That is a good idea actually! This piece is now listed in my Etsy store. Plus, I am having a Summer sale. use code summer12 to get 15% off all store items, even new ones. Soon I will be listing loose gemstones, from my huge gemstone collection. That should be fun and exciting too.

Painted Ornaments For Facebook Theme Challenge

Each week I post a theme on a Facebook group I am in. Members who fit the theme can upload items to be featured in a treasury. This week another member chose religion for the theme. Since I didn't have anything to fit that theme, early this morning I sat down and painted some. I painted two angel dogs, with wings and a halo. One has blue eyes and the other green. They were supposed to be cats, but my daughter agreed with me that they definitely looked like a dog, LOL! Then I did two crosses, that were styled after a place mat I made earlier in the year with the same style, just larger. One has red and orange roses, the other purple and white roses, as the garland at the arms of the cross. Then there are other flowers going down to the bottom of the cross. I really like this design, but I think I definitely like the darker wood cross, like I did on the place mat, as opposed to the lighter wood cross. All four of these will be available in my Etsy store, as soon as I can get everything photographed and loaded. These ornaments are hard to get good images of. If I hold the ornament, then obviously my hand is in the image. I tried lying them in an egg crate, which works OK for drying and images, but still you see the egg crate. So, today I hung them on a hanger outside, so at least the background was pleasing, but because they are round, the image is still kind of distorted from what I want. So, I keep trying. These have to be sealed yet as well, which adds a glossy sheen that is not seen in these images. They are signed, dated and numbered. Currently I am only making two ornaments of each theme I like, with some only getting one. So, you could be the owner of a very unique piece of art work. Plus, right now I have a Summer sale. Even my new items are 15% off this listed price. Just be sure to use code summer12 at checkout for the discount to be applied. I have had two sales in the last two weeks, so I am very excited about that. It has been jewelry though, no paintings yet. But, that is OK, I know I am new to painting. I think I will be done doing the ornaments, for now anyways. I have run out of containers to safely store them in. I have other things I would like to paint also, so that is fine too.

The Blue Footed Booby Galapagos Bird

I first saw the Blue Footed Booby while watching a nature show on the Galapagos, with my children. I thought it was such a unique bird with its beautiful blue feet. Then I saw a picture of one in National Geographic magazine that was donated to my children for school. So, I decided I wanted to paint one, or two, lol. Since I am continuing to learn and grow in my artistic skills, I decided to do some Christmas ornaments for the upcoming holiday season. I must tell you painting on these little ornaments is not easy. You drop them, and they need several layers of paint to look real nice. After I paint them, and am sure how I want them, they sit for two weeks, then are sealed with a good sealer. They are dated, signed by me, and numbered 1 and 2. I am not sure if I will do more of these, right now working on pairs of all ornaments I make. So, you could be the sole owner of a pair of Blue Footed Booby Christmas ornaments. Check out my Etsy store to purchase. Also all items in my store are now on a summer sale. Use code summer12. at checkout, to get 15% off listed price. Plus I offer a layaway service as well.

On Fire For Handmade Featured Artisan: Handmade Creations by Shelly

Each Tuesday the On Fire For Handmade team sponsors a featured artisan. This week is the Etsy shop Handmade Creations by Shelly. Shelly makes hand knit ponchos and accessories. Since I live in Florida, I don't have much use for cold weather items. However we are from NY, and have plenty of family there that would love some of Shelly's beautiful hand knit items. Hop on over to Handmade Creations by Shelly and start your gift giving list now. It will be cold before we know it. Well at least some of you, LOL! Happy shopping. If you want to join the On Fire For Handmade team be sure to look them up on Facebook, or Etsy and you might get to be a featured artisan too.

Hand Painted Blue Garden Bottles

These are beer sized bottles that are blue. After washing, and getting all the glue off they are hand painted with a variety of designs. These two have a flower motif. These are garden or plant watering bottles. I have several of these in my big plants outdoors. They can also be used in small planters. You have to be sure the pot is deep enough, or they won't sit up good. These have been sitting and curing for about two weeks. Now they will be heat set and sealed with a sealer. Then I will list them in my Etsy store. These would make a great affordable gift for the plant lover in your life. Be sure and check back often, I will be adding lots of new painted items in preparation for the Christmas season.  I am currently working on the cutest ornaments, that will be sold in pairs. 

Wire Wrapped Bangle Watch

I am slowly getting all new pieces of crafted jewelry and all the fun items I have been painting, listed to my Etsy store. I have started painting Christmas ornaments and am hoping they will be loved. I am trying to do a pair of each design I choose. So far I have done penguins, sea turtles, a bear and wolf silhouette with the full moon, and a cactus with the sun. They are coming out mighty fine, but are painstaking work and take sometime to complete just one pair of them. You can see the details for the awesome watch below by visiting my Etsy Store.

Ruby Gemstone

Will you just look at this beauty! Would you not love to own such a fine quality stone. I know I would. Ruby is the birthstone for July, and I will featuring ruby items all month. Happy Birthday, to all July babies everywhere.!

Painting a Tin Pail

On Monday, Caitlin and I usually sit down to paint. My husband has a firehouse meeting every Monday, and it is a perfect time to paint. Since the last two weeks have been so crazy with 4H and homeschool evals, I have not had a lot of spare time. Today, was my first attempt at painting on tin. I saw this red tin pail at the Dollar General, and finally bought one. Now it does already have a pattern on it, so it is not smooth. This did make it somewhat difficult to navigate my paint brush. I am still quite happy with the results. Of course the first shot is sunflowers, but I don't use traditional colors when I paint any of my flowers. You can see the results. On the other side is roses, and daisies. Roses are a no no without a smooth surface, ugh they just don't come out well. Daisies I tried a different brush and I just didn't like it. It is acceptable, but not how I will paint daisies again. Still working on vines and stems. Caitlin painted one of her favorite movie characters, Bolt. I am always amazed at her talent. Then I bought a pair of pink flip flops for a buck, and painted my favorite football team's logo on them, the Buffalo Bills. The first one I did was rough, had a better hang of it by the second one. Better yet, I have a new pair of cool shoes. The last paper is just practice flowers and swirlies. I love painting, and I hope to continue to grow and learn.

Upcycling Old Light Bulbs Into Christmas Ornaments

Today I took an old light bulb, that had blown, painted it white and then added the cute snowman face. This will become a Christmas ornament after I add craft wire to hang it with. I really want to do more of these. Unfortunately I don't go through a ton of light bulbs, LOL! What do you think? I am considering listing this one in my Etsy store, it is dated. I have begun to draw now, as well as learning to paint, my counted cross stitch and all my jewelry things. I am busy and loving it!