How To Paint Waves- Ripples

I hope this set of painting lessons has been helpful to you. I can not wait to try his techniques. I have been busy trying to craft everyday, in preparation for the upcoming holidays. Starting Nov 1st I will be having a BOGO sale, in my Etsy store. More details to come in the following days. Buy one get one free, there is nothing better than that. Please remember I take requests, if I can't make it I will let you know. I also offer free USA shipping, and a layaway service. Check out my Etsy store now, and start saving your favorites.

Etsy Christmas in July 10% Off Paintings and Art Work Birds

5 more days to use coupon code, christmasinjuly, to get an extra 10% off all my paintings. All my store items, actually. Today, I am sharing two of my most favorite paintings. The owl, and the blue footed booby. Two of the most majestic birds. If you don't know about the blue footed booby, do a quick search, it is a fascinating bird, and one of my favorites. I have other bird paintings as well, including cardinals, hummingbirds and others. I offer free USA shipping, everyday of the year, and a layaway service. Come on over to Melissas Menagerie of Stuff, and start Christmas shopping today.

 https://www.etsy.com/listing/195212878/owl-tangle-doodle-ancient-flowers-at?ref=shop_home_active_22&ga_search_query=painting

https://www.etsy.com/listing/183842670/blue-footed-booby-bird-with-neon-blue?ref=shop_home_active_15

Home Sweet Home Butterfly and Flower Paintings

I didn't get to paint this week so Arizona is still drawn out, but not painted. Arkansas is ready to be drawn. Hopefully I will get to paint next week sometime, or at least draw. I also have roses drawn out, and need to do a US flag as part of my American History series. I also am working on a special diaper cake for a baby. This will be my first attempt at a diaper cake, and I am excited as to how it will come out. Then I want to do the shower curtain, and valance to go with my crochet toilet cover. I don't have much to do at all, lol. Below you will see Florida, Alabama, and Alaska. Alaska does not have a state butterfly so I did a bear silhouette instead. All of these can be seen in my Etsy store. Great gift for a college student to take to his dorm, newlyweds, or a house warming gift. I was also thinking it would be sweet for an elderly person who needs a reminder of home, should they have to go to a nursing home, or retirement home.

Handmade Mother's Day Gift Idea #7 Original Monarch Buttefly Painting

We are up to #7 in the handmade Mother's Day gift idea series of posts. This is one of my all time favorite paintings. It is signed and dated. It is a beautiful Monarch with a purple flower. If you have a Mom who loves butterflies, this is perfect. At only 24.99 it is definitely an affordable gift. I do not sell prints of my art, they are originals. To check it out more, visit my Etsy store. 


If you have an Etsy store, and would like to have an item of yours featured in this series, here is how it works. 1- Comment on this post, and leave me a link to your Etsy store. 2- These posts run each Tues and Thurs, until Mother's Day. If you comment on a post on Tues, then be sure and come back Sat to see your item featured. 3- Share the post, that you are featured in, on one of your social media sites. That is it, easy peasy.

Zentangle Painted Mail Box

Every year my daughter, and I , repaint our mailbox. By a year it really needs it. The hardest part is always deciding what to paint on the mailbox. This year, because I am in a Facebook tangle group, I decided to draw a tangled flower on my side. You can see the results below. Caitlin decided to paint a butterfly and flower on her side. Again, you can see it below. It is always hot this time of year. So, we start out strong and soon we are trying to rush to finish, lol. If you paint too early in the morning everything is covered in dew. Someday we will laugh about this.

Painted Magnolia Leaves a Cat and a Peacock Zentangle Abstract Art

I decided to try something different, and paint on some of my Magnolia tree leaves. Magnolia leaves are big and a beautiful lush green color. I did notice, though, even though I sealed them before painting they are still drying out and getting a dark brown hue to them. I will have to watch this carefully. I will not be painting any more leaves until I am certain they will hold up over time. These two are listed in my Etsy store, but may be removed. The first is a cat silhouette outlined in gold sitting under the moon and the stars. I love this one. The second is a Peacock that I Zentangled or tangled the body of the peacock. I wanted to do the feathers on the tail as well, but it was just too small. I use a script liner paint brush, not brush pens like others, so it is extremely difficult. But, I love the challenge of doing it with a brush.


 I have finished another naptime buddy for baby, and will share that soon. Started a new bag that can be a beach bag, market bag, or even a diaper bag. Be sure to check back for that too.

Upcycled Wine Bottle Into Solar Garden Light Red White and Blue with Eagle Abstract Art

Yesterday, was Memorial Day, here in the USA. A day to thank, reflect, and remember those who died serving their country. In honor of Memorial Day, two of my wine bottles were painted in a patriotic theme. This is only one bottle, two different lighting camera options.

 This one was done in red, white and blue, with an Eagle painted on the flag colors. The Eagle even has a red, white and blue eye. This was not exactly how I envisioned it, but I am really pleased with how it came out. After two layers of sealant, it looks amazing out in the front garden.

I have finished three other bottles as well, but I will share them one by one in the next few days. I also painted on a Magnolia leaf today. That was awesome, and I can not wait to share it. I am still working on the baby boy crochet cocoon, and some jewelry pieces.

Pink Turtle Zentangle Abstract Art Original Painting

Now that my children, and I, are almost done with this homeschooling year, I am hoping to pick up my blogging a bit more for this blog. I mentioned a few posts ago, that I had joined a Zentangle Group on Facebook. Each week we are given a challenge to do. This one is actually from two weeks ago. You get to interpret the assignment any way you see fit. Zentangles are new to me, as is abstract art, so this is definitely challenging to me. Most tangles I have seen are done with micro pens, or pencils, I do mine with paints and brushes. This turtle has a pin motif, with flowers and other tangles on the shell and head. The ribbon edging is adorned with some flowers. I will post my one from this week, soon. If you are interested in learning the art of Zentangle here is the Facebook group.    My painting is available in my Etsy store. 

2 New Hand Painted Gift Bags for Easter

I got two more gift bags painted, for Easter. He is Risen and the flower adorned cross, are both available in my Etsy store, with free shipping to USA buyers. If you are looking for a more Faith based gift wrap, rather than the Easter Bunny, these are perfect. They can be re-used or framed and hung on the wall. The other bag is one my daughter painted for her friend's birthday next week. We still have to add her name, with micro beads, and she forgot the unicorn horn, lol. We will be giving her a frame in the bag, to frame it after her birthday is over. If you would like a custom bag painted, just contact me through my Etsy store, or leave me a comment here with a way to contact you.

Hand Painted Bunny Tail Glass Plate for Easter or Spring

This is my first post using Google Chrome, and man oh man, it is so much faster and better than, Explorer and definitely Firefox which has had so many issues lately. Anyway, I got so much done yesterday. I think I met all my goals for yesterday. I am nearing completion of the firehouse blanket, and I can not wait to share it, and offer as a made to order piece in my Etsy store. But, I got to paint, a lot, last night. I typically paint on Monday evenings, but last week due to 4H, was not able to. Caitlin painted a gift bag for her friend's birthday coming up. I did not share it, because I don't want anyone to see it before her birthday. We bought a frame so when she is done with the bag she can frame it. I love these gift bags, that I choose to paint on. They can be re-used or framed and enjoyed forever. One of the things I painted was glass plates. Caitlin, and I, realized that we have tons of Fall and Christmas decorations, but hardly any Spring or Easter. I had seven glass plates, so I decided to do six. These are not for sale, but if anyone is interested I can do a custom order in my Etsy store. Glass is very expensive to ship, and these plates are heavy. You can see my favorite one below. A couple did not come out good at all, and I can just wipe it off, and redo those two.That is the nice thing about acrylic paint, you can just wash it off, and do over. At least until you seal the paint on, lol. None of them were painted the same colors, and all are from the back so you can the cute bunny tails. When you paint on glass plates, or trays, you have to paint backwards. Normally you always paint your background first, and then everything else. With glass you do the opposite. This means, for the bunny tail to show on the side you would eat on, I had to do the tail first, let it dry, and then do the rest. Painting on glass plates is a challenge, I can tell you that. I also got two Easter gift bags done. I will share them in another post, but you can always visit my Etsy store and see them there. My banner will take you straight to my store.

2 New Hand Painted Gift Bags Easter and Pink Robin

I finally got to paint some new gift bags. I had run out of bags, and with me working every other weekend, I just couldn't get anymore. I will be doing two more next week as well. The first one is a cute Bunny hugging his carrot with a purple ribbon. It is perfect for an Easter gift, baby shower or birthday party. All my bags can be re-used or framed and hung as art work. I love how this one came out, and I can do it in other colors, so just contact me if you want it in other colors, by clicking the highlighted link. The second is a Pink Robin sitting in some leaves. For some reason my birds look better when I paint them looking to the left, rather than the right. I have no idea why this is, but his head is a little longer than I like, and he should technically be slightly more round. I may try this one again. Both of these bags are available in my Etsy store, and remember I take custom orders, so contact me through the message system or at melissaruede@yahoo.com Please do not spam my personal email account with other stupid things, I will flag them as spam. Those of you who do this you know exactly who you are.

Baby Sea Turtle Abstract Art

If you look at this painting you will notice it has two dates on it. That is because I painted the circles, when I had a desire to learn more about Abstract Art. Then I just set it aside, thinking, yuck I don't even like it. Well I was going through some of my older pieces of art, deciding what to do with them, and I decided to paint some baby sea turtles onto the circles. Now this abstract I love. It is done in acrylics, and would make cute nursery art. I will be doing some more abstracts similar to this type of theme. I actually have a ton of finished resin pieces to share and list in my stores, just have not had the time to catch up. Soon, so watch for them. Some of them are really unique and cool. This painting is available to purchase in my Etsy store,

White and Red Bleeding Heart Flowers with Ruby Throated Hummingbird Hand Painted Custom Gift Bag

This is a hand painted gift bag, my personal favorite so far. It is White and Red Bleeding Heart Flowers, with a Ruby Throated Hhummingbird. I have been working on lots of resin pieces too. Yesterday, I tried one of my flower sections in the big heart resin, eh didn't like how it came out. I will share it in another post. So, instead I measured the size of the heart mold, drew on on my painting paper and made a second painting to fit the heart. Now tomorrow I will cut it out and set it in resin. Hopefully it will work and I will have a beautiful Christmas ornament to offer my buyers. I will be working on more of these in the future. It is actually much easier to paint the piece out, even though it is small and not easy, and then insert that into the resin, than to paint on the resin. That was a big fail. This bag is available for purchase in my Etsy store, I am slowly getting all items into my Ecrater store as well. Both of my stores widgets can be found in the side bars of this blog. Stay tuned to see more of my work. Caitlin no longer likes me to clean while she is doing homeschooling, too distracting, so I have to do something more quiet, lol. Bummer, I have to do crafty stuff!

We Made Shrinky Dinks!

Caitlin and I decided to try and make our own Shrinky Dinks. Why? Well I want to paint on something that I can insert into resin with ease. So, I was browsing around the Bing search engine and found that you can make Shrinky Dinks using recycled plastic. You can find the full instructions both on Ehow and Instructables. One website said use #5 plastic and one said #6. Well I had no idea what they were talking about, but apparently all plastics have a triangle on them, and in the triangle is a number. I have no idea what a Pepsi bottle is because I could not read the number. We had no #6 at all, we had a lot of ones, a two and a bunch of fives. The #1's definitely seemed too flimsy. The 2 was a bit stiff, but was a nice green color. I was going to try it but I decided to recycle that bottle into a new watering can. So we had a Pepsi bottle with no recognizable number and some 5's. So, we removed the labels, cleaned and dried, and then cut off small oval pieces of plastic. The Pepsi bottle I carved out the whole center, leaving the top and bottom intact, and made it into a new bird feeder for the smaller birds. So, then using glitter, some permanent marker, and acrylic paint we painted on the pieces of plastic. Caitlin painted on the #5 a dog face. I painted on the Pepsi bottle plastic a heart and a bear holding a heart. Caitlin also painted on the Pepsi plastic, but she covered the whole piece of plastic with paint. She made an ocean and a horse on grass. Then we put them on aluminum foil and set them in the 200 degree oven. The Pepsi plastic shrunk immediately and I mean immediately. Caitlin's were towards the back and immediately folded into something unusable. My two were towards the front and I could salvage the bear, the heart I am still not sure if I can use it.  I trimmed up the Teddy Bear, image not shown, and I hope I can use it.   The #5, the one that was recommended did not shrink at all. We even left it in longer and it did absolutely nothing at all. So, if I can find #6 plastic I may try this again. Painting on plastic is smooth and nice, nicer than glass in the texture. But, I will also be trying translucent photo paper to paint on in small pieces. I can paint on my acrylic paper, but it is not translucent and I really want translucent. So, my experiments continue. I do not like painting on the resin itself, at all.

18 Inch Doll Caitlin's Party Dress with Shoes and Christmas With Mother Nature

I finished my first doll dress, and shoes, today. This is Caitlin's party dress. All my crochet doll clothes will have her name, as I make them for her doll, then offer them as made to order in my Etsy store. I am pattern stupid, so I have to make my own.  Made to order items will only be available from now on, in my Etsy store, not Ecrater store. This one is done in pink and white, with matching shoes. I can do this style in any color combo you would like. The second picture is my fourth painted gift bag, for Christmas. After Christmas I will be starting other holidays, weddings and birthdays, so be sure to watch for that. This one is titled Christmas with Mother Nature and is my favorite so far. I love it. To purchase any of my items, either click my Etsy banner at the top, or one of my Ecrater store widgets. Prices are the same, it just depends on where you prefer to buy. Ask me any questions if you need to.

Waiting For Christmas

I got to paint today, and tomorrow I can't wait to share the Salvation bracelet's my daughter's church class will be making with me. This new bag is called, Waiting for Christmas. It was not exactly what I visioned, lol. I practiced my trees ahead of time, as you can see on the paper underneath the bag. I used three different brushes, and picked the one I liked best. Unfortunately my tree came out bigger than I wanted and I have to practice ribbons and lights, but it is a nice tree. It didn't leave me much room, so I added a fireplace and fire to the picture. It will be available to purchase in my Ecrater store, by tomorrow. Then I practiced some Poinsettias. I love them, but they never look quite right. I am getting closer though, and was quite pleased with the ones I practiced today. My next bag might be Poinsettias. Finally, I got one of my older paintings framed. This frame was much more affordable than the heavier wooden ones, so the price will be considerably lower for the art work in these frames. It too will be available in my Ecrater store, tomorrow. You can visit my Ecrater store, by clicking on one of the banners shown on this blog. I offer a nice layaway service so be sure to ask about that.

NOEL Handpainted Christmas Gift Bag, and Repeat Cedar Key Painting

Back in July, I painted a picture, the third painting down, of Cedar Key from when my Father in Law was here visiting in March. I liked that painting, but DJ and Craig were not satisfied, saying DJ looked like he was standing on his head. Apparently my eyes do not comprehend that, because looks like he is lying down to me, on a blanket. Because, I intend to give it as a gift, I painted it again today. The second painting down, below the bag, is the one done today. Everyone is pleased, so I guess that will be the one I give. Instead of trying to have DJ lying on the white Steelers blanket, I put him sitting in a chair in a white Steelers chair. I could not get the skin tone right for Grandpa Ed's arm and leg, but I guess I will have to live with it. He was pretty pale when here in March, lol, and as you can probably tell it was quite chilly for us since Craig had on boots, long pants, a jacket and a hat. Grandpa Ed was the only one with shorts on. That is what happens when you visit from NY. The first image is of my newest hand painted gift bag, Noel. Noel means Christmas in German. Did you know that? I really did not. It will be available in my new Ecrater store. I am working on a new banner, and hopefully a picture widget for the top of this blog, and others. You can visit my new store, by clicking here. I will be doing 25 Days of Christmas sales, starting on Black Friday, so be sure to check often. Each sale will only be about 12-15 hours long.

Blue Christmas and Stellars Sea Eagle Art Work

Today is Art day at my house. Today the kids and I painted the Stellar Sea Eagle. The kids pictures will be posted to my homeschool blog. These ones are mine and will be available to purchase in my Etsy store. One of the Etsy teams I am on, does a treasury every week, and this week the theme is Turquoise Blue. Since I did not have any jewelry or crochet items in that color, I decided to paint a Blue Christmas gift bag. I actually had intended to do this anyways, the team treasury just hurried me up. I am hoping to have a whole line of painted gift bags, one of a kind, for Christmas giving this year. This is a one and only bag, so if you want it click on my Etsy store widget above to purchase. The Stellar Sea Eagle, is a truly beautiful and majestic bird. This is my first time attempting this bird, and actually I quite like it. I love the ice and water in the background. This piece will also be available in my store. Next Monday we are painting the Blue Jay, per Caitlin's request. Leave me some feedback in the comments. I especially would love to hear from other artists.

Cherry Blossom and Yellow Warbler Painting With Matching Candle

When I did the butterfly paintings, I was doing matching candles with them. Then, I ran out of jars. I have a couple more so I made a matching upcycled candle jar with this paining. Now technically I do not fill the jar with candle material. So, it could be for a candle, pencils and pens, silverware, makeup brushes or anything else you wanted to put into it, even flowers looks fabulous in these jars. The painting is an acrylic painting, on acid free acrylic paper. I had mentioned before that I prefer this paper to canvas, because it can be kept clean and once framed can still be protected from dirt and dust. So, I am thinking I will be staying with it. It is a Cherry Blossom Tree over water, with a Yellow Warbler bird sitting on the branch. One thing I love about Yellow Warblers is that the males and females both have a beautiful yellow color. In the bird world, the females are generally more dull than the males. The males have a bit of chestnut colored streaking on their chest, which is how you tell them apart. Both, the jar and the painting are available to purchase in my Etsy store. Any questions, please feel free to ask me. I am about halfway done with my crochet purse. I did a small simple one for my daughter, a while back. This one isn't difficult but I like the style better. Can't wait to share it. I have been looking at some resin, jewelry settings and of course my first love loose gemstones. Didn't make any purchases though, other things come before new supplies. Oh well, soon I hope.

Wish List and Cardinal Art Work

I am making out my wish list, for new jewelry settings, and semi mounts.  I am also adding to that list supplies to begin learning to make resin jewelry.  I have so many cool ideas to do with resin.  Can't wait to get that underway.  Don't forget, that from now until Christmas, you can make me an offer on items you are interested, in my Etsy store.  If I think the offer is reasonable I will accept it.  So, be sure to check my store often, and make some offers. There are a few pieces of art work shown below.  Each Monday, the kids and I, paint a bird.  This week my daughter picked the Cardinal.  I painted mine with a male and female.  Both kids decided to just do a male Cardinal.  DJ's is done in colored pencils, while mine and Caitlin's is done in acrylic paints.  I also painted some pink flowers and Buckeye Butterflies to put in a team treasury this week, for the On Fire for Handmade, Etsy team.  The last item, is a test item.  I have some homeschool friends in IL, that are looking for some pen pals as they study the states.  So, the kids and I are making them and extra special Florida gift package.  Since I like to paint, I decided to make my own postcard.  The one shown is just a sample, and done on orange card stock.  I like the orange coming through the sky tones, but it distorts everything else too much, and the waves are wonky.  So, I will get white card stock and try again next week.  We are sending them a special Christmas ornament, and tons of links where they can learn about the area of FL we live in.  Tell me your thoughts on my newest art work.