More of My Work In Progress (WIP)

I left off the other day with my little Butterfly Shaped Wood Sign half way finished. She still needed her decorations, her name and her antennae.

Here she is after she got her polka dots, spirals and then her name...

Next I had to attach her antennae...

And...finally...here she is...all complete!

Now I just have to get her ready to ship off to her new home.

While most of the time I'm happy with my finished products every once in a while I create something that I simply LOVE. When this happens I have a hard time wrapping up my artwork and shipping it off somewhere knowing I'll never see it again. It's in those instances that I repeat over and over that famous quote...

"If you love something set it free."

I realize that might sound a bit nutty, but I put my heart into my art...each piece is created with love. Sending something away that I put my heart into feels as if I'm giving away a little piece of me. But I suppose that's what life is all about, right? You have to give love to get love.

And besides...there's always the camera! I may not have the actual piece of art in my hands any more, but I always have my pictures! Thank God for cameras!

Okay, I better get going. I have lots of work in front of me. But I'll be back soon sharing more fun!

Make today great!

Work in Progress (WIP)

This week I have a few orders to work on one of which is for a Butterfly Shaped Wood Sign.

I always have fun with this sign. It's a bit of work because I have to cut the butterfly shape with my jig saw. I wish I had a scroll saw and it wouldn't be so hard to cut. But that's something maybe I can buy someday soon.

Meanwhile after I get the wood cut I sand and prime it. Then I begin with the background of the design:

Next I paint the face...I like this part...it's fun to give a blank piece of wood some personality...

Today I'll be working on the details and the lettering--the customer is having her daughter's name painted on it. I'll post another picture later.

More fun on the way...

Sharing a picture of my work space...

My work space is very tiny and it's filled to the brim with all of the things my cluttered artistic mind thinks I need. It was a beautiful sunny morning. My husband snapped this picture and I like how bright and cheery it is.

To all of the neat freaks out there...well...you'll just have to close your eyes!

More fun on the way...

I'm Back!!

Yes, my dear readers I am back to writing and sharing my work and other thoughts on my 'Creative Name Signs' blog!

Good Lord! Where have I been you ask??? Well, if you really want to know you can click on over to my other more popular blog 'A Painting Mom' and play catch up. I've been focusing all of my attention on that blog for the past few years.

I've decided to try and get back to my Creative Name Signs blog simply because I believe it's the new 'way of the world' as far as the internet goes.

These days it's all about social networking and since I've had this sweet little blog for years now I figured I'd get back to working it.

So, I plan to begin sharing more of my recent work with you all from my tiny little corner of the internet.

So here I am world! Ready or not!

More fun on the way...

Fabulous find...

Here's a FABULOUS FIND!!

Willow Toys

A customer of mine is ordering a name sign for her little girl. They bought her a kitchen set from Willow Toys. She sent me a link to their site so I could see what she ordered and how she planned to use her daughter's name sign. When I clicked the link and saw these gorgeous toys I was impressed beyond words! Absolutely gorgeous work! All I can say is 'WOW!!'

When my oldest son was about a year old my dear uncle gave us a wooden dump truck that he had made by hand. It was beautiful and it lasted for years. I gave it to my nephew about a year or so ago since my kids have outgrown toy trucks.

When I saw these incredible products at Willow Toys I couldn't help but remember that toy truck. It brought back so many happy memories of my babies and my dear uncle who has since passed away.

Although I haven't seen or touched any of their products I feel completely confident in saying that these are quality made products. Just look at everything and see what you think!

They have toy kitchens, play castles, doll houses, play stands and so much more! Looking at all of these beautifuuly made items makes me wish my kids were small again so I could buy them something!

Go on and check out their site...I'm sure you'll be impressed!

I'll be back soon,

Jane

Personalized Pet Plaques

I started making personalized pet plaques a few years ago after a customer requested one. I hadn't thought of creating a pet item until then...I was never much of a pet lover until a few years ago when we decided to get a cat. Here she is...



We fell in love with her and we're so happy we got her.

Then last summer this adrable stray dog came into our lives. Here she is...



We did everything we could to find out if someone lost her...we put an ad in the local paper, we called every animal protection society we knew of and a handful of local vets...but we never heard from anyone. Finally after a few months we made it offical and now we have a sweet, loving and oh-so-cute dog!
So now I GET IT!! I see why the pet industry is booming! People love their pets and want to pamper them like crazy!

Here are more pet plaque samples...the few I have on my site were the first ones I made and now I have a lot more. These photos show different sized plaques created especially for a variety of pets...

I've done lots and lots of dog plaques...




And a few cat plaques...here's one...



Here's a plaque for a bunny...



A mouse...yes...a plaque for a pet mouse who had it's own room...



And a turtle. Yes...this turtle had her own room, too...



And I recently made a plaque for a horse's stall...



So I can pretty much create a plaque for any critter of any size or shape! It's always fun for me and if you have something in mind let me know...I'm always glad to work with you!

I'll be adding more items soon,

Jane

Another fabulous find!

I just found some artwork that I love! I don't own any of her work...yet!

I was just surfing around on a Saturday morning drinking my morning coffee and I found some of her work for sale here...

Rhonda Kullberg Artwork...20th Century Glass, Pottery, Collectibles

After looking over her items I thought I'd try to find her website, but I didn't have any luck. I found lots of sites that sell her work, but not a site that is exclusively hers. I'm thinking that perhaps her artwork is licensed and she sells it in a variety of stores and on a number of websites.

No matter what, I'll find something to buy...her work is just too good to pass up! I'm fascinated by her whimsical style and the colors she uses are fabulous!

Years ago I collected different sayings and kept them in a little notebook. I'd hear or read something that struck a chord in my soul and I'd write it in there. But as my life moved on and changed I must have thrown that little notebook away. I have no idea where it ended up.

Then when I first started selling my work on the Internet I would take part in small auctions--not Ebay--and I sold a number of items that had little sayings on them along with my style of artwork. Maybe that's why Rhonda Kullberg's artwork resonates with me...her art reminds me of some of my early work. Seeing her art makes me wish I could find some time to try my hand at this style again... I loved creating it, but my websites grew and I got so busy that it took me away from painting this way.

Here are pictures of a few my early selling pieces...

I sold lots of plaques that either had a saying about 'Home' or simply a house design...




I found this pig step stool at a flea market. It was plain wood and unpainted. I got the idea to paint 'This Little Piggy...' on it and took it from there. I always liked this item...



And here's another saying by Ralph Waldo Emerson that I liked...I painted and sold many plaques with this saying and the bee hive design...



And one more...I love this saying by Mother Teresa...



Okay...enough about me...I hope you enjoy Rhonda Kullberg's work...I think it's fantastic!

I'll be back soon with more...

Jane