Painting, painting, painting....

A week or so ago, my oldest glamson Xander wanted to spend a couple of nights during his spring break and all he wanted to do was paint. (Ahhhh, can you hear heaven's chorus of angels singing while I rejoice?!!!) So He painted a lovely scene with Rapunzel's castle, a waterfall and green mountains for his cousin Daisy. While Xander worked on his painting, I worked on this one. A client/friend wanted a portrait of her children by the pool. The perspective I used is very popular and on trend at this time, and I think it is very cool, because even though the children's heads are not in the picture plain, you still get a feeling of their personalities from each child's stance and position. Several of my friends who saw the red primed canvas were not sure about my color choice, I explained to them that I like to "prime" the canvas with the contrasting color of the general color pallet of the scene that I plan to paint. This made them quite nervous!

Here is how the painting ended out. It is 48" by 48". Very Big!!!

(My daughter Brooke has babysitted that little dog and had brought him over for family dinner once and when my glamchildren saw the painting they knew who that dog was at once!)

Sock Doll Humanitarian Project

Last month at church, our women's group "The Relief Society", did a few service projects. And of course a centerpiece for each table always add a bit of flair. So I bought these ceramic pots and metal garden angels at the local $1 store and spray painted them all white. I then printed gold Relief Society emblems and glued them behind the heads for halos. Wa-la! "the Errand of Angels is given to Women"... Oh, and for table toppers, I bought 2 rolls of shipping wrap paper (at the $1 store) and cut out scalloped squares. That so far is the most inexpensive decor I have done for a party/meeting.

. We made these cute little sock dolls that new mothers use to comfort their babies if they are too little or sick and can not go home yet. The Mom, Dad or caregiver can place the doll inside their clothing, close to the skin and the doll will soak up their scent. The next time they visit the baby, the doll is place next to the baby to snuggle and/or prop tubes and the baby will feel the comfort and smell of their loved one. The dolls are very easy to make so I've included the instructions if you would like to make some yourself and donate to your local hospital.