John Deere 4020

A watercolor and ink drawing of a John Deere tractor. My parent's asked me to do this painting for their friends. Their friend was a farmer and owned one of these tractors many years ago. This was commissioned when I was raising money for the "Keep Pounding 5K" I did in the spring. 

A is for... Airplane, Apple, and of course Alex.

A family at church adopted a baby boy. It was time for the shower and I wanted to do something special. my "go to" handmade gift for a new baby are hairbows. This didn't quite work. Then I remember, "Hello, I can do a picture." I tried to keep it simple and something that could fit in his room in the future too. At the shower today the painting received lots of Oh's and Ah's. Sometimes I think people are just being polite with their reactions. The best thing is when the mom really likes it and she did. 

"Mature" Hairbows

A few weeks ago my friend called wanting to know if I could make her some bows. Her problem was she wore a white shirt to work everyday and needed a splash of color. Looking at the cost of bows, she thought she would rather pay me to do them then give her money to the stores. So I gladly helped her out. 

I was really happy with the way the collection turned out. But it doesn't hurt when you have a great friend in mind when you are making the bows. 

 These are the satin burned edges that are oh so popular. And I must say, fun to make.

Here is the link for the tutorial for these roses. I pulled them tighter which made them more ruffly.

http://asewingodyssey.blogspot.com/2010/06/felt-rose-tutorial.html

 Who doesn't love a good flower?

These are gathered by pulling the existing wire or from a running stitch.

And of course an adorable model. 

freezer paper ballerina stencil

Custom tote. This is the silhouette that the dance studio uses. I drew it on freezer paper and cut it out. Although the image the studio uses doesn't have the tutu, I used my artistic license to embellish. 

Keep Pounding 5K fundraiser artwork

Every time I put paint on my brush it is as if I am taking a deep breath. I do get painter's block as I stare at a blank canvas, but as soon as the color touches the page the magic begins. Some pieces are stronger then other, but the joy is in the process. 

These paintings were for a purpose. To raise money for the Levine Children's Hospital Cancer Center. They are using the money to bring the best treatments and trails here to Charlotte. This will allow patients to get the newest and best treatment here at home. 

The 5K was great. I ran the entire race with my 9 year old niece. She set the pace in the beginning. I don't think she slowed down till the 2nd mile for the water table. I was a great experience and one that I won't forget. And what a great way to finish the race than to run across the football field.

 For a Clemson fan for their Clemson room!

For my friend and her three daughters.

A Hibiscus flower painting with added texture.

An underwater scene for a girl's room.

Thanks patrons for all your support in this great cause! 

Little Girl Peasant Dresses from T-shirt

This is an old t-shirt of my Mother-in-law. I really liked the lady bugs even though the shirt isn't my favorite. I wanted to made dresses from the ladybugs from my daughter and two nieces. Now remember- I am new to sewing! 

This was the first attempt. I liked the red and the yellow together. But this one was too short for my daughter. I did like the "pillow case dress style," but I would probably add a shirt underneath. I decided to try sleeves for the next one. There was a great tutorial for a peasant dress I saw on pinterest. It didn't require button holes or a zipper, so it was safe for me to try. 

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/2012/01/infant-peasant-dress-free-pattern-and.html

http://www.sew-much-ado.com

Here is my model. Cutie huh. Still a little too short. Luckily the other two dress are for girls a year younger then my daughter. I did the last one with the white background butterflies. I really liked the baseball tee look to the dress. 

There were a few boo boos and changes I made on the way. Well, it was mostly to the first dress which is shown here in the middle. First I redid the seams on the side. I had the edges exposed like when I sewed the stripes on. That made it look like she had two poster boards sewn together. The next thing was the sleeves. I put red sleeves on it. But I didn't make the sleeves wide enough. they were really tight on her arms and shoulders. Since I didn't have any red jersey left, I did the sleeves in white. Which ironically for that dress I like better. Since it had both red and yellow stripes I think it would have been too busy with the red sleeves. Or- maybe I'm just saying that because that was my only choice. 

All in all- I am really pleased with the way the dresses turned out. And now I know I can make a dress! Oh, and bows that match to come soon. 

Sweet Owl and Darling Dino

These are my recent custom children's artwork. 

The owl painting matched this Pottery Barn set. The color is off on the screen. But I had the sheet as I painted it to make sure the colors matched perfectly.

And I think this little dinosaur needed one more post. He kinda got lost in the last one.

This is another example of a 16x20 canvas painting that I can do for those that would like to support 

"Keep pounding 5K Stadium Run"

http://events.carolinashealthcarefoundation.org/site/TR/Events/PoundthePavement?fr_id=1280&pg=pfind