New Art Offered at C'est Moi

I am happy to announce I will now feature some of my art selections at C'est Moi in Brentwood, TN.  They have a lovely selection of gifts, art and bedding and of course, they are the local reps for Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Here are some pieces I dropped off this week!  

Quiet Angel ~ 24x24"

 Heavenly Angel 9x12"

 Faith Angel 6x6"

 Hope Dove 6x6"

 Love Heart 6x6"

 Shine Sun 5x5"

 Grow Flowers 5x5"

 Learn Owl 6x6"

Please contact them directly for availability and pricing at (615) 457-3579.

She's Crafty

Yep. She sure is!

I have been following Laura Kelley's blog PitterPatterArt for awhile and just love her sweet spirit, sense of humor and all her poignant honest stories about motherhood and life.

So when she decided to host her FIRST EVER craft night ~ I was in!  I didn't even mind the hour long drive because I really did want to meet her and hug her sweet neck.  I mean, she is seriously that AHHH-mazing! Like Martha Stewart has nothing, I mean nothing on her because this girl is the real deal.  Big heart.

I arrived at her house and kind of knew I was going to fall in love with it because it is just so full of love and life.  Pictures of her family like everywhere.  I feel kind of lame coming home to my house ~ good thing my family doesn't know what they are missing! :)  Just quaint, colorful and real, like her.

She had amazing crafts planned for us in addition, some fabulous giveaways from very generous folks who sponsored her craft night! Cool, eh?

Look at all this crafting yumminess waiting for us!

And all the ladies were so nice, so sweet and so darn creative! I wish I had taken more photos because I just meant to, but got really busy crafting and talking!

Here was one of my table mates, Lori, working on her wreath which turned out super fab.  Wish I had thought to take more photos!

To see her post on the night click here.

We made a 12x12 canvas and a wreath. Here are Laura's canvases:

Laura's wreath:

Here is my canvas which will hang in my "new" studio once I have walls to hang it on and not just insulation! lol!

Here are me and Laura and my wreath.

I just want to say thank you again Laura!  You and Susan (aka: Mrs. Flowers) are fabulous!
bless you both!

Dear Ben...

Today is your birthday and you turn 14.  Fourteen years ago, I was wading through some trials life threw my way.  I had just placed your sister in a pediatric nursing home three hours away from me because we could no longer afford a nurse to help with her 24-hour care needs and our grant had come to an end.  I spent every weekend driving to sit and rock her and every other night crying myself to sleep wondering if she would live to see me again.

So on the day you arrived into my life, I can remember for the first time in many, many months being so completely filled with joy.  True JOY!  Thinking about it today I remember it clearly and as I stared at your sweet new face, I felt hopeful about the future.  I felt that while I had your sweet little innocent life to tend to, I could be hopeful once again.

Over the years, you have brought me laughter, hugs, tests, tears, tenderness, madness, frustration, and JOY!!

I love how kind you are.  How you think of others feelings and choose your friends wisely.  I love your need for speed ~ athletically speaking.  You are so darn fast and busy!

I love how you are sensitive, even though you HATE it when I say that ~ but it is a good thing because it makes you the caring and compassionate person I love.

I love your wild and crazy sense of humor and making me laugh more at myself!



I love how, even though you are 14, you still like hanging out with me (as long as your buddies aren't around). And how you beat the pants off your dad on the driveway basketball court!

I love your thirst for learning and your ability to remember anything you read.  I love that you love history and teach me things I never knew or forgot with the cobwebs of life.

I love that you care about the things that really matter (like making your dad breakfast on father's day) and even though I wish you were more organized (or organized at all) I know you'll find a way to pull it off and survive!

All in all I just want to say you ROCK.  And I love you more than you will ever know.


So happy everything today and always my sweet Boo Boo!

Walnut Hollow StencilGirl Blog Hop

Welcome to the hop!  I am sure you are going to see such an amazing variety of projects thanks to variety of fabulous products available through Walnut Hollow Craft & Art Supplies.  My project was created on this fun Walnut Hollow Natural Bark Edge panel.  I really gravitated to the natural edges on this piece and immediately thought of creating something to depict nature.

I took a bit of time to sketch out what I wanted to create before I began.  I don't always start with a plan  but I felt a little more pressure since I only had one panel and I didn't want to mess it up!

After I sketched, I primed the wood panel with both white and gray gesso.  I did this to give different depth in the background which I knew would be the sky.  After all, the sky is never the same shade all around, right?

After it was primed, I stamped randomly for texture.

I then took Jamie Fingal's Zen Landscape stencil from StencilGirl Products and using shades of blue, white, gray and green, I began stenciling layers which would form the sky.

My color palette. I mixed these together for different shades of each.

Here is a picture in the process.

I then took some packing material from a box I had received and tore it to create a tree branch.  I adhered it to the panel with gel medium and allowed it to dry.

I decide I would use some frayed burlap from my stash as the birds' nest.

I then cut some fabric in the shape of birds and leaves and also adhered them to the panel with gel medium.

A close up of the background.

I cut three foam cosmetic sponges in the shape of eggs and painted them blue.  You could also use air dry clay which might be easier, but I didn't have any on hand so I improvised.

After I was finished, I stamped on the phrase "the family is one of nature's masterpieces".

I hope you enjoyed and will continue to follow me on Bloglovin' or come visit me on Facebook!

Be sure to keep on "hopping" and getting more great ideas for projects using Walnut Hollow products and StencilGirl stencils! Remember there will be giveaways and EVERY comment on any and all blogs in the hop is an entry for the giveaway.  So make sure to leave a comment and increase your chances of winning! Giveaway will close Sunday, March 2 at 11:59 a.m. CST.

Here is the Hop Order ~ enjoy!

StencilGirl Talk/Judi Kauffman

Walnut Hollow

Mary Beth Shaw

Kirsten Reed  you are HERE

Carolyn Dube go HERE next

Janet Joehlin

Linda Kittmer

Mary C. Nasser

Julie Snidle

Jessica Sporn

Judy Shea

Maria McGuire

Beach Dreamin'

Having been raised a military brat, it is the closest thing I have to calling home…the beach.  It is where we were stationed the longest while in the United States, where I graduated high school, where I went to college and where I visit my parents now.

I guess every winter I get to feeling the need to be near it.  Probably because it is so cold and gray here and I imagine warm salty air on my face, sand between my toes and killer sunsets.

So here is a little abstract beach town I created while dreaming.

A close up…

 What do you dream of during winter?

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ART on the CHEAP

As much as I love buying new art supplies, and trust me I do, I also firmly believe in using things I have around the house and up cycling as much as possible.  So an old piece of mail might become background in a piece of art.

One thing you will see sold quite a bit in scrapbook stores are chipboard and scrapbook embellishments at a hefty price (compared to the cost of actual materials).  I decided to turn some food boxes (or water boxes) into some quick, cute embellishments ~ ready to go!

First take your old box.  I have used soda boxes, cereal boxes, etc.

Cut out the larger parts for bigger pieces or bookmarks.

Punch the scraps with your paper punches and make lots of cute shapes.

I painted all my pieces with gesso because I wasn't sure how I would dress them up.

Some I used washi tape on…. like this one below.

Here are some bookmark samples. I punched a hole in the top and added ribbon (not sure where THAT photo is) :)

I used some orange washi tape on this square embellishment.

Then I used Michelle Ward's Sphere Small stencil (from StencilGirl Products) and dabbed orange paint through.  Cute, huh?

Pull out your stash and dress up some "trash" to get that exact pop of color for your scrapbook page!

On these below, I used some of my stencils, wash tape and twine.  I tried to create varieties for a different feel and some dimension.

I found them to be GREAT add-ons for my  Project Life scrapbook cards.

Whatever you decide to do with them, you are probably more likely to take chances since it cost you nothing except for a bit of your time…so go PLAY!!

Be sure to follow me on Bloglovin or like my Facebook Page at Kirsten Reed Designs.  Have a great week!