I learned to paint a long time ago… well, I was given a few lessons from a friend who was a great decorative painter in exchange for dying her hair lol.  Her grandmother had just passed away and that was usually their thing, so I would have done it painting lessons or not.  I am so glad I didn’t pass on the lessons though.  It has opened my eyes to a whole other creative outlet.

Even if it’s as simple as just speckling an item like in my Wind Chime Chains, or getting into a more involved project like the Raccoon plaque, the Koi Pond Rock, my repurposed teapot or the set of Cardinal Plaques (see below), it is a great escape for me and I am more often than not, pleased with the results.  When I am not pleased, it’s just a matter of base painting over my mistakes and starting again lol.

 

And now Kim has shown an interest in decorative painting!  That makes me so happy!  There is nothing better than to pass on something you love, to someone you love, don’t you think. While we have only had one semi lesson Easter weekend, she has been practicing and putting her own spin on her projects.  While I am flowers and animals and more conservative, she jumped right into a genre that suits her!  To me that is the point of art of any kind, personal taste!

Kudows to Kim on the great job she is doing so far!!!!

Watching Kim learn to paint just gives me the taste again and now I have all my painting stuff in the kitchen… another indicator we need to get our butts in gear on the Craft Room!

Over the years I have asked myself many times if I am actually getting any better, wondering if I am basing this assumption on the compliments from very biased friends and family members but it makes me happy so I will keep doing it lol! So what if they are hanging them in their closets, at least they are hanging them!

Here is a picture of Kim on Easter weekend while we were painting my photo backdrop.  We used it as an excuse to start her first lesson.   I started by teaching her about base painting and then basic shading techniques.  Just one colour for now.  I told her next time will be double loading the brush, and then speckling and so on, until she’s a full blown pro.

You can see the start of her first Lotus flower.  A pretty good job for her first time, and I am not saying that just because I might be slightly biased@

---

 

Kim made the mistake a year or two ago in telling me she wanted to redo her kitchen in to Betty Boop/50’s dinner sort of décor…lol…I am not sure to this day how impressed my son-in-law was with the Boop invasion! Kim said she wanted Boop, she got Boop.  Whether it was various things I painted for the walls, a painted Boop apron, the tea towels with the Boop appliques or the Boop curtains and mat, she got her Boop Kitchen lol!  And it was fun!  That is one of the things I have enjoyed most about my painting journey, it has enabled me to give quality gifts, that I have made myself to family and friends!

 

Another reason I enjoy painting is my Mother-in-Law.  She too is a painter.  Her painting makes mine look like stick figure painting but I still know that when I spend the time painting something for her it is appreciated.  She knows the time, effort and preparation that goes into painting someone a gift so it is always a job to give her something I have made!

Next up on my decorative, as opposed to what I consider craft painting, are a couple of $2 wooden platters I picked up at the thrift store.  I am hoping to get to them this week.  I have them base painted (my least favourite part of painting), I have decided on what I want to paint on them, it’s just finding the time.

On a completely other note lol….

Today I thought I would try some gardening again.  I know, those of you who may have read my previous posts are worried about the lifespan of any plants I might have made contact with lol.  Try not to worry, Dillon was right there along side me helping so maybe, just maybe, they have a chance of surviving!

I had him looking for pine cones for a craft I want to try and then picking dandelions off the lawn because I decided I would like to try to make some dandelion jelly this year.  Jelly I can do, it’s the dandelion part we are struggling with, but I still want to give it a go.  Hopefully it doesn’t just taste like weeds with sugar lol!

Dillon did get distracted a few times, turning sticks into baseball bats and swinging at who knows what and once I turned around and found him in the big tree on the lawn lol! Boys!  He’s twenty three and I still think he’s up to no good every time I turn my back…. and yes, I probably am right.  One time I turned around and he was trying to do handstands on the lawn!  Thankfully that didn’t wind us up at he emergency department lol!!!

 

I also got the Steps Herb garden planter we made late last summer out and ready for soil and the actual herbs.  Kim decided last year it would be fun to add our own dried herbs and make tea for the Christmas preserves baskets we give as gifts each year. I’ve already told her if they stand a chance in hell of surviving long enough to do any of that, she will have to text me every day to remind me to water them!!!

Happy Painting Everyone!