The Vintage Sister Studio

New Fish

2012-01-30T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends and happy Monday!!

Today my very first newsletter went out. It's definitely a work in progress and I'm not totally pleased with the design but it will have to do until I learn the system a little bit better.

My sister helped me with my new banners and I'm loving them!

We're working on new buttons as well as little custom headings

for the blog to make it more fun to look at.

Here is a link to read my newsletter but please sign up to the right so that you become a monthly subscriber. I'm going to be doing monthly give aways so you may win something:)

This is what I finished this week...

This guy is titled

"La Baleine Rose"

(the pink whale)

I found that resin frame in a thrift store. It was all busted up but I fell in love with it so

I brought it home and gave it some TLC in the way of glue and a sturdy cardboard backing.

Sweet!

I think my most favorite pieces have come from unusual finds that probably

would have made their way into the dumpster if I had not rescued them.

I also reworked this piece a little bit...

As a theater performer I felt he needed a skill so he now swims through a flaming hoop.

Fun! and daring.....

He doesn't look impressed, does he?

I don't remember if I shared the octopus with his juggling balls...

(shame on you!)

I took a deep canvas and used the back instead of the front.

I covered the inside cavity with paper mache to make a solid surface to work on.

The curtains were constructed out of recycled cardboard and then covered in paper mache too.

Paint, glue, thread...

Done!

I'm going to be selling 5"x7" prints in 8"x10" mats.

They will be professionally matted with backing board and the mats will be signed by me!

That's my project for this week,

clean studio....it's REALLY REALLY bad!!

and then get the prints in the shop.

That's it for now.

Enjoy your week!!

Contentment and Fish.

2012-01-23T09:37:00.002-05:00

Blurry "Stop taking my picture!" picture.

Good morning Friends,

My little buddy is home sick today.

I love having my kids home with me!

I'm sad he's not feeling well but I get an enormous feeling of contentment

knowing that while I'm buzzing around doing laundry and

cleaning up, he's safely snuggled on the couch.

I think I'm going to have a really hard time letting my kids go.

When I see my older boy off to school in the morning

I get an ache in my heart. It's dark when he leaves and

it just feels wrong sending my child out alone.

I still tell him to look both ways and to be careful.

Thankfully I don't get the eye roll yet.

Most of my anxiety I keep to myself, I don't want to raise over protected freaks!

I know these are all things that all moms have to deal

with eventually. Hopefully I can do it gracefully

without scaring....or scarring my children.

Ok, off to arty news..

Juggling Octopus

I've been working on a new piece for my

"La Theatre de la Mer" (The Theatre of the Sea) series.

I'm loving these new pieces however I'm conflicted.

Is this too far off of the path from what my work has been?

Will people look at this series and think I'm crazy and all over the place?

If they think it , they would be right.

I'm easily bored and "all over the place" is what I do.

Every time I start something new I say "Oh my gosh, I love this so much I want to do it forever!"

And then three days later I realize I don't want to do it forever.

I have ADD. I am Artistically Directionally Disabled.

Friend me on Facebook and see the step by step photos of the above piece.

Tracy Nuskey Dodson and also The Vintage Sister Studio.

He's still not finished, he still needs his juggling balls.

Don't we all?

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter for a chance to win an original mixed media painting (in the photo in my last post)!

Have a fantastic week!

Sign Up and Win!

2012-01-14T12:55:00.003-05:00

Hello Friends,

Just popping in on this FREEZING cold day to let you know that if you sign up to receive my monthly newsletter, you automatically will be signed up for a chance to win this original 8x10 mixed media painting!

My first letter is set to go on January 30th and I will announce the random winner then.

Enjoy your day and stay warm!!

Shopping.

2012-01-13T09:39:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I've been working on "business" type stuff all this week and really have nothing good to share.
In my down time I've been browsing my favorite online shops,
making plans for decorating the nest for 2012.
We all need a change every once in a while, right?

Here are a few things I'm loving right now.

Ballard Designs is always a favorite for unusual pieces that are usually pretty affordable.

Look at this bed! If I didn't just buy a new bed this would definitely be coming home with me.

And at $399. for full/queen!

I LOVE upcycled furniture!

This fantastic piece is by metrosofa.

A little more pricey but definitely inspiring!

I'm definitely loving this super cute cabinet by PoorPitifulPetunia.

Sweet little plate form Anthropologie!

Well, that's enough shopping for now.
Back to work!

Don't forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter in my sidebar.
I will be giving away an original painting to one lucky subscriber!

Enjoy the weekend!

Better.

2012-01-08T12:13:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

The new year started off a little rocky for me with a little bit of a cold and a lot of depression. Truth be told, I'm NOT a fan of the New Years holiday and it always seems to throw me into a deep funk.

Am I the only one who has a hard time starting the new year with hope and enthusiasm as much as I try?

But today I'm feeling a little bit better and I got into the studio to finish up my second

piece to the Fish Circus series I started last week.

I did this one in a vintage gold frame I picked up on one of my junking trips last fall. It was nice and deep and perfect for the shadowbox treatment. I have one more frame that is exactly the same and another tacky gold frame that I LOVE that I will use for this series as well.

On this fish I used a tiny, tiny little hole punch to make most of the gills.

Click on the photo below for a closer look at the detail.

I need to figure out how to photograph these things!

This series will be on display at

Home Fine Art Gallery in the Mill Race Village in Mt. Holly

next month. If you are ever interested in anything I post for the gallery, please feel free to contact them...or me:)

I am SO EXCITED that the new season of Downton Abbey starts tonight on PBS!!!!

Look at those costumes!

Can't wait.

Enjoy your week my friends!

Finding Inspiration.

2011-12-30T12:45:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

I always hear people talk about where they go to get inspired.

They go to museums, take long walks, watch really bad reality tv.

Just kidding, I really don't recommend reality tv for inspiration.

I really don't know where it comes from for me.

It's a struggle for me most of the time and I know it's because I am always looking for

an amazing idea instead of just going with the ok ones.

Sometimes I see things that are inspiring but they don't fit with the frame of mind I'm in at the time.

I get an idea in my head and I think and think and think way before I ever get to the actual painting.

I try and picture exactly how it will look at the end and then sometimes I'm disappointed when the finished piece doesn't turn out quite right.

2012 is going to be the year of change for me.

I'm going to embrace the OCD in me and just let myself be the artist I was meant to be.

I'm not going to worry that it takes me two weeks to do a painting that should probably take me a few days. That being said, I AM going to try and relax a little and leave some room for imperfection.

Stop thinking so much and just enjoy the experience.

I received this sweet little box of French chocolates in my stocking this Christmas.

How cute are they????

Ever since I made this guy

I have been wanting to do a series of fish.

So between the red of the Sardine can and the yummy gold and blue in the fish,

I came up with this...

I originally thought I would just do the cut paper fish and then paint the curtain but I am a sucker for shadowboxes so I created the curtain frame to go around the canvas.

The fish took me hours!

He's made from itty bitty circles punched from various vintage and craft papers.

That's where the OCD comes into play.

So thanks to the inspiring gift of chocolate sardines, a new series has come to life.

Yay for inspiration in unexpected places!

***** I'm going to be doing a monthly newsletter so please sign up!*****
It's on the right, under my little tea time picture:)

ok, now what?

2011-12-28T12:01:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I hope yo all had a wonderful holiday.

So the big day is over, now what?

Me, I'm just looking forward to getting my life back to normal.

I love my husband and kids being home but this constant state of disorganization is getting to me.

The house is a mess with toys, books and clothing covering every flat, and not so flat surface.

Cookies, candy and other not so good for you foods still linger in the kitchen.

Laundry has piled up and I need to do a proper grocery shopping.

These hats would be nice if the temperature would go below 50 degrees here.

Alex eating candy at 7:30 in the morning staring at the Lego project.

He looks like I feel, lol.

I have been working on some new things for my blog and Etsy shop.

A new look is coming, here is my sketch...

And I'm also going to be making a whole new line of jewelry, block prints and tea towels!

I'm so excited!!

Last Minute gifts...

2011-12-17T09:06:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

If you're like me then you are probably in need of a few last manure....I mean minute gifts.

May I make a suggestion?

PooPooPaper!

Made from 100% (that's a lot) poo.

And it's odorless. (thank God for that)

"We take the oo out of poo!"

Love that slogan!

Seriously though, they had really cute stationary, journals, etc.

If you can get past the fact that it came from an elephants butt they are actually pretty cool.

And if you're environmentally conscious, all the better.

My husband wouldn't even walk near the display.

Especially after I told him they made paper plates and napkins.

(they really don't make paper plates and napkins)

http://poopoopaper.com/

On the Table Tuesday

2011-12-13T20:49:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

Nothing on the table today because I spent the day with my special friend, Marie!

First we visited this awesome antiques mall in historic Burlington, NJ.

Sweet little gnomes.

This guy was HUGE!

Handsome pirate with hairy chest:)

I was talking so much that I didn't take as many pictures as I should have.

Sorry!

Then we had a delicious lunch at Robin's Nest in historic Mount holly, NJ.

We both had the biggest piece of quiche EVER.

Yum!

We had a great time, thanks Marie!!

I have been messing with my blog for the past few days and you may have noticed the new
pages I have added (see tabs under the banner). I'm still not finished but I like the way my blog is more clutter free. I updated my "about me" page with a new bio and photo so check it out.

I also moved all of my "published" info to a separate page. I will be updating the class & workshop page in January.

I have lots of new ideas for the upcoming year!

I'm very excited!!

Stay tuned.

Give Away WINNER!!

2011-12-10T09:37:00.001-05:00

Thanks so much for all of your cookie ideas!

I have my cookie choice narrowed down to two.

I'll let you know what I decide on, how they taste and the recipe some time next week.

And the winner of my little spool village is.................

#16

Lydia Grebe!

Congratulations Lydia ,

now you will have a village to go with your ornaments:)

Email your address to vintagesister2006@yahoo.com

and I'll have them shipped out to you this week.

Stinky the Christmas cat says

Have a great day!!

She looks happy, right?

On the Table Tuesday...on Wednesday.

2011-12-07T09:04:00.001-05:00

In typical fashion, I missed "On the Table Tuesday" in only the second week of it's existence.

But I guess it really doesn't matter because I can't share with you what is on my table because they are gifts for sweet friends. But, I can share the other things I have been doing this week.

Let's see them in pictures, shall we?

Decorating started out at the Christmas Tree Shop where I picked up this

perfectly ME tablecloth. It's filled with polka dotty goodness!

Other holiday folks made their way out of storage.

Remember these guys?

Our family room has a Rankin- Bass theme and this is the first year for this too cute set.

Here's a closer look.

Then the whole family moved over to the living room to decorate that tree.

I tried to get a "Christmas Card Photo" which ALWAYS turns into a disaster.

As soon as my kids see that this picture has meaning, all hell breaks loose.

The flash was bad so I needed to try again.

This one was bad for obvious reasons.

One more?

I had lost the small window of opportunity and mayhem ensued.

Alex got a hold of the camera and started taking pictures of his own.

Threats were made, punishments were handed out and beer was needed.

On top of everything else, big chunks of the pre-lit tree were out and I spent an hour changing fuses, searching for broken bulbs and plugging and unplugging the maze of wires in this thing.

Later after everyone was bored and took off for tv and video games, I listened to Christmas music and finished everything myself.....in peace and quiet.

The family room tree.

The living room tree.

The vintage tree.

Some Santa's.

Our advent calendar, which we just started yesterday...oops!

Oh, and I also hemmed, pressed and hung all new drapes in the family room...six panels.

As you can see from the window view, it's dreary here in NJ so the pictures are a little bit dark.

I'm off to Walmart to hopefully find a terribly tacky Christmas sweater.

Wish me luck!

*** Thanks for all of the cookie ideas from my last post! Don't forget to leave a comment to win a special gift!! *********

Tis the Season for Giving!

2011-12-05T09:20:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

Let me just start by saying thank you for all of the kind and funny comments regarding my holiday meltdown:) If you can't share your short comings with the entire blog world,

who can you share them with?

I have finished with the last of the art work needed for the holidays, with the exception of a few ornaments for a friend, so I have decided to take the rest of December off.

Clean, decorate, bake, hang out with the boys.

Relax.

I wanted to have a little celebration to get into the holidays so I decided on doing a give away!

I will be gifting one lucky winner with one of my little

spool villages and I will pick a random winner at the end of the week.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favorite Christmas cookie

....or just a favorite cookie if you don't celebrate Christmas.

So get commenting because I need ideas for all of the baking I will be doing.

Enjoy your day:)

Mindless Rant #1

2011-12-02T13:35:00.001-05:00

I took the buildings out of the boxes two days ago and that's as far as I got.

Sigh.

Did you ever feel like moving everything you own out of your house and start over?

I want to put everything outside and only bring things back that I absolutely love.

And it has to be dust and clutter free.

I think that's the crux of my problem.

The dust and clutter free problem.

I know you have it too. Most everyone does.

Except Martha Stewart.

Probably she has a full staff dedicated to just dust and clutter.

Right?

I think I'm panicking a bit in anticipation of holiday decorating.

I just finished the last of my art for the season and it's time to pull the boxes down from the attic and layer every flat surface, knob, drawer pull, switch and hook with yet more clutter...er...holiday decorations. I love Christmas and I love decorating.

I just would love to have a perfectly clean house to decorate upon.

Can you relate?

Or do you always have a clean house and decorating is a completely joyful experience?

If so, don't share because I will only hate you.

Just kidding, I won't hate you.

Maybe a little.

Instead of cleaning I am sitting at this computer complaining about it.

This is the way my mind works...

When I have a lot to do, I do nothing.

I think I'm going to go read.

Stop back on Monday,

I will be announcing a sweet give away!

Enjoy your weekend:)

one more painting left!

2011-11-30T11:30:00.001-05:00

I don't have time for a long post but I just wanted to pop in and share the four little angels I have completed so far. Lisa, Luisa, Lila, and Lana. Luisa's background isn't really that purple in person.

Now I just need to add a layer of bees wax and pray, pray, pray that I don't mess them up.

I'll try to remember to take pictures of the process.

Off to finish the last one!

Lara maybe?

Lina?

Luna?

on the table tuesday!

2011-11-29T08:37:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I have decided to cut back on Facebook and get back to my blog.

I have found that I can't do both!

Today is "On the table Tuesday" and this is where I will try to give you a glimpse into what is going on in my studio. Monday is usually spent cleaning up the house from the weekend and doing laundry and I'm sure that's not something you would be interested in:)

Tuesday is the day I usually get down to business.

I got an early start last night after the boys went to bed.

If you have been following me the last few weeks or so you will remember me saying I had 14 paintings due by Dec. 1st. Well, I have 3 1/2 to go!

The above photo is the 1/2.

It gives you a good idea of how my paintings get their start.

I'm not a big fan of the texture of canvas so I usually cover it with book pages.

Plus I like the way it adds texture and depth to the piece.

The last 5 paintings are going to be these little girl angels.

I'm debating whether or not to give them a coating of bees wax or not...

hmmm, what do you think?

Here is an actual table shot.

The little girl on the bottom is finished, just waiting for wax, or not.

I am planning on attempting a video.

I know how much I love to watch videos of other people paint so I thought I'd give it a shot.

I'll probably need my 12 year old to help me but that's nothing new around here.

If you ever have any questions regarding supplies or technique, feel free to ask.

Everyone learns from everyone else and I have no secrets!

Enjoy your day:)

SALE in my SHOP!

2011-11-25T10:34:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I hosted Thanksgiving at my home for only the second time and it was so much fun!

I was busy cooking and getting everything ready so my sister was the designated photographer.

I don't have those pictures yet but I do have one I took from the night before.

Since our dining room was turned into my studio, I put two folding tables up in our family room and we had dinner there. This picture was taken before I added the vintage napkins, centerpiece and lots of pieces of my cut glass collection. I'll try to remember to share more pictures later!

As promised, I am having a SALE in my Etsy shop!!

BUY 2 PRINTS

Get 1

FREE!!

Just visit my Etsy shop, purchase your two prints and then in the comment section at checkout, let me know the title of your FREE PRINT!

This offer ends December 1, 2011.

I have added 8 new prints to the shop this morning... click on any photo for a link to my shop.

Buy hand made this holiday season!

still working...

2011-11-22T12:18:00.001-05:00

Hello Friends,

I'm still working on pieces for the gallery.

Here are two that I finished this week.

My Soaring Heart

16" x 20" canvas

Kit-Tea

18" x 24" canvas

The originals will be for sale at

Home Fine Art Gallery in Mt. Holly NJ

December 1st.

I'm also having a

PRINT SALE!!

Starting this Friday,

all PRINTS in my Etsy shop will be

buy 2 get 1 FREE!

All of my new work will be availaable

in print form that day for the first time.

I also hope to have special ornaments for sale too.

Buy handmade this holiday season!

Sometimes...and happy 400 to me!

2011-11-09T11:02:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the things that need to get done and I over think.

I spend way too long trying to think of the best idea EVER instead of

just sitting down and going with whatever comes to me naturally.

I'm in the process of doing 10 small paintings for the gallery that I belong

to for our annual 100 for $100 show in December.

I don't do small well.

I like BIG paintings with BIG color and pattern.

I use a lot of patterned paper in my art so I need to do BIG to keep the print in proportion to my art.

So you can see my problem with doing 10 8"x10" paintings, right?

I decided on a theme to make things a little bit easier.

Angels.

Christmas is coming and doing something seasonal also helps.

So with that in mind I did tons and tons of sketches trying to

decide the best way to do these paintings.

I hated everything I came up with.

So Saturday I just opened up a canvas and drew whatever

came to me right on to the canvas.

In permanent marker!!

One down...9 more to go!

The theme here is don't over think, just go with it.

I will be having a print SALE on Black Friday,

Buy 2 get 1 FREE!

All of my new paintings will be available in print form on that day.

This is my 400th post. Yay!!

Enjoy your day!

Tuesday

2011-11-08T15:24:00.003-05:00

I need to get off my lazy bear, er....butt and VOTE!

A Welcoming Home

2011-11-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always dreamed of owning a home.

I used to move my furniture around in my small bedroom, making little living areas using an old toy box which looked like a wood bench. I remember taking old knit blankets made by my grandmother to make the bench cozy and then setting my small black and white tv in front of it on a stool.

I don't recall spending much time sitting there but I remember the joy that came from walking into my room after school and loving the difference my new arrangement made.

I was newly married and 9 months pregnant when my husband and I settled on the house we still live in now. It probably wasn't the best time to be making such a big decision but having a newborn in a one bedroom apartment wasn't something we were looking forward to.

At the time, it was a sellers market and everything was really expensive. We looked at tons of houses and like most first time home buyers, the more houses we looked at, the smaller our priority list became.

The fourth bedroom was going to have to go.

Finished basement, gone.

Two car garage...that was out too.

The house we finally settled on wasn't our dream home, but it fit us

at the time and we figured on staying for five years or so.

Here we are eleven years later.

My house still doesn't look like the sweet english cottage of my dreams. It actually looks alot like the Brady Bunch house, but I have done things to make it my own.

To me one of the most fun places to decorate is the front porch.

I LOOOOOOOOOOOVe front porches!

Our home is small so we have a small porch but I am oh so grateful to have what I have.

There is enough room for a bench, where the boys and I sit and watch thunder storms in the summer.

I always try to make it welcoming.

Always on a budget!

For good ideas, I Google "front porch decorating" and then click on the images.

A lot of them come from one of my favorite publications, Country Living.

The bench is just a typical wood/cast iron park bench that I painted black with an oil base gloss.

It holds up extremely well and always looks new.

Buy a nice comfy cushion! It makes all the difference in the world.

This one is from Ballard Designs and I bought it when all of their cushions were on sale.

I picked up this old cupboard door at a flea market one day for $5.00.

A little bit of sanding and a few coats of chalkboard paint

and you have this fun message board waiting to greet your guests!

I added a few hooks to the bottom and I change out the

buntings and decorations seasonally.

These funky little pots are just galvanized steele buckets from a big box store.

$5.00 each, again painted black.

I stenciled on the numbers and added inexpensive boxwoods.

It's an easy, cheap project that adds character to your home.

Instead of random numbers you could do an initial or even your house number.

For me a wreath is a must!

My door is red so sometimes it's a challenge for me to find a wreath that pops.

Don't be afraid to buy a wreath from the store and then jazz it up yourself.

I had a grapevine wreath with red berries that sort of

blended in but when I added a few picks of white

berries from the craft store, the wreath came to life.

Find an unusual light fixture.

I found this one at Restoration Hardware.

Totally not a store that I can afford to shop at all the time but

splurging on one peice that you really love sometimes is worth it.

Use unusual items.

This is an old bird cage that I bought at a flea market.

I know it looks weird now but a week ago it was

strung with orange lights and lighted pumpkins

and at night it looked amazing!

Next I will add branches of greenery and add twinkle lights.

In the spring and summer it gets filled with potted flowers, minus the branches.

Think of smells.

I love the smell of something good at my door.

My walkway is lined with lavender...

lavender that has gone absoultely out of control I admit,

but I love it!

When you brush by it, even in winter you get a flowery, piney scent.

Some of my friends reach down and rub the leaves between their hands as they leave.

Better than perfume.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of my home.

Next week I will share how I created a welcoming entryway...

even with two boys and backpacks.

Enjoy your week!

Art Kits Are Here!

2011-10-14T11:31:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends,

I'm excited to announce that I now have limited edition art kits in my shop.

Someone asked me recently if I made kits but up until then I never had.

So that got me thinking about collage kits.

I knew that I didn't want to have reproduced components

so I dove into my stash of trims and papers and put this sweet kit together.

Vintage Bits Art Kits

by The Vintage Sister

The finished piece measures a total of 17" long from the tip

of the hanger to the lace on the bottom.

The only thing you need from home to complete this project are scissors!

What's included?

(1) Hand painted canvas panel 8"x10"

Craft and vintage papers including a handwritten receipt from a shop in Philadelphia dated 1907.

**All receipts will vary because they are original, not reproductions.

Glue

Collage medium

Foam brush

Glitter

Button and Snowflakes

Vintage Trims and a sweet red bow

Detailed instructions

Each kit is $35. and you can find them here in my Etsy shop.

Do what I do and get a bunch of girlfriends together for a night of chatting and crafting.

They are also easy enough to do with a child!

When the vintage trims for this piece are finished this kit will be retired.

I have a few more in the works including a few smaller kits that will be great for children!

Stay tuned:)

Enjoy your weekend!!

New Print!

2011-10-12T07:33:00.002-04:00

I am happy to announce that I have a very special Limited Edition (50) Print in my Etsy shop.

This is from a very big painting that I did and I am in love with it!

The original has this black polka dot border but for

reproduction purposes, the print has been cropped.

"Tea with a Friend"

Original.

Print.

Closeup!

I may put the original up for sale in the future but for now it's hanging in my home.

Speaking of home, my favorite blogs are those that show pictures of their

sweet living spaces so I think I will share with you some pictures of mine in my next post

so do stay tuned:)

Enjoy your day!!

a case of BBO

2011-10-11T16:43:00.001-04:00

Hello friends!

Welcome back to my much neglected blog.

I was suffering from a not so rare illness called Blog Burn Out or as those who specialize in the field call it, BBO.

It started during the summer which just seemed to drag on and on......

I love the summer but this one was either blazing hot and humid (July)

or flat out humid, soggy raining (August).

I was left uninspired and lazy.

I am now in the process of getting some classes together to teach at the co-op gallery that I am a member of. This seems like a fun new direction for me and hopefully it will get me back into the game:)

I will be posting all class times and schedules on this blog for any and all local friends.

The gallery, Home Fine Art, is in the Mill Race Village in Mt. Holly NJ.

All of my classes there will be open to the public so it will be a lot of fun!

I'm still plugging away over at Spookytime Jingles.

Here is my newest piece that will be up for grabs on the 13th.

9.5"x11.5"

It's an original collage but I have it under glass to protect it from the elements.

I painted a thick wood craft frame with glossy black paint and then added polka dots.

The inside art is a collage using craft papers and bits of recycled odds and ends....just the way I like it!

Oh, and acrylic paint.

This picture is to show the thickness of the frame and that the polka dots go all the way around.

If you're interested in this piece, feel free to visit the site or you can email me

at this address.

vintagesister2006@yahoo.com

I'm off to cook dinner for the troops!

Enjoy the evening:)

Eight Years Old!

2011-07-21T12:43:00.004-04:00

I remember when you looooved Power Rangers...

and didn't have a care in the world.

You're still the best snuggler.

And you're always quick to give a smile and a hug!

And you always make us laugh with your silly stunts, your crazy hair and silly grin.

Happy 8th Birthday sweet Alex William!

You're my very favorite 8 year old:)

Sweet Vacation

2011-07-18T10:14:00.002-04:00

Vacation at the beach 2011!

Alex playing in the sand and making silly faces.

Our view from the livingroom.

Sunrise.

Almost a hole in one.

Alex, Jake and cousin Cooper.

Outdoor shower fun.

Pretty garden path.

Sweet beach cottages.

At one end of the island you can stand in the middle of the street

and look to the left...

the beach.

To the right...

the bay.

Full moon over the ocean:)

Smitten...

2011-06-28T11:02:00.000-04:00

Ever since I had a glimpse of this sweet vehicle

I have been obsessed with these little campers.

My sister and I have been talking about how awesome it would be to travel the country in search of flea markets and yard sales in our sweet little vintage shasta camper.

In reality I have only camped out a few times and I'm

not sure it's for me but I can dream.

Right?

Take a look at these...

I found this photo on this blog.

SWEET! Look at the canopy!

This one is from here.

I'm loving this Aristream (from here).

It reminds me of a tv dinner.

I love my sister dearly but I'm pretty sure one of us

wouldn't return from a trip in this tiny toaster.

Do you go camping?

Do you sleep in a tent or a camper?

I want to know if I'd make a good camper.

I'm pretty sure I need to take a shower every day.

I also need a bathroom.

And room service...just kidding.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are!

Home...

2011-06-23T09:35:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends,

Look who just arrived home from the offices of Stampington & Co. in sunny California.

They can't stop talking about how lovely the beaches are and how different it is from their home town of Atlantic City NJ. That being said, they couldn't wait to be home.

Here are some photos of their photo shoot in

the May/Jun/Jul 2011 issue of Art Doll Quarterly.

They are now available in my Etsy shop!

And that's not all!

These two pieces of mine are in the summer 2011 edition of

Somerset Studio Gallery.

I don't have these two back yet but I will let you know when they are in the shop.

A very special thanks to Jennifer Jackson and Jana Holstein

for inviting me to be in their fabulous magazines!!

I'm off for a much needed haircut.

Enjoy your day, wherever you are!

New Old Stuff...

2011-06-20T15:04:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends,

Just popping in to show some of the new items I posted to my vintage shop.

Sweet little bird wall hanging.

Two vintage water colour sets.

The kids have one more half day of school and then

summer begins!

Enjoy your day wherever you are:)

This Years Halloween Costume Found!

2011-06-18T10:25:00.000-04:00

What do you think?

Read the story here.

Grammar Love

2011-06-16T10:35:00.000-04:00

(the girls getting in shape for the summer)

Anyways... I'm loving this site today!

I thought if I brang it your way you would be expecially pleased.

Enjoy the day:)

Vintage Goodness!

2011-06-15T13:24:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends,

I updated my sorry vintage shop with a few of the items I purchased on my trip back in April.

I KNOW! I've been slacking.

I have a lot more to list but here are a few things for today...

A crusty license plate from 1940.

Jake begged to have this for his room!

A sweet and colorful handmade abacus.

Bride BINGO!

So FUN!!

Music symbol flash cards.

These have some GREAT graphics!

I am also adding more NEW prints to my shop later this evening.

I will probably offer the drink prints as a set as well as single reproductions.

Maybe note cards?

We'll see:)

********************

Thanks so much for all of your kind words and support regarding the whole Target news.

I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do,

good news or bad!

Enjoy your day!!

Busy and Exciting!

2011-06-13T13:31:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends,

I've been away dealing with the end of school year madness that we all experience with young, school age children. Field day, field trips, end of year parties, you know the deal.

Baseball is finally over..for now until we start summer baseball camp.

Alex (right) with his best buddy Jared getting their trophies.

Last month Mt. Laurel baseball walked around Citizen's Bank Park,

home of the Phillies.

Jake and Alex are in the middle, wearing yellow.

Jake on the jumbotron.

****************************

Now for some business news!

Sppokytime Jingles is having a little bit of an issue with their website so it was temporarily moved to Spookytimejingles.net for this month.

Be sure to stop by and shop for fabulous Halloween and Christmas items.

Here are my contributions for this month.

In other VERY exciting news...........

This is my artwork in a collection that has been submitted to TARGET!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm so, so praying that this works out. As far as I know, it's down to me and two other artists.

I'm so in love with those reading glasses!

If you could please send your positive thoughts in my general direction,

it would be greatly appreciated:)

Enjoy your day and I promise to try and blog more often!!

My Garden

2011-05-22T13:03:00.000-04:00

this clematis started as a seedling the size of my pinkie finger

I love spring.

I love to take walks around my yard,

observing how my plant have grown since the day before.

I say my plants because they have all been planted by me.

Every single one.

When we purchased this home, there was nothing in the backyard.

I have always dreamed of a garden of my own.

A place to plant and read and dream.

My garden of 12 years is finally starting to fill out and take shape.

I'm not a patient person but gardening has made me

understand that all good things come to those who wait.

Being a stay at home mom and having a small budget for gardening has taught me to

buy things small and allow them to grow.

I've learned, I'm in no hurry.

This honeysuckle vine started in a one gallon container. Now six years later,

it attracts hummingbirds all day long.

My favorite place to visit is my hosta garden.

Some day soon, I plan for no ground to show.

Only perennials.

The rose bush in the center is a four year old knockout rose.

I love them!!

Red knockout rose with a yellow climbing rose behind it.

I know my garden isn't yet the garden of my dreams but I know it will be

someday soon.

R&R

2011-04-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

Hello Friends,

I'm leaving tomorrow for my annual Sister's Weekend.

I think this is the first time I have ever felt this good about getting away.

I have taken a few steps this month that take me WAY out of my comfort zone,

which is a good thing, but it has also left me feeling a bit stressed.

Today was a day for the record books.

#1 I never filled out the forms for take your child to work day so Alex was upset that he had to go to school.

#2 I forgot to wash his special shirt he wanted to wear today.

#3 I forgot to pack his library books.

#4 I forgot to pack him a drink in his lunch, but I did pack him two bags of chips. Ugh!

So hopefully a long weekend with my bestest sister, rummaging through tons of other

peoples junk will be just what the Dr. ordered.

Doc; resident horse

If you don't read my blog regularly, every spring my sister and I drive to

Adamstown, PA and we stay at a B&B that is also a sweet little working farm.

We visit flea markets and antiques malls all day long, looking for vintage treasures

for our Etsy shops and homes.

I usually buy stuff for my garden at the yellow cottage.

the yellow cottage has awesome bird houses!

I'll take lots of pictures and post them when I get back.

The National Halloween Convention is next week and I will be there with SpookyTime Jingles.

I'll post more on that next week too.

You can check out my gallery pictures on my Facebook page

because I still have not asked my sister to forward them to me.

Here's the link check them out if you can.

Enjoy your weekend!!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

A long break was needed after the hectic first half of the month I had.

Birthday, gallery show, school trips, spring break for the boys, Easter...

Spring break was a bust because Alex came down with a funky

virus that had him down for the count Sunday thru Thursday.

I should have spent that time getting caught up on housework and art

but I pretty much did nothing.

I guess that's what I needed.

Here are a few pictures of how I spent the last few weeks.

Digging for bones in the Natural History Museum in Philly.

I could sit and stare at these displays all day.

Alas, the kids breezed right thru.

We don't take serious pictures in my house.

Easter egg decorating.

This year I picked up a silly pack of Monster Egg dye

and we had the best time adding stickers and making funny faces.

Normally egg dying takes all of 15 minutes and they are off to the next thing

but they really enjoyed the stickers.

Who knew?

This is the BIG painting that I did for the gallery reception.

My sister has the pictures of the reception up on Facebook

but I will ask her to send me a few to post on my blog.

I can't thank my wonderful family, friends and customers enough.

My reception was a huge success and I'm thirilled!!

Also a big thanks for all of the birthday wishes.

My special gift was a new fancy GPS so I won't get lost

and spent hours trying to find my was home:)

(i do this alot)

This week I am finishing up some pieces for the National Halloween convention.

I'll post more about this awesome event this week.

Have a wonderful Easter!

A Good Day!

2011-04-10T08:34:00.000-04:00

Good morning friends!

I have had a wonderful weekend so far.

Today is my birthday and as I type this, everyone is sound asleep.

My family took me out to dinner last night and gave me some of my gifts.

Gift cards to craft stores, cold hard cash for buying clothes.

Lovely herbs to plant in my garden this spring.

An electric knife so I don't have to borrow my MIL's every Thanksgiving:)

I know they are probably very un-cool in the culinary world but let's face it,

I'm not a part of that world and I think they are AWESOME!

Today I get my gifts from my boys, husband included.

My sister will be here soon to take me to brunch at this sweet place!

I've been eating badly since Friday night so this is my last hurrah.

(hopefully)

The real good news is that I had my first big gallery sale yesterday!

YAY!

Unfortunately for my friends who have asked me repeatedly about this painting,

she's gone to a happy new home.

I'm so happy but now I need to replace her with something

substantial for my reception this Friday night.

Yikes.

Hopefully I can get something started later this day!

Enjoy your day and remember,

life is good!

Announcement!

2011-04-04T10:14:00.001-04:00

Hello Friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

My weekend was an AWESOME weekend of baseball.

Friday kicked off the season with a great Phillies win.

Saturday was spent with my favorite little baseball players, Jake & Alex.

Uniforms handed out, Alex the Indians, Jake the Pirates,

and first games were played.

Then another Phillies win.

Sunday was a day to relax......and watch the Phillies win.

Are you sleeping yet?

My real new is that I have a date for my little reception at the gallery.

Friday, April 15th from 6:00-8.

If you are local, please stop in.

I would love to meet you!!

We will have refreshments of some sort and hopefully I can

crank out a few more pieces of art to share.

Sorry for the lack of photos in this post!

Today is going to be 75 degrees.

Yay!

Enjoy your day:)

april fools and all set up!

2011-04-01T19:35:00.000-04:00

i didn't take a picture but today was surely a great day for foolish weather!

first it rained, then it snowed, then the sun came out.

not exactly great weather for the Phillies opening game but

they won anyway, so i'm super happy!!

a great way to start the season AND April.

i spent the other morning hanging my work in the gallery.

exciting!

here are a few pictures.

this is a set i did just for the gallery titled

she thinks, he thinks.

i also did these little pieces.

now it's time to work on some of those big

pieces i have been dreaming about!

i hope to secure a date for my reception tomorrow night so

i will keep you all posted.

the gallery has a Facebook page so if you would

like updates on upcoming events,

become a friend here.

have a wonderful weekend!!

my dad and my crush.

2011-03-30T10:16:00.000-04:00

My Dad.

Dad in the 60's. I would KILL to have that car now!

Dad fixing the boat....again.

My dad has been gone for 11 years today.

I started to do a long post about my dad but I deleted it.

It's just too darn sad and I think my dad would have found it corny.

I know this becasue I'm a lot like my dad.

I remember telling him that I thought we were a lot alike

and he groaned and said, "Don't tell me that."

He was a funny guy.

My Crush.

I don't watch Dancing with the Stars but can I tell you how tempted I am?

Ralph Macchio was my biggest crush when I was a teen!

I watched a little bit last night in between watching The Biggest Loser.

He's really good!

Who knew?

From this...

and this....

to this.

I think they should ask the rest of the "Outsiders" cast to be on DWTS.

How awesome would Matt Dillon look in a tux?

Have a great day!

baseball season and working hard

2011-03-28T14:31:00.000-04:00

it's officially spring here since baseball practice has begun.

familiar questions like,

"Mom, where are my baseball pants?"

and my favorite,

"MOM!!! Have you seen my cup?"

hmmm.

i recall seeing it somewhere.

further proof that my kids will make a toy out of anything.

my work is being hung in the gallery this week so

i have been trying my best to get some things finished.

i was pleasantly caught a little off guard by being

able to display so many things this month.

being crunched for time,

i mainly concentrated on smaller pieces.

i love to do large pieces but haven't worked on

too many because of the higher prices and shipping costs.

the gallery will be the perfect place to display them.

i hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

back to the studio:)

yay!

2011-03-24T11:07:00.000-04:00

first, i would like to share that i have been accepted by the gallery.

i just found out last night so i need to think about what i want to do.

new artists are allowed to have a small reception to show their work

so i will post soon with details.

exciting!!

now on to sillyness courtesy of my alex william.

one of these things is not like the other......

i'm off to the studio!

thanks so much for all of your encouragment!

you're the BEST!!!

Fresh Air Fund

2011-03-23T12:04:00.000-04:00

hello friends!

it's that time of year again.

summer is just around the corner and

The Fresh Air Fund

is looking for host families.

please read the info below and visit the website

to see if you can help this great organization!

click on the photo for website link.

THE FRESH AIR FUND, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children from low-income communities since 1877. Nearly 10,000 New York City children enjoy free Fresh Air Fund programs annually. In 2010, close to 5,000 children visited volunteer host families in suburbs and small town communities across 13 states from Virginia to Maine and Canada. 3,000 children also attended five Fresh Air camps on a 2,300-acre site in Fishkill, New York. The Fund’s year-round camping program serves an additional 2,000 young people each year.

Enjoy your day:)

finally.

2011-03-22T09:21:00.000-04:00

finally, spring is here.

alex and his buddy christian work on hiding their fort on sunday.

monday however was cold and wet.

it's amazing how the weather can change so suddenly!

and so the outdoor home improvments begin.

today the new fence is being installed.

the old fence.

probably 20 plus years old so it has had a good life.

the guys just finished ripping out the old fence.

i love the open feel but it's not safe for the kids,

plus there is no privacy for when i sun bathe in the nude.

KIDDING!

i have always wanted a conversation set for the patio instead of the traditional patio dining set

so i found this inexpensive set at walmart.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Manchester-4-Piece-Deep-Seating-Set/13228508

i always try to get a set that is sturdy and one that i will be able to spraypaint

if it gets ratty and rusty so this set fit the bill.

next, a new red patio umbrella.

i'm really digging this umbrella from ballard.

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/auto-tilt-umbrella/outdoor-living/patio-umbrellas/199683

i LOVE the black and sand striped one!

red?......black and sand stripe??

i don't know.

they are calling for snow later this week but by the power of positive thinking,

i am willing this not to happen.

and.......tomorrow is my interview with the art gallery.

i hope it all goes well:)

wish me luck.

well, i have two sick boys home with me so i'm off to play nurse.

have a wonderful day, wherever you are!

coffee or tea?

2011-03-05T13:55:00.001-05:00

so which do you prefer?

like i said in my last post,

i prefer tea.

i love the smell of coffee,

i don't like the taste.

i like coffee flavoured desserts,

but i can't drink it.

go figure.

i find coffee people funny.

the people who will just die without it.

the people who put so much extra stuff in it that it

probably isn't considered coffee anymore.

the people who carry a cup around like a best friend.

are you one of those people?

i'm just jealous.

i love my tea

but i don't luuuuuuuuurve my tea.

so with this subject in mind,

this is what i ~~just added to my~~ ~~shop~~.

Both sets are
SOLD!
thank you LISA!!!

they started out as these cute little hooks from the christmas tree shop

and i just paint and papered them up!

I only bought two sets so they are going to be a limited edition.

i'm off to the studio for a little more work.

i hope you're enjoying your weekend,

wherever you are!!

lucky.

2011-03-03T09:51:00.001-05:00

hello friends,

this week has been a lucky week for me!

after the ladies social for my son's school i collected all

of these discarded tickets for collage projects.

pink and red.

yay!!

then my mother in-law gifted me this great bundle of foreign currency.

italy, japan, the phillipines....

then my very sweet friend lisa sent me a card with this little treat inside!

a war ration book form 1943.

it was from her uncle and she gave it to me to use in my art.

how great is that???

see, am i a lucky girl or what?

i can't wait to use these things.

i'm trying my best to keep my promise of four paintings a week but this week is tough.

the boys have had two half days and i have only finished one piece so far.

tea anyone?

i seriously can't start my day without my cup of tea.

in the winter it warms me up.

in the summer it wakes me up.

i don't like fancy tea.

just plain

black

tea!

this original piece plus print will be in my shop ~~later today.~~
**is now in my shop**

i'm off to work.

enjoy your day:)

keeping my promise.

2011-02-26T10:02:00.000-05:00

hello friends!

so far this week i have kept my promise to myself .

not only did i do the four pieces a week i challenged myself to do,

but i did an extra too!

so, the first three pieces were the commissioned piece i did for a spooky time jingles fan and the two "vintage confections" below. but then i also completed these fun houses.

i'm combining my love of books with my obsession of all things home.

each house has an author or literary subject.

see the one in the back?

yes, colin firth is peeking out of his window at pemberly!

i bought these horrible country houses at the Goodwill store for $1.00 each.

i have 5 left so you'll just have to stop back to see who else gets a

vintage sister cottage.

my exciting news for this week is that i am applying to a local art gallery.

this is the next big step for me and i'm excited, nervous, a little terrified.

it's a cute little gallery in the mill race village of mount holly, nj.

mill race village is this charming little nook in town and has lots of cute shops, all in historic buildings.

here is the link to the gallery,

Home Fine Art Gallery

and to the village itself, just in case you're in the area and looking for something to do.

Mill Race Village

i'll keep you informed as to whether or not i'm accepted.

keep your fingers crossed!

getting my - - - in gear!

2011-02-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

good morning friends!

the title of this post says it all.

i'm putting my fears behind me and moving forward, putting myself out there with my art.

the first thing on my list is

work, work, work.

i've been trying my best to use my time wisely

(something i'm not so good at)

i usually start the day thinking i will spend the day in my studio painting but between loads of laundry

and trips to the store, the art gets put on the end of the list.

you know what i'm talking about!

so i did a couple of commissioned pieces this week and then i did these two pieces.

they are now available in my etsy shop in both original and print form.

my goal is to do four paintings a week,

if not more.

it's a lofty goal but i can do it!!

i've been so busy that i have neglected my blog so here are a few

pictures of what we have been up to the last few weeks!

superbowl- football shaped pizza.

alex's suggestion

fancy valntine's table.

fancy glasses which had sparkling cider and a strawberry.

alex was disturbingly obsessed with his drink.

he was pretending to be drunk and we feared child services

would be knocking on the door the next day.

valentine's day- heart shaped pizza.

again, alex's suggestion.

do you see a theme here?

the rest of us had fried shrimp and baked macaroni and cheese.

yum.

the best baked macaroni and cheese recipe here.

a rare day of 70 degrees.

and, apparently, blinding sun.

well, that's it for now.

i have a few more emails to send and then i will let you

in on the other things i have in the works.

enjoy your day,

wherever you are!

happy birthday mr. presidents!

2011-02-21T11:12:00.003-05:00

i will be back tomorrow to share what i've been working on this week!

enjoy your week:)

new prints!

2011-02-14T11:39:00.001-05:00

first i would like to thank everyone who stopped by SpookyTime Jingles for the february update!

it really was a great update.

several new artists, great new pieces.

if you have not yet visited, do it now!

there are plenty of great holiday pieces still available.

i have added 3 new prints to my etsy shop.

they are all $15.00 and 8x10 unless you specify another size at checkout.

i'm off to clean my "messy after the weekend" home

AND, take a walk outside to enjoy this awesome 50 degree weather.

life is good!

STJ update tonight!!

2011-02-12T14:05:00.001-05:00

stop on by STJ tomorrow for amazing Easter (as well as Halloween and Christmas) work by fabulous artist's.

everything is one of a kind and only available at STJ.

enjoy!!!

i was working!

2011-02-11T09:18:00.001-05:00

to all of my family and friends that have called this week to tell me that i haven't posted;

ya'll need to get a life!

kidding, kidding!!

i've been busy working on pieces for this months spookytime jingles update and also a few commissions and a gift for a sweet friend and neighbor.

here's a peek at the STJ stuff but i will keep the gift a secret until next week:)

this is Marvella.

i must say that i love, LOVE her.

so much so that i really won't mind if she doesn't sell.

i am thinking of doing more paintings of Marvella,

maybe drinking tea, or visiting with bird friends.

who knows!

she is 8x24 on a gallery wrapped canvas

this dapper gent is Heir Rabbit.

his fur is made from hundreds of bits of a vintage German poetry book.

i painted him in a frame and gave the canvas an antique glaze and a good rubbing

to give it the look of a vintage photo.

he is 8x10 on a gallery wrapped canvas.

i was thinking of all of the things that make me feel cozy in my home.

a nice red door.

a sweet wreath hanging on that door.

a smoking chimney, letting you know that it's warm inside.

a cat.

i know, there's no cat in this piece but they will be coming soon!

Bless our Home is 8x10 on gallery wrapped canvas.

i will post tomorrow night to remind you of the Spookytime Jingles update.

lots of great Easter pieces this month!!

enjoy your weekend!

an amazing story.

2011-02-03T18:38:00.000-05:00

it's me again.

visit my sister's blog for a really sweet, amazing story.

http://onecozynest.blogspot.com/2011/02/message-in-bottle-or-book.html

enjoy:)

old things made new #1

2011-02-03T12:42:00.000-05:00

so, i bought this shutter for $5. a few years ago on one of my junking trips.

i originally thought i would do a painting on it but because of it's size and especially it's weight,

i found that idea to be impractical.

one day jake and i were talking about his need for a bulletin board and his need for

something to hold his ever growing collection of baseball hats.

this is what we came up with.

first we scoured flea markets for hooks of all shapes and sizes.

it' very easy to find old brass hooks.

then we painted the shutter black and glued on cork (from a roll)

note: we used a heavy dose of craft glue and then placed books on top for weight until the glue was dry.

we did try a spray glue made specifically for cork but it just peeled right up.

then we screwed the hooks to the bottom.

hung it up.

voila!

so for about $12. jake has a big, unusual corkboard/hat rack.

enjoy your weekend!

phil...you're killing me!!!

2011-02-02T09:12:00.001-05:00

considering the fact that it's snowing everywhere I shouldn't

be surprised that ~~there is to be six more weeks of winter~~.

I'm not gonna lie,

I was really praying that phil would help me out.

oh well.

** Post Edit : it seems i was mis-informed....

SPRING is on it's way!

thanks for pulling through Phil.

I think the folks in Pennsylvania knew that a riot may

just break out if they said there was to be more winter.

lie to me, i say! *****

happy groundhog day

and remember,

DON'T DRIVE ANGRY!

p.s. Encore is showing this fine movie on a 24 hour loop.

AWESOME!

more snow...sigh.

2011-01-29T11:11:00.000-05:00

i'm trying to be positive.

it's pretty.

that's all i got.

a girl can dream...

2011-01-25T09:26:00.000-05:00

Constance, the 1957 Sprite 14 caravan, I want to live in you.

I want to park you in a beautiful garden and have friends over for tea.

tiny little kitchen means it's impossible to cook.

my kind of kitchen!

wouldn't The Vintage Sister look great painted on the side?

i borrowed these pictures from here.

apparently the only way this is going to happen is if i become a model,

and we all know that's not happening.

but a girl can dream, can't she?

a more realistic possibility is this here tent by cath kidston

but i'm not quite feelng this one so much.

alas, the dream must end.

i'm off to the studio to work on a few family portraits.

enjoy the dream:)

monday w.i.p's

2011-01-24T11:30:00.001-05:00

hello friends, i am just popping in to share today's works in progress.

alexi is just about finished.

all that needs to be done

is the frame and he needs a little name plaque.

i have something particular in mind and i have a feeling

it's going to take me a while to find what i'm looking for.

wish me luck!

now this is bearnard (from france), and i'm really quite smitten with him.

he has many, many talents in the vintage circus but he mostly just likes to eat fish.

he's a very detailed collage piece and he's painted on a large tin frame.

bearnard is in need of a name plaque as well.

so cool!

i have another frame like the one above so i will have

to come up with a companion piece for bearnard...

i'm thinking a female friend:)

come back soon to see more of

the vintage circus revealed!

friday night fun!

2011-01-22T09:31:00.000-05:00

a great big thanks to all of the crafty ladies who came

out in the cold for some crafting fun!

i've already begun the plans for next months craft!!

enjoy your weekend:)

tuesday.

2011-01-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

what i'm up to today in pictures.

domestic bliss.

sunday.

2011-01-16T16:07:00.002-05:00

what i'm doing today.

i spent hours working on these little guys.

punching, gluing, punching, gluing.

the light green is a craft paper and the blue and

darker green are tickets.

i have also been painting the trim.

after the flood, when all of the floors were replaced,

they put on new trim that was only primed.

i've been putting off this job for a few months.

trim in every room in the house needs to be taped off and painted.

some day it will be finished.

for any masterpiece theatre fans, part two of

downton abbey is on tonight.

can't wait!

happy sunday!

my toes are cold.

2011-01-14T09:31:00.002-05:00

just popping in to say hello before i head into my little art room

to work on this guy.

i'm trying to do a series of circus like folks who like to balance things on their heads.

say what?

i know.

this chap is named Alexi Karpotov.

he balances fish.

i really need to find a way to be neater in the studio.

i'm painting him on a picture that i purchased at a flea market last year.

it was a circus themed piece so that's why it's tent shaped.

ah well, i'm off to turn the thermostat down to 62 and shut myself in my

little room and crank up the space heater.

i'll put my toes up nice and close and pretend i'm doing this.

keep warm and enjoy your weekend:)

Valentines Hootenanny!

2011-01-12T12:41:00.001-05:00

hello friends,

tonight at the stroke of midnight the talented artists of

spooky time jingles will be presenting their first work of 2011!

this month since valentine's day is only a month away, we are having a

valentines hootenanny!

here are the items i will have for sale.

as always, if you ever have any questions or are interested in

any of my pieces, feel free to email me at

vintagesister2006@yahoo.com

mossy has a heart

love in paris

lil cupid

this is a shot of the figures featured in holidays & celebrations magazine!

stella

also, just because the update happens at midnight,

don't think that you have to stay up all night!

most of my sales happen within the next

three days.

the kids are home for a snow day ( all 8 inches of it, pathetic!)

so i'm off to play:)

enjoy your day!

new work, new plans, new dreams.

2011-01-09T13:31:00.001-05:00

hello friends and a belated happy new year to you!

what have i been up to since christmas?

probably the same as you.

i ate too much and drank too little.

now i am in need of a little diet and a lot of exercise.

i tore apart the house and bought a million dollars worth of plastic storage bins from target.

i wrestled the treadmill out of the garage and into the house, only to find that it's in need of repair.

husband promises to take a look at it.

i planned and booked our (my sister and i) 4 th annual trip to adamstown, pa for the spring extravaganza.

oh how i need a weekend of treasure hunting!

i sent out the invites to my second monthly CrafTEA Ladies Night where old friends and new friends come to my home for an evening of crafts, tea and chat. so fun!!

it has snowed twice since christmas...not a good sign, and more is expected on tuesday. i'm not a big fan of winter and snow just does me in. a dusting here and there is ok but when the roads get bad and i'm stuck indoors...ugh!

i received my very first gardening catalog in the mail the other day and promptly went to the studio and created this...

i cut roses from the pages and pasted them right on.

she, like me, is dreaming of spring!

this piece will be in the shop some time this week.

also in the creative department, the january update for spooky time jingles, the 13th, is right around the corner so stop back for a preview of my pieces for this month.

i have a kooky halloween painting and a few valentine pieces that were featured in somerset studio's holidays and celebrations magazine.

whooo!

enjoy your week.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-24T11:14:00.000-05:00

I has such high hopes for this years Christmas card.

Needless to say, it was a bust.

Merry Christmas to all of my lovely blog readers!

For the first time in years, I have let my business take a backseat to decorating,

baking and general jolly holiday stuff.

I have everything wrapped.

Everything baked.

Christmas cards mailed.

Just about everything cleaned (a first.)

And now it's time to sit back and enjoy.

I hope you do the same!!

See you next year:)

New for the Holidays!

2010-12-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to pop in to share my pieces that are available at

SpookyTime Jingles this month.

Click on the link above to get the details!

amazing art...

2010-12-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

take a peek.

you'll be AMAZED!

http://www.emilymcphie.com/

Enjoy your week:)

baby, it's cold outside!

2010-12-09T09:56:00.000-05:00

Winter is officially here in NJ.

It's in the 20's ...the teens in the morning.

Ugh!

I'm ok with the cold until Christmas is over.

Then, I'm done.

January and February are the pits, I think.

Stuck indoors.

Nothing to look at outside but bare trees and maybe dirty snow.

But Christmas makes winter look pretty!

The decorations, the lights!

Joy, joy, joy!

Speaking of decorations...here are some of my favorites this year.

my pink vintage tree

the kids tree in the family room.

vintage Barclay skaters on a pretty vintage mirror and frame.

this set came from my grandmom, but she always displayed them on a cardboard round covered in foil.

Living room tree.

Front porch with my awesome NEW Santa!

If you don't just LOVE old stuff, then you're probably not feeling the awesomeness.

He's hand painted on aluminum with a yummy old red ribbon.

All of the edges are cut and curled and sharp as hell.

The rest of my family finds him "creepy"

but that's not the first, or last, time I have heard that.

Who cares? I love him!

My newest decorations...

Ralphies house from A Christmas Story from Department 56.

A gift from my husband:)

Cleveland Elementary School.

Chop Suey Palace.

Fa ra ra ra ra!

More of my vintage bottle brush tree collection.

The one on the right plays sweet music.

A gift from my sister years ago...still my favorite!

Tiny Santa's tucked in safe.

Well, that's about it for now.

I hope your holiday shopping is going better than mine.

I must bundle up and brave the cold today

No more hiding in my studio!!

Enjoy your day!

Holiday Nesting...

2010-12-05T10:17:00.004-05:00

That's what I think I've been doing. Nesting. I've been holed up in the house, making things pretty, hanging things that have been patiently waiting to be hung. Cleaning things that have been begging to be cleaned.

I think it's the part of me that needs to be ready before I pull down all of the holiday decorations.

The thought of piling cutter upon clutter gives me the hives.

I'm sure you can relate.

Can you believe Thanksgiving was over a week ago?

I can't!

I had a little pre-Thanksgiving feast for my sister and nephew since

I wouldn't be seeing them on the actual holiday.

This is us looking at family photos.

The dreaded kids table where Alex is feasting on the traditional peanut butter and apple plate.

Didn't the pilgrims and indians eat that?

My nephew Cooper (under alex's influence) opted for the other traditional plate of cheese and crackers.

The day before said feast, I walked all over NYC with these two wonderful ladies.

Marie and Dani.

Our first stop was the famed

Tinsel Trading Company!

All I can say is,

OH MY GOD!!!

Then,

drool, drool, drool.

The wind display was amazing with dress forms covered in vintage clothing and amazing animal masks.

The picture is horrible, I know!

Inside...

This is what my heaven looks like!

Then we visited the Jonathan LeVine Gallery to meet and greet some of the artists of High Fructose.

Here was my favorite.

by Tara McPherson.

Next we hopped on the train to Brooklyn, eeek!, to the MF Gallery for the Toy Show.

The location was a bit shady (not an exaggeration) but we managed to arrive home all in one piece.

The dolls were amazing and we met a lot of really great ladies!

**********************

I also had my very first
"Craft-tea Ladies Night" where girlfriends, and new friends came to my home to make a fantastic craft.

This month we made a cute yarn wreath. We had such a good time and I am looking forward to the next one in January!!

The finished product. Cute!!

Besides cleaning, decorating, and sight seeing, I've been working.

Commissions are currently on my to do list but I managed to

squeeze in these little pieces and put them in my shop.

You can see them here!

POST EDIT!!

I just added tihs one as well...

I'll be back soon to post some photos of my holiday decorations.

I scored the BEST vintage Christmas Santa EVER!!!!!

Enjoy your day:)

mossy is back.

2010-11-16T16:10:00.000-05:00

lil mr.mossy has returned from his photoshoot at Somerset Studios Magazine.

now he's looking for a sweet holiday home:)

he is 4.5" tall and made from a vintage wood thread spool with a polymer clay head and hat.

his sweet little tree wagon is included!

he is $55. + shipping and i will be adding him to my shop later this week but if you want first crack at him, email me at thevintagesister@gmail.com

off to clean the studio and then get ready for some holiday orders.

on that note...

i will now be accepting orders for family portraits

just in time for the holidays!!

here is the link to my shop listing.

a great gift for grandparents!

kids

2010-11-15T16:43:00.001-05:00

a few weeks ago alex was running around in a room he had no business running around in and tripped over a cord that goes to my hearing aid gizmo.

this gizmo allows me to listen to the tv with the sound down so i can watch whatever i want even while the boys are awake.

needless to say i have really come to rely on this thing.

so he trips on the cord, rips it out of the wall and breaks it in two pieces.

today i call the company to reorder the part and they tell me it will cost me $25.

so when alex came home from school i said "you know, that cord you broke is going to cost $25. to replace."
to which he replied "well, maybe that can be one of your christmas presents."

one of MY christmas presents? huh.

kids.

he's lucky he's so darn cute:)

let the holidays begin!

2010-11-12T09:17:00.000-05:00

starting with the

spookytime jingles november update.

tonight at midnight!

here are the items that i've been working on this week.

i'm so excited about these ornaments!!!

these ornaments are made from vintage wood thread spools with cute little

polymer clay rooftops and cut paper detail. they are a limited edition (my very first)

of 4 for 2010 and i won't be making any more that look like this!

these came out really cute too.

remember, it's never too early to start collecting for halloween:)

if you are interested in any of these ornaments, please email me at thevintagesister@gmail.com

and i can give you the sizes and prices.

if you're not familiar with Spookytime here's how it works.

spookytime jingles is an online marketplace for people who love halloween and christmas.

at the website you will find a select number of talented folks who specialize in halloween and christmas art.

we do a few items especially for spookytime and they are up for grabs on the 13th of every month.

some of the artists let you pay directly from the site but others, like me, need you to send them a quick email and they send you an invoice to make payment.

if you ever see something you like on stj but it's already been sold,

contact the artist anyway.

more times than not, they will be more than happy to recreate something similar to the item you liked.

never fear!

everyone at spookytime is super friendly and very, very professional.

be sure to check out the site after midnight tonight or first thing tomorrow for first crack at some wonderful holiday pieces!

remember,

BUY HANDMADE this holiday season:)

i know what someone is asking for this christmas!

have a happy weekend everyone.

kindness.

2010-11-08T18:26:00.000-05:00

the other day i received the sweetest package in the mail.

all kinds of vintage goodness

wrapped up pretty, just for me!

they were sent to me by a kind customer i was lucky enough to meet at the STJ soiree.

this is she.

ms. lisa!

when i first set out to sell my art online, i never dreamed of the wonderful

friends i would make on the way.

the art community, artists and collectors alike,

are the kindest people i have ever met.

always willing to reach out with encouragement, a sweet note when someone is feeling bad,

or getting together a collection to help another less fortunate.

i love you all!!

thank you again lisa:)

the boys and i had a four day weekend so we did a few fun things.

one of them was visiting the philadelphia zoo.

nothing beats the zoo on a cold fall day.

no crowds.

just fun:)

we wanted to get there in time to see the lego animal exhibit.

it has been there since april but time escaped us and here it is november.

ugh! time moves too fast.

they were truly amazing.

my boys are real lego nerds so they loved this.

a picture with the elusive jake...gasp.

he's at the age where pictures are "lame" or "so gay"

you know how it is.

these last two pics i found on my camera

a thirsty boy

and his thirsty penguin.

enjoy your evening:)

a good day for this

2010-11-04T12:00:00.003-04:00

grilled cheese and tomato soup.

yes, indeed.
ok, so mine had ham in it too.
brie and ham with mustard on honey wheat bread.
yummmm.

the pop shop in downtown Collingswood nj.

if you're local, get it here!

they even give you (and by you i mean the kids) cute little hats to color and wear.

my kids were THRILLED to know that they were eating at a place that chef Bobby Flay had a throwdown!

what did they make?

grilled cheese, of course!

are you hungry for grilled cheese now?

mee too.

see ya!!

Fall SALE items

2010-11-03T09:16:00.000-04:00

good morning to you!

i have just lowered the prices on these two cute little fall pieces.

snatch them up now in time to display them for the thanksgiving season!

NOW $35.00

NOW $50.00

visit my Etsy shop here:)

*****

and here is a quick pic of my finished georgie.

here they are together!

enjoy your day:)

our halloween...

2010-11-02T08:30:00.001-04:00

so...

the first thing i realized on halloween morning was that we still hadn't gone pumpkin picking.

so i packed up the boys and headed to the local farm.

it was a chilly, windy day in nj and as i was paying for the tickets,

i happened to look over at what jake was wearing.

t-shirt and shorts.

seriously? how did i not notice this?

"you're going to freeze on the hayride" i told him.

"i already am " he replied.

"mommy, i'm thirsty, can you buy me a bottle of water?" piped up alex.

mind you we only left home about 10 minutes prior.

"GET IN THE CAR!" i say

(through gritted teeth, of course)

on the way to the car i was told that it was my fault he was dressed inappropriately

because i didn't put his summer clothes away. huh?

10 minutes home.

10 minutes to re-dress, drink, pee.

10 minutes back in the car, back to the farm.

now the hayride, yay!

there was a breeze that carried various overwhelming animal "fragrances" from the petting zoo.

glad we skipped that part:)

we were in the last car and we bounced the whole way.

we laughed and laughed!

weird pickle looking gourd.

so we came home and began carving.

alex's pumpkin was so hard we couldn't get a knife into it.

so to his utter dismay (and mine)

he had to paint his.

(my utter dismay because my children hate to paint. how did that happen?)

visits from family.

my sister and her friend jeff and my nephew cooper.

the oompa loomp costume was FABULOUS!

jake decided he was too old to go trick or treating with alex and myself.

sniff, sniff.

he went ALONE with the other big boys.

i can't believe it's happening already!

he's only 11!!!

well, that was our exhausting day!

how was yours??

in other news, george washington is complete!

check back tomorrow for pictures.

enjoy your day and don't forget to

VOTE!

Yay for Halloween!!

2010-10-31T11:07:00.000-04:00

Happy HALLOWEEN!!!

Alex and his buddies.

See the resemblance?

Have a super Spooky day!!!

a little peek...

2010-10-27T12:55:00.000-04:00

i'm currently working on a pair of presidents for a new friend/client as a gift for her husband.

here is abe.

the color is a little dull in the photo because it's dark and rainy in nj.

the background behind his portrait is actually a warm buttery yellow.

i'm off to get approval from miss. sweet b an then get started on georgie.

he's so handsome:)

enjoy your day!!

those that were left behind...

2010-10-24T16:53:00.001-04:00

i had a few things just about, but not quite finished before i left for the stj soiree.

i finished this one today and it's now hanging about in my lil shop.

i was lucky enough to score a few of these cool vintage frames at the thrift store.

happy sunday to youuuuuuuuuuuu!

trying...

2010-10-23T12:39:00.002-04:00

to get back into the swing of thngs.

since the show last weekend, I have been just trying to get orders packed up and shipped and emails answered. thank you so much for all of the kind words and hard earned money spent collecting my art.

i can't tell you how much i appreciate each and every purchase:)

i added this fun piece to my shop this morning.

SOLD!! Thank you so much:)

Comfort 9.5" x 11.5"

i had a wood craft frame hanging around and thought about how much i love home.

i love my home.

i love my friends and family.

it's cold this morning and the perfect weather for boots and comfy sweaters.

...and spending the day at HOME!

enjoy your weekend!!

a good time!

2010-10-18T11:01:00.001-04:00

photo from STJ Facebook page

that's just what i had this weekend at the STJ Holiday Soiree.

i met soooo many fantastic artists and everyone was so, so, so nice and very funny.

thank you to everyone who made purchases from these incredible artists.

all of these amazing creations were just a million times better than anything you could purchase in a store and by buying from the artist, you are truly fulfilling someone's dream!

please think about that the next time you're in HomeGoods...I will too:)

click here to see some great pictures of the show.

i have a few paintings and a bunch of ornaments, new prints and notecards all ready to be listed in my Etsy shop and I will begin posting them some time this afternoon.

keep tuned!

i will be sharing more photos of the weekend later this week as soon as i get them back from my personal photographer (sister.)

enjoy your day!!!

***Post Edit***

i added a few new items to my shop but i will be adding more tomorrow!

i'm off...

2010-10-15T14:24:00.000-04:00

to the stj holiday soiree!

wish me luck and i will be back on monday with a killer shop update and hopefully

some really good pictures to share.

enjoy your weekend:)

if you're going to shine...

2010-10-12T17:26:00.001-04:00

do it brightly!!

my latest piece for the spooky time jingles holiday soiree;

shine brightly

11x14 on canvas

for this piece i covered the entire canvas with re-purposed tickets and then gave it a black base coat.

i used vintage hymnal pages for her hair and bible pages for her wings.

an antique glaze gives the piece an old quilted feel....i love it!!

check back on monday because after the show i will be doing a huge update in my etsy shop.

lots of new paintings, prints, note cards, bookmarks, etc.

HUGE i tell ya!

gotta get back to work:)

enjoy.

have yourself a happy little...

2010-10-08T15:09:00.000-04:00

weekend!!!

Go Phillies!

2010-10-06T08:38:00.001-04:00

this is what I will be watching tonight!

GO PHILLIES!

change is good.

2010-10-05T10:35:00.002-04:00

sometimes things don't turn out the way i see them in my head.

when i first posted about this painting, i wasn't sure about the hair but had decided to keep working until something came to me.

yesterday i spent five hours on my studio floor cutting and pasting her wings.

after i cut and glued each wing i stopped and looked.

i considered just giving up and putting the canvas away with the rest of the half finished, not sure what to do with paintings.

but i kept cutting and gluing, thinking that after the wings were complete, i would have the answer to fixing this painting to make me happy.

as i was adding the last piece of the wing, i had a new vision of what she needed to look like.

she's finished.

i'm happy.

i will be bringing her along the the STJ Halloween Soiree

along with a few other angel pieces and Halloween creations.

if you're local, don't miss it!

um, yummmmmmmmmm!

2010-10-04T19:34:00.001-04:00

my sister in-law made these for us over the weekend.

yum!

peanutbutter + chocolate + rice crispies = GOODNESS!

get the recipe here at SmittenKitchen.com.

wishing you.

2010-10-02T07:08:00.000-04:00

the house is pretty much back to it's former glory except for a few minor touch ups.

a little paint here and a little carpentry there...

we are going to have our first realxing weekend in almost a month.

wishing you a relaxing weekend too!

a special thanks.

2010-09-28T12:03:00.001-04:00

Thank you M&M Mars for making your

3 Musketeers miniature candy bar wrapping washer and dryer proof.

Sincerely,

an already stressed out mom that has had enough things ruined in the past few weeks to last her a lifetime:)