It's been a very long time since I've offered any paintings in my shop, but I've just added a handful in the "ready to ship" section. These are all original acrylic paintings. Because of my licensing agreement with the painting company I work for, I am allowed to sell these originals, but no prints will be made of them. So once they're gone, they're gone! All can easily be framed, and a few are ready to hang. All are ready to ship in 1-2 days once purchased.

DIY: Calligraphy wall art.

It's DIY week here on the blog! I'm excited to share 5 completely new do-it-yourself projects that I've been working on. (To be completely honest, I've only actually finished 2 of the projects at this point... so it should be a fun and interesting week.)

First up is some new wall art I made for our hall. I chose this verse because it's one of my favorites, and it's part of the 50 Promises memory verse cards that I love so much. I'll guide you how I made mine, but the options are really endless. Want a different size wood? Different paint colors? A completely different font? Go for it!

Here's what you need:
2 square pieces of plywood - mine measure 16" x 16" each
Paint - I used Annie Sloan chalk paint, but any paint that covers wood well will work great
Paint brushes
Printer
Tape
Scissors
Pencil
Hanging kit


1. First, pick out some pieces of plywood. If you're like me, you only had to go as far as your garage to find some lying around. Any thickness will do - these measure about 1/2 inch thick.
2. I adore this Annie Sloan chalk paint that was given to me. It goes on in one easy coat and dries fast. I used French Linen to paint the wood, and used Old White for the lettering. Start by painting a coat or two to cover your wood. That way it'll have time to dry as you work on your lettering.
3. Next, I used Photoshop to plan out my lettering (see below). I created a canvas the same size as my two pieces of wood (16" wide by 32" tall) and typed out my verse. The font I used for this is called Jacques and Gilles and can be purchased on Etsy here. It's a casual calligraphy font that I adore, and I wish my handwriting looked just like it. However, if you're looking for a free font (and there are plenty), I love dafont.com.
4. Once you are happy with your layout, print out your words. It took about 9 pages to print mine out. Once printed, cut and tape so it's in two big pieces - one for each board.

5. Once the pieces are taped together, you should be able to see how it will look on your sign. 

6. Flip over both pieces and use the edge of a pencil to shade over the back of each and every word. This is tedious, I'll admit.

7. Make sure every word is shaded. Seriously tedious, but worth it. 

8. Now flip over your lettering onto the boards (tape it down if you'd like) and, using a mechanical pencil without any lead in it, trace over each word. 

 9. Once you finish tracing, pull away your paper and you should have faint lines to show you where to paint your words.
10. Now, using a very fine tip brush, paint over your pencil lines. I think it's easiest to just paint over your lines, then go back and look at your original text and fill in the curves and lines you may have missed the first time. This takes some patience, for sure, but if you go slowly and methodically, you'll do great! I'd highly recommend using a handwriting style font as it's a lot more forgiving than a more rigid typewriter style font.
11. Let the whole thing dry overnight, then if you want to rough it up a bit with a sander, go for it. I sanded the edges as well as the front in a few places. Less is more.
12. Attach a hanging kit to each board and hang on your wall. You're done!

I hope you try it! And if you have questions along the way, please leave them in the comments section so that I can answer them there for people who may have the same question.

DIY: Chevron frame

I made this super easy chevron frame over the weekend, and didn't exactly plan to share it as a DIY project on the blog (hence no step-by-step photos). But I hope with a few instructions and photos of the finished project, you'll easily be able to make one if you'd like to!

What you need: 

16x16" piece of plywood
5x7" frame
Paint
Hammer & nails
Hanging kit
Electric sander or sandpaper



How you make one: 
First, paint your piece of wood a solid color (white, in this case). Then, using painter's tape or a stencil, paint a design onto the wood. I used a pencil and ruler to make my chevron design. Once the design is painted on, give it some time to dry completely then go crazy with your sander! This is my favorite part. :) Rough up the edges of the wood as well as some of the front, too. This gives it the distressed/weathered look.

Once your piece of plywood is painted, it's time to add the smaller frame. Because I didn't want to glue the frame on (in case I wanted to change the photo out later), I simply measured and hung the 5x7" frame right onto the center of the wood with a nail. That way, it's easy to change the photo out later. Finish it up by adding a hanging kit to the back of the plywood to hang your new chunky frame on the wall.

And that's it! Once you have all the materials, this project can be done in less than 2 hours.

I hope you'll try it!

I am...

All of us are so different in how we process things, and I often process my inward struggles most effectively when I'm able to work them out in art. Yesterday, it was therapy for me to be reminded who I am in Christ as I painted this sign. I've seen similar versions on Pinterest and wanted these words to be seen in my home and felt in my heart. I've needed this reminder lately... when the self-criticism seems to be much louder than the truth that I am wholly loved, adopted, forgiven, and redeemed because of what Christ did for me.

I planned to hang it in my house, but decided to make a slightly larger version for the spot I'm thinking of. So I put it on Etsy to sell, thinking I'd let you all know about it today, and it sold within a few minutes. I may be making more, though, if anyone's interested (this one measures 7.5" wide and 15.5" tall). Maybe these are words you need to be reminded of, too.

PS - Thanks to everyone for buying up the earrings! Almost every pair sold yesterday, and I will have another round of them coming soon. :)

Even there.

This weekend was busy, as usual, but we relished the extra day off of school and work to prepare for the week. And Fall arrived overnight! With lots of rain. So that was fun.

The most rejuvenating part of our weekend was Shawn and I listened to yet another poignant Timothy Keller sermon. This one was about Psalm 139. I decided to paint as I listened, which actually helped me to focus. I think God is glorified when we worship him creatively, with all of our senses, and it's a helpful exercise for me, too. So I painted. Is it my favorite painting I've ever done? No. But it's meaningful to me because I was able to capture little bits and pieces of truth, and they've stuck with me. I especially love the words "even there" that I put in three different spots.

When I am fast asleep in my bed last night and the storm outside knocks over an entire tree just feet away from our house... even there.
When I am convinced I can't take on one more thing without having a mental breakdown... even there.
When I am rejoicing because, once again, God has shown his grace and compassion in my life... even there.

I hope those two powerful little words are an encouragement to you today.

Painting in the dark.

So there are a lot of crazy things that happen at work. Just put up to 70 women in one room and it's bound to happen, I guess. But Friday night was close to the top of the crazy list. We had a severe thunderstorm that started at the beginning of the class, and about an hour in, winds that looked like a monsoon outside! Trees were bending to the ground and the rain was straight sideways, then all of a sudden, the lights flickered and went out. We waited for a few minutes to see if they'd come back on, but they never did.

So what do you do when there's 30 women that want to keep painting by the light of their cell phones?

You keep painting.

This looks a lot brighter than it was because of the flash. I'm not sure I want to see my painting today in full light! :)

A big thanks to Jen for providing a flashlight on my painting for the remaining hour of the class! 

Let's hope this week at work is a little less eventful.

Painting pics, phone style.

So you know that I teach painting classes each night of the week?

Well, some of you have asked "What do you paint?"

And I finally have an answer.

We paint something different every single night, which is very refreshing for me as an instructor. We do paint some of the more popular paintings multiple times per year, but for the most part, we're always painting something new. I love that about my job!

So without further ado, here are a few phone pics of paintings I've painted recently and taught to a class full of eager students. They aren't my original designs - I just painted what I was told to paint and tried to make it as close to the original as possible. And I can honestly say that there are some students in every single class whose paintings turn out every bit as good as mine... even if they've hardly painted before! (I'm always impressed.)

Enjoy!

Our masterpieces.

If you've been reading my blog for long, you already know this: 

I love my job.

I teach acrylic painting classes each night of the week and have such a blast doing it.

But a couple days ago, I loved it more than ever. 

Because instead of looking out into a crowd of strangers, I saw these faces. Cousins!

More cousins!

A crazy aunt. 

(Just kidding Jules - I love you!)

A mom and an uncle.

And even my dad! (Quite a shocker... we were so happy he decided to stay and paint!)

I taught everyone the same painting, but each person picked their own colors. I love what they did. I have quite an artistic family, if I can brag a little.

Our finished products!

Thank you to the best bosses, Kevin and Tiffany, for opening up the store just for us.

What a treat!

PS - Speaking of treats, it just so happened to be our second anniversary! I was holding the camera just as Shawn burst in the door with two dozen of my favorite peach roses.

I married a prince.