Vintage Book Decor is here

There is something about the rustic feel of vintage books that has always appealed to me. While at Round Top last year I was inspired by a fellow crafter to take my style to a pile of books and see what happens.
I love the results. These can go up in a bookshelf or on a coffee table. I have mine in a book easel and I am so happy how it turned out. Thanks to a fellow crafter for challenging me and turning me loose.

The Hidden Jewel part 1

I had walked past the old barn a zillion times.  Never once did it enter my mind that there might be something more hidden amongst the old bailing wire, rusted tools, and snake nests. (yes, snake nests.)
But someone did - my father in law, Hank.  He knew that I had outgrown my old smokehouse art studio and he approached me with an idea..."Why not take the two rooms of the barn and make them into your new studio?"  Huh? He knew that I had outgrown the old smokehouse studio that I was using and he came up with an idea - a great idea indeed!

Now the hunt was on for who could help us with this task - turning a barn into a studio?  Hank to the rescue again.  One day he was at the farm and while driving back from Granger, he saw a contractor's truck parked onsite at a house.  So he stopped and wrote his number down from the side of the truck.  I called him the next day and met Mario, a local contractor who understood my vision for what we wanted.  Within weeks...we were clearing out the barn getting it ready for Mario and his crew to begin the transformation.  And yes..we found a snake!

First job was to level the floor of this eighty year old barn --not an easy task. It took them over a day to get both ends of the barn level.  I was afraid the team was going to quit.  I kept bringing them water.  They weren't smiling.  Finally, they were happy and ready to move on.

While they were working on the floor and frame, we were sourcing the windows, doors, flooring at Habitat for Humanity.  I highly recommend their stores in your area.  The prices are great and you are helping your community in the process.  Everyday we could see progress - walls, insulation, sheetrock.  This old barn was becoming my vintage studio!

 Next up...the studio comes to life.

Think Love - Live Joy!

Here's a fun project that is dedicated to a new friend I was destined to meet.  Try this out.

 

After I put gesso over the burlap background, I painted the background with Distress Paints,

Broken China, Evergreen Bough, Frayed Burlap, and Pumice Stone.  It dried pretty quick.

I tore some tissue paper and glued it down with matte medium randomly in the corners.  So far 

so good.

Every morning during coffee time I select a few videos to learn and get inspiration for my day. Well,
I tried not to fall out of my chair on this one.  Anna-Karin is one of my go to videos.  She used embossing paste as the medium to allow the honeycomb pieces from Tim Holtz framelits die
to create this mosaic.  It was a little tricky but I loved the end result.



This artwork is dedicated to my new friend who crossed my path while I was junking last week.  She was in a store called Junque Dynasty and she was so full of life and joy.  She too was an artist and invited me to her show this weekend.  We discovered we had much in common.  Our meeting was no accident.

On her business card and website it reads...Think Love - Live Joy. She paints nature,  especially birds.
Pam, this is dedicated to you.  Here's to a long life of paint covered days!

Joys of Junkin'

"Let's go for a drive."  My husband is always trying to get me into trouble.  On this particular Saturday, he wanted to go junkin'.  I'm in!  So we headed to Round Top and sights along the way.  What we did not realize was that it was the famous Antique Week, where thousands of people migrate to Round Top and Warrenton to rummage through the best junk in Texas.  That's the good news.  The bad news is the traffic is horrible.  The minute we got into town and saw the line of traffic we knew we picked the wrong weekend for a lazy day of junkin!  Oh well...here's some of the jewels from the junkin road I wanted to share with you. Unfortunately, I didn't get to come home with them.

Check out these blue beauties...

Love these tags.

The orange trunk was stunning mixed in between.

Springtime pink watering can. Sigh...

What a crock!

Batter Up!

Great marketing advice!

I want to learn how to make things look old like this wood.

And like this desk.  Love the look. And finally...

Tim Holtz...check this out.  I thought of you.

Isn't this crazy?  It was an organizational 

dream for someone.

And so ends our day in Round Top...tired and happy.

Trying New Things

I'm going to ignore the fact that it's been awhile since I have posted on my blog and I'm hoping you  will do the same.  Ahem...so moving on to a new project today, I have dipped my toe into the world of mixed media.  It's really fun when you are creating layers and textures.  But when it comes to adding sprays and paints dribbling down your masterpiece, well...it is really stressssssful!  When I was done and my blood pressure calmed down, I laughed at myself because I actually liked it.

Isn't it hard to try new things?  Or is it just me?  Try something new today...go dribble paint on something.

Be good today,
Eloise

Welcome Cherry Tree Creative to the PaperFire Community!

You know how they say that people cross your path for a reason?  A few months ago while shopping in my favorite second hand store, the owner came over to me and said there is a friend of mine that you need to know.

Can you read me now?

As I was saying...my garden has been such a blessing this year.  And with that blessing comes hours of canning and freezing veggies.  We have quite the cabinet full of gorgeous canning jars filled with jams, beets, pickles, etc.  With that said...please forgive the writing absence.  I have been busy, I promise.

So. let's get reacquainted. My name is Eloise and I am an artist of all things paper.  I work in a studio which is actually an old smoke house on my husband's family farm near Austin.  One of my fav people is a fellow artist named Tim Holtz.  I got to meet him for the first time in Minneapolis a few weeks ago.

He is a great teacher.  I have a lot to catch you up on so I will see you tomorrow with some fun projects!

Thanks for stopping by.
Eloise