This time, as I have signed up to do Mindy Murphy Lacefields 'Frolic' class, I did a little bunny girl.
I just love her eyes. She seems to be looking right at me. :D
 | |||
| Bounce bunny - Mixed media on paper |
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Bounce Bunny
Well I finally got around to painting again...Yayyyy!!... after taking time off to do my daughters bedroom reno. And it felt SOOOOO good to be painting again.
This time, as I have signed up to do Mindy Murphy Lacefields 'Frolic' class, I did a little bunny girl.
I just love her eyes. She seems to be looking right at me. :D
This time, as I have signed up to do Mindy Murphy Lacefields 'Frolic' class, I did a little bunny girl.
I just love her eyes. She seems to be looking right at me. :D
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Something a bit different....a Bedroom makeover!
Well I haven't got any painting done whatsoever over the past few weeks whilst my daughter was in Japan.
But there's a very good reason for that.
We decided to do a surprise makeover on her bedroom whilst she was away. :D
And it turned out so well! We love it!
...the great news is...my daughter, who is now back from Japan, absolutely adores it too!
Her exact words when she opened her bedroom door...
"O.M.G.!!! WOW!!! ..It doesn't even look like my bedroom anymore!!"
...and then she spent the next half hour asking us about how we did everything.
Made us feel very good to see how much she loved her new room I can tell you! ♥
Anyway, I thought I would share the photos so you can have a look too. I made a lot of the deco myself. (got a few great ideas from Pinterest ...My FAVOURITE FAVOURITE SITE!!). I'll explain what I did below each pic.
Isn't it lovely! :oD I just adore it!
The whole room was repainted. & The wallpaper is so gorgeous I want it for my room too!! ;oP My first attempt at wallpapering and I did a bloomin marvelous job (If I do say so myself! lol). Hubby was my paste-man! ;o)
Pretty new bed. Beautiful new bedding from Bed, Bath & Table.
The garland laying on the bed was made by me. Flowers made of hessian and calico as well as salt dough hearts which have been stamped. A combination of 2 ideas I saw on Pinterest.
http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406554772781/
http://pinterest.com/pin/185703184605294446/
Gee's I LOVE Pinterest!
The garland will eventually hang on the wall behind the dressing table.
I had sooooo much trouble finding this picture frame!! Finally found it at a local second hand market.
The molding had some damage (bits missing) so I had to get out the gap filler, and my little knife, and sculpt it til it was the right shape. It came out perfectly. A coat of paint and it looks like new.
Got the picture display idea from Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406555049026/
Maddie has a Polaroid camera that takes tiny photos. I thought the washing line & pegs look was a great way to showcase them. Looks really nice against the wallpaper.
The side table has the same revamp as the dressing table (see below). Lamp (bought on ebay). Shade recovered. Candles are battery operated (no fires from these beauties). They look like candles, feel like candles, flicker like candles, and they have a beautiful smell. I dressed them up a bit with some hessian (burlap) and string.
Got rid of the vertical blinds. Made a shelf so we could add more deco above the window and added a
curtain rod so we could add curtains to soften the look. http://pinterest.com/pin/130182245448203058/ Also
made some roman blinds.
Vase & flowers from Ikea.
The gorgeous bird cage idea also came from something I saw on Pinterest. So sweet!
http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406554828123/
I searched 'everywhere' for the perfect book. In the end I found it at the Second hand Markets.
The book is called 'The Honourable Mr Tawnish'...which I thought was a very good name for my little birdy! So Mr Tawnish he became.
The cage is made of wire. Mr Tawnish is paper mache covered in book page feathers.
I'll try and get some clearer shots so you can see him better.
I saw one of these signs on Pinterest and thought it was lovely so I made my own.
http://pinterest.com/pin/130182245448203058/
A piece of wood. Blackboard paint and white acrylic.
This
dressing table (which matches the bedside table) belonged to Dave's
sister when she was a little girl. Its belonged to our daughter for years now
but we thought it was about time it got a makeover.
Repainted. Removed the handles and added some pretty pale blue knobs. Cut out the middle drawer so its more like a desk and Maddie can get her knees under.
This still has more to go before it's finished....something a bit different. ;)
I'll share pics when its done.
Bought the chair on ebay and gave it a revamp too.
The wall that the dressing table sits against hasn't got anything on it yet. But we've got plans. Hopefully we'll get that done soon.
Isn't it pretty! & the room looks so much bigger and brighter. The wallpaper is just gorgeous. If you're interested here are the details. It is made in Germany but this is the company who supplies it here in Australia. www.eurowalls.com.au. It's in the New England range. It's 'paste the wall' type paper. VERY easy to apply and supposedly really easy to remove too.
If you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask. I'd love to hear from you. ♥
But there's a very good reason for that.
We decided to do a surprise makeover on her bedroom whilst she was away. :D
And it turned out so well! We love it!
...the great news is...my daughter, who is now back from Japan, absolutely adores it too!
Her exact words when she opened her bedroom door...
"O.M.G.!!! WOW!!! ..It doesn't even look like my bedroom anymore!!"
...and then she spent the next half hour asking us about how we did everything.
Made us feel very good to see how much she loved her new room I can tell you! ♥
Anyway, I thought I would share the photos so you can have a look too. I made a lot of the deco myself. (got a few great ideas from Pinterest ...My FAVOURITE FAVOURITE SITE!!). I'll explain what I did below each pic.
 |
| The before photo |
Forgot to do the before pic until after we'd cleared out the room.
 |
| Our two helpers! NOT! lol |
 |
| The finished room! |
The whole room was repainted. & The wallpaper is so gorgeous I want it for my room too!! ;oP My first attempt at wallpapering and I did a bloomin marvelous job (If I do say so myself! lol). Hubby was my paste-man! ;o)
Pretty new bed. Beautiful new bedding from Bed, Bath & Table.
The garland laying on the bed was made by me. Flowers made of hessian and calico as well as salt dough hearts which have been stamped. A combination of 2 ideas I saw on Pinterest.
http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406554772781/
http://pinterest.com/pin/185703184605294446/
Gee's I LOVE Pinterest!
The garland will eventually hang on the wall behind the dressing table.
 | |
| Another view of the bed. Isn't the bedspread pretty. |
 |
| 2 cushions I made. (post card & birdy) Both made from tea-towels!! :oD |
 |
| Picture frame photo display |
I had sooooo much trouble finding this picture frame!! Finally found it at a local second hand market.
The molding had some damage (bits missing) so I had to get out the gap filler, and my little knife, and sculpt it til it was the right shape. It came out perfectly. A coat of paint and it looks like new.
Got the picture display idea from Pinterest. http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406555049026/
Maddie has a Polaroid camera that takes tiny photos. I thought the washing line & pegs look was a great way to showcase them. Looks really nice against the wallpaper.
 |
| Side table and lamp |
The side table has the same revamp as the dressing table (see below). Lamp (bought on ebay). Shade recovered. Candles are battery operated (no fires from these beauties). They look like candles, feel like candles, flicker like candles, and they have a beautiful smell. I dressed them up a bit with some hessian (burlap) and string.
 |
| Main window |
 |
| Bookshelf & baskets from Ikea |
 |
The letter 'M' I covered in hessian (burlap) put white paint over the front. Then made a little hessian flower and stuck it on.
The plate sitting on the bookshelf is filled with more salt dough hearts and also pebbles that I stamped with letters to spell Maddies name. |
 | |
| Salt dough 'cookies' and 'pebbles' |
 |
| Birdy in a cage |
The gorgeous bird cage idea also came from something I saw on Pinterest. So sweet!
http://pinterest.com/pin/222576406554828123/
I searched 'everywhere' for the perfect book. In the end I found it at the Second hand Markets.
The book is called 'The Honourable Mr Tawnish'...which I thought was a very good name for my little birdy! So Mr Tawnish he became.
The cage is made of wire. Mr Tawnish is paper mache covered in book page feathers.
I'll try and get some clearer shots so you can see him better.
 |
| Be.You.tiful |
http://pinterest.com/pin/130182245448203058/
A piece of wood. Blackboard paint and white acrylic.
 |
| Couple of birdy pals |
 |
| I really love little wooden houses so I just had to make some. |
 | |
| My hubby cut the shapes for me and I then painted them with acrylics |
 |
| They're so cute :o) I'm going to make some more ...for me! lol |
Repainted. Removed the handles and added some pretty pale blue knobs. Cut out the middle drawer so its more like a desk and Maddie can get her knees under.
This still has more to go before it's finished....something a bit different. ;)
I'll share pics when its done.
Bought the chair on ebay and gave it a revamp too.
The wall that the dressing table sits against hasn't got anything on it yet. But we've got plans. Hopefully we'll get that done soon.
 |
| Side window & roman blind. |
If you have any questions about anything please feel free to ask. I'd love to hear from you. ♥
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Kimono girl
My daughter leaves for a month long trip to Japan this weekend. I'm so excited for her but I'm going to miss her like crazy whilst she's away. :(
She of course can't wait to get there! She's going to have such a wonderful time.
The last week she's there will be spent doing all of the touristy stuff, but before that, she'll be living with a Japanese family.
My 2nd eldest son has already done the trip and absolutely fell in love with Japan and it's people.
One of the things we did last time, and which we are doing again this time, is sending thank you gifts for the family. Items like a photobook (of where we live, our family, etc), typical Aussie souvenirs, ornaments, and other such things. But I decided that this time I was also going to make a painting for our Japanese family...and here it is.
It makes me think of what my daughter is maybe going to experience whilst she is over there. I can't wait to see all of the photos!
xxx
She of course can't wait to get there! She's going to have such a wonderful time.
The last week she's there will be spent doing all of the touristy stuff, but before that, she'll be living with a Japanese family.
My 2nd eldest son has already done the trip and absolutely fell in love with Japan and it's people.
One of the things we did last time, and which we are doing again this time, is sending thank you gifts for the family. Items like a photobook (of where we live, our family, etc), typical Aussie souvenirs, ornaments, and other such things. But I decided that this time I was also going to make a painting for our Japanese family...and here it is.
 |
| Kimono Girl - Mixed media on cradled wood panel |
xxx
Friday, August 31, 2012
Pretty little Coral
Well I'm still feeling VERY Summery (or should I say 'Springy' ....it's the last day of winter today!! Woohooo!!).
I think it was the thought of sunny days & beautiful blue seas that inspired this one.
She's a pretty little mermaid called Coral...and she is so very proud of her beautiful tail. She only wishes she had a mirror so she could admire herself every day. ..sigh..
lol
She's a mixed media, painted on a 16" x 16" (40.6cm x 40.6cm) Canvas Panel.
Hope you think she's as pretty as I do. ;)
I think it was the thought of sunny days & beautiful blue seas that inspired this one.
She's a pretty little mermaid called Coral...and she is so very proud of her beautiful tail. She only wishes she had a mirror so she could admire herself every day. ..sigh..
lol
She's a mixed media, painted on a 16" x 16" (40.6cm x 40.6cm) Canvas Panel.
Hope you think she's as pretty as I do. ;)
 |
| Pretty little Coral - Mixed Media |
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Susie loves the Sunshine
Spring is almost here in Australia .. YAYYYYYY!!!!!
I'm just a little bit excited about that! Can you tell?
I'm sooo over winter and ready for some warmer weather and lots of blue skies! (There had better be plenty of blue skies otherwise there is going to be big trouble! grrr)
Anyway, I think the excitement of Spring inspired my latest painting. It's called 'Susie loves the Sunshine'. She's only a little one this time. 4" x 5 3/4" on paper.
I love her little striped stockings don't you? :D
I'm just a little bit excited about that! Can you tell?
I'm sooo over winter and ready for some warmer weather and lots of blue skies! (There had better be plenty of blue skies otherwise there is going to be big trouble! grrr)
Anyway, I think the excitement of Spring inspired my latest painting. It's called 'Susie loves the Sunshine'. She's only a little one this time. 4" x 5 3/4" on paper.
I love her little striped stockings don't you? :D
 |
| 'Susie loves the Sunshine' - Mixed Media |
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Isabelle et son petit chien
This one was inspired by a lovely bunch of ladies some of whom have spent time, or are still living in, Paris. The name 'Isabelle et son petit chien' means Isabelle and her little dog'. (It sounds so much better in French doesn't it! lol)
 |
| 'Isabelle et son petit chien'- Mixed media |
My Heart, My Home
I did this one during the London Olympics. Obviously I must have been feeling rather patriotic at the time! lol
I moved here from England 31 years ago and fell in love with Australia straight away. I think this painting expresses just how I feel about this absolutely wonderful & amazing country.
I moved here from England 31 years ago and fell in love with Australia straight away. I think this painting expresses just how I feel about this absolutely wonderful & amazing country.
 | ||
| 'My heart, my home' - Mixed Media |
The world was so beautiful
Here is another recent painting. I'm not 100% sure whether she is finished or not yet...still thinking I might add some words... & if I do, I have the perfect quote for her.
“She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short.”
“She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life was so short.”
Brian Andreas
I'm thinking I might change it a little though....
maybe something like this...
"She cried not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful"...
Yes..I think I like that better. :)
Yes..I think I like that better. :)
 | |
| 'The world was so beautiful' - Mixed media |
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Willow in the Night Garden
Sharing another one of the paintings that I've done since I started the 'Paint Your Story' course by Mindy Murphy Lacefield. Enjoying myself sooo much!!
Here she is...
I hope that, where ever you are in the world, your day is filled with lots of paint and pretty blue skies.
Here she is...
 |
| 'Willow in the Night Garden' - Mixed Media |
I hope that, where ever you are in the world, your day is filled with lots of paint and pretty blue skies.
Sally by the Sea
Back again to share another one of the paintings I've been working on..
This one is called 'Sally by the Sea' and again she is a mixed media using acrylic paint, watercolour pencil, pencil, & oil pastels.
She's a favourite of mine...she looks like a little sweety ♥
This one is called 'Sally by the Sea' and again she is a mixed media using acrylic paint, watercolour pencil, pencil, & oil pastels.
She's a favourite of mine...she looks like a little sweety ♥
 |
| 'Sally by the Sea' - Mixed Media |
Mary's quite Contrary
It's a lovely winters day here today. Beautiful blue skies (which
always make me feel so energised) not so warm though. Going for a top of
17celsius. I can't wait for Spring which starts in 3 weeks but in the
meantime, if the rest of winter is like this, I'll be quite content. :o)
I'm sharing another one of the paintings that I've done since I started the 'Paint Your Story' course by Mindy Murphy Lacefield.
Doing this course has been the best thing ever for me! I'm so excited about how much freer that I feel. So much more relaxed. Before the class I used to have to plan every last detail about what I was going to put onto canvas and paper. Now I just start making marks and let the canvas tell me what it wants to be.
I never in a million years thought that I would be able to be paint like that...giving up my control over whatever I was creating and just seeing where the paint took me. Its wonderful!! I love it! ♥
I'm sharing another one of the paintings that I've done since I started the 'Paint Your Story' course by Mindy Murphy Lacefield.
Doing this course has been the best thing ever for me! I'm so excited about how much freer that I feel. So much more relaxed. Before the class I used to have to plan every last detail about what I was going to put onto canvas and paper. Now I just start making marks and let the canvas tell me what it wants to be.
I never in a million years thought that I would be able to be paint like that...giving up my control over whatever I was creating and just seeing where the paint took me. Its wonderful!! I love it! ♥
Here she is...
 |
| 'Mary's quite contrary' - Mixed media |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
I'm back online again
Well I've had no computer for months...which has driven me crazy...but I'm finally back online and pretty much set up again.
I started an online art course that some of you may be interested in. It's created by Mindy Murphy Lacefield & it's called 'Paint Your Story'.
Mindy teaches us to learn to loosen up...learn to feel the freedom and enjoyment of when you were a young child painting & drawing. In stead of getting bogged down with all of those hang ups so many of us have. (<~My biggest problem)
Anyway, I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this class and I'm enjoying painting more now than I have for a very long time. So Thank You Mindy for that. ♥
I plan to do another of her courses in the near future which is called 'Neat Stuff'. It sounds very interesting.
If you have the same kind of hangs up I do (ie- you're a massive worry wart about everything you create!!) then you should seriously think about trying Mindy's courses for yourself.
Well here I thought I would share some of the facework that I've done for the class. Here it is...
All the best
Shirley :o)
I started an online art course that some of you may be interested in. It's created by Mindy Murphy Lacefield & it's called 'Paint Your Story'.
Mindy teaches us to learn to loosen up...learn to feel the freedom and enjoyment of when you were a young child painting & drawing. In stead of getting bogged down with all of those hang ups so many of us have. (<~My biggest problem)
Anyway, I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this class and I'm enjoying painting more now than I have for a very long time. So Thank You Mindy for that. ♥
I plan to do another of her courses in the near future which is called 'Neat Stuff'. It sounds very interesting.
If you have the same kind of hangs up I do (ie- you're a massive worry wart about everything you create!!) then you should seriously think about trying Mindy's courses for yourself.
Well here I thought I would share some of the facework that I've done for the class. Here it is...
All the best
Shirley :o)
 |
| 'Here I am' - Mixed media |
 |
| Sketching faces - Pencil |
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Masked Finch
Wow! I must be on some kind of roll or something!
It's not like me to do
something so quickly (one afternoon). Normally I have to think about
it...rethink it...and then think about it again..and thats just so I can
decide whether I'm actually going to do anything arty today! hehehe ;)
He's a Masked Finch.
Acrylic on watercolour paper.
 |
| 'Masked Finch' - Acrylic on paper |
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Words of Wisdom
Hi to everyone out there in internet land. I hope you are all keeping well.
I mentioned in my last post that I had been working on something lately, well that something is now all finished and in the hands of its new owner so I thought I would pop on here and share some photos.
It's another handmade book. This one is called 'Words of Wisdom'. It was a commision for a friends daughter who was turning 18. In it are a collection of quotes and little bits of wisdom that friends and family were given as children, or that they have found useful/inspiring over the years. Along with a long lovely letter from mum to her beautiful daughter. It certainly is a special keepsake that I think will be looked back on with a lot of fondness and happy memories as the years go by.
Well here are the pics... Hope you like it.
(((Hugs)))
Shirley :o)
xxx
I mentioned in my last post that I had been working on something lately, well that something is now all finished and in the hands of its new owner so I thought I would pop on here and share some photos.
It's another handmade book. This one is called 'Words of Wisdom'. It was a commision for a friends daughter who was turning 18. In it are a collection of quotes and little bits of wisdom that friends and family were given as children, or that they have found useful/inspiring over the years. Along with a long lovely letter from mum to her beautiful daughter. It certainly is a special keepsake that I think will be looked back on with a lot of fondness and happy memories as the years go by.
Well here are the pics... Hope you like it.
 | |
| Words of Wisdom - by Shirley Dawson |
Shirley :o)
xxx
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