Jeanette Janson-Mixed Media Artist

Kitchen progress

This morning, I feel like I am finally getting the smell of paint out of my nose.  You know how sometimes you smell something and it just lingers forever?  I don't know if it's imaginary or real in my case, since I've done so much painting this past week.  The latex is not so bad, but the oil based kilz is really strong.  Thank goodness that was over and done with in 1 day. 

We are finally tackling the kitchen in our renovation home that we have been putting off for months now.

 
 
This is what it originally looked like.  The layout and design was good, but it was filthy dirty with a lot of repairs needed.

 
 
We had to tear out and sheet rock some wall sections because of the cracks and damage.

 
Sheet rock dust is an evil thing.  It gets into everything and you can never get rid of it completely. 

 
 
 Thank goodness that stage is over and we are now painting.  A heavy duty shop vac that we invested in saved the day when it came to dust on window sills and along floor seams.

 

 

We have a neat built in unit in the corner that is original to the house.  Some low pile carpeting is going to look great in the eating area.  I can't wait to cover up the 1970's mustard yellow linoleum!

 
 
We are down to the wire now on finishing up the house.  My mom has set a moving date for the beginning of November, so that leaves us about 5 weeks to complete everything.  It's going to be close, but I think we can do it. 

Prayer and positive thoughts our way are always appreciated : )

Simply Fab

Don't you just love recycled sign letters?  I snap them up whenever I see them.  I was at a sign shop awhile back and stumbled across some big red letters that came from a Chinese restaurant that closed.  My friend Lara bought a few, too, and displayed them next to her gardening shed.  Too cute! 

 
I have some similar to this right now at Vintage Supply Co.

 
I think they could make quite a statement in your studio.  Or just go with a single initial...very trendy at the moment.  Here's a link if you are interested.

Besides working on never-ending home renovation,  I've been slowly getting an order of birds and dolls together.

 
I never get tired of making guardian angels.  I think they bring comfort to people.

 
This one has a girly romantic look.

 
Love those old porcelain watch faces!

 
Another cameo worked into the design.

 
And Lady Ta-Ta, who's proud to show off her best assets!

I posted a little while back about the upcoming  Humane Society fundraiser that our art group is hosting.  I got in some amazing things from fellow bloggers online that just wanted to help out.  You hear about so much negativity in the world, but people can be really thoughtful and so caring.  I will post pictures soon!

 

Weekend getaway

Well, I'm back home today after a whirlwind trip to Myrtle Beach to shop at this sale and visit a bit with family and friends.  The garage sale was great, the video really doesn't give you the sense of how many people were really there.  By 8:00, it was body to body; almost impossible to get to some tables to browse.  It was so worth it though; I came home with more than a few bag loads of treasures.

 
I found this almost life sized vintage Santa.  He is going to look fabulous as a centerpiece with the rest of my Santa collection at Christmas time.

 
Sparkly jewels...how could I pass them up?  Sometimes I go flea marketing and don't find any, but at this sale, they were everywhere. 

 
Lara and I unwinding and doing a little additional shopping that afternoon.

 My mom may not be into the flea markets, but they all know her on a first name basis at the local shops!

 
A stop by Anthropology...just for creative inspiration.

 
And a visit to Barbara's house to pick up the doggie wall hanging she made for the Humane Society fundraiser.

 
What an amazing collection of artwork she has.  I was going into sensory overload trying to take it all in.

 
 Almost everything you see was made by Barb or her mom.  She is surely one of the most talented artists I know.  Thank you, Barbara for letting us take a peek at your wonderful studio : )  It makes me want to come home and create.

 

And a yummy homemade dinner made by my son topped off the visit.  Who makes spaghetti sauce from scratch anymore?  Well, he did, with broiled shrimp as an appetizer.  It was all so good!  He is a natural in the kitchen.

Back to work for me now.  I have lots of new things to list in Vintage Supply and some unpacking to do. 

Hope you have a good day!

 

Labor Day Weekend

Happy Labor Day weekend!  Hope you all have some time to put your feet up and relax a little.  I guess this is officially the end of summer; although it will be hot and muggy here for a few more months.  And dry....we need rain so desperately.  We need a good long soak, the kind that lingers for a few days and nights. 

The hot, dry weather has given me a good excuse to stay indoors where it is nice and cool.  What did people do before air conditioning?  Hard to imagine, isn't it?  I've put my artist hat back on and have been working on some new dolls and birds.

 
 
Here's a sneak peek at some that are in the works.

 
It's always a process of building layers and letting glue dry in between, so I usually have several going at one time.

 
These flowers on a green background remind me of retro wallpaper.  It's actually from the inside of a book cover.  I peeled some off and collaged it to the front of the birds.

 
I like the way this assemblage doll is coming along.  I glued a stick into this doll head as a neck and then attached it to an escutcheon plate.

 
I think it will hold pretty securely; I may need to hide it a bit with fabric or something.   I'll figure it out when the time comes. 

I have some heads similar to this at Vintage Supply Co.

 
They're old and grungy and I think they have a lot of potential in art projects.  Or you could display them in a pretty dish.  I like the fact that they are old and worn looking...with a history.  Now that I think about it, that just about describes how I feel some mornings...(!)

Anyway, hope you enjoy your weekend.
Toodaloo