Dried Flower home decor on Etsy

The weather is unbelievable in Texas and Oklahoma.  We went that direction for a graduation and barely got out before a tornado hit in Oklahoma City.  So I didn't get anything written for my blog.

I am going to show you some of my own work with dried flowers.  Not pressed, but dried.  These are in my Etsy shop twocooltexans.  If you do have any questions, you can email me at redheadis@yahoo.com.  The comment section is not working, but I will answer at email.

Pressed Flower Art

Pressed and dried flowers are definitely still big in home decorating.  People are still wanting to try their hand at making home decor as well as buying new things.  I think this is about the third year or so, which is quite a long time for new decorating items. 

So, I thought I would add some more tips and hints.  Read my last blog post before this one also if you are interested in trying your hand at some projects.  Now is the best time to get some heavy books and some kind of scissors or clippers and gather.  As I said, when they are gone for the season, they are gone until next year.  And to buy most of them, is expensive.  More than the flowers, the shipping is quite high.

I was out yesterday and saw three varieties of white flowers, some yellow, and a few Indian Paintbrushes were still out there.  A lot of them lose a bit of their color, but they are still beautiful and if you store them out of the sun and bright light, you can keep them ready to add to a project for several years. 

First, to look at some finished projects

A lot of what I use is just plain weeds.  The Japanese Maple leaves are from my favorite tree that my husband bought me for my birthday one year.  You don't see them too much in Texas, but my one little tree did live and I got some sweet little reddish leaves from it.  The pansies.......I don't usually grow them but I did go to the WalMart and pick up a tiny tray of them and press them.  The first picture has a weed that grows up along the cracks in the concrete and sometimes in your lawn.  I absolutely love them and you will see in future posts that I use them all the time.  They are kinda like a green spider web. 

THE FIRST SAMPLE....So, for the first piece I used a 6 x 6 inch wooden canvas for the base of the collage.  Then I cut some wallpaper scrap and covered the front.  I also glued decorative paper which had script on it onto a very very thin piece of cardboard (or sometimes if I have one, some very think wood).  Lastly, I tore a piece of handmade paper to mount the flowers. 

I do use a vera vera thin coat of spray glue to hold the flower and weeds onto the paper.  If you use too much you will have a sticky mess, so be sure to go easy.  Glue the flowers and weeds on and lay the whole thing aside and be sure all the glue has set and the tiny bit of overspray dries thoroughly on the paper.  When all is dry, I finished the piece with about three coats of Preserve It spray in matte.
Sometimes, it is hard to fine, but try online.  I use it for just about everything that needs some protection. 

THE SECOND SAMPLE.....This was one of my "hey, husband, don't throw that out" projects.  The metal frame is from a light that was in our bathroom shower ceiling and it was this really nice circular white metal.  You can get just the circular part of the light at Home Depot and I just loved it for the project.  Just cut a circle out of sturdy heavy cardboard, do your flower collage and insert it into the back of the metal.  Okay, I have run out of room, but you can see the third sample is on a canvas. 

My article in the current Somerset Apprentice

Somerset Apprentice magazine, the current issue, published one of my dried flower and encaustic
wax mini collages. 

Two of my favorite things in life are still encaustic wax and flowers, mostly wildflowers and weeds.

My husband wishes I would find some flowers besides the ones that we have to pick on the sides of the roads, especially the highway.  I do carry a flower press in the car and sometimes a large, heavy dictionary or other book for a quick way to keep them from wilting on the way home.

If you should decide to try to press wildflowers, know this.  Don't think you can always go back and get them later.  A lot of times, the county had mowed them all down or they have just gone away for the season.  Be sure, absolutely sure, to watch for poison ivy.  You can buy them if you want. 

All flowers just cannot be pressed well.  If they are very thin or have very thick centers, forget it.
However, sometimes you can just cut them with long stems, turn them upside down and then you can have drieds, rather than pressed.  Some can even be used on the same collage.

Back at last

I have missed blogging.  We moved to Denison, Texas two year ago.  Thought that was the country.  It wasn't, it was semi country.  So, we got the bug to go even farther north and farther into the country.  So, now we are within yelling distance from the Red River which is the northern border of Texas and the southern border of Oklahoma.

Being part Chickasaw Indian, this has made me smile.  This is pretty much into Chickasaw country, and I love it. But we have had to learn a different life style.  Indeed!! We have chickens, we have learned a lot about chickens.  They don't treat each other very kindly.  So, okay, after these pass on, no more chickens.  We have cows and horses, but they actually belong to the ranch owner beside us.
They visit, we love them, but we do not love their um "deposits" that they leave everywhere.  Oh well, we have learned to just enjoy their company.

I am doing my art again.  Etsy has changed so much.  Basically, if you don't sell much, you are put on the "do not show in search" list and left out.  So, actually, that has caused me to relax and just enjoy myself with what I make. 

But I do have some good things in my store.  Hope you will visit. 

Soon, pictures.  I have to get pictures up.  New colt, new dog (someone left him on the road but he is okay now), and today the ranch owner's grandson said if we get cow treats at the farm store, the 1,000 pound brahma bull will take one out of your hand.  That or you will end up dead. 

So, here I am.  The cowgirl picture is no longer just as image for me.  Reality, yep!!

Glenda 

Alcohol inks new projects

Sorry, I haven't done encaustics, which is my main art for a long long time.  I miss doing wax and also doing collage work.

It has now been five months since we moved to the country in Texas.  It has been wonderful and it has been a real test of our faith.  Our big beautiful home in McKinney did sell and so I can't go home and then get myself into a grand funk anymore.  No home to go and pull the covers over my head and wonder why in the world we have done this.  Yes, we needed to downsize, but no not into a home that should be on Fixer Upper.  Well, enough of that.  I will depress my own self.  And I am an extremely happy person to be an artist.  Guess I couldn't write music.  Although a certain rock and roll star who bought a lot of my work did ask me one evening to write her next song.  That was hard to answer gently.  I think she was a bit ummm, confused.

I am still doing alcohol ink work.  I love it and I am doing lots of new pieces.  But  I am anxious to move into some other areas.

Here are some new pieces

Hmm, I am sure I should know how to space these, but I don't.

I am planning to do lots of new pieces called "affordable art." My work is affordable, but even more affordable.  I want to do some quick, yet colorful and neat pieces that I can put up on Etsy and sell for around 12.50.  Without mats, etc.  The pieces can be added to a card front OR matted and framed.  Even glued to the front of a small canvas from one of the craft stores. 

Look for them in the twocooltexans store coming soon.  

Alcohol ink landscapes in pastel

Alcohol inks, pastels and yupo paper.  Yum.  Today I did a landscape usual unusual colors.  I love the way it turned out.

I think it would be so pretty in a girl's room.  I think I will continue to do a few more.  Knowing me, I will revert pretty quickly to florals.

Well, as usual it took me a very very short time to revert back to listing a few things on Etsy.  I do have a love/hate relationship with them.  Being with them since the very beginning, it is so hard to break that habit.  Maybe someday....sigh.......

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.  We had a good one.  We had a teeny bit of snow and that was it.  We are excited about snow in the country.  I am sure if we do, I will take many pictures.

But for now, Happy New Year.  LIFE IS SHORT, USE THE WHOLE BOX OF CRAYONS.

Living in the Country-part 3

More great animals to show you.  We turned left instead of right to get to the highway and found these beauties yesterday.

llamas
Then the family on the corner has quite a number of miniature horses and burros, well, maybe they are donkeys.  I am not sure.

And, last but not least.  The other house has a zebra.

Not sure what one does with a zebra.  But okay.  He/she is gorgeous.    We also have a neighbor, who I have not met, who has a very large cage full of peacocks.  Can't get close enough to take pictures, don't want to get shot as a poacher or something.  One day I will get up my nerve and knock on their door.  

So, here we are.  It's fun, we are getting used to it.  Next time, back to art.  

Living in the Country-part 2

Okay, so I was partially raised in New York.  The closest I ever got to a horse, or a goat was in a petting zoo.

The first gorgeous, beautiful animal that I "met" was Trey.  Trey is the biggest horse that even my husband has ever seen.  He is incredible.  What I find odd, being a city girl, is how many of my neighbors have one horse.  Yes, one.  I don't get it.  I never see anybody riding a horse, but so many of my neighbors have one.  Anyway, all horses are beautiful, but Trey is outstanding.  Here is a picture of him.

 Trey lives with a goat named Ricky.  Ricky seems to be an anti social goat.  He won't come over to see me, he just gives me the eyeball thing, like my long haired chihuahua.  One of the neighbors feeds him when his owners are gone and he told me that Ricky head butts him.  

 When we first started looking for land in the country, we did find a gorgeous home close to Tyler Texas.  The house was recently updated, modern, it would have needed no fixing up.  So, we called the realtor and asked if we could put in an offer.  She said yes, we were the first to call.  However, just one little teensy weensy thing.  The home and land came with a donkey.  No discussion, if you bought the house, you got the donkey.  Well, I did a google search and since at that time, we were only looking for a weekend getaway, I could not be a donkey mother.  Evidently, they are quite loving creatures and need a lot of attention......or a friend donkey.  So, we did let that one go.  When I look back on it now, I have a good laugh.

Living in the Country-part 1

This city girl has definitely moved to the country.  The neighbors are awesome...friendly and offer to help.  We love it!!!  But, it is the "critters" that have been such a surprise.  We don't live in a neighborhood as such, but we do have neighbors.  We have animal neighbors that are a surprise every day.  Some we cannot figure out why we see them one day and then not again for many days.  We figure it could be that some of the land owners have grazing property that go way way back from their house and the road so that they move them around.  I am determined to get many pictures to show.  I just now have figured out how to get the camera pictures loaded onto my computer, so things are easier.

Anyhow, we went to the Haverty furniture store in Dallas the other day and the awesome girl who was out "consultant" and I were talking about our move and she said I should blog and write some of the crazy, incredible things that we have come across.  I will write a little every day (hopefully).

First of all, it would seem that people sometimes move away and leave their animals.  We had the pleasure of being part of Sophie"s life for a while.  She was the neighborhood dog who stayed here when this house was sold.  We were absolutely crazy about her but now she is gone.  It seemed that she was a bit of a problem for the new parents and their chickens.  I will say no more.  I wish I had a picture of her, but I don't think I have one that is clear enough to show.  We keep hoping that maybe she will show back up one day. We miss her terribly.  She was a free spirit and went visiting from house to house during the days.  Our animals miss her too.  They still look for her to come up in the back and run in the house when the door is opened.

The guys who delivered some furniture told us that they had delivered couches to a family who had two big dogs on the porch PLUS a deer lying there with a collar on.  They got to pet them all.

But back to the dogs.  The electrician who came said that when he moved onto his land that they found a husky, still in a pen, but with food and water for a time.  He said that the dog is now his best friend.  Good good ending.

Here is a picture of our pond, which we share with The Sullivans behind us.  He comes out and trains his dogs to hunt I guess ducks, by throwing things in the water and the dogs swim and bring them back.

Still getting moved and a few new pieces of art

Well, here we are in December.  Still working on making this major fixer upper at least partially comfortable.  Definitely can see the light at the end of the tunnel, at least for the downstairs.

I have been trying to get my act together so that I can get some work done.  I have to search and search for the things I need to do some art, but I am making progress. I am still doing some alcohol ink paintings because I felt that I needed the least amount of supplies to be able to do a few pieces.

Here are a few that I have done.  They are listed on dailypaintworks.com  I have made the decision to let Etsy go.  After 9 years it was not easy to do.  Artists do not, for the most part, have a place there any more.  Unless you mass produce and don't care so much about one of a kind handmade pieces.
There are still some gorgeous pieces of art there, but they are pretty hard to fine.  The searches are all different and change constantly.  The rules change constantly about what is allowed (commercial stuff, etc.).  I hope I don't cave in somewhere down the line and list again, but I have vowed not to.

Yes, missing again

I know, missing again.  But this time, we have been moving and painting and moving and painting and putting in flooring.

We did move to the country.  It is a home with big possibilities but more work than we could have ever thought. If you have ever watched that awesome show Fixer Upper about The Gaines family from Waco, Texas, who buys homes and pretty much "guts" them and makes a beautiful home.  Well, I wish we had hired them.  But, we didn't.  And we are trying to do all of it ourselves.  There is not one single room that didn't need tons and tons of work.  I will show you some of the pictures of the outside, but I would be so embarrassed to show the inside.

Okay, here goes.  I have some more but have realized that I am too inept about this stuff to move a photo from my ipad to my documents.  So, I will be nostalgic and take some pictures with my camera and post some more later.

Missing in action......again

I know, I was going to post more often.  Fell off that wagon again.  But I do have news.

We sold our home in Topeka, but the husband still wanted a weekend getaway.  So, we have now bought a home in the country here in Texas.  We are thinking about making it our permanent home.
We are in the process of selling the home in Mckinney and downsizing.  We really need to.  It is too big for us now.  I am trying not to be impatient.  The country place needs a ton of work.  So, it may be a while before we can move.

My scanner and computer are boxed up and I cannot add pictures from my ipad.  At least if I can, I havent figured it out yet.  And I have no wifi or even tv up there.

I did join Dailypaintworks but cant put anything else up there for now. I think I am going to like it though.  Most of the artists work small, like I love.

No pictures, but hey, I did update.  Lord willing, we will sell this home in Mckinney quickly and I can get back to making some paintings!!!

Impasto oil florals

Back to impasto for a while.  The thing about oil paints is that even with a medium to hurry them along in their drying process, it still takes quite a while.  Especially when the art is as thick as the impasto florals that I love to do.

So, I have to make some and let them sit and dry for several weeks.  I know there are people who mail their impasto too soon and they stick to the bubble wrap and other packing materials.  It does leave an imprint on the art surface.  So, if you do impasto, make sure that they are ready to send off to their new home!

Just relaxing with the greyhound

I think I blogged about this before, but if I did it was a bit ago. We went to the Mercantile building in Frisco, Texas (I never know what to call it, it isn't a flea market or an antique mall but has booths for commercial products an art) and ending up adopting a retired racer greyhound. We had to be checked out and had a home visit with the sponsors before we could bring him home.

He had this awful name, I won't even repeat it.  So, we immediately changed it.  His new name is Chase.  Appropriate huh?  He was 5 years old which is about when they retire them.  He raced in over 110 races, but we don't know how many he won.

He never met a cat, a small dog, stairs and he definitely had not been loved.  We conquered all those things.  But, I still get upset when I see his legs.  They are so scarred up.  Taking him to a new vet a couple of times means explaining that we have not abused him.  Makes me sad.  But we know he loves us and when he gets excited he still hurts himself on the various forms of steps in and outside out home.  He is the most sensitive and sweet dog we have ever had.

Here is a recent pic of Chase.  He has five M and M pillows.  He carries them everywhere.  He even, umm, takes them outside then accidentally pees on them.  So, we need a lot.  He also has a Tony the Tiger pillow but for now, it is missing in action.

Here is our sweet boy.

Experimenting with combining other media and alcohol inks

I get bored so easily.  I don't know if in art that is a good thing or a bad thing.  Sometimes it leads to something great.  This idea is very simple, but I think it has great possibilites.

Using Stazon black ink, I added some stamping to one of my simple alcohol pieces.

I did have to go back and with a permanent marker, make the birds a little darker.  I like the way it turned out.  Next, I will try some gold leafing and whatever else that I can drag up out of the back of the closet!!!

More alcohol inks

A few more alcohol ink pieces.  I have been remiss in writing because the husband and I have decided to purchase a small home at the lake (Lake Texoma) and we have been going back and forth to see what was available.  I think we exhausted the little cabins in our price range, so we will try again in the fall.  This is a huge compromise as my husband, who is a bit of a prepper (he started canning food and he is learning how to catch rain water or something for drinking in an emergency).
Okay, yes, he needs something to do.  Anyway, he wanted to get 22 acres in mid-Texas and live in the woods (ugh), so I freaked out and decided to help him find something NOT on 22 acres in the woods.

I promised myself that I would not stop blogging, so here are a few of the alcohol pieces that I have done.

The second picture is on a frosted subway tile.  My local Home Depot and Lowe's didn't have these so I had to send from them.  I use a very great company named Tile Bar.  You can send for samples for a reasonable price and try them out.  Their stock does change constantly, but so far, so good for what I needed.  The tiles are a great way to start with alcohol ink.  You can wipe them off with alcohol and start over if you hate what you have done.

Off to join the circus.  I am determined to get back to impasto today.

Alcohol inks on yupo

I had to write a bit about alcohol ink art.  I have neglected it a bit since I found impasto (thick thick paint) on canvas art. So, here is a couple of pieces that I did just before I jumped ship.

This is a piece that is actually on a white subway tile.  I love it so much that I put it up on Etsy, then I took it down, then I put it back up.  This went on for a while.  Right now, it is still in one of my favorite pieces in my art room.

And another

This is a piece on my Baker's rack in my kitchen.  Can't seem to part with it either.

Hope you enjoy seeing them.

I am not doing articles for magazines or submitting anything at all anymore.  Stampington publications were always good to me and I always enjoyed the pieces that they asked me for and the ones that I just submitted.  But I kept seeing the same things over and over and they changed editors so very very many times after Jenny Doh left.....so I retired from the print media.  Who knows, maybe one day I will send in something else.

More impasto oil painting

Aha, I am still hooked on impasto.  Problem is, it truly is an art form of painting that not too many people know about.  And it is sooo much fun.  Yep, I am trying to get some converts.

You can use acrylic paint to do impasto and some do, but if you can use oil, the paintings are so much brighter and although it takes longer to dry (okay, so that is an understatement) but it is worth it.
I have done both, and I keep going back to oil.

Here is my latest.  And I am going bigger.  I don't know what it is about me, but I just delight in doing small pieces of art.  This one is 8 x 10.

This would look so good in a kid's room, but also a grown up bedroom or a small piece for over an end table.  I have several just propped up in shelving.  Easy to change them out.

Yes, I will go on doing alcohol art pieces, but for now, I am intent on ruining ALL of my clothes with oil paints.  I may have to break down and wear an apron....naaaaa.....not yet.

I think my comment section is disabled.  However, if you should want to contact me, I do better with my email.....redheadis@yahoo.com

What is impasto art?

Well, it didn't take long for some of my friends to email me and say "Hey, missy, what on earth IS impasto?"

Impasto can be either acrylic or oil painting.  I found out pretty quick that although I got oil paint all over my clothes when I use it, that it was a good thing in the long run.  I can come back the next day to a piece that I made and make corrections.  Something that acrylic paints will never let you do.
So, for now oil it is.

Impasto is thick, thick, painting.  I do it with a palette knife which helps keep that buttery, frosting look.  It stands up off the canvas and makes a gorgeous presentation.  I have found that the depth can be fairly low or by using an impasto medium, it can go to fairly great heights.

As usual, when I begin with a new medium, I cannot seem to find a lot of newer work with explanations from seasoned artists to guide me along.  The same thing happened to me several years ago when I embarked on a mission to learn to use encaustics (resin and beeswax).  I actually think that might be a good thing, but at first it is pretty frustrating.

This time, the experience wasn't so expensive.  All you need to start out with is oil paint, some impasto medium, some canvases and a couple of palette knives.  I find out as far as the knives go, I bought lots, only use a few.  And then practice, practice, practice.

My first pieces were pathetic, but then again, you can scrape the canvas off, and start again.

So, thick, thicker, thickest paint, applied with a palette knife and an apron (well, really, to be honest I cannot even eat without food on my shirt, so maybe most of you can skip the apron).

Here are a few more pieces

It does take a couple of weeks for the canvases to be ready to hang, sell, or handled.  The oil dries slowly.  I am experimenting with another gel medium and a spray to see if I can get them to dry before somebody decides to put an elbow in them here at my art room.

But, having fun.  A LOT of fun.

Impasto art with oils

Once again, I have found a new art love.  Sometimes I wonder if I have missed a single thing.
I would have said "Nope, will NEVER use oil paints".  And now here I am, with a brand new direction.......impasto oil painting.

I found another artist who was doing some of this kind of work and immediately knew that I had to try it.  After so so much practice, and so much of a learning curve for oil paints.....Hey, I think I've got it.  It has become my newest passion.  No, of course I have not forgotten about alcohol inks. They have just been relocated to the back burner for a time.

I am currently working on canvases that are 6 x 6 inches with 1 1/2 inch deep edges.  I thought this would be good for me to start on, and now I really think that by using a small format, I can make affordable, fun art that I love and anybody can afford.

Here are some of my NEW impasto pieces.

I would LOVE to hear from others who have tried oil paints!!!!

These are listed in our Etsy store, and more fun fun oils to come soon.