Gingerbread House Inspiration

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. If you are like me, you need a little rest and relaxation from all of the hussle and bussle of Holiday preparations. Why don't you join me for a cup of hot chocolate on this cold and cloudy Southern California morning and we will go for a walk around Balboa Island looking for inspiration for a Welcome holiday sign I am going to paint for my niece.

Looks like my studio assistant, Bentley, is all ready to go for a walk.

Balboa Island is on the beautiful Newport Bay - the sidewalk goes around the island and is a beautiful place to walk. The residents go all out for Christmas decorations and lights and decorate their homes and piers.

Oh - my goodness - what a wonderful surprise to find this adorable gingerbread house located on a pier all decorated for Christmas . . . complete with three Gingerbread men.

Finding Inspiration . . . .

Here . . . .

All located in front of this fabulous yellow Victorian home complete with two Gingerbread Men overlooking the Ginger Bread House on the pier.


There . . . .

Even the fence finials are painted yellow - how adorable can you get?

Everywhere . . . .

The tree in the front yard is decorated with lots of hand painted birdhouses.

Now that we found our inspiration for the Welcome sign, let's head back to my garden. I loved the Gingerbread House and Gingerbread Men so much that I decided to decorate a little Rosemary Tree in my garden with my collection of Gingerbread Men ornaments.



Let's take a look at my Gingerbread ornaments and see if Bentley can find just the right ones for the Welcome sign.

Looks like Bentley found the perfect inspiration for our sign.

I sketched out a Christmas stocking and filled it with three Gingerbread Men and a candy cane.

If you would like to paint your own sign, you are welcome to copy my sketch. Instructions for painting the welcome sign are on my previous blog post.

The Welcome signs are so easy to paint and make great little gifts. Since the sign has been coated with matt varnish it can be hung outside.

They can be hung on a door.

Hung on a garden bicycle planter.

Or hung on a picket fence.

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you took time to visit me, leave comments and/or follow my blog. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see me paint something special by leaving me a comment or sending me an e-mail. Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Let's Paint Together

Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and can take a little break before going full speed ahead into the coming Holidays. One of my favorite days is the day after Thanksgiving - some of my friends and I started our own little tradition of putting the day aside to take time to relax and count our blessings - we are thankful for our Faith and the blessings we have been given - we are thankful for the Love of our family and friends and new "Blogger" friends and we have Hope for our future and for this great country we live in.



I baked gingerbread and would love for you to take a little break - relax and have a cup of tea and join me and Bentley, my helpful studio assistant, in the garden looking for inspirations for a little holiday Welcome sign for us to paint together. I love to start my Christmas decorating in my little garden - pots of white Hydrangeas and red Poinsettias really brighten up the garden.









I just had my house painted - most of the house was always gray shingles with stucco around the garage and front door which was previously painted white. I had the painter paint the stucco gray, however, the blue shutters and red front door did not go with the darker gray. I ended up having the shutters and front door painted white and after having "red remorse" for a while I have grown to love the change.

Looks like Bentley is ready to look for inspiration.

Finding Inspiration . . . . .

St. Francis is already for the birds.

Here . . . . .

There . . . . .

Everywhere . . . .

I just love the little snowman with a shovel.

Now that we found our snowman/lady inspiration let's get started. I was inspired by my St. Francis bird feeder to add birds and paint a garden "snow lady" with flowers on her hat. I wanted to paint red to brighten up the new gray paint on my house.

I like to paint my Welcome signs on canvas, however, you can paint them on a board or wooden plaque that can be purchased at Michael's. My canvas is 6X12. First I painted the canvas red and then sketched the snow lady with a fabric pen.

My November 30, 2008 blog post has complete directions for painting a little "door greeter" sign that is smaller than the Welcome sign.

I sketched in garden black birds as I feel they are easy and not detailed for beginners.

First I blocked in the colors - I like to base coat the white with a blue violet first - that way the white has some depth.

You can paint your snow man or lady as whimsical as you want. I painted roses on her hat, rose buttons and a little rose pin on her scarf. The last step is to paint the snow flakes - I put white paint on a small brush - add lots of water - and "flick" the brush on the painting. I put the painting in the kitchen sink and "flick" so as not to make a mess. When the sign is dry - I put on 3 coats of Liquitex matt varnish to protect from the weather. Add eye hooks and a pretty ribbon and you are ready to hang

The Welcome sign looks darling on a picket fence, door nob, gate, or any place you choose.

Looks like Bentley approves.

Relax and Enjoy

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visit, your comments and those who follow my blog. If you would like to see me paint something special or have any questions, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For hearth and food

For love and friends,

For everything Thy grace sends.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. We are having a lovely cool weekend in Southern California - perfect Fall weather to attend the Vintage Flea Market in Old Town Tustin. Let's have a cup of tea in my garden and take Bentley, my studio assistant, to Tustin to the Vintage Flea Market and look for inspiration for Fall flowers to paint along the way.

Old Town Tustin is a delightful little town located in the midst of urban California. The homes are adorable cottages located on large lots with wonderful gardens. Lots of the homes have carts in front filled with flowers, fruits and vegetables for sale. Everything is on the "honor system" - customers leave money in a basket or jar and pay for the purchase. The basket with persimmons "for sale" caught my eye. Note the jar on the bench filled with quarters.



Finding Inspiration . . . . .

Here . . . . .




There . . . .






Everywhere . . . .

I was so inspired by the colorful fall colors and the persimmons for sale that I pulled out my sketch pad and watercolors and painted the little wheelbarrow filled with Fall flowers. It was located next to the bench with the basket of persimmons. I am sorry that I forgot to take a photo of the wheel barrow to show you.

It turned out that the Flea Market was not until Sunday. . . . . let's head back home to bake pumpkin bread and as promised I will share my recipe with you.

Warm pumpkin bread and a cup of hot tea are wonderful refreshments for a relaxing time with family and friends before the holiday rush.

I think that you will find this recipe for pumpkin bread easy and delicious and it makes two yummy loaves so you will have one to share with family or friends. I am a creative cook and tend to tweak recipes - you may want to stick with the traditional recipe the first time around .

Pumpkin Bread

1 (15 ounce )can pumpkin

2/3 cup water ( I use apple juice)

1 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

3 1/3 cups all purpose flower

3 cups of sugar ( I use l cup of brown and 2 cups of white for a spicy flavor)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Spray or butter 2 8X5 loaf pans.

Beat pumpkin, oil, water and eggs until smooth.

In separate bowl sift flour, sugar soda and spices. Add to pumpkin mixture - add nuts and mix well. Pour into pans and bake 55 minutes - one hour until wooden pick comes out clean.

P.S. I also add 1/2 cup raisins along with the nuts.

Relax and Enjoy!

Wishing you and your family a Peaceful and Blessed Thanksgiving and may this lovely Moravian Blessing say it all:

Come, Lord Jesus, our guest to be

And Bless these gifts

Bestowed by Thee

And Bless our loved ones everywhere,

And keep them in Your loving care.

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visits, comments and those who follow my blog. If you would like to see me paint something special or have any questions, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

P.S. Next week we will decorate for the Christmas Holidays and will paint together a little door greeter sign for Christmas.

Whimsical Rooster Inspirations

Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. We are having another glorious Fall day in Southern California - sunny and in the 60's - just the perfect day to sip a nice cup of tea while looking for whimsical Rooster inspirations. I am painting Christmas gifts for family and friends and have several requests for "whimsical Rooster paintings". I poured you a cup of tea so you can join me and Bentley, my Studio Assistant, looking for inspiration.

Looks like Bentley is ready to go.

Oh goodness - looks like Bentley is sleeping on the job.

Let's wake him up and go into the garden first to see if we can find any Roosters.

Finding Inspiration . . . . . .

Here . . . . .

We found a few Roosters in the garden - now let's go in my kitchen to see what we can find.



As you can see, I have just a few Roosters in my kitchen.

The blue mirror over my sink reflects the little garden window.



There . . . .

An artist friend of mine made the large white Rooster which was the first Rooster in my collection.


Everywhere . . . . .

I found the Rooster mosaic tray at a tag sale years ago. The colors are perfect for my kitchen with blue and white check curtains and yellow accents.

I found these delightful glass jars with Rooster tops at a tag sale for $1.00 each. The clear glass is perfect for storing Bentley's dog biscuits.

I love my blue Rooster plates and decided to try my hand at painting a blue Rooster.

This little painting is not finished - I decided the Rooster needs to be all blue and will paint his face and comb all blue. He also needs a little white eye.

My friend has a black Rooster rug in her kitchen and wanted me to paint her Christmas gift Roosters with black feathers to match her rug.

This one is more whimsical wtih the black check border.

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you have taken time to visit me, follow my blog and leave me a comment. If you would like to see me paint something special, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Fall Blue and White Inspiration

Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. We are having a beautiful fall day in Southern California- cool nights and warm days in the high 60's near the ocean. Just perfect weather for you to join me and Bentley, my helpful Studio Assistant, in the garden for a cup of hot tea while we look for Blue and White Fall inspirations.

My neighbors' Maple tree is just starting to turn fall colors.




It is cool enough for me to grab a jacket to wear. Off we go . . . . . . . .

Bentley is already to go. One of my customers' saw a Welcome Sunflower door sign on my website http://thepaintedgarden.net/ and asked me to paint her a sign with sunflowers in a blue and white bucket. She collects blue and white china and wanted something that would welcome guests to her home that would represent her love for all things blue and white.

Finding Inspiration . . . . .

Here . . . . .

I also collect blue and white china and did not have any problem finding blue and white china for inspiration. I store extra pieces in my old blue cubbard .

There . . . .

Everywhere . . . . .

Looks like Bentley found some Sunflower inspiration.

Now that we found our blue and white and sunflower inspirations, Bentley is ready to show you the finished Welcome sing.

The sign can be hung on a front gate, picket fence of front door.

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you have taken time to visit, leave me a comment and follow my blog. If you would like to see me paint something special, please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Let's Take A Fall Garden Tour

Fall "Nesting"

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. We are having beautiful cool Fall weather in Southern California - cold nights and sunny days (we call it cold if it gets down into the 50's at night). Not quite cold enough to offer you hot chocolate, but just right to offer you a cup of hot tea. Please join me for a Fall stroll through beautiful Roger's Gardens and Home Shop.

I just love my new yellow tea cups with blue birds - I found them at Anthropologie - one of my very favorite fun shops (they were on the sale shelf) and just right for your nice cup of hot tea.


Let's get started - off we go. Bentley is not going with us as he is at the "Dog Wash" today.

Roger's Gardens is located on 7 fabulous acres in Newport Beach, California and has been called "America's Most Beautiful Home and Garden Center".

The have a fabulous new Floral Studio.

Beautiful Fall arrangements.

Lovely Garden Rooms

The fountain is changed every season and one never knows what you will find displayed in the fountains.

Pretty Fall flowers

Fall berries

Beautiful orange Poppies

Lovely Pansies in bright fall colors

Fall Colors Everywhere

Pumpkins in every variety.

Fall pots beautifully planted.

More pumpkins arranged in a fountain.

I am so glad that you stopped by and hope you enjoyed your little Fall Garden and Home Shop tour. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you take time to leave me a comment and follow my blog. I will be back in my studio painting next week and if you would like to see my paint somethings special please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

In Memory of Amy

Amy's "Magical Pink Bicycle"


Welcome. It is with much sorrow and joy that I am posting about a very special young lady named Amy. I am so happy that you stopped by my post in celebration and memory of an incredible Angel named Amy Ragan who's brave fight with cancer touched my heart. I read about Amy on Laurie's blog http://barganhuntingwithlaurie.blogspot.com/. Laurie asked her readers to pray for Amy and send her a card. At the time Amy was home from the hospital and fighting for her life. I read about Amy's courage and her faith in God and how her spirits uplifted others even though she was in incredible pain. I read about her beautiful smiles and love for her family and friends. I saw pictures of a beautiful young lady - smiling and rejoicing in her faith in God - all the time smiling.



I am a blessed eight year breast cancer survivor and committed to using my art to bring joy to others who have cancer, and decided to paint a pink bicycle with pink roses in the basket to send to Amy instead of a card.




I received an e-mail from Amy's mother, Debbie, who said that Amy was also an artist and that she loved her "magic" pink bicycle. She said that she and Amy took wonderful imaginary trips every day on her pink bicycle and loved seeing photos of Bentley on my blog. Even though Amy's health was rapidly deteriorating, dear Amy was an inspiration to everyone . . she always had a smile on her face and believed that Jesus was with her through her painful journey fighting cancer.



On Saturday morning I received an e-mail from Amy's mother telling me that Amy Dawn went home to be with the Lord Friday night 10-23-09.




I feel so honored and privileged that I got to know Amy . Even though I knew her for such a short time, she touched my life beyond imagination. For this brave Angel taught me that there is joy in art - that art stimulates one's imagination and even though Amy was in pain - she was able to get away from her pain for a few short minutes to take an imaginary trip on her magic pink bicycle.





In memory and honor of Amy, I am looking into getting a group of artists and crafters together who would donate their art to people who have cancer to bring joy to their lives. The group would be called "Joy In Amy's Art" and the art can be anything from watercolor cards, fabric art, art on canvas, mixed media, etc. As an example, my sister, Leslie, sews and makes soft pink pillows for ladies diagnosed with breast cancer and sends them to total strangers.




If anyone is interested in such an endeavor, I would love to talk to you. Please leave me a comment or send me an e-mail to: erinsart@ca.rr.com.



Please keep Amy's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. You can leave her family a comment on Debbie's blog:
http://debbie-jeremiah3017.blogspot.com



In celebration of Amy's joy in art and beauty I am sharing photographs of some of my art featuring pink roses.

Good by my young friend - your short life inspired so many around the world and we will not forget you. Love, Erin and Bentley

Angel Amy
Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate that you have taken time to leave me a comment and follow my blog. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see me paint something special.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin