Donna Downey Weekend

Two weekends ago I was fortunate to travel to Friendswood, TX to take 3 wonderful classes from Donna Downey http://donnadowney.typepad.com/ . I am taking her canvas create monthly class online now. I highly recommend it. She is going to continue to teach it next year per an email I just received with this months canvas directions and video. Her videos are great because they are yours forever. You download them on your computer and can watch them anytime and as much as you like.

The classes were at Novel Approach there in Friendswood. I had never been to this store before but know it has been in business for a long time. They have a nice classroom setup.

me and Donna D

This is my sample from the Pan Pastel class. We glued tissue paper down to a flat canvas board. I think I have a few to many wrinkles but all in all I like how the finished piece turned out. Lots of spray sealing in between those colors!

This is a journal we did with 40 techniques inside! This was a long class! But great ideas were done inside. I look forward to using some of them in my card classes at the Stamp Asylum http://stampasylum.blogspot.com/ .

This was my favorite class! Corrugated cardboard was what the pages were made from! We gessoed them and gilded the edges. Lots of Prima goodness to add to the pages from our class kits. I used photos from a recent trip to Jefferson, TX my husband and I took for our 25th wedding anniversary.

If you ever get to take a class from Donna in person jump for it! She is a funny lady! Love her stories from travel teaching on the road. I would love to visit her retail store in North Carolina. They do some great classes there also.

Halloween Art

For one of my art groups, I made these canvases for Halloween. I really love how they turned out. I took a Halloween class from Margie Romney-Aslett http://www.margieromney-aslett.typepad.com/ and we did something similar. She is getting ready to do another class for Christmas. She can do some fabulous things with dollar store finds! I would sign up if I were you!!

I have a friend that her birthday is Oct 25th so I usually do something Halloween theme as well as normal for her big day. This year I wrapped the gifts in this box and glued a skeleton to the top. I added a paper cone party hat to his head. Another idea from Margie's class! There were several comments at the restaraunt about him from guests. He did turn out very cute if you can call a skeleton cute!

November House Mouse Card

Here is the House Mouse card for November. Lots of bubbles going on!!

Mask, Little Halloween Books & Other Fun Stuff

 This is the mask I received back from the swap at the Wicked Tea (Paper Cowgirl) last weekend. Kristi Day made it from grunge paper. She covered the front with paper and waxed it. The flower and feathers clip on. I really liked it!

 I had started this Halloween book several years ago. Never finished it till now! It's a chipboard book that I covered with K & Co paper and their embellishments. I gave it to Blair for Halloween this year along with his favorite candy Skittles and Starbursts!

lighted pumpkins

 Had to include a photo of Duke (my dog) because Blair despises him. He knows the dog is my favorite over him. Not really but it is a joke in our house that he is. Dogs don't talk back now do they?

food and decorations from former party

Blair's friends and party favors

me carving pumpkins and Blair's candy loot

front of book

 This little Halloween book I won at the Wicked Tea! Cindy Mayfield made it and it is sooo cute!! I love it!

lots of things move

skeleton card is great

just add photo to this page

there is a swirl deal on clear acetate at bottom of page

book flips out to add photo

great for photos

love all the things that move and that are attached

 These are suckers I decorated for gifts for some friends in one of my art groups. The suckers twirl around. I wouldn't eat them. I would just use them as decorations.

close-up of sucker decorations

packaged a few suckers in these bags

 This is a container I decorated for a family and added wrapped candy bars in it. Fun stuff!! And yummy!

close-up of wrapped candy bars

Wicked Tea (Paper Cowgirl Event)

Paper Cowgirl Wicked Tea was this weekend in Waxahachie, TX. It was fun again this year! Cindy Mayfield did a wonderful job of organizing the event.

http://papercowgirl.blogspot.com/p/creative-classes.html

candy bar table

triptych samples

pumpkin or moon queen sample

samples

 

 

Kristi Day organized a mask swap. This was the mask I created and I packaged it in this box all tied up with the skeleton and tulle bow.

 Our first class on Friday was The Pumpkin Queen taught by Cindy Mayfield. I really can't paint that well and especially not faces but did OK with my Queen face.

my pumpkin queen

me and Binky Morgan

 Our second class for the day was a Halloween Queen Crown taught by Binky Morgan. This lady is wonderful! Loved her outfit and sooo creative it is unreal! Check out her blog http://binkylafaye.blogspot.com/ She rocks! Her class kit was cute and whimsical!

Binky's class kit

Kristi in her crown

Marys and my crowns

me and Patty

 We went to dinner at the Catfish Plantation on Friday evening. Place is haunted but we didn't see any ghosts unfortunately. The place was all decorated for Halloween though.

us at dinner

at catfish plantation

 Saturday morning our first class was this Boo Paper Doll made from crepe paper. Pamela Huntington designed the kits and doll and Cindy taught the class. Pamela couldn't make it down this time. Check out her blog though http://pamelahuntington.typepad.com/february_2007/  The dolls were fun but took longer to do than we thought! LOL

 Our last class on Saturday was this triptych taught by Melissa Hines. She is a wonderful teacher and person! I really enjoyed her personality. Her class kit was great too! She sprayed file folders with Dylusions ink and stencils. Really cool!

Debbie's project

my project

class kit



Shannons project

It was a great weekend! So fun to get away and make art! My friend Mary and I stayed in Waxahachie at our friend Debbie's home. She was such a gracious host! Turned down our beds and left us treats in our rooms in case we got hungry in the night. The breakfast she cooked on Saturday morning was so scrumptious! Eggs with meat and the best scones from scratch I have ever tasted! Fresh fruit and oh I was so full afterwards! She is a true friend and we are lucky to know her, her husband Frank, and their sweet pets Lucy and Timmy. Mary and I put together a gift container (a huge pumpkin) with all sorts of eats and toys for Timmy and Lucy. Plus costumes for them. Below are pictures of them in their finery!

Timmy with his skull tie

Lucy in the backyard

Lucy in her trick or treat shirt eating a treat