Happy Coloring!

 

So, recently I've started offering something a little different in my Etsy shop... or maybe I'm going back to something kinda similar to the digital stamps I offered when my shop was brand new. I've started creating hand drawn downloadable coloring pages for kids (and kids at heart!), and I'm having so much fun with it!

This all really happened quite by accident. At Christmastime, I created a page of Christmas-y designs to use as the background for the gift cards we'd bought for our family. I printed out multiple copies and taped the gift cards on the back of the design... just a silly way to add a little homemade holiday whimsy to ordinary gift cards. And I thought they came out pretty cute!

I got thinking about all the fun coloring pages I could make about holidays and seasons and the cute kid-friendly designs I enjoy making... and I just kept on creating these pages.

So now I'm hooked on drawing these silly coloring pages! Right now I have a total of nine designs in my Etsy shop... and the ideas just keep on coming! I'm filling up my sketchbook with snowmen and space aliens and leprechauns... and I'm looking forward to discovering what other cute creatures and critters will make their homes in my sketchbook! Stay tuned for more coloring silliness from me in the near future!

** If you're wondering where you can find my hand drawn kids coloring pages, just follow the link HERE

Happy New Baby Gift!

 

This past spring, my niece and her husband were blessed with their first child... a sweet little guy named Tyson. They call him their "little crab"... so I thought it would be fun to paint a canvas with a cute crab and his name on it as a new baby gift for his nursery. An original design of mine, super simple, but I thought it came out pretty cute! I painted it on a 5x7 inch canvas panel... quite a bit bigger than my normal paintings, which are usually 4x6 inches or smaller. I don't usually do personalized pieces of art, but for family I thought I'd make an exception!

I hope Tyson and his mom and dad will see this painting each day and know how much they're loved!

 Welcome To The World Tyson!!... Aunt Patti loves you!

July Home Renovation Update

 

Well, last time I blogged (way back in February 2022), my husband and I were up to our eyeballs in plaster dust and paint as we did some remodeling on this old bungalow we call home. Six months later, we're still painting the downstairs, but we're a whole lot closer to the finish line on this project. It's all about sweat equity around here!... and "This Old House" is starting to look a whole lot prettier as a result of our efforts! The front porch is fixed and awaiting a fresh coat of my favorite color green (we're waiting for cooler weather before we work outside again). All the walls of the lower floor have been painted a warm white with crisp white trim (with the exception of our dining room, which is a pretty soft shade of green). The sun porch is bright white and we've just finished painting the porch floor an unexpected sunny shade of yellow. Next comes the butler's pantry which will be getting a fun pop of color too! It's amazing what paint can do to transform a tired looking house!... and it's encouraging to be able to see the good results from all our hard work!

I'm starting to paint some little canvases again to put in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio! (YAY!!) The painting I posted above is called "Star Spangled Geraniums," and measures 3x3 inches. It comes with the cutest little easel to display just about anywhere! Honestly, it has felt really great to have the time to come up with some brand new sketches and finally play with my acrylic paints again! I've got four new designs that I'm excited about painting soon!... YAY for getting back to creating!

This Old House

 "Country Cottage"

It has been too many months since I updated my blog, or really done any art at all. The reason?... Ever since my husband retired, we've been sprucing up our little 1920's bungalow where we've lived for almost 35 years. "Delayed Maintenance" is what my husband calls it. Somehow in the middle of raising two boys here and working full time and living from month to month financially, things just never got done on "This Old House." The front porch was suffering from years of rain and snow that finally ate away at the floor boards. The plaster in my husband's office had developed major cracks that made an interesting spiderweb design on the walls. There were holes in the ceiling above our stairwell created by an old leaky roof. And every wall in the entire house was begging for a fresh coat of paint!

As I sit here typing, there's a BIG dumpster sitting out front and a porta-potty in the yard. We finally decided that some of the jobs that needed to be done were just beyond our handyman capabilities... and so we enlisted some help to get a few major projects finished around here. But Joe and I are doing most of the inside painting... which means the fun, arty painting I love to do has been set aside for a while. It's a good thing I really do like to paint, no matter what kind of painting it is!

While I'm away from my canvases and paint brushes for a short while, I'm still brainstorming ideas for new paintings and sketching in my sketchbook. New ideas are percolating and I can't wait to get back to more artful painting soon!

Every Day Is Earth Day

"Every Day Is Earth Day"

Just ask my husband and he'll tell you that I'm a devoted recycler! Yes, I've been known to go through our trash and pick out plastic wrap and cardboard that could be sent to the recycling center... and I have no shame about that! Walking our dogs every day, I'm liable to pick up bottles and cans to deposit in the nearest recycling cart. My thinking is always, "If I don't pick this up, then who will?" Just trying to keep our neighborhood beautiful one dog walk at a time!

Not only that, but I'm an unapologetic scavenger and enthusiastic repurposer! "Are you throwing that out?... Hmmmm! How could I reuse that in some creative way?" My brain just seems to be "wired" to see the possibilities in discarded items. Our home is decorated with lots of random finds and hand-me-downs... and I really love the uniqueness and whimsy they add to our environment!

This week is the Bulky Item Pick Up in our neighborhood... the once-a-year chance our city gives us to clear out our attics and basements of "junk" and have the city take it all to the dump. My next door neighbors have used this opportunity to clear out a HUGE amount of unwanted "stuff" left in their home by the previous owner. So we've had a front row view to the ever-growing pile of "stuff" they've brought out to the curb this week.

They say "One man's trash is another man's treasure"... and we've been witness to that this week as many folks have come by to pick through the mountain of random things and happily cart them away for who-knows-what-purpose.

As I watched out our front windows, I spied two older black rocking chairs someone put out at the curb... and I literally SPRINTED across the street to nab them for my front porch. My husband and I hosed them down and dried them off... and now they're looking soooo cute on "This Old House's" large front porch. I'm happy to say I now have a rainy day place to sit outside and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee with a friend!

Are YOU an avid recycler like me???... Please tell me I'm not the only one out there!!


** The painting "Every Day Is Earth Day" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

Do Artists Blog Anymore???

 "Cat Loves Bird Loves Cat"

Long, long ago (January 1st, 2006 to be precise!) I started my very first blog. I called it Simple Blessings... an arty blog that gave me the opportunity to capture my everyday thoughts and feelings and illustrate them with my doodles. Really, it was the first place where I shared my art publicly... and that was a very BIG deal back then for this shy, introverted artist!

I learned a lot from that blog!... the value of telling my story, even the small seemingly insignificant things.... that I really DID like to write... that it was worth it to take the risk and put myself and my art "out there," even when it wasn't perfect. I "met" other art bloggers and for the first time, developed a sense of creative community. And I even learned a little bit of HTML too!

Eventually, I decided to stop posting in SimpleBlessings and I started the PholkartStudio blog instead. If I remember correctly, I ran into "technical difficulties" with the darker background and white type I'd used in my old blog. Another lesson for me on the blogging learning curve!

I can't say that I was a regular blogger back then... but I did post quite a lot whenever the mood struck over the years. And it always gave me JOY!

Fast forward to the present...

Instagram became the "next great thing" and it seemed like art bloggers were abandoning their blogs in favor of this very visual (and fun!) platform. I held off on jumping on the Instagram bandwagon for a while... but eventually I caved and hopped on Instagram too. And my blog was put aside and got very DUSTY!!!

But lately I've been feeling the pull to get back to blogging. I quit Facebook a while back (that' a whole 'nother story!) and Instagram just isn't feeding the writer in me. I guess I miss blogging... but I'm wondering...

Are there any Art Bloggers out there anymore???

I sure hope so, 'cause I'd really love to find them!

** The painting "Cat Loves Bird Loves Cat" was created by me. You can find other whimsical & quirky paintings like this one in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio!

Painting My Way Through The Pandemic

It has taken me nine months to finally feel like moving back toward sharing my art on Etsy again. My heart has needed time to heal.

The Coronavirus Pandemic hit about the time that my Mom declined rapidly and passed away last spring... and so began a bizarre, heartbreaking "saying goodbye" without the chance to be with her in her last days, or even attend her funeral due to travel restrictions. It was an emotional and baffling time for me, trying to make sense of the circumstances of Mom's homecoming. For a while, it just didn't seem like it all could be real.

So... I really needed to step back for a while to think, to pray, to wrestle with what was and with what is now. I needed a safe place to just be for a while.

Being quarantined at home during this time ended up being a gift to me... I didn't have anywhere to go, there weren't many outside distractions or responsibilities, and life was extra quiet at our house. So, I dug into my craft closet and found some tiny canvas panels I'd been hoarding forever, and started to paint them one by one.

I've always enjoyed working small... My first endeavor with online art sales was creating ACEO's (artist trading cards that are for sale... They measure 2.5" x 3.5"). I like the challenge of creating in a defined space. I like to see how many different ideas can be created on a tiny art card... or in this case, a miniature canvas.

And so, I spent the summer and fall applying colorful acrylics to tiny canvases. The ideas just kept flowing...

...until finally I'd created quite a stash of mini paintings!

I resisted the idea of reopening my Etsy shop at first... Was I ready to come out of my retreat yet? Did I have the emotional and physical energy to re-engage with the world? And, was I willing to go back to posting on Instagram and Facebook again so people could find out about my art?

Well, to tell the truth, the jury's still out on the social media question. I have really loved the quiet... not feeling obligated to post, not being bombarded with what everyone else if doing and thinking... just being me with my own creative ideas and thoughts.

But I did miss putting my artwork out into the world and sharing what I'd created. It seemed a waste to keep stashing my paintings where no one would ever enjoy them.

So, I'm back. And it feels OK. I'm not expecting hoards of customers knocking at my shop's door. But I do hope that others will find a tiny bit of happiness from what I have made. If I can add to someone's joy by sharing my art, that will be more than enough! 

 

Thank you Lord for time to heal. Thank you for the joy of creativity. Thank you for new beginnings. Thank you for loving me! 💖

Light In My Darkness

 

It has been a very long time since I've written in my blog... over two years, in fact. Life has been filled with family illness and the homecoming of my sweet Dad. Now my Mom is declining rapidly. I'm trying my best to care for her well, while my heart is grieving. It is the circle of life... We are only given so many days on this earth, and then we return to the Lord, which is a blessing! But this ending of life!... It is so very very hard! I need God's grace to make it through each moment of every single day.

I've written before that I struggle with depression... and during this difficult time, it's been hard to find my way out of the darkness at times. My physician has changed my medications, and that has greatly helped me cope on this journey I've found myself on. I am truly grateful to be feeling so much better!

And painting has helped soothe my soul. I don't claim to be a terrific artist... but somehow in putting pencil to paper and then paint on canvas, peace and joy have come into my heart. This winter, as the afternoon sun has been shining in the windows of my studio, I've experienced a calm, quiet place of healing and comfort as I've painted and listened to soft, soothing music. My studio has felt like a sanctuary... and art making has felt like communion with God.

Thank you Lord, that you meet me right where I am... even when I'm in the darkness. You come to me and comfort me. You shine Your light on me and fill me with joy and gladness! I am so very grateful!!

Snowbound in Carolina

"Winter Friends"

Late last week, we had a winter storm blow through my home state of North Carolina. It's not so unusual for us to get a really good snow sometime during the wintertime... but I think this storm surprised even the meteorologists with the amount of snow it left behind! We had about six inches of snow... but with ice on the roads and our house perched on a hill, we were snowbound for several days 'til the temperatures rose.

So, while I was inside, enjoying the snowy view out my window and giving thanks for a warm house and a full fridge, I spent some very happy hours in my studio, creating this happy snowman! I did some experimenting with 'floating color' (read here... lots of trial & error!) to give the snowman and cardinal a bit of shading and depth. This is a growing edge for me. I had watched some YouTube videos that made the floating technique look so easy... but I'm going to need to keep practicing, that's for sure! 

I hope that"Winter Friends" brightens your day today!  :)

'Tis The Week After Christmas...

...and somehow, in all the travelings afar and gatherings at home and tree decorating and cookie baking and present wrapping and talking and laughing with the ones we love and dog-sitting for my son's Great Dane and eating waaaaay too much delicious holiday food and doing a thousand loads of laundry and about the same amount of dishes....

... I'm just now getting around to showing you the paintings I made for my Etsy shop to celebrate Christmas this year.

First up is "Jolly Old Saint Nick." I had never painted a Santa before, so I was really excited about creating him!  :)  I used an original sketch I'd drawn and painted him with acrylics on a 5x7 inch canvas panel. The background is a soft gold I mixed up, with gold dots on top. I really like the contrast of his dark red suit and hat against the background. Wonder what could be inside that present he's holding???... I'm kinda in love with his cute little grin!

The second Christmas painting I made was based on an illustration I'd created several years ago... "Away In A Manger."

This one was also painted on a 5x7 flat panel canvas. It's simple and a little "quilty" and sweet... just the star that led the shepherds to the baby Jesus, who was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

What an amazing event!!... Who could ever have imagined God's gift to us!!???
 

Finally, this is the canvas I painted for an Christmas tree ornament this year.

I never did get a photo of the ornament on my Christmas tree before the season was over... so this scan will have to do! The background is a 2x4 inch flat panel canvas that was painted bright white and flecked with gold. I hand lettered the word "Rejoice" with a black fine point water-based Sharpie paint pen, and painted the heart a deep red inside the letter "O". I finished it by gluing white string to the back of the canvas, covered the back with white cardstock and signed it.

So that's it!... My Christmas 2017 RoundUp of Etsy paintings!!  :)

And, since today happens to be January 1st of 2018, I'd like to wish YOU a very Happy New Year filled with Love, Joy, Hope, and Creativity!!

Learning To Add A Pinterest Board To My Blog

I've been wanting to share some of my Pinterest boards here on my blog... but, I was unsure how to go about doing that. I knew it was possible, but for some reason, I couldn't get it to work. As always for me, I learn by researching and a whole lot of trial and error!

Today I stumbled upon a YouTube video by Ana Maria Menezes on How to Embed a Pinterest Board to Blogger. I watched the video a couple of times and it cleared up the issue I was having about where to add the extra small piece of HTML code that is needed to make the board show up.

As I'm writing this post in the "Compose" mode, I can't see the Pinterest board that I've added using HTML. However, when I preview  what I've written... Voila! There it is!  :)

Another cool thing I've found in this process is that, once I've published my post and the Pinterest board is 'live'... you can scroll up and down on the board. If you click on a picture, it will take you directly to that Pin.

Pretty nifty neato!

I hope you enjoy my I {Heart} Etsy Pinterest Board! My collection of all things handmade will keep growing... It is such a huge part of who I am and what I love!

Happy Halloween!!

 (This is one of the doodles from my sketchbook!)

Halloween is coming up next week!... I always look forward to seeing the little Trick-or-Treaters who come to our door for goodies! It's the preschool-aged children who tickle me the most!... the tiny Supermen and princesses, the wee pumpkin babies in their parents' arms.

Last year we had an amazing butterfly visit us, with gorgeous sparkly wings! And, of course, there are bound to be a few friendly ghosts, a pirate, a robot, a zombie and a gypsy too. I always love to see the creativity of homemade costumes! (by some very loving parents putting together crazy outfits for their kids in the late night hours!).

This year, I've managed to hide the 'treats' from my husband, so (hopefully!) there will be plenty to go around!  :)

What does YOUR family do for Halloween?... Do you carve pumpkins? Make your own costumes? Go to Trunk-or-Treat parties with friends?... I'd really LOVE to hear what YOU do!

Wishing you a Fun and Safe night of Trick-or-Treating with YOUR family this year!!

"Little Ghost And Bat In The Pumpkin Patch"

Showing Up On Etsy

"Every Child Is An Artist"

I thought it was really very simple... I just wanted to create my kinda fun, quirky, whimsical, colorful, silly art and offer it in my (very cute!) Etsy shop to people who like fun, quirky, whimsical, colorful, silly art too.

No big deal... right? But as it turns out, it's not quite as straight-forward and easy as that...

What I quickly discovered after listing my whimsical little pieces of art on Etsy was that I couldn't find them ANYWHERE when I searched for them later! And if I couldn't find them... then it followed that nobody else who might like to find them was discovering them either...

My heart felt soooo discouraged!!  :(

So... I started to research. And I began to learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and how to optimize my Etsy shop.

It didn't take long before I found out about Danielle Spurge-Swavely from The Merriweather Council! She offers a free Etsy Lessons Email Series that contains a 20 minute SEO training video that was a HUGE help to me! After implementing Danielle's suggestions, I was so happy to see my artwork showing up in Etsy's listings so buyers can finally find them!... YaY!!!  :)

I highly recommend The Merriweather Council Etsy Lessons Email Series to any Etsy seller who is trying to get their products to show up in searches on Etsy. Danielle explains the process of titling and tagging your products in a very clear and helpful way. I was thrilled with the results that I've had from following her advice... and I think you'll be happy with your results too!

From Sketch to Painting

About a week ago, I drew this sketch of a boy and his dog, thinking it could be a fun autumn scene... but I only had a vague idea at the time what the background might look like or what colors I might use in the final painting.

After transferring the boy and his dog onto a 5x7 inch canvas panel, I sketched in some trees in the background, and started to paint the sky a bright blue, the leaves on the trees vivid orange & yellow, and the grass two tones of bright green.

It was at this point I suddenly realized that my painting was going to be super colorful!... and I wasn't quite sure how to choose the colors for the 'main characters', the boy and his dog. Hmmm... This would be challenging!

"A Boy's Best Friend"

After a bit of trial and error, this is what I came up with... and I'm happy with the final painting! A bit of a wispy white cloud helps to balance out all that color!... and some outlining with a micron pen gives the painting a little dimension.

I hope you like this little autumn scene of a boy and his dog!... I sure had fun creating it!!  :)

"A Boy's Best Friend" can be found in my Etsy shop, PholkartStudio.

My Very First Mixed Media Pumpkin Project

"Harvest Pumpkin"

A few weeks ago, I was browsing in my favorite local craft shop... and discovered the PERFECT pumpkin-colored piece of scrapbook paper! I knew right then and there that that orange polka dot paper was coming home with me, to be used for some future pumpkin-y project.

I've been painting for a while now and have gotten pretty comfy with my self-taught technique... but I'm a newbie to mixed media and I've been wanting to try my hand at it. So I printed out an enlarged version of one of the digital stamps I used to design, "Folk Art Pumpkin"...

...and modified it so it would fit on my 5x7 inch canvas base. I had to crop one of the 'swirlies' and flip another 'swirlie' around to the opposite side. I also decided to delete the heart on the pumpkin for this project.

After base coating my canvas panel with black paint (it took two coats!), I flipped my printed pumpkin over and transferred my pumpkin design onto the back of the orange paper using dark graphite paper. I did the same thing with the leaf design, transferring that onto a textured green paper. It took no time at all to cut out my pumpkin pieces, since this is such a simple design.

Next step was the Modge Podge. I carefully brushed the back of the pumpkin with a thin layer of Modge Podge. Then I adhered it to the middle of the canvas panel, making sure to smooth it from the center toward the outer edges, so the edges were glued down firmly. I eyeballed the placement of the green leaf and Modged Podged that too.

Last of all, I transferred my 'swirlie' pattern to the black canvas with a light colored graphite transfer paper, and penciled in 'harvest' in the upper left corner. The rest of the design was finished by painting the lettering and the 'swirlie' freehand using a small round brush. A couple of coats of Krylon matte acrylic spray and my Harvest Pumpkin was done!  :)

Now that I've created my first mixed media project, I've definitely caught the bug! Can't wait to figure out what my next project will be!

(...and of course, now I have an excuse to collect all that gorgeous scrapbook paper I've been resisting! *wink!*).
 

A Little Update on My Newly Re-Opened Etsy Shop...

"Mermaid Treasure"

It's the end of August now, and I've been happily working away most of the summer in my studio, painting little canvases. So far, most have been just 4 x 6 inches like this little mermaid above... but a few have been as large as 5 x7 inches, like this sweet angel below:
 

  "Whimsical Angel"

I'm still not quite sure as I've been working along if what I'm painting has an overall theme or feel... "Whimsical Folk Art" is hopefully there; but also, "Playful Childrens' Art," "Happy Family Art," "Family Friendly Art." I don't know yet... Hopefully all of the above! *wink!*

 "Enjoy The Simple Things"

However my artwork ends up being characterized, I hope it ends up making you SMILE!!!

Hello July 2017!

Photo Credit from Pixabay: Workandapix

Happy July Friends!... Here I am, once again dusting off my neglected blog. It's been a year and a half since I've written (insert emoji with eyes rolling here!). After taking a looong break from Etsy while my husband Joe & I were helping to care for his mom, I'm now gearing up to reopen my shop again (hopefully pretty soon!).

"The Lemonade Stand"

Last time my Etsy shop, PHOLKART*STUDIO, focused on digital stamps for cardmaking. But this time, I'll be offering something completely brand new! I have fallen in love with acrylic painting!!... and I'm having the best.time.ever drawing my cute little illustrations on canvas panels and painting them with yummy, colorful acrylic paints!  :)

I'm also experimenting with creating hand painted ornaments. The tiny yellow house in the upper right corner of my blog is one of those ornaments! I've got that one hanging in my studio right now for inspiration. And I made the "quilty" star below for a sweet friend who is a quilt-lover just like I am!

As always, my blog is a work in progress (like I am!). I'd be honored if you'd like to follow along with me on my art journey. If you'd like to receive email updates about my new blog entries, there's a little form at the top where you can do that. And as always, I'd LOVE to hear from YOU! :)

Blessings & Happy Creating!!

Patti

Keeping Christmas Simple At Our House...

We're keeping things simple this year at our house for Christmas...

A large green wreath with a big red bow welcomes visitors to our home. The artificial tree we bought years ago when Ben & Jesse were little has been 'fluffed' and decorated with lights & shiny Christmas balls & years of accumulated ornaments.... Makes me smile every time I walk by! 'Handprint ornaments' we made in Jesse's kindergarten class are hanging in the kitchen windows above the sink. And the 'folk art' nativity scene I love has a place of honor on the piano in the dining room. Last of all, a gorgeous pointsetta I bought at the grocery store sits in the middle of our dining room table. Instead of the pre-holiday frenzy I often dread, in our home,

All is calm, All is bright.

2016 has been a very challenging year for me (more on that another time...). But as it closes, I'm grateful for the growth and the lessons the year has held for me. God is indeed faithful and kind and good.

Wishing You A 

Very Blessed Christmas

And A

Happy New Year!! 

Waiting For Spring

"Waiting For Spring"

We got the call one evening last February... Mom was in the hospital again and things weren't looking good. My husband & I immediately went into emergency mode, packing clothes, food, and doggie needs, gathering up hats, gloves, scarves and winter coats, getting ready to travel first thing the next day. We were on auto-pilot...

Once we'd arrived, the waiting began... At that point I realized I had forgotten to bring any art supplies along with me. I was surprised that, during this period of stress & uncertainty, I really wanted to quietly sketch and then color what I had created.

So... my husband took me to Walmart, and I bought a child-sized box of Crayola colored pencils. I started with one quilt block, and then another, not having a plan in mind, just designing one thing & then the next. I chose the Crayola colors that looked most like Spring to me, that felt most like hope. And then I filled the waiting hours with quiet prayer & happy colors. They soothed my soul.

Thank you, Lord, that you met me in my time of anxiety in a way that I could understand... through the quietness of sketching, through the hopefulness of color, through the power of answered prayer.

An Unexpected Snow Holiday

"Snowbound" ACEO

Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina where I live, we don't often get major winter snow storms... but last week, Winter Storm Jonas paid us a visit, leaving behind more sleet than snow. My husband & I were thankful that our power stayed on and that we had plenty of food in the house. After checking to be sure that our parents & grown kids were safe & warm, we settled in 'til the snow melted. And so, being the introverts that we both are, we each dove into the books we'd been wanting to read & the creative projects around the house we'd been waiting to do... loving this unexpected Snow Holiday in our quiet home.