Excuses for NOT Blogging...Sunday, June 28, 2015

I read this week that bloggers SHOULD blog at least twice a week...I agree...

I have had a HARD time getting motivated to do this because it FRUSTRATES me to no end at how long it takes me to do a post because of my SLOW dial-up internet...I find myself SCREAMING at God, BEGGING HIM to SOMEHOW make a way for me to find an AFFORDABLE solution...

Then I feel guilty for getting mad at GOD because it 

CERTAINLY is not HIS FAULT!!!

Designed by Sharon Bond, painted by me...

 I have found myself AFRAID to post because of the fear of SAYING my OPINION on recent events...

I believe that as a Christian, it is my responsibility to spread LOVE and not to incite people into expressing opinions that are FILLED with negativity and hatred.  I have no problem with people who disagree with me, but I DO have a problem with HOW belittled that many people make others feel for DARING to step out and to state their beliefs.

I also believe that we should NOT be posting in Anger...

I have learned on FB, that if you want to get people going, THEN simply post a NEGATIVE comment and watch the comments add up...I have fallen for this too many times to count...

I MAY/May NOT agree with laws that have been passed this week, it really doesn't matter that YOU know how I feel, but I DO CLAIM God's warning that we are to Give unto Caesar what is due him and unto God what is due HIM...

I am PROUD to be an AMERICAN...I do my best to live my life THANKFULLY for every person who has made a sacrifice for MY FREEDOM and I will live my life to TREAT others with the HONOR of these men and women who stand BEHIND the AMERICAN FLAG, along with other countries, doing their BEST to make sure that ALL people, throughout the world, have BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS!!  

I MAY hate a sin, but I MUST love a sinner...

I will do my best to LOVE all people and

 treat them with RESPECT

 and I EXPECT the same.

A painting with Friends Pattern by Sharon Bond adjusted to fit the surface I have...I LOVED painting this!

 I ALSO thought I would post a warm and fuzzy post about my Daddy on Father's Day, but after reading all the posts, all I could do was to CRY, so I simply went and laid down and composed myself and then, I painted the "SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY" piece pictured above, designed by Sharon Bond/PWF,  to send to my friend in Germany, who has asked to buy one...I painted it in Memory of my SILLY, SWEET DADDY, who was so loved...

This is my FIRST design that was published...HAPPY DANCE

I thought I would SHARE how Daddy pronounced the words "FROG" and "LOG" and how many times Mother and I had laughed at him~~these two words rhymed when he said them, and he said them so that they rhymed with BLOG...He would just stick his little tongue out, ever so slightly at me...

Strangely enough, Daddy did NOT say WARSH, but he did "RENCH" out things and it would go down the "DREEN"....oh my sweet Daddy...

Sticking out his tongue was ALSO what Daddy would do when he would collect the Tithes and Offerings at our home church...When he would bring the offering plates forward, during the prayer, I would look at him from the choir, and he at me, and we would stick our tongues out at each other and GRIN...I couldn't sing in the choir for the LONGEST TIME after he died, but I kept playing the piano...

THEN there was the Sunday several months after Daddy died, that I stuck my tongue out at my friend in the congregation, and she returned the gesture ONLY to be caught by the PASTOR...you gotta be CAREFUL when you do this stuff, folks!!  It takes SKILLS...

My Second design that was published...so blessed...

Another blog thought I had was to share ONE of the reasons I paint so many frogs...

Mother LOVED to tell the joke of the BIG MOUTH FROG who went throughout the zoo after she had her first little babies...She would hop up to each animal and ask loudly and with her mouth opening VERY WIDE, "WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR BABIES"....She asked the monkey, the snake, the cockatoo, and would end the conversation with "THANK YOU VERY MUCH."   THEN she asked the alligator: "Mother Alligator, WHAT do YOU FEED your babies"...The grumpy old alligator said, "BIG MOUTH FROGS"... Mrs. Frog said, very quietly, and through her teeth, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH"

Mother started getting FROGS as gifts, especially from her sweet Roberta, whose Parents were missionaries to Japan...

That is ONE of the reasons that I paint so many frogs, and it goes without saying, it is also a reminder to Fully Rely On God...

I NEVER want to forget all that my parents did for me and I want to remind people that the LOVE and SUPPORT of my Parents runs through EVERY stroke of my paintbrush...

I am GRATEFUL for the GIFT of Painting!!

HONOR your FATHER and your MOTHER...even their memories!

I am doing my best to make them PROUD!  We had the best family...we were taught GOD, FAMILY and COUNTRY...I will continue to do my best to LIVE what they taught me and to REMEMBER WHO I AM and WHOSE I am...I will ALSO try to do better about Blogging....Blessings to YOU...~charlotte

Oh, I DID start adding my Painting Patterns to the 

TOP of my blog and linking them to my etsy shop!!  

SO I HAVE gotten something done!  ROFL...

AND

IF you have NOT ordered you Subscription to

PAINTING EZINE (CLICK HERE)

The NEXT issue comes out on July 1st...

It is called: Come Sail Away

I have a PROJECT in there!  =)

Barbadora's Bunnies...Monday, April 6, 2015

I cut the wood from 3/4 inch Pine...Oh how I am sure it frustrated Daddy to explain that 1 inch wood was NOT one inch...WHY???

FIRST of all, I want to apologize for misspelling Lynn's last name in the pictures...I KNOW better and I am TOO lazy to redo the pictures...sowwy, Lynn, BUT for some reason, I BET I am not the FIRST one to misspell it, says the girl whose first name has been SLAUGHTERED so many times that I have lost count! I don't think my Aunt Polly EVER learned how to spell my name...sigh...I am just NAUGHTY...

NOW on to the FUN PART...

Now, I am feeling guilty since I didn't want to re-edit my pictures BECAUSE I shared with you how GENEROUS Lynn was in sending me a box FULL of goodies!!

In this box were 3 of her patterns and I could NOT wait to get them cut and painted...SO I did!!

JUST BECAUSE Easter is over, the BUNNY SEASON continues!

This is one of my favorite techniques for making something look Primitive...using candle wax between the layers!

 I am so lucky that I can cut my own wood...It wasn't something that I ever planned to do, because I am TERRIFIED of loud noises...

When I was small, my parents took me and the middle child to be on the BOZO show...I was chosen for a game and IF tapes exist, it would WIN America's Funniest Videos (really...am I the ONLY one who thinks that FEW of those Videos are FUNNY...guess they haven't seen a life lived like mine...)

The game was the one where you tie a balloon on a string around your ankle and try to be the LAST one remaining without their balloon popped...GOSH, there could NOT have been a more nightmarish game for me to be chosen to participate!  I can still remember standing with my fingers in my ears, with LITTLE interest in trying to pop ANYONE's balloon...

I was ALSO afraid that Romper Room would call MY NAME at the end of the show...COULD I have ISSUES for some reason???!!!

Oh, Well...Daddy had always cut my wood for me and when he got sick, I had orders for some hearts and I made an attempt to cut them with the band saw...LORD HAVE MERCY ON MY SOUL...I was a NATURAL at pulling that blade RIGHT off track and I was SO GIFTED with not being able to put it back on...ugh!!!!

When Daddy died, I became very good at using a jigsaw...You would be amazed at the small stuff I could figure out how to cut with that thing!!  BUT, I also faced the reality that I would not be able to do what I had always done, so I thought I would just give up painting...it made me sad, but I was sad anyway...

The Christmas after Daddy died, Mother gave me some money and I really didn't KNOW what I was going to buy with it.  I had gone into Lowe's and was looking for something, SO I just wandered over to the power tools, a habit from being a Daddy's girl and I found a scroll saw that was one sale for an AMAZING price...the AMOUNT Mother gave me would COVER it.  I found a man who worked with tools and at the store asked him several questions and he was so kind and helpful.  I decided that I WOULD take it and he went to find one ONLY to discover they had no more, SO I asked IF he would sell the display at a DISCOUNT to me...He found the manager and I went home with a NEW Scroll Saw!!  It took a little bit for me to get up the nerve to try it, but slowly, with time, I learned how to use it and I am SO THANKFUL...I STILL use the CUT and PRAY method because when that blade breaks, I LAUGH at ME for being afraid (another possible video moment)

Isn't this the most lovely scene?  It has most of MY favorite things all in this one little painting!

 Sometimes we NEED to be pushed out of our comfort zones to FIND what we are CAPABLE of doing...NO, we don't like it, but OFTEN we surprise ourselves!

I LOVE that the tag was painted onto the design instead of being added...I used some antique buttons to add to the penny's

 I am SO THANKFUL for the people that have been placed into my life.  I have learned so much from being in their circle of friendship...NO, I will PROBABLY never meet most of them, but they are TRUE Friends!

I have learned techniques and have embraced the different style of painting that exist!  Very few days pass that I am not in awe of the talent of my friends...

I SURE HOPE they all know that I appreciate them...

This is the finished SPRING THYME IS HARE....

Click HERE to buy this pattern as an INSTANT DOWNLOAD.

Click HERE to go to Lynn's Etsy shop for ALL of her patterns

OR 

Click HERE to go visit Lynn's Blog...it is one of the BEST that I have seen!

This is a BIG BOY!!  I painted him with 

Chalky Finish Paint by DecoArt (of course)

Click HERE to purchase the PATTERN for Sir Hopsalot!!  He is so easy and FUN!!

The PATTERN for Mr. Bobtail can be purchased by clicking HERE

Thank you, LYNN...I HOPE you know how special these gifts were to me and how they helped to INSPIRE me to be creative...

ALWAYS take time to do SOMETHING that YOU LOVE...We have been given our gifts for a REASON...GOD KNEW the importance of resting and being refreshed...He did NOT create us to work around the clock...

Thank YOU for stopping by my little corner of the world...YOU are LOVED and appreciated and I am THANKFUL that you took just a few minutes to spend with silly ole me...

...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte