AUTUMN DOODLES

All great achievements require time...Maya Angelou

...hello there...

...today I'd like to share with you a little doodle heart using Annie Sloan tester pots...these pots are awesome for size, they come in a plastic bottle in which you can see the contents and have a perfect sized easy screw lid...

...well, Autumn is well and truly in full swing and there are not many leaves left on the trees...instead there are piles of colour coating our paths...

...the colours chosen here are English Yellow - Arles - Antibes Green...

...I have used a high grade multi-use paper...

...once the paint had dried I added more leaves using a fine pitt marker...

...I took inspiration for this little art project from the amazingly talented Junelle Jacobsen, you can find her here where she shares a fun video project...

...till next time...

MelXO

LEAF DOODLES

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.
- Maya Angelou - 

...hello everyone...
...today I wanted to share with you some leaf doodling...

...the fun part was the going out and foraging, with so many amazing colours to collect, Mother Nature had it all wrapped up!...

...sakura pens come in an amazing variety of colours, some fluorescent and zingy and some pearlised and all adhere wonderfully well to the leaves without any problem...

...I found it incredibly therapeutic and highly addictive and little Emmie was lost in concentration too, she loved the whole idea of collecting your art materials and then creating whatever you wanted, although that said, she is fascinated by the mandala's...

...red and white, always a show stopper...

...the leaf collectors in the glorious late afternoon Autumn sunshine, so nice to be outside and collecting free material in which to create with...

...till next time...

Mel XO

PUMPKIN PAINTING

“All great achievements require time.”
- Maya Angelou -

...hello there...

...some after school creating & crafting in readiness for Halloween...

...Emmie loves to paint, draw, and create and everything in between...
...I have found tester pots are perfect for the little ones, here we have a range of colours by Deco-Art  chalky finish paints and also Annie Sloan chalk paints both products are perfect for adhering straight onto the pumpkins without any under prep layers...

...ahhh that look of concentration...

...fantastic range of colours...

...Emmie is using the detail brush set from Annie Sloan...

...using DecoArts People Paint Pens to draw the skull outline are perfect for little hands...

...almost there...

...add some twinkle lights and lashings of glitter and we are ready...

...this is supposed to be me lol...loving the dodgy lipstick!...

...hello kitty...

...a bit a decoupage thrown in too...

...the dining table is Halloween ready...

...Emmie who has recently turned six certainly has a flair for detail and I love watching her creative talents grow...

...thanks for dropping by, till next time...

Mel XO

MIRROR MIRROR

...faith is the evidence of things unseen...Maya Angelou

...this beautiful old Irish heirloom mirror was in a real sorry state and the owner said it had actually been gnawed away in places by rats!...

...three colours of Annie Sloan chalk paint were used to breathe new life into this heirloom so it could sit happily alongside its contemporary neighbours for many more years to come..

...Pure - Provence - Graphite...

...lots of lovely layers & details...

...this mirror was a joy to transform...

...it sits well in its new home...

...below are the gnaw marks from the rats...

...I love how a little time and effort can transform a piece for a relatively little cost... 

...till next time...

Mel xo

PLAY IT AGAIN

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud...Maya Angelou

Hello everyone

...today I have a little Chalk Paint makeover to share with you...

...this is an antique heirloom belonging to a friend, a Gilbert Gramophone that has been in the family for years but had sadly sat neglected and had become a home for spiders and their elaborate cobwebs and the lid had deteriorated...

...I have used just three colours of Annie Sloan chalk paint...Old White, Pure and Provence...

...layering and sanding back with fine grade paper...

...lovely detailing on this old Gilbert Gramophone...

...the original knobs have been long gone,so some pretty glass ones add a touch of sparkle...

...the before photos...

...this piece has gone to join the others in a white home makeover, including the beautiful antique heirloom dining table, which had really seen some better days but now sits serenely within it's white surroundings...

...before...

...I only remembered once I had painted the legs that I had not taken a before photo of the table, but a lick of paint has allowed the owner to enjoy her Mother's heirloom on her terms for many years to come...

see you soon

Mel XO