Welcome Winter Whites

When you enter my cottage home, you are greeted by my hand painted white curio cabinet in the entry.

The color is a shade of antique cream and the same
shade I used on the kitchen cabinets when I painted those
last spring.

.

I have loved this piece for 20 years and have filled it in many different ways and with many unique treasures.

Presently, I am so enjoying my pretty whites on display.

 With springtime on the way, it is light, fresh and reflective.

Above the curio, on the wall,

 I display my cross collection and the word faith,

which always stays aglow from the light coming through the window.

Inside are special treasures from family and friends.

Great Grandpa's pocket watch in a white base cloche, still set on the time he passed away.

It will forever be kept at this time.

Behind is a vintage platter along side a pretty white creamer.
I love the tones and different shades of white.

Hand Painted white birds sit atop a vintage white cook book of Miss Gimble's desserts and sweet winter plate just behind.

Small sewing drawer filled with white roses

 on a book box with vintage platter.

Beloved white pitcher and bowl,

hand created by my dear mother in 1980.

Italian made pitcher with a black and white cow.

Love this treasure!

Favorite treasure from a friend.

A reminder of the blessing

of special friends.

Near the bottom is a big eyed owl, Eiffel  tower

and many other sweet treasures.

Thank you for stopping by~

Wishing you a great weekend.

~Be Blessed~

Celestina Marie

XO

Good Fences

Here in Texas a short drive in any direction will surely turn up many fences.

Like this fence on a trip south towards Hill Country.

Looks like a little repair is needed and I'm not sure what is actually being fenced in here.

Maybe it traveled all around the house at one time and was not replaced when it fell down.

Maybe it was a good fence once upon a time!

Love the peaceful charm of this place.

Could this become a painting?

Joining 

Good Fences

Wishing  you Southern DayDreams

Be Blessed

Celestina Marie

Rediscovered Treasures and Home Junkin

Hi Friends~

Hope you enjoyed a nice weekend.

It warmed up here to the upper 60's and was a beautiful couple of days.

I've been going through my stash of goodies

and discovering old treasures still waiting for a redesign.

Like this metal accent table.

It was a yellow sort of color in it's old life before I gave it a coat of 

creamy lace chalk paint.

With a little distress and added aqua stencil,

it has taken on a little beachy sort of look with the shell styled accent on all sides.

It could be perfect along side a chair to place a cup of tea.

Well it was in my etsy shop and found a good home in New Jersey Saturday

so it's on it's way to the east coast!

Then I came across an old crate I've been wanting to paint and got it completed too.

I gave this piece a coat of lace chalk paint except the two sides which got a coat of  light Parisian Grey before the stencil done in charcoal grey.

I lightly sanded over the words to give a time worn look.

To both handled ends,

I did the reverse look with the French stencil design in the grey and the background lace

chalk paint.

It's hard to see in the pics but it has lots of distress all around. 

I wish the grey showed up in the pics, the contrast is really pretty.

Perfect to hold storage in a decorative way.

See the book in the crate?

It's called Rediscovered Treasures

and one of my favorite source of inspiration.

Here's a few pages from the inside.

Written by:

Ellen Dyrop and  Hanna Kristinsdottri

who share their unique style for creating with found treasures

and inspiring displays.

Lovely examples of vintage decor~

Cabinets of treasures and old photos~

Ways to use vintage trays and plates~

Interesting storage and shelving~

Rustic meets gorgeous when displaying this tea pot vignette on an old stool~

A pretty heart hangs on a chair~

Love this!

It's amazing what I'm pulling out of my store room of stash.

The room next to my studio is a store room with lots of shelves to hold goodies after I find them.

You know you got to put the stuff somewhere before you create with it~right?

I'm not fond of clutter sitting around in a mess so this room works perfectly.

Only thing, I put it away so good, I forget what I have.

Do you every do that?

My plan to go junkin the last two weekends didn't work out

but I feel like I still had a good pickin day right in my own storage room

and it got a good cleaning and straightening out too.

Have you rediscovered any treasures at home lately?

Wishing you Southern DayDreams.

Thank you for stopping by.

~Be Blessed~

Celestina Marie

joining

 Monday ~ Make it Pretty Monday

Tuesday~ Roses of Inspiration

Wednesday~ What We Accomplished Wednesday

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Also I want to welcome all new followers.

Several  of you I have tried to visit back 

but your following has no link 

and there is no way to find you without leaving a comment.

Thank you so much for joining and visiting.

XO

Winter Cardinal

When I see a Cardinal, I always think of my grandmother.

She loved these gorgeous red birds too.

In my last post below I shared a few of the birds I've painted over the years. I also shared  a background technique called "Smoked"

It is done to place a shaded smoke look to a background of a painting.

Designed using a burning candle and a real silver spoon.

By holding the spoon over the flame, it will begin to create black smoke.

Then carefully you hold the spoon with one hand and place your project over the smoke as it

swirls up from the flame. With the other hand you hold your project and move it around placing the smoke in areas you want it to go.

Please ignore the big mess of my studio.

See how black the spoon will become?

This should be done with a real silver spoon you no longer want to use.

It will discolor so basically it becomes an artist tool.

Yesterday I painted this Cardinal design from a study in Birds by Nancy Kinny.

I used a light weight catering tray from the dollar store painted with chalk paint in the color called Timeless.

Only this time, I painted my design first, then did the smoking technique.

I was able to place the smoke around the bird and balance out the design

adding more or less here and there.

Seal with a spray matte varnish using

Krylon Matte 1311.

If you brush on the sealer over the smoke it will move or come off on your brush.

1311 dries incredibly fast too.

Sitting on a snowy branch, he looks puffed up and keeping warm.

In this pic you can see I added a bit more smoke.

I sanded all around the tray to give it a distressed time worn look.

This sweet blue bird is another I painted right over a musical graphic paper 

printed on card stock from the Graphics Fairy.

Sorry for the glare of the glass.

It's very hard to get a nice shot with the glass over the painting, but you get the idea.

I placed this one in a distress soft grey frame with a burlap matte.

The musical graphic had an antiqued shaded look in browns and similar to the smoked look

but done in ink right on the vintage graphic.

Since a few commented about the smoked technique, I just wanted to share the process again

and I enjoyed painting this recent Cardinal.

I also want to say thank you for your kind comments on my painted birds in my last post.

I am thankful for the gift of painting 

and the studies I have done ~ and artists I have learned from over the years.

Any little bit of talent I may carry is simply a blessing from God 

given to me to use for my time on earth.

 I always hope to use that gift to pass some joy on to others.

I will always continue to learn my decorative art form and practice as I go.

There is still so much to do, learn and share.

I heard from a customer a few years back who said a tray that she had purchased

from me was for a gift to give her great aunt who was in a nursing home.

It was for her aunt to look at while she lay in bed.

Something for her to enjoy in her last days.

That's what it's all about my friends.

That joy is far greater to me then any price I could place on a painted work.

To God Be the Glory!

Wishing you 

Southern Day Dreams

~Be Blessed~

Celestina Marie

Winter is for the Birds~~

Seems I used this title before in a post or two.

What I really mean is~

this is the time of year I love to paint birds.

Well I love to paint them anytime but more so now.

I am working on a few this week and so enjoying the process.

Here are a few from the past and studies I did with some of my favorite teaching book artists.

Cardinals are a favorite and this one was painted sitting on a snowy branch on a wood star.

 Sorry for the  blurry photo. 

This sweetie is painted on a stone heart coaster that I have poured  and painted.

Another in a spring nest.

 I am  looking forward to painting more of these little darlings.

This little one is painted on an old vintage keepsake box.

This, in flight, Hummingbird, is a favorite study

and the Hibiscus flowers with water droplets were so much fun to paint.

This design is painted on a wood fan box.

This little fellow is currently in my Etsy Shoppe.

Hand Painted on an old vintage dish.

 A Robin in the roses is painted on one side of an old wood magazine holder.

The smokey technique for the background is done using a candle

with a silver spoon.

As you hold the spoon over the flame near the surface, the smoke adheres to the wood 

in a random pattern. You have to be careful not to start a fire!!!

After you have the background the way you want it,

You seal the surface with varnish so it won't rub off.

Then you proceed to paint your design.

The other side of the holder I painted another wonderful study from Nancy Kinny

and one of my favorite birds along with the Cardinal.

Love this Blue Jay sitting on a snowy branch.

I painted this about 15 years ago.

A little closer look at the smoked background.

Yes, winter is for the birds and my paint brushes.

I enjoy so many artsy works while being inside for the winter months.

There is not a  time I did not have a craft or design to work on.

Do you have a favorite art form or craft that you love to work on during the winter months?

Enjoy the day~

Stay warm and be blessed!

Celestina Marie

joining

Monday~The Vintage Alphabet party from Embracing Cottage Style

Tuesday~Roses of Inspirations Link Up Party from The Enchanting Rose

Wednesday~What We Accomplished Wednesday

Winter at Home

Hi Friends!

Do you feel like January is the "in between" month?

The time between Christmas and the countdown to spring?

Perhaps you are already counting the days till spring.

For most, we are already tired of the cold~

 even though it has barely shown it's fury.

As I look out the kitchen window,

 it looks sunny,
but the air is a bitter cold  here in north Texas.

I know many of you are having  below 0 temps
which makes our 16 degrees seem

like a heat wave.

I like to enjoy the cozy time "in between" at home.

The last of the glitter is vacuumed away
and Christmas decor hibernating for another year.

The new year rang in 

and already the first week has come and gone.

I am back to my creative routine filling the shelves in my shop.

Trying to re-spark my creative muse can be a challenge.

The ideas take time to arrive and flow.

In between, it's winter at home!

White views brighten the dark corners.

Vintage treasures inspire many ideas.

Lacey white bring sweet dreams.

and I'll try and catch them as they shadow into my day.

The masters of music

bring a new rhythm

and the little bird sings a new song.

Shimmering snow~ 

 is the title for my new winter throw.

Crocheting  white lace with sparkle is keeping my hands busy,

when the paint brushes finish for the day.

 Yes,  it's snow and ice and everything nice.

It's the "in between"

Winter at Home


Have a special weekend.
Celestina Marie