Inside My Studio

Hard to believe the holiday season is upon us again. I have been slowly getting into the holiday spirit a little early. I have been thinking about some ideas for my home and examples for my painting parties. I have a few more images I plan on working on for next week.

Have you been thinking about some new ideas for your shop? Do you have any new decorations you are going to use for your home this year?

A Charlie Brown Christmas Decorations

 

 

A few weeks ago my husband told me this year his company was having a Christmas decorating contest. The contest is going select three winners. The prize is going to be three gift cards, with first prize being $300.

 

I suggested one theme, but he said why not a Charlie Brown theme instead, since we already had a Snoopy inflatable. I thought that was a good idea.

 

 

I volunteered to help since I love decorating, and hey why not try to win some money. Since my husband is a techy,  I thought he definitely needed my help. At first I thought of painting some sets myself, but with this crazy busy season, I decided to go an easier route. I started surfing online line for Peanuts decorations. Then it dawned on my why not look for a school store for bulletin board images. It turns out our local Schoolbox store had the theme I saw online. I already had cotton filling, and used it for the snow.  The pack of decorations also had beautiful shimmery snowflakes. My husband suspended them from the ceiling, unfortunately the picture doesn't really show this very well. I added more snowflakes, Snoopy and Woodstock on the windows.

What do you think?

Christmas Decorations

 

 

It is so hard to believe that the holiday season is fast approaching. I am always looking for new ideas for decorations for my home, and great gifts for neighbors. 

 

 

 

 

I have been looking on Etsy and Pinterest for ideas. I have been experimenting with some mason jars for decorations for my own kitchen, so I decided to make some for the holidays as a center piece.

 

 

 

Mason jars are all the rage for shabby chic home décor. It is also a great artsy way to store small items but give it that creative flair to a simple jar. 

 

First I cleaned the jars, then wiped them down with rubbing alcohol to remove any grease.

 

2. I used a craft paint and applied it from top to bottom.

 

 

 

 

3. I added a second coat after the first coat dried. Then I let the jar cure for 24 hours. I actually  added a little white to the paint to mute the green, and a little touch of brown.

 

 

 

 

 

Now that they are all dry I got fine sand paper and began running it across the letters and design. This gives the jars a shabby chic or cottage look. I also sand papered the top of the jar where the lid goes.

You can also use an emery board. 

Here is the finished product. As you can see, I scraped off some areas of the paint to give it that aged look. I will probably make these as gifts to my neighbors or teachers. You can add some cookies or other sweet treat to the jars, or add some silk flowers like I did.