Time's Fun when You're Having Flies

 

I went to an estate sale and found a few garden frogs to color. The only thing I like better than frogs are mushrooms, but I also spied some garden birds. The whole lot cost me $5 and I've just finished the first five of the ten frogs I found.

The first frog I painted and named George. I placed him under a trio of very large mushrooms growing in my neighbor's yard across the street. He's catching some shade in the summer's heat today. He is only 3 inches high, but mercy, look at the size of those mushroom caps!! If they were edible, they would have been in my frying pan and eaten already...

I painted another four frogs and placed them on the steps of my front deck. Arranging them from top to bottom, they seem to be looking and moving toward the front lawn. The next frogs I paint I plan to place them across the ramp that runs the width of my house, up against the deck. The ramp is no longer in use so I'm putting a caution tape across the ramp (temporari;y). I also bought a brass garden sign that warns visitors that the area is a "frogs crossing area" that you can see between the deck and the ramp. I have more frogs to color, which will end up  in the small garden surrounding the lamp post across the yard.

I used acrylic paints; Posca paint markers for the detailed work. Next up will be the birds, but first I've got a big garage sale for which I've been decluttering. I need to price all the craft supplies I'm letting go of (and whatever else I toss into the for sale pile) in just 2 weeks---YIKES!!'

Un-Forgetable Frogs

 

Hello, crafters! Today I feature a couple of deck decor items. Whenever I see a lonely frog figure in a thrift store, I often buy it to paint or alter it and put it somewhere in my garden, yard or on my deck. These two fearless friends are standing on front my deck, although I took their photo while still in the house. I used one of my paintings on wood as a background. 

I inherited both of them from my neighbor across the street, with whom we became fast friends. Unfortunately, she passed away and her daughter offered them to me as she cleaned out her mom's house. I gladly accepted them as a remembrance of Sharon. She had an artists' eye.

When I got them, they were not painted at all, For my little amphibian, I sponge-painted his body with a couple of greens and a little gold for texture. I gave him black arms, legs and head while keeping his eyes a shimmery green.

As for my garden-loving frog, I painted her a bright green and gave her facial features. Her watering can was black so I gave it a rusted, coppery look. I was going to use hot glue to give the illusion of water trickling from the can's spout, but decided against it. The base on which she stands is almost the same color as my front deck so it blends in with the stair step she's on...

Challenges I am Entering:

  

On the 21st Day of Christmas Crafting...

 Good morning, crafters! Today I added some new holiday decorations to my front deck. I have a ramp that extends from one end of the front of ,my house to the other, ,and this is where I put my string of Christmas lights and my new candy cane hearts.

 I made three of these large hearts using Dollar Tree candy canes and good old-fashioned hot glue. They are hanging from the posts between those that have thicker red & white candy canes attached. I added a small accent to each cane: a  sprig of pine, a red bow and a poinsettia.

At first I was going to join several "hearts" that I put together to create a huge wreath, but I was short on canes AND room to hang it!! I had enough problems hanging my crystal 8"snowflakes off the gutter as hubby had put leaf guards on all the gutters before he passed. Nothing worked to hang my lights so 

 I bought some industrial-strength Velcro and attached the strings of lights to the window frames on the deck. They won't be coming off come snow or high winds (hopefully I can bring them down before Spring).

I'm so glad I did most of my holiday outdoor decorating last week! The temps went from a balmy 50s to a frigid 20s!! Ho, ho, ho, Chicagoland!

On the 19th Day of Christmas Crafting...

 

I have been storing a pair of metal art pieces I picked up from a garage sale a few years back. I decided this was the year I would transform it into holiday decor. I spray painted my base layer white, and it needed three coats! Then I brought out my Posca pain markers to decide on a pattern. Once I liked my pattern, I went back over the markers with acrylic paints. Each swirl is raised, so I had to refine the edges on each circle several times. I was finally satisfied after three days worth of tedious correcting with a very thin paint brush.

Once the paint was dry, I used Liquid Gloss Sealant so that I could hang the set outside. I've been upcycling metal artwork since COVID, and I really like it. I have a deck in the back, as well as in  front, and I enjoy changing out  the look of them with each season. 

Whimsical Muse at Work

I love finding metal artwork at the thrift stores. I don't really care about the color scheme...I just want to bring it home and paint it myself! The decor above is 3'x3' and was painted black, olive and red?! That had to change, so it came home with me that day.

I spent a couple days sanding then giving it a nice clean base coat. Then I took out my brushes and acrylics and started with the sunflowers. I eventually added other colors and started filling in backgrounds. It reminds me of the Disney animated movie "Alice in Wonderland". After sealing it with pouring gloss varnish, I hung it on the back wall of my deck. My deck is slowing coming to life, with fake potted plants in the corners, new cushions for the chairs, a newly-painted metal table and other artwork. I just need a day where the temperature is under 90 degrees so I can sit and relax and sip my iced tea and read a cozy mystery...

Challenges I am Entering:

Through the Purple Haze - Anything Goes

My Time to Craft - Summer Florals

Ellibelle's Corner -(I Spy w/my Little Eye) Something Blooming Lovely

Sisterhood of Crafters - In the Garden

Things are Starting to Bloom

 

Spring may be on the calendar, but Winter refuses to let go! There's a chance for snow in the forecast for tomorrow night!! Meanwhile, I've started to create new deck decor out of a few metal pieces I found last year. This is one way I can declutter my garage while keeping my hand in creating new art.

I also have a few frames in the garage that need to be filled and hung on my house walls, which will have to wait until I paint or print what I want to frame. But back to my floral metal work. It was a dull unstained metal structure. Even the flowers had no color to them. At first I was thinking of my front deck and different shades of blues, but that deck is going in a different direction, and my back deck is looking bare. So I used a few bright Spring colors of acrylic paints for my flowers after spray painting the branches white.

My deck opens with French doors from my bedroom, a zoning concession made for my wheelchair-bound husband. It is also much bigger than the limits the city usually has. The VA rehabbed the house, requiring two accessible for motorized wheelchairs. The four front steps and landing were covered by the deck and ramp. I didn't want the contractor to mess with the backdoor as its door also led to the basement, so I suggested a deck with the French doors. 

The handicapped access part of the deck was a Lift with a dedicated electrical box. We also had stairs from the deck to the backyard. Sadly, my husband didn't get to enjoy the deck for very long, but when he sat out in the sun, he enjoyed every minute! 

Gearing Up for Spring

 I have a bone to pick with that groundhog! He said we can expect a mild winter. Yes, it has been mild...until last night!! I spent yesterday wearing a light hoodie outside while running errands and walking my dog. This morning I wake up to SNOW!! I had to dig out my icy melt and throw it on a couple icy patches of sidewalk! It's cold out there. I heard we got 2 inches; not a lot, just enough to remind us that it is still February and the groundhog is not always accurate...

Meanwhile, my crafting mind hsas already turned to Spring projects. I pulled out a rusty metal wall decor from my garage yesterday (pre-snow). I had bought it sometime last year and forgot about it until now. I had to sand it, using WD-40, and clean it well, before applying gesso and paint to it. My front porch is painted blue, and the railings are white. So that's the colors I chose for this project.

I used spray paint as a base, then went over areas of the leaves with acrylic paint in a few shades of blue for some depth. After I got the effect I wanted, I sealed it with gloss varnish so it can weather the weather. It looks great on my back door right now, and as soon as it warms up a little, I'll place it on the front of my house.

Oh, forgot to mention the wire butterfly I added to my decor. I actually used gloss varnish on it as well in hopes of making it last long into the Spring and Summer. Have fun crafting, peeps, and don't trust that groundhog!!

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 13 - Spooky Sunflowers

Today's make is deck decor. I spook-cycled my deck planter into a frightful floral decoration. The skulls glow in the dark! 

I only used craft supplies that I already had on hand. These include glow-in-the-dark paint spray, large faux sunflowers, my trusty glue gun and the vase formerly holding beautiful red tropical cannas. The skulls were left over from previous Halloweens projects. I can't wait to see them glow this evening!

Did you know that the sunflower is the official symbol for ALS? I didn't know that fact until my husband was diagnosed with the disease. Two out of every 3 people diagnosed with ALS, which has no cure< are veterans. Both my husband and I are veterans. My daughter got a tattoo of a sunflower in memory of her father. Every May is ALS Awareness Day.

On a lighter note, according to Google, sunflowers symbolize unwavering faith and constant orientation to the sunlight. It originated in the Americas, has been known to grow up to 30 feet tall, and its seeds are edible. I had one growing at the edge of my backyard, but I cut the flower off before the seeds were ready. Next year I will be more patient...

CHALLENGES I AM ENTERING:

Alphabet Challenges - N is for NATURE

365 Days of Halloween & Christmas - Most magical anything goes for Halloween/Christmas

My Time to Craft - In the Garden

31 Days of All Hallow's Eve - Day 10 - Pumpkin Fever

 

Been busy today, mostly waiting for paint to dry! LOL Today's project is another piece of deck decor, thanks to the Dollar Store. Last year I had bought a handful of Styrofoam pumpkins and packed them away. 

So I pulled them out and painted four of them. At first I was going to adhere each to the posts on my front porch, but decided to create one large decoration for Halloween. 

After painting on a coat of white gesso, I gave each pumpkin its own spooky character. I gave the first pumpkin lowlights by painting the cracks in the pumpkin a darker color, then wiping the excess paint off. The I drew on eyes and a mouth.

The pumpkin sitting on top of him I kept white and drew on a ghost face. On top of her is my black cat and sitting on the cat is the witch. She had to be on the top because she wouldn't give u wearing her hat. I made her hair out of some cording I had bought on clearance and stuffed into my craft bin. 

In fact, I bought nothing this year for my Halloween crafting! I've been on a decluttering binge for months now, only replenishing my adhesives and paints. Anyway, I hot glued my pumpkins on top of each other and placed them in a wooden planter that has seen better days. I put a few bricks in the bottom of the planter to keep it from falling over. I finished my Halloween totem pole by stuffing some greenery around the top.

Even with all that glue, my pumpkins look like they're about to tumble. No worries, though, they're professionals...

Challenges I am Entering:

Mirtillamente Challenges - Anything Halloween

Morgans Art World - Anything Goes

Four Seasons Challenges - Anything FALL Goes

One Last Deck Decor Item

 

I think I'm finished decorating the "new" deck. My last contribution to it is this large metal vase. I had painted it in aqua/teal colors to match the former deck. Today I spray painted the whole vase. When it was dry, I used a stencil to help me paint a tree in gold acrylic paint. I also painted a band of gold at the neck of the vase. All I had to do to finish it off was find flowers to fill the vase, which I had in my garage.

Speaking of garages, mine and my daughter's cars have centimeters on each side when parked inside the garage. The garage is loaded with bins, furniture and tools from my my mom's and gram's houses. I'm storing these things mostly for my sister, who can't decide what she wants to keep and what she's willing to give away. I'm trying to clean my garage out, but it's a very slow process. I am overwhelmed with STUFF, some of it not my own. Anyone have any ideas to pull me out of my hoarder's dilemma?

Back from an Alternate Universe

At my most recent trip to a thrift store, I was lucky enough to come on a Monday, when the whole store is 50% off. I found two flat-backed vases (urns?) and paid $7 for the pair! They are ceramic and heavy and the perfect size for my newly-sealed and painted front deck. Perfect in size but not the right colors!

So I pulled out my spray paint and acrylics and colored each a creamy white. I even spray painted the cording and beads on each side and bottom. I left the cording near the top opening gold.

When I bought the vases, they each had some old, moldy fake flowers on their fronts. I decided against adding new ones, since I would be filling each with faux flowers. And here are the finished deck decor standing on each side of my front door!

Note the mailbox and address plaque. I had painted them both, along with the light post (not pictured), to coordinate with the deck before the new blue sealer/paint. So I took them off the siding and painted them as well.