limiting my time

I was spending so much time on the Internet that I wasnt getting things done, especially my painting projects. I decided to limit my time to 1/2 an hour in the morning and 1/2 an hour at night. I do stay on longer 2 days a week for classes,blogging or listing but not too much longer!.
Since I have been limiting my time on the internet I am actually getting some projects done! It feels good to finish something! I am actually enjoying my "creative" time in my craftroom.

I painted this butterfly on a wooden steak platter. Great surface to paint on, very smooth. I didnt have to sand to much before painting. A friend of mine gave the platters to me. She was going to throw them out! They were brand new! I cant wait to paint another one!

ATC and ACEO

OMG!
I learned something new!
I am addicted!

These small artists cards are so much fun. I have been looking at them online for a long time and finally had an "aha" moment and thought "I can do this"!
 It is great because you can do whatever....paint,collage,stamp,polymer clay etc etc or all of it combined!!! Since I like a variety of crafts this is perfect. (Actually it is a great excuse to not get rid of anything because now I might need it!!)
I have the Cricut Ex. so I cut out my own cards,and envelopes. I use water color paper, cardstock,chipboard,cardboard you name it. Some people even use regular playing cards!  The only rule is the size.

I went on google and typed ATC cards.

there are great sites to get you started. Here are a few:

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Artist-Trading-Cards

http://www.altered-art.net/make-artist-trading-cards-2.html

They really are fun. You can trade them ATC or sell them ACEO.
This is my first one, I handpainted this. The second is a combination of handpainting and collage

If you havent tried this you should. So much fun

handpainted Turkeys set of 2

Handpainted resin turkeys, great for the Holiday table decor.

When I saw these I had to get them.

It has been awhile since I painted on resin. I forgot how much fun it was. Start with a basic color, add a different shade and add different colors and the turkeys come "alive".

I know Gobble gobble.... : - )

listed on www.craftnique.etsy.com

and

listed on www.craftnique.artfire.com

Ready to paint!

It seems as soon as Fall arrives I get the "painting bug". More so than any other time of the year! I think it's because I love snowmen, gingerbread, Oh heck~~~ I love the whole Holiday Season!

Getting started takes time,depending on what I am painting. Preparing the surface to get it ready to paint. Make sure I have all the supplies needed.

Then the base coating.

I like to paint more than one item at a time. This way while one is drying I can start on the other. Sometimes I will use a hairdryer on low to speed up the drying time. If I am using oil paint I use matte krylon and spray it on to dry.( Oil paints take a long time to dry even when using the Krylon) . Depending on time~~ sometimes I use both acrylic and oil paints on one project.

Here is a picture of two Nutcrackers that I am painting on a large clothespin. They are in the base coat stage.

Once the base coat is applied and dry I will shade in his face. From there I start to shade and highlight the rest of the nutcracker.

When I add the details my Nutcrackers come to "life".

It is always fun to see the results.

I let them dry completely before I apply Varnish.

Here is a picture of the finished piece.