Open House at Bloom

The entrance to the shop where the girls

draped sheet music. So pretty! Two of these

columns are still for sale.

Primitive tabletop writing desk. SOLD

I love this great vintage wine tasting table. So handy

for a small area like a wine cellar or grotto...but open

up the leaves, it is HUGE. Hey, that is a nice cabinet

overhead for a flatscreen TV.

This display has my new Schnadig marble

topped chest and my French plate rack with

chalkware Cherub top. Cute antique phone.

Whose is that?

Love the way they displayed the stuff on my

primitive metal corner shelf.

Primitive blue table with drawer.

This table used to be red and white, but I painted it a pretty French grey.

It has a marble top and fabulous hardware and bottom shelf. Love the statue.

Would make a great kitchen piece, or bedside table that could double as writing desk.

European bar cabinet with inlaid wood.

Has upper cabinet with pullout shelf and lower cabinet with drawers in between.

So much storage.

Here it is with upper doors open. It is mirrored

and lights up when the doors open. So pretty with

barware that sparkles in the light and mirror.

Freight dolly under cute settee. If somebody

does not buy this dolly soon, I'm going to have

to make a huge cushion and use as an ottoman!

Antique church railing from Belgium. Would

make a great king size headboard, wouldn't it?

I painted this desk black and embellished it with a

little gold paint, a technique that proves to be one of my favorite finishes! Love those botanical prints over it!

Christmas on the Avenues

This Saturday, December 12, 2009, Downtown Waco will be celebrating Christmas on the Avenues and many shops will be open late. Some of my art and art jewelry will be on display at Bloom and Bee Swanky which will be open until 8:00 p.m.  Amy is having refreshments and live entertainment!  Carriage rides will be available for travel between participating shops.  What fun!

Sweater Stocking

I made this Christmas stocking out of an old felted sweater and added upholstery fabric so it would keep its shape better.  The back is leopard and it is 32" tall.  The top of my fireplace mantle is 6' off  the floor so you can tell how big it is.  Fill 'er up, please!  P.S.  You can see a little bit of my favorite Bible Scripture I painted on my mantle, John 20:27.  I painted it to look somewhat like it was "carved" in the cast stone.

I received my gift-Fairy Wishes!!!!

Wow, I was so excited yesterday when I came home and there was a package waiting for me.  It was from Charlene Gray of myheartsease.blog.  She had posted on her blog that I had won a giveaway for being her 100th follower.  This little "Fairy Wishes" is so cute and the color palette is mine.   I know she made it-I've seen her blog and know she is very talented.  I can't wait to meet her in person and give her a big hug!  

Somebody save me!

Please somebody save me from keeping this fabulous French armoire! I want it....but where oh where would I put it? See at Bloom and Bee Swanky.

Storage!

Love this antique spool cabinet. Once again, Hubby had to rebuild!

A Whiter Shade of Grey

Another project for Open House at Bloom and Bee Swanky. This is French triple dresser/chest before and after. Hubby had to rebuild before I repainted. A very very pale grey/white.

White Elephant

So busy getting ready for Bloom and Bee Swanky's Holiday Open House. For details see www.beeswanky.blogspot.com. One of my projects was this old earthenware elephant table. I just love it now that it is all white! Can't wait to see it in place in the shop. I'll post photos later this week of the shop after it is all dressed and ready!

Ode to a Boston Terrier

Recently painted this large painting modeled after our Boston Terrier, Bulgier. He's been gone 10 years now and we still miss him. The painting does not lie, his eyes went in the opposite direction. But he had such soul. You Boston Terriers lovers out there know what I'm saying.

White pumpkins!

Decided to keep the white palette, so I made white pumpkins for my table.

Somebody stop me!

As you can see, I REALLY do like this new paint color I found...soft, soft, grey. The tall cabinet on the left is another example if my painted "faux" enamel tags. The top of the chair I just painted shows at the bottom of the photo.

To upholster or not to upholster

I purchased these chairs with the plan to reupholster someday. The fabric was in good shape...I just wasn't crazy about it. The other day I had this idea that I would try to paint first. Now I think I really do like the fabric. The paint seems to really compliment it. I especially like the way the paint brings out the carvings. What do you think?

St. Francis Retablo

All my santos and most of my nichos have sold at Bloom and Bee Swanky. Since I love animals, I painted this 8 x 10 retablo of St. Francis, patron saint of animals.

Freebie - Candy Bar Wrappers

I found this and wanted to share: Candy Bar Wrappers from a blog I love called Creature Comforts. Fun for a shower or party or someone detail-obsessed.

Chalkboards...to do or not to do lists.

I've painted many chalkboards and put them in vintage frames to sell at Bloom and Bee Swanky. All sizes, all kinds of frames. And I keep one in my kitchen. It usually had an extensive to do list on it. Every time I would look at it, I would get tired...too, too, too many to dos. So I cleared it of all the to dos and put on one of my favorite songs. I may forget to be somewhere, but now every time I look at the chalkboard, I am uplifted!

A little blue transferware

I love the look of a little blue transferware on a shelf made from antique ceiling tin moulding. Asiatic pheasant platter on the left is available at Bloom and Bee Swanky. The one on the right is sold.

Apothecary with Faux Enamel Tags

I love the look of apothecary cabinets and French enamel tags. I couldn't find the tags so I just painted them on and then added an epoxy over them for dimension. They feel real and if you don't get too close, they look real. And who doesn't need that little extra storage provided by a little cabinet?

Noo Cow on old canvas

This painting is big.  I found an old canvas that had not been used and painted this cow.   But I did paint a cow kinda like her on a scrabble piece too.  Although the second photo is not the best, can you find her in this bust display of scrabble pieces I did?  The big cow and the scrabble pieces are all hangin' out at Bloom and Bee Swanky.

Handpainted scrabble piece - red bird with curly tail

I like to paint all kinds of things.  This is actually a bird I painted on a scrabble tile.  And yes it is very difficult to paint on something this small.  I make pendants out of scrabble tiles and dominoes, but this one is in a very small ornate frame.  Fun!  See many of my pieces at Bloom and Bee Swanky.  

Sweater Gator

My new grandbaby, Caroline Claire, was born July 9th.  Just before she was born, my daughter and I made this gator from old sweaters.  We were really happy with it!  I even put a hoodie on it!

Beehive lampshade

I made a lampshade-looks sorta like a beehive---see at Bloom and Bee Swanky.

I never tire of transferware.

Houston Buying Trip

Here are some treasures I picked up last week in Houston.  Can't wait to get them to the shop!

Collage "Embrace Life"

Some friends and I did collages yesterday at Susan's wonderful home.   Here's mine.  I call it "Embrace Life."  It has a lot of stuff on it.  And it is very dimensional.  Sometimes I go for simple....and sometimes I don't. 

Hydrangeas!

OK, those who know me know my favorite flowers are hydrangeas.  I do a lot with dried ones but cannot grow them.  So my daughter painted a vase and I filled it with painted hydrangeas...and no watering for these!

I painted an old metal cake cover for a new look.

Dive in!

I have been enjoying many blogs (they seem to grow exponentially) the past month or so and have decided that I shall attempt to join in this community.  We'll see if I can make a valuable contribution. It does appear that I suffer from the addiction of collecting and junking.  Now I have CLUSTRES of all kinds of things. Why oh why did I start this so many years ago?  It began with dishes.  Oh yeah, this is why.  Pretty.  Homer Laughlin Virginia Rose egg cup.