Lisa Kate Colour Me Happy

It's all in the details

 

I love birthdays.... I don't care whether it's mine (which by the way usually includes a full week of celebrations) or a family members, I just love them, AND I love birthday parties.

Something about celebrating one special person for one day all of their own that to me is just very very special.

Lilli was not going to have a party this year, just a small group of friends for a movie and some popcorn.... and that is really all she had.  But with a few creative idea's, she had a great afternoon that FELT totally like a party (minus the expense!)

Because I was giving them only treat food (yes yes I know, lots of sugar no nutrition) I wanted to make sure it was portion controlled with everything in individual serves.  This to me makes sense on so many levels!!  Firstly everyone receives the same amount of food, no-body misses out on anything, I can control just how much they are going to eat (handy when it is all sugar) and there is not much chance of germs spreading into a whole bowlful of popcorn!!  LOL

I have a heap of photo's to share!!!

I airpopped fresh popcorn added a little salt then popped it into these cute red bags, finished with paper doiley and they almost look too pretty to open.

I found these cute paper cups (they are meant to be for cupcakes, and filled them with sweets.

 MMMMM..... sugary coloured popcorn.  This was super simple.  I already had some self sealing bags (which I use for cards and packaging), I simply put a cup of popcorn in, sealed it shut then popped them all into a basket.

Rather than a big traditional birthday cake, I again decided to keep with the individual serve theme and made a batch of scrummy cupcakes (no not from scratch!  LOL) and then displayed them on this super cute cardboard cupcake holder.  Which cost me about $2.50 from Woolworths - love it!

All displayed togther with a few balloons and some bunting.  I love how it all turned out and the girls LOVED how it all tasted!

It was so much fun to put together i can't wait till the next party.

 

Lisa Kate

my vintage home - camera love

 

Old camera's.... such good things to find and display.  I love that they are usually battered and bruised from use.  I love that they are still sturdy enough for my girls to play with.  I really would love to know the story behind them though!!!

Again, I don't have a big collection at all.... THREE camera's only.  But what would the fun be if you collected something that was easy to find???

 

It's all about the search, the hunt.... and the eventual thrill when you find one.  Yes I know I can simply go to ebay and buy, but really I love searching for them myself.  It means every one has a story how I found it.

I love that.

Lisa Kate

 

What would you make??

You see I have a seriously YUMMY pile of fat quarters here.... that I have had for at least 9 months and were meant to be used to make pretty things for our lounge room.

I just found them while digging for something else.

And feeling very thankful I STILL love them.  I love the graphic prints, and the colours are just so yummy together.

 

So apart from the obvious cushions I will make.... what else????  I have HEAPS of fabric . 

Lisa Kate

 

a little bit vintage

 

It's no secret that I love vintage styling in both clothes and homes.  Even before it was fashionable, you could still find me all happy about an old piece of furniture or a super cute vintage dress.  Nothing has changed.

I live in an 80 year old cottage decorating with vintage and antique items is super easy, as the house really lends itself to this style. Plus it's very forgiving with three children, two dogs and a cat!! 

I thought it might be a bit of fun to share some little pieces I have collected over the years. It's nice to add fun things and a bit more of "me" to this space.

 

 

I love books, always have.  I read a couple of novels a week, usually when I should be sleeping..... so it makes sense than I have a serious love for vintage and antique books.  This collection I display in my home all grouped together.  The common theme of course being RED - my fave colour.

The tattered covers, worn pages and lovely illustrations make this grouping one of my most treasured.  It's not so easy finding red worn antique/vintage books.  Plenty of other colours, but for some reason RED is hard to find.  so my collection is small. That's ok.

By nature these books are fragile.  They have seen many a year of use and the pages are not as strong as the book paper we now have.  Although they are primarily for display purposes I DO let my children handle them, turn the pages and read them if they choose.  I never want to have a home where the things in them are treated with more respect than the people who live in it.  In turn the kids treat them with loving care.  I am really hoping I am teaching the kids the value of history, of things that have been used before and to find beauty in everything around them.

Lisa Kate

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Want to see more of my finds??  and read up some great tips on op-shopping??  Head on over to Etxcetera magazine the first issue is now available on line for FREE and it's filled to the brim with craft/food/home/family inspired articles.

What a week!!

Oh my, what a full and crazy week we have had in this house this week.  Justin is off in the UK for work, currently in Paris... and we are at home wishing we were there!!

It's been such a full week of school, after school activities, a little work at preschool for me (yay I managed my FIRST 6 hour shift since my accident!), my MIL staying with us to keep us company, trips to the gym, craft class at school, a post baby - baby shower, a day of shopping and so much more .... WOW it's gone fast though!!!

I feel a little behind in all my work and am really looking forward to getting a few commissions finished this week, a secret squirrel project finished and a few other things done around the house before Justin gets home!!!

One thing I DO have to share, is the gorgeous canvas I made for my cousins brand new baby.  His name is Harley, and he is just so scrummy and new .... mmmmmmm love that new baby smell!!

anyway I made Harley his very own peice of art.  Becaue I figured he would have a thousand baby suits, and singlets and things.  And because that's just what I wanted to give him.  Something special, just for him.

 

 

 

 

I always get a little nervous having over something handmade for a gift, there is an element of unknown, are they going to love it? or wish you just bought something from Target??  BUT is was received with so much enthusiasm and love, I was really happy!!!

If you would like a similar canvas for a littel boy in yor life, you can now order them through my Etsy Store which you can find HERE They are made to order, which the colours you want and the name you specify.  I can't wait to get started on more boy themed projects.

What things to you want to see for little boys??  or what things can't you find for the little men in your life?

Lisa Kate 

The last bits

Onto the last few steps of the canvas in progress!!!

This step is hard to photograph.  I smeared a few blobs of iridescent medium straight onto the canvas.  You can mix this medium with paint to make it have a lovely sheen and shimmer, I like it just on it's own.  It adds another component and point of interest.

 
You can *kinda* see it here.... and even if you can't you can see the amazing texture you get when using a palette knife :)

 

So at this stage I am totally happy with the background, all gazzillion layers.  And it's time to finish up with images and words.

 

 

Yep, happy with this one!

Hope you have enjoyed the little peak into how I go about making arty messy canvas's.

Lisa Kate

When people say it looks easy ....

I have a little quiet giggle to myself.  Because I have been making painty messes (and really bad ones at that) for years.  Most of them ended up in the bin.

But it was all part of the process, a very long learning process. A process of realising my artistic limitations (ie I am so very bad at drawing!) and my strengths (colour) and somehow making peace with the process.

So it probably does look easy.... but it has been a long time in the making.

That was just for the girls who have emailed me with questions, or shared with me that "you make it look so easy and I just can't do it!"... because at some stage we were all there.  Just have a go, try, try again.  Laugh at the mistakes, and keep moving forward.

There is so many things I want to learn, so many inks, paints and mediums I am yet to try and that is so good to know there is lots and lots of room for movement.

 

Onto the Canvas!!!

In my opinion, one can never have enough RED added... so yep another good helping went down... again with my fingers :)

 
Then a good squirt (enough so it drips down) of Maya Mist in "Buttermilk Cream".  At this stage I blasted it good and well with my heat gun.  Yes the paint will bubble... but I like that.

 

 

Then because I was now in a drippy happy place, out come some more mists, this time in a lovely teal (yeah I know it's a fave) and I gave that a good squirt with water to soften the colour and let it soak in all the bumps and textures..... ohhh, I love texture and drippy mess.

I will leave it there for today.  I really hope you have been inspired to pull out some paints, or a canvas and imagine some good painty fun.

I know you can do it :)

Lisa Kate

Finally the drying time is over

Yipee.... I am the world's worst at being patient while paint is drying.  I use my heat gun, I layer over wet wet wet WET paint, when I know I shouldn't :)  I touch my work just to check and leave finger prints in it.... you get the picture *wink*

So finally all that thick beautiful paint is dry (well as near as I am going to let it) and it's ready to keep going.

 

I *was* adding a brilliant red paint.... and it wasn't meant to smoosh and smear... but like I said, I don't do waiting very well :)  So smoosh and smear it did.  It is also harder to control the smooshing together with a palette knife, the sharp edges just like to drag paint.  So then i decided to go with it, and use my fingers to achieve the look I wanted.

 

 

This time I tried so very hard to wait till it was mostly dry (note the mostly).  No painting, in my humble opinion, should be without a nice dollop of warm white.  Why??  because it makes me happy.  this particular tube was running out, so I just shock and squeezed the silly thing and ended up with random blobs.

 

then I chose a slightly different palette knife, and dragged it gently from top of the canvas to the bottom.

and then, there was a whole heap more time to waste while it all dried.

Can't wait to show you the rest tomorrow!!!

Lisa Kate

Monday - another beginning

That's what is so nice about Mondays.  It's a fresh start, a week to begin again, to make changes and to run with whatever you want.  I like Mondays.

I do find that on Mondays Iam not so productive in my studio... there is mess in the house to sort from all the fun over the weekend, laundry to do, a desk to clear, emails to answer, bills to pay and usually an op shop calling my name. Just stuff that gets in the way of making pretty things.

I am learning to just go with it.  Monday is my day to plan for the week, get those chores done and set some creative goals too.

This week, I am starting another series of post's showing you how i Put together a painty project :)  I love these posts.  Makes me work :) I like that too.

So lets get messy and start.

I really wanted to stretch myself and set certain boundaries this week.  I decided that I was not allowed to use a paintbrush, only a palette knife and my fingers (well I decided on my fingers part way through the project!)

 

A squirt of teal paint is ALWAYS a good way to start.  Don't you think?

Notice all the lines and harsh edges??  that's because I used a palette knife.... if I had of used a brush it would be lovely and smooth.... or if i had have applied the paint THICK I would have also been able to smooth it out.  But this is the first layer, I just wanted a base colour.  So edgy, streaked colour it is.

 
 

Straight into the wet paint I placed book paper.  I always have book paper on my desk.  So it's a given it ends up in most of my paintings and artworks.

 

After a quick blast from my trusty heat gun, a layered a very THICK and generous helping of a gorgeous paint from Matisse Derivan.  It is an impasto paint, so it is gorgeous for texture work.  The colour I have used is Naples Yellow Light

 

Can you see how thick and GOOD this paint is???  the only bad bit is the drying time, you can give it a little help with a heat gun.  But this time I walked away from it, started a different project, and let it dry naturally.

Hope you come back tomorrow to see what's NEXT!!

Lisa Kate

Messy Love

 
My friends who craft with me know all to well how messy I am when I am making things.  Usually if we are away retreating and I have left my desk for a while I come back to a taped line with all my stuff piled in the middle and an order not to cross it.

*funny girls* lucky I love them so very very much.

So it won't surprise them at all how much I love painting.  I love the mess, I love the colours, I love the layers.... I love using my fingers when the paintbrush or palette knife just won't give me the effect I am after. Good messy fun.

That's what I have been doing all weekend.  Making a mess.... making more space, making more mess, cleaning my space, adding more.... finding more room.  and on and on it goes.  Till I am finished, then it all gets washed, sorted tidied, thrown out, and cleared.

I like that part too.  Don't tell my friends that - I like them to beleive I am messy to the core ;)

So here is a few peaks of my messy painty love.

 

 

 

 

Makes my heart all happy just thinking about the mess.

Lisa Kate