Vegas, Baby!

Only a few more days until I head to Las Vegas for the Creative Painting Conference! I'm getting excited now...well, I've been excited since I signed up last June...but I had to contain myself for several months while I waited and waited and waited and waited for February to pass and the time to come when we climb in the car and GO! I'm very excited to have several of my painting friends from here going to the conference, too! Two of my friends will fly out and back. The rest of us are convoying over I-70 and I-15. What a hoot! I'm taking 10 classes this year...so I'm taking the week after off of teaching my classes. I figure I'm going to need that week to recuperate and finish up any unfinished projects from Vegas. Plus I must drool over all my new stuff--stuff I really need to add to my stash! You know, new patterns, books, brushes, paints, and surfaces...oh my! LOL I'm taking classes with Willow Wolfe, Della Wetterman, Jamie Mills-Price, Lynne Deptula, Janice Miller and, finally, from Priscilla Hauser! I know that's not 10 but I can't remember all of them at the moment. I'll be painting folk art, roses, snowmen, beach scenes, butterflies...I'm even trying a colored pencil class of a Grizzly bear and her cub! I guess you can probably tell I'm getting more excited by the minute. I'd best get to sleep and get my strength up for Vegas, Baby!
Happy Trails to you...Michele

Merriest of Christmases and Happiest of New Years!

I'd just like to take this opportunity to wish all of you the very Merriest of Christmases and the Happiest of New Years! It's been a long year...challenges, trials, growth, strength building. I'm looking forward to a new year. I'm going to try to do a better job of posting on my blog and including more pictures of projects I've painted. I'm taking a few days off for the holidays--to spend time with my family--then it's back to work painting and getting ready for winter classes. I hope I'll see you there!
Happy trails to you...
Michele

Tole Class Christmas Party

Today was the day Doe (Tole Pig) and I had our combined classes Christmas Party, ornament exchange and 1st annual cookie swap.What fun we had! We had the nicest ladies, good food, lively conversation, beautiful weather--just an all around wonderful day. There were 17 of us celebrating today...sorry some of you couldn't make it. Everyone had a great time...looking forward to a bit of a break and back to classes in mid January. It looks like I may have 4 classes going beginning in January. Yea! More painting friends! I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and the happiest of New Year's...Happy trails to you!

I'm so excited--I just can't fight it!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything here..sorry about that! I am so excited today--I just can't fight it and I had to share with someone. So you all are elected!
I have had the best couple of days lately that I've had in a very long time. I'm the incoming President for our local Tole Chapter: Western Colorado Decorative Artists. I invited the incoming board over to the house Friday for lunch and our first board meeting to discuss the upcoming year and share what I would like to see as our Chapter priorities for the year. What a great group of ladies! We had great conversation before and during lunch...followed by a very positive board meeting. I'm very happy to be serving as President for this group.
On Saturday we had our annual Christmas party during our Chapter meeting. We held an ornament exchange and potluck luncheon followed by a fun afternoon of painting with our friend Tole Pig and a couple of monitors--me and Marcy. We had several new/rusty painters join us for the day and I have to tell you they did such a marvelous job on their projects! Everyone should be proud of their new "hot chocolate" wraps. Cute "Heart Warmer" design by Cindy Mann Vitale.
I talked to two women who want to sign up for classes after the holidays, too!
On top of all that--my husband will be home for Christmas and my son-in-law was just hired to start a new career in January! Congrats to Ryan!!!!!!
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!--Happy Trails to you...

Up and attem...

Well, I'm finally feeling like getting up and around more and more...after some fairly extensive surgery I'm on the mend. I'm finding I'm overdoing it just a little. Somebody please remind me to take it easy! I'm ready to start painting again so I'm thinking that's a good sign. I'm hoping/planning to resume classes the first of November. I'll keep you posted.
In other news, my mother-in-law will be moving to Colorado to an assisted living near our home. This has been a rather sudden decision, albeit a good one I think, and has created some extra duties for me. Let me just say finding a doctor for a 96 year old woman on Medicare is not the easiest thing to do! AND you must have a doctor to say you need to live in assisted living. She's currently in assisted living, but in Texas, so we're trying to find out if we can have that doctor sign her paperwork here in Colorado OR we have to see a doctor here BEFORE she can move in. I understand the need for doctor referral--I mean I wouldn't want anyone trying to shove me off somewhere I didn't want to be--BUT she's ALREADY in assisted living! Oh well, pardon my ranting. I know this will all work out soon. It better, she'll be here a week from today!
Enough of that...time to decorate for Halloween and get some painting done...oh yea, and rest...
Happy Trails until we meet again...

Update on Classes

Exciting news! We have 5 people signed up already for our Tuesday morning class...the Beginner/Refresher Class AND 5 people signed up for the Thursday evening Beginner/Refresher Class! If you're thinking about signing up...please do so soon. I want to be sure there's room for everyone.

BTW~I have a new pricing structure for classes beginning in September. Class fees will be $10/class if paid by the month. If you'd like to drop in for a class or a specific project, the class fee will be $15/class you drop in. For example, if you're not taking classes every week but just have to take the next project...you'll pay $15/class for however long the project lasts.

I am also re-structuring the seminar fees...more on that later.

There are pictures on the blog of the Beginner/Refresher class projects...please take a look and contact me soon!
Until we meet again...
Happy Trails to you,
Michele

Fall Classes

Well, it's time once again to announce the formation of Fall Classes for Tole in the Wall Decorative Arts! Please think seriously about becoming a member of the Tole in the Wall Gang...we have so much fun painting, laughing, laughing, painting, eating cake! I will be offering three classes this fall. Two Beginner/Refresher classes--you get to practice strokes and re-learn and un-learn with 4 beautiful projects; one Advanced Beginner Class--I call this advanced beginner because I have some students who are fairly new to painting and some students who've been painting for a long time and just enjoy coming to class because they like the projects. The first Beginner/Refresher Class is scheduled for Tuesday mornings beginning September 13 and will continue for 12 weeks. The second Beginner/Refresher Class is held on Thursday evenings beginning September 15 and will continue for 13 weeks (because we take off Thanksgiving--I know, go figure). The Advanced Beginner Class is held Tuesday evenings and is an ongoing class. We're taking a few weeks off that class and it will resume September 13. You can email me or contact me through private messaging on my facebook page: http://www.toleinthewall.blogspot.com/ I'd love to have you join us! Until we meet again...
Happy Trails!
Michele