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

Home again!

It is so good to be home! We had a wonderful vacation! My husband is such a sweetie...he planned this whole excursion, including family, without my finding out until the appropriate time. He did this to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. I'm guessing I'll be keeping him around at least a few more years...LOL
Well, it's time to get back to work...have to get ready for Monday's seminar. Happy trails!

Husband finally home!

Well, my husband finally got home today--he's been traveling for work since May 5! I asked him for ID at the door and the dogs almost bit him! LOL Not really...but it was close. It's been a really nice day--spent most of it with my husband--that's what made it nice! The wind was the pits!!!! He'll be home for 4 days then gone for 2 and back just in time for us to go on our vacation celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary! He bought me a cruise--I painted him a picture! I'm not sure who gets the better deal...but I hope he'll like his painting. Must go and finish the little girls' dresses...I will give them to them on Saturday. Hope they like those, too! Princesses, Tinkerbell and Dora! Oh to be 5 and 2 1/2 again...maybe not! Happy trails to you until we meet again...

I forgot!

Sorry, I forgot! I was going to tell you what else I've been painting. I've been having so much fun doing some fabric painting for my oldest granddaughter. I'm painting two summer dresses for her to take on our vacation, or not, she is 5 and does have a mind of her own when it comes to fashion. I am really taking a chance painting these without her prior approval. LOL Anyway, one of the dresses has an old Annie Lang design on it...cute as it can be! The dress is a raspberry color and I painted the cutest little girl on it. She's wearing big sunglasses and a cute pink two piece swim suit. She's carrying a book bag--appropriate for my granddaughter--and an umbrella and towel. She's wearing flipflops--also appropriate. There is sand, starfishes and a couple of seashells. Then I've stenciled on each layer of the skirt. One layer has starfish, the other has swimsuits and flipflops. The second dress is painted with a Diane Bunker pattern. I think it's called under the sea. It's done with puff paint and stencils. The background is painted to look like it's under water with water, coral and plants. First you stencil on fish, seahorses and an octopus! Let them dry, puff and then paint. Too cute! I'll post pictures soon...Happy trails!

Checkin' in...

Thought I should check in...haven't posted in quite a while. I've been so busy painting...getting ready for summer seminars, dresses for my granddaughters. I'm offering two seminars so far this summer. In June we'll be painting one of the projects I took at Las Vegas...Summer's Bounty by Judy Diephouse and Lynne Deptula. It's so summery! It's painted on a tin bun basket and has lemons, limes, raspberries, watermelon, daisies, gooseberries and, of course, strokes. Great project! Then in August I'll be painting one of Sandy LeFlore's chairs...Fall Harvest. Really cute chair..there is still room in this seminar if you're interested. I'll post pictures later. But, before all the fun seminars, I must go on vacation with my husband to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary! We're going to New Orleans for a few days and then our daughter and her family will join us and we'll sail from New Orleans for a 7-day cruise to Costa Maya, Cozumel Mexico and then on to Roatan Honduras and Belize. Should be hot, hot, hot! When we return we'll stop by and see Pete's Mom, brother and his wife in Lake Jackson, TX. Then we'll be home! Should be fun---can't wait! I'll close for now...happy trails to you!

Relaxation Painting...

Got to paint yesterday and today! What a joy...finished up a couple of projects, antiqued a couple of pieces, basecoating a new class project, finished a class project...now time to varnish. I had to take some time out to celebrate with the rest of America today. I'm happy justice was served upon Osama bin Laden. I am concerned now that there will be retaliation...undoubtedly. I have confidence in our fine American military men and women and wish them well. Hooyah to the Navy Seals! I'm rambling...sorry. Let's see, oh yes, my two wonderful granddaughters came over this afternoon for a bit--Mom and Dad had an errand to take care of and MeMaw got to have the girls! Watched Dora the Explorer and 3/4 of The Incredibles! Had snacks and then they left to go watch Mom and Dad play a double header softball game this evening. Busy day. Lauren told me that her PopPop misses her! I assured her that he certainly does miss her. Looking forward to a week of painting, repairmen, classes, haircut, massage...husband home! (at least for a few days) Happy Trails...

PS Thought for the Day

I wanted to invite you all to join our Society of Decorative Painters and then be able to join our local chapter Western Colorado Decorative Artists. We meet monthly except July and August on the second Saturday of each month. We have a (usually) short business meeting and then a fun painting project taught by one of our members. Think about it!

So much to do...so little time

Well, I feel like I haven't posted anything in absolutely forever! I guess I haven't...Anyway, hope everyone had a lovely Easter and spent it with family and/or friends. I was lucky enough to have my daughter and her family AND my husband home (he was home for a visit! LOL). We had a fun time at the Easter egg hunt (in the house because it was raining outside) and then we had to watch Lauren's new Dora movie and color with Taylor's new Color Wonder Princess book. We had a great meal of ham, scalloped potatoes, peas, ambrosia salad, wonderful Rhodes rolls, coconut cream pie, lemon meringue pie and for the little ones--bunny puffs! The girls said they were great!!! As for painting, well.......I did get the chapter newsletter finished today and will send that out tomorrow. Also got the class calendar done for May (almost wrote March--can it possibly already be May?). So at least Doe and I know what we're teaching and when. Tomorrow morning class will paint "Let's Eat" it's an adorable project of Shara Reiner's on paper mache letters that spell E A T or you can re-arrange them to spell T E A or A T E. Your choice! Then we'll begin to work on the Bluebird and Roses coffeepot. In the Tuesday evening class we're finally starting on the much anticipated Large Floral Plate/Bowl designed by Judy Diephouse. It's so much prettier in person...you should really see it! Well, that's enough for now...Happy Trail to you...

Fun Day!

I had a really fun day today! Slept in--granddaughter, too! Hurried to get ready to head out to painting. Picked up Lynette and Millie and off we went--after a quick stop at my house on the way back by to turn off the coffeemaker and get Lynnette some breakfast because her electricity had gone out that morning before she could eat--got to Fruita. Taylor worked on her Paint by Number project--using her own colors--a lovely project! Then she decided she would try the scratch art. That turned out well, too!  A cute kitten. Then it's on to painting your own thing on white paper. Well, she decided she'd like to try transferring a pattern after watching Memaw transfer a pattern to the surface I was working on. She did quite well and thought she would try another. Another great project! What a perfect little lady she was today! She had such a good time with all the painting ladies--and they with her. We had a fun lunch and back to painting. We left early as Taylor and I had to get the furry kids to the vet this afternoon. Romeo escaped--he will go another day--soon! Taylor had cupcakes with the front office staff at the vets--thanks to them for their help--and then we're on our way home. We had leftover pizza for dinner and then movie, popcorn snack and Pink Poodle drinks for dessert. Tomorrow moring--pigs in a blanket with Pink Poodle drinks! Alas, tomorrow she must return home! She's not ready--so she says--Memaw may be ready--these youngun's are tiring! Really enjoying our two sleepovers! Happy trails to you...

Makin' Memories

Took some time off to clean my house! It really needed it and I had a week off teaching classes. I figured there's no time like the present. So, my house is now clean, my fall/winter clothes are put away, all my throw rugs have been washed, my pantry has been re-organized. Boy! Does that feel good?  You bet!
Now for a little fun...Taylor is over for two sleepovers (that's 2 nights for those of you that don't speak small person). We have lots planned. We spent time with Mommy and Lauren today looking for new bedding for her new bedroom in her new house (They are moving in May to a new house--very exciting) then went to dinner at the new Chuck & Kluck restaurant. It was really good food! And the deep fried Oreos--what a nice way to end the meal! They were really good. Who'da thought it? Well, then we watched Shrek III and read three stories and now someone is in Dreamland while I'm up messing on the computer! Tomorrow we go paint with the "big" ladies and out to lunch, then take the "furry" kids to the vet. After that we'll have a special supper, Pink Poodle Sodas and Movie with Movie "Snacks" which are whatever you  make that's different from what you  usually have for snacks. LOL What fun it is to be a MeMaw! Thanks Mommy for letting her come for two sleepovers! Saturday I'll be back at the housework only on the outside now--hope I survive the allergies. Spring cleanup starts the Monday after Easter and I've got to get out and get the dead stuff out of the yard so I can see the spring stuff that's comin' up! Perhaps then...I'll get back to some painting. In the meantime...happy trails to  you...

Paintin' Chick

Today was our Western Colorado Decorative Artists Chapter meeting. We voted to start a website for our chapter! Woo Hoo! I'm pretty excited about that...hoping it will give us more visibility and help attract new members.
I was the teacher for our monthly paint-in. We painted Cindy Mann Vitale's "Paintin' Chick" on aprons, totes, a clock and a canvas board. What creative people we have in our chapter! The member who painted the project on a clock used the paint buckets for the numbers on the clock and the Paintin' Chick is in the center. It's going to be great. Everyone did such a good job on their projects...quite a few of our members don't paint much on fabric. I must say I was proud of everyone's work. This was a wet-on-wet method of fabric painting which is a little like oil painting as shading colors are blended with the base coat color instead of base coating, drying and then floating color. I've challenged them to complete the project, embellish and wear in June for the Shara Reiner seminar. Can't wait to see the results...if Millie's pictures turn out, I'll post them here in the next few days.
I will say I was pretty tired this afternoon after class. That concrete floor is a killer on your legs and feet. However, 4 ibuprofen later...I'm feeling some better. Now I just need a good night's sleep and I'll be up and attem tomorrow!
Happy trails...happy painting...

Gettin' out what you put in...

I have really seen some progress in The Tole in the Wall Gang's painting abilities! The Tuesday night class is working hard on the Trinket Box designed by Judy Diephouse in her Lessons in Strokework 1 Book. We almost finished tonight--that double loading flat comma stroke was just giving them fits. The "buds" were not far behind in the frustration level. We have a week off and then we'll finish up that trinket box and begin working on the Large Floral Bowl/Plate from the same book. These are not only excellent lessons in stroke work/brush control,but they are also beautiful pieces when finished!

The thought for the day would be you get out only what you put in...meaning practice, practice, practice! I can tell who is and who is not. You'd think that you wouldn't have to keep practicing these darned old strokes, but let me just be the first to say if you don't...well, you will struggle some--maybe even a lot. Even the teacher practices!

Hopefully, next week I can post some pictures of the gang with their completed projects! Until then...happy trails to you!

Taxes, Bleah!

Well, I finally waded through the tax prep workbook our accountant sends us every year in DECEMBER! Like I'm going to do tax stuff then...anyway, all done but a few things from hubby. Then I spent some time in my paint studio tidying up. It had gotten way out of control -- what is that? Control, I mean. *Giggle* Just a few more patterns from magazines to put away and it should be good for painting again.

I have finished my Della Wetterman class project and Lynne Deptula and Judy Diephouse class project from Las Vegas Creative Painting Convention. I just have to varnish! Yea! Then I'll post pictures.

It's late...happy painting to all and to all a good night!

Sunday, Sunday, why trust that day????

I had great plans for painting today and alas my husband is home, my daughter came from Delta...the wiser choice to spend time with family. Perhaps this evening or in the morning...

Divine Intervention...

I have to share a funny story...Yesterday afternoon I was headed to Goodwill to find a unique painting surface. I'm wanting to paint something special for my granddaughters and thought this might be a good place to find just that right piece I have in mind. I was driving down the street and saw a store I'd seen before but hadn't stopped in to browse. It's a second hand store and since I was looking for second hand items I thought why not? I took a quick turn into the parking lot and went inside. I looked around for a while in one part of the store and then another. I went by the front counter and inquired about consigning some items I have I'd like to sell and then went on to the other part of the store to look some more. I walked over toward the wall and saw a handpainted wood plaque sitting in front of some other framed pieces. I took a closer look and exclaimed, out loud, I painted that! It was the "Tole Sampler" I had painted back in 1986 as my first teaching sample for beginning tole classes in oils at a shop in Brush, Colorado. Now, what are the chances of that happening? I mean, really! Well, I'd been thinking about this piece for a few weeks, just kind of off and on...you know that funny little thought that just kinda pops into your head? I had to purchase it. The funny thing is it was only $7--which is also kind of a sad thing, too...not really! I was very happy to have it back again. I took it to class last night to share with The Tole in the Wall Gang. They were all duly impressed, I might add.
This Tole Sampler was a duplicate of the first one I painted when I was taking classes with Marjorie and Cheryl a few years before. It is a Priscilla Hauser design, I believe. It was her method they were teaching. What fun I had in those classes. In fact, I had so much fun I repeated Tole I AFTER I took Tole II! I just had to get it right. That's also where I met one of my very best friends ever, Suzie! We are still friends today. See what amazing things can happen...
BTW~I did go on to Goodwill. Didn't find the piece I was looking for but did find a piece that will work for another project I'm planning to paint!
All in all--a great day!

A brand new experience...

Well, fellow bloggers...I'm embarking on a brand new experience! I've read my friends and families' blogs and now it's time for me to try my hand at it.

I've been searcing for a way to reach more people to share my love of tole and decorative painting. My daughter and some of my friends suggested I try a blog. So...here I am.

As I've mentioned in my profile, I've been painting for over 30 years. I started taking classes in oils, learning Priscilla Hauser's method of tole painting back in the early '80's. My teacher, Marjorie Richardson, has become a wonderful friend and mentor. I try to emulate her teaching style with my own twist. What a tremendous adventure I began all those years ago. Who knew it would lead me here...

We moved a few years after my first classes to a small town in rural eastern Colorado. There was a tiny shop there with a lady who taught her style of tole painting in acrylics. I was still painting with oils and thought--why don't I give this a try. A teacher was born! I had a loyal following for several years. When Estelle closed her shop and moved to California I wasn't sure what I'd do. So, I found a cute little shop in Evans, Colorado, and a wonderful lady there to teach me how to transfer my skills from oils to acrylics. Fun was had by all!

We then moved on to Denver where I really began to hone my skills teaching tole and decorative painting in acrylics. My husband's career in the oil and gas industry has taken us to many places over the years and I've met some really wonderful people while teaching tole and decorative painting.

We are back in western Colorado now and I'm teaching at The Artist's Haven. Watch for more information to follow...