PPF - Thanks and Happy New Year!

Thank you to Kristin and Eva for this year's hosting of Paint Party Friday.

My entry today is my first attempt at painting with acrylic paints. I have done many oil paintings but none with acrylics.  I thought that my Christmas gift from my beautiful granddaughter  (a set of acrylic paints and a whole big carrier of appropriate brushes) would be a breeze to use. My hat is off to all you who regularly use this medium. Also, please HELP me with hints on how to use it.  I discovered right off that I couldn't mix colors on my substrate like with oils. Anyway, I thought I'd give you a laugh to finish off your year by furnishing you with this crude attempt. I am going to practice to get better. I love the feel of the paints.

Merry Christmas

Watercolor Doodle

This is a doodle I did while watching Castle tonight. I am so wrapped up in Christmas stuff that I haven't had any time or inclination to do much artwork other than make a few cards. I am adding this to the Paint Party Friday challenge.

Christmas Baubles - Paper Minutes

This is my entry for Paper Minutes Challenge (Christmas baubles). The ornament painting is a watercolor I did a few years ago and stored on my computer to use in cards.

Just Babies

These sweet children are some of my ancestors, the Weir children, who lived in a more innocent time. At that time assault rifles and other arms were not used on little ones in America. 

I feel so sad about the tragic murders in Connecticut. I did years of substitute teaching. My very favorite classes were the kindergarten and first grade ones. Those that age are so eager to learn and so desirous of pleasing their elders. To think that all those Sandy Hook children's lives were cut short is totally reprehensible and sad beyond words.

Paper Minutes - Arrows

This piece was made especially for the Paper Minutes Challenge.

I used an arrow weather vane image from Graphics Fairy. My background

is decorative vintage cardstock. The flowers are stick-ons on foam dots.

The text was added digitally.

Homemade Stickers from Watercolor Flower Painting

A couple of years ago I painted this poinsettia with watercolors. I needed some stickers this week to use in our craft club at the nursing home. I took my poinsettia, reduced the size with Photoshop Elements, and printed them off on a sheet of big labels. the downside was that I had to cut them out by hand, but it was worth it. They were a big hit. It's Friday and time to visit the talented artists at Paint Party Friday.

So Artful - Birds and Holiday Colors

This is my entry for So Artful Challenges.

The theme is holiday colors and birds.

This is a picture of my backyard last winter.

The bird is from the internet and photoshopped onto the photo.