Art by Debbie Saenz

Letters, Letters, & more Letters...

I've been swimming in letters lately...yes, quite literally, I have been swimming in Wall letters, Wedding letter Sets, and even Ampersands! My Etsy Shoppe has really taken off with these new items...and is keeping me very busy!

First, however, I should explain what is going on with our house since last time I wrote we had our home for sale. Well, after a contract deal fell through, and we weren't able to really find anything else we loved, we realized we needed to stay put a while longer...I recently read Rev. 3:8, "You are the Lord who opens doors no one can shut" and the opposite is just as true - You also shut doors no one can open. That verse reminds me where my trust needs to be and brings, Oh, so much freedom and peace!...So, here we are, unpacking boxes and getting situated again.  We had de-cluttered (which was much needed anyway :) and staged our home to sell it. I took the pictures for our listing so maybe in an upcoming blog post I'll show you the pics I took. I even have before pictures from seven years ago when we bought our home...quite a contrast. Humm, that would be a fun post! Soon, I promise :)

Back to my letters---It all started with a project I did for Plaid which was actually a featured project in a recent JoAnn Fabrics catalog. Plaid asked me to design the word Love using paper mache letters any way I wanted as long as all the products were sold at JoAnn fabrics, and using Mod Podge, of course! Here is a picture of the the project I designed...

I thought a reclaimed wood look would look with a coastal color palette would look awesome...so this is what I came up with! I took this picture of my letters before I dropped them off at Plaid's headquarter office. I always have a little photo shoot of my projects before I hand them over. Pretty good, I think...but I loved the image I got of the 'V'...

Yup! that's where my letters all began...I created my first Letter Listing in my Etsy Shoppe. I used this photo and now have made so many letters I will soon be creating an album of my letters on my Facebook Page...

I now offer Wedding Letter Sets too! Those have been really popular. I thought it would be really special for the Bride and Groom to have a personalized letter set with thier initials and a little hand stamped tag with their wedding date. I  LOVE the way they turn out!

Oh so cute! Maybe you know someome who is getting married? This would make an adorable and very unique wedding gift.  What I love about these is that they can  be displayed at the wedding reception...and then used as home decor as a reminder of the Big Day.

 Here's one bride-to-be who bought one of my large ampersands as a photo prop for her engagement photos. She was so kind to send me a few images.

Adorable right? Here's another...

I do want to give credit to her photographer, Lindsay Jo Photography here.

This is the common sight next to my front door... stacks of packaged Letters, made with lots and lots of love, ready to be taken to the post office and shipped to my wonderful customers who keep me really really busy! But that's a good thing:)

 

Cloud Study

 

Cloud Study

 Acrylic on Canvas

9 x 12 inches

Debbie Saenz © 2013

I don't know about you, but I love to gaze at the sky. It's easy to get lost in the amazing beauty of days when the sky is clear blue or when filled with fluffy white clouds. I especially get excited when I'm privileged to get a glimpse of a beautiful glowing sunset. I can only think of our amazing Creator! 

Next time you're outside, don't take the sky or granted, notice its breathtaking beauty, and let it carry your thoughts to the One who created it!  

The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skys proclaim the work of His hands. Psalm 19:1

As for our home, we are still waiting for it to sell...we're beginning to wonder if His plan is for us to stay put; at least for now. I love our home and I would be delighted if we stayed...one thing is for sure, keeping our home "show ready" is really quite stessful! This too shall drift away like a floating cloud :)

 

Sunflower Burst - On My Easel

 

 Sunflower Burst

(work in progress)

 Acrylic on Canvas

16 x 16 inches

Debbie Saenz © 2013 

Ok, yes, I know, I've been the world's worst blogger lately....eeks! Well, I've had a pretty full plate the last few months. So much is going on...and it's hard to believe spring is right around the corner! 

I know excuses aren't necessary, but her goes a few...

• was a very busy elf just before Christmas, lots of Etsy orders to fill and of course, all the handmade gifts I made for my family.
• Family in town for the holidays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. Family is always the best part!
• The BIG announcement from my hubby that we needed to sell our home :( Can you guess what that meant? Oh yes, weeks of de-cluttering, organizing, touch up painting and little fixes. Then the fun part of staging our home and the the stressful part of keeping it perfect for showings. 
• Sprinkled throughout all this was Plaid projects, Etsy orders, and a few baby prayer blankets I sewed for my pregnant sisters at church. 

And all that is just a few of the many things that have kept me from updating my blog. Hopefully I'll get back on track...time will tell :)

And now,back to my painting.......

I've been finding a little time to experiment with my palette knife. I really like the looseness of it and all the vivid colors I've incorporated. I'm almost done with this one and will certainly be doing some more palette knife painting. I'm loving it. 

I'll be back real soon to show you more new paintings :)

Mod Podge Monday: Large Wall Letters

Oh so pretty! I made this for someone who was looking for a wall letter to complete the nursery....created with Mod Podge of course!

Pretty velvet ribbon and lace

I sealed it with Sparkle Mod Podge; I love, love all the glitter...and sweet pearls.

And a beautiful flower completes it!

 I now sell these in my Etsy Shoppe! Custom made with your choice of paper.

My Vintage Whimsy paper was, again, the choice for this letter. I think it's so perfect for a baby girl's nursery!

Pretty, Pretty

I love making these Custom Large Wall Letters...adding all the special little touches makes each one unique!

For sale now in my Etsy Shoppe

 

Mod Podge Monday: Decoupaged Vintage Trunk, my Goodwill Treasure!

Whenever I have a chance, I love to browse at my local Goodwill store, or actually, any thrift store....yard sales too! I have found some amazing treasures over the years. There are certain things I look for, but really, you never know what you might find.  

When I saw this old decoupaged trunk sitting on the shelf, I must tell you...my heart leaped as I quickly snatched it up! 

I don't know the history or stories behind this old trunk, but I do know someone spent hours cutting out magazine images and carefully decoupaged each one covering the entire trunk. 

The inside too!

I love the old latches and they all still work perfectly! I really wish I knew how old this fabulous trunk is...probably well over 100 years...vintage for sure!

Not only was I delighted to find this awesome treasure, but the minute I saw it, I knew just the perfect use for it. I'm going to use it to display my art prints at art shows. It has tons of charm, it's the perfect size, and even decoupaged inside! I'll keep the top open and place my prints inside. Perfect, I love it! 

And on that note...for all my Georgia friends, here's information about an upcoming event I'm participating in....

For now, try visiting your local Goodwill store, you never know what treasures might be waiting for you :)

   

 

Mod Podge Monday: Vintage Style Christmas Box

One beautiful Mod Podged Chrismas box, ready! And now avalable in my Etsy Shoppe.

In between my paintings (Which are lmost ready to be revealed!), Etsy orders, and Plaid projects, I've decided to tackle, one by one, the pile of wood boxes I have collected over the  years. 

I love the vintage style of this paper. 

I removed the pin backing off of this brooch I had and glued it on the top of the box. Perfect!

Pretty red velvet around the edges

This box is now available in my Etsy Shoppe. You can read more about the details of how I made this box in my listing information.

I plan to add more Christmas boxes in my shoppe, one at a time.

DIY Pet Barrier

Guess what I did on Halloween night while trick-or-treaters came to the door? I was up and down, like a yo-yo from my sewing machine to the front door to hand out candy...we live on a main street through our very large neighborhood, over a mile, maybe two miles long. So we probably had 200 to 300 kids come by! Really, it's crazy.

In case you didn't know, my hubby and I are not dog people; but in a weak moment, 7 years ago, we said, "yes" allowing our kids to get a dog, Ugh!. Now the kids are gone and it's, hubby, me and Chico. And Chico, within the last year, has decided he's allowed on the couch! And I say Yuck to that! It seems like he is not interested in listening since we repeatedly have to keep telling him, "down Chico!". So at least now, with our new pet barrier, he won't be getting on our living room couch anymore! Whew! Finally!

The idea occured to me a few weeks ago and I finally had all my supplies ready. Yea! but on a very busy evening. Our living room is connected to our dining room and they're two ways in. I made this for one of them. 

Here's the other, from our kitchen. 

Chico is still a bit confused...

I love the fact that we can easilly step over it without having to remove it to pass through. It comes up to my knee so it's not too high. Of course I'll take them down when we have company though.

My supplies:

• Spring Rods, 28 in - 48 in W - 7/16 in Diam (2 for each doorway) Only $2.14 (each) at Walmart!
• Material (I used heavy muslin, extra wide)
• Iron
• Sewing Machine

Directions:

1. Cut fabric into a 19 inch strip for each barrier.
2. Turn each cut edge of fabric in 1/4 inch and iron, then turn over again 1 inch and iron to create a casing for your rod (This makes it easier to sew, but you can skip this part).
3. Sew a straight stitch along each ironed edge to secure your casing. 
4. Feed in your rods and adjust to fit your doorway and you're done...Simple & Easy!

I made 3 three of these pet barriers for a total cost of about $17.00. Sure beats the expense of buying those ugly baby gates for much more! I put the last one in our basement just today. Chico likes to hide under the bed. Which means many times we can't get him to come out when it's time for him to be crated. We always put him in his crate when we're not home. 

 Sorry Chico! We still love you...just not on on our couch :)

Mod Podge Monday: Monogrammed Antiqued Photo Canvas

Many times Plaid asks me to design projects such as frames or, in this case, a photo on canvas. They only require that I use the specific Plaid product they designate, and then I'm free to be as creative as I want, Yea! And I love to use family photos whenever possible. 

This time, I used a picture of my grandson, Isaiah Michael. Adorable! He was actually 3 years old in this picture and earlier this month he turned 8! 

The used Mod Podge Antique Matte, one of Plaid's new Mod Podge products. 

I really like the time worn effect it gives to black and white photos.  

In case you're wondering...ok, you probably don't really care, but for my family that may read this...I used an M (for Michael, his middle name) instead of an I for Isaiah. Yes, since it was a Plaid project I needed to make sure it photographed well, and the M worked better visually than the I would have, on this particular project :)

I love you Isaiah Michael! 

You can make one like this too, you can find my complete instructions here, on Plaid's website.

I noticed, for whatever reason, a download for the template was not included with my instructions. So, If you want it, just send me an email and I will send you a file with the template I made for this project. 

While in my local Michaels the other week, I noticed Plaid has a new display for their Mod Podge and paint products. I was so excited to find 10 images of my projects were used! How cool is that? 

Next time you visit your local Micheals, you'll find this project with Isaiah Michael featured in the isle with all the Mod Podge and craft paints! 

Well, I better get busy! I have several more paintings to finish this week and more Plaid projects due soon!

 

Joshua 24 - The Progression of a New Work

After playing around with several ideas in my sketch book, this was the idea I came up with for Joshua 24:15. As for me and my house we shall serve the Lord. 

I collaged the background with lots of text, hymnal pages, and handwritten prayers. I love scripture to peek through lots of layers. When that was done, I drew my subject.

and added texture, and more texture

It's coming along

After some more detail work and quite a bit of shading of the hands, I added the verse which I hand painted and distressed to add to the grungy look I wanted.

And it's done!...and now available in my Etsy Shoppe.

I was inspired to make this piece since this was the summer for weddings. I wanted a unique personalized gift to give as gifts. So, I decided to mount the prints on wood and hand stamp the family name onto a plate of copper and nail it into the wood over the door. I also adhered a skeleton key on the door. I just love the rustic look. Well, it was a hit! All the new families that received it loved it. You can see images of a sample in my Etsy Shoppe (Link below).

My prayer is that this art piece would be a constant reminder to serve the LORD by serving each other and others everyday. I think we all need this reminder! I know I do, daily! I hung the original in our home near our front door. 

This item is now available in my  Etsy Shoppe.

I'm so excited because I'm almost ready to reveal my new series of paintings...coming soon :)

 

I'm joining my friend Jennifer In The Studio for Sneak Peak Friday...

hop on over to see what others are up to :)

Mod Podge Monday: Vintage Pumpkin Decor

Last month I designed several pumpkin projects for Plaid. And since I just had to incorperate vintage themed pumpkins I pulled out one of my old books and grabbed my bottle of Mod Podge. With a few additional embellishments, wholla! just the look I was going for.

 You can get my complete instructions here.

If you are into decorating pumpkins, Plaid has a Trick Your Pumpkin Contest going on until October 24th. Check it out, you might win :) 

I'm stlll trying to find time to get all my newest paintings photographed, my others finished, and blog posts written...I have lots to show you. Ugh!! sometimes I really don't know where the time goes...I guess it doesn't help that I'm not the greatest manager of it! Actually, I've been using much of my time trying to really focus on just painting.

For now though, I've been in TX with my hubby since last Friday. We went to a conferance together through yesterday and today I'm going to galavant around Austin while my hubby is in meetings all day. Oh yes! I have several galleries lined up to visit. Exciting, Exciting! 

Well, until next time :)