Art by Debbie Saenz

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: 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.

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 :)

 

 

 

Mod Podge Monday: 4th of July Centerpiece & Invitation

Who doesn't like parties and fireworks for the 4th of July? We'll be in S. FLorida this year for the festivities.  My son Keith always puts on an awesome show for the family. After sharing dinner together we all pull up lawn chairs in the front yard and watch our own personal family fireworks show! It's so much fun and It sure beats the dreaded crowds and traffic jams of those community firework shows! 

I designed this fun 4th of July Top Hat centerpiece and invitation for Plaid.

With a little Mod Podge, some paint, and a few other supplies, you can make one too! 

Click here to get my complete instructions. 

As for our travels: We are back from our Kentucky trip and I can't wait to show you the jewelry I made while on the road...as soon as I photograph my creations. Also, right after we got back (yes, even before I unpacked), I pulled out my sewing machine, dug through my material and whipped up an apron and a few pot holders for a bridal shower gift for the next day. I'll show you that real soon too :) Meanwhile, we are packing again for our Florida trip. I'm starting to feel dizzy with all this summer travel, but I do love it. I keep thinking about my studio easel which is waiting for me at my mother-in-laws house. It will make it's home in my new studio as soon as we return at the end of the month. I'm so excited!

 Have a safe and happy July 4th!

Happy Easter! He Is Risen! Mixed-Media Painting

I started this painting last Easter and finally finished it the other day. 

The Lord is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Forever and ever!

* * *  1 Corinthians 15:20-26  * * *

The most undeserved death imaginable brought the greatest return calculable! Hallelujah! Everything happened just as He said it would and is so much more glorious than anyone could have ever hoped or imagined. 

My hope and prayer is to live more fully, to the praise of His glory and grace alone!!

We enjoyed a beautiful celebration of the resurrection of our Saviour today with our church family and now, my hubby and I are simply enjoying God's creation on this magnificent day while soaking up the perfect temperatures of this afternoon. Delightful!

 

A little nap on the hammock...I caught him just before he closed his eyes :)

I love love our wrap-around porch. It's so relaxing! This is my view from where I'm sitting as I write this post. This side of the porch overlooks the creek which is surrounded by lucious woods. There's a cool breeze blowing, my wind chimes are singing, and beautiful birds floating through the air. Wow! God is the ultimate artist! One day I'm going to attempt to capture this georgeous landscape in a painting.

Here's a better glimpse of the scene as I stand near the railing on our side porch. It's rather high, probably around 25 to 35 feet up making it hard to see the creek in this shot, but I can certainly hear the water flowing over the rocks. A few years ago our son Nick situated some rocks to create a small waterfall in the creek. Ahh! so calming!

I think I'll go join my hubby in the hammock now:)

 Wishing you all a blessed Easter Celebration!

Mod Podge Monday: Bright & Fun Easter Egg Ensemble

I know what you must be thinking, "Did Debbie fall off the face of the earth or just abandon her blog altogether?" Nope, neither could be farther from the truth.  I do, however, have happy news to share!  

I had the privilege of being able to travel to Ft Lauderdale just in time for the arrival of my 4th grandchild!  My oldest son and daughter-in-law had their much anticipated baby girl. She is a beautiful baby and I'll share pictures of her in my next post, along with some of the things I made for her. 

Oh oh yes, Mod Podge Monday...I designed this Bright & Fun Easter Egg Ensemble for Plaid's website. It was fun and easy to make with a little Mod Podge and a few other supplies.

I used fabric scraps cut into random sizes.

I cut a paper egg carton in half then painted it. 

I used paper mache eggs, but plastic eggs would work too.  

Bright and fun bursts of colors topped off with Sparkle Mod Podge, my favorite part!

You can get my complete instructions here. And I'll be back soon to brag on my new little granddaughter!

Mod Podge Monday: A Plate of Puppy Love

 

I decoupaged this plate with a picture of our dog Chico since his birthday is on Valentine's Day!  It's hard for me to believe, but this cute little guy is 7 years old this year. 

A clear plate could be Mod Podged with any picture and is so quick and easy to do! 

Here's how...

You will need:

• Mod Podge
• Clear glass plate
• Tissue Paper (Patterned and plain)
• Photo
• Templates (Round objects such as jars or lids)
• Rubbing alcohol or glass cleaner (To clean your plate)
• Foam Brush
• Sand paper

What to do:

1. Use a template, a size slightly smaller than the inside center circle of your plate to trace and cut out your photo. 
2. Find another template a tad bit larger than your photo and use it to cut out a circle of the solid colored tissue paper. 
3. Lay the plate on top of the patterned tissue paper and trace around it one inch larger than your plate. 
4. Clean the back side of your plate really good (Yes, the back...you will be applying everything to the back). 
5. Lay your plate upside-down and apply Mod Podge to center back circle part of your plate with your foam brush. Quickly place your photo, face down, onto the center of the plate. Press and smooth out all air bubbles with your fingers. Wipe away any excess dried up glue that is on the glass around the photo.
6. Apply Mod Podge over the back of the photo where the solid color tissue paper will be placed. Place the paper centered on the back of the plate and carefully smooth it down (It rips easily so do this very gently).
7. Repeat with the patterned paper and allow to dry for about 15 minutes. 
8. Use the sand paper to sand away the excess paper. Sand downward in one direction. 
9. Give the back of the plate a coat of Mod Podge to seal and let it dry. 

One important thing to remember:  Wipe your plate clean with a damp cloth and don't  submerge it in water :)

This is a super easy project and so fun to create! 

I'll tell you more about Chico's story during the week and show you how he's grown...Stay tuned :)

ps. You can now read more about Chico here.

Valentine Tags - Made with Lots of LOVE!

I've been playing with lots of sweet ingredients (and the best part, zero calories!)....

Red glitter

Red felt hearts

Red rhinestones

Vintage book pages

Little charms

Manila tags

Stamps

Inks

and lots and lots of LOVE! 

An explosion of sweetness!

A creation of lots of fun layers and beautiful textures!

Red Glitter of course!

Cute little skeleton keys 

Vintage book pages

and  who doesn't love little felt hearts? 

I garnished each tag with fun fibers!

Now available in my Etsy Shoppe!

Made with lots and lots of LOVE xo

Linking up with my friend Jennifer at Studio JRU. She has an awesome heart garland tutorial this week. 

Mod Podge Monday: Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Necklace

Whew! last week was a whirlwind. I was working on Mod Podge projects for Plaid's booth for the winter CHA show which will be in Anaheim CA this year. I saw the pre set-up booth and WOW! it's going to be awesome...and oh how I wish I were going! I can't show you my projects just yet, but very soon!

Here's a project I created some time ago... and since it's been soooo cold here in Atlanta, I thought this wintery box and snowflake necklace would be great to feature for Mod Podge Moday! 

Have you ever used Sparkle Mod Podge? If not, you've got to give it a try...there's something...well...so...sparkly about it. I know I've said this before, but I love to use it on "girly" projects. 

I designed this cute little Winter box using Sparkle Mod Podge. Snowflakes must have sparkle, right? And, notice the doilies?

Have you ever thought about Mod Podged jewelry? Well, here it is! I created a necklace using wood snowflake cutouts. Drilled some holes, doctored them up with some paint and Mod Podge, added jump rings, beads and chain. Ta-da! Aww, the variations are limitless! 

You can get my complete instructions here:

Download Sparkly Winter Gift Box with Matching Snowflake Necklace

Also, just a reminder, Shannon's fundraiser ends this Wednesday, the 18th. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read about it in my last post here.

I think I'm gonna go grab a cup of hot tea and warm up by the fireplace! 

Linking up with:

Skip to my Lou

sumo's sweet stuff

Mod Podge Monday: Cookie Swap Party

If you've ever been to a Cookie Party Swap, you know just how much fun they can be! It's awesome to actually try so many different kinds of cookies especially when you hear special stories behind some of the recipes...like, grandma has been making this one for years or what about an old favorite with a new twist? I have so many great cookie recipes, some my mom used to make every year when I was a kid. Yes, our neighbors always got a cookie plate from our house. 

Well, recently, Plaid asked me to design several Cookie Party Swap theme ideas using Mod Podge! Last week my projects were featured on their Great Gift Ideas webpage.

These projects are very economical! I got most of the main supplies from the Dollar Store and used one of my favorite go-to supplies...empty cereal boxes, for the little tags.

My friend Kia over at Plaid wrote an article about how to Host a Cookie Party! It has lots of great ideas. 

Here's a cute Christmas Cookie Swap Party Invitation. You can find my complete instructions here.

How about some tins for all those Christmas Cookies? You can get my complete instructions here.

Or maybe a really cool plate to display all those beautiful cookies? You can find my complete instructions here.

"Cookies in a Jar" is a fun gift idea! You can find my complete instructions here.

I love this one...a Chalkboard Tray! It's even magnetic! I didn't use Mod Podge for this one, but if you haven't tried Plaid's Chalkboard Paint or Extreme Glitter, this is the perfect little project to get you started! You can find my complete instructions here.

 Have fun making your Cookie Swap Party special!

If you're like me, you still haven't finished your Christmas shopping. Check out my Etsy Shoppe for handmade gifts!