HAPPY BLESSED NEW YEAR to you!

I took down the Christmas tree. Put all the ornaments up the attic,the tree deep in the woods where I hope it will give some creatures some warmth this winter. Moved my table back to the window and now put the Santa Hat up. It's always sad to put away the Christmas things. I will leave the nativity set up into February so I can enjoy that more. Wishing each of you a Wonderful, Joy filled with good health Year of 2013. God's blessings to each of you. Hugs to you,Diana

More Christmas..

Ruxin

Taco

Here's my dining room window. My Dad started my sister and I collecting these Studio 56 Dickins houses. He gave us one each year and he too has a collection of them. His number over 27. The poinsettia's are the ones from class. I put them up here to keep the kitties away from them as they are poisonous. However we looked and had both kittens in the village! ha ha. Then the poinsettias went way up! I've sketched a little more and did a wash today playing with a long brush. Hope you all are having a peaceful few days ! love,Diana

 ps. Our tree is shedding terribly! :)

Well,This is Christmas..

Family Party--they love to hunt and have over 7 White Tailed Deer with Hats..on their wall.

Taco

HI! Here's a few Christmas photos. Clay,my son got home with his two kittens. They've grown so much. We went to Dana and Carl's for one Christmas family party, John's family, the next night my Mom's for a Christmas party with my sister and her family,then Christmas Eve I made lasagna and more family for supper, Christmas morning was here with Mama(pictured with Clay) and Dad. Needless to say I enjoyed just sitting Christmas eve and sketching this poinsettia with whatever pens I could reach..It was a nice Christmas. To cherish it I need to slow it down so with coffee cup in hand and chocolate only in the freezer --yes I can find it easily! :) a few cookies here too, I'm thinking what do I want to paint now! How about you? love to each of you,Diana

I always read  Luke 2 from my Bible to my kids on Christmas Eve!! Blessings to you this Holiday!

House Finished ! Merry Christmas!!!

HI! I finished the house portrait! Just minutes ago. Now once they pick it up, I will zoom to the store to finish Christmas shopping. Holy Cow! The house is a wreck but I still have time. I do?? ha ha. My son is coming tonight,so that's good. We have family coming in tomorrow and Sunday. They won't be staying here. I may need a little egg nog in my coffee. Wishing each of you a wonderful Blessed Christmas and Holiday with much love! and tons of blessings for the new year.. love and hugs to each of  you! Diana

3 more cards, 2 packages wrapped and a ton on the house..

Hi, I've stopped for today. The top one is my latest.. My eyes are blurring so it's time to stop. I'll start in the morning. Tomorrow is all for finishing the house painting.

I'm going to keep working on the cards.. a few at a time. I don't have to see to do them ! ha ha..

 Where are those chocolate chip cookies??.. Let's all eat a cookie we deserve it. love to you, Diana

One Card Addressed and More House..

I've been painting on the house portrait. Had the Christmas music playing and even fixed a cup of hot chocolate. The fog has rolled in, it's thick as pea soup outside. I really enjoyed especially working on the tree to the right. When I was a little girl we had 2 of those trees in our yard too.

 I've gotten one Christmas card addressed. I think this card business is going to be painful.No, it's not hand painted.. ha ha. just out of the box.. I love receiving them.. but  :) talk to you soon, Diana

House Portrait Progress and Puppy News!!!

This is the house portrait progress. I laid in the sky and put in the background trees Friday. Today I've been too tired. Tomorrow, I will be working on it. I must finish this week. I'll show you as I go along.

Dare I say, Puppy news... I have ordered a yellow lab puppy from Shore fine labs, www.shorefinelabs.com I asked the owner/breeder,Kendra, to call me when anything happened.  She called and said Sarah, the mother yellow lab has started her cycle and she will soon mate with her yellow male. I've got my fingers crossed. She is local and I can visit when they are born.

I hope you have a peaceful evening. I've still got shopping for Christmas and baking.. oh my. I'm not going to think about it tonight. love,Diana

Here we are at the art show!

Here I am at the Show today with my set up. I forgot my rack covers.. oh well.

Don, Donna and Donna's Mom ,you can see their work behind them.

Pat Kuhn with Ed's carvings to the left, Mama Girl and her work to the right and Pat , a customer.

Mary Ann, Ed Kuhn--his work was pictured in the photo above, and Jim of the Laughing Dog Jewelry

Here we are today at the Art Show. This is the Drew's workshop in Melfa,Va.  Copper Creations www.coppercreations.biz It was a lovely day,tons of people and sales were good. I'm exhausted, but thankful, for good friends, good sales,good customers, and support, and a lovely day. Take care,love,Diana

Copper Creations Christmas Open House Tomorrow!

HI! I'm packing up for the show tomorrow.--the Last Show before Christmas for me--- I've made an apple cake, chocolate chip cookies and homemade corn bread(which is crumbling blasted!-it will still be good.), Donna is making her gumbo and soup and coffee and so much more. I'm still trying to finish one little landscape I had started. Show is from 10am-4pm. If you are near please stop by. Drive up the highway to Melfa and there will be a sign on the highway turn left there and another left you'll see the cars! talk to you soon, Love,Diana

Chris Moose in Watercolor,My Favorite Ornament

I had to sketch this, then had to paint it. I love this little guy.(I used Da Vinci Iridescent Watercolor Paints to highlight his shine!) I hang him in my kitchen at Christmas.(Did you notice-- he's missing an ear..a new injury.. but I still love him.) So, I'm going to frame it for the Copper Creations Open House. I've got to check my sketch on the house portrait and this afternoon plan on putting in the sky in the background. First it's so lovely outside, a short walk. It's cold but sunny. Here are the poinsettias I took to class and painted the little poinsettia painting from. Talk to  you soon, Tell me what you are working on. love,Diana

Poinsettia Watercolor

Hi, I had to squeeze in a poinsettia painting.I have the house portrait which I need to spend tons of time on,so that will be my focus now. Lots of coffee and focus. Right!

What are you working on? Talk to you soon,Diana

 --I'm looking forward to the Christmas Open House at Copper Creations this Saturday.I'll have this framed for that.

Norfolk Botanical Garden Poinsettia Watercolor Class!

Poinsettia Watercolor Class at Norfolk Botanical Garden

I'm home. Here is my beautiful students today for my poinsettia watercolor class at Norfolk Botanical Garden. They did these paintings as well as so much more. Their sketches were good and they handled the watercolor very well, and I 'm so proud of the beautiful jobs they did. We went over a lot of information. Here's a photo of the sky on the way home. True, I was driving when I took the photo.. but it's gorgeous.. next class there will be on Sunsets! Have a restful weekend, love,Diana

Class in the Morning.

HI, Well, I'm almost packed up for class tomorrow. We're painting Poinsettias. I found these two and they're gorgeous. I  have 7  students in the class so that's good. .The pink poinsettia will be perfect for demonstrating  how to wet the petal and place the color near the edge for it to bleed into the petal,and I'm gathering my palette knives for some knives technique. I only have 3 so we'll have to share and take some table knives as well. That will be fun.It's an hour and a half drive but the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel  is always so pretty and the sun should be coming up then.   I worked on the house drawing briefly today too... It's still not ready for the paint yet but I've got time. Looking forward to tomorrow. Have a great weekend,Diana

Sugar Cookies and Copper Art

www.coppercreations.biz

This is a work of copper art. It's a bird feeder made by Copper Creations in Melfa,Va..(their website is in the left hand corner.) I have 3 of them. I bought one, Mama bought one for me(not knowing I had bought one) and Daddy bought another one for me. No he didn't know either.  :) I love them and I"m sure you know what is in them.. Burnt sugar cookies! I made a double batch and 2 trays came out perfectly and one burnt on the bottom. So the birds get the burnt ones I haven't eaten and the good ones I'll take to class on Saturday. They are delightful.

 I have a recipe for Egg Yolk Paint for your sugar cookies. Take an egg and separate the white from the yolk. Put the yolk in 2 bowls and add a drop or two of food coloring. Use a children's old brush and paint polka dots, names, scarfs for the snowmen cookies with your yolk paint. It is so fun, especially if you have a child to help.You must put the Paint on before you bake them! Then Bake and eat and enjoy! I just wanted to clarify that! Thanks!

Talk to you soon. There might be another top of cookie waiting for me :), Love,Diana

House Portrait and Robbery

HI, I've got a house portrait commission to do for Christmas. I've spent 3 hours so far drawing. Not finished by a long shot and I need to tighten my lines. I enjoy it. I put the curtains on and the flowers,once I put the dog in the front yard. :) Can't show you all the photo although you can peek in the corner. I love smelling the Christmas tree as I draw. I've had the Christmas carols blaring, Josh Groban's Christmas Album. What Christmas carols do you listen to or music?

We had some Bad news. Yesterday our neighbors house was broken into. Someone went in during the day and stole their TV and more and went thru their things.. we're in the country... this is hard to believe. We're all so thankful they weren't home and they are ok..

Talk to you soon, take care and I'm sorry to say...but lock your doors..love,Diana

Vintage Watercolor

I 'm almost there. I may lighten the hair of the Mama by lifting. I tried to paint it as closely as possible to the 1st one. So on to making soup and hamburgers for supper,wish I had tv dinners. Ha ha.. talk to you soon, love,Diana

Chocolate Covered Cherries and Daisy

Thinking of Daisy-our dear yellow lab-- today, I have a small story about her love of chocolate and mine.One Christmas I bought chocolate covered cherries and wrapped them as part of our gift to David my brother in law( John's sister's husband). I put this under the tree. Well, Daisy tore into it and opened and ate some. I didn't want to waste any so--- I put them in the center of the plate of homemade cookies I was taking to my mothers for Christmas dinner with the family. :) I would eat them wouldn't you...  ha ha. Needless to say!!! My other brother in law Grover ate one of the candies as soon as we got there and of course I told that Daisy had eaten a few and had her dear nose into the box, snorting around. Ha ha. you should have seen Grover's face fall. Oh my gosh it was priceless!! ha ha. so cute. ( Dogs do not need chocolate but it seemed that Daisy loved everything I did, coffee too.-- I didn't give her chocolate but if she could find a way to sneak some she did.)  What a wonderful companion! I miss her so. Hope you guys enjoy chocolate as much as she did. eat some tonight.. love,Diana

Painting Wood In Watercolor

I finished the steps on the mother and daughter painting. I love to paint wood.Using a pencil for the grain,dragging the brush to create dry brush, the warm colors and cool blues.. I will go back and do a little more dry brush over it for that grainy texture..

 I took a walk in the nursery across from us today. The white camellias are overflowing with blooms. They are called White Snowman Camellia. Heavenly. It's so nice to live near the nursery.

 I sent out my email to remind everyone about my upcoming(this Saturday) Poinsettia class and after I got it sent I had sent it to me and reread it. HA.. I'd forgotten to include the cost and the phone #. So I sent it back again to over 100 people. :) ha ha.. oh boy.. just keep plugging on, Right! talk to you later. love,Diana