Last one...Maybe.

Finished! This might be my last watercolor of 2011
...but who knows, I might have another one in me by tomorrow.

Birds & Butterfly

A work in progress, a tulip & my beloved watercolor set.

Chincol

A little birdie found in Chile called Chincol. Also known as rufous-collared sparrow.

That's little boy Reid looking at one of my birds.
Biggest compliment of my work I've ever received :-)

Porfirio

It was my blog's sixth birthday this month!
I used to paint lots of kitties way back when I started the blog.
As a matter of fact my first post ever was a watercolor
of a cat sailing on a watermelon boat so it's only fitting
to share a new kitty here today.
His name is Porfirio and he belongs to my dear friend Georgina :-)
It's good to be back in the blog after a little break.

For You

I made a pdf file with some tags & place cards for you!
All you need to do is download the file, print the page in card stock and cut them out.
I rounded the corners with a nifty corner punch & used a bit of hemp thread
for the tags. All you have to do with the place cards is cut them out,
fold them in half and write the name of your guest.
I'm hosting a family dinner tomorrow for 20 guests & these will come in very handy!
I hope you have a beautiful and joyful Christmas! I'm taking the rest of the week off from the blog to spend time with family.
Click here to download the PDF.

Unconventional Tree

We decided not to get a tree this year
so I decorated our tumbleweed branch instead and I love how it looks!
I bought those tin stars in San Miguel de Allende ten years ago.
Ornaments have come and gone but I never get tired of the stars.

Snowflakes

The elves (a.k.a me) have been cutting paper snowflakes all afternoon.
The beam still needs to be filled out with more snowflakes
but the elves were too tired to finish their job tonight.
Good thing they have all day tomorrow :-)

Butterfly Plate

I made a decoupage plate today!
I printed one of my watercolors on this water slide decal paper
and adhered it to the back of a little 5" glass plate I found at a Zara Home shop.
Once the decal dried and I got all the bubbles out I varnished the back.

Snowbird

Place cards & gift tags I'll be using this Christmas.
I'm making a pdf file that you'll be able to download next week
for your personal use :-)
In the mean time you can download the wonderful free
Christmas tags that Camilla Engman made right here.

On my Desk

Golden

This afternoon was particularly sparkly.

Bits of Nature

A small eucalyptus kruseana branch and 3 thistle stems
from this morning's walk with Turbo.
Always on the lookout for little things I can bring indoors.

Stickers!

The Book of Stickers from Galison with my birds & flowers arrived yesterday!
I had a lot of fun decorating some gifts and letters for my family & friends with them.
This year I used little cuttings from my most prolific succulents
that can be planted in soil once the gift is unwrapped.

Puzzle!

My super cool puzzle samples arrived from Galison this morning!
Daniel & I spent the afternoon putting the puzzle together.
The finished puzzle is huge! It measures 20" x 27"
We finished the easy part and we're now left with the really hard pieces
to work on over the weekend.
I plan to have this one framed to hang in my studio once we finish it.
Samples of the perpetual calendars & sticker books also arrived.
I'll show you those tomorrow :-)

Paparazzi

Having fun with my little red friend
who is getting used to having me around like an annoying paparazzi :-)

Happy, Happy

I bought a BIG stretched canvas (huge compared to my little watercolors!),
new brushes & acrylic paints. I'm excited to get started.
The canvas is 1 x 1 meter (aprox. 3 x 3 feet) and the finished painting
will go up on our newly painted red hallway wall.

Self Portrait

Watercolor & acrylic ink on paper.
Progress shots here & here.

Weekend Musings

Took a nap, sorted books by color, watched the starlings pass by,
baked bread for my family, cuddled with my sweet dog,
knotted a macramé belt for my pet rock and laughed myself silly
with this hilarious video. How was your weekend?

Pizarrón

I have a new blackboard to play with in the studio.
I used a leftover floor tile we had from the new tv room & painted it
with homemade chalkboard paint: 1 cup of black (or color of your choice) paint
plus 2 tablespoons of un-sanded tile grout. Recipe from here.

December Desktop Calendar

Download the new free desktop calendar from this link
or by clicking on the image below.

Hope you have a blessed month full of happiness, warmth and joy :-)

***The beautiful wool pine cones and linen fawn were handmade by Stephanie Congdon Barnes