We Have A Winner

Hand Painted Red Bandana Coaster Set

 

The winner for the hand painted coaster set is Jessica of Jessica Interiors. Since my boys had gone on about their day and couldn't pull a name out of the hat I used an online tool called "Random Line Picker". What will they think of next? 

Congratulations Jessica. I will be in touch soon.

Curb Appeal

I have a confession to make. I haven't been posting because I am totally self absorbed in my life. I will be the first one to admit that when things are going well, I am happy and busy, it's extremely hard for me to slow down and sit at the computer and upload photos and write about my day.

Here at the Ranch it is raining once again, but I have gotten past the complaining stage and have dug my heels into the tasks at hand. I am now grateful for the delays the weather has caused because as it always happens...things are still absolutly just fine. The extra time to think and plan has been a blessing. I've had time to really think about the exterior of the shop now since I can't get anything done inside yet.

 

My dad gave me 4 buggy wheels several years ago and I never did anything with them aside from putting him off and saying I would get them "sometime". I brought them home recently and set one out in front of the studio to size it up for it's new purpose. Railing. Perfect. I'm going to put one on each side of the door.

I thought too, that I would make a board walk onto the porch so that anyone in a wheel chair could also be able to get in easily...and too it will make it easier for us to move large items in or out on a hand truck. I may want to use the other two wheels in the walk railing. It's one of those things I will have to look at when the time comes.      

I'm going to add some stain to the trim and finish it out like the barn...white around window and door frames. I am on the look out for screen doors that will be red. I love having the doors and windows open on nice days.

My sister had this old church announcement sign that I want to use in some fashion. We bartered a few services and this was part of my deal.  I'm thinking it will be great for dates and times...easily changed for each open house. I don't really like the color but I love that it is all chippy so I will probably keep it like it is.

And one last thing I wanted to show you from the container....

 

What a great chair. It's a Royal Easy Chair circa 1910. It is a recliner and a wire basket pulls from under with a foot rest attached. The tray is for newspapers or any kind of reading material. This photo was taken before I had it all cleaned up. It's in near perfect condition. In the dark trailer and under all the dust I had hoped the upholstery was leather but it's only naugahyde, but in great shape. I brought it in the house Saturday and it looks so wonderful beside the fireplace I'm not sure I can part with it. Another perk of not having the shop ready yet...the good stuff has to be stored somewhere.

I am working on some end tables this week that will also work as bedside tables with the twin beds I recently showed you. I can't wait for you to see them. They are very kitschy in character but oh so cute!. Also, I've found some old guitar catalogs that I will begin listing on ebay this week as well. I will keep you posted as I go. They are very rare and mostly from the 1960's.

Lastly, the February give away winner will be chosen on Wednesday the 24th. Please leave a comment here (February Give Away) , or on my facebook fan page for a chance to be chosen to win a pair of hand painted coasters.

Have a nice week!

February Give Away from Free Rein Studio

We have been enjoying our first snow of 2010...in fact it is our first snow in a few years that we could actually get out and play in. No ice for once, but now after 4 full days our driveways are compacted to the point that it is treacherous to walk on. My trip to the barn yesterday and today was dicey to say the least, but today the temps will reach almost 50 so I am hoping a lot of the slick stuff will melt.

house, studio and barn

It has been so beautiful, especially with the full moon over the weekend. It's so odd here to look out at night and see so much white and then get up in the morning and see farther out into the woods and hills because of all the snow on the ground making a contrast between the ground and trees. I love winter. It won't be long until all the surrounding trees are green again and will close in around us making our little farm seem smaller and contained to only what I can see up to the tree line.

A Peek at God's Artistry

creek on the back of our property

thought this was interesting 

and thought this was pretty

icicles on one of our many, many Randolph County rocks

moo

our sweet Chico after a good roll

and back to business...our Give Away for February is not anything with hearts or lace or pink or chocolate but it is something you can use to sit your mug of hot chocolate on this month or your glass of lemonade when it warms up and we are wishing for cold weather again.

Below is a picture of a pair of coasters from Free Rein Art & Design, my art studio. The art is inspired by tipi art from a Hugging Bear design. I have adapted it to my square coaster and square and rectangular floorcloths by squaring off his legs. My 6 year old nephew just yesterday, was laughing at the funny little bears lying on my coffee table and told me that real bears could not bend their arms and legs like that. Out of the mouth of babes!

To enter the contest to win a pair of hugging bear coasters simply leave a comment here and tell me what's wrong with this picture. My niece, the sister of my little critic I spoke of above also noticed something peculiar with the pair. In my haste, I hadn't noticed and have been displaying the photo on my websites. lol.

If you are the winner of the coasters, I will custom paint these in a colorway of your choosing or will let you choose another design, also to your color preference.

The coasters are hand painted onto heavy weight canvas and applied to a cork backing. They are finished with 5 coats of acrylic poly for protection. They have my artist mark instead of signature on the front with the date, and will arrive with a certificate of authenticity. The prize is a $35 value.

The contest will be open until the 23rd of February and the winner announced the 24th.

Good luck to all.