Merry Christmas....It's Friday Freebies

Merry Christmas Eve everyone....what a busy week it's been. I totally dropped the ball when it came to blogging this week. That was not my intention but real life just happens, I'm sure you all understand.

I do, however,  have a freebie for you today that you might use if you have small children of your own or will have them in your home for the holidays. One of my favorite websites is the Trail of Painted Ponies. Probably, you know about the pony figurines that are artist designed and collected all over the world. You see their images too on other products such as calendars and ornaments this time of year.

This holiday season they have a cute coloring page for you to download and print. I'm thinking a fun idea would be to print enough of these to have for your children, grandchildren or others that you will have in your home and let them color their own place mats for the kid's table. The photo is only a portion of the whole thing...here is the link to the page....http://www.trailofpaintedponies.com/pdf/holiday_coloring.pdf

My fellow WHOA Team member from etsy, Jennifer MacNeill Traylor, has 2 new Christmas ponies you will want to check out too...http://jensponies.blogspot.com/

Painted Ponies by Jennifer MacNeill Traylor

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a blessed Holiday Season!

Friday Freebies

Do you love to draw? ...or would you love to learn to draw?

Years ago when I taught drawing to children, the little ones five to about 7, were my best students ever. They never questioned me when I asked them to try something and they were always successful. By about third grade they were already buying into the idea that they couldn't do it.

When I tell people that anyone can learn to draw I'm serious. It doesn't mean that you will love it, just that it is a learned skill. If you have raw talent it will then blossom and be enjoyable. If not, then you still know that if needed, you have the ability. Sometimes, it's necessary when trying to explain to a builder, landscaper or even a custom furniture maker what you are thinking.

Today I have a freebie for you with 26 beginner drawing lessons. How great is that? They come in E-book form and you can do them at you leisure. This offering is from Artist Daily. I hope you will check them out and enjoy some nice winter evenings honing you new talent.

Click here for your free art lessons.

For you locals, please stay tuned for art and craft workshops coming up in January here at my studio.

Vintage Trailer Art

How cool is this? I know!

Months ago, before the shop was even near finished, I began planning "our" next project. Hubs had a look of actual fear in his eyes when I began talking about finding a vintage trailer, a Sisters on the Fly kind of trailer. I want one to use as a guest house and for taking on short trips to the mountains and when I get to a point in my life when I have some free time...hahahaha....I may even join the Cowgirl Caravan myself.

So, I of course had to show Rick the Sister's website and one thing led to another until I had discovered a wonderful Texas artist, Paige Bridges. I immediately contacted her for permission to show her art on the blog. I'm sure she must think I have forgotten, but I could never!

These are only some of her Christmas prints, also available in cards.(I'm too late for this year, but now is the perfect time to get them for next! You'll be so glad you have them when you find them in your stash next December.)

And here are a couple more of my favorites...

How will I ever stop choosing favorites? They are all my favorites...and guess what? In January I'm placing an order for the shop so that I can carry her work here. They are perfect for Ranch Dressing don't you think?

In the meantime, I hope you will read all about her and order something for yourself from her website. She has all kinds of things from calendars to checkbook covers.

Oh, and I will let you know when "we" find our trailer and when "we" start our next project. It doesn't look like it's going to be anytime soon, but I'm working on it.

What is Your Favorite Art Magazine or Blog?

I love art related books and magazines. I used to have the time to pour over them and really read them from cover to cover. Now, I still get them and will always look through them cover to cover only to pick them back up from under a stack of more and say to myself, "When did I get this?". Honestly, it's that bad and has been since I started planning and working on Ranch Dressing Handmade and Vintage.

Studios Magazine

In my inbox today I received some pretty nice promotions from INTERWEAVE that they asked that I share with friends. I really love this company and if you aren't familiar with them I hope you will check out their website. They offer books and magazines with all kinds of information on crafts and fine art. My favorites are Studios Magazine and Cloth Paper Scissors. They are offering a 20% discount with the coupon code: JOLLY. 

Thankfully, we are approaching a new year, the store is open and I am feeling a little less pushed. With the new year will come a new focus...my art...for the first time in a couple of years and more time to look at other's art and to try new things. There's nothing I love more than designing and painting floorcloths, but I am really intrigued by all the things artists are doing with "junk".  My 8' x 8' worktable  now has 64 square feet of  "potential art" stored beneath it. Anything I find that has an interesting shape, texture, or color has been saved for future use. I am now officially a hoarder.

I want to share this cool little Christmas tree made from a bedspring as an example of what I'm talking about. I found this on Daffadowndilly's blog...and she has instructions if you want to make one yourself. I think it's really clever and if I had one I'd put it in my wintering herb garden.

Do you have a favorite art or craft magazine or junking blog? Leave me a comment. I'm all ears!

Party Season is in Full Swing...Got Jewelry?

Last Friday, I pulled out my egg cartons (jewelry storage boxes) and stocked the shop with a  fresh selection of costume jewelry and purses. I'm loving having loads of jewelry to choose from for my own holiday parties, but, I realize the idea is to actually sell it.

Cute little cigar box purse

Inside of cigar box purse

Colored bead necklaces and evening purses

Assortment of party necklaces and bracelets

Beaded purses and trinket boxes

Clip on earrings

Brooches and pins

Come by and see what we have. I promise you won't have to pry it out of my hands when you make your decision.  I will let it go peacefully and wish you well wearing it! 

It's Crunch Time Again

Chico was the first to investigate the pumpkin

We got our first snow this past weekend and while I was decorating the fence with garland and lights I threw the old pumpkins over the fence for the horses. I loved the contrast of the orange against the new white snow.

Who knew a pumpkin would cause such a ruckus?

The horses weren't playing very nice, and this photo doesn't do justice to their noble breed the American Quarter Horse,  but again, I liked the backdrop the snow presented. I love vivid color as you may have noticed already in most of my floorcloths.

Cheyenne with her stolen pumpkin

And lastly, I just loved this photo because it's typical Cheyenne! She only liked the pumpkin because I gave it to the horses. When they got tired of it she left and found someone else to annoy. 

It's crunch time again for me this week. I had a week to re-coup from the Grande Opening and catch up on some of what I had neglected for the last month. Now it's Christmas decorating and shopping time. Our daughter comes in on Saturday night and we will be celebrating a little early before she leaves to go back to Oklahoma for Christmas there. It's been a crazy year. I don't remember much of it actually...glad I have the blog!

Vintage Costume Jewelry 

I'll be in or around the studio during work hours most days this week and Ranch Dressing will be open for your shopping pleasure. You will want to call or email first to make sure I don't miss you. I really want to encourage you to take me up on the private shopping appointments. This allows you to have my full attention...if you need me...and if not, I will continue to paint or whatever I was doing before you arrived and you can shop at your leisure. 

What are you doing this week?

We Are Officially Open for Business

Ranch Dressing Handmade and Vintage is now open as of 12pm today. We actually had a customer at 11:50. I wanted to snap a few pictures of people in the shop but I was honestly too busy to grab my camera. It was wonderful!

I did manage to snap a few between customers.

As you can see it's full. I look forward to moving some of this out to make room for more handmade things. I've missed being in the studio!

We will be open Saturday 10-5 and again Sunday 2-5. If you can't make it out for the Open House this weekend, I am almost always in the studio weekdays from 10-5, but you will want to call first before driving out here. I would hate to miss you. Saturdays will also be available between 10-2.

We will be adding new things weekly between now and Christmas. The soy candles will be ready soon and we are really excited about having these year round...even though I have no clue where we will put them.

Thank you to those that came out today and we look forward to seeing the rest of you later on.

Talk to you soon.

We Have a Winner

Cree Coaster Set

Christy Parrish is our winner of the November Give Away. Christy you have a pair of coasters coming your way soon. I hope you enjoy them!

Buried (under) Treasures

I'm still working diligently on finding values and pricing ALL the things in the shop. I know my family will be as happy as I am when I'm through. Sam has a youth retreat this weekend and we had to stop at Walmart before we got to church to buy underwear...poor kid had hardly enough clean clothes for a mere weekend.

The invitations are addressed and ready to go in the mail in the morning and I've already sent out invites to my local facebook friends...so it's official!  We have to be ready to open November 26th.

Our Grande Opening Seasonal Sale is November 26th - 28th. If you are in town that weekend we would love to see you! The hours will be Friday, noon until 6pm, Saturday, 10-5 and Sunday, 2 until 5.

If you can't make it for the sale we will be open by appointment weekdays 10 -5 and we really hope you will take us up on this opportunity to shop privately at your convenience. The inventory will change weekly so we also hope you will visit often and bring your friends.

Now that the major work is finished I will be back in the studio in December and will start painting floorcloths and making cool things from great junk for the shop.

So, will we be seeing you soon? We sure hope so!

Things Go Better With Coke

I've decided that the best thing about all this pricing I've been doing in the shop has been the education. I've picked up a wealth of information I otherwise would have had to ask someone for later on if I hadn't stumbled upon most of it!

For instance, I never knew about ladies spittoons, or that laxative bottles were collectible! We have both here in the shop in case you are in the market for either.

 Remedies and elixirs displayed in the actual medicine cabinet they were found in.

Usually when I go looking for one thing I will find another. For instance, when looking for the value of an aluminum coke carrier we have, I found a link to a promotional video from 1974 about the trays with 1920's calendar girls. I was 14 in 1974 and should remember them from my teenage years...but no. All I remember about being 14 is my 4-H horse projects, my best friend, and that I wanted to marry John Denver, but not the trays.

The trays today are very affordable and easy to find. We found ours on a picking trip years ago and had to scrub coal dust off of them to see what we had. In our dining room we have our selection of them displayed with our soda bottle collection and framed calendar pages from my grandparents' home.

We have some of the 1974 trays in the shop for purchase and have also used them in projects that we hope you will like as well. 

One of the trays and the carrier

Here's a look at the video. Enjoy! Oh and for the record...I'm a Pepsi girl as far as drinking the stuff goes.

We Have a Give Away for You!

October has been an exciting month for us! Besides announcing Ranch Dressing's grand opening weekend for November 26th my work has been featured in two magazines. Yes, two. I'm honored...and beyond excited.

First, is the Cree Coaster set that is included in Cowboys and Indians Magazine December Issue and Holiday Gift Guide. Here is a peek at the page, but you'll want to get a copy of the magazine for all the wonderful articles and the complete gift guide.

#2 Pair of painted canvas coasters by Angie Nelson

Look for Jeff  Bridges on the cover. 

The second feature is in Cowboy Way...not the Woody Harrelson movie...the magazine. It is in Thea Marx's section, Ranch Living and is one of the neon floorcloths...the one initially designed last year around this time of year to benefit a young bull rider battling leukemia. He's very healthy and engaged to be married the way.

Fall Issue 2010

Dancin in the Dark...why didn't I think of that!

You can see the entire section from this link...but here again, you will want to grab the magazine and sit down and enjoy the entire issue.

And now for the rest of the good news. I'm giving away the pair of Cree coasters featured in the gift guide. They are original art painted directly on the primed canvas and sealed with poly for many, many years of use. They are cork backed to protect your table top. 

What you need to do for your opportunity to win is to follow our blog or become a Facebook Fan. If you are already a follower/fan we appreciate you and would love for you to help spread the word.  Leave me a comment either here or on our Facebook page that you are following us or that you have suggested us to friends.

On Monday, November 15th we will randomly choose a winner. The important thing to remember is that you HAVE to leave a comment on the blog or on our Facebook fan page so that we get your name as an active participant.

Good Luck!

Opening Soon! We've set a date.

One Month from today...We will be open for business!

Mark your calendars...

November 26th, 27th and 28th  

More details to come. If you have already signed up to receive your invitation you will be receiving something in the next week or so...if you haven't signed up and would like a personal invitation and receive monthly updates please look in the sidebar to the right and click on the link to sign up.

Shop Update 10/22/2010

Things are looking good at the Ranch! Almost everything is set up. I'm waiting on a display cabinet repair and I need to finish a vanity table and that will wrap up the furniture pieces I want to open with. I don't have enough surfaces for all the small pieces...but then again...I've quickly discovered...I don't have enough room period! But, I am on schedule, finally...if nothing happens.

So, now comes the hard part...pricing. I'm still looking up things and trying to find out the names of some of the glass patterns so I CAN look them up.  I will be opening with things I probably wouldn't have bought for the shop, but I figure this way I will know what other people like and what they are looking for. As I sell this inventory from the estate, the whole look will start to change and look more like me...LOOK OUT!

But for now...here's a few teasers of what it looks like today...

The travel section...complete with suit cases, cameras, photo album, souvenirs, old maps and postcards

Baby/Children's items and small delicate pottery pieces. 

This is one of my favorite sections of the shop...check out the baby dish and the sweet  fawn planter.  It's really going to be hard for someone to pry these things out of my hands!

What antique shop would be complete without a few Charles Chip cans?

Or

Instant Ancestors?

Need some vintage buttons?...still on the cards. 

A selection of bowls...in the center under the cabbage is a set of Homer-Laughlin  bowls that were given away with movie tickets back in the day. 

 I can finally see the light at the end of this year long tunnel...and next week I will announce the opening weekend dates.