Back To Painting ....

I had a very quiet Christmas ... and I loved it. I didn't go into ANY stores the last week leading up to today ... not even the grocery store. I love this season, and not shopping, but the SEASON itself. I can spend hours just listening to music and looking at my trees..LOL

It's during the Christmas season that I find myself at my most reflective - not New Years ... and this Christmas I have decided to Let Everything Go ... and Welcome "ME" Back Again".

It's feeling like this that I started painting my journals again - something I used to do all the time. I love to journal .... love to doodle...there is something about a blank book that makes me all tingly!!LOL ... and while others are into scrapping and altering ... I itch to paint covers of journals... and here are some that I've done this month.

Have A Wonderful Christmas Season!

I want to wish all my followers and fellow bloggers a wonderful Christmas! I can't believe how quickly the year has flown by....Christmas is 24 days away! From my house to yours, I wish you the best of seasons- Merry Christmas...and I will be back in full swing for 2012!!!

The Holidays Are Upon Us ... and I've Been Busy

Hello All!

Can you believe it's Thanksgiving?? .... the holidays are upon us already - this year has certainly flown.

I've been so busy the last couple of months, I haven't had much time to do much of anything but paint. I was invited to do a local Small Business Expo ...and had a lot of stock to paint ... but it was a success.

I made a lot of local business contracts, and was able to secure 2 contracts to supply my hand painted glassware to a couple of concierge shops! So 2011 is going out with a bang for me ... and hopefully 2012 will come in with a ROAR.

Next up - December 15th I will be selling my wares - all Christmas - at a Christmas Expo ... I'll post pics after the event.

Until then ... take care ... and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Playing Catch Up

Hello and Happy Fall!

I've been keeping my nose to the grindstone, getting ready for the upcoming fall and winter seasons ... wanted to show you what I mailed off this week. I love mini albums ... so here's one I did, Seasonal Inspirations.

It's Looking Like Christmas Around Here!

Hello Fellow Bloggers!

It's been a long while since I posted any updates, as I have been busy painting all new designs to update my 2 websites in time for the Christmas season. As anyone who paints to sell knows, we paint ahead of the seasons ... so summer is for Fall and Christmas painting and the winter is for Summer and Spring painting.

So as you can imagine ... summertime is busy for me ... but as soon as my sites are updated with all the new content - I'll be back and posting more progress on my painted chairs.

Basically Bare Is Gettin' Good BUZZ!!! From CHA!!!

Back in May, the design team members on Scraps of Color were asked if we'd be interested in creating some projects using products from a new company called Basically Bare. Well I don't know about anyone else - but I jumped on it.

Fast forward to reports coming out of CHA, and one of my fav Scrapbook Updates sites has chosen Basically Bare as one of the top 10 companies that they liked! You can read about it HERE.

I've been sitting on pins and needles waiting to show what I created ... and since CHA is over, I'm going to show you the project that I mailed off to be displayed in the Basically Bare booth. Here's a couple of pics of the acrylic album I mailed offhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif.



The good news is that their products will be available soon on Scrapbook.com - and I'm told that there will be a little video clip of the Basically Bare booth where many designers (including myself) had their samples displayed.... so I'll post again, when it's available.

Being ....

One of my favorite artists, Mystele, recently wrote a post title "Being", and invited others to also post, weekly, about how they honestly feel about this time in their lives, and how they journey to change.

How funny that there are many of us going through this. I don't know if it's a reflection of the times we are living in (all the excess, hate and corruption) ... you wonder if you too have wasted a life you've been blessed to receive.

... or if its just a thing that we all seem to go through - and when we reach out - we discover we aren't alone.

I think the beginning of feeling as Mystele does, actually started years ago ... and for me, when I begin to feel as if I'm drowning - I turn inward ... I withdraw .. and I don't.create.anymore.

THAT is when I know I'm in trouble, when I can't put pen to paper to write, or want to pick up a brush and paint.

It took a lot for me to really look at my life and ADMIT that I was unhappy. It wasn't totally my exes fault .. I took fault too in trying to FIX something that was broken. You can't fix a problem if the other person doesn't want it fixed. I stayed because, I told myself, I wanted better for my son than I had .. I stayed because, I told myself, no one else would want me and 1/4 of a marriage was better than none at all ...

...and then I knew I was staying because I was afraid to admit I was wrong, that I'd made a mistake ... and I was scared to start again, alone.

I won't say it was easy deciding to end things, I won't say life was instantly better .. cause it wasn't and it isn't.

But I can say that my heart doesn't feel as heavy anymore ... I can say that my desire to create has returned full force.

I have lost 49 pounds since last year and I have about 40 more pounds to go ... and for the first time EVER in my life I walked into a gym - alone. I didn't feel as if the whole world was pointing at me, laughing at the fat ass. I didn't feel as if I was the ugliest person on the planet in a room full of beautiful people.


See, I've found that when the one person you thought you would spend your life rejects you ... you think , at least **I** thought ... that the world rejected me too. If he didn't want me, then I had to be ugly ... so the world saw what he saw.

I was wrong.

Shedding the weight, creating art again, starting my life over after 17 years with just myself and my son ... it's hard, but it's also been freeing.

...it's like the Kenyatta that I always wished existed is finally getting to emerge.

ReCycling Chairs - Part 1

Hello All,

It's been a while since I've posted anything ... life got in the way - in a big way. I'm in the process of moving and packing...and was feeling a bit sorry that I don't have extra cash to get some new stuff.

...but then .. I found these chairs...



And decided to paint myself some new furniture, starting with some chairs! I sorely need new diningroom chairs, and I figure why not paint some. I used 1 can of KILZ Primer on each chair...



...and I took advantage of a cool morning and primed my 2 chairs. Here's a pic of what one looks like, after priming:



Now, I need to decide what I want to paint on them ... so stay tuned!!

SOC E:SPIRE Inspires Creativity for June and July

The Scraps of Color E:SPIRE EZINE is available and ready for download. Its a wonderful issue full of ideas, projects, product reviews and more! ... and on Page 31, I try to entice you to add a little paint to those pages!!!

Best of all?? IT IS FREE!!

So, take a look and tell me how you like the latest issue!

Reflect On This Memorial Day

As you go about your preparations today for the last day of Memorial Day Weekend ... take a minute to remember what this day is really about. Our fallen men and women of our military, who gave the ultimate scrifice - and continue to do so - for the freedoms we enjoy today.

Memorial Day Weekend Painting_Work In Progress

I'm getting a lot done so far. This is the box I worked on today ... still in progress. I had made a video showing my progression, but I had the radio playing in the background and YouTube flagged it!!ROFL ... so I deleted the videos.

This is the point I always seem to get stuck at ... adding the hair. I feel as if I almost ruin the piece trying to put hair on, ROFL.

Spring Has Arrived

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!! I have decided to have a painting marathon this weekend, and avoid the busy roads. Yesterday, I finally finished my painted box, and thought I'd share.

Painted Mailbox Cover

I envy those that still have the rural mailboxes, as it seems housing complexes are all getting those PO Box style mailboxes .. I just think it takes the uniqueness out of things.

Soooo ... I'm always thrilled when I get a mailbox or mail box cover order. My latest customer requested a floral mailbox cover for his T3 mailbox. I used my 1 inch and 3/4 inch brushes, painting with acrylics. After drying, I sprayed with 5-6 layers of lacquer.

Work In Progress For Her_Continued

Ever have a brain freeze on one project, so you work on another? I'm having a lot of trouble finding inspiration for one of my latest design team assignments ... so I am working a little more on my box.

I don't know what this will look like when I'm done, but I have an idea of what I want it to look like - and I'm trying not to rush through it.

I play around with this on my paint table, and then I brush sketch onto the box:



I started adding figures:



And last night, I left off with this tree:

New Work In Progress_Painted Box For Her

Hello Bloggers!

I posted my last work in progress box, that I was painting for my son on my Brown Sugar baby Brushes blog earlier today. So, since turnabout is fair play, I thought I do the other box I'd started for HER.

I posted the beginnings a couple of weeks ago, and this week I added a little texture for the grass using a sea sponge ... and then, going around the corners of the box, I added red circles using a stipple brush - for the roses.



Then, using my tiny angle brush, I loaded my brush and started adding the back petals.



By the time I've added all the back petals, making my way around the entire box, the first bunch are dry. I then re-load and begin filling in the front petals. I work my way all around again, until all the roses are done. Then, using the same small angle brush, I load in a dark green and sporadically add leaves around the roses.






I have no clue what I'm adding to this box, I'm making it up as I go along ... so as I add more, I'll post my progress.

I hope everyone has a good weekend.

Quick And Easy Project For You To Try

This month on the Scraps of Color E:spire blog, I created a quick and easy tutorial showing you how you can take one element from an item and paint a matching card. I'd love to see some of you guys try it - and post a link in the comments to your finished design.

My Favorite Era Layout - Harlem Renaissance

On Your Paper Pantry, the 2011 Travelogue Swap is well underway. The latest travelogue I received from Tamara was fantastic - the theme - Your Favorite Era. Only one problem ... I cringe when I have to go back into the past for a favorite era, for a couple of reasons ... but creatively, none of the paper companies seem to want to celebrate the fabulous vintage era of African Americans. I want to scream - WE SCRAP TOO YA KNOW!!! LOL




As much as I love Graphic 45 - it irks me that the selection is next to nil ... but you know what? ... there's this thing called GOOGLE!!LOL

I googled fabulous images and printed them out on vellum paper ... then dug into my stash for mainly black and white paper, charms and other pretties ... and I came up with my Harlem Renaissance lay out.



I found some wonderful charms from a company called Creative Charms ... and it was perfect. I also used some of the stick pins that I'd made last weekend.



The lesson? Don't let commercial unavailability stop you from creating. If you can't find it - make it!

~Happy Crafting!

New SOC Mag Is Out ... and I Have A Project For You!!!

Happy April!!!

The newest edition of the Scraps of Color Espire is now out - and I have a wonderful painted rose journal I'd love you guys to try!

Click HERE and click on the pic for your free download....and check out my project on page 50.

I'd love to see what everyone finds to do in this issue!

Charming Monday

Happy Monday Bloggers!

Just sharing a couple more charms I did with some left over beads. I hope the pink beads count as charms - they are a separate attachment .... still trying to get the hang of this.

Stick It To Me Saturday

After participating in a stick pin swap on SOC, I'm hooked on making these pins. While I was waiting for a particular piece I was painting to dry, I decided to make some pins:



... I even managed to create a few charms, after messing up a couple of pins. So I clipped the stems and turned them into charms:

Thanks For Playing SOC Blog Hop!!

Even though I couldn't temp anyone to try to do a painted tag - I wanted to thank everyone for stopping by, commenting and signing up to follow my blog.

...I'm not giving up on you guys though - I'm determined to get you to TRY to paint just a little!! You'll be surprised as what little touhes you can add to your creations to make them unique.

That said, keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming issue of SOC E:SPIRE ... I'm hoping my next project will have you wanting to try even more!

Until the next time ... happy crafting!

Welcome To The SOC Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the Scraps of Color Creative Blog Hop! Join us for a weekend of fun, creativity and prizes! All weekend long you’ll have the chance to create fun projects, be inspired and win! Get your crafty mojo flowing...just follow the 1st SOC Creative Team Blog Hop!

If you are here and following the blog hop then you are in the right place. However if you have just happened upon my blog and would like to join in the hop please start at the beginning of the hop here and work your way through each blog. Please leave blog love (comments) along the way and become a follower of the blogs you like so that you can be notified of their new creations and updates!

My project for the hop is :



Some visual tips to help you get started:

1.Float your color around the edge of the tag - you can practice on wax paper or acetate.


2.Practice double loading your brush and creating a "C" stroke, which will be the stroke for your petals:



3.Randomly paint your flowers ... I like to stick with odd numbers:



If you don't want to paint your leaves and stems, use your rub ons and stickles ... and like I did, use that BLING!!! for your flower centers...add ribbon...and you're done.

And I’m offering a prize for the lucky winners version of a Welcome Spring Simple Flowers Painted Tag. The winner will be chosen by an auto-generator.



Rules:

1 - Make sure you read all the rules at Scraps Of Color Espire.

2 - Become a follower of my blog, Kenyatta's Brown Sugar Babies Talk.

2 - Your tag must have the main elements painted. Its okay if you add some scrapping elements, but I'd like to see the majority of your tags painted using either watercolor or acrylic paints. Sorry, but no markers for this challenge.

3 - When you're done, post your entry on your blog, and make sure you link back here. Let me know by posting in the comments so I can come check it out.

Remember that some of the other SOC Creative Team Members are offering blog candy and you never know where you'll find it. So be sure to visit each participating blog. I’ve made it easy for you to follow, just click the appropriate link below. Thank you for joining us for the 1st SOC Creative Team Blog Hop!

Scraps of Color - http://www.scrapsofcolor.com YOU ARE HERE!
Karen Jiles - http://stampinakapalace.blogspot.com/
Rani Shah - http://www.scrapyoga.typepad.com/
Tiare Smith - http://classycoordinates.typepad.com/
Qadirah Gomez - http://crafty-whimsyone.blogspot.com/
Kenyatta Thomas - http://kenyattasbrownsugarbabiestalk.blogspot.com/
Lorie Moses - http://www.lorie-thepeddler.blogspot.com/
Samara Joseph - http://Honeys-child.blogspot.com/
Camille - http://camikanscrap.blogspot.com/
Aysha Livingston - http://ayday.wordpress.com/
Scraps of Color - http://scrapsofcolor.com

...and keep check back here soon after playing around with your tags ... I'll be posting what the winner will be getting...just a little gift for playing along in the SOC Blog Hop!!