Canvas Create Workshop - In Progress!

Hi folks
I know this is two posts in one day but I am so excited about this workshop that I had to share.

The workshop is called Canvas Create and it is taught by the fabulous Donna Downey. Now if you have never taken one of her classes or workshops you are really missing out! She is fun, funky, and breaks all the rules and she is exactly what I needed at this time in my life.

Once I watched the promo I knew I had to do it and to make sure I followed through I enlisted my mother to join in with me. Each month we get together and create the latest Donna masterpiece. Her techniques and radical process were just what my muse ordered. The classes actually began in January but they are video downloads so you can start anytime you want really. I highly recommend any of her classes, even if her style is not your thing she will push you to places you have never gone and make you a better artist!

Here are my first six canvases.

In the class she uses different sizes and orientations of canvas but I wanted all the same size so I could hang them together in a grid. I think one of the greatest things about Donna is her ability make you feel comfortable enough to make your own choices.

I honestly can't say enough positive things about Donna, her workshops, or my experience....it's all been great! Each month I can hardly wait for the the next video so I can create another canvas.

Stayed tuned each month for the remaining six canvases.

New Pillows for my Living Room

Since I was a little girl I have been fascinated (one might even say obsessed) with decorating and re-decorating my living spaces. I would draw out my room on graph paper (yes, down to the inch),  make scaled footprints of my furniture, cut them out, put tape on the back and then re-arrange the floor plan until I was satisfied with the new configuration.As I got older, I did less virtual re-arranging and more actual re-arranging.

I love the idea of re-inventing a space and giving it new life. It makes life fun for me. New accent colors and switching out pillows and curtains is a great way to spruce things up and refresh a room. "Things" can get costly though so I always save my tired things so they can come out to play again another day.

Pillows can get very costly so I like to recover them with trendy fabrics and designs. Here is my latest pillow re-do.

I am always amazed at how the designers on tv put together seemingly disparate patterns and colors on one sofa and manage to make it look fabulous! So this was my goal for my pillows....unusual patterns and colors on one piece of furniture. Fortunately, my living room has a very neutral color palette so mixing colors was relatively easy. The photos below show the front and back of each pillow. The owl pillow is plain on the back.

 Patterned fabric is an Opal Owl by Tina Givens fat quarter I purchased in a large bundle. The back is a vintage red cotton velvet (hand-me down) base with hand cut leaves (remnants) in raw silk, brown wool, and red rayon. I wanted the back to have texture as well as visual interest.

 The patterned fabric is "Forest .......for Duralee (sorry, can't for the life of me remember where I got it). The back is a black and white stripe cotton with a white deer** fused on to contrast the black deer on the front. 

 The front is a designer sample linen that was being discarded (free) with an iron-on transfer that I printed from a free graphic from The Graphic Fairy and edged in bias tape. The back is part of the Opal Owl bundle I mentioned earlier.

 Both the front and the back are a polyester suiting material I picked up from the cheap section of the fabric store. It has great texture and will be durable (aka washable). The owl** is a green textured cotton remnant fused on and top stitched for visual interest.

 This pillow while I love it really doesn't fit the style of the living room so I will be keeping it in my studio. Both the front and back fabrics are from the Opal Owl collection. (Can you tell I love owls? he he he). I used bias tape and contrast top stitching on the front and a complimentary bias tape for the edging. 

All the pillow have a zipper in the bottom for easy removal and reuse.

**The deer and the owl are both free patterns courtesy of Country Living.