Treetop Chickadee Vintage Ceiling Tin, Note Cards & A Blog Break

I finished my latest vintage Ceiling tin , Treetop Chickadee, it measures 12" x 12" and comes ready to hang on your wall with a hook on the back. When I first saw this antique tin, I really fell in love with it because it was so intricate in design and well, just plain different from anything I had purchased before, I knew I had to have it.

With the embossed design covering the whole of the tin, it was quite challenging to decide what exactly I should paint on this one that would compliment the tin design.

I mulled over several design choices in my head for a few days, really unsure what to do. If I decided on a complicated and intricate design, I ran the risk of making this tin look like a crowded expressway at rush hour. : )

More so then any other tin I've painted so far, my design had to be something that complimented and flowed with the lovely pattern already on the tin. As I sat and studied the tin, it occured to me that the tin pattern kind of reminded me of a treetop somewhere high in the sky, lots of vines and branches twisting around. Maybe this treetop was so high up that you couldn't see it, you could only imagine what it really looked like.

This is when I was able to finalize the design and settled on a little chickadee perched high up in a treetop. I created some flowers, leaves and vines to coordinate with the design already on the tin. I painted in some of the embossed areas of the tin, with light blue and light green, to give it a very whimsical and natural feel. This little guy is now available on my ETSY site and my website as well.

I've also started to create a line of note cards from my vintage tin images, the first two designs can be seen on my ETSY site @ http://www.artfulcreations.etsy.com/ . They are a set of 10 blank note cards, with 10 envelopes in each package.

Last but not least, I'm taking a blogging break for just a little while to embark on quite a big adventure.... I will be going with my friend and her family to visit the Grand Canyon and some lovely parks out west. I'm leaving this week and will return the week of Oct 9th, no doubt with tons of pictures to show you from my grand adventure. I will be away from my computer for the week but Chris will be here caring for the 3 Tzus while I'm gone and he will keep me posted on what is happening in the land of the internet . Until next time....

Country Victorian Magazine - Artist's Feature

Pinch me so that I know I'm not dreaming this, I have an artist's feature on my vintage ceiling tins in the winter, 2009 addition of Country Victorian Magazine. Available in book stores on Sept 9th.... It is all I've thought of for months now but couldn't talk about until I actually saw that it was happening.

This has been a dream of mine, I cannot tell you for how many years I have dreamt of having my work featured in a home decor magazine. I remember it all started when Iwas first learning to paint many years ago....I would pick up decorating magazines and dream about the day that I perhaps could be in one. I'm quite thrilled to be in this edition of this very lovely magazine.

I probably cannot express quite how excited I am , lets just say....VERY EXCITED!! Harris Publications was such a pleasure to work with and I want to thank them for having me in one of their beautiful magazines, it really is an honor! I was also lucky enough to have my friend Kathryn Bechen , do the phone interview with me and write the article for this feature. You can click on the photo to get close ups and read the article. I'm off to my new home for the next few days atleast....Cloud 9.