Sunday, September 9, 2012

It's Not About Beads or.... Jewelry.....

MaryAnn Carroll
..... because I have not been about beads for the past five weeks. I've had all I could do to write up an article for Belle Armoire and also make "some" jewelry for our upcoming LMAJ shop. Hopefully, I will find time today to take some pictures and start uploading. So.... what have I been doing you ask? I'm happy that you did ;o) Ohhhh, about four years ago when I had one grandchild, I decided to go on a "handmade" mission and make her all kinds of things.

One of the first things I made her was a toy box. I purchased the handmade toy box from a man that lives about an hour from me. It was pretty rough, but the price was right. I sanded and sanded until I had it smooth. I then painted a book theme on it. The theme was, "Are You My Mother" by P.D. Eastman. The reason for that choice was because it was my son's (her Dad) favorite book. He, too, was a first born. I remember thinking he was the smartest child in the world when at age two he could recite the entire book! I did come down to earth eventually and realized that although he was smart, he wasn't the smartest child in the world. I wanted to save that time in his life so that is what I did. I don't have pictures of that because four years ago I was not blogging, on Facebook, etc. I still have to bring my camera to their house one day so I can take some pictures.

So..... what I hadn't thought about was that I would have more grandchildren. I didn't think about the time that all of that creating takes until there was a request for more.... And, being the good Nonnie ;o) that I am, I obliged. Although, these gifts were supposed to be done last Christmas,they had to be put on hold until this summer due to some family issue running interference. I thought that today I would share with you what I've been doing all August through the first week of September.

With that said, I will keep the rest of this brief. My granddaughter Chloe received the Miss Suzy toy box. Miss Suzy was my sister's childhood favorite. My hope is that my grandchildren will treasure these boxes and pass them on to the next generation :o) I'm not a painter, really.... and I have painted VERY little in my lifetime. I had to let my self-criticism go and just let the brush flow.....





My favorite book was Harold in the Purple Crayon. My youngest grandchild Benny seemed a perfect fit for this theme.
 
 

A little closer....
 




I did have a mishap with the white lettering. I had outlined it with a fine paint marker. When I painted on the urethane, it smeared!!! OMG! Fortunately, I thought quick and just wiped it off knowing I would have to redo the lettering. The second time around did not come out as good..... but by that time, I was okay with the fact that I got it done!


So, now that I have finally finished these "chapters of my life," I am hoping to get into some Fall jewelry creations. I'm excited that we will be starting an LMAJ shop, so I've got to get busy creating for my listings.....

Have a great Sunday!

MaryAnn

18 comments:

Regina said...

WOW! They will treasure these for the rest of their lives. Way to go Nonnie!

Mystic Indigo said...

I'm just speechless...those are truly treasure chests...with the loot on the outside. Lovely, lovely heart-filled love work...and it sure shows. Amazing!

Barbara Lewis said...

Holy Cow, Mary Ann! These are amazing! What lovely heirlooms you're making for your grandchildren. They're quite the legacy of who you are, your talents, and your values ... and your love for them.

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Thanks so much! I've learned what I have heard many times from others that the love for a grandchild is like no other. They truly are so special and I'm fortunate to be close enough (not too close ;o) to see them almost every week!
MaryAnn

Alice said...

What darling boxes! I'm sure your grandchildren will treasure these always.

mairedodd said...

i invoke you to not say 'i am not a painter' anymore... because you clearly are! these are incredible - what a talented woman you are, mary ann... they are truly treasure chests...

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Thanks, Maire.... I guess I am a painter in training.... It's just something that I never really worked at since I used to feel like it was so time consuming...... You know, who has time when you are raising three kids? Now that life has slowed down, I guess I have the time..... or I can MAKE the time.... to learn new things :o)

stacilouise said...

First of all, you are quite the painter! Those are amazing. Secondly, they will treasure them. My mom has painted items for my kids, and they treasure them. Aiden got a desk, julia a pretty chair. Their Nana makes them a counted cross stick stocking when they are born. We had her stitching for years and years for a bit (with justins two sisters and I she had 9 grandkids in 14 years- 4 in just two years..lol) They absolutely love that their Nana made them. You are creating something so special by doing this for them. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Julie Holmes said...

I love these MaryAnn! I find I do my best work when I know it's going to be given away. You take your talent and add love...the sky's the limit!

lunedreams said...

Your artwork is superb!! You are indeed a gifted painter! What wonderful keepsakes, I'm sure these will be treasured for decades.

Erin Keane said...

WOW WOW WOW!! Those are precious, and you did a GREAT job painting! What an amazing personal project and gift to your grandchildren.

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Thank-you, everyone for the kind words :)
Staci, that's great that your Mom does that! Thanks for sharing that :o) Nine grandchildren? I think three is a lot~

Thoughtfulhands said...

Thank you for sharing these chests, they are just amazing. They bring back sweet memories of reading to my own grown children.

BIG SIGH!

Linda said...

These boxes are truely amazing! They will be passed down through the generations.

Sally Anderson said...

WOW! MaryAnn you ARE a painter and a darned good one. Your grandchildren will treasure these for the rest of their lives. Lucky them! I agree that the love for grandchildren is like no other -- my husband & I recently moved from Texas to California to be closer to ours. We spend a lot of time w/ one daughter and her 1 (and a half) daughters. That little Ruby has captured us like nothing under the sun. We really love being a part of their lives and having this time with her. Wish I could make something like you've done!

. said...

So beautiful! I love these!

Anonymous said...

Wow! These are treasures indeed! Something they can keep for their own kids some day. You did a wonderful job.

Kelli said...

Fantastic!!!! You are quite the talented Nonnie!!!!!!

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