Deals and Steals for my Rainbow Christmas

Every year at Christmas, I pick new colors or a theme for my tree and home. Well, I intend to but then the reality sets in that I love all colors so I do a different twist on the rainbow Christmas. Love it. This year, I have a few things in mind. To start with, I got these colorful ornaments ( going to add to my pink ones ) and hooray, they are on sale right now at Target. And there are lots of little me's in the picture. :)

The yellow balls is what did it. Its sort of a sharp citron. That lead me to my next thought about using lemons around my mantle and house.

And on of my favorite deals, ahh, love this one, are these candles. These are Chanukah candles and since its almost over, these babies were 70% off! 

They could be used for a birthday cake and a certain Someone's birthday is coming up. Yes, we will use them for Jesus' birthday cake.  This was my vision or perhaps cupcakes. I think He will get a kick out of us using them and delighted. 

I will keep my fire extinguisher handy. Seems like lots of things catch fire around here at family soirees. A mantle one Christmas and the yard while lighting a birthday flan, to name a few.

And I will use a few of my nativities around. 

Happy decorating! 

Thanksgiving Table

I am hosting Thanksgiving this year. No pressure. Actually, I could care less about the food but more about how the table is set. Its really all about the fabric, right? This will be the first Thanksgiving at our house.

I did Christmas one year and a certain, dear loved one was not a fan of my standing rib roast. I will admit the apple something dressing was a tad strange. 

I just got my new plates in the mail today. I was down some from my original set of plates I got when I got married. So, I introduce my new plates. 

I know, I know. A tad bland for me. However, I am excited about colorful glasses, which I have found are hard to find. And I am excited about colorful napkins and linens. Again, its all about the fabric. 

My vision for my table, included the napkin and plates above, involves a turquoise cake plate, 

a few small leftover pumpkins, and 

perhaps these if I can get them in time. I am trying to delay, that way I won't buy them.

We might be eating strange food for Thanksgiving but at least my table will be amazing:)

A Dream to Wear

I love this apron. I feel a tad bad saying that because I made it, but why not? The color combo is superb and its a dream to wear. I really think it makes me get work done faster and I am more happy to do it. Perhaps?

Here is the up close of the pocket. Generous size for holding random crayons around the house or your phone, or actual things used for cooking or baking. 

The top will actually cinch to fit you. Who would have thought, but its quite difficult to wear an apron and take a decent picture of yourself. So, this one below is the same fit as the one above. 

The apron is $45. I will be putting it on my facebook site as well. Comment or message me if interested. 

Girly Girl Pillows and General Hospital

This pillow is so sweet and makes you think of days running back and forth between your best friends house and your house. We had secret meetings under the sweet viburnum by the bird bath, we made "houses" by raking leaves into floor plans ( why isn't one of us an architect?), and had elaborate soap opera wars going on between her Barbies and mine. I realize now I watched a lot of General Hospital as a child. Been through a lot with the Quartermaines. Sad I know their names. 

Back to the pillow...

 Each girl is hand painted and outfitted with a darling skirt that is sewn on. 

The pillow is 12"x16" and is quite soft. She is $45. Contact me at thegovernorsdaughter@gmail.com if interested. I have several others I will be showcasing on my facebook page. To see them, go here. 

Tootles!

Jesus in the Nursery: A Literary Holy Family

These colors make me want to pick up a baby, pick up a book and read in my chintz covered rocker. And the baby sits in my lap. Very domestic and  and a tad vintage. 

Speaking of domestic, I have been reading a book called The Art of Domesticity. Randomly picked it up at the library because I liked the cover. Little did I know, the content was pretty right on. My favorite part about the book is the lists the author has compiled of movies and books, oh and art,  that offer great domestic scenes. But not a dull, boring way. With children, you are at home more and so let's make it exciting and fun and certainly, pretty. 

So, I give you the nativity set I envision in my home from the 1950's. And I have an Eloise Wilkins book by my daughters crib and we have a fire going just like in Goodnight Moon. And the outside of our home is pink like The Little House. Can you see it? 

apron

On Sunday, I whipped up this apron. I can't believe I started and completed one sewing project or any project for the matter, in 1 day. Gold star. 

I just realized that 3 of these fabrics are from tablecloths from birthday soirees we have had at our house. That makes me happy. The green is from one daughter ( pony party ), the red brick is from another daughter ( kitty party ) and the pink and green is from my sisters( school party.) This apron was for my mom for her birthday. I am thinking now of what mine will look like...

Beachy Jesus: What I am working on

Sorry for the lapse in posts. I have been busy being mom, artist and follower of Jesus.Oh, yeah and wife, cook and house cleaner. And gardener. Driver. All good gigs, well not the house cleaner lady. Yuck. And let's face it, my house looks like yuck too. Whatevs. Although, not yuck in a bacteria way just maybe we should employ these little people running around to pick things up? Myself included:)

These 3 have been gracing my home a lot lately. Its nice. I am going to be at a show on October 19th at the Sweet South Cottage. I will be sharing a booth with 2 other marvey painters. Come see us! We will be there from 9-4. 

https://www.facebook.com/SweetSouthCottage

And in honor of my recent beach trip, I give you beachy Jesus. 

A Winner!

And the winner is Tara Johnson!



Thank you to all who entered. It was quite exciting to see the "likes" go up on my facebook page and to give myself a boost to get more of my projects completed. And to read peoples responses to the work the Lord is having me create.

I will be selling more of my wares on facebook and etsy in the next couple of weeks. And perhaps another necklace giveaway later this fall?

Happy Thursday! Thank you again to everyone who took the time to enter...

Giveaway! FREE Holy Family for you.

I am giving away a Holy Family which includes Mary, Joseph and Jesus. These 3 are hand painted and stand on their own. 

To enter, The Governor's Daughter requires that you like our facebook page and comment on this blog post today, tomorrow or Wednesday. Follow the instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Holy Family will be shipped to you for free and I will announce the winner via The Governor's Daughter facebook page and this blog. 

Hooray for Joseph, Mary and Jesus!

A free giveaway and a Holy Family

In my studio ( my dining room table, a chair in my living room and the island in my kitchen ), I have been working, working, working! I am creating nativity sets along with other art but I wanted to show off the Holy Family. 

Each doll is handpainted. The doll is filled with pillow stuffing and then I use beans in the bottom to get the little people to stand. 

I like pattern and color, so I use all sorts of fun patterns and colors that I have in my fabric stash. How glorious it is to rummage through my fabric drawer. 

And another.

I am getting them ready for a show in October at the Sweet South Cottage.  The show is October 19th from 9 am- 4 pm. I will also be placing a few in other shops in Tallahassee and facebook and etsy for sale. Go ahead and like my page. I know you have been wanting to. Click here. I am going to do a giveaway with one of these sets. Actually, I will start it Monday! So, come back. 

I got to get to work! 

To see other Holy Family's from last year, go here and here. 

Husband: No decor for me birthday party

I realized last week that I do installation art every 2 weeks or whatever is in between birthdays. I have another one in T minus 15 days. I better get to pinning. But for my last party...

My husband wanted little decor for his birthday because he didn't want me to stress. It was kind however, I like to decorate. Excessively though sometimes:)

 So, I turned my decor energy into baking a 4 layer cake. I created a Pioneer Woman strawberry chocolate layer cake. Hello, work. But so good. 

So, so good. It took 3 people to cut it and while we were enjoying the cake, some of it toppled over on the counter. We then turned it into a trifle. Still unbelievably good. I can see why many reviews of the cake said they had trouble with it staying put. I skewered it with lots and lots of skewers but it still had a life of its own...

I lined the table with white paper and put out pots that were planted with succulents. 

My husband can now plant these outside in his latest yard design. We all win!

It was simple decor and a fabulous cake for my main man. 

Say What? Birthday: Charlotte Mason Birthday Party

Fall is birthday time around here. I also thought summer was too but apparently when your family grows, there is more birthdays. Duh. 

For my sisters birthday party, we had a Charlotte Mason themed birthday party. Weird but hold on. My sister is an educator and loves the Charlotte Mason approach to schooling. You can read all about it here. Its kind of addicting to read about it, well, that has been my experience. 

Our cake was covered in coconut with a few blueberries and honeydew on top for a delightful surprise. My cake plate is a white hobnail vintage one. Love it.  

I am sad the above photo is blurry but what are you going to do? I cut up old books ( they weren't any good be assured of that ) and sewed a banner together. It was over my mirror on my buffet as well as the table. I then cut out letters in card stock and taped to the banner to spell Happy Birthday. 

My table was covered in a Heather Bailey fabric called Nicey Jane. I collected books from around my house and stacked up on the table. Childrens literature is key to the Charlotte Mason and living books as well. Confused about it? Read about it above. I also put bugs in jars and that was our dinner entertainment:) I found a frog and a pregnant wolf spider but was worried they might get out. 

Let that sink in. A pregnant wolf spider. 

My mirror over my buffet strewn with the book pages banner and pink pom poms and ribbon. I did like this decor. The pale pink was really great against the black with the old book pages and print mixed in.  

So, Happy Birthday Sister! 

Little Girl Art

I got a text today from my friend in Boston. She is also my daughters godmother. 

When she left for Boston a few weeks ago, my daughter was insistent on the godmother taking her paintings with her. She put them up. Isn't that sweet? And don't they look great too? No, really, they do. I am so impressed! We did this on watercolor paper and first drew a flower with oil pastels. Next, she used tempera paint to paint them. 

Baby Blanket for Generations of Women

I recently finished a pretty blanket for a darling little baby girl. 

I wanted to use purple. I am working on changing the world one woman at a time and reinventing the royal, regal color of purple. Small doses is key. Check out my pinterest board on all things purple, plum, aubergine, lavendar, lilac and everything in between. 

I came upon doing it in purple because the mama of Baby Girl is a fan of purple. Or rather she is embracing the purple once again from her childhood. I added a dash of the chevroney green for grandmother of Baby Girl. The baby's grandmother is a fan of bright, limey green ( ok, this is not exact ) but I liked the idea of tying the generations of women together. Their stories and lives are woven together, just like a quilt and the fibers that make up its being. 

This is the quilt almost wrapped. What a fun surprise that awaits Baby Girl!

Go on and get cozy this weekend!

Happy Wedding Pillow

I recently attended a wedding shower for a sweet friend. Well, actually 2 friends. I am friends with the mother and daughter. I sent her this when she went off on her adventure.

I decided to make her a pillow for her gift. 

On one side, I used a neutral textured fabric. 

On the other, I used a velvet aqua that is a gift that keeps on giving. I have used this fabric for 3 projects now. Love it! 

I created a flange out of a tribal looking fabric that had the same colors in it. This is crazy to some, but it was a challenge for me to use a neutral! I was really pleased with how it came out and the bride loved it.