R.I.P.

My computer has died - and it was so young. I purchased it only two years ago - a Hewlett Packard. Needless to say, I am very sad because I have my entire list of email contacts and all the important emails saved in folders which I no longer have access to. I have purchased a new Dell but the Windows 7 does not have Outlook Express any longer and that was my primary email. So, I cannot access the converted list of pencils or the pictures for this weekend's class. I hope everyone received their list prior to the computer's demise. This weekend we will host Pat Lentine. The class will start at 9 am, please remember to bring a dish for lunch. I was able to find all the pencils for the class and the paper. The best place to purchase these items was at Lenox Bookstore across from Pensacola State College. They had everything I needed and their prices were actually better than Michael's or Hobby Lobby. If you have any questions about the class, contact Linda. I cannot forward the blog to anyone until I figure out how to get my contact list. In the meantime I hope if you are reading this you will forward to anyone in the club that you have an email address with. See you tomorrow,

March is here already

Can you believe it??? We are already about to have our third meeting of the year. As I said in my last post we have a few things to iron out but it won't take long. And we need to discuss what the club's plans are for this year - then we can eat and have Janice teach her Dishcloth Angel. For the angel you will need:

a dish towel
a dish cloth or wash cloth
and a pot holder (square or rectangle)
five feet of coordinating ribbon (or just bring in your spool of ribbon)
and you may want to throw in a pair of scissors.

Class fee will be $8 with $3 going back to the club treasury.

These make the cutest gifts or to tie to the top of a package for a bridal shower. Something nice and easy to do and I know you will enjoy it.

In case you didn't get the email, the Decorative Painter will be mailed out the week of 7 March but if you can't wait you can check it out on line. They have some pretty projects in it this month.
Enterprise Wiregrass Decorative Painters (click on their name to go to their website) will host Brenda Harris the month of June I believe. Check out their website at http://www.wiregrassdecorativepainters.org/. I don't believe they have made their project selection as of yet. Several of us have attended classes in Enterprise and they are a great group of ladies. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to stay at the military base (the civilians have taken over the temporary housing and raised the rates from $27 to $72 a night). So we now have to get rooms at a nearby hotel. Still we have a lot of fun together.

I apologize for getting this out so late but it has been a busy week - my teeth have been cleaned, my eyes have been prodded, my veins have been drained, the twins have been squeezed flat, and my little nephew has had surgery to replace a shunt in his brain (fourth time) - but I will be at the meeting Saturday. Hope to see yall there.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine Day. Our meeting last week was interesting. Our new board has some work to do. Thank you Margaret, for teaching the Long Leg Chickens. It was a lot of fun. It is great to be able to paint something without a lot of stress involved. Next month Janice will teach the Dishcloth Angel. I will add more info once I have spoken with her. By now, you should have received an email with the attached list of pencils Pat Lentine will be using in her seminar class scheduled in April.

As a reminder to members, please read the booklet-directory you receive when you become a member of the club. It is the same one we update every year with new members home address and phone numbers. When we vote to have a certain teacher come in for a seminar Linda will request photos of the subjects she is willing to teach. When the teacher sends the photos Linda will put them out for the members to vote on. If you vote on a project you are saying that if that project receives the most votes and is selected, you will take that class. It is the only way the club can be assured we will have enough students to justify paying the teacher to come. If you decide you can not take the class for whatever reason - once you have voted and signed your name to that class you are responsible for paying for that class. However, it is your class and your right to sell it to another painter. If you voted for a project and it was not selected, you are not responsible for paying the seminar fee. Jackie has asked for a board meeting this month and there will be a discussion on this at the next meeting I am sure, so be prepared to voice your concerns at that time.

What has happened in the past is over and done with - let's look forward to a future of lots of painting and good times. In the meantime, have a wonderful Valentine's Day with the ones you love.

Great Chinese State Circus - Swan Lake

February Meeting/Paint In

I know all of you enjoyed Margaret's tips and techniques last month. Sorry I was unable to attend. I have a bug that just won't let go even when I think it is over it snaps right back to me. At any rate, other than a sore throat I am better and I hate that I missed the meeting.

To start off this new year Margaret has offered to teach the Long Legged Chicken Tote at the next meeting. She has found tote bags that are approximately 8 1/2" x 11" for you to paint on. This looks like a fun class so come prepared. You will need to bring the following:

A piece of cardboard to support the tote while painting (about 8 1/2" x 11")

Ultra Fine Sharpie Pen to outline the design

Grey graphite or use the General's Carcoal - 557-HB hard we used in Linda Sellars class

Your regular painting supplies - brushes, water container, tracing paper, palette, etc.

Paints and the tote will be supplied by the teacher. (Tote in picture does not represent the actual size of the tote.)

Cost: $15 per student

Lunch will be pot luck.

Remember the meeting starts at 10 am - PLEASE be on time so we can have a short meeting and get to painting. Also, check the sidebars to see the dates for the meetings this year along with who will be teaching.

I hope you have all received the information I sent out about national teachers coming to our area clubs. If you haven't, email me so I can have your email on file. See you next month,

Brenda

A New Year, A New Board..

Happy New Year to you all!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I so enjoyed having everyone over for the Christmas Party. Loved it even though I couldn't get my air conditioning to work until everyone was ready to leave. But I am not complaining - compared to the weather we are having this week I will take a little warmth over the cold any time. We sure have some great cooks in our group and we are always asking for recipes. So I will add another page to our blog just for recipes. Give me a little time to get this done, I'm not as fast as I use to be.

Check out the slideshow of the Christmas party - thanks to Barbara for playing photographer for the evening.

Our meeting will be held on Saturday 15 November at 10 am. Please bring your brushes and regular supplies. We will have a refresher tip and technique day after the meeting. See you there.

Brenda

REMINDER - our next meeting will be 15 January 2011. This will be a tip and technique teaching meeting, especially beneficial to our new members. So bring your regular painting supplies, see you there,

Our Annual Christmas Party

Our Christmas Party this year will be on Saturday night at 5:30 pm on 4 December. We will meet at Brenda's house, enjoy some really great food (bring a covered dish), play Dirty Santa and exchange a few ornaments. We will have several new members attending this year so let me fill you in on how this works.

We all bring a covered dish. I will provide the meat and the drinks. If your item has to be heated be sure it is in the appropriate dish to fit in my microwave oven. We will set up the buffet table - and it always looks so nice with all the food we have. Everyone will find a place to sit, get their dish and proceed to the food line. We eat and talk, then eat and talk some more. Then it is time for the fun to start.

Ornament Exchange - bring up to five ornaments to exchange. They should be handmade/handpainted (preferably) by you or someone else. Put them in a lunch bag and do not put anyone's name on it. We place them all in the middle of the room and everyone draws a number. When it is your turn you get to pull three bags if you brought three ornaments, five bags if you brought five ornaments. This is what I look forward to every year.

Dirty Santa. Purchase a gift (at least $15) and wrap it but do not put a name on it. Everyone participating will have a number. The first person will choose a gift from all of those brought to the party. Then the second person will decide to either choose a gift or steal the first person's present. A gift can only be stolen twice before it is dead. Then it continues until the last gift. The person who picked the first gift then can decide to keep her gift or steal any of the other gifts. It is pretty nice to be number one!!

This is such a special time for our group, everyone is in the Christmas spirit and it is the last time we meet befor the new year. So, please, join us.

I would like to know if you are planning to attend so I can be sure to have enough seats at the tables. Please email me at bcueno@cox.net and tell me if you are coming, I would appreicate it very much.

I hope to see you all next Saturday. I just love this time of the year!!

November Paint In...

Well we won't be painting this month instead we will be making paper flowers with Linda. All you have to bring is SCISSORS (a hot glue gun, a stapler, and spray bottle of water will be helpful also). Linda brought in a few paper flowers last month and there was a lot of interest in making this a class project for November. Don't forget pot luck for lunch and we will see you there.

Although I was unable to make the meeting last month I understand everyone had a great time. Linda Sellars taught fabric painting and everyone went home with snazzy new shirts. We may have to try this again sometime.

Next month will be our Annual Christmas Party. Start thinking about the ornaments you will be giving at the ornament swap - you only have 53 days til Christmas which means you only have 32 days before the party. I will post more in the next few weeks.

See you on Saturday.

NWFSO Meeting 11 September

Well, all I can say is - if you didn't make it Saturday you missed out on a lot of fun. Margaret is so good about teaching and explaining the process that everyone walked away with a very pretty ornament. You see the background - bet you thought we decoupaged it on, right? We didn't. We used a stamp!! Imagine that, a stamp that could give such a pretty background to paint on. Margaret made it all seem so simple. I think we have finished painting ornaments for year, you should have some very nice ones for gift giving or for your tree this year.

And we had a big giveaway of books and some wood products. Edith Davis, a former member, was so generous in donating her Decorative Painters and books/magazines she has collected over the years. Since we had several new members and some who had lost their books either through fire or Hurricane Ivan, it was nice that they were able to pull a few books for their new collections. We can't thank Edith enough for her generosity. She even called to say she had a few more things to donate - I will bring them to the November class.

I would like to remind the members that the raffle we hold every month is a benefit to the club. However, we need donated items from you to continue. We were so lucky to have the Azalea City Chapter donate their books and tapes to us which we have been raffling off, but we will soon run out. Search your stash to find items you no longer need or want or purchase something you find at the store on sale - all items are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Next month we have invited Linda Sellers over for a weekend seminar. Linda will be painting on fabric. She will offer the Toucan and Seahorse on Saturday and the Ants and a floral on Sunday. Here are two of the items she will be teaching. As soon as I get the other pics I will post them. Don't forget next month's meeting/seminar will be on 2-3 October at 9 am. We always start painting early when we have a seminar so we can get the most painting time in. Lunch will be pot luck. If you have any questions about the seminar, please give Linda a call. I will be out of town so I will not be able to attend. I know yall are going to enjoy this class, painting fabric is much more relaxing.

I will post again towards the end of the month. Til then.

We are still painting ornaments!

We will have our monthly meeting this Saturday at 10 am. Margaret is going to teach the holly and berry ornament. If time permits we may be able to paint one more ornament or we will have a demo. So get your paint brushes together and join us - but don't forget to bring something for pot luck lunch.

Next month we will have Linda Sellers teaching fabric painting. If you haven't signed up do so at the meeting or give Linda a call.

Here is the recipe yall requested from Jane. It was delicious, can't wait to try it out on the family.

24 hour vegetable salad

1/4 cup Tarragon Vinegar
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/8 cup salad oil
3/4 cup sugar
1and 1/2 Tablespoon cold water
(Put in a jar and shake or stir until blended)

In a large bowl:
(You can add or delete any of these vegetables you wish)

1 no. 2 can small English peas (drain and rinse)
1 no. 2 can french style green beans (drain and rinse)
l large onion sliced in rings
l large pepper diced
several stalks of celery diced
l jar pimento drained
fresh cucumber sliced
1 can yellow wax beans (drain and rinse)
1 can red kidney beans (drain and rinse)
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

Mix the vegetables and pour the vinegar mixture over them. Refrigerate. Will keep a long time

See everyone on Saturday.

Painting ornament Saturday

In case any of you forgot, we will be painting ornaments again tomorrow at our monthly meeting. We had such a good time in June and July that we decided to continue the fun into August. I will be painting the little rose ornament and Barbara will paint the cutest little stocking ornament. If you purchased you packet last month don't forget to bring it with you. As always, we will have lunch so bring something to share with the group. See you there.

Anita Renfroe - Before I Eat

I thought you would all like Anita's rendition of Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats". She is a female Al Yankavich. So funny.

Christmas In July Ornament Paint In

Our next meeting and Ornament Paint In will be 10 July starting at 10 am. The photos are just an sample of ornaments we will be painting. Several of our members have volunteered to teach - Brenda Cueno, Lucy Kierce, Barbara Murphy, and Crystal Brown. Bring your regular painting supplies as the teachers will supply the paints, surface, pattern, instructions, and photo. The class will last all day so don't forget your covered dish for lunch. We will have a short meeting starting promply at 10 am after which we will start painting. This is such a fun relaxing class, and we all walk away prepared for the holiday season. See you then.

June Ornament Paint In

We are hosting our annual Ornament Paint In this Saturday, 5 June, from 10 am - 5 pm. Several of our members will be teaching ornaments which will include Sue's Snowman pictured. Jane Toman will be making ornaments with charms, Margaret Lecoq will teach also, she just has to make up her mind which ornament she wants to teach. And I believe there are a couple of others teaching but I don't have their names handy. At any rate, bring your brushes (make sure to include several small ones) and regular painting supplies the teachers will provide everything else. The teachers will charge only a small fee to cover their expense, there is no charge for the class. And don't forget your covered dish. See you then.

May 1, 2010 - Meeting-Paint In

We will be painting greeting cards for our military in Iraq after tomorrow's meeting. Pat will be teaching and will bring the supplies, you just need to bring your regular painting supplies - brushes, palette, etc. We will meet at 10 am and will start painting immediately after. Don't forget to bring a dish for lunch.

We also have several items that we need to make decisions on, such as teachers for the fall and 2011. If you are planning to participate in the Craft Show this year, we will need for you to sign up. We also will discuss the Raffle, whether we plan to paint the Nativity Scene. At this point we will need someone to cut out the wood pieces. And the final thing will be who will be teaching Christmas ornaments for the Annual Christmas in July Ornament Classes. This is such a fun time for everyone and we can't do all of the ornaments in one day so we will do this for two months. Check the schedule to your left. There is no fee for these classes, just a small amount to cover the cost of supplies from the teachers. We invite any member of the chapter to teach.

I would also ask that members become a follower of the blog so you can get an automatic update by email. Simply click on the "Follow" button, follow the prompts and you will show up as a follower. Right now I don't believe we have anyone in the chapter as a follower.

Hope to see yall there tomorrow.

April Meeting and Paint In

Not a big meeting this month, many were unable to attend and we still have several members on the mend. The ones that did come enjoyed painting on Tyvek paper. And, of course, everyone's painting came out pretty. Thanks, Mary, for teaching this class. Next month Pat Hutchins will bring in all the supplies to paint or stamp greeting cards for the troops in Iraq.

Already one fourth of the year has passed us by. We still have a lot of items to discuss so please try to attend the May meeting. Some things we need to finalize -
1. Are we going to host the booth at Wright Street Methodist Church?
2. Are we going to have a community raffle and if so what will we raffle?
3. What seminars are we planning to host this year and next year?

These are items that need to be discussed and settled. So come prepared, if you have suggestions please feel free to voice them. We need input from everyone. I will post more towards the end of the month.

Majestic Mountains on Tyvek Paper with Mary Brockett

It is always great to get new members in our club but it is even better when they volunteer to teach at the next meeting. Mary will be teaching an acrylic painting on Tyvek paper. She will provide the supplies and your cost will be $10. Don't forget to bring your regular painting supplies and something for our pot luck lunch. Our meeting will start at 10 am and we will start painting right after.

Fran and Sherry are doing better and hopefully, they will be able to attend the April meeting. See yall there.

March Meeting-Membership Appreciation

Our Membership Appreciation Paint In will be held 6 March at 10 am in the Azalea Room at Baptist Medical Park. Please bring with you your regular painting supplies (white graphite) to include a large brush for background coverage, a liner, a flat or angular shader (3/8 inch) or number 12, a fan brush if you have one or an old scruffy brush. I will provide the paints needed. You will need to bring a surface to paint on approximately 7" wide by 17" long. Hobby Lobby and Michaels have several long routed boards in their wood department. You can go as wide as 8" and as short at 16". It doesn't have to be exact. There is no fee for this class for members (non-members will have to pay $15). It is one way the Board can say thanks to all of you who have stayed with us over the years.

I did not order the thermometer since I didn't get a definite from the membership as to how many wanted them. We will paint after our regular meeting.

As you all know, Fran had open heart surgery and is home doing much better. She hopes to attend the meeting.

The ladies at the Azalea City Decorative Artists would like to give our members first chance at purchasing the remaining videos in their library. As you know, ACDA gave up their charter the end of last year but they still have a few things to disburse. They have a large library of books and videos. Margaret will bring in the videos to the March meeting to sell and will bring in the books at a later date. Some of the videos can no longer be purchased and some do not have patterns or instructions. So, bring in a bit of extra cash and help the club earn a few dollars.

Give me a call or email me if you have any questions. See you there.

Painting with Ros

Our seminar was great this past weekend. We spent two days painting flowers - and everyone seemed so pleased with their projects. It is so much fun to see the many different surfaces we painted on. Ros brought her projector and with the screen that came out of the ceiling, there wasn't a bad seat in the house. Thanks to all the ladies who brought in lunch both days. It was delicious as always. And a big thank you to the ladies from South Florida, Indiana, and Alabama who came such a long way to paint with us. We really appreciate your visit and hope you can come back again.

I also want to thank Linda and Jane T. for coming out in that awful rainy and windy weather Friday night to help set up the room and for those who stayed behind on Sunday to reset and clean up. We missed the ones unable to attend.

As most of you know by now, Francis is in the hospital in Fairhope after undergoing open heart surgery. She had a triple bypass on Friday and as of today, she is still in intensive care. I spoke with Drudy and she will keep up updated on Francis' condition. Please keep her in your prayers.

I also spoke with Sherry. She started her radiation treatment last Tuesday and is doing well considering she is very tired and weak. She was unable to attend the class this weekend. Also keep her in your prayers.

THE MEETING SCHEDULED THIS WEEKEND HAS BEEN CANCELLED. WE WILL MEET AGAIN ON 6 MARCH FOR OUR MEMBERSHIP APPRECIATION. THE BLOG WILL BE UPDATED PRIOR TO THAT TIME.

Painting with Ros Stallcup

We have a full class for the Ros Stallcup seminar. We plan on starting promptly at 9 am. The doors will be open at 8 am for those wanting to come in early to set up and there will be some breakfast foods and coffee available about 8:30 am. For those of you coming in from out of town, we have a Hardee's right across the street from the Baptist Medical Center. Please call me if you have any problems finding the place or if you need directions (Brenda - 850-969-9524 or 982-9524). Ros will be sending six sets of paints to be shared with 27 people. For me, I find it distracting to have to ask for the paint to be passed so I plan to bring my own. Feel free to do the same.

Ros will have patterns available before class and she always allows enough time to put your pattern on and will help with adjustments if needed.

We look forward to seeing everyone.

A word about Sherry....

I just received an email from Sherry saying she was home and wanted to thank everyone for their prayers these past few weeks. She has had the lump in her breast removed and several lymph nodes. The doctors feel they were able to get all the cancer out and did not find any in her lymph nodes - yippee!! She wanted to tell everyone - "If you ever find even a tiny little suspicious spot/lump in your breast, DO NOT DELAY and put off seeing your doctor immediately. I know, and my surgeon said, that is the only thing that kept the carcinoma spreading to the lymph nodes as it was the invading/infiltrating carcinoma and we got it early." She hopes to be able to come to the meeting on Saturday. She has an appointment with the Oncologist Friday and he will then tell her what line of treatment to expect. Please keep her in your prayers.

Hopefully, everyone was notified about the meeting on Saturday. Please fill out your survey and return it. See you there.

REMINDER....

The next meeting will be held 9 January 2010 in the Azalea Room at Baptist Medical Park at 10 am. See the side bar for meetings scheduled in 2010. See you there.

Members only Christmas Party...

It is always fun at our Annual Members Only Christmas Party - you never know what these ladies will do or say during this party!! We eat, we drink (non-alcoholic), we exchange ornaments and then we play Dirty Santa. Everyone brought such nice gifts this year, it was hard trying to decide if you wanted to get dirty or not. Here are a few snapshots of the ladies having a good time.