Have a Peaceful, Joyous Christmas!

For Christmas I would like to send you a beautiful song played by my sweet son, Jordan. It is called Variations On The Kanon by Johann Pachelbel. I think it is on George Winston's December CD, but I also hear a version of it in weddings. He is not happy that I am putting this up because he says he "messed up a lot", but I think it is nice anyway.

I am taking a little break from painting and creating to spend quality time with my family. I feel very blessed that we are all home together, happy, and healthy. I hope that all of my "art friends" are enjoying the same blessings. Take time to snuggle with your loved ones and soak up the season!

New Paintings!

This is such a hustle bustle time of year! I hope everyone is able to at least take a few minutes to enjoy the splendor of the season~We have just about every old classic Christmas movie there is and that is our time to relax and take it all in. We like to watch a couple a week with candles, Christmas lights and snacks. Sometimes I sneak in a little wrapping while we watch! We all laugh at the same old silly or corny things each year. Most recently we watched our VHS of a 1963-64 Judy Garland Christmas Special with Mel Torme and Jack Jones. It was filmed shortly before she died. I love Judy Garland, but it is sad to see how messed up she was during the filming of this show. When she sings The Christmas Song with Mel Torme, she sings, "and every Mother's child is gonna spy...to see if rainbows really know how to fly.." It is sad how Mel tries to cover up for her. My kids especially enjoy the commercials that aired then, particularly the cigarette commercial about how Pal Mals are like a "breath of fresh air and satisfaction"! My how times have changed! What are your favorites?

Here are a couple of paintings that I just listed. If you have a kitty, you can relate to the first painting, "Guilty Kitty". The second painting is another Saint Lucia one. I love that tradition! I wonder if I could get my 21 year old daughter to get up early and serve me coffee and buns like that soon! Have a great week!

Give-Away Winner and New Critter!

Congratulations to Kelly of Thom's Daughter. She is a wonderful artist and her blog is lots of fun! Your name was drawn from a hat to win one of my Art Chunks! All you have to do is go to my Etsy Store and pick which Art Chunk you would like to have and then convo (contact me through Etsy) to tell me which one you like, along with your mailing address. If it hasn't been sold when I get the message, your chosen piece will be on the way! Thanks to everyone who entered. Oh, and in my Etsy Shop if you buy three or more items, the shipping is FREE!

Now, about this little Calico Kitty. I didn't have time to paint this weekend because we had lots of fun family activities, but I did manage to needle felt this little cutie. This time I used a couple pieces of pipe cleaners inside so it is somewhat movable. She (all true calicos with all three colors on the face are supposedly females) is made of hand dyed 100% wool. She will be listed on Ebay tonight if you would like to check her out. I worked on her while I watched the Natalie Wood version of Miracle on 34th Street and the old Little Women with my daughters. We love those old movies this time of year. I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving. I know I did.

Art Chunk Give-Away!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! To ring in the Holiday shopping season I am having a promotion in my Etsy Shop. If you purchase three or more items, the shipping will be FREE! Everything in the shop is under $10 and I just added several new ART CHUNKS! They are fun little pieces of art featuring high quality CANVAS prints of my work mounted on chunks of pine, painted and be-ribboned! I also have several ornaments, note card sets, and framed canvas art prints.

I will be giving away one Art Chunk of your choice (the one featured here is an example)! All you have to do is comment on this post telling me where you might like to tuck a little piece of art. I will put your name in a hat and pick one Sunday evening at 5:00 CST. Good Luck--and have a very Blessed Thanksgiving with you families and friends. XO

Saint Lucia

This little painting is in celebration of the Feast of Saint Lucia on December 13. I was always interested in the Swedish tradition of the eldest daughter rising before dawn on the feast of Saint Lucia to serve saffron buns and coffee to her parents. She wore a wreath of candles on her head to light the way and a white gown with a red sash. Maybe because I was the oldest daughter in my family, I thought it would be kind of fun to do! This painting will go up on Ebay tonight.

Also, check out my "Art Chunks" in my Etsy shop. They are pictured at the right. I used high quality canvas prints on them and they turned out really cute. At $6.99 they are an inexpensive way to collect or give some fun art work~

I can't believe Thanksgiving is upon us already. I only have two days of school this week! Funny little preschool story; One day this week I was giving the kiddos raisins for snack time and as they were chowing down on them I told them that raisins come from grapes and explained how the grapes are put into a drying machine and then the raisins are made! I also mentioned that they were good for you and muttered under my breath that they sometimes help you to poop. Well, a few minutes later the teacher came back to the classroom and I said, "Kids, tell your teacher where raisins come from". To both of our surprise, they all yelled, "Poop"! I guess kids just hear what they want to hear! The funny thing is....it didn't stop them from eating the raisins! Have a great week everyone~

SNOWY PAINTINGS

Here are a couple of new paintings. They are sort of 3-D because I sprinkled some plastic iridescent "snowflakes" into some Modge Podge on top and then sprayed a finish on after it dried. Anyway, they look sparkly! Maybe like Edward in the meadow (Twilight fans ha ha). I hope to post these on Ebay tonight.

I have also finished a bunch of ornaments using CANVAS prints of my paintings. I will be listing these in my Etsy shop. At only $4.99-$5.99 they make inexpensive gifts. Take a sneak peek at the photo in the right hand column! I love how the canvas prints turn out! I am also working on another project using the small canvas prints on blocks of wood. I think they will be a fun way to tuck a little art just about anywhere!

More Felted Critters

I was working on two special request paintings over the weekend so I don't have any new paintings to put on Ebay today. I did make these two little needle felted critters that I just listed tonight for a starting bid of only 99 cents! My little Siamese is going to a new home in Merry Old England! It is fun to see where all my art goes, and exciting to think about all the faraway places where "little pieces of my heart" are spread.

I worked on many new ornaments to put in my "one stop Christmas shopping" Etsy shop. Almost everything in my shop is under $10. Many Items are only $4.99. I will be posting a photograph of the new ornaments soon. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Jack of All Trades--Master of Nothing!

That's what my husband says when I start going in too many directions at once. I have been wanting to try needle felting for a long time and I finally bought some wool roving and and a needle and gave it a try. It is amazing what you can do with just some "un-spun" wool and a needle! This little Siamese kitty is just solid wool with nothing else inside. I just kept poking it with a needle as I formed the body parts and then fused them together with more needle poking. I sewed some little blue glass beads on for the eyes. You can find this little kitty on Ebay this afternoon.

The angels are painted wood with a crackle finish. These will be added to my "Everything Under $10 gift selection" in my Etsy shop! Links are above. I am going to try to add new things each week. Have a nice week--I will be listing Bethlehem Babe (painting below) tonight on Ebay.

NEW PAINTINGS AND NEW STUFF IN ETSY SHOP

I have some new paintings to show you. The first one is actually a pair of paintings although I will be selling them separately. They are on stretched canvas with striped sides. Two very regal looking kitties, don't you think? Lots of crackle for a very primitive look.



















My first Christmas themed painting this year is Bethlehem Babe. The title and sheet music I used on the sides are cut from an 1800's song book. The song is Bethlehem Babe. It is a very serene painting. Check them all out on Ebay.

I have some new ornaments in my Etsy shop. There is a photo of them to the right of this post. My goal is to have lots of fun inexpensive gifts to choose from in my shop!

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. It is beautiful and in the 70's here!

Thanksgiving Paintings!

I completed a few Thanksgiving paintings and got up extra early before work to photograph them. Now with the time change, it is dark when I get home from my "day job". The first one is a kitty waiting for you to look away so she can sneak a little taste. It is called "Thanksgiving Taste". The second one is called "Turkey Run", and the third one is called "Little Server". They are all nice and crackly with brown antiquing and earthy colors for a primitive look. They would make a fun decoration for yourself or for your Thanksgiving hostess!

I just listed Thanksgiving Taste tonight for one penny! I will be listing the other two soon. The link is at the top of this page.

Busy Weekend

Well, here comes the Fall crunch for many of us! It seems to be such a busy time of year. I hosted two parties this weekend and I am beat. I managed to get all my Halloween decorations down today and get out my Thanksgiving things. I found the perfect place for the darling Rosemary dolly that I won in a give-away from the very talented Julie of The Ruby Nest! Isn't she just adorable? Check out Julie's primitive painted dolls. They look and feel like leather and would make awesome Christmas gifts--I think she even writes special things on them now!

I almost finished 3 paintings this weekend too. They are all Thanksgiving themed with primitive crackling. I have a slight problem though. Now that the time has changed, I will never get home before dark to photograph them outside. Any suggestions? I need to devise some type of little light room box or something. Hopefully, I will be able to post them soon!

I am still working on stocking my Etsy shop too. For those of you who even knew, I am no longer being represented by Find Folk Art with Heather Galler. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to go it alone. There are some very talented artists in the group and it was a valuable learning experience for me. I was honored to be asked to be a part of such a neat group, but I just felt it wasn't the right thing for me. I will still be selling my original paintings on Ebay and the links are at the top of my page as always. Have a wonderful week everyone!

Restocking my Etsy Shop for Gift Buying!

I have been busy trying to restock my long neglected Etsy shop with lots of fun and inexpensive gifts for yourself or someone special. I plan to have a big selection of under $10 gifts for your holiday shopping! I have some wonderful CANVAS art prints already mounted and framed for only $9.99. I just listed Mermaids on the Run tonight! I will be listing the ones to the right soon. I also have some sweet little sets of handmade note cards featuring mini prints of some of your favorite original paintings. These will arrive in a cello envelope with ribbon and "handmade for you" tag ready to give for those little gifts you need to have on hand for the holidays. Oh, and they are only $4.99 a set! I have lots of ideas for more fun things and will be listing them as time permits. Keep checking for more surprises. Have a great week everyone!

NEW PAINTINGS!

Here are a couple of new paintings that were just listed last night. They are both Thanksgiving themed and are on 8"X10" flat canvas panels with ribbons run through them for easy display! They have lots of crackle and antiquing for a very primitive look. The link to the Ebay auction is at the top of the page. When you get to the store front just click on my name and you will find them. Auctions start at 1 penny! Check it out!

Wish me luck tomorrow, it is our big preschool field trip to the local pumpkin patch and there is 80% chance of thunderstorms! Yippee!

NEW PAINTING AND HALLOWEEN DECOR!

I know it isn't even Halloween yet, but I wanted to share a picture of my Thanksgiving painting--Give Thanks. It is a big 11"X14" stretched canvas and it has lots of earthy colors accented with antique gold metallic. It has lots of crackle and antiquing for a very primitive look. Check out the listing for more close up pics ( link is above). It has a thick textured gloss finish that gives the whole thing the look and feel of old leather. This one will be hard to part with because it would make such a fun Thanksgiving decoration. This auction starts at only one penny!

Now back to Halloween! We finally got outside to decorate this weekend since it was so beautiful outside! These are just a few of our things we set up outside. They look cool with all the lights shining on them at night, but the sun was so pretty I just had to shoot some daytime pics. I hope everyone has a fantastic week! I am trying very hard to avoid getting the H1N1 virus at my school, although I am quite surrounded by it. A little boy in my class told me that his brother was sick with "that Pig Flu"(his words), and then he promptly sneezed in my face! lol Oh well, I guess my immunities are pretty good by now!

NEW PAINTING!!

Here is my latest painting! I really like how this one turned out. This photo is not as clear as it could be, but you can check out more photos on the Ebay listing. The link to Find Folk Art is at the top of this page. It is an 11"X14" stretched canvas with lots of crackle and antiquing for a very primitive look. Don't worry, these kitties will never catch the birds! I seem to gravitate to these colors a lot. I have tried to do bright colors in my paintings, but I find I am most comfortable with golds, greens and reds. Is anyone else that way with their color selections? Have a great week--mine will be busy~but it is all good!

October Royalty, Homecoming Dance, and Snickers

The first photo here is of my latest painting, called October Royalty. It is a fun painting with gold metallic paints and lots of crackle. I have two more smaller Halloween paintings getting posted tonight also! You will have to go to Find Folk Art and click on my name, Cristine Green, to check them out. The link is at the top of this page and all three paintings will begin at--you guessed it--ONE PENNY!

The second photo is of my son, Jordan and his girlfriend all ready to go to the Homecoming Dance tonight. Wow, it is a lot easier when you have a boy getting ready for a dance--all I did was iron a shirt! His two sisters--well if you have teenaged daughters--you know, lots of drama!!!! I think Jordan and his girlfriend look so cute together, don't they?

The last photo is of our silly cat, Snickers. He was so nosy about my daughter Laura's paper mache project! He sat there the whole time watching her make pumpkin shapes!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

NEW PAINTINGS

Oh where does the time go? Can you believe it is October already? Here are two new paintings that have just been listed in the Find Folk Art ebay store. (Link above) The first one is "Crow Girl", and it has lots of grungy crackle and antiquing. There is something majestic about crows, isn't there? I love hearing them argue over scraps of food early in the morning!

The second one is "Soloist". As this little girl nervously plays her solo on the violin, kitty is NOT very encouraging or supportive! Both of these start at ONE PENNY!






Tomorrow is the last day to bid on "Mermaids on the Run" and "Angel of the Cats", check them out! I also have a few painted kitty ornaments up on auction that are only up to a dollar or two, if you are interested in Christmas stuff yet! With FREE SHIPPING they are a steal! It would make me happy to know my blogging friends were winning them at those prices~~Have a great week everyone. I hope to get around and visit all of your blogs soon. Nighty-Night!

A HAPPY SURPRISE AND A NEW PAINTING!!

I have been working all week on this painting all week. Even though I don't have a drop of Mexican blood in me I am very intrigued by Mexican art and the Day of the Dead celebration which is around the corner! This is my interpretation of the celebration. It is a BIG 16"X20"X.75" gallery wrapped stretch canvas. It has lots of crackle and black antiquing for a very primitive look. I used two coats of a thick textured gloss to protect and bring out the colors. It almost has the look and feel of old leather. I tried to get close ups to show this. This painting will be listed tonight at a starting price of ONE PENNY!! Check it out by clicking the link to Find Folk Art at the top of this page! Then click on my name (Cristine Green) to the right.















I was busily cleaning the house today (my day off) and when I got the mail I had a very happy surprise! The prize I had won in the Give-Away from Artistic Halloween Queens came in the mail today! This lovely painted plaque was created by Linda White. Isn't it wonderful! Thank you Linda, I love it!

NEW PAINTINGS!

Here are a couple of new painting that will be listing soon in Find Folk Art--the ebay store I belong to now. The link is at the top of my page!

The first one is an 11"x14" of Mermaids on the Run. The big sister seems to have an attitude. Mommy mermaid is giving her "the look"! If you are a mom, or if you HAVE a mom, you know "the look"! It has lots of crackle and antiquing. I love how the big sister's belly looks on this one!

The second painting is an 11"X14" of Angel of the Cats. This little angel has her hands full, doesn't she? Maybe Jenny Carter can help her! Oh dear, sorry Jenny--you have enough on your plate! lol This has lots of texture with crackle and antiquing.

Well it just stopped raining (thank goodness) and we have to leave for a barbeque~~Have a nice week, everyone!

HALLOWEEN STROLL

Here is my latest Halloween painting. It is an 11"x14" Stretched canvas with lots of crackly, antiqued goodness! This will be listed soon, and as always, bids start at one penny! FREE SHIPPING too! All of my paintings from now on will have a tiny heart somewhere on them. This is to show you that a little piece of my heart is in every one of them!

I hope everyone with kids is getting back into the school routine. We are around here. My "day job" is going well. Lots of challenges, but lots of rewards. Some examples of those rewards in the last week are; After lots of encouragement on the playground, a little 4 year old Down syndrome girl pedaled a tricycle for the first time. The proud smile on her face was priceless! Another day I was helping a little autistic boy in the bathroom and after using the toilet he looked up at me and said, "Ms. Cris...I think you are super-cool!" Ha Ha, I laughed so hard! I guess it took peeing in the toilet to make him think of that for some reason... ha ha Well have a nice week everyone!

PIANO DISTRACTION

I hope everyone in blogland is doing well! I am still waiting for some cool Fall weather here in the Midwest. It is cool in the mornings and at night, but our days are still heating up quite a bit!

Here is a new painting I finished over the weekend. It is a big 11"x14" stretched canvas. I love pianos, I guess because my son plays. This little kitty is not very fond of the racket coming from his favorite sleeping spot! This painting will be listed soon in the Find Folk Art Ebay store. Remember all the auctions begin at 1 cent!!!! The link to the store is at the top of this page. To view all my auctions, just go to the right column on the store homepage and click on my name, Cristine Green!

GIFT FROM LAURA

I just had to share a picture of the darling paintings that my daughter Laura made for me. Aren't they cute? Yes, she is an art major in college. She is going into graphic design. We have so much fun together doing artistic things and shopping at Hobby Lobby (our favorite)! It won't be long and we will be decking out the house for Halloween!!

CAT HAT

I just thought I would share my latest painting called Cat Hat. It is on an 11"X14" stretched canvas panel. I am trying to do some larger pieces. This painting may be listed tonight!

As you may know I have joined a talented group of artists to form an online art gallery auction store called Find Folk Art. It is run by artist Heather Galler. All of the Ebay auctions here start at 1 PENNY and last for 10 days! It has been an interesting experience and I am learning a lot from the other artists. None of my auctions are over yet, so I am not sure if I will be making any money in this venture yet. lol...I hope you all come to check out the store. You can find it by clicking the link at the top of my page.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

NEW PAINTING AND RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS!

My latest paintings are larger than I usually do! They are 11"x14"x.75" stretched canvases. For the Vampire Encounter I can't deny it was inspired just a bit by "Twilight", plus I just love Halloween and spooky stuff.

The Frida's Window Painting was inspired by a documentary I watched about her earlier this week. She is so very intriguing! She actually did live in a blue house and I had to add the unique hand earrings to my painting that she received as a gift from Picasso! These fun paintings will have a starting bid of only 1 CENT! Yes, AND as usual---FREE SHIPPING! Also, all of my artwork purchases will come with a free gift right now. Remember to find me at FINDFOLKART gallery run by Heather Galler. The paintings will probably be listed later tonight. The link is at the top of this page. It is an online gallery featuring 15 artists hand selected by Heather Galler. When you see the store front, just click on my name at the right to find all of my current listings. ALL of the listings there start at a bid of one penny!

The third photo here is of some of the cute little "art print note cards" I made. I will include two of these (with envelopes) with every purchase--The choice will be a surprise!















The last photo is something that really brightened my week! I have always admired Julie Fillo's work and she recently had a give-away. No---I didn't win, but some anonymous kind soul purchased one of her prints and asked her to mail it to me!! This was just a pure, random act of kindness! I still do not know who sent it, and I probably never will know, but the thoughtfulness and the print brought a happy note to my day! Thank You, kind soul!

SOME CHANGES FOR ME

I have made a big change regarding the sales of my artwork! I am hopeful that it will be a positive one. I was approached by Heather Galler to join her and few other artists in forming an online Ebay gallery store. It is called Find Folk Art. There are 14 of us at this time. Heather Galler has been a prolific folk artist for many years and has quite a following. She formed this venture to help some "up and coming artists" (as she puts it) gain more exposure through association. I am hoping this will happen for me. I love and appreciate all the support that my art and blogging friends have given me over the past year or so and I hope we will all continue to support each other through our blogs.

The main change is that my art will be sold on Ebay in Heather Galler's store. The link is still at the top of my page. Now when you click on my link above you will see the artwork of everyone in our group. Another change is that all the auctions start at $0.01!! That is pretty exciting for the customers! All of the auctions will last 9 days. I will still be painting the same paintings, they will just be found in a different place on Ebay and start at ONE PENNY!



















These two Halloween paintings will be listed tonight at a starting price of only $0.01. There will also be 8 more of my paintings listed tonight or tomorrow for only ONE PENNY starting bid-no reserve! Come check it out!!

KITTIES LOVING FALL!

Whether it's playing in the leaves or dozing in the last warm rays of sunshine, I think kitties love the Fall! I know I do---it is my favorite season; the smells, the colors, the crispness of the air!

These little paintings will all be on Ebay soon. I also have an end of summer clearance sale on Ebay now--check it out if you haven't already. Bids start at $.99 for a few paintings from earlier this summer. As always, I am offering FREE SHIPPING on these deals too!