Painting a Mural…..

My latest mural is coming along quickly.  It is so much smaller than the other one…..I can do just a bit of work and it makes a difference (have I said that before?)!  Did you ever want to paint a mural on one of your walls, but thought you couldn’t do it?  Well, you should just go for it!  I start out by thinking about which wall I would like to paint..maybe start off small..in a bathroom or somewhere like that.  Then, I think about what I would like to paint.  Usually, I find a picture in a children’s book or magazine….there are so many incredible images!

Then, I scan the image and load it onto my computer.  I have a Panasonic LCD Projector that I use…but you don’t have to use one of those…you could use a simple projector..I have one of those too…a Design Master Projector, which works great.  The only difference is that I can use the Panasonic LCD projector in the daytime..I don’t have to wait until it is dark outside, which I have to do with the Design Master projector.

Then, I set up the projector and my laptop and position the picture.  And I draw out the design using a pencil…very lightly.  This sets your mural up so that you are ready to paint.

Then you get started on the painting, which I think is the fun part…seeing the mural come to life!  Sometimes your pencil lines disappear when you paint, but they are meant as guide lines only.  When I am finished painting, I usually outline everything using black paint, or my new best friend….a Sharpie paint pen!!  These things are my new best friend!

I’ll keep you posted with my progress on this mural!

Also, don’t forget to enter my latest giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!  I’m giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to my Etsy shop!!!

I’ve got to do a giveaway….

Okay..I’ve never done a real giveaway..a giveaway of my own Etsy products…I’ve been part of a giveaway…but now it is my turn to do a giveaway…..so in honor of summer coming, here it is:

Catchick6 Creations First Giveaway!

I will be giving away a $25.00 gift certificate to my Etsy Shop!

Required entry: Check out my Etsy Shop and in the comment section of my blog, tell me what your favorite item is.

Extra entries:

  • Like Catchick6 Creations on Facebook.
  • Follow Catchick6 on Twitter.
  • Tweet about this giveaway and give me the permalink (1x per day).
  • Blog about this giveaway and give me the link.
  • Follow my blog through Google Friend connect.
  • Make  a purchase from my Etsy shop and you get 10 extra entries!

Giveaway ends June 25, 2010 at 11pm EDT.

I’ve never hosted a giveaway before, so have some patience with me……!!

A boy and his cat….

Where Quinn goes, the cat goes.  If Quinn isn’t home, the cat isn’t happy.  When Quinn sits, the cat sits…and purrs.  I have never seen a cat love someone so much.

When Quinn leaves for school, Shadow Monster (name given to him by Quinn) goes running behind him….not wanting him to leave.

Shadow Monster doesn’t love anyone else in the house as much as Quinn….in fact, I don’t think Shadow Monster loves anyone else!

Sometimes Quinn goes into his room…and forgets about Shadow Monster….that makes the cat very unhappy.  He sits outside his door….waiting…..

We got Shadow Monster when he was a little abandoned kitty….we also have two of his siblings….

Facebook and Etsy…..

Alright…I think I finally have it figured out..well, not really…but I am muddling through it….

I just set up my Catchick6 Creations on Facebook!  I figure some people like Facebook, but don’t like Twitter and some people like Twitter, but not Facebook and some people like both..and some people don’t like any…..well, now I have a Twitter and a Facebook Account set up!  So, go check it out……

Etsy Shop update….

I have finally gotten around to adding some new items to my Etsy Shop.  I have been wanting to expand my line of clothing items for a long time!  I thought about making underwear from scratch…but for now, I am going to be using store bought underwear and making it my own!

I also have started making training pants….and I am going to have them up in my Etsy Shop soon..but for now, I am offering store bought training pants, with my own little twist!  I’m also going to be offering custom orders for the training pants and underwear!  Also, I’ve decided to offer free shipping, during the summer for all underwear and training pants!  Check it out!

Small transformations…..

River had her old crib still in her room….I had changed it into a day bed….it was mostly a stuffed animal bed!  I had been contemplating taking it down for awhile. …but couldn’t figure out if I wanted to or not….then I saw that ALL Simplicity cribs had been recalled, all makes and all models….and we had a Simplicity crib….it said that all cribs should be returned to the store where you purchased it…..so that made the decision easy for me!  She loves dress up and we needed a place to put all her dress up stuff….so we dragged an old chest out of the basement…..

And of course it needed a coat of paint!  And of course River had to help paint it!

Which of course, made things a bit more interesting…she wanted it painted then and there…and was very upset we didn’t have any pink paint…she had to settle for baby blue.  I promised her that during the summer we would paint a beautiful pink design over the baby blue…..

By today, the chest was dry…so we took down the crib and moved in the chest….of course, we had to rearrange a few other things…and read some books in between and play with Barbies here and there…and get out all the stuffed animals….vacuum out the cobwebs……you know how it is…..

But finally things were all back together…and River seemed pretty happy with her room…..

Banana bread and pasture raised eggs…..

My daughter loves banana bread, so I am always looking at new recipes.  I think I finally found my favorite!  And I think it is all about the eggs!  I found a recipe on the internet called Mrs. Hockmeyer’s Banana Bread, which, when you do a search on the internet for it..you find a million different sites that have the same recipe..so it must be good!

I have been searching for a store that carried pasture raised eggs..and I am so excited that Whole Foods has them!  They come from Vital Farms which raises their chickens outside, on organic pastures.  There are no cages and everything is organic!  I love that and I think the eggs taste better!  Yes, they cost more..but I think it is completely worth it!

The banana bread recipe was so simple….River was able to help me with the entire process.  And it tasted wonderful…except my other daughter, Tuesday, told me I forgot the chocolate chips!

Mrs. Hockmeyer’s Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Biking…..

In many ways I love the area I live…but in many ways I do not love the area where I live.  I try to bike somewhere, if I can…but most of the times, this is just not possible.  And when I do bike, I am pulling a trailer with River in it.   While biking, I always follow all the correct safety rules but cars still honk, speed past us, don’t stop or pull along side us to let us know we should not be biking on the road.  It would be nice to live in an area that was biker and pedestrian friendly.  Most cars think the roads are only for them..this annoys me.

I love this video shot in the Netherlands.  It shows a typical rush hour day…..incredible…..

Excuse Me..Are You a Witch Mural….continues…

I’m slowly making progress on the new mural.  It is nice to be doing a smaller mural.  I can see the progress much faster…….not that I’m progressing that much faster..but even when I do something small, it seems like more.

The problem with this area is that it belongs to the dogs, literallly.  It is the only spot in the house where they like to sleep.  They aren’t allowed on any furniture, so this is their way of thinking they are on the furniture.  So, while I am painting, I have to shoo them away.  Then, when I am done, I have to put something on the window seat, to keep them away, until it is dry!

After the mural is finished, I need to get new cushions and sew new covers and pillows!