Just a quick post to share a new 5″ x 7″ Birthday card. It’s fun and full of happy hues from one of my more playful watercolors. Paper has an elegant leather texture, envelope is a high quality 60# white with square flap. Box of 6 cards/7 envelopes/$15 or sold separately $5 each. Happy birthday all you Capricorns!
5" x 7" Birthday Card
Inside Card Reads . . .
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A Simple Request—A Fantastic Holiday Surprise!
A friend called just before the holidays asking if I could paint glass Christmas ornaments. She wanted 30 for friends, family and co-workers—a tall order in a short time frame. I’ve often painted on glass so it seemed easy enough. It wasn’t quite as easy as I thought by the time I researched suppliers and found the items I would need.
After finding all of the items (listed below) and finishing the designs, the project almost revealed itself in front of my eyes. It must have been the time of the year. I think you’ll be interested in seeing these as they turned out and reading some of the comments I received.
1. Perfect ornaments (supplier, sizes, colors, textures)
2. Appropriate lines of paint
3. Correctly-sized Swarovski crystals
4. Distinguishing ribbons for ornament decorations and outside wrapping
5. Proper ornament stands
6. Gift boxes, wrapping & tissue paper
7. Photography and design for personalized enclosure card and certificate of authenticity
8. Several smaller embellishments
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Testimonials
Dear Mickey,
Thank you so much! Your Christmas ornaments were truly beautiful—more outstanding that I could even have imagined they could be. When I asked you to paint them, I had no idea people would be sooo thrilled! I have never seen such strong reactions to any gifts I’ve given. The comments ranged from, “ This is the most beautiful gift I’ve ever had.” to “Wait until I show this to my friends.” Several people have asked if they could order the ornaments from you for next year. They also wanted to know if they could be made for Easter, Valentine’s Day, or personalized. Since I don’t have the answers, I gave them your information. I’m very sure you’ll be hearing from them. Mickey, you made this Christmas as thrilling for me as you did for my friends and family.
Thank you,
Jan Bullock, President & CEO, Innovative Learning Concepts, IncI received one of your beautiful ornaments as a Christmas gift from a family member. It was the most awesome Christmas gift I’ve received in many years! I would like to order four for my sisters for next year. What is your deadline for ordering? Also, Can you make them for Valentine’s Day or Easter in a smaller size? I have an 11-year-old granddaughter who would love it. Thank you for making my Christmas beautiful. I look forward to your response.
Virginia Perry
Colorado Springs, Colorado
The four ornaments for Virginia have been painted and delivered. My next step was having photos taken of the ornaments for this newsletter and for use in marketing. While photographing the Christmas ornaments my photographer asked if I would paint something besides Christmas motifs so I asked what he had in mind. His eyes lit up as he showed me a gorgeous shot he had taken of his girlfriend’s beautiful backyard flower garden. Now that was fun, I finished it in time for Christmas and it’s something that can be displayed year round.
My mind is so full of ideas for ornaments. I have ordered lots of colors and many of them just arrived. I’ve been busy washing and base coating in anticipation of a new fun project. The ornaments aren’t on my website yet but if you have questions or comments please call or leave a comment and I’ll be happy to answer them.
Q Is there a way to save a good brush that has acrylic paint dried at the ferrule?
A Although I do not let my brushes stand in water, you will need to soak your brush in rubbing alcohol for a few hours and then gently draw them over a paper towel or lint free cloth forcing dissolved paint from around the ferrule. When paint no longer is seen wash in dish washing liquid or other mild detergent. Never mash your brushes against the bottom of a container. This process has saved many expensive brushes. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have; just ask.
On a personal note . . .
Life has a way of bringing me very pleasant surprises from time to time. It was the end of October when a gentleman, who had seen me dancing at the Broadmoor, approached me about dancing competitively. Competition was something I had thought would be fun but I had never given it serious thought.
My experience with dance had been limited to social dancing and primarily country, not ballroom. Since both ballroom and country dances had similarities I thought I might catch on fairly quickly so I said yes. Two step in country is similar to fox trot, both have waltz, west coast swing, east coast swing, cha cha and salsa. My thought was that this could be a fun, new adventure and I was right.
With one weekend of ballroom dance lessons under my belt and five weekends of practicing, off we went to Las Vegas to compete in the 2011 International Holiday Classic Ballroom Competition. The beautiful gowns, the handsome tuxedos, announcers calling out names of people from around the world, 14,000 entries, it was like living in a Fairytale. Of the forty+ judges two were pros from Dancing With the Stars and one was a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, what a thrill. They were even more beautiful in person.
We arrived on Tuesday and the next two days we competed seventeen times in three different levels. My partner was very optimistic, me, I didn’t say it but I was hoping to just place. When we first walked onto the floor and the music started I missed a lead. OOps! After that happened I didn’t pay any attention to the others on the floor and focused on my partner’s lead. What fun!
There were no trophies at our Bronze levels but we did get these cute little stickers depicting placement and a lovely keepsake for participating. I’ll have them framed in a shadow box so I can be reminded of my first adventure in ballroom competition.
Who knows how long I will compete but for now my partner and I are planning two competitions in March, one in New York and the other in Ashton, North Carolina. I’m taking weekly ballroom lessons and one in west coast swing (my fave), a lot to learn I’m finding. I’m enjoying every minute because . . . after all that’s all we have, this minute, right now. For years I’ve been practicing being in the present. I have concluded that multi-tasking is not an effective use of my time. There is much more enjoyment in everything I do when I’m focused. This especially applies to the creative process. When you can concentrate solely on what you are working you will find your retention is better and you get so much more accomplished.
Bella’s Insight
Hi Everybody! Boy, has mom been busy. She actually left me with my BFF (best friend forever), Jo. When Jo comes by to help mom I keep her company. That’s
how we became best friends. Now don’t tell mom but Jo and Mike, her husband, are so much fun that I forget mom is gone. I have a giant fenced-in back yard and they don’t care if I bark at that humungous rottweiler next door. I have my own chair, in Jo’s room, right by the window so I can keep guard over them. There are three dogs across the street that keep me on my toes. Jo keeps a stool by the bed in case I need a nap. Sometimes they take me in my car seat to run errands. Mike walks me to the mail box everyday and I’m quite a hit with the neighbors.
Even though I’m having all this fun while mom is gone, when I hear our car pull in the drive I do go a little crazy and it’s real hard to settle down when she comes in. Mom hasn’t mentioned leaving again but I’m okay with it if she does. I have my very own vacation retreat.
Life is an Adventure!
Bella ~
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September was a busy, creative month on this artistic voyage. Some things that kept me busy . . .
• Finalized Broadmoor Resort signage for The Boutique
• Finalized Broadmoor Resort signage for the New Broadmoor Holiday Shoppe!
• Finalized a Paris theme nursery for a Baby Girl
• Ideas Approved for the Broadmoor Resort Children’s Shop
• Designs approved for two ceilings at the Broadmoor Resort
Creating Signs for the Broadmoor Resort
As mentioned in the August Newsletter I have been working on new signs for The Boutique and the new Broadmoor Christmas House/A Holiday Shoppe. In total there will be two double sided signs and two single sided signs. My how technology has changed over the years. Instead of hand painting every aspect of the signs I hand painted the decorative areas, photographed the paintings, dropped them into my computer, opened them in Photoshop, made color adjustments (can be way time consuming) and proceeded to layout the sign to the correct size and shape. This sign measured 24″ x 24″.
The text was decided upon, placed on the page, adjustments made to the size, kerning and style. Samples were printed, the artwork was burned to a CD and taken to the sign shop and a 
few more trips to proof the printouts for color, layout and shape. I cannot say it is quicker to create a sign this way, the advantage will be that as the signs age and possibly fade in the sunlight or perhaps even gets damaged the old sign can be peeled off and a new one can be printed out and applied in a short period of time making this cost effective in the long run. The Christmas signs measure
30″ x 48″ and 24″ x 40″.
The Broadmoor Children’s Shop
Sketches have been approved for some fun things in the Broadmoor Children’s Shop. More about that next month.
Painting a Nursery
Mural with a Paris Theme
A proud grandmother contacted me in regard to painting a nursery for her first granddaughter. What a special gift for her son and daughter-in-law. The young couple had fallen in love with Paris after vacationing there and wanted that as a theme. They knew they wanted a tree with flowers and the baby’s name above her bed but they also wanted some very personal items added.
The new parents had both lost their fathers and wanted to incorporate things into the mural that reminded them of 
their fathers. The new mother’s father had been a pilot and she wanted his plane added. The young father knew his father had always wanted a basset hound but never had one.
Something I like to add to children’s murals, when it is appropriate, is a growth chart. A whimsical, girly Eiffel Tower seemed the perfect thing to serve as a growth chart for Devon. Plus this served as a nice background for her grandfather and his dog and an object of interest for her other grandfather flying his plane.
I might mention that the paternal grandmother also known as “Mia’ to her grandchildren, created all the beautiful bedding for the newborn’s nursery.
Q Do you have any tips for painting on a rough surface?
A What I’ve learned over the years when painting on a low to medium
textured wall: For the delicate lettering I painted on the medium textured wall
in the nursery above I used a Windsor & Newton #4 Regency Gold 530. Liner
brushes are one of my favorite brushes. Because of the long bristles you can
begin the letters with a narrow hairline stroke adding pressure to increase the
width to over one fourth inch and back to a hairline in one stoke, in most
cases. To do this you need the correct amount of moisture in your brush bristles and the right consistency of paint.
Five Tips that help when painting on a rough surface . . .
1. Begin with the right amount of water in your brush. Wet your brush, tap on a paper towel or damp sponge before you fill your bristles with paint. Keep paint about 1/8th-1/4th from ferrule.
2. Your paint needs to be the right consistency. This can vary according to the paint finish, i.e. the more matte the finish the more drag on the bush.
3. The speed at which you paint can determine how smooth your paint goes on and whether or not it skips the surface. Again this is determined by the finish of
the surface you are painting and the consistency of your paint.
4. Don’t forget, the pressure you apply determines the width of the line, the
more pressure the wider the line.
5. I often hold my breath as I am painting a line, exhaling slowly toward the
end of the stroke.
Most importantly, don’t fight the texture. Once you learn the above techniques
your lines should appear smoother over a light to medium textured surface.
Something else I’ve learned; practice is the only way to improve your brush strokes on any surface and don’t expect perfection. There is no such thing.
On a personal note. . .
September turned into a challenging month on the home front. Colorado Springs received over 4-5 inches of rain within four hours and was combined with very high winds. The home I bought a little over a year ago had been redecorated with lovely colors, new floors and there had never had a problem with water coming in . . . until September 12th.
At this writing, about nine days later, I am still living with large fans blowing day and night. The fans in my bedroom were taken away two days ago so I am back to sleeping in my bed. Thank you, God. If this was a test I came close to failing. Not being irritable has been a challenge. I am told tonight should be the last night for the fans. Then to the dusting and cleaning and that is before the repairs begin. Arrrrrrgh, this too shall pass.
Bella’s Insight
Happy Autumn Everybody! What a beautiful time of year. Mom and I headed to the mountains to check out the pretty leaves. I was thinking, “Oh, ho hum, yep that’s just how I want to spend my Sunday afternoon.” But guess what, pretty leaves are OK plus we got to see some BIG animals called cows, horses, elk and deer (I’ve seen lots of deer, you don’t have to go far for that in Colorado Springs!) Somehow Kimba doesn’t seem quite so big any more.
Well, another interesting thing we got to see was the Victor/Cripple Creek Mine Project. WOOOOOW! It went on f o r e v e r, I’m talkin’ miles and miles. Mom told me that for a real long time Cripple Creek Mining was a series of underground mines. Since 1994 it has become an open-pit operation and employs nearly 400 people. I’m telling you this place is huge. When you come to visit Colorado it is a Must See!
Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m missing some people. You see this past 
summer two of my pinochle buddies moved to New Mexico and they have only come back to see me once. How can they possibly stay away from me that long?!? Here are the missing people. Just so you know they are nice and very happy, will probably have smiles on their faces.
If you see them tell them “Hi, from Bella.”
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