Hand painted nutcrackers

I painted a few nutcrackers and they were a hit. I had several 3" boards in the garage. They fit great. 

The Santa was painted on an old cabinet door. The hardest part was getting the oil paint off the door.

Another nutcracker.

Not much else to show, but I'm enjoying the Hallmark Christmas movies. Anyone else?

Fa La La

Instagram

I have been posting regularly on Instagram. If you are looking for my most recent art projects - feel free to follow me there.

thanks!!

https://www.instagram.com/douthitart

Playing around with mixed media

I love playing around with collage and painting on top of it. The results are always so surprising. I had a blast with this one. I did the papers several weeks ago and wasn't sure what it was going to be. It actually has the words "giggle, laugh and play" scattered throughout and it wasn't my intent to cover them up, but they are.

 If you are coming here from the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog - Welcome! The theme this month is "Superpower" and I feel like mine is collage paintings, mainly because I love it. What is yours? If you play along, Stampers Anonymous is sponsoring the prize!

My creation for this challenge is my collage piece.

It's mixed media on wood, and framed in a reclaimed frame that I painted with a faux weather finish.

I hope you are inspired to play along with the challenge.


 Here's how to enter: 
Make sure you visit each designer's blog and leave some comment love for them... we LOVE hearing from you all! Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.
* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post. 
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs.
* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post 
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
 * You can combine with up to 4 other challenges.
 * No Backlinking (linking a project completed before the start date of our challenge) allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted. 
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN! 

 You have until 11:55 pm EST on April 31st to enter!

Mixed Media Sunflowers

Can you believe it's the first day of March and we are experience temperature's in the 80's in Northeast Louisiana! Two years ago we had snow. Talk about Mardi Gras Madness!!

If you are here for the March Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog, this month is one of my favorite's - buttons! My mom still has a tin filled with buttons that I used to play with as a child. I would sort them and line them up for hours.  Our sponsor and guest designer this month is May Flaum. Play along and one winner winner will receive a goodie box filled with an assortment of 28 Lilac Lane embellishment mixe as well as a spot in May’s next online class focusing on embellishments! How fun is that?

Here's my creation with buttons.

I used patterned scrapbook papers on birch wood, acrylic paint, and buttons!


Be sure to check out all the creations from the Design Team and enter your project at the March Mixed Media Monthly Challenge and play along.

Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 
* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 
* No Backlinking (linking a project completed before the start date of our challenge) allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!!

January, Winter and New Art

I always get a new sense of direction with the beginning of a new year. New goals, organization and a surge of energy - only sometimes the cold dreary days that come can try to slow me down. We have had some pretty nice spring-like days during the last few weeks of December, so I'm hoping to get some things going before Louisiana gets too cold!!

The January 2017 Mixed Media Monthly Challenge theme is "Put a Stencil on It" and the sponsor is "StencilGirl", and the guest designer is Mary Beth Shaw of StencilGirl products. The prize will be a $25 gift certificate.

And the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Design Team is welcoming a new member.  Our September Guest Designer Lynne Forsythe has joined our team. Welcome Lynne!

This theme . It fit me so perfectly because I had an order for a painting that I happened to need to finish in early December, so I used the stencils with this painting. The geometric type circles look a bit like snowflakes in the background.

I hope you can participate in our monthly challenge and be entered for the random drawing for the prize.

Here are the rules:

Make sure you visit each designer's blog and leave some comment love for them... we LOVE hearing from you all!

Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 
* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 
* No Backlinking (linking a project completed before the start date of our challenge) allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

You have until 11:55 pm EST on January 31st to enter!

Back at the Coast one more time...

The Mister and I enjoyed our second time at Cruising the Coast this October. We enjoyed watching the car parade along the Beach Boulevard as well as visiting the various car shows.

We got back and had another art crawl, then a haunted house at the youth theater, then my daughter was in Romeo and Juliet at the youth theater. I helped paint some of the set.

Then it was November and it's already Thanksgiving. Art crawl is this week and I'm so behind.

And now the Christmas Season is here! OH MY!!!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

July Mixed Media and Stars

Mixed media is one of my favorite things to work with as of late. I also love words and letters.  I have had the background on this piece for several months and the letters for "dream" sitting on it waiting for some time to devote to it and actually finish it. This month's Mixed Media Monthly Challenge "Reach for the Stars" was perfect. 

If you are new to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog, it's just that - a challenge to get you motivated to create - anything - using mixed media. This month Seth Apter is our guest designer and sponsor. He will be giving away this stamp set from Impression Obsession called Faded Fragments. So, I hope you can play along. Instructions on how to play are at the bottom of this post.

So, for this month's challenge, I found a wonderful quote relating to dreams and stars. I used patterned paper, chipboard, stickers, paint and stamps and ink. 

Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.

* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 

* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post

* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board

* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 

* No Backlinking allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.

* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.

* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 

* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post

* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board

* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 

* No Backlinking allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.

* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

May Flowers

April showers brings May flowers. I can't wait to see all the beautiful flowers in this great state of Louisiana. My next door neighbor has a very young magnolia tree and I noticed yesterday that it has almost 30 new budding magnolia's on it. It's going to be beautiful!

 

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Design Team members have been creating some awesome floral creations for this month's mixed media challenge. The theme is "Butterflies and Blooms".


Our May Guest Designer & Sponsor is  Ken Oliver! Ken is offering our random winner a set of Caribbean Brights Color Burst and a Best Ever Craft Mat!!

Here's my painting. It's 20" x 20" on canvas. I used some vintage ledger papers (real ledger papers, not manufactured printed paper) from the basement of the Sugar Art Gallery which I co-run. The basement used to be a Wholesale Drug company and those old papers are great for collages. I also used modeling paste, crackle paint, scrapbook papers, stencils, paper doilies and acrylic paint.

"Lace and Paper Flowers"

This piece and several of my new paintings will be at "Blend of the Bayou" in North Monroe, Louisiana this afternoon.

I've been getting new art ready for this event as well as finish up some commissions. Then in the morning I'm going coastal with some old friends. Will post photos when I return as well as some new art. If you are on facebook - follow "Melanie Douthit Art Studio" for more current art photos.

Make sure you visit each designer's blog and leave some comment love for them... we LOVE hearing from you all!


SO - are you going to play in this month's challenge? Here are the rules:

Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 
* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 
* No Backlinking allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

You have until 11:55 pm EST on May 31st to enter!
Post your project on THIS POST

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

No fooling! It's mixed media challenge time...

Happy April 1! For those who love mixed media challenges - we have a fun one for April.

The Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog has a new challenge this month. The theme is "dimension"! It's my favorite in my art - either the illusion of dimension or actually making layers. It's so much fun.

The sponsor this month is Stampers Anonymous.

This month we will have TWO lucky random winners!! Each winner will receive a fabulous Wendy Vecchi stamp set and stencil!!


Here's my painting for the challenge. I started with a layer of random color. After it dried I added thinned paint and misted with a water bottle. More dimension. I added papers and crackle medium (more dimension) and then (why not?) I added painted chipboard.  Then I created the images.

Here's a close-up view.

"Enchanted Poppies" 16" x 20" by Melanie Douthit

Our April Guest Designer is Wendy Vecchi - Ranger & Stampers Anonymous Signature Designer!!


Wendy Vecchi is a full time artist/designer/educator and owner of studio 490.She is a signature designer for Ranger, and Stampers Anonymous and a past member the Tim Holtz and Maya Road design teams. In addition to designing rubber stamps, stencils, embossing pastes, archival inks and embossing powders, she loves discovering new techniques & she loves to use those techniques to make art.

I hope you play along.
Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. Entries not following our rules will be deleted.

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs.
* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges.
* No Backlinking allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

September Mixed Media Monthly Challenge

It's always a fun day in the studio when I work on creations for the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge Blog. This month's challenge was something different - a photo inspiration!

If you are new to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge, it's a fun way to get motivated to create (if you need motivation) and just for participating, your name will be put in a random drawing for a prize? How cool is that?  Just create something for that month's challenge, photograph it, and link up your image on the MMMC homepage. It's so easy!

Our prize this month is a one month free membership to Brave Girl's Club!  Brave Girls' Club "Brave Girl University" opens September 1 and Angela Magnuson (owner/creator of Unity Stamp Co and also a Brave Girl contributor) is giving away one month free to our random winner (value $24.95).

We are so excited to have  Julie Balzer as our guest designer this month!! Be sure to check out her creation as well as the entire team on the homepage! 

Here is the inspiration photo for the September challenge.

Isn't that a fun photo? So many things to jumpstart a creation. Large shapes (circles, faces, flowers, buttons...) and there are even plants and plates with fashion models on them. And the color!!! 

So here is my creation for this challenge.

I found a paper that resembled the fence, and a large flower stamp that I used to represent the tires. I rummaged through my stash and found a die cut with a lady on it that I added. At the bottom of the inspiration photo, you can see the word "enjoy" so I added the quote using "Joy". I used paint, stamps, Stayz on ink (black), stickers and a punch.  The base is a 5.5" x 5.5" x 1.5" block of wood. I love using this size - it's fun for gifts and doesn't take up much room on a shelf, desk or wall. 

I can't wait to see all the wonderful creations based on the photos. Thanks for stopping by!!

Artist Appreciation Month

I'm late in the month, but August is Artist Appreciation Month. No, that doesn't mean you send me gift cards, but you can if you want. For this post I'm going to share which artists inspire me. I was informed of this wonderful holiday by Patience Brewster, an artist known for unique handmade gifts and Christmas ornaments, to share my story of which artists have impacted me personally.

Here is one of Patience Brewster's "Dasher" ornaments that I think is so absolutely fun.

So, thinking about my journey as an artist includes so many influences - from my first oil painting instructor (and I can't seem to find where he is today but has become active in Arts for the Parks), to my first watercolor instructor, and on and on. All these teachers inspired me, grounded me, and taught me tremendously... But somehow I still wasn't "free". There was still something more that needed to be released.

I wrote on my paper crafting blog in the spring of 2010 about the start of a new artistic journey. After setting painting full time aside and diving into the world of designing papercrafts projects for manufacturers and publications for a few years, something new was brewing. This is my journal entry:

*************

As of late, I've had an obsession with Alice. I saw the new Alice movie last month and was "enchanted" with the artistry in the film...the costumes, the color (or lack of), the characters. It was all so "artsy". I wanted to see it again the next day, but didn't. Besides stirring the artist in me, I related to Alice in a strange way. Grown up Alice was "expected" to conform to society, she was expected to dress a certain way and marry a certain man and live a certain life. I tried this mold on for the past seven months. I took a corporate job, sat at a corporate desk, and brought home a corporate paycheck. But I was dying inside. After three months the artist inside of me was screaming to get out. Yet, I was so tired at the end of the day, that I couldn't physically do anything creative. After months of prayer and patiently waiting, I finally found my way out and couldn't be happier in my spirit.

The first thing I painted on my new journey - without consciously thinking about it - was - Alice. I was inspired by a recent issue of Somerset Studios magazine - their theme throughout the magazine was Alice. I picked it up on a recent trip to Texas, and I couldn't put it down. I also was inspired by Kelly Rae Roberts. But what turned me on to Kelly Roberts was an art post by Courtney Walsh on her blog several years ago. Courtney, you have no idea how much I was screaming on the inside while sitting at the corporate America desk bored out of my mind reading this post. I guess one just doesn't know how much we can effect the lives of someone else. Thank you for being the little white rabbit for me to follow. I didn't know it at the time, but it was the beginning of a journey.

So....I came home from our trip to Six Flags and opened my box of art supplies that the UPS man delivered the week before. (Yes, I haven't even opened the box because I knew once I did, there was no turning back) I followed the techniques in Kelly Robert's book and drawing from inspiration in the books and magazines, came up with several whimsical versions of Alice.

************

Since that blog post five years ago, I have had an amazing fast paced artistic journey that still keeps me out of breath. The sky is the limit and the feedback and comments people share are heartwarming. My love for mixed media has not dulled, and my imagination is soaring with ideas that I can't implement fast enough.

I have done several more "Alice" mixed media pieces. This is one of my favorites. It's 20"x 20" and has a home with a beautiful little girl.

If you are a mixed media artist, considering joining the challenges at Mixed Media Monthly Challenge. There is a wide variety of artists and crafters that participate, and frankly, I would welcome more mixed media "art" projects. We have some very cool prize sponsors coming up for the rest of the year and some fun challenges. 

This is one of the latest of my mixed media paintings.

I would love to hear in your comments about some artists that have impacted you personally through your journey.

And after you comment, check out the fun artistic ornaments by Patience Brewster. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

Mixed Media Monthly Challenge for August

I always have a blast working on mixed media pieces for the Mixed Media Challenge Blog. This month's challenge is to use text in your project. I LOVE using text in my projects.

 If you are new to the challenge - please join in! Go to the homepage for the place to post the link of your project.

Here's my project.

"Swamp Tours" is 28" x 30" on stretched canvas. I used papers, burlap, gold leafing, seed beads, cardstock tag, fabric alphabets, cardstock stickers and paint. The surface was sealed with a layer of resin.

Here's a closeup of the alphabet before I poured the resin.

We can't wait to see what you come up with for the challenge. Here are the rules:

Please follow these rules to be eligible for placements and prizes. 

* You must use our challenge graphic in your challenge post.
* You must comment on at least 3 design team member's blogs. 

* Your post must link back to the Mixed Media Monthly Challenge post
* Add a link to your direct post, not your entire blog, a YouTube Video or a Pinterest Board
* You can combine with up to 4 other challenges. 
* No Backlinking allowed! Any back-linked entries will be deleted.
* You can enter up to 5 times, create whatever you want, and HAVE FUN!

Thanks for stopping by!

New Orleans, Music and June

The calendar pages just keep turning faster than I can catch my breath.

(Warning - long post with lots of photos!!)

 I'm still filling orders from before summer started and trying to keep up with art for the galleries. The month started off teaching and art class to a great group of young artists. We studied Van Gogh.

Then one night my hubby wisked me away to Boston! (Not the city - the BAND!)

 I still can't believe we got to hear them in person. This was in Jackson, Mississippi.

The next week, we sent my daughter to camp. Hubby and I packed the dog and our two bicycles and went to New Orleans for a week. We stayed in an adorable shotgun house on Dauphine in the Marigny District that we found on www.vrbo.com.

It was about 8 blocks from the French Quarter, where we rode our bikes to every day. We walked to Frenchmen Street (4 blocks) every evening to stroll from one Jazz club to the next to enjoy the best music in a very artsy, bohemian setting. We couldn't wait until Thursday when the Frenchmen Street Art Market opened. We have always loved that place.

One night our friends from Covington drove down and took us to the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone on Royal. We took photos in the carousel mirror and saw strange images in the reflection. (haunted??? hmmmmm) Then we strolled a few doors down and heard Washboard Chaz  - you just really never know who you will see and hear when in the Big Easy.

We visited the French Market one morning and almost rode our bikes into the live shooting of a new HBO show called "Quarry". It's set in the 70's - so our modern bicycles would have been out of place in that scene. I still can't believe when I heard a man's voice say "Can you stop?", that I actually replied "Why?".... when normally I would have peddled faster. He replied "Because they are shooting.." and I turned and said "Like....bang...bang??" lol. We toured the inside of the St. Louis Cathedral (yes, air conditioning!) and ate breakfast on cute bistro tables on street corners.

We met this book author at the French Market.

Hubby hired this street poet to write a poem to me on her non-electric typewriter. What a teasure!

Sandra and her daughter that own Cajun Corral Farm at the Frenchmen Street Art Market. I bought the nicest goatmilk tropical scented lotion from her.

We had a romantic dinner at Adolfo's next to the Frenchmen Street Art Market on our last night. Then headed home the next day to pick up our daughter from camp!!

 She was there with several friends from the youth theater, but she met several new friends as well.

She was awarded a Craft Award from her craft teacher, Missy Robertson (yes, the one from Duck Dynasty), and her other teacher was Mrs. Howard (Korie's mom)

My Happy Camper!!

One wonderful summer month - almost over. Ready for the next adventure. Thanks for stopping by. Be sure to follow me at Melanie Douthit Art Studio on facebook - or on Instagram at DouthitArt

Have a great day.