Dallas Day One

Early this morning...on the road

This is the InfoMart...this is where the buyers come to buy electronics.
It is next door to the World Trade Center.

And here it is!

Ready to unload

This is inside the Suburban...this is all of the breakable stuff.

This is after they delivered this much to the booth.  Now to set up.  

This is a start...will finish setting up tomorrow.

Well, I made it this far.  There was very little traffic today, and I made
it here with no problem.  I got everything moved out of the
trailer.  I have an inside storage area for extra merchandise,
so it is all there until I need it.  I will finish unloading all the
breakable windows and framed artwork in the morning.  I have
someone coming to help me.  We should have the booth
finished before the end of the day.  woohoo!
Now, for a hot bath and a movie....

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Icy Awards

So, this is post # 1701.  Seventeen hundred posts so far..wow  It has been fun and challenging to 

find so many ways to share my thoughts and my artwork over these past few years with all of you.

Here's to many more!

First of all, we are having very bad weather here in Louisiana.  That is rain turning to ice on the pines, and it is making the roads dangerous. (I know all of you in Alaska are smirking...)  I was leaving for Dallas today, but now it will be tomorrow.

Another reason I am leaving tomorrow is that I had to attend a reception tonight sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.  I was honored to receive the "Business Person of the Year" for 2012.  I was quite humbled and excited. 

This is the entire group that was honored tonight.  The Lion's Club
received the Spirit Award for their contributions to the community.
The Humane Society received the Volunteer of the Year award,
and Delta Tire received the Business of the Year.  We were all
very pleased to be selected, and it was a lovely evening.  This was my statement:
"I have been blessed by God with a creative spirit, and I try to 
use it in all my endeavors.  I want to offer a great place to shop, 
eat, and view art, always acknowledging God as the source of all 
my blessings.  I appreciate all of my employees who work very 
hard to make our business successful...I have not done it alone.
My husband's faithful support of all of my ideas has been a key 
to anything I have accomplished.  And our loyal customers have 
supported us as well, for without them, we could not keep the 
doors open.  So, to all who have helped make the Pea Patch a reality,
from a loving God to a loving husband and family, from loyal 
employees to regular customers, thanks from the bottom of my 
heart."

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Hopefully, I will be posting from Dallas soon!

Faith, Hope, and Love

My trusty jigsaw, and some beaded board..ready to be
turned into a work of art.  (it looks like a Black and Decker ad)

I cut strips of beaded board in various lengths, and then joined them
on the back with some paint stirrer sticks!  I also used some wood glue
between the strips (they fit together...tongue and groove)

After these were dry, I attached some porch banisters to the front
with some more glue and then clamped them.

Then I painted these words on the strips on the front.  I will finish it up, and
add a hanger, and it will be ready to go.  I will also add some hooks along
the bottom strip. fun, fun

I am still managing to throw a few more things together
before I leave for market.  I have more large, big ticket items
instead of less expensive, smaller pieces.  I want to have
a selection of each to better serve the customers!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Wood Glue, Screws, and a Jigsaw

Had a great day making stuff!  I worked at the gallery,
but it was very slow, so I had a chance to work in the studio.
I put together a couple of things to take to Dallas

This is an old pair of oars that I bought years ago in Georgia.  I knew I
wanted to make something out of them, and this seemed a good idea.  I
had some help on this one...Nelson cut the beaded board and assembled it,
adding the hooks at the end.

Nelson also helped do this one.  That is an old pair of snow skis that I also
have had for years.  The 3 pieces of wood came from a dismantled dresser,
and again, we added some hooks.  Either one of these would make FANTASTIC coat hangers in a hallway.  

Close up of beaded board and hanger, on the pair of oars

Now, this one combines some old and new items....the old  wood
with the chippy paint has been in my shop for at least 10 years.
I had an old door knob attached to it, and tried to sell it, and no one
ever even looked at it.  So, I took the door knob off, and added this
fleur de lis hook, and then hung it from a piece of banister that I just
bought in San Antonio last week.  Just keep hanging onto stuff....you
never know what you might use it with!

I also bought this piece last week. Just added the hook and
burlap ribbon hanger...simple

My Suburban is already full of art stuff headed for Dallas, but
I hope I can squeeze in a few more of these.  I will be able to put some
things in the Uhaul trailer, and none of these are breakable.  They will
probably make it there somehow!  If there is something
that you want however, let me know, and I can leave it in
Louisiana for you...I am always ready to sell!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

The Art of the Chinese

I haven't mentioned much about the trip to China lately, so I thought I
would share some details.  The trip is scheduled for July 24, and it is 15 days.
We fly into Beijing, the cosmopolitan northern capital.  We spend 4 days
exploring there...walking on the Great Wall, crossing Tianamen Square,
and seeing the Forbidden City.  There will also be some free time in the city.

My sister in law gave me this beautiful Chinese Brush painting book,
and I hope to be able to paint some of the Chinese subjects while
there.  If you go, you can watch me do it!  This is a cute panda
painting in the book.  We leave Beijing and
board a riverboat cruise down the Yangtze River, where we
will see rice paddies and villages, and sail through
several mountain gorges and see some magnificent
scenery.  We are on the boat for 4 days.

Then it is on to Xi'an, where we will see the giant pandas (woohoo!), and the
famous terra cotta warriors: clay statues of hundreds of warriors that were buried, and have been excavated.  These warriors, along with the Great Wall, are two main things on my personal bucket list...check, and check. 

Another nice little Chinese painting from the book...I hope to do some
similar in my sketchbook that I will create during the trip.  I do
have a sumi brush that is used for this style of work, and I plan to
take it with me.  We travel to Shanghai at the end of our journey,
and spend time in this bustling city...taking in the
food, gardens, and culture of this fascinating place.

It is not too late to sign up for this wonderful chance of a lifetime...
to tour this mysterious and beautiful country, accompanied by
a professional tour guide, fellow travelers with a passion for
exploration and adventure, and several artists who will be painting
and sketching along the way.  You certainly do not have to be an
artist to go, and you can join us from any location.  If you
would like more info, just let me know.  I have 7 joining me so far,
but I would love to have many more.  There are 21 spots left in the group,
and if you are considering going, you should decide soon.  Any questions,
please feel free to email me or call.

Thanks!
sheltongail@hotmail.com  318-628-3560  

ReClaim to Fame

Aren't these adorable?  I have always been a fan of
re-purposing things...I think I liked it and did it long before
the current trend.  I found these little sculptures online on Etsy.
They were featured in Vintage Style
magazine.  Their store is called:  reclaim2fame.etsy.com
Check them out when you get a chance.  Maybe you will find
something to make you smile, or something you can't
live without!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Through the Looking Glass

I managed to make this window today.  I used my scripture photo of the boots with
the verse from Jeremiah.  I enlarged the photo and glued it to the glass.

Then I added some hooks at the bottom.  And I attached these cute
rusty metal stars that are on a wire garland.  I tied on the burlap
ribbon hanger, and it is all finished.  It will go with me to market in
Dallas in just a few days!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Time to Sculpt in Caldwell

I have been driving from Winnfield to San Antonio
for close to 35 years?!  I go through Caldwell, Texas,
a small town in central Texas.  A pretty plain little place...
a Dairy Queen, a couple of gas stations, AND these fascinating
sculptures.
I don't know anything about them, except that they
are in a yard on a corner, and every time I pass by, there
are more of them!  They are welded..and are all pretty
different.  I took these pics from my car at dusk...
they do not do justice.  But I didn't want to
be wandering around in some wacky artist's front yard with
a camera, near dark, in a small Texas town..
(sounds like a line from a novel).
Anyway, if anyone knows anything about them or the artist,
I would love to know.  I have never had the guts to go up and ring
the doorbell.

sheltongail@hotmail.com

New Braunfels Fun

There is a small town north of San Antonio named
New Braunfels,  It is a German heritage town,
and very quaint.  It has many little shops, and several with
 lots of junk!  I stopped here on my way back to
Louisiana today, and picked up a few neat things.

When I was in high school, I took German as my
foreign language.  Our teacher was so much fun, and he
took us on field trips to this town
during the Oktoberfest every year.  He taught us to
do the German polka and the lyrics to some of
the German folk songs...so there
were also lots of fun memories today among
all the nice junk!

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Tough Job...Someone's gotta do it!

Had a great time exploring in Old Town Helotes, near where I am
staying in San Antonio.  It is a quaint small town, and they have
adorable shops and lots of great junk!  I bought several old things to
add to the booth in Dallas.  On the first Saturday of the month, they host
"Market Days" where vendors set up with crafts, produce, antiques,
you name it...great fun!  If you are ever in San Antonio, check it out.

Old Town Helotes
Market Days Helotes, Texas

sheltongail@hotmail.com

Doors and Windows

I am on a working vacation in San Antonio!  I went to this store today...cool
It is in downtown, on the wrong side of the tracks!  It is in a really
large warehouse (no heat or air conditioning?!) But if you are
looking for ANYTHING to remodel a building or house, it is here.

It was FULL of all kinds of doors and windows, any size
or kind you could imagine.  There were mantels,  and
other architectural odds and ends.



They had every kind of hardward for anything you could need.  These key
plates were amazing.

And these door plates covered a whole wall.

This is the owner..he told me he had been in business for
25 years.  And he said that a lot of people bring the merchandise
to him.  He used to tear down buildings and houses, but he said
he turns them down now.



And then some hot chocolate!  We had to warm up after being in the
ice cold building.  We enjoyed some at Shilo's, an old German
delicatessen in downtown, near the Riverwalk.  yummy

It's a Brand New Day!

I really love this song, and thought it appropriate for this brand new year.
Enjoy!

Invitation to Decorate

As most of you know, I decorate wedding invitations, and I
just finished this one as a gift for the bride and groom.
They were married under a rustic arch decorated with
babies' breath and greenery, so I decided to use that
theme on the invitation.  I used some colored pencils and
some acrylic paint.  I am sure they will like it...and add it to their
wedding memorabilia!  Congrats Sarah and Kyle!

sheltongail@hotmail.com