The Painted Treehouse Store

Posted on August 31, 2009

Today I relaunched my Etsy Store. I’m selling my knitted Photography Props as well as Custom Oil Paintings and prints of some of the bigger paintings I’ve done. I’ll be adding more stuff all the time.

I’ve been knitting pretty much non-stop for the past week creating new items to sell in my store and I have to say, I’m really happy with the results! Let me know what you think!!

You can visit the store here : The Painted Treehouse Etsy Store or click on ‘Shop Online’ on the tab above.

Big Red Bag …

Posted on August 29, 2009

I started this about a week and a half ago and I have to say I knitted the first side half way through about a dozen times and had to pull it apart and start over. I kept messing up the cable pattern, but I got it in the end and the second side was so much faster! No pattern for this…. well, I took inspiration from a whole bunch of different bag patterns, but ultimately, I made it up. I wanted a big, winter, slouch bag for me to put all my junk in. I also went to about five different stores searching out just the right fabric for the inside. I knew what I wanted. I could see it in my head. It was just a matter of finding it….. ha! I am so fussy, but I do love this bag.

I’d love to be able to make something like this to sell on my Etsy, but if I did it would have to be a custom order and I would have to charge a whole bunch of change for it, simply because of the immense amount of time I invested in knitting this.

I am thinking I might add some pom poms and some kind of clasp at the top middle, but I’m not sure what yet. If I change it some more, I’ll be sure to add more pictures later… for now… here’s the “Big Red Bag” …

Emmaus Lutheran Preschool …

Posted on August 28, 2009

Okay, so I am Agnostic (bordering on Atheist) and my husband is an Atheist and yet we chose Emmaus Lutheran Preschool in Orange City for Alex’s Preschool and I couldn’t be happier! I’ve visited so many preschools in the area over the past couple of years and honestly, no where else comes close. The team of teachers as well as Miss Lisa who runs the school are all so kind and wonderful and you get a happy, content vibe when you walk through the door. It’s a calm, relaxed environment (which is very unusual in a preschool!) and as a result, the children are calm and relaxed and they LOVE IT! We adore this place. They rely on word of mouth and so here’s my plug for the school. If you’re in the Orange City, Florida area and you’re looking for a really FANTASTIC preschool… then check them out, please. You won’t regret it!!

Emmaus Lutheran Preschool Website

First day of school ~ 2009

Posted on August 24, 2009

My boys went back to school today. Alex starting Preschool officially for the first time (he did three days a week for a month or two at the end of the last school year, just to help him acclimate) … and Tom starting second grade.

Here’s the proof!

Early morning light …

Posted on August 23, 2009

Whilst Daddy was sleeping in, I attempted to get some photographs of the boys. I’ve stopped taking so many pictures these days as when I take out the camera, it normally is followed by much face pulling and cheesy grins and it’s just painful! However, I think I got a lovely picture of Alex and one of Tom that shows how badly he needs a haircut…. ha! (He was trying desperately hard not to smile… )

Dusty! … oh, and a flower ….

Posted on August 23, 2009

So, we are in the process of re-doing our playroom and right now it’s a MESS!

Here’s what is going on. Ever since we moved in we’ve had issues with water leaking under the door in the playroom and about two weeks ago after being out of the house all day I noticed that it smelt musty and moldy when I came home. Ack! I can’t have that! So last weekend we ripped the carpet up and threw it out. The other problem was that the previous owners who converted the screened in porch to a proper room didn’t prime the ceiling before the put up the plaster (or whatever the heck it’s called) so over the past year we’re had bits of it peeling off and falling down and it’s horrible!

Anyway, the job is starting to redo the ceiling, replace the door and to install a hardwood floor in there and it will be my studio (and I’m sure the boys will end up watching TV in there too, but I can deal with that!) ….

Here’s a picture of how the room looks right now…..

I’ll keep you updated as the job goes on! I really want to put in two really big sliding patio doors in to replace the ‘office windows’ that are there now and I want to build in a bookcase on the back wall. Fun, fun, fun!

(p.s. Do you like the fact that the blind over the door has half of the bottom right of it missing? This is because the dog jumps up at it and pushes it out of the way too peer out of the window….. haha!)

And finally…. a picture of a Canna Lily that we planted as a bulb this spring by our pond. It’s finally blooming and isn’t it blooming marvellous?!!!

Some changes coming …

Posted on August 21, 2009

During the Summer I’ve been thinking a lot about what direction I want to take with regards to my “work”. I would like to have a nice little business going, but I’m not sure I want to focus entirely on my painting and lose my Photography. I’m not sure that I want to focus on the Photography and lose the painting. I’m also not sure where my knitting and sewing comes into all of this.

I’ve come to a decision.

‘The Painted Treehouse’ was always intended to be my Studio name and this website to be a representation of my Studio online…. and that is what it will now be. I’ve changed the logo and brightened it up a little, and over the next couple of weeks I’ll be revamping the site to have areas where I can showcase all my work and contact information so I can be contacted for commissions of any type. I mean, I don’t really have to choose do I? Why can’t I do it all??

Watch this space!

My friends …

Posted on August 6, 2009

This is my friend J, with her daughter M.

She thinks she looks terrible in this picture because she doesn’t have any makeup on, but I think she looks beautiful, as always…..