A New Whimsical Jewelry Box

Here's my latest creation!  I really enjoyed painting this one.  Actually I've had this box for a year and just got around to working on it.  I've been concentrating so much on the scrapbooks my painting has kind of taken the back burner.  It seems to be good for my creative juices to alternate between scrapbooking and painting.  Keeps me from getting burned out.

I really love the detail on this piece.  I will admit I resorted to wearing my magnifying glasses a few times!

I normally don't paint anything on the back.  But I decided to add a bit of pretty detail and besides that it makes a great place to sign my work!


I finished this jewelry box over the weekend while I was snowed in.  At least one thing good came from that snowstorm.  On a sad note my beautiful guppies were casualties of the storm.

We lost power on Saturday and the temperature drop stressed the fancy guppies.  I never realized they were so fragile.  The guppy tank is in my studio which is the coldest room in the house.  The power was only out for 3 hours but it was mighty cold outside and hubby was having some issues getting the generator started.  I wasn't worried about the turtle tank as it sits in the den right next to the gas fireplace which I had blazing nicely.

When the power came on I thought everything was fine.  The water temp had dropped down in the 60's but warmed back up quickly.  But the very next day my newest guppy which I just got last week wasn't looking so happy.  When I looked closely I could see that he had the dreaded ick.  I then had to brave the icy roads to get some ick medicine from the pet store.  I started treating them right away but it didn't help.  Alas within 3 days all the fish were dead.  Poor little things.

OK enough of the sadness.  On a happier note this jewelry box sold the very first day.  I had to quickly take photos before I sent it off.  A lucky lady received this for her wedding anniversary.  Another satisfied customer!

I have two more jewelry boxes to paint.  Hopefully I can get started on them this weekend.  Right now I have two whimsical candlesticks and a scrapbook to photo and list.  I think need a longer weekend.

Sharon

#whimsical art, #whimsical painting, #jewelrybox, #sharonstrouddesigns

Back To Work After The Holidays

I took most of December off as far as creating new pieces.  I didn't really want to stop working on projects but I knew that it would be best to just enjoy the season and come back refreshed in the new year.  So I've got a couple of projects I'm just finishing up.

The first one is a whimsical trinket box clock.  This one is actually a reclaimed clock.  I wish I had taken photos of the original.  It was quite cheesy!  I really like the way it turned out and it was so much fun to paint.

It's listed on my website as well as my Etsy Store.  I call it Whimsical Trinket Box Clock.  Inventive, I know!

I have another jewelry box in the works and it's 90 percent finished.  As I'm waiting for the blizzard of the century (not!) I intend to wrap it up today.  My plan is to get into the studio, crank up the space heater under my desk and work like a madwoman!

Stay warm wherever you are,
Sharon

Last Photos of Howl-O-Scream 2015

Much as I miss the fun of Howl-O-Scream I'm totally looking forward to the opening day of Christmas Town!  I figured I needed to finish up my Fall photos before moving onto Christmas.  Here are a few of the highlights.

Dr. Frankenstein

Wendigo Monster

Christmas Town opens the day after Thanksgiving.  I'm really looking forward to the yummy peppermint fudge hot chocolate!  In the meantime I'm trying to get prepared for Thanksgiving.  I've got a 23 pound turkey in the freezer that I can almost taste.  Sounds kind of bloodthirsty now that I've put it into words!

Sharon
#Buschgardens, #howl-o-scream, #halloween, #busch,

Fall Photos and a New Topaz Labs Filter

I am so far behind!  Not that that's anything too unusual but the pressure is starting to build up on me.  I took lots of photos this year but unfortunately real life and two jobs have taken up a great deal of my time.  I have barely scratched the surface on my processing tasks.  What a bummer.  Hopefully after the holiday season I can take a break and just work on my photos.

Topaz Labs has just released a new special effects filter called Texture Effects.  I should mention that I LOVE Topaz Labs products.  So when this new one was released I just couldn't resist.

I played around with it the other night just for fun.  These products are so easy to use you can just jump right in there and get some cool effects.  But they are also very powerful editing programs that can give you some amazing effects if you take the time to really work with them.  There is a bit of a learning curve because there are so many options and effects but fortunately Topaz Labs has many webinars and videos to help you get the most out of the program.

On this first picture I had had some difficulty with my camera settings.  I seem to have trouble at night under red lights.  Hopefully I will figure it out some day!  It was much darker than it appears and the area was lit with red spotlights.  Very creepy but didn't translate well in the photo.  I wanted to see if I could salvage this mess and get a usable image with a dark, old world vibe.

Scary ladies at the Busch Gardens Unearthed Haunted House

This next one is just a standard amusement park shot.  I do love the carousel horses at Busch Gardens.  They are painted authentically and the park really keeps them in great shape.  I thought I would give it a somewhat grungy neon look.

Here are the original photos.

 

If you like to play around with special effects you might like to give Texture Effects a try.  They offer a free 30 day trial version.

I'm really hoping to get my fall photos posted before Christmas catches up with me!  It's not likely to happy but I can dream, can't I?

Sharon

Looking Forward to Fall

Darkastle At Sunset

Funky Mood

I'll admit it.  I've been in a funk for the last couple of weeks.  This time of year is always depressing to me.  I just hate to see the end of Summer.  And so here were are in the very last week before school starts and it's a sad, sad time.  Already the days are getting shorter.  Can't say it's any cooler since it was 94 humid degrees today.

Howl-O-Scream Countdown

The only bright spot in the near future is the start of Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens.  It opens on September 25 and I'm happy to report they've already started some preparations. They even have a three new haunts this year.

Here's one of the new haunts.  Looks promising.  This one is replacing 13:You're Number's Up.  I liked 13.  In fact, it was probably my favorite.  But it was a few years old and I'm glad to see something new going in.  I'm very curious to see what is behind the boarded doors.  Here is a preview of Unearthed.

One of the other new haunts is called Cornered.  Busch has just released Cornered preview as well.  Kind of reminds me of Children of the Corn!  Terrifying!  I don't know if I can handle being chased through cornfields.

Lumberhack looks to be zombie lumberjacks.  Can't wait to see that one!  Zombies are so scary to me...but now as scary as clowns.  I still wish they would bring them back.  Maybe it's just my personal phobia but the clowns were the creepiest.  Once I was just standing there having a conversation when I felt something on the back of my neck.  Thinking it was a bug I reached up to swat it away.  I felt something I didn't recognize so I turned my head and came face to face with an evil clown.  (Insert scream here)  He had his nose on my neck!  Gives me the heebie jeebies just remembering it!

Sharon

#howl-o-scream, #busch-gardens-williamsburg,

Newport News Video

I haven't blogged much this summer.  I meant to.  Really I did.  During my workday I write really imaginative posts in my head.  Unfortunately by the time I get home they have disappeared along with my willpower and energy!

This summer has gone blazingly fast as usual.  I haven't done everything I wanted to but at least put a dent in my Summertime List.  Even managed to fit in a trip home to the mountains.  Oh joy!  Rapture!  I'll blog about that when I get the pictures ready.

There are so many activities to do in this area.  But you know how it is.  When you live somewhere you mostly leave that stuff to the tourists while you sit in the AC complaining about the heat and not having anything to do or anywhere to go!

I came across this cool video that features Newport News and the surrounding area.  The phrase that's repeated often is "Get out of the bed now".  That's something I say to myself all the time.  And lately I have to force myself to get out of the house as well.  I have so much work to do it's a real struggle to make time for fun as well.  But this Wake Up To Newport News video is a great incentive to get out and about.  Be careful about watching it though.  The song might get stuck in your head!

Sharon

#newportnewsva
#funinva

Turtle Update

Tootsie Smiles

Have you ever seen such a cute little guy?  Maybe I'm prejudiced but I think Tootsie is exceptionally handsome.  At the moment I'm thinking he's a little boy.  Of course he could turn out to be a girl when he gets older.  It's so hard to tell when they're this little.  He looks huge in this picture but his shell is just a bit larger than a quarter.

Tootsie has a very good appetite.  He eats at least twice a day. Right now he enjoys the floating turtle food and has learned how to eat the freeze dried shrimp.  Of course I have to break the shrimp in tiny pieces.  The first time I fed him the shrimp I threw in a whole one with the assumption that he would bite off pieces.  Wrong.  He started at one end and worked that whole thing down his throat.  I have no idea how he didn't choke on it much less where it went in that tiny body.  Lesson learned.

As you can see his looks have changed significantly over the past month.  He has probably doubled in size and his shell and skin have lightened.  I was sorry to see those cute yellow spots go away.  Tootsie is so much stronger now and has the beginnings of some leg muscles.  That's my boy!

May

June

As Tootsie got bigger I started to notice some bumps on his chin.  As he grew they were noticeable.  I googled them and discovered they are called barbels. I like to think of them as Tootsie's goatee!

Every dapper gentleman has a goatee!

This little fellow has truly brightened my days.  I look forward to seeing his adorable face when I come home.  Although I've only had him 4 months but he already knows me and comes running when I look in his tank.  I like to think he loves me for me and not just for the food that comes with me!

One legged dance.  He's quite the acrobat

Showing off his abs

I hope to get a larger tank in the next few months.  Although he has plenty of room in the 10 gallon I'd like to give him more areas to explore. Gotta keep my boy happy!
Sharon

#turtle, #Easternmudturtle, #mudturtle, #babyturtle,