~HAND PAINTED PINK ROSES~

I can't believe it!  After several weeks of being super busy with my new booth space here in my town (um...that would be EDMOND, OKLAHOMA!),  I'm finally getting some time to sneak away to do a bit of studio work.  Since early Spring I've base painted tons of sweet stuff and it's been laying around waiting for a chance at a transformation ever since!  Time to get back to doing a little bit MORE of what I love instead of so much prep work!

I absolutely HATE prep work!

(Have I ever told you I HATE PREP WORK?)

That said...I'll be in and out over the next few days working on product for my WEBSITE.  The suffering little thing is shamelessly empty (so sorry!) and it's time to get serious about restocking my shelves!

 Hand painted pink roses (like those on the Garden Sign and the vintage Box) are coming up soon!  Thanks for being patient with me as I've carved out time for some new projects in my life...

Hope you have a wonderful and carefree Summer day!

Love to you...

~DOG DAYS OF SUMMER ENDING SOON~

One of my dearest friends is a huge doggie lover.  Not only does she have three pretty pooches of her own, but she's also kinda-sorta adopted my Miss Mollie as well.  Last Saturday Miss Leslie visited us with presents in hand.  One of me and one for Mo Mo!

Now...Mollie loves gifty things~

Especially so if they are edible!

 But, designer doggie duds,

not-so-much!!!

I, on the other hand, love them!

Since Miss Mollie has an appointment today to be tortured beautified (aka: groomed) I decided to dress her up in her new fall attire.  I know you can't tell it from the picture, but she was throwing a fit VERY excited about showing off to you her new black, orange, yellow and white ruffly frock!  She's just pretending to be in a foul mood.  She does that all the time sometimes when I dress her up!

I think she looks spectacular!

Don't you?

Certainly gives new meaning to the term

"CORN DOG"!

(Teeeee Heeeee)

Oh...just for the record...

My son, Brandon, thinks that I've totally

LOST MY MIND

when I dress his baby sister up!

:):):)

 I'm back in my studio working today after taking advantage of the cooler temps and doing lots and lots of base painting!  It's been TOOOO HOT to paint and before long it's going to be TOOOO COLD to paint!   Sometimes I feel like I'm

NEVAHHH HAPPY!

 Lots of sweet things will be coming soon to my A Gathering Place website!  See those two Christmas Tree tins on the right in the picture above?

Yummmm-eeeeee!  My favs!

Hope you are having a great day!  A fresh new week is ahead of us!  So exciting!  The new COOL BREEZE PAINT is looking fab by the way!  One coat down and one more to go!!  New pics soon!

Blessings and love to you...

~FRENCH PERFUME BOTTLE CARDS and TAGS~ Romantic Parisenne Ooh La La

  ~COMING SOON~

Nursing my hip injury has not been fun and it's kept me sidelined for several days.  I'm doing great now after a much needed round of meds and I'm almost back to being good as new.  Thanks to all of you who sent your kind thoughts my way!  I've actually been able to sleep for the first time in weeks and I'm feeling better than evahhhhh.....

 ~PARIS...Ooo La La ROMANTIC~

I'm going to take Wednesday and Thursday off this week to catch up on some special orders and to finish the production part of a line of French Bottle Perfume Cards, Notes, Hang Tags, Tea Bag Covers and Fabric Panels I've been working on since last Fall.

 ~WITH LOVE~

Today I'm giving you a sneak-peek at three original romantic designs newly fashioned at A Gathering Place.  If I didn't love painting and sewing sooo much I do think I would have loved becoming a full-time graphic-arts-girl.  Re-purposing vintage images and ephemera is my third favorite thing to do in the whole wide world!  I'm becoming a total computer geek and I'm quite sure this makes my sonshine, Brandon Kent, very, very proud! 

Hope your day is lovely!  I'll be back on Friday to show you yet another project that's been taking up my time!

Love to you...

~WHEN PINK MAKES ME BLUE~

~LOVING ALICE BLUE~

Today I will be working in my studio all day long creating things like the two Sachet Pillows you see above.  I finished both of these late in the day Sunday and I'm soooo loving getting back to this intricate style of handwork.  I'm a bit BLIND at the moment from all the detail work and I'm thinking I need new glasses...or at least some stronger contacts!  (One of the things I don't like about growing older is losing MY YOUNG, STRONG EYES!)

~RARE BRUNDAGE IMAGE~

You might remember a post I did from last year where I took an aging photograph of my grandfather and great-grandmother and incorporated it into a sachet pillow as a gift for my mother.  The more I thought about it the more I wanted to expand upon this sweet concept.  So...I've opted to take some of my very favorite vintage images and work them into some special Mother's Day offerings for my website. 

~SACHET FOR MY MOTHER LAST YEAR~

~VINTAGE LACES-BUTTONS-MILLINERY~

Both Sachets sold early, early this morning, but I promise there will be more for those of you who are interested.  I hope you'll check them out when you have time!  Lots of sweet things coming up!

~MISS MAUD, TOO!~

Hope you had an awesome weekend.  I spent a great deal of mine painting out a bicycle planter my Mr. AGPMan bought me a couple of years ago.  I plan on showing you her transformation tomorrow...  I actually didn't really plan on giving her a makeover (she was Verdigris and lovely!), but since I was a fool and left her outside all winter she was looking a little worse for wear and so a repaint job was in order!!  More soon about this!

HAPPY MONDAY!


Love to you...

~~~~~~~HAPPY PINK SATURDAY~~~~~~~ VINTAGE PINK APRON TEAS -TAGS-CARDS~

 ~MOTHER'S DAY TEAS~

HAPPY PINK SATURDAY!

Thank you Miss Beverly of How Sweet The Sound for being such a wonderful party host!  We appreciate all you do for us!  Stop on over if you can squeeze in some time and check out all the fabulous PINKS out there in blogland today!!!  You're sure to be in heaven...and inspired!

I've been working non-stop this week and boy am I feeling it!  Truthfully though I had sooo much fun  putting the final touches on the Vintage Pink Apron Mother's Day Cards and Tags I shared with you a couple Pink Saturday's Back!

 ~THREE SWEET STYLES~

  We finally got most of them photographed and uploaded if you'd like to check them out over at my A Gathering Place Website.

 ~LOVELY SENTIMENT~

I still have to snap website pictures of the Mother's Day Teas I'm showing today, but here's a sneak peek at what they look like!

 ~ALL WRAPPED UP~
  
The little set you see above comes tied up in a clear cello bag and nine flavorful packets of gourmet tea come tucked inside!  Yummo!

 

~PICS OF CARDS and TAGS~

Thank you so much for visiting with me today!  Hope your weekend is awesome!  I'm going to TRY and plant a couple of Hydrangeas because I KILLED the ones I placed into the earth last year! BAH!

I don't think I'm evahhhh gonna get my PINK THUMB to turn Green...:(

Love to you~

~HAND PAINTED PINK ROSE GIFT CARD CASES~ Cottage Chic Makeover

 ~DAINTY PINK CASES FOR GIFT GIVING~

I dined with my sweet Momma a couple of days ago and we had the most wonderful time just chatting away.  She is an amazing woman and I'm in awe of her strength and grace.  With Mother's Day on the horizon I'm more thankful than I can say that I still have her in my life.  She's deserves more than she's ever been afforded and this year I really want to do something special for her.  This is especially important to me since my daddy can no longer celebrate or appreciate her contribution to the lives of his four children...

~SWEET and PETITE~

But what to do or buy???  From sewing to painting she's taught me most all I know about creating.  She's the most talented, gifted woman in my life and I hope to honor her presence in a beautiful way...

 ~GIFT CARD READY~

After much thought I've just about decided to treat her to a Day Spa!!!  As soon as I can I'm going to purchase a Gift Card from one of our local Salons and tuck it inside one of the hand painted Cases you see above!  I truly dislike the ones you can buy at the store (see below...perfect for a 5 year old but NOT my Mother!).  Besides...the Tin is a gift in and of itself!  I can just see it nestled into a sweet little vignette in her home.

 ~ORIGINAL CASE~

Truthfully, I wasn't even sure I could paint the metal case you see above.  It took some experimenting and patience for sure!  Too much paint and it all chipped off.  Too little and the original design bled through.  :(  So frustrating!  In the end I'm happy with the final results!  Romantic, feminine and sooo much sweeter for someone who deserves the Moon!

I'm planing on offering a few Cases on my A Gathering Place Website under the Mother's Day Category later this week.  I hope you'll check them out when you have time!  I'll only be painting a handful in case you're interested!

Blessings to you today.  I'm late with this post!  I've been busy working in my studio and enjoying time in my garden.

Love to you~

~~~VINTAGE MILLINERY SACHET PILLOWS~~~ and a NEST Made With LOVE~

 ~VINTAGE MILLINERY SACHETS~

I'm always amazed when my Mr. AGPMan is out of town just how much product I can produce for my A Gathering Place Website!  :)  I'm thinkin' that "Man-'O-Mine" kinda-sorta takes up a lot of my creative time with all the remodeling work we have going on (wouldn't have it any other way!)  :) The only upside to him being out of pocket is that my sweet girl and her hubby are staying here at my La Chaumière de Briarwood with me... That is ALWAYS fun and I get to cook for three people instead of just one!

 ~GORGEOUS FLORALS BOTH OLD AND NEW~

And so...I had lots of time this weekend to work on some of my favorite springtime offerings that includes the sweet vintage millinery Sachet Pillows you see pictured!  I'm not sure I love anything more than creating flirty little confections for your romantic cottage chic homes...

 

~SOME WITH VINTAGE SHELL BUTTONS~

I'll be uploading these fragrant beauties this afternoon and I hope if they are something you love you'll check them out!

 ~TINY (REAL) BIRD'S NEST~

Now...yesterday evening while watering our yard I took our hanging Ferns down from our front porch so I could give them a good soaking.  I couldn't help but notice one of my sweet plants was looking a tad bit scraggly.  It looked like some of the leaves were broken which I assumed (?) was caused by our Oklahoma wind!  As I dug around to remove the damaged foliage I stumbled upon the reason for the Fern's tattered appearance...

~BIRDY'S HANDIWORK~

(with a little help from God)

Apparently a little Momma Birdie (probably a eeencie-wheeencie Wren) was building a nest at the center of the plant and I unwittingly touched it thinking it was nothing more than a bunch moss...   WAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!  I was heartbroken to think the mommy-to-be had to find a new place in which to lay her eggs and I'm hoping she had time to build yet another nest before her time came to deliver...

~ONLY 4" WIDE~

I'm going to keep this sweet nest!!  It is so itty-bitty and truly a work of art.  Isn't it amazing?  I see God's handiwork in every tiny detail!  Any great ideas on what I should do with it?  I thought about placing it under a glass cloche or something...what do you think?

(I forgot to say, but was reminded by Miss Judy, that you MUST spray real bird's nest with insecticide before bringing them indoors...I did this and you should, too!)

Hoping you are enjoying these early Spring days!  Gosh...LIFE IS GOOD!

Love to you~

~~~~~ALTERED ART EASTER SACHETS~~~~~ Sweet Bunnies For You

~SWEET SACHETS FOR EASTER~

I've been super busy in my studio this week, but I'm happy to say I've been able to sneak away just a tiny little bit to work on our suffering yard and garden.  Seems like I never have enough hours in the day to do everything I love to do...but I'm trying!  With all the remodel work we having going on (is it OK here to say "NEVAH AGAIN"?  I would but I already know it's not true!), my Mr. AGPMan seem to be bumping into each other at the oddest of times!  Feels like up awake when he's sleeping and when I'm conked out for the night he's up and at it!

 ~ORIGINAL AGP ALTERED ART DESIGNS~

Anyway, today I'm listing these two charming Sachet Pillows on my A Gathering Place Website and I hope if they are something you just can't live without (or even just love!!!) you'll bunny-hop-on-over for a quick little peep peek!

Are you all longing for Spring and warmer days like me???  Oklahoma is finally getting into her groove and this Cali Girl couldn't be more thrilled!  Fragrant blooms and crystal rain are coming our way!  Makes me too excited to speak!

Now...don't forget about my GIVEAWAY that is currently running!  Check out the link at the top left of my blog page or you can just click HERE for the details!

More soon!  Hope your day is awesome!

Love to you~

~THROUGH CHILDHOOD EYES~

 ~HELEN KELLER BOOK REPORT~

 (My Report Cover was a painted photocopy)

Last October I shared with you about a trip my Mr. AGPMan and I made to Tuscumbia, Alabama where we saw firsthand the birthplace of Miss Helen Keller.  That little getaway did more to buoy my human spirit than any other vacation (big or small) I've made in recent years.

~A SHOT AT THE PUMP~

~FROM MY REPORT~

(Another water-colored Photocopy)

While digging for some special Christmas Keepsakes last December, I came across an old trunk my mother had given to me and tucked inside I found stacks of old school papers from my growing up years.

 ~SO MANY REPORTS~

  I was truly overjoyed to find so many things written in my young hand because I believed most everything from my childhood had been damaged in a flood many years before.  I was over-the-moon happy when I found the book report I had done in March of 1971 on the life of Helen Keller.  I devoured everything I had written and found myself SMILING BIG at my wide-spaced penmanship and mis-spelled words (some things never change!).

How can it be that nearly 40 years have passed by since I penned the story of the life of a woman who still inspires me today?  I never could have dreamed back then that one day I would actually travel to Helen Keller's birthplace and see with my own two eyes the very place she once called home.

 

 ~MY ORIGINAL REPORT~

 ~OUTSIDE IVY GREEN~

 ~ 12 POINTS FOR MY KELLER REPORT~

(That was an "A")

As I continued to flip through the piles of old reports my eyes were immediately drawn to a decorated folder I remembered very, very well.  Across the top was the name of a country I know I will one day visit...

 FRANCE!

 ~REPORT from December 1971~

(We are planning a trip to France in 2013)

As I picked up the cover that had gently faded to a soft red I recalled two specific things about my 7th grade Social Studies Class.  One...I seriously detested my teacher (he was a real creep...sorry!) who was nothing like my English Teacher, Mr. Whalen,  and how I had never forgotten the one and only thing he had said to me about my report...

"Becky...I am VERY aware how much of your quality time is wasted away by just playing!!!  You spend all this time trying to paint and draw while you should be studying! That FORCES me to ask you this question...Did YOU or someone else draw this cover.....?"

~TEACHER'S COMMENTS~

Now...I was no scholar in school, I can assure you of that.  I'd have been most happy to spend all of my time in art and music class and would have done just that if my Mom and Dad (and the school) had given me the high-five...

Still, after slaving over the writing of my assignment on France I was required (by my Momma, not the teacher) to decorate my book report folder.  Such things were important to her and thus became important to me.  She believed then (as I do now) that the "outward presentation" of one's work was equally important as what was on the inside!  Here I sit all these years later still believing with my whole heart that "packaging is everything!"

Anyway...although I ultimately received a good grade for my work about France my teacher made no bones about the fact he didn't believe I had drawn the picture of the Eiffel Tower shown on the front cover of my report...

Isn't it funny that here I am 40 plus years down the road and I still remember defending myself and my artwork?  I kid you not when I tell you that teacher made me draw the cover AGAIN (in his presence) before he would give me an "A" on the report.

And...for those of you who might be wondering...my Mother had this amazing ability to turn from a fairly docile person straight into a BARRACUDA on a moment's notice!  She came to my rescue that day and I've never forgotten it.

~~*~~

After days and days and days of feeling absolutely crummy I'm finally off to work in my studio and hope to have some new website pretties offered up for your enjoyment this weekend.

 For some strange reason I feel totally led to design something with a sweet French Flair....

Blessings to you for a lovely day!

(Thank you Mom for your faith in me all these years...)