It's Friday! And I can't wait to Hop......



It's been a busy week around here - but I'd hate to miss Follow on Friday!  I've made some great blogging friends from this hop, hope you'll join us!

This is one of my favorites because there are no spammers, no give-aways, just simple fun - and the added bonus of finding great new sites.

Photos from an Old West Texas Town full of Cowboys, Cowgirls, and Fancy Ladies - Part 1.

There is a wonderful, hidden, rural area in central Texas that is home to a re-created Old West Town. This  Town has been lovingly built, one old building at a time, by a husband and wife who are artists.  Once a year they graciously invite photographers and artists to enjoy 2 days of complete involvement in what day to day living back in the 1800's would have been like.

We have the opportunity to take photos of Saloon life, Cowboys, Cowgirls, Town "Folks", and of course, the horses.  Every year that I go, I meet some of the most interesting, and versatile photographers and artists.  I learn new photography techniques; I learn about photo equipment; and I learn

what life must have been like way back when.  Many of the photographers who are here use their photos as referrence material for the paintings they'll do later.

It's a great weekend ~ from the Saloon Girls enticing the Cowboys on Main Street;

To the Sheriff sitting on the front porch of the jail cleaning his gun;

And the "Photographer", making adjustments to his vintage camera;

To the Cowboys ~ in full gear, ready to ride.

It's an amazing weekend of photography, bar-b-que, camp fires, and drifting back to the Old West!  I spent some time organizing my photos in the past few days and realized I have hundreds of photos from the last few years I've been to this event.  I think I'll start sharing some with you!

Hope you enjoy a look into what the past may have been............

BLUE is the theme for Shutter Love this week!

This week I jumped in on a Blog Hop I've enjoyed for quite a while now ~ Shutter Love Tuesdays at Trendy Treehouse.





I always enjoy seeing what all of you are taking photos of, and I'm never disappointed! This week's theme is Blue, so it was an easy find for me.  

Hope you'll stop by some of the other entries and enjoy!



Small Town, Texas, USA - 2

This probably happens in many states, but here in Texas, the weekends always bring an opportunity to visit a small town and enjoy a festival of some kind!

This past weekend, I wandered the Art Fest in Southlake, Texas, and left there feeling in awe at all the great artists out there!

I was absolutely delighted to see all the fun things creative people are doing!  This booth was especally interesting to me because every piece was made from gourds. 

The artist is Beth Radtke from Vincent Van Gourd .  I spent some time with her and she explained the long process of carefully choosing each gourd, carving each one to the shape she envisions, then adding the many layers of paint and finishes to each one to get the look she wants.  Look at that amazing "Peas in a Pod" ~ don't you love it!  Jump over to her site and take a peek.

And these artists, Kurt and Melody Bellock from Spirit and Soul of the Tree   in Utah, create these gorgeous bowls and vessels literally from the heart of the tree.  Each piece is lovingly carved and finished for a bowl that may be too pretty to use.  They are truly heirloom art pieces from native hardwoods. 

Just amazing to me.

This booth was not necessarily about art (or I guess that depends on your interpretation!), but I had to wonder if it was a nod to the Kate and William frenzy!

 But, now this I do understand as Art - the Art of Winemaking!  Growing the grapes, harvesting at just the right time, and blending to the perfect wine.  Art off the Vine!

And, an Art Fest would not have been complete without Yard Art!  Although, I did not see one Pink Flamingo.......

Still, it was a great day.  The weather was perfect, the food indulgent, and I love seeing and learning about new things.  Can't wait to see what my next road trip brings!

Sometimes You're in the Right Place at the Right Time.



Sometimes you just can't plan these things.  If I had been trying, I probably could not have gotten this mare and baby to stand still with this gorgeous sunset behind them. 

It's the simple things that are making me smile these days! 

Hope you're all in the right place, at the right time, for something special to happen to you this week!

Weathered Old Bench Gets New Life and Gives New Life.....

I love a good old junk story - you know the ones I mean.  Where you find an old piece of furniture someone has discarded, forgotten about, or put in a barn or yard sale.  It always makes me smile when I spot one!

I found this one a couple of months ago but never got around to doing anything with it until this past week.

It needed the screws tightened (enter my fabulous husband ), and a new paint job, but it was basically in really good shape.  So after it had the new screws put in, I started sanding.

Then it got a fresh new coat of black paint.  Everybody gets into the action around here - even my 4 lb. guard dog!  I used a flat black paint because I decided to give it a crackle texture.  I was picturing the empty spot I have at the bottom of the stairs that was crying out for a rustic red piece of furniture.

After the black coat was dry, the crackle glaze was added.

 

I always love crackle glaze - it looks like "magic paint" to me! 

Within minutes of applying the second coat, it begins to crack and the bottom color shows through.

Next I sanded the arms and some of the wear areas to give the appearance of a well loved piece of furniture, and then I gave it a quick rub with an antiquing glaze for a little more depth in the texture.

So now an old bench has new life, and has also given a lonesome corner in my house new life!



Now I need to figure out how I'm going to give this corner the finishing touches it needs.........

Wishing you all Sunshine today!

My wish and hope for all of you today is for your day to be filled with sunshine and warmth!

Even if it's cold and dreary where you are, I'll bet you can find a warm spot somewhere to share a smile!

Best wishes for a great Wednesday!