Secrets are hard to keep.....The secret I can finally share, hello A Somerset Holiday!

Hello friends, so happy to have you visit me again.

Here in Virginia it has been incredibly hot these past few weeks, but the heatwave is finally breaking.

I poured myself a cup of fresh brewed coffee and stepped out onto the back deck to temps in the low 60's.

So refreshing.

Let's talk about keeping secrets. It's hard, right??

I have been keeping a big one since February.

I have finally been given the go ahead to share with all of you.

I'M GOING TO BE FEATURED IN A MAJOR HOLIDAY MAGAZINE !!

This is the beautiful 2023 cover of 

A Somerset Holiday

by Stampington & Co.

You will find me on page 28.

Seeing your name in print is always very exciting.

Back in February I shipped off a box full of my old world Victorian style Santas and ornaments.

I was hoping they would love them like I do.

THEY DID!!

My 5 page feature will include a full tutorial, supply list, helpful inspiration videos and tips I discovered along the way.

Who doesn't love a good chubby old world Santa?
I will show you, with a little help from friends, the magic you can create this holiday/winter season.

I have been told that

 A Somerset Holiday

will be on the shelves around the end of September, beginning of October.

Stampington & Co. publishes over a dozen of the most beautiful coffee table magazines.

I have been honored to be featured in many of them over the years.

They are always chock full of gorgeousness and often run over 100 pages.

I know magazines are so expensive anymore, however Stampington & Co. always make you feel as if you are getting your money's worth.

The features, the heavy duty paper used, the beautiful colors are lovely and set them apart from the typical newstand magazine.

So please be sure to keep an eye out for 

A Somerset Holiday.

You can find it at your local bookstore, craft store (Michaels/Joanns, Hobby Lobby etc)

You can also find it online.

I will be sure to share with you when mine arrives.

Get ready for some holiday fun...

take this.....

and turn it into THIS!

Until next time....eat well, sleep well and be kind.

Hugs,

Janet xox

My European Putz house in the forest! Check one off my holiday bucket list

Hello friends, welcome back!

For those that don't know what a Putz house is, 

let me explain and make your world slightly more joyful.

The German word 'putzen' means to decorate or adorn. 

If you would like to learn more about the Putz house, check out 

THIS article. 

I love learning about the history of our holiday traditions.

Let's take a look at what I did with this paper mache Putz house.

I started by painting it a soft pink (of course).

I then painted some dainty rose garland on the sides and around the front window.

If you don't feel comfortable with a paint brush, you could get the same look with decoupage.

I also taped some vellum paper inside the windows.

Patterned paper would be pretty also.

Here is the before and after.

I created a tinsel wreath for over the door by twisting some wired silver garland.

You could also use a mini wreath from the craft store.

I painted a raw piece of wood white and used it as a base for my putz scene.

I dug into my bottle brush stash and decide on varying sizes and colors to create my forest.

I created the snow on the ground using Snow-tex, one of my favorite holiday crafting supplies.

You can purchase Snow-tex online or at your local craft store.

I even glued some sticks together to mimic a stack of firewood 

  

Of course, the roof is very snow covered.

Snow on everything!

The shooting stars are a piece of vintage style star trim I bought a few years back.

I anchored the stars in a holiday paper straw behind the house.

Here she is!!

My holiday Putz house in the forest.

She will look pretty on my mantel this holiday season.

Santa is removable, so I can display my forest scene all winter long.

Oh....and of course the whole piece is heavily 

GLITTERED!!

But you knew that, didn't you?

You guys know me so well.

Imported German Glass Glitter

is my holiday staple.

You can find it

here or here

I'm happy to be checking this off my holiday bucket list. 

Are you inspired to create your own?

Thank you for visiting and as the Koreans are fond of saying...

"Stay healthy, eat good and sleep well!"

Hugs,

Janet xx

PS....Next time I will share how I transformed these little paper mache cones

Janet Metzger art equals tote bag love! Society6 quality excels again.

Hello friends! 

Welcome back to my little corner of the blogosphere.

As much as I try to look the other way, it is inevitable that the holidays are coming and they always arrive sooner than we thought.

I have been doing some holiday shopping in my own

 Society6

 online boutique.

They are currently all (almost 100 designs) being offered at a 30% discount!

They are beautifully made and super roomy with a gusseted bottom.

They are offered in two sizes.

Here are just a few of my designs.

I ordered this bag, see the photo below.

Here is the bird nest tote bag I ordered.

They reproduced my art work beautifully!

The soft pastel colors of this tote are spot on.

Tote bags are the perfect gift to give alone or to act as a package to place another gift into!

As we are all trying to move away from single use shopping bags, these totes are a stylish alternative.

*****

On a creative note, lately I have been crushing on the beauty of vintage style florals.

You know, the ones you find in a thrift/antique shop. They almost resemble the old fashioned paint-by-number paintings our grandmothers used to do.

Here is my version.

I am using

Winsor and Newton 

water mixable oil paints on wood Gesso boards.

I am really loving the soft pastels in these. 

I try to keep them light and whimsical.

Under painting

A few 'in-process' photos. 

Here I am painting in the pastel background.

*****

That's what I have been up to lately. 

I hope you are finding some time to express your creativity however you choose.

It's so good for the soul.

Here is a sneak peek of things to come...

Until then....

As the Koreans are fond of saying...

"Stay healthy, eat good food and sleep well!"

Hugs,

Janet xx