Painting a Bear on a Vintage Sled

I would like to begin this post with the confession that I am a flea market and garage sale addict :0) , and this post will show how I channelled this addiction to do good in my life...

I have found that both of the venues mentioned above are great sources for a variety of surfaces to paint on inexpensively (and with an earth friendly twist!) . I soon created a list of paint friendly items to hunt for and, along with the efforts of my parents, began to stockpile all kinds of inventory. At the same time, I was filling sketch books with roughs of original decorative ideas and began to collect books from various tole artists. I dreamed of the day when I would turn the items into 'recycled' collectibles. The only problem that I had was stopping long enough to put the plan into action. I am happy to announce, that with the creation of Pumpkin Hollow, my dreams are finally seeing the light of day. Yep... It's time to pick up the brushes! But where to start first? Hmmmmm...




SLEDS!! Cold weather is coming, and as you can see by the rafters in my garage, I could spare a few! I will try not to rant to much about my fascination with sleds (or vintage items in general). Okay, give me a little moment here...I can't help but think about all the different models and manufacturers over the years... Not to mention, all the generations of children that have enjoyed them... But what does one do with them when they have run out of use?? Well... give them the honor of being the decorative centerpiece throughout the season, of course!

For my first sled, I was excited to use a pattern from a favorite artist of mine, Shirley Wilson of Ladybug Art (see side bar). Her holiday art has that mystical nostalgic warmth that makes me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. I armed myself with her book, enlarged and transferred the pattern, and created my own rendition of "Naughty or Nice". (I was never good at sticking to instructions!)


It may not be as expressionistic as Shirley's original, but I couldn't be more thrilled with the results!

I can't help but be reminded of a Chow Chow that I used to have when looking at it. (Her face resembled a teddy bear!)

I do really like this sled. It is hard not to become attached to a finished piece; even though, I know that I can make another. **sigh** The idea is to get enough pieces finished to make a new page of my blog or open an etsy store to sell the collectables that I create. So if there is an item that you are interested in, just email me at pumpkinhollowprimitives (at) hotmail (dot) com. I already have the next sled in progress, and a couple of gourds that would like to get dressed for the season!