fresh picked whimsy

art is love

i have really missed working in the studio.  there are truly a million new things that i'd love to be making...they fill the pages of my sketchbooks and on scraps of paper all over my desk.  i am so anxious to get back to it full time.  As i was uploading pics off of my phone, i discovered that i had actually made quite a bit of new art over the past few months.  I guess it was just the sporadic nature of it that makes me feel like i've not been very productive.  Most of it has been custom requests.  Thought i would show you what i have been up to. 

i painted that sign to put over my desk, to remind me...

the wallpaper on my monitor is also an original painting of mine...made for a sweet friend.

i used white water based sharpies to leave these messages for Mark and the kids...

I made 30+ of these lucky signs for St. Pat's...

a custom request from a dear friend, for her home...

My nephew needed a raccoon mask for the school play...coming right up!  I painted it on acrylic paper and attached it to old 3D glasses from the movies...

another special request...client supplied the bucket.  But, i'm thinking this might have to be a new item from whimsy studios.  Can't you just see it filled to the brim with icy cold beverages or rolled up beach towels this summer?  Ahhhhh, summer...

Made these for my church's Mardi Gras silent auction...

Mini hand painted canvases for a baby shower...to match the bedding...

Finally, i had always wanted to create a whimsy studios sign to hang over my studio window.  This puppy is 8 ft. long...

 Making art is who i am.  it is like breathing for me.  thank you for letting me share with you, the gift that God has given me.  So much more to come, friends....

Secret pumpkins

It's a little fun tradition between myself and three of my friends.  I paint pumpkins and deliver them on their doorsteps "on the down low".  This year i made them for my mom and sister, too. {wish so badly i could've put one on my other sister's porch.  Alas, a 9 hour drive for a secret pumpkin delivery seems a bit extreme :( } 

We live in a town with TONS of roundabouts.  Roundabouts and not secured pumpkins = a big fat mess!  Secure your pumpkins!!!!

One of these friends is a HUGE lover of the color pink...

You can make these, too.  It's simple acrylic paint.  i didn't even mask out the stripes...i think they are cuter with wonky-ish stripes.  if you can't draw the black shape, a simple circle or oval would be equally cute.  i hand lettered the monograms and "boo!", but you could easily stencil them on.  Top it off with a gingham ribbon and a little tag.  Done! 

*keep in mind...These painted pumpkins don't like to get wet or frozen.  You'll want to keep them indoors or on a covered porch.  I bring mine in and out according to the weather.

this was last year's secret pumpkin delivery...

Give it a try! It's easier than you think!

You had me at "barn sale"

Indy area peeps....you have to get out to the Resyled Barn Sale!!!!

My sister Susan surprised me with tickets to the preview night last night and it was AMAZING! It was a beautiful autumn night with white twinkle lights everywhere and we were surrounded by so much creative goodness! 

{junkey monkey's gorgeous booth}

Our mom was originally supposed to go with us, but has just recently had hip replacement surgery and our other sister Kim would have wanted to be with us but she lives in Georgia!  So...because we wanted them to feel like they were with us, we got a little creative...and brought them with us in our own way!

People kept asking us about them and laughed when they saw us taking pictures with them.  We even scored two extra drink tickets just because the lady at the gate loved that we brought them with us...in spirit!  Love!  Thanks, Mom & Kim!

A couple of my friends had booths here and i couldn't wait to see them!  This is Jill Broadhacker of Jilly Jack Designs.  She has a letterpress lab and art studio.  Her work is fabulous!

i bought this print of hers for Susan's birthday...

i was also excited to see my friend, Lindsay Clark of Seven Lemons.  Her paintings and illustrations are so fun!  I bought this one for my own collection...

There was live music at the farm...performing on a haywagon.  Don't you love it!?

and the Flying Cupcake food truck, which is just too damn cute...

There were not one, but two mobile boutiques!  This one, which was made from a vintage school bus...

and this one, Bizzy's Boutique, which was originally a bookmobile!  Oh my gosh, how i loved bookmobile day in elementary school...

Tuns out, this beauty is owned by Amy of Bizzy Buckets...someone who i had been in a holiday pop up shop with a couple of years ago.  Amy saw me in the truck and said "hey, you look really familiar!"  I immediately remembered her. 

 She and her husband completely and adorably renovated this bookmobile and turned it into a mobile artisan market.  It's genius and i wish it were mine!  So so clever!  Amy asked me to get in touch with her about putting some of my art in the Bizzy Mobile Boutique.  I will definitely follow up.  I am so inspired by creative people!

The sale continues today and tomorrow and it's out in Westfield among some really beautiful farmland.  Get out there and support small business owners, friends!  I did buy a pretty fabulous new industrial work table desk for the studio, but let the gal who sold it to me keep it until Saturday because it was a major part of her display.  I'll share it with you when i get it all set up!  I'm so excited about it!!!

Thanks, Susan for such a fun night.  Love you!

ever grateful, ever true!

Last week was Purdue's Homecoming, Alumni Day, Family Day and AGD Dad's Day...all rolled up in one!  And, we had it all covered!

{i painted those pumpkins and surprised our favorite Boilermaker with them!}

We headed up to celebrate with Katie for the day.  I hadn't been to a Purdue football game in years.  It was so much fun.  We soaked it all up and loved every minute of it...except for the part where we lost...BIG TIME.

We walked around campus for a bit and got some great pics.  (forget you saw these if you're on our Christmas card list) :)

I adore this picture of our babies in front of the clock tower...

that one in the middle is in the college application process now.  He's hoping to join his big sis and become an official Boilermaker next year.  {prayers and wishes gratefully accepted, thank you!}

It was a really hot day and we totally crashed in the Union for an hour before dinner. 

 Mark seriously fell fast asleep.  Katie instagrammed him.  It was pretty funny!

We LOVE going back home to Purdue every chance we get.  Fortunately for us, that's quite often...thanks to our girl!

Had a blast, Purdue!  Same time next year!

HAIL PURDUE! 

 

movie love

I've got two brand new prints to share with you today that are inspired by two of my very favorite movies.  The number one movie OF ALL TIME for me is...

i keep this little framed picture of the Bedford Falls welcome sign in the front hall of our home. 

 

and that was the inspiration behind this print...

{Our Bedford Falls in the shop here}

The second print that's new in the shop today is inspired by another favorite movie of mine...

i love ALL things Jane Austen...don't you?

{Our Pemberley print in the shop here}

If for some unthinkable reason you have not seen these two movies, you need to drop everything.  Get in your jammies, pile on the couch with a big comfy blanket and watch...now!

(Really...i can't think of a single reason why you wouldn't have seen them)

I'll be sharing lots of new things from whimsy studios in the coming weeks. I'm so excited to show you!  xo

 

DIY Painted Leaf Autumn Wreath

You can totally do this. 

I'm not so great at tutorials.  But, i'm going to do my best to show you how to make this very easy wreath. 

Start with a basic 14 inch straw wreath form.  I even left the plastic wrap on it to make it less messy.

I bought this great burlap ribbon at Hobby Lobby.

  It was $4.99 and i got it for 50% off.  I simply wrapped it around the wreath form, slightly overlapping and was careful not to leave any gaps.  I secured it with floral pins, but you could hot glue it or use opened paper clips, too.

For the leaves...don't be intimidated.  It's easy and super fun to do.

You will need one double newspaper page.  It's best to use pages that are mostly text, as opposed to photos or ads, but a few pics are ok.

I used these paints...

Using whatever paintbrush(es) you have on hand, squirt some of each of the colors on the page and using big strokes, paint them on the newspaper.  You will want to mix a little together and swirl them.  Just have fun with it. 

Be careful not to over-mix them as the color will begin to get muddy and brown.  You want your colors to be vibrant! Simply mix a couple colors here and there and then let them mostly dry before adding more colors next to them.  This paint dries pretty quickly.  Just keep doing it in small batches on the paper until your whole paper is covered.  Try not to leave any newsprint showing.  You will be cutting your leaves out of this paper, so use nature as your color inspiration.  It's ok to see the newsprint through the paint like you see in my picture above.

I hand drew my leaf shapes, but you can use actual leaves as your templates for shapes, or surf pinterest for leaf shape stencils.  There's a ton of them on there for free downloads. 

You will trace the leaf shapes onto the back of your dry, painted newpaper and then cut them out. 

I attached my leaves using straight pins, but again, you could hot glue them if you like.

and finish it off with a coordinating ribbon of your choice!  I am ga-ga for all things black and white striped!  It works well on my front door, me thinks.

I hope you will give it a try!  Happy October!

 Those are the same leaves that i used in my new autumn print...!

And, we have a giveaway winner to announce, don't we?!  The big winner is...

Becky Kerr!

"Fall is my favorite season. I live in Florida where we don't really have a
Fall so my solution is to bake pumpkin bread, make homemade applesauce and
decorate for Fall. Your print would be a great addition."  Posted by: Becky Kerr

Congrats, Becky!

 

spooky signs

Do you love to decorate for fall and Halloween as much as i do?  My mom always decorated in fun ways for Halloween when i was growing up.  It's a cozy time of year...I just love it! 

I've loaded my etsy shop with brand new Halloween hand painted signs today! 

{striped skull glittered sign}

{chevron glittered skull sign}

{zombies sign}

{eat, drink & be scary sign}

I love to make custom signs, too!  You can always email me or message me for requests!  Wouldn't those skull & crossbones signs be cool in hot pink? or lime green?

So many possibilities...

Pumpkin spice and everything nice!

Happy Fall, friends!

  I'm celebrating the arrival of this lovely season with a giveaway! One winner will receive this brand new print along with one other print of their choice from my etsy shop (non personalized)!  Simply leave me a comment at the end of this post for one entry.  You can earn one extra entry for each of the following:

• share this giveaway on your facebook page and tag me in it (@whimsy studios-Lori McDonough)
• share this giveaway on twitter and tag me in it (@LoriMcDonough)
• follow whimsy studios on facebook (@whimsy studios-Lori McDonough)

I hope you are enjoying all of the beauty of autumn, wherever you are! 

This giveaway will end on Thursday, September 26th at midnight.  Winner will be announced on Friday! 

Good luck!

a fair in september

So, this is why i've been missing around here lately...

I've been getting ready for this event.  It's coming up quickly...Sept. 13 & 14.  This is an annual event held by my great friend and mentor, Jenny Elkins.  I've told you about Jenny many, many times.  This fair is held in the charming backyard of her home in the historic Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis.  It's a joint venture between Jenny and her creative friend, Kristin Sims.  Each year they invite one artist to join them and happily, this year they invited me!  Yay!  Here's just a sampling of some of the fun stuff i found there last year...

I am so excited to see what Jenny and Kristin have been working on for this year's fair!  My studio has been a flurry of paint, glue, wood, glitter and paper.  Here's a little sneak peek of just a little of what you might find from whimsy studios...

I'm "branching out" and making some fun new things!

there's something for everyone...one way or another...

halloween signs inspired by my boys love all things "zombie"...

 and you can get started on your holiday shoppping, too!

of course, you'll find special deals on all of your favorite whimsy studios prints and goodies, too!  There's so much more, but you'll just have to come to the fair to see it all.  I've been instagramming from the studio a lot, too...so if you just can't wait or can't make it, you might want to follow along...(@lorimcdonough).  There will be a special sale in my etsy shop during the fair...stay tuned!

Here's the deets:  Friday, Sept. 13th noon-6 & Saturday, Sept 14th noon-5

sale located at:  85 n. irvington ave., indianapolis 46219

what's your hurry, summer?

We've tried to squeeze it all out.  School starts tomorrow.  Another fantastic summer for the McDonough's is in the books.

Memories have been made at the church carnival...

lazy days by the pool...

backyard summer bonfires with friends...

fun in the studio...

precious family days at the beach...

Margarita Fridays with the world's greatest neighbors...

football workouts and two-a-days...

backyard harvests...

Late night snack runs...

and board games...

time spent with cousins...

and sisters who are missed...

 I'm thankful for the time spent with the ones i love and for the promise of knowing there are only 289 days until Summer Break 2014!