The Studio

Virginia Diptych

February 11, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Virginia Diptych

Looking for something special and different to do with your “sweetheart” this Valentine’s Day? This diptych of the State of Virginia is a demonstration piece I did for the upcoming Couple’s Valentine Paint Party.

Sample of Multi-state Paintings

Saturday, February 14th from 4-6 we will have a Paint Party where couples can paint a work of art together. We will personalize the painting for each couple so sign up today and let me know which state (or states) you would like to paint. Contact kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com to register.

Posted in Paint Parties | Tagged Georgia, state paintings, Virginia | Leave a Comment »

Happy Birthday Big Mama!

February 10, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Big Mama, Sister, Brother and me

Big Mama and Papa Honeymoon photo

One of my favorite photos of Big Mama with Morgan

Mama, me, Brother & Big Mama – 1961

Big Mama, me, Mama, and Sister -early 90’s

Big Mama

Anyone who has taken a crochet class (or almost any other type of class I teach) at The Studio has heard me talk about Big Mama and all that she taught me.

She was my maternal grandmother and a wonderful person who lived a good long life….almost 100 when she passed. Today would have been her 107th birthday! Everyone loved her. Once I took some friends home to meet her and when they got back home to Kentucky they sent her a thank you note for the lovely lunch she made for us. They didn’t know her name…only Big Mama. So they mailed the envelope to “Big Mama, Offerman, Georgia” and it was delivered without delay. LOL

She taught me so many things….things I still use to this day and that I try to share as I teach.

I have written about Big Mama before to share some of her recipes…most recently when I made the Carrot Cake at Thanksgiving. I also shared her recipe for Syrup Candy and talked about her in a Plum Jelly post. I love her recipes and making anything that she used to make for us always brings back floods of memories.

Crocheting was the thing she taught me the most about. She loved it and was almost always making something. The amazing thing about her crochet was that she just kept patterns in her head. When I would asked her to teach me to make a certain stitch or design she would just pick up a hook and start crocheting. She would tell me what she was doing and I would write it down. She didn’t use patterns very often. I think that is where I get my “making up” patterns from. I think she would like that!

So today I am so grateful that I got to know all four of my grandparents and am especially blessed that Big Mama played such a big role in my life. I wouldn’t be enjoying this creative life I am living with having known her. Happy Birthday Big Mama!

Posted in Recipes, Serendipity, Small Town Life | Tagged Big Mama, Crochet, Recipes | Leave a Comment »

Mural for Baby Room

February 9, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Saturday morning I spent a delightful time at a local home painting a mural in the new baby’s room. The mom had found a design she wanted to done and she wanted it to be a family affair.

So when I got there I drew it on the wall and started it and everyone in the family painted. That included mom and dad and baby’s older brother who is also one of my art students. We even got the family dog into the act by letting her paint a paw print in the center of one of the flowers. It turned out great and I think everyone enjoyed it.

If you have a fun painting project that you would like to do with the family but aren’t sure where to start just get in touch at kwalker@doubledogdesigns.com and let me help.

Posted in Commissions, Private Lesson | Tagged mural | Leave a Comment »

Largest Ever 1st Saturday Paint Party

February 8, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

We had the largest group we have ever had at a 1st Saturday Paint Party yesterday at The Studio. It was a terrific group and they all produced super paintings of Birch trees. Good job everyone. Hope to see you again soon at The Studio.

Check out the calendar for upcoming classes.

Posted in Paint Parties | Tagged Birch Trees, Paint Party | Leave a Comment »

Gauguin Sale Breaks Record

February 7, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

‘Nafea faa ipoipo’ (When will you marry?, 1892) by French painter Paul Gauguin

” The 1892 oil painting by the French post-impressionist, Paul Gauguin, of two Tahitian girls called Nafea Faa Ipoipo (When Will You Marry?) was sold by the private collector Rudolf Staechelin, a retired Sotheby’s executive and has broken the record for the world’s most expensive single work of art. While Mr Staechelin didn’t name the buyer it was thought to be the state-financed Qatar Museums that purchased it for $300 million. The Gulf nation had set the previous record in 2011 when it paid $259 million for The Card Players by Paul Cezanne, and has spent millions more on Western modern art in recent years.”

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity, Trivia | Tagged Paul Gauguin, record breaking sale | Leave a Comment »

The Cussin’ Jacket

February 6, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Strips Sewn in

Detail of Rag Strips and Lining

Completed Jacket

For the last week or so on Facebook my friends have seen me post about this jacket that my friend Sandra and I have been making in our quest to challenge ourselves to sew some things a little more difficult. This project has involved a lot of cussing!

First of all, it is a rag jacket so you sew the seams in the opposite way you normally would so it keeps your head messed up thinking about whether you sewed the seam right because it looks so wrong. Then the directions on this particular pattern were not written in the most clear way that it could have been.

And had I not been working on it with Sandra I probably would have thrown it out several times!!! But we didn’t and now…now that it is finally finished we both are very happy with how they turned out.

But I will NOT be doing this one again anytime soon. It will take me some time to get over it! LOL

Posted in Sewing | Tagged Rag Jacket | 2 Comments »

Records Broken at Auction of Rare Impressionist and Modern Works

February 5, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Sotheby’s staff prepare to hang Claude Monet’s Le Grand Canal, which sold for £23.7m. Photograph: John Stillwell/PA

“A Sotheby’s auction featuring rare impressionist and modern works by Monet, Matisse and Picasso has broken the record for the highest sales total ever reached at a London auction. The evening auction on Tuesday raised an overall total of £186.44m ($284.11 million), and broke auction records for five individual works by artists including Seurat and Malevich as bidders from 35 different countries clamoured to get their hands on the many iconic works up for sale.”

“The most expensive work of the night was Monet’s 1908 oil painting Le Grand Canal, which sold for £23.7m ($36.12 million)– the highest ever price for any of Monet’s Venice view works. The painting, which was part of a private collection, had been on loan to the National Gallery in London since 2006.”

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity | Tagged Monet's Grand Canel, Sotheby's | Leave a Comment »

More Yarn Busting Ideas

February 4, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Here is another yarn buster idea…well, this one won’t take a whole lot of yarn but maybe you have some small ends of skeins lying around.

These little bracelets are made by just chaining about a 24 inch chain and then slip stitching in the 7th or 8th chain from hook to form the loop for the button. You can add additional colors to it by adding the next color and chaining the length of the 1st chain.

Let your imagination be your guide.

Posted in Crochet | Tagged yarn bracelet, yarn buster, yarn stash | Leave a Comment »

Yarn Stash Buster

February 3, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Yesterday we talked about keeping a stash of yarn and/or fabric. I have a pretty good one and have had it for a long time. I use some up and then it seems to replenish itself. (LOL – Magically!)

Last year I learned about an organization, Comfort for Critters, that provides blankets to homeless pets. They rely on volunteers who crochet, knit and sew to donate these blankets. Our local shelter, Humane Society of Warren County is one of their participating organizations.

I have made several blankets to donate. The great thing about doing this is that they don’t require any specific size…they can be for small or large pets. And they don’t have to be any special color or design so you can practice your crochet stitches or try out new ones on these blankets. And anything you donate will be greatly appreciated.

There are plenty of other places where I am sure they would be happy to distribute warm blankets to people who need them locally too like C-CAP and local churches. So bust out some of that stash and do something nice for some pet or person and try learning a new stitch while you are at it.

Posted in Crochet | Tagged blankets, Comfort for Critters, Crochet, yarn stash | Leave a Comment »

The Stash

February 2, 2015 by kellywalkerstudios

Fabric Stash

Yarn Stash

As I teach more classes in crocheting and sewing I have come to realize that I have become one of those people. You know, the ones who keep a stash of yarn and/or fabric. My Granny was one. She always had a big stack of fabric so that whenever she wanted to “run up a frock” she would have just what she needed.

Fabric Stash in Bins

When you love yarn and fabric it’s hard not to buy it when you find a good deal. We always have an idea of what we might do with it but it is just hard to get to every project we want to get done. I have LOTS of yarn and fabric and I do have ideas for ALL of it. And one day, maybe when we add 3 or 4 more hours to each day, I will get to it all. I know Granny would understand and probably be proud of the stash I have.

Soon I will share some “Stash Buster” ideas for all that good stuff you have lying around.

Posted in Crochet, Serendipity, Sewing | Tagged fabric stash, yarn stash | Leave a Comment »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »