Where Have All My Santas Gone...Long Time Painting

I've been painting Santas and snowmen , almost non-stop, since the end of July!  That's a lot of strokes, folks!  Most have been "adopted" and perhaps a few melted in the swealtering heat down here in the "dawg days of summer" in the deep south.

Here's what's left after 5 months of approximately 12 hour work days in this ole Santa's workshop.

Actually, it's not this one, but one very similar..

Actually, it's not this one, but one very similar.

I've added a green fabric cap and some painted vines since I took this picture.
I'd take another, but I lost my camera.

It Will Be Here Before We Know It...

Yes, once again it is almost time for our annual HOLIDAY BOUTIQUE in Oak Grove, LA.   It will be held Fri., Dec. 3rd , 9:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. and Sat., Dec. 4th 9:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. at the Jason Thomas Lingo Community Center on Hwy. 17 just south of Wal-Mart.  This will be our 23rd year to host this craft show that features the handmade creations of 40 talented exhititors.  We'll have jewelry, Santas, snowmen, crosses, wreaths, windchimes, picture frames, ornaments, signs, yard decorations, shabby chic furniture, American Girl doll clothes, western decor, painted windows, bottle cap necklaces, homemade breads, cakes, cookies, cupcakes, pumpkin rolls, baby items, and much more!

Also, lunch and supper will be sold to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

There will also be a small town Christmas parade in town on Saturday.  Come join the fun. 

These are some of the latest Santas I've finished to take to the show.

Can you guess the colors of the local football team?  I can add the  team's name or player's number to the pennant.

Website Glich Mystery Solved

My website designer got in touch with me this evening.  Seems I wasn't the only client that was experiencing technical difficulties.  Apparently it was a problem with our Go Daddy domains.  Once they corrected the problem, some areas of the country had refreshed their local DSL quicker than other parts of the US.  That's why it worked in some areas and not in others.

I'm just happy that we are good to go now.

We also discussed making some changes to my home page in the near future.  Watch for a new look in 2011.

Website Seems to Working Properly Now

The customers that were having trouble have since emailed me to let me know that they finally got the site to come up properly!  I don't what  was wrong or how it got corrected, but the "bugs" are out of it now.  I had put in a call for help to my website designer.  Maybe she fixed it for me.

Anyway, thanks to all of you who checked it out for me.  It was weird that it was working for some and not others across the country.  I would be on the phone with the customers and we would be doing the same things online.  It would go through for me, but not for them. 

Up and running with yet something else to be thankful for during this holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I Need Your Help!

A couple of customers called to tell me they were having difficulty connecting to my website, http://www.wood-n-stitches.com/.

I know you are all very busy this time of the year, but could some of you fellow blogging buddies take a few minutes of your time to see if you have similar problems?  Then post a comment here to let me know what you found out.

Look What a Creative Customer Put Together!

I recently received an order for one of my cypresss knees on which I had painted two snowmen.  The customer was a former New Yorker who now lives in Flordia.  She called  the piece a "wooden sculpture".  Thinking that since she wasn't raised in the south she might not be familiar with the cypress trees that grow around all the lakes and bayous down here, I sent her an email with some information about cypress trees and their "knees".  I also  attached photos of them growing along the edge of a lake.

She, in turn, took the info and pics along with some snap shots of her purchase and created this great scrapbook page.  Now wasn't that cleaver?  Thank you Mary for sharing this with me and your friends on your forum.

The Ole Paint Brushes Are Flying

I've been painting every minute I can lately.  It's just 2 weeks until my next show which is the Broadmoor High School Arts and Crafts show in Baton Rouge, LA.

Sold in Baton Rouge.

Like the snowbirds, this one is moving to Florida.

Like the one above, this lady is headed to FL for the winter.

Moving to a new home in AR.

Moving to Arkansas

Moving to Arkansas also.

Here are the new cypress knee snowmen and Santas that I added to my website, http://www.wood-n-stitches.com/ today.  You can see more by clicking on the title of this post or the link above.  Business has really picked up online the last few days. 

New Santas and Snowmen Added to Website



Sold in Baton Rouge.



  These guys are on their way to a  new home in MN.  They'll love the winter there.
I hope you enjoy your piece of Louisiana!

These guys have found a new home....just up the road!

Sold in Baton Rouge.

Found a new home in AR.

Also going up to AR.

Tagging along with his buddies to AR.

This guy will be moving just up the road with some of his friends.

These guys will be moving up the road with their friends to a new home.

Sold in Baton Rouge.

  These two  are on their way to their new home in FL.  I hope they don't melt in that heat.
My heart almost did when I heard from their new "mom". 

Yet another one going to AR.

Me, too.  AR bound.

Sold in Baton Rouge.

Sold in Baton Rouge.

Sold in Baton Rouge.

Santa...Pretty in Pink?

Well, at my first show of the year my friend's advice on a new color direction proved she was right.  Thanks, Sandy, and you didn't even say, "I told you!'.   Even my 4 year old granddaughter was right.  When I was painting for the show, she walked into my paint room and pointed out the ones she liked...all PINK!!!

That said...here's my first pink cypress knee Santa.  What do you think?

My 1st Country Sampler Ad

Okay, so it is a small ad in the Holiday Showcase section, but hey I had to start somewhere!  I just wanted to test the waters to see if traffic to my website would increase.  Who knows...one small step with Country Sampler may lead to one giant step for Wood-N-Stitches!