Art, Decorating

Merry Christmas 2021

It is hard to believe that 2021 will soon be coming to a close. I just wanted to take a few minutes and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Last year I did not decorate very much because of Covid, but this year I took some time and decorated a little. I thought I would share my home with you this year.

At my front door I have two angels by my door. I had painted these many years ago to go with a nativity that I had painted. I have since given the nativity away but still have the angels. The nativity was a Juliet Martin design and I painted these to go with it.

If you haven’t guessed already, I love angels. This grouping by my front door are byers choice angels and the angel tree is a Rosemary West design that I painted.

I put up a lot of small trees this year. I love seeing all the lights dancing through the house. Here are some pictures of the trees in the living room and dining room.

This one is by my front window and has angels on it. The angels were painted by Shara Reiner and Jane Lazenby.

I call these dolls my aunts because I made them to look like my beloved Aunts. They were a Christmas present to them many years ago and after their passing they came back to live with us. They are a sweet reminder of two beautiful people in my life.

A few more pictures of things in my living room/dining room.

In my family room, kitchen I put up a couple of trees. My main tree was all done in reds, white, silver and gold.

This year I painted Lynne Andrew’s 12 days of Christmas ornaments. Only problem was that I chose larger ornaments and they were heavy, so I had to tuck them back on the branches.

I loaded my mantel in my family room with holly and trees. I wanted to have the trees at different heights so I used pretty spools of ribbon under some of them. I was happy with how it turned out.

Here are some pictures of other things in my family room and kitchen:

I put a little tree in each bedroom, so that their would be lights in all the windows.

In my middle bedroom I was inspired to paint some ornaments after watching Andrea Garvey’s video on YouTube:

They were so much fun! Andrea is very generous; I have taken a number of classes from her. She is a great teacher, and her things are fun! You can find the link to the video here: Andrea Garvey Ornaments

I also put a few pink trees in my studio. The new one is LED and it is bright!

Like for so many of you it has been a bittersweet year for us. Last November my husband’s brother Rick came to live with us. With the help of Hospice we were able to care for him for 7 weeks until he took his last breath on Christmas eve. It was a special time for all three of us and we were so glad that we had that time together.

Rick was a big guy with a kind heart. He always loved adventure, the great outdoors, he was an avid reader and loved good food. He has been and will continue to be missed. This picture was taken many years ago shortly after we met. I am between my husband Al and Rick (right).

We hope you enjoy the tour of our home this year. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.

Big Hug,

Jane and Al

Art, Shara Jane

Santa Pop Up Toy Ornament

When I was asked by Sue Bowers of the Society of Decorative Painters (SDP) to design an ornament to teach in their academy in November I thought of this design that I had in my sketch book. This ornament is reminiscent of a vintage pop up toy were you would pull down on the stick and Santa would disappear, and then you would push up on the stick and voila Santa would appear.  Even though this toy is stationary and designed as an ornament, it is a reminder of those simpler times and toys. 

People started signing up for the class before I was even aware that it was posted on their site. I found out that people who subscribe to the Decorative Painters Academy newsletter receive advance notice of classes. Usually a day or two earlier. If you want to be in the know right away you can sign up for the newsletter by going to their website www.decorativepaintersacademy.com. When you go to the site you will see a pop up box to sign up.

Class Info:

Date: Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021
Time: 11 am – 2 pm Central Time
Where: Online virtual class via Zoom
Cost: $30 Members, $40 non-members

If you are interested in the class or would like more information you can go here: Pop up Santa Toy Ornament.

I am also selling kits and supplies for class if you need them. My website is www.janeallencreates.com

Did I tell you that I created a companion piece to go with Santa? Here is a sneak preview. I will be teaching this cute snowman in January. Stay Tuned.

Happy Creating my Friends,

Jane

Art, Shara Jane

Shara Jane Holly Jolly Santa is Back

In April of 2020 Shara and I had planned on doing two live in person retreats to create our Holly Jolly 38″ Santa. One was going to be in California the beginging of the month and the other was to be in Pennsylvania the end of the month. Everything was going along smoothly and then covid hit and we had to regroup. We ended up quickly deciding to do a virtual self-paced class with a private Facebook group.

Many people were disappointed that they were not able to take the class and have been asking us to do it again. We listened and we will be offering the class again in April of 2021. The class will be April 23, 24, and 25, 2021.

The Santa is cut from wood and embelished with Quikwood. No experience needed. We will teach you the basics of using Quikwood. Each day we will have a zoom meeting so that we can go over things and so that you can ask questions. We have step-by step videos on a web page that you will also have access to. You will be able to watch a video and then do that step. You will have access to the videos indefinately. Shara and I will be monitoring the Facebook group and you can ask questions there or email us during the class.

A number of people would like to put the class on their Christmas list so that someone can buy it for them. Here is a link to the class on my website: https://www.janeallencreates.com/product-p/21500.htm If someone is ordering it for a gift, ask them to place a note on the order and I will be able to send them a digital gift certificate. Also, if they are ordering it for you, have them use your contact information in the shipping area because that is what we will use to ship the kit.

Holly Jolly Santa Virtual Class

Zoom/Self-Paced

April 23, 24, & 25, 2021

$325

The price includes the class fee, class kit and shipping the kit. It does not include the tools, paint and mediums to complete the project.

Link to purchase class: https://www.janeallencreates.com/product-p/21500.htm

We hope you will join us this April to make Holly Jolly Santa.

Shara and Jane

Art

Shara Jane Santa Retreat

Would you like to spend some uninterrupted creative time with like minded artsy ladies.  Well Shara and I have just the thing for you.  We are planning two retreats in April 2020, one in California and the other in Pennsylvania.  The main project for the retreat will be this 38″ wooden Santa that is embellished with Quikwood.  We will also have some other goodies to keep you busy.

Continue reading “Shara Jane Santa Retreat”