We've Got Winter

In the morning.

                                                                   Throughout the day.

At sunset.

All 9 hours of our daylight this time of year, we've got winter.  

We've got icicles too.  

Peek-a-boo winter, I see you.  

Hope this end of the year finds you well-fed and warm as the New Year approaches.  Happy New Year wishes to all of you from our little frozen corner of the world!  

Living In The Moment (and FARRAGOZ Art Course Winner)

I took these pictures while I was on the phone with a friend.  Don't worry, I told her there was a bright red cardinal right outside my window.  She knows me well enough to know I was reaching for my camera as we discussed how pretty our neighborhood was looking with its fresh dusting of white.
     

Holding my breath, I zoomed in on this red beauty, fearful he would flee before I captured the loveliness of his color.  My friend on the phone had just spent her first night in her new home just a mere half mile from us and was telling me how happy she was to have it snow on their first day there. She said her woods were so beautiful, she felt as though she was living inside a "Barbie Princess Fairy Tale" in her new place.

Hearing her say that made me smile.  Her happiness and gratitude for waking up to a beautiful sight in her new home was heartfelt.  She was living in the moment, in this normally hurried-up world and I felt her joy.

                                                                       ************

Thanks to all who entered my recent Farragoz Art Course Giveaway (valued at $150.00) hoping to win and see your name announced.  Before I announce the lucky winner though, I have a bit of a consolation for the others. Farragoz has agreed to discount their price for the next 7 days and offer their course for a mere $99! Any one of my readers is eligible, but you must email me directly at:  fearlessnesting@gmail.com to let me know before December 18, 2013 and I will pass the information on to Farragoz.

And the lucky winner is:  

    Marcelle La Cour            

                         

 Congratulations Marcelle you will be receiving an email shortly!  

FARRAGOZ ART COURSE GIVEAWAY

'Tis the season for a giveaway and I am so excited to be able to offer a gift (valued at $150.00) to one of my followers!  The gift is the online FARRAGOZ Furniture Painting Course that I myself have been enrolled in.

In this class, you will be given all the information needed for you to complete five (5) projects at

your leisure (the class runs 12 months) and you will be assigned an instructor that will personally guide you through each project.  You will learn the art of patina, and how to create beautiful pieces like those of craftsmen from previous centuries, using age old recipes and techniques.  No expensive branded products are used.  In fact, you will learn to make all of your paints, oil stains and decorative moldings on a shoestring budget using only materials from your grocer, hardware and art supply store!    

Here are the Farragoz versions of what you will be making:  An over-the-mantle trumeau mirror.

A clock face.

A display case.

A Byzantine icon of the Archangel Michael.

And a decorative plaque with angels.  (This is the next project I will be making.)

The first project that I completed was a Byzantine icon of the Archangel Michael.  

After that, I was able to apply the techniques and paint recipes I learned, to experiment and make my own version of Christ as a Child.

My second project was the clock face, which I decided to make into the table you see below.

I was offered this course in exchange for reviewing and sharing blog posts of my progress along the way, and I have found myself developing a real passion for it.  It is highly addictive to build your skill set with each new project that you complete, to the point where you begin to feel like a true artisan!  Once you learn the techniques of how to achieve the look of authentically aged patina, your ability to reapply them becomes virtually unlimited.  If you want to learn more about the course before you enter the giveaway, you can click on the link found here.

In order to be eligible to win, please make sure you are a follower of my blog.  This giveaway will run for 7 days and to enter, simply follow the instructions given below.  I will be announcing the winner in my next post so please stay tuned to find out if your name is announced!  Good luck to all!