Paper Flowers

working on samples for the upcoming paper flower class at Press! Come take a class with me!

Sketchbook

 
Taught a weekend long workshop on surface techniques at SFCB and got to play in my sketchbook a bit...

Send Me Your Picture and...

I'll make a painting...

So every Wednesday night I do a quick painting at drop in and I am running out of inspiration...
So, send me a pic of you and I might use your beautiful face as the inspiration for my next piece.

Details...

Images I Love:
forlorn, victimized, sad, serious, melancholy
red hair
freckles
two front teeth slightly showing
bruises
just your face, maybe your hand too

Ideally:
No pictures of you smiling
No pets
Large color images only please
email me at courtneycerruti@gmail.com

If I do paint your image, likely chance it wont look exactly like you and you may look a bit rough around the edges... FYI

Hope you'll submit something :)
If you need some guidance as to what I like to paint check out recent paintings, and my painting ref board!

Sailor Valentines at Saffron & Genevieve

The Sailor Seashell Valentine Workshop at Saffron & Genevieve was amazing! Check out all the work on the facebook album!

Feathers, Fur & Scales

Here is the beginning of my sample for the new workshop Feathers, Fur & Scales I'll be teaching at SFCB. The Fall Schedule should be out soon. By then, this little guy should have some wings and be living in his new home, San Francisco Center for the Book!

I'll also be teaching an Image Transfer class as well as a Faux Bois Accordion Book class! More posts soon!

Girls Night

Friday night it was just me and the girls. We played games, made paper poofs in orange and black for Halloween, and most successful was our chocolate project. The girls picked out chocolate molds and we spent nearly an hour mixing colored chocolate, painting the molds and creating white chocolate frogs and teddy bears in all colors.


Its a quick and easy project to do with kids as little as two or three. Even better, both girls were occupied and happy and I was able to sit with them and make white chocolate leaves while they carefully chose their palette and discussed when the candies would be ready to eat. We had so much fun!

A Reading Nook for Two

My bedroom has been rather dull for months. It always seems like its the last room in the house to receive any attention. I added a little woodland charm last night with some lichen covered oak branches, making this reading nook fit for two little fairies. I made buntings out of scrap fabric to make it even more magical.

A Bedtime Activity

The girls always want a project, but its especially important on nights where its just them and me. Tonight we did a quick painted chocolate project that was lots of fun and none too messy!

By using white coating chocolate, chocolate dies and a plastic mold, the girls created these pink and yellow painted bee chocolates, which are absolutely adorable!

Clean up was minimal and we even got out the paint brushes!

New Wallet

I made the duct tape wallet on the left 3 years ago just before I left on a trip for Ireland. It once looked shiny and new like the one I just made (on the right) yesterday. I think it was definitely time for a new one!

I used paper as the base for the construction and pieced it together bit by bit.

I have about a dozen library cards and an address book and a million bits of paper and such that for some reason I feel I must have in my wallet, so I need something pretty large. This wallet has a three tiered section for all my cards (below) and a large pouch opposite for my address book, receipts and cash.

I love the way it turned out! The great thing about duct tape is it lasts forever and is easy to repair!  Eat your heart out Kate Spade!!!

Quilts in Progress

I am currently working on two twin quilts for the girls using Heather Ross's Mendocino mermaid line. I am also making a quilt for myself inspired by a ribbon quilt which used all silk hair ribbons for its fabric.  I made a trip to the Ribbonerie on Sacramento in the City (you must visit this shop if you haven't already discovered what a wonderful place it is!) to pick up some ribbons, but decided in the end to use these fantastic taffeta scraps I had instead. 

This is the quilt so far. It took so many hours just to get to this point. Who knows when I'll finish!

New Workshops

I am happy to announce I will be teaching workshops out of my studio at the Napa House. Check out the Napa House Blog for a class schedule!!! Coming up on Sunday February 22nd, I am offering a class in image transfer techniques for collage and paper arts. I will also be creating a Spring Schedule of new classes at the^workshop in Berkeley shortly. I have a renewed sense of purpose after the past few weeks of not wanting to even be at my house, let alone making anything. I hope to kick of the new year in February since January wasn't a proper send off into 2009. Hope this surge will last!!!!

A Picture A Day

My picture for today is of a fox I met this afternoon at Ardenwood Farm. I've been going to this farm since I was a child, picnicking with my grandparents spending lazy summer afternoons under the eucalyptus. I would pick tomatoes in the fields during the summers and carefully select plump orange pumpkins in Autumn. As an adult, I have returned to enjoy the beauty of this park with friends. I was there today with MJ and her family and met this wild red fox. I was so taken with his beauty! He lounged like a farm cat on the picnic benches. It was incredible!

He was so cute, I had to share.

2 days until the Holiday Craftacular

Two days and counting to Craftacular!  The Don (Cheryl) of Petaluma's craftiest family interviewed me for their blog. Check out the interview here.  There were some pretty interesting questions including one on who I'd invite to the ultimate dinner party. Among the guests would have to be MJ of course. Will post pics sooner to show!

New Pieces for Craftacular

New version of my miniature worlds...this time created atop a vintage teacup!  I am making these for the Craftacular show coming up in December hosted by the Petaluma Craft Mafia. The price point is lower so they will be the perfect holiday gift for any budget. I will also be teaching a class on these in March at the^workshop in Berekeley!

We made party crackers today for our house warming tomorrow night. The girls were occupied for an hour and did a great job making them! We used toilet paper rolls, filled them with candy then rolled them in crepe paper. The girls used a sticker to seal the paper, then they tied the ends with baker's twine. It was a fun and easy project and they turned out so well! The rest of the afternoon was spent doing other arts and crafts projects and cooking, but I think this was the success of the day!

New Fall Schedule at the^workshop

Fall Schedule now at the^workshop!