My Blog is Moving!

Hey Friends!

Since I built my new web site more than a year ago, I've been maintaining two blogs: the one at my new site, and this one. Well folks, this takes me a lot of time and I'd much rather be creating art! So from here on, I will no longer be posting to this blog. You can find all of my future posts here.

I want to thank you so much for keeping up with me here for the past nine years and I hope you will continue to follow me at my new home!

All the best,

Christine

P.S. You can also find me elsewhere at these links. Hope to see you there!

Facebook
Etsy
Instagram
Pinterest
Flickr
Christine Brallier Art
Christine Brallier Mosaics

More Painted Cat Magnets

 

They look so fun together!  Find them in my Etsy Store.  :)

 

 

 

 

Framed Cat Painting

I love this wooden off-green frame I found for my new little painting! You can see from the photo below that I started with green and I didn't veer too much from my initial sketch. By the way, I just discovered how wonderful watercolor pencils are for drawing over the dried paint. So easy to just wipe away with a damp towel until you get it just right!

Sleeping Cat Painting

 

Another little painting I finished for the Goleta Valley Artist Tour last month.  Acrylics on sassafras wood, 5x5".  It was inspired by the sleeping cat I painted for Pianos on State.

Sketchbook This Week

Merry Christmas!!

 

Have a beautiful day with your loved ones, and a joyful New Year!

More Hand Painted Ornaments

These ornaments were all gifts and have been received so I can now post them!  Hand painted on wood with acrylics. I have others available in my Etsy Store if you'd like to take a look.  Have a beautiful Christmas!!

Naughty Kitty Christmas Tree Ornaments

I love these naughty kitties!  When I was painting the trees, they seemed so boring and plain. I thought to myself, what would liven them up? Well, cats of course! Cats make everything better, don't they? These are wooden ornaments painted with acrylics, about 4x6" and available in my Etsy Store if interested.  Happy Holidays!!

Pink Cat Art

 

 

Two pink kitties, 2x3" made with brush pen markers.  Here they are framed!

 

 

Yellow Cat, Blue Cat

New little acrylic painting on wood.  It is 5" in diameter and 3/4" in thickness. I LOVE the edging of the bark on this! If you're interested in purchasing it, you can find it here!

 

 

Painted Cat in the Snow



 

"Snow", acrylics on wood, 4x4"

You can find it in my Etsy Store here.

 

 

Purple Stuffed Kitty!

I made my first stuffed kitty, wow, it was a challenge! I don't own a sewing machine so I hand stitched everything.  The first one is always a learning experience, right? Still, I think she turned out super cute! She is about 10" long, made with blended wool felt. I had fun adding a braided necklace and the delicate gold whiskers.

I also discovered a new chain stitch I absolutely love! It's called interlaced chain stitch and looks more complicated than it is, but is actually quite easy! If you want to give it a go, you can find how to do it here, at the wonderful Needle 'n Thread, the best online resource I have found.

Written by Mary Corbet, you will find loads of written instructions and videos of basic and advanced stitches, thoughtful book reviews of a huge library of how-to books, project lessons, free patterns, informative and interesting blog, I can go on and on. Subscribe to her blog, learn and be inspired!

Here is a close up of the interlaced chain stitch. I followed her instructions but used three colors instead of two, and eliminated the final step of couching the threads. Sweet, huh?


Interlaced chain stitch with green split stitch below, click to enlarge!

 

Embroidered Ornaments on Felt

I had fun creating these ornaments for gifts this Christmas.  I bought some beautiful blended wool felt in gorgeous colors and love it. I even added beads to one of the ornaments which was tricky but worthwhile.

I plan on experimenting more with the beads as well as creating more "softies," especially animals and maybe dolls, too, we'll see!

New Embroidery Designs - Cats

Where Are You Going?

I finished this one that I had posted earlier.  Not sure where the funky guy came from, but I kinda like his strangeness.  It's called "Where Are You Going?" and is 6".

 

This second one called "Devoted" is 4".  The split stitch and chain stitch seem to be my go-to stitches.  I love them.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ChristineBrallier

 

 

Devoted

 

 



 

 

 

Hand Embroidered Kitty Ornaments!

 

I'm having a great time embroidering some small ornaments for Christmas. I love these little frames, they're very festive. It's so fun to see my drawings come to life in embroidery! You can find these ornaments and other art in my Etsy Shop.

Hope you like them!

New Kitty Note Cards!

Just in, these cute note cards with my cat Raymi stretching in blissful sleep. The image is a detail from my book, The Night Before Christmas and you can find both the book and the cards on my web site where I offer free shipping to U.S. residents.

If you'd like a great deal on the cards, the printer made an error on the first run and the back of the card is printed upside down. If you don't mind this irregularity, you can buy them for half price in my Etsy Shop. Either way, same sweet kitty!

Happy Holidays!

Embroidery in Progress - Cats

I haven't yet decided if I prefer working on linen or felt, with color or no color, so I'm just playing and experimenting with both. I know for sure how much I like using the split stitch for outlining. It's just more interesting than the back stitch and a little more forgiving if stitched crookedly, which is great for a beginner like me!