June-July 2001 Hi Everyone, We've been busy little bees around here and have a TON of new stuff for you this month. We've recently partnered with Viking Woodcrafts to bring you one of the best possible selections of packets, books, wood and other supplies, paints, brushes and decorative painting accessories on the net. Changing suppliers was a huge undertaking but we believe it's been well worth the effort and hope you'll all take a look at the excellent product selection we now offer. Our database is not complete yet, but the following categories are up and running: Pattern Packets:  115 different designers - all your favorite artists from Donna Atkins to Jean Zawicki! Pattern Books  (over 1000 books to choose from!) New Book Releases for June/July 2001 include: A Little Country Magic by Roxanne Puchalski Another Still Life Collection Volume 5 by Carol Lee Cisco Art of Deception, Volume 3 by Jane Barrientos Art With Heart Volume 3 by Dorothy Whisenhunt Attic Heirlooms by Jean Zawicki Believe Me...People Play Games by Laurie Speltz Birds & Bees by Cindy Mann Blessings In A Jar Volume 2 by Chris Thornton Blue & White by Heather Redick Briar Patch Volume 5 by Sandy Fochler Bundled Up Blessings by Kenna Reynolds & Donna Malone Cabin Fever by Sharon McNamara Black Chezza's Bears Book 3 by Cheryl Bradshaw Chicken Pot Pie Collection by Sandra McLean Christmas from Pumpkin Ridge Volume 2 by Yvonne Kresal Clafin's Windows of my World Volume 7 by Jackie Clafin Colours of My Heart by Roxanne Jarvis Copy Cats and Cut Ups by Peggy Harris Country Gardens by Barbara Fudge Countryside Collection by Pat Olson Cows in the Corn & The Chickens Flew the Coop! by Annie Lang Create a Little Fun! by Jon-Michael Vasek & Brittanie Reedy Creative Canvas Floorcloths and More by Andy Jones & Philip Myer Down Roads Less Traveled Volume 1 by Bill 'Ridley' Bayer Easy Patter-Painting by Vicky Schreiner Etched Elegance with Acrylics by Susan Schmitz Fabulous Florals With PermEnamels Fabric Housewarmings by Betty Byrd & DeLane Lang Faerie Garden 3 by Juanita Denton Fish & Chicks by Vickie Henson Floral Painting With Acrylics by Renee Jardine Flowers on Glass by Margot Clark Fruit Flies by Brenda Tustian Gourd-Geous Homes For The Birds by Aurelia Conway Holiday Wonders Volume 2 by Jill MacFarlane Home & Garden Accents by Robin Mester and Penny Burns Horse Feathers! Book 1 by Helan Barrick Home for All Seasons Volume 8 by Debbie Toews I Believe in Angels by Donna Dewberry Inspirations by Kathleen Foster Introduction to Genesis by Combined Artists It's a Plum Purdy Season by Renee Mullins Lampshades Off the Shelf by Ginger Edwards Little Bit Country by Diane Meyer Magical Butterflies by Donna Manchester Maple Sugar 6 by Roberta Hall Miniature Landscapes by John Gutcher One-Stroke Bake-Able Glass by Donna Dewberry One-Stroke Seasons Delights by Donna Dewberry Ornaments For a Holiday Tree by Plaid Over The Garden Wall Volume 2 by Fiona Hayward Paint A Summer Garden by Louise Jackson Painting with Patio Paint 2 by Jackie Klauer Pen & Ink Basics by Priscilla Hauser Prairie Lane Starlight Series Vol. 23 by Bev Johnston / Pam Tyriver Pretty Baskets for Gift Giving by Gigi Smith-Burns Realistic Techniques 2 by Judy Sleight Recycled Holiday Decorations by Chris Stokes Reflections of my Heart Volume 3 by Carol Bond Rosemaling with Ellen Volume 2 by Ellen Landwehr Rustic Still Life by Bob Pennycook Snowmen by Karen Embry Songbirds in my Garden by Sherry C. Nelson Sunny Side Up by Sandra Malone The Book of Decorative Lettering by Jackie O'Keefe The Garden Path by Gigi Smith This Old Chair by Trudy Beard Those Blooming Bears 2 by Cindy Ohama To Have and To Hold by Judy Chase Tolemill Favorite Fruits by Phyllis Tilford Twigs, Wings and Fuzzy Things by Debbie Bryan Village Views Book 4 by Gladys Neilsen Watercolored Garden Flowers in Dimension by Yvonne Pittman Window Glass Painting by Susan Fouts Winter on Country Lane by Pam Gonnason All of the above new books, as well as hundreds of others, can be found on our pattern book pages, listed alphabetically by artist's last name: Pattern Books by Author, A-F Pattern Books by Author, G-L Pattern Books by Author, M-R Pattern Books by Author, S-Z Wood Surfaces  Everything from baskets and bentwood to desks & tables! Steelware & Metalware  Pre-primed, galvanized, punched tin & more! Papier Mache  Boxes, baskets, birdhouses, ornaments & more! Glass & Glassware  Ornaments, plates, jars, canisters, gazing balls plus! Rusty Tin & Rusted Metal  A huge selection of rusty tin cut-outs. Canvas  Canvas placemats, floorcloths, totes, photo albums, canvas rolls & panels and more! Porcelain & Bisque  Ornaments, keepsake boxes, atomizers, eggs, lotion & soap dispensers, etc. Slate & Faux Slate  Slate & faux slate in a variety of shapes. Paints & Paint Kits  Delta, Decoart, Plaid, JoSonja, 1837 Legacy, Winsor & Newton, Genesis & Permalba. Brushes  Loew Cornell, Robert Simmons, Royal Langnickel, Silver Brush Limited, Susan Scheewe, Phyllis Tilford, Winsor & Newton, Betty Byrd, Bob Ross, Dorothy Dent, Dove & Donna Dewberry's Folkart brushes. Stencils  Great selection of single and three part stencils. Watercolor Pencils  Kimberly and General's Multichrome watercolor pencils. Chalk & Pastels  Compressed pastel chalk and Rembrandt soft pastels. Learn to Draw Kits Also be sure to check out our handcrafted paint shelves by Bruce's Woodworks and watch for the new, wider design coming soon! Stay tuned as we continue to add new products and build new pages daily. --- MORE NEW STUFF: We've redesigned the navigation elements on the front page of Tole Expressions to make it faster and easier for you to find exactly what you're looking for: Tole Expressions Home Page --- We've changed list servers for our newsletter and now (if all goes well :-) those of you whose email clients are set up to receive HTML mail will automatically receive the HTML version of our newsletter. Those of you whose email clients are set up to receive text only will automatically receive the text-only version of the newsletter. Subscribe Here --- TIP OF THE MONTH: If you have trouble with highlighting, or if you'd just like an easy way around second-guessing which colors to use, there are a couple of relatively new products on the market just for you that simplify this process: DecoArt Hot Shots: Here's what DecoArt has to say about Hot Shots: "Hot Shots are the hottest, the brightest, the most fun and fashionable fluorescent hard surface and fabric acrylics around! Choose from six sizzling shades of the brightest, most concentrated neon colors available. These super fluorescent colors can be used alone or as a super highlight with other DecoArt paints. Try these colors (especially Fiery Red) on hard surfaces to highlight Americana colors. Hot Shots are perfect for fabric painting because they dry super-soft, never require heat-setting, are non-toxic and have a special "no-fade" formula." Hot Shots Delta's Perfect Highlights: "Use Delta Ceramcoat Perfect Highlights to highlight any similar color. The bright florescent pigment and intense acrylic color will deliver the perfect highlight every time. Provides an easier, more effective way to achieve light and dimension." Delta's Perfect Highlights ---- If you have a Tip of the Month you'd like to share, please email us .  If your tip is used, full credit is given, including a link to your website URL if you have one. ---- WEBSITE OF THE MONTH: The Website of the Month for July is the newly redesigned nstdp.org, the official website for the Society of Decorative Painters. If you haven't been to their site in awhile, please be sure to stop in. They've really outdone themselves and now have message boards, chapter locations, teacher connections, CDA and MDA certification information, convention information, calendar of events, membership information, submission guidelines, skillbuilder lessons and an SDP gift shop! Way to go, guys! - Congratulations on a site well done! Society of Decorative Painters ---- If you own or have found a website you feel would be useful for decorative painters, please email us If your recommendation is used, full credit will be given, including your website URL if you have one. ---- PATTERN PACKET AND BOOK SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: If you're a designer and would like to market your decorative painting packets or books through Tole Expressions, please see the following page for updated packet and book submission information: Packet and Book Submission Guidelines --- NEW FREE PATTERN: The new free pattern for this month was actually supposed to have been posted a couple of months ago, but things have been a little confusing around here lately as we've just made a move from Maine to Michigan and are still getting settled in. It's an Independence Day pattern, but hopefully you'll all find it Americana enough to alter slightly and use year round: Independence Day Pattern Hope you have fun with it! (Note: If you've been to this page before, or any of the others listed in this newsletter, you may have to hit "refresh" or "reload" on your browser to view the updated content.) --- NEW BOOKS ADDED TO OUR AMAZON STORE: Joy To The World: Painting Holiday Heirlooms by John Gutcher. With these nine step-by-step projects from renowned decorative painter John Gutcher, you'll learn how to paint your favorite Christmas themes, including Santas, angels, elves and more, on everything from glittering ornaments to festive albums. Giving you the flexibility to paint in either acrylics or oils, John provides plenty of practical guidance for choosing supplies, mixing colors, creating values, and mastering the basics of portrait painting. He even makes learning those tricky details simple with special tips for painting fur, richly textured clothing and realistic flesh tones. This book is NEW on the market for June 2001 and not yet rated, but I'm giving it five stars! From Flea Market to Fabulous by Kerry Trout. NEW on the market for March 2001 by the author of Handpainting Your Furniture. Kerry shows you how to turn your garage sale and flea market finds into cherished keepsakes. This book is not rated yet but it'll definitely be a five-star! Priscilla Hauser's Book of Fruits and Berries by Priscilla Hauser. NEW for March 2001. Priscilla gives you all the advice you need to capture the colors and textures of your favorite fruits and berries, including lemons, strawberries, pears, plums, blackberries, apples, holly, pine sprigs and mistletoe. Starting with an overview of general supplies, she then moves on to the basics, addressing everything from preparing the surface to loading brushes with paint. Next, Priscilla guides you through nine wonderful projects--each one thoroughly illustrated with detailed, step-by-step photos that enable you to copy her every stroke. You'll learn to paint fruits and berries on everything from wooden plates and bowls to mini-wheelbarrows, candles and more! Color for the Decorative Painter by Sandy Aubuchon NEW for May 2001. Paperback, 128 pages. "What color should I use?" is a question decorative painters ask themselves every day. With this guide they'll have the right answer, every time. Color for the Decorative Painter makes using color simple. Starting with the basic color wheel that shows how colors relate and react to one another, readers will learn how to achieve the effects they want, from the quiet serenity of a landscape, to the vibrant beauty of freshly cut flowers. Best of all, this book is as fun as it is instructional, featuring ten step-by-step projects that illustrate color principles in action. As readers paint their favorite flowers, fruit or birds, they'll learn how to make color work the way they want it to. No second-guessing, just great-looking paintings and a whole lot of pleasure. * The only full-size book on color theory for decorative painters * 10 beautiful projects include clear, step-by-step photos and instruction * Perfect for all beginner and intermediate decorative painters. Painting European Folk Art by Andy B. Jones. Paperback, 112 pages. An inventive decorative artist presents his own interpretation of several European painting styles, showing crafters at all skill levels how to create charming pieces that will complement any decor. The book begins with a brief historical survey of European folk art. The first chapter is devoted to supplies: working with acrylic paints, selecting brushes, and gathering other essential materials. After reviewing several basic painting techniques and how to correctly prepare surfaces, the author presents detailed demonstrations of the decorative painting styles of England, Norway, Holland, Germany, and Russia. The projects feature motifs traditionally painted on wood, metal, and porcelain, and incorporate a range of techniques, including decorative strokework, working wet-in-wet, and antiquing. The Little Book of Folk Art Roses by Kate Coombe. NEW for May 2001. Hardcover, 48 pages. To see the complete index of all books in our amazon store, go to: Amazon Book Index --- LAST BUT NOT LEAST: On a sad note, the painting community recently lost two very talented and gifted members. Carol Bond passed away unexpectedly after a short illness. Carol was well known for her "Reflections of the Heart" books (Volume 3 of which is new this month - see Pattern Books by Author, A-F ) and was also co-author of two other books. Carol was a member of the Society of Decorative Painters, received her CDA certification in 1989 and taught throughout the US for 20 years. In 1999 she was named Artist of the Year by New England Traditions. She was a founding member and past president of the Connecticut Society of Decorative Painters and was currently serving as an advisor for that organization. John Gutcher has also passed away suddenly of heart problems. John is most well known for his incredible santa portraits and murals and his talent and love of painting shine through brightly in his work. Mr. Gutcher is the winner of numerous national, state and local Best of Show, First Place and People’s Choice awards in art shows and galleries throughout the country and his oil paintings and portraits are now in many private collections. His most recent book, Joy To The World: Painting Holiday Heirlooms, as noted above, was also just published in June, 2001 and he is also the author of a 3-part video instruction series in oil painting. If you'd like to see more of John's work, please visit his website at www.johngutcher.com. Carol and John will be sadly missed by all of us. If you'd like to express condolences to Carol's family, you can write to them at: cbondesign@aol.com and if you'd like to write to John's family, they can be reached either through email on his website or cards can be mailed to 1001 Morrison Court, Tampa Florida, 33629-4912. Until next time, Happy Painting! Joni   To see past issues of this newsletter, please go to: Tole Expressions Newsletter Index Click here to Subscribe to Tole Expressions Newsletter Click here to Unsubscribe This newsletter is ReferWare. If you enjoy reading it and find useful information in this newsletter, you are asked to help spread the word about it. You can do this by forwarding a copy to your friends, telling them about it, and/or putting a link to it from your site. ( http://www.tole-expressions.com/reference/june-july2001.html ) No part of this newsletter may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission. 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