Dear Painting Friends,

I hope this newsletter finds you all well. I am sure you are knee deep in festive preparations and looking forward to the start of the new year.

May 2012 bring you peace and keep you all in good health.

Grab a cup of hot cocoa and take a break for a few minutes to read what’s new!

Hugs, Maureen

We are closed from December 15, 2011 to January 3, 2012.

Mary and I look forward to spending the holidays with our families. After that you can reach Mary on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 3pm EST at 519-848-5533. Of course the website is open and orders can be placed 24/7 but Mary will send them out after January 3. I will be checking my emails off an on during the time we are closed.

I am pleased to announce a second distributor in the USA for Maureen McNaughton brushes, packets and products:

Pampered Palette
3507 Finish Line Drive
Gainesville, Virginia 20155 USA
(703) 754-8141

david@pamperedpalette.com

Owner David Vernon is located on the east coast and is looking forward to meeting you.

So please drop by in person, email or visit the

Pampered Palette website: http://www.pamperedpalette.com/

My distributor Darla Foreman, owner of Turtle Hollow introduced decorative painting on fabric to the growing quilt market at one of their biggest and busiest conventions this fall.

This creative market uses the same design and colour principals as we enjoy in decorative painting.

Our market and theirs can easily mingle hand in hand. My hat is off to Darla for taking the initiative in this endeavour.

You can find Turtle Hollow Artists and most major shows in 2012, so do drop by.

Please visit their website to see what’s new: www.turtlehollowartists.com

Phone: 405-203-0991
E-Mail: darlaforeman@yahoo.com

NEW SEMINAR BOOKING FOR SEPT 7-9 2012
WITH TURTLE HOLLOW

Darla and I just found a date for a fall seminar and I hope you can join us. We always have a great time and I am looking forward to spending a few days in Oklahoma again.

www.turtlehollowartists.com Phone: 405-203-0991 / E-Mail: darlaforeman@yahoo.com

SPEAKING OF QUILTS . . .
2011 HOOT QUILT RAFFLE

How very exciting for me to see the beautiful quilt offered for raffle at this year’s HOOT convention.

Many Busy Hoot Bees spent the previous year painting my designs on squares of black fabric. Then the squares were assembled and quilted to produce the gorgeous Queen size spread you see pictured here.

It truly was an honour when they told me of their plans. The result exceeded my expectations and my congratulations to the lucky winner.

DECORATIVE ARTS COLLECTIONS ANGELS

The hand painted angels from their latest book “100 Angels,” produced by the National Museum of Decorative Painting, were on display in all their glory in the DAC booth at HOOT.

This book is the bargain of the century! Not only is it a handsome coffee table book but it also has two CD’s with full painting instructions, patterns and colour step by step worksheets for every one of the 100 angels shown in the book.

Many of your favourite artists were invited to paint one of the four different carved angels and I was so happy to participate.

Museum Director Andy Jones asked us each to name our angels and then explain why we chose that name.

As I painted my angel she took on her own personality and I must confess that I grew very attached to “Shirley Ann.”

When Andy asked if he could offer her in a raffle draw to raise funds for the museum, I agreed with mixed emotions. Where would she be living when she had to leave the other angels?

It came time for the draw at the HOOT convention this past August. As I reached in to draw a name out of the box I was hoping that I would be finding a good home for Shirley Ann.

I couldn’t believe my eyes as I read the name - Carol Gould from Lake Bluff Illinois. Carol has been a good friend of mine for more years than I can remember and now I will be able to visit Shirley Ann from time to time. Yes, those are tears of joy in the picture!

PACKET RELEASES

I hope the following packets will bring you many hours of painting joy. Orders will be shipped out in January. 2012

CONTAINS:
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 16" X 16"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included)
Round 10, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2
Liner #1, #5-0
11 pages thorough step by step instructions

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 8"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included): Round #9, #8, #6, #5, #4, #3, #2 / Liners #5-0, #0   8 pages thorough step by step instructions

This hand carved musical doll is readily available and a joy to paint

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 8" (Doll is 6 inches tall) McNaughton Brushes Used (not included): Flats #14, #10 / Mop #2 / Filbert #4 / Liner #5-0 / Round #4, #2   9 pages thorough step by step instructions

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 8"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included):Round #7, #2 / Liner #0, #5-0
7 pages thorough step by step instructions

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 8"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included): Rounds #6, #4, #3 / Liners #0, #5-0 / #8 Pro-Round Stippler for burnishing leafing
6 pages thorough step by step instructions

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 10"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included)Round #9, #6, #4, #3, #2
Liner #5-0, #0
#6 Pro-Round Stippler for gold leaf
Flat #10
8 pages thorough step by step instructions

CONTAINS
Colour photo
Colour 8" X 10"
Pattern 8" X 8"
McNaughton Brushes Used (not included)
Rounds # 2, # 4, # 6
Liner #0, #5-0
#8 Pro-Round Stippler for burnishing leafing
6 pages thorough step by step instructions

THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR COMFORTING WORDS

I know I am not the only one who lost a close friend this year. We have all had losses, unexpected illnesses or surgeries, job problems and many ups & downs this year. That is when we reach out to our circle of friends for sympathy, prayer and a shoulder to lean on.

Your emails, cards and donations in memory of my friend Judy McDonald were very much appreciated - not only by myself but also by Judy’s students, friends and family. I gathered them all into an album which I gave to Judy’s husband Ran at the September 18th memorial. The turn out on this beautiful sunny day was testament to the amazing impact Judy had on so many lives. She is so missed.

MAUREEN’S OCTOBER SEMINAR
IN AJAX ONTARIO

We had a full house for this four day seminar with students attending from across Canada and United States. What fun we had as we painted our way through these brand new designs.

Many many thanks to Gloria Samuels and Pat Keays. These two friends helped me in more ways than I can say, in putting on this seminar. I could not have done this without them.

The Fishies projects never had their official debut on my website. It took longer than expected to recover from my last cataract surgery, so these little guys did not even get painted until a month before the seminar. My faithful students had signed up for the project sight unseen, so walked into the class surprised to see the finished result.

They really enjoyed the change from flowers and the bright tropical colours. The four sided planter from Coyote Woodworks was the inspiration as it reminded me of an ornate Oriental aquarium

Hint - hint: I am really hoping some of my seminar hosts in the coming year will ask for one or more of our four new Fishies!

In March 2011 my US brush manufacturer raised their prices to me significantly. Like so many industries today they have been affected by the economy and have done all they could to avoid the increase.

I tried to absorb this rise in cost. However my fall financial statement showed that with all of the expenses of running the business going up as well, it left me no choice but to raise the retail brush prices. I have kept this as low as possible.

Will all teachers and studios please contact Mary for the updated discount schedule on volume brush orders? Mary@maureenmcnaughton.com

I hope you will enjoy the recipes following this letter and be sure to check on this link from Sharon Brown on how to peel potatoes “quick-fast.” It is amazing!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7375897927147969009

Have a safe and relaxing holiday season and come back refreshed and ready to paint away those winter blahs in 2012.

Hugs, Maureen

RECIPES PUMPKIN DIP
From Mary Frambach

4 cups confectioners sugar
2 X 8oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 can Libby’s pumpkin pie filling
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all together and serve with ginger snaps

YUMMY PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE
From Linda Garofalo

CRUST
25 ginger snaps, crushed
4 ½ T. butter, melted

Crush cookies, add butter and mix.
Press into 8”-9” springform pan.
Bake at 350, about 10 mins.

FILLING
3 – 8 oz. packages Cream Cheese
1 ¼ c sugar
12 oz. can, pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 t. cinnamon,
½ t. ginger,
1/8 t. nutmeg,
¼ t. cloves
¼ t. salt
2 t. vanilla
1 ½ T. flour

Cream together sugar and cream cheese until fluffy. Add pumpkin and beat to incorporate. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Add spices, salt and vanilla. Add flour. Wrap sides and bottom of springform pan with foil.

Pour filling into pan and place in a roasting pan. Pour boiling water halfway up sides of the cheesecake. Bake until center jiggles slightly, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove from water both and cool on wire rack.

Remove sides from pan and chill at least 4 hours.