Only one more day till . . .

the first art challenge contest held at Mind Wide Open!

What is Mind Wide Open?

A gathering spot for like minds to find their inspirational spark,

to create, to play.
A place where thinking outside the box is encouraged
and the stretching of your artistic wings hopeful.

What's so wonderful is that the winner of this challenge contest will win a $20.00 gift certificate to spend at Shabby Cottage Studio! There's tons to choose from, stamps, collage sheets, embellishments and much more ~

Visit the Mind Wide Open blog tomorrow if you'd like to join in on the creative fun!!!

xxoo, Dawn

New artwork and WONDERFUL news!!

I love these verses so much that I had to create a small artwork featuring them. It's created just on a piece of mat board about 8" x 8" ~ just a scrap, using remnants of ribbons, lace and forgotten little pearls . . .

A new button jar soon to be listed in my Etsy store ~

A pendant created from an old watch, little photo and a few charms ~ soon to be listed it my Etsy store too! I'll be adding the recent fairy jar and the dutch shoe pincushion. I couldn't access my Etsy store right now but will try again later.

And last but CERTAINLY not least, I am honored to tell you that JoAnnA Pierotti has asked me to be on her Design Team to create with her new collage sheets!!! I love JoAnnA and love her work as well. She's put together a great design team and I just can't believe I'm on it!

She's adding to her website daily so please keep checking in on it. You can visit Moss Hill Studio HERE!

Wishing you a wonderful Monday ~ xxoo, Dawn

Wishing you a restful Sunday ~

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

11 Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

A drawing I sketched when I was a young girl

A thankful heart ~

THANK YOU ALL SO, SO MUCH!!! What a sweet response to the fairy jar! You do know that when you leave such kind, sweet comments you are fanning my creative fire, don't you? I appreciate each and every one so very much ~ I love to make things and inspire you to create, too!

As an artist I've found that I look at things a bit differently, especially packaging. See the photo below? It was a box that held two beautiful soaps. I opened them and placed them in our bathroom and looked at the pretty shred. Knowing I wanted to do the jar fairy, I thought to myself, "wouldn't this make pretty fairy grass around her feet?"

When I find a nice piece of cardboard in a package of new sheets, I pull it out and stare at it . . . hmmmm, a sturdy backing for a project! I keep it grouped together in my artroom so I can grab a piece when I need it.

So be sure you don't toss a wonderful art supply just because it wasn't sold as one, you can turn it into a neat component in your next art piece!

Remember the pottery Dutch shoes? Well the same technique was used to make this into a pincushion that I used with the baby shoes and ballet shoes in Somerset Life. Don't forget, the summer issue of Somerset Life should hit the newstands the first of this coming week!!!

I'll put this pincushion in my Etsy store a little later on today

Thank you again for your wonderful comments on my jar fairy! Wishing you a great Saturday ~

xxoo, Dawn

If you should catch a fairy ~

I've been wanting to create this little jar fairy for awhile and finally did! I wrote a little poem to go along with her . . . a poem? who knew??

She has ultrafine clear glitter on her paper wings backed with vintage lace. I made her a little banner she's holding to remind you of what she's capable of! And last but not least, a tiny little fairy wand made from a straight pin, tiny beads and one little strip of shredded paper wrapped tightly down.

Doesn't she look like she could grant a few wishes?

Wishing you a wonderful Friday!

xxoo, Dawn

I worked on a little project today for Gail at Shabby Cottage Studio. She mailed me the cutest chipboard kit in the shape of a little girl's dress ~ I used one of her digital collage sheets, part of a vintage linen, millinery flowers and lace. It turned into a one-of-a-kind card for the parents of a new baby girl ~

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I know you're probably tired of seeing pet photos but I wanted to show you what friends Ellie and Paxton are now! They love playing together, chasing each other and now apparently cuddling with one another too!

Do you think Paxton is comfortable enough?

Happy Thursday!! xxoo, Dawn

Wonderful artwork giveaway!

This is the prettiest artwork to me

Kristin Hubick of Retro Cafe' Art has created this wonderful assemblage and is having a giveaway on her blog ~ she is thankful for the angels in her life and is having this giveaway in honor of them ~ simply titled "A New Angel"

If you look really closely you can see a precious angel in the doorknob opening!

Click HERE to enter ~

A few good things ~

Well, this post is quite a jumble of different things but I had so many things I wanted to share, I thought I'd just share them all!

I've just added this sweet little antique button bottle to my Etsy store. I made it a few weeks back and am just now getting around to listing it ~

This photo is a little blurry and the cookies look quite lumpy, but Noah does not care :) We've discovered an easy little sweet treat, so easy that he makes them! He's ten years old and shares his father's love of cooking. Noah made this batch of cookies the other day. This is the simple recipe:

1 cake mix

(we've used Duncan Hines & Pillsbury/Devil's Food & Yellow)

1 egg

1 stick of butter, softened (we've used margarine too)

Beat together in a large bowl, spoon out onto a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes! But I warn you, they can be addicting!

I've been enjoying my Victoria magazine this evening ~ such gorgeous eye candy! The photography is just beautiful and you'll really enjoy this issue. They even visited Paris Market in Savannah!

I have to show you the most wonderful giveaway goodies that I won. A LARGE Yankee Candle, several votives and a sachet all from a wonderful store, Classics and Country ~ what a lovely gift and this scent is so clean smelling ~ Thank you girls so much!

And lastly, a gift to myself that I bought with a little of the yard sale money. A flash drive for all of my many images and photos! I hope I don't fill it up too fast!

I hope your Wednesday is wonderful ~

xxoo, Dawn

Images for you to use ~

In the spirit of giving ~ here are a few things that I scanned in for you from my collection!

I love this mother and baby. I have the photograph framed in our bedroom ~ don't you love how she's looking at her child?

This one's a little blurry but don't they look like friends?

I'm still trying to get things back to normal around here, the house was in shambles after the sale. Hopefully today I can get back to creating!!

Wishing you a very happy Tuesday ~ xxoo, Dawn

A beautiful young writer ~

I have to share with you a wonderful young blogger ~ her name is Sarah and she's such a sweetheart! Being only twelve years old, she writes poetry, builds fairy houses and loves all things beautiful . . . I would so love for you to stop by and tell her hello ~ the name of her blog is:

The World and It's Roses

Her mother, Elizabeth has a new blog as well. It is

Home Musings

Please spread the blogger love

like you all do so very well!!

The goodness of giving ~

I find that I'm so totally relieved to have the yard sale finished, over and done-with! Things like that seem to make me feel totally constrained and restricted to only work on the task at hand.

Sunday was such a groggy type of day. Just trying to recover from Saturday! I do have to tell you something though, it feels so good to give. Having come from a family that lived quite modestly, then marrying and having so many sweet boys, money has always been quite tight. Sunday we had a woman who came to the yard sale, stop back by, knock on the door and ask if she could still buy something. We sold her no. But she could have it for FREE!!! I went to the garage, grabbed a box and helped her fill it with things she loved.

She was so very grateful.

Then a few hours later a mother and daughter arrived to pick up the very old treadle sewing machine I sold to them (15.00) They just loved it!! Well she remembered when I had the antiques store and we ended up talking about loving old things. I showed her my Somerset magazines and what I was doing now. Then again, we offered for them to please, take what you'd like and give it a good home! They ended up with about four old windows, a screen, a chandelier and two old children's chairs.

So back to my point. I have to say that it always just feels so wonderful to GIVE!!!

Wishing you a very happy and sweet Monday!
xxoo,
Dawn

It. is. over . . . Thank goodness!

Ughh! I can't believe I actually did this again, have a yard sale I mean! It is an extreme amount of preparation, getting up terribly early (I do not do mornings well), trying to sling it all out and make it look presentable and looking to the sky, that's is very cloudy, hoping that it's going to hold.

Well, it didn't. It rained and sprinkled all morning. The skies finally cleared up around 11:30 a.m. But I do have to be thankful, we still sold around 400.00 worth and it was more than I had when I woke up so, yes, despite the rain, it was a good day!

My most favorite part of the day? Well, yes, making a few extra dollars is always nice but my sweet friend Karin of Meandering Travels of Mindless Thoughts came to see me. Bearing gifts no less! This is the sweet bundle that she brought me pictured below. Knowing how I love all things baby, and precious tiny shoes, look at this pair of porcelain shoes!!! The sweetest little girl gloves ever. Amazing crystals in the prettiest shade of pale blue and gorgeous old sheet music!!! And a wonderful old folder that it came it too ~ Oh Karin. You are so very thoughtful, and surely brought a rainbow to my soggy, tired day. Thank you sweet friend. I will try to make you proud with what I create from these treasures! Hope you enjoy your goodies from the sale . . .

Hoping your Sunday is peaceful, relaxing and thankful ~

xxoo, Dawn

Do blessings come in threes??

Today, THIS arrived on my doorstep!!! Somerset Studio July/August edition with beautiful Colette Copeland's artwork featured on the cover! And if you turn to the very "Last Page" is my little piece of art . . .

A few sneak peeks inside ~ this issue is wonderful to me!!!

(not just because I'm in it, I promise :)

I think blessings really do come in threes!

xxoo, Dawn

Our Yard Sale ~

If you happen to live in the Atlanta area and would like to come to our yard sale, I would love for you to!!

Just email me and I will give you directions . . .

it's from 8:00 am til 3:00 pm ~

xxoo, Dawn

Found: some wonderful things!(oh yeah, I'm supposed to be getting rid of stuff, right?)

As you know, if I'm working on something that's not so wonderful (THE yard sale), but I still have to work in a little "FUN stuff" . . . it's just my way :)!

I needed to place an ad Thursday in the local county paper and stopped by the newspaper office to pay for my ad. It just so happens to be very, very close to The Plum Tree!!! I had to stop and apologize to Cindy for being such a lousy friend and not staying in touch with her. I've been holed up in the house creating like a mad woman and had not so much as called her.....

But please, let me tell you . . . as long as I've known this little store, The Plum Tree . . . let's see . . . since around 1995 . . . Today, it looked better than I have ever, ever seen it!!! I just have to tell you, if you are a local, the store WAS AMAZING!!!! I just want to grab folks and shake them and say, "have you seen this beautiful store we have in downtown McDonough???"

Cindy has a way with display that is like non-other....

I found some wonderful treasures, vintage lace, a sweet old photograph, don't they look like friends? (I will scan this and give it to you soon!) and this pair of McCoy pottery Dutch shoes! I plan on using some of my barkcloth to make pincushions out of them! Found treasures that are truly one-of-a-kind!

Please, please remember your small, independent stores that need your business . . . they may have just what you've been looking for!!!

I had to show you this beautiful conch shell that I found at a sale . . . have you ever seen a more beautiful shade of pink?

Wishing you a peaceful Friday dear friends and only one day 'til "THE SALE!!!"

xxoo, Dawn