Art from nature ~

I love collecting items from nature to use in my artwork.
But I didn't know that you could use a mushroom to make a beautiful print!
My girlfriend Tammy told me about this a while back
and even made a few to give me...
I believe you place the mushroom head face down (the under side) onto a piece of paper
and place a bowl over top. Leave for about a day and
the spores will release onto the paper to create the print!
I love the look of them...
below is the print Tammy made and I scanned it for you!!

This is another that I found on the internet ~

Seems as though I can't talk of mushrooms without including fairies....so many vintage illustrations of fairies include mushrooms ~ don't you think they go hand in hand?

This image doesn't have mushrooms but isn't it adorable?

I wanted to show you the beautiful baby shoe pincushion
that Sherry made from my tutorial!!
Isn't it gorgeous??
I love seeing how different everyone's creations are ~

Our birthday party for Noah was wonderful!!!
Thank you so much for all of your birthday wishes ~ he loved them!

Wishing you a great New Year's eve ~
hugs and love,
Dawn

A sweet day ~

12 years ago today we welcomed our little Noah into our family!!!!
I can hardly believe he's twelve....
and being the youngest of our five sons, he's twelve going on twenty!!
We love you Noah, Happy Birthday!

I like strange things ~

I guess if you read my blog regularly you already know this!!! Over the years I've found myself loving odd items ~ but that's one thing wonderful about getting older!!!! I can like weird things and not worry about being "with it", you know what I mean?

I found this gorgeous clock face at Kirkland's....in the clearance section because it was one of those that didn't have a protective glass covering and the hands always get bent and make them not work right. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was even without hands!!! Yes it's just created on cheap press board but I love it for it's "look" and had to have it ~ for a mere 12.00 I thought I could use it as a base for a piece of artwork even!! For now it's front and center on our hearth....just so I can stare at it :)

Even our children know what I love....
one of them gifted me this old wasp's nest and said,
"hey mom, maybe you could use this in your artwork"
Instead, it's displayed on our mantle ~ weird, huh?

A couple of other odd things one the mantle, two hand brooms!!!
Don't you think they look lovely next the the silver candlestick?? :)
I think they are beautiful ~

Try to see the beauty in common, everyday things ~
they make me smile!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!
hugs and love,
Dawn

I might be able to find my stuff now!

Does straightening up your art supplies
get you excited about creating??
I've been trying to put away some of the visual clutter in my studio
and it's really made the space look so much better!!
I have so many tiny things that I thought if I could group
and conceal some of them it would help the room not look so junky.

Remember the piece I found at Michael's Saturday?
I was able to use a half off coupon and of course you know I loved that!!
I've filled it up now....

Ribbons on the side ~

Odds and ends in the top ~

Glitters in the first drawer ~

Assemblage and collage embellishments and doo-dads ~

More ribbon ~

Today I decided that I'd like another piece
of this organizing furniture from Michael's.
Not the same piece but a different one.
I took in another 50% off coupon to use and then
when I checked out it was 50% off already!!
It has four boxes that I just placed the lids on the bottom
so I could use them like drawers.
(I already had the carousel that's on top)

This is now my snippet box, bigger and much better!
Great for saving those tiny scraps that can still be used.

I love my nature stash ~ perfect for assemblages....

I think this is an acorn cap from a burr oak....
doesn't it look like a hat??

Twine, hemp and string ~ a few artificial flowers

Eggs and small pine cones ~

I love getting my supplies organized and so I can find them...
I'm getting there!!

I hope your Tuesday is wonderful sweet friends ~
hugs and love,
Dawn

Keeping the spirit ~

It's always bittersweet when I see pretty lights glowing
on people's homes after Christmas.
It's like they don't want it all to be over....
they want to extend the goodness....
to make it last just a little bit longer.

I always felt that way when I was a child too.
After Christmas eve, after Christmas and then my birthday,
I just wanted the wonderfulness to keep going!!
Yes, New Year's eve and New Year's day were just around the corner
but they weren't the same for some reason.
They didn't hold the "magic" that Christmas did.

But time marches on and we must remember to be thankful
each and every day, to make each day special and
remember to show others kindness and consideration
even when Christmas is over ~
We can keep the goodness going....

Sweet Clara studying the ribbon on one of her gifts Christmas eve....
She's finally just about over that awful bronchitis

She's looking a little serious about this gift business!

Such a sweet angel....she just turned nine months old the 23rd of Dec!

Here's one of my birthday goodies that I found while shopping Saturday ~
I ended up at Michael's with a 50% off coupon
and took the plunge and bought one of these rolling organizers.
It was originally 89.00 and I got it for about 45.00!
Plus I put it together all by myself!
Now I've decided I'd like to have another one ~ we'll see though....

The drawer thingee was a Christmas gift from Dennis!
We found it at Hobby Lobby (I love how it looks old!)
and used a 40% off coupon on it ~
and the jars are Christmas gifts from Dennis as well.
I love storage, can you tell?

I found the mini iron at Hobby Lobby Saturday too (coupon)
and want to use it with the beeswax ~
we'll see if I can do this wax collage stuff....
plus some gesso and styrofoam balls on sale ~

A book I've been looking at and a bundle of sticks!

I guess it looks like some crazy things to buy with your birthday money, huh?
Now I'm in a mega creative mood and
have to get a few art pieces produced and out of here
in the next week for Pam Carriker's book!!!
I feel like I can really concentrate on them now ~

I hope that your Christmas was absolutely wonderful....
And thank you all so very much
for your precious birthday wishes, you SO made my day!!!!!



"A Friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of Nature."

Ralph Waldo Emerson



Have a wonderful Monday sweet friends ~
hugs and love,
Dawn

Another year older....I don't know about wiser :)

Yep. It's true....today's the day!!
Thank you so much Marcie for your sweet birthday wish!!
I can't EVEN believe it, but I'm 48 years old today ~
and so very blessed!!!

Blessed with my precious family, five sons and a husband that are so wonderful to me, a daughter in law that I love and precious granddaughter that I love more than breath. And on top of it all, I'm blessed with so many amazing friends that fill my heart to overflowing!!!

So instead of thinking of how my body is changing or that my face is wrinkling by the day or how my turkey neck has a life of it's own....I would rather think of my blessings today and how thankful I am for each and every one!!!

Now I'm off to go shopping and spend my Christmas money!!!
Hugs and love to you all,
Dawn

Merry Christmas!

The first gift of Christmas was a child ~
not just any child, but God's only Son.....
who lived and then sacrificed His life for each and every one of us
so that we could live in Heaven forever ~


I wish each and every one of you precious friends
a very happy and blessed Christmas!!!

Hugs and love,
Dawn

Merry Christmas Eve!

I'm still wrapping gifts!! Are you ready?? I hope all of your Christmas plans are coming together so you can relax and enjoy those you love ~

Merry Christmas Eve dear friends,

hugs and love,
Dawn

Treasures found....

Beautiful angels for you ~

Cicely Mary Barker

I found a few treasures last week....I had to share them with you ~
One is the great old dictionary for five bucks..and you KNOW I love it!
The three canvas fans? No, not my style but for $1.00 each
I can gesso over them and turn them into something I DO love ~
I always look at the price first and then
try to figure out if I can transform it!

The smallest bread tin I've ever seen!!!
So beat up but don't you love it?

Five little bobbins of black thread ~ beautiful....

OK, I know I have a baby shoe thing...
and "Hoarders" will probably come hunt me down because of it
but look at the scalloped edges!!! I couldn't resist ~

Wonderful rusty ornamental things ~

Here are the lovely fan canvases....
but look beyond...to what they COULD be ~

Some of the graphics inside the dictionary
that I didn't discover until I was about to take photos for you!!!

Of course, a book of old sheet music for a dollar
cannot be left behind ~

More beauty for you ~

Sally of Art Inspired by Scripture is creating
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL works of art from very old Bibles
from the thrift....they are not torn, all the pages are there
but you want to touch it, look at it...read it ~
open it randomly and have the Lord speak to you....

Sherry of Creations from My Heart made these gorgeous fairies
from my tutorial ~ don't you love her footed glass jars??

And sweet Marie of Spun By Me
is having her FOURTH giveaway this December!!!
Something we all would love to have....a Target gift card!!
~ Just click HERE to comment to win ~

I hope all of your Christmas plans are coming together.
Don't work too hard, enjoy the moments....they pass by so quickly!

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday precious friends,
hugs and love,
Dawn