A wonderful giveaway for you!

Barb at Treasures from The Heart is having her 100th Post Giveaway on her blog and is creating her signature handmade nests as the prizes ~ I love them!!! Just CLICK HERE to enter ~

I have to share the nest love, xxoo, Dawn

Knowing when to stop is a good thing ~

I finished the banner up ~ all except for feeding the ribbon through the top of it!! I added a few ribbons and buttons but I think it looks finished now! Thank you for all the kind compliments about it, I've loved making it for the shower, Emily and baby Clara!

Friday I found this treasure at the book store....yaaaay!! I just love peeking into artist's studios. I hope to study it this weekend ~

A few treats to use in your Valentine's cards ~

Wishing you a wonderful weekend dear friends ~

xxoo, Dawn

I'm making progress in spite of myself!

I thought I'd show you my progress on the banner(s) for the baby shower ~ I know I should have finished it days ago but I've never made one before plus I just hit the wall with it creatively!! Do you do that?
And being the perfectionist nut that I am I just stall out and walk by my art room and stare at it!

I think it's going to be way too long but I wanted to try it....I will string the three words with ribbon as three separate banners "Welcome Baby Clara". I reinforced the scrapbooking paper with posterboard (a cheap alternative to cardstock!) Boy, that was a TON of cutting! Then I needed something to back each of the letters as there was so much pattern going on. I wanted something to break that up and thought paper doilies would work. Well they looked too dinky so I hand pleated white crepe paper around each one....sixteen of them!!
Why do I make a simple little project so difficult ~ ugh!

I do like how it's turning out finally and of course now I don't have enough eyelets so I'm heading to the store to get those today. Next will be a little embellishing and then I've got to move on to a few other smaller things!!!

A few image gifts for you!

Thank you all so very much for such sweet comments on the magazine articles!! I truly believe in my heart that it's because of each of you and your encouragement that I've had the confidence to create and even write an article. And just remember....you can do this too!! Create your beautiful work, send it in to the magazine if you'd love to be published, if I can do this I know that you can!

I hope you have a terrific Friday dear friends ~

xxoo, Dawn

ps. this is my 800th post!!! I promise I'm going to have a wonderful giveaway the week of Feb. 11th ~ my two year bloggiversary!!!

Friends + Inspiration = Blessings

It arrived today!!! I just had to share this with you, my sweet friends ~ can you believe my humble little apron is really on the cover of the premiere issue of apron•ology, how cool is that?!

There are SO MANY amazing aprons in this publication ~ true works of art....it should available in craft stores and book stores Feb. 1st or soon thereafter.

I love this precious one below!

My sweet friend Sherry from Creations from My Heart made a GORGEOUS apron that's featured inside ~ such beauty, all in the form of the utilitarian apron.

I hope you have a great Thursday sweet friends,

xxoo, Dawn

Nests and Fairies....my favorites ~

I found another tutorial on making your own handmade nests!!! Click HERE to see the steps in making the one featured below ~

OK, I am just loving this bed ~ if only I could afford it! Click here to see the hefty price :)

I want to make one of these!!! Don't you love all of the little details? I found them HERE ~

A dollhouse turned fairy house! See how HERE ~

xxoo, Dawn

Such kindred spirits are found here ~

Don't you feel that way? As we gather on each other's blogs, we discover those that we are drawn to, those we have similar tastes and it is those blogs that we return to ~ to be inspired and to see things that we know we'll love.

Deborah from The Painted Nest sent me a treasure box, filled with beautiful things that she knew I'd love....things that she loves and KNEW that I would as well! Lace, buttons, papers, pearls, and beautiful fabric pieces....just to be sweet ~

She's just started blogging and is learning the ropes ~ getting familiar with posting photos and creating links. And doing a great job too!!! Deb thank you so much, you are so kind to me and you know that I love each and every trinket!!! I'm so glad that you're here in the land of blog and you know I'll help in any way I can ~

A little peek at the favors for the baby shower!

I just received an email from Susie asking what would you use these paper cones for....the tutorial link for making these is in my side bar. Well......this is what I told her:

The paper cones can be filled with candies on the holidays and would be great for Valentine's Day, little goodies like buttons, lace and ribbon for the seamstress, fill with lavender and hang on a cabinet knob, top with a handmade birds nest with a couple of eggs from the craft store ~ hang somewhere in your home where you need a little spring! Fill with paper shred and include a pair a beautiful earrings on a small card to give as a gift to a friend.....hang them on each chair post and include wonderful chocolates to give to guests after dinner ~

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday sweet friends!

xxoo, Dawn

A little inspiration for you ~

Don't you love it when you're just hopping around the internet and you run across a website that is amazing?! You click from page to page and see more beautiful things the more you look?

This is one of those ~ Zanz is the name of the store I believe. The website is not in English but it doesn't matter....it speaks to me through it's images. Click HERE to visit ~ a few of my favorite photographs are below:

xxoo, Dawn

What an honor!!

Look what came in the mail today!! I couldn't quite remember exactly what I wrote about blogging but I did remember that it was from the heart, it was about how I feel about the friends I've made here and how you've all inspired me so. It's a beautiful cycle of inspiration we have here in this land of blog!

What an honor it is to be in Artful Blogger magazine!! This issue has so many wonderful blogs featured that I need to visit and explore. Plus, blogging tips, tricks and etiquette... Blogger.com even has an article as well about having a blog ~ I still need to read so much of this issue!

I just had to share my joy with you!!!

This issue will be available at craft stores and book stores around February 1st!

Thank you for always being such sweet friends and cheering me on ~ this would not have happened without YOU!

Wishing you a very happy Tuesday dear friends,

xxoo, Dawn

You know I love nests, right? Well take a look at this ~

Barbara Jean at Treasures from The Heart made this beauty!!!! PLUS she has given a tutorial on her blog you can see HERE and HERE showing step-by-step instructions ~ you just gotta love that!! Thank you so much Barb for sharing....now to get outside and find some branches!!!

xxoo, Dawn

Beautiful handmade flowers from a friend ~

This weekend I got a package in the mail from my sweet friend Marcie of The Rustic Victorian. I love Marcie's taste and she had told me she was sending me a package of flowers that she had made and wanted me to try a few.

Well, I opened up the box and just look at the beauty that came pouring out!!!! These gorgeous handmade flowers are made from....coffee filters!!! Marcie created a pattern (which is a slight rectangle shape, a little wider than it is tall) and gathered several layers together and tied with twine and the result?? MAGICAL!!

On the brown filters she used a tea bath and the pink ones were dipped in pink Rit dye!! She then dried them in the oven on a low temp. Don't you love them??

I had commented on a gorgeous print that she had shown on her blog and she sent me a couple of copies of it too!!! I want to keep one for myself and create a piece of artwork with the other ~ Thank you so much Marcie, you know my heart and know what I LOVE!!!

Now to try my hand at these flowers......

I've got to use these pink flowers at the baby shower!!

She even included a few filters for me to give it a try!

I played a little with the banner a little on Sunday but didn't get very far ~ I need to pick up some white paper doilies, I can see them behind each letter ~ we'll see....and the pennant shape wouldn't work with my big ol' letters so I'm revising my idea ~

This weekend DH and I bought our shower gift for Emily and Brent! Plus a little extra goodie we ran across and couldn't resist. I can't give you a peek because Emily reads my blog (hey sweetie!) but I'll show you after the shower!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful week ahead. Try to make a little time in your schedule to do something you love ~ it will warm your heart and make you smile.

Wishing you a terrific Monday dear friends!

xxoo, Dawn

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Well, I bought Photoshop Elements 7 a few months back and just haven't taken the time to play with it much.

The capabilities of this software are amazing and I know it, but you do have to make time in your day to learn these new things!!

A sweet friend Juno of Juno's Place made a quick page using a little bird image that I had posted awhile back. The page she created also included background, a few other elements and had an opening for you to add a photo to. She provided a tutorial HERE to show me how to drop one in.

Well, I opened one window for the tutorial and opened up Photoshop Elements in another window as well. I opened up the Quick Page she made for me into the Photoshop window (I had saved it to my computer) and followed the tutorial! You can pause it so you can do what she's saying ~ and OHMYGoodness....I did it! Plus, I layered a few more elements ON TOP of Juno's page as well. This is Juno's gift below:

Well, Juno, how'd I do?? :) It's so cool to learn new stuff ~

xxoo, Dawn

Pure sweetness ~

OK, could these be any sweeter?? I'm in love with them....they've sold but the pattern is available HERE ~ maybe I should learn how to knit!

Rebekah's blog is HERE...I love her work ~

A sweet image for you this Saturday morn ~ I hope your day is wonderful!

xxoo, Dawn

How cool is this?

Do you love to look inside other artist's studios? Just to peek and see how they organize their supplies and what they use to create? I LOVE it!!! Well, my sweet friend Gail at Shabby Cottage Studio has given her studio a complete makeover and has filmed a short video giving everyone a tour ~ and it's wonderful!!

So I'm sitting there watching it and what do I see? My humble little artwork hanging over her sewing machine!!! What an honor Gail ~ thank you so much......click HERE to take the tour ~

xxoo, Dawn