Creating just a few Christmas gifts ~

Today I decided I would put together a few gifts...

lavender sachets created from old postcards printed onto muslin.

Maybe a few wooden tags with precious images and messages.

A tiny framed dried flower for the botanical lover?

Accented by a little vintage lace and of course my fave,

crinkled seam binding!

I so hope they love my gifts...

For the last few years I've realized my dear parents have become

increasingly difficult to buy for!!!

They are still so active, have fun and buy whatever they need...and when they need it!

So today, knowing they love their precious "snack-time" in the evening,

I went and bought all of their most favorite goodies!!!

I purchased a canvas container and have stuffed them all inside....

now they'll be ready for their next "movie" night or really ANY night!

Now to get this thing wrapped......

I do hope your Christmas plans are coming together!

I reach a point every single year where I realize....

Oh well, if it's not done, it's not getting done and who really cares,

let's simply enjoy one another ~

I hope you have a wonderful Tuesday precious friends,

hugs and love,

Dawn

Love gifts ~

I've received a few goodies in the mail lately

and I would love to share them with you ~

Just look at this birthday bundle Marcie from The Rustic Victorian sent me!!!

Gorgeous old lace, images and a sweet antique stereoview of a little girl and her doll ~

And Donna of Brynwood Needleworks sent me these wonderful bird's nests!!!

I can't believe how amazing each one is....just sweet works of art ~

Lastly, look at this angel!!!!! Here she is Christmas Day all dolled up in her

fancy new coat and hat ~ She had such a wonderful Christmas....

I'm starting to clean things up around here...

the studio has been sadly neglected these past few weeks ~

and I'm so in the mood to get to creating!!!!

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday sweet friends ~

hugs and love,

Dawn

A sweet elf shoe ornament tutorial for you ~

I finished my tutorial!!!

What's so sad is that it's been a year since I've added a new tutorial

to my Lessons from The Nest Shop ~

So what happened?

Yes, we moved but it seems life just took me over, you know?

I love sharing my ideas so much,

why am I not popping out one of these guys a month?????

Simply

CLICK HERE

if you'd like to purchase my elf shoe tutorial ~

It's only 5 bucks and you can make TONS of these for teachers, family, friends

and of course for yourself!!!!

So what's on my mind now?

Angel wings.

Yes...you heard right, angel wings!

I want to create a precious small pair for you to hang in your home....

and to create for others and give to them as well ~

My mind is spinning but will land soon on the right idea ~

Stay tuned my sweet friends,

and thank you always for stopping by here!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday,

hugs and love,

Dawn

Sweet gifts ~ one for me, one for you...

Have you ever found someone's artwork and thought to yourself, "this looks like something that is SO me! My taste, my style!" Well, Martha's artwork of Vintage Trifles is that person to me. The minute I found her blog and saw her artwork I. was. captivated!!

She has gifted me the most precious little girl inside of a wonderful, sparkling stocking!!! Look at the little girl! She's the one that's been on my blog since the beginning....my little mascot ~ Martha, this gift is so beautiful to me, thank you soooo much!! I'm afraid she's staying in my artroom to inspire me, Martha!!

See her precious rosey cheeks?

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas too dear Martha ~ and believe me you and so many other of my blog friends inspire me each and every day..... it's such a two-way street of inspiration!





I checked out the most wonderful old book from the library. It's all about birds in Georgia ~ here's a little scan of one for you!

I just have to tell you all, I'M FEELING SO MUCH BETTER!!!! Thursday afternoon I'd had enough, went to the doctor and got a BIG OL' SHOT in my backside and by Thursday night I already felt better. A week was long enough of that torture and not even feeling like answering emails or blogging, much less doing laundry and cooking :)!

Thank you so much for your prayers and sweet thoughts ~ you all truly are the best of friends. I want to leave you with a few quotes that I found because I love you all so ~

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one"
C.S. Lewis


"It is a sweet thing, friendship, a dear balm,A happy and auspicious bird of calm..."
Shelly


"The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this?"
Henry David Thoreau

Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief.
Swedish proverb

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up."
The Bible: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over."
Samuel Johnson

Wishing you a very happy Friday dear friends ~

xxoo, Dawn

Some beautiful things for you to see ~

I thought while visiting with the family in the evenings this past weekend I would sit and go through yet another file of clippings that I had stowed away. These are the oldest that I own and I had been wanting to see what I would still love and what I would want to toss.

There were a lot of beautiful pages that I kept that were timeless, classic ideas that were just as beautiful today as they were ten or more years ago. You know the magazine they were from?? Yes, Victoria! But there were plenty from others but seems as those from Victoria still make me 'sigh'......

Here is a beautiful botanical image I scanned that I've been wanting to give you ~ I hope you can use it in your artwork in some way or just frame it!! Just right click to save to your computer ~



Well, we all know that "favorite things" was wonderful and this page was no exception! Look at all the bird goodies. You may have to click to enlarge this one ~

And lastly, look at this project ~ wouldn't these make beautiful Christmas gifts?? I love this idea ~

Well, Brent and Emily are back in Savannah safe and sound. The house is quiet and we all miss them so much. I can only hope that someday soon they will live closer to us so I can get my hands on our sweet grandbaby as often as I can! Oh, and Thursday morning is the ultrasound!!! I'm counting the days.....have a wonderful Monday!!

xxoo, Dawn

A sweet chubby bird &a great magazine find!

I have had this little bird on my mind for the longest time! I've wanted to draw out a pattern and try it and this is what I ended up with!! It's not perfect but I'm loving the chubbiness of it and what's so cool is that I added a river stone to the inside before sewing the opening closed so he's a bit weighted. I placed a little pin about where his eye will be but I'm thinking of decorating him now....maybe with a little vintage lace? I need to change the pattern just a little bit here and there but he does look like what I had envisioned ~ plus drop cloth fabric isn't perfect for EVERY project, it frays pretty easily and that's not good when working with small pattern pieces.

I wanted to share with you a really neat magazine I found today. Now, I'm not a big Martha fan as her look is a little to stark and mod for me as I love more of a romantic/cluttered :) look but this magazine is chock full of ideas for Christmas gifts! I bought it especially because of the lamb pattern! I love lambs and am thinking this one would be so precious for the grandbaby!! Oh and we find out in only TWO weeks if we're having a boy or a girl!

I hope I showed you enough to give you an idea of all that's inside. And to be honest, I don't even remember there being any ads in it at all!

Sharing neat magazines with your friends?

It's a good thing! :)

I hope you have a great Saturday,

xxoo, Dawn