Just playing around ~

I'm about to start working on a few more treasure organizer orders

but took the weekend off and have been playing around with some

of my new Waverly Chalk Paint!

You'd think I was their spokesperson but I promise, I'm not.

I just love that it's cheap, right here in town

and that there are beautiful shades to choose from.

I found these sweet baby shoes at the thrift last week and thought they would be PERFECT

to experiment with using the new Waverly chalk paint I found at wallyworld!

I mixed half of the "ballet slipper" shade with half of the "plaster" shade to come up with

a beautiful pink to paint them with.

Ohmygoodness...it dried like VELVET!

I just love the finish!! I need to give them a coat of matte varnish but think

the pink is just beautiful. These will end up being pincushions.

I'm sure I have some sweet little roses fabric to fill them with!

I also found these chubby little resin birds at the thrift last week.

The colors were too loud for me so I thought I try the chalk paint on them as well.

Here they are after one coat of the shade "plaster"....I haven't decided if I'll antique them or not, we'll see.

Here's one of the finishing coats they offer...I love a matte finish so it's the first one I purchased.

So...now every time I visit Walmart I go by the display to see if there's another shade I like!

Here's my latest purchase..."crystal" I love the beautiful pale blue-gray shade!!

Our precious granddaughter Clara went fishing with her daddy this past Saturday

and caught FOUR fish!!! She was so proud and she even told me that she now

has a fisherman's thumb! When you take the fish off the hook and your thumb comes

in contact with the fish teeth I guess your thumb gets tough??? Sweet, sweet girl ~

And I wanted to share a photo of our sweet grandson Murray.

I watched him last week when his mama and Clara went to the library.

Here he is watching trains from our front porch...he LOVES them!!!

We are only about 500 feet from the tracks so he was in heaven ~

Wishing you a beautiful spring week dear friends!!!

Thank you always, always for visiting me ~

hugs and love,

Dawn

What is beautiful to you?

We all have different tastes and love different things.

So what really makes you swoon?

If you've been around my blog any time at all,

I guess you KNOW what I love!!!

My dear friend Cindy sent me a care package last week...

which was a COMPLETE surprise of course

and just look what it contained!!!

Six of the most precious pairs of baby shoes EVER!

They are aged to perfection and now, well now...I've just GOT

to transform them into something adorable!

It is my duty and calling to do so ~

Thank you so very much sweet Cindy...

you are such an angel for thinking of me,

I just love them all!!!!

Happy Monday dear friends!!!

Wishing you a beautiful day ~

hugs and love,

Dawn

Such simple things can be so special ~

Do you feel that way? I find that the most simple, commonplace items make me smile now. And group several of these gathered treasures together?? Pure sweetness!!

They can be old, ragged, worn or stained...it doesn't matter one little bit. As a matter of fact, that makes me love them all the more!

After finishing up my tiny glass cabinet, I filled it with some of these things. Items that when I glance at them in the studio, they make me smile ~ scuffed baby shoes, old spools of thread, tiny little cardboard boxes and even stained china.

In your creative space, whether it be a small desk in a guest bedroom or the breakfast table in your kitchen, surround yourself with a few gathered treasures that make you happy!

I'm so thankful for each of you wonderful friends.

I look forward to sharing some little something with you every day and appreciate you taking the time to stop by and see me ~


Wishing you a very happy Friday ~
hugs and love, Dawn

These are a few of my favorite things ~

Wednesday I did a few things around the house and started writing an article that's due Friday...eeek! It's progressing nicely but doesn't leave much time for creating new goodies. I strolled through my photographs to find some of my treasures to share with you.

You may remember some of these or maybe not, no matter...seeing these beautiful treasures again even inspires me by just looking at them!!

A gathering ~

Fairies ~

Rhinestones and lace ~

Antique papers and images ~

Old tattered books, antique buttons and keys ~

More antique lace ~

Birds, nests and speckled eggs ~

More tattered old books ~

More antique buttons on their original store card!

Uh, more old buttons, sorry, I'm a little obsessed here ~

Vintage baby dresses and doll clothes ~

Old sheet music ~

Wonderful old baby shoes ~

Antique embroidered linens and again, surprisingly...old lace!

Just looking at what I love to collect inspires me!! Pull those collections out, group them on a side table or hang them as a valance, drape them on your lampshades or sew them on your ready-made pillows, stack them by a lamp or nestle them onto your shelves....just so you can SEE these wonderful things that inspire you each and every day!

Wishing you a wonderful, inspired Thursday!

xxoo, Dawn

Recycling can be a creative thing ~

That's really how I feel too ~ maybe that's what I should call what I love doing ~ Creative Recycling!

Sunday afternoon I was able to steal away and do a little treasure hunting by myself. Which is always a good thing because I'm as slow as molasses in the winter. I'm too afraid I'm going to miss something. I started outside in the parking lot of Peachtree Peddler's Flea Market & Antique Mall . . . there's always folks set up selling what they don't want in their homes anymore. I'm constantly looking for shadowboxes and this one was a great find ~ I'll be ripping off the back and removing the lovely vases of flowers and add a few nests, eggs and bird ephemera!

Another baby dress, I know, I know, I need baby dress therapy but I promise I'm still thinking of something to do to these lovelies . . . and of course, the little shoes, I couldn't leave them could I? These were found inside in the antique mall and I tell you I dig for my goodies and make sure the prices are great.

Now these aren't old but I found them at Michael's and am wanting to place them inside something that I have in mind to make ~ kind of like weights?

And this precious photo, just look at this couple, they look like teenagers! So sweet ~

Oh and of course a music book. I think something had been gnawing on it at some time but I don't care, these little music sheets will have a new life now.

Just one more shot of the baby shoes, I'm not sure of the material, maybe wool?

Well, do you want to know the grand total of what I spent???

15.00

Recycling is GOOD.....

Have a great Monday!!!

xxoo, Dawn

Found ~ good stuff & a new tutorial soon!

OK, I know you must be tired of me showing you baby shoes but

just. look. at. THESE!

Are these not the most precious things you've ever seen?? I found them at The Plum Tree and love them! Hmmm, I wonder if I could make a pair of earrings out of them???
Oh well, better not.

I know their scuffed, I know their cracked but I just don't care, they're so cute :)

Another wonderful find ~ an old receipt book.

The typefaces are beautiful to me ~

I've been working on my next tutorial for The Little Speckled Egg blog ~ it's an altered composition notebook! I hope to have it ready to post sometime tomorrow...

Plus, you're not going to believe this but this is about my 593rd post and I'm thinking a giveaway is in order for the 600th post!! I would love to know what would be a neat thing for me to give away this time, any ideas?

I'm hoping your Wednesday is a great one!!

xxoo, Dawn

A baby shoe and some gorgeous fabric!!

Just look at this precious baby shoe. Wonderful, soft leather that once held a little one's chubby foot as they began their life. I love the folds, the scrapes, the beautiful verdegris of the eyelets as they've aged. Quite a simple thing, but so very lovely ~ soon to be transformed into an heirloom keepsake pincushion!

Do you see the gorgeous fabric it's resting on?

Doesn't it have the look of French linen?

Looks at the specks and nubs all over ~

I just love working with this wonderful fabric.

Would you like to know where I buy it???

Home Depot or Lowes!!!

It's a canvas dropcloth! I love the look of them new, fresh out of the package but they're also gorgeous if you throw them in the wash with fabric softener and you will see gentle wrinkles that add character!! They make the most beautiful curtains, too. Another idea...wash one so it will be soft, and throw it over that chair that needs covering. When it gets dirty, rip it off and wash it again . . .

Don't you love a cool idea??

Have a happy Tuesday!
xxoo, Dawn