My sweet prairie girl ~

She's finished!

The actual artwork measures 10" x 14" and is a multitude of layers.....

The beeswax forces you to be loose ~

which I have to admit, is quite hard for me.

I'm very structured in my artwork ~

everything in it's place, you know?

~ Double click on any of my pics to see more detail ~

I always love including some type of text, name, or quote in the artwork...

Why is that?

I don't have a clue!

I also love making something....then adding a foundation to it ~

you know, something more substantial to showcase the rest.

So even though this piece started on the back of an antique ledger cover,

I wanted to place it on the larger canvas to give it just a little

more importance.

Of course, you see I had to work in the wired-in-look too!

I just love the textural quality of the wire.

The tracing paper allows the image from underneath to show through after

the beeswax has been applied between each layer.

I've even added a few pressed fern fronds from my home too!

My prairie girl was printed straight onto a sheet of crinoline fabric!!!

Yes, I admit it, I crammed it straight into my printer...

sometimes you have to be BRAVE to be an artist!

Lisa sent me a few sheets of the crinoline and I had to experiment :)

That girl is brave with new techniques,

I'm a little more of a chicken!

My prairie girl is now listed in my Etsy shop ~

The moral of this post?

Don't be afraid to try new things,

you might just love it!!!

Have an amazing Tuesday precious friends,

hugs and love,

Dawn

Little gifts and bees ~

I made this collage on a dessert plate recently ~ it's a little gift of thanks to a wonderful customer of mine, Marcy....she's so sweet for buying my artwork!! Your fairy shoes are on their way too!!

I've started gathering supplies to make a new assemblage. For awhile now I've wanted to make one about bees....I'm attempting to make a mini bee skep with jute to rest inside the assemblage ~ we'll see how that turns out!

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do
If bees are few.

EMILY DICKINSON

THE BEE.

Like trains of cars on tracks of plush
I hear the level bee:
A jar across the flowers goes,
Their velvet masonry

Withstands until the sweet assault
Their chivalry consumes,
While he, victorious, tilts away
To vanquish other blooms.

His feet are shod with gauze,
His helmet is of gold;
His breast, a single onyx
With chrysoprase, inlaid.

His labor is a chant,
His idleness a tune;
Oh, for a bee's experience
Of clovers and of noon!

EMILY DICKINSON

I've been very fortunate that our oldest son, Brent had a class in college on Photoshop. So he's been giving me mini lessons and I've been playing around a bit! I guess you noticed the new banner ~ I wanted to see if I could make my own and I did!!! It may not stay as I play with Photoshop more and more ~ I would love to make one a little more complicated but it's a start ~

This Friday is when Brent, Emily and Clara begin moving ~ they are so excited!!! I can't wait to see how precious Clara's little bedroom is going to be. It will be really quiet around here but thank goodness they'll only be about 3 miles down the road :)

Wishing you a great Tuesday sweet friends,
xxoo, Dawn

A poster turns into artwork!

I'm addicted to matte gel medium....there. I said it! It's such a great thing...pricey to me but I always try to have a coupon at Michael's when I buy it. 40% off saves a ton! I use the gel medium in my collage work and have painted it over lace and fabric as well as paper and it holds wonderfully! Plus it dries to a wonderful matte finish....not shiny showing brush marks....

I just bought a new jar of it (it's found in the artist's paints and paint brushes isle) and also noticed that a certain brand of their stretched canvases were on sale 40% off last week. Remember the beautiful poster that I found at Paris Market in Savannah? I've been trying to think of a neat way to display it other than traditional framing so I found a canvas just about the right size to mount it to. It was a little bit wider than the poster so I cut strips from an old bird book that would cover the exposed area and also overlap down on the side. I painted the gel medium onto the canvas first then added a strip and then painted the medium over top as well. Measure and cut these strips first as the medium dries fast!

I decided to collage the poster to the canvas too. I wanted it to feel more like a piece of art. This was a little tricky as it is so large but I painted the medium onto half of the canvas front quickly then positioned that half of the poster, smoothing out as much air bubbles as I could. Next I painted the medium on the other half of the canvas and then pressed down the remaining part of the poster.

I applied the medium over the top of the poster too! Whenever you use a lot of this stuff, especially on a large piece of paper, you can get some serious air bubbles. I had plenty but don't care. I smoothed as much as I could while applying the medium on top but love the look of the small folds here and there. Stained, tattered and wrinkled....sounds beautiful to me!

It's not dry in these photos but I take a few later to show you how it ends up looking. The medium is a little white and cloudy when you first put it on.

I may add a few more simple elements and then it will be ready to hang!
(By the way, the poster is made by Cavallini)

Some ecru lace I found last week on Etsy from two different sellers
.....stained, delicate....and lovely ~

Wishing you a wonderful, creative Tuesday sweet friends!
xxoo, Dawn

New artwork & a few free images for you ~

Remember the jar that I found at Antiques in Old Town Saturday? Well, here it is! I just had to put a nest in it! It's secured so it won't move around inside, as are the eggs and feathers. I have it resting on a big ol' wonderful leaf that Noah found for me one day when he was nature hunting for me. It has a speckled egg tag and a drawing of a sparrow on top ~ soon to be listed in my Etsy store :)

A custom order I just finished tonight: (this one's for you Nancy!)

Another custom order for a fairy in a jar (I still need to add the poem tied around the top). What's wonderful about this is that image is my customer when she was a little girl!!! She's going to give this to her ten year old granddaughter on her birthday ~

A few scanned items for your saving pleasure!! Click to enlarge, then right click to get the small menu and save to your computer ~

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday dear friends ~ make time to do something you love :)

xxoo, Dawn

Thank you sweet friend ~

Dear Vikki ~ OMGoodness!!! My package arrived today and all I can say is "Oh My Goodness!" Thank you soooooooooo very much for each and every little thing!! I'm just so very grateful, you know all the things I love and plus some!

I had to share these wonderful treasures with you all. I've met a dear, dear friend through my blog and we've been talking via email now for awhile. It is so very amazing how you can bond with someone even though you've never met them in person! Our tastes are so very similar and she wanted to send me a care package with a few supplies she thought that I would like. WELL, this is more than a few!!! I can only hope that you are as pleased with my package as I am with all these wonderful things. (I feel that another will be coming your way soon though!!) Click on any photo to enlarge so you can see everything!!

Do you see the amazing old photo of the five boys?? How thoughtful of Vikki to think of our five sons. My husband thought this was wonderful!

This cigar box is filled to the brim with yarns, buttons, buckles, so many things I can't remember!!

Look at the pen she made with the little pad to go with!

Laces, buttons, precious pressed four-leaf clovers and be still my heart, speckled quail eggs!!!

Sheet music, altered keys tied with lace and a bundle of keys for me to alter myself!!!

My very favorite treasure ~ a gathered trinket necklace that Vikki made herself!!!

Handmade Lily of the Valley soap, a precious silver sugar dish and several color coordinated bags filled to the brim with bits and bobs!!!!

Hand stamped papers, with the most precious sayings, cut and ready to use!

Vikki, how can I ever thank you enough for all of these treasures?? I will make you something special, yes, that's it!!! You're an angel and you definitely nurture my creative soul!!