Beautiful vintage roses...how can you go wrong?

Seems doing something creative lately has been just about like pulling teeth!!!

WHY and WHY???

I really love making stuff!

I don't know. I can't even explain it.

I have so many amazing ideas rushing through my mind

but actually making them happen has been,

well,

just like I said...

like pulling teeth!

Well, sound the trumpets and start the parade because

I've FINALLY finished a little something!!!

This is another fabric journal slipcover.

It fits beautifully over your standard composition notebook.

Just fold both covers completely back and slip it on!!!

Fill it up with prayers, notes, thoughts and when it's full?

Just slip the fabric cover off and slip it onto a brand new notebook!

I tried something new on this one too.

Fabric rosettes!!!

And I love them!

I watched a few YouTube videos and

figured I could wing it from there.

The only thing I changed is that I did NOT use a glue gun.

I used my favorite glue ever, Fabri-Tac

which is like a cold glue gun glue.

My offering (in my shop now)

Feels good to finally make something and it always

make me wonder,

why did it take so long????

You can find my new journal slipcover in my Etsy shop if you're interested....

Thank you so very much for visiting my blog.

I love my blog friends and treasure you so!

Happy Thursday angels,

hugs and love,

Dawn

Looking beyond the obvious ~

So....I had more dental work today. Can I just say ~ YUCK-O!

Anyway, this is a blog about good stuff so let's move on :)

I took myself straight to the Good Will again after getting out of "dental jail"

and found a few treasures.

The moral of this post is to look beyond....

beyond what something is

to what it COULD BE!

I found two things.

One was a photo album of sorts for Jamaican vaca photos!

Well, I've never been there, and I'm sure it's gorgeous

but the minute I laid my eyes on the album

I KNEW it would be an AMAZING nature journal!!!

What do you think?

This wonderful twine is on each and every page to hold pics but....

I think they should hold wonderful nature collages!

See the back???

GORGEOUS!

So, I start ripping things off....as fast as I can.

Using the exact-o knife when I need to ~

Sorry Jamaica....you're outta here.

I love this twig detailing down the spine ~

My other find?

An amazing journal!!

It has the most wonderful handmade paper on the outside and inside as well ~

My little hovel of garbage I picked off of both :)

So it looks like I have a few more projects on my desk!!!

Always look beyond what you find, to what it could become!!!!

Now, it's time work on these babies and turn them into something special ~

I hope your week is going wonderfully.....

Mine is now since I don't return to the dentist until next Wednesday!!!

Have a great Thursday my dear friends,

hugs and love,

Dawn

Sweet friends ~

I scanned a couple of pages of the bird journal that my sweet friend Karin of One Perfect Little Miracle gave me when she came for lunch the other day. I love the precious handwriting and the care the sweet woman took to create her journal. What an honor to be able to look at it ~ Thank you so much Karin for entrusting me with it.

Feel free to save these for your artwork . . .

Look at this little sweetie that arrived in the mail Thursday! The tiniest little bird figurine from Relyn at Come Sit by My Fire gifted this to me just as a "thank you" for her winning my last giveaway ~ Thank you so much Relyn, I just love it!! I happened to have another one a little larger that looks like his moma so they look sweet together under the cloche on my buffet ~ Relyn has a beautiful post today about caring for one another...

Our minds are such a powerful tool. We can think negatively and exude those feelings or we can think positively and reflect that attitude as well. It's our choice each and every morning we rise from our beds. Sometimes when my mind wanders in that negative direction .... I stop and tell myself, "don't even go there..." Funny how "The Secret" has been around for such a long time and we just didn't realize it, just read these words...

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

Phillipians 4:8

Thank you all so very much for your sweet words on my last post. Don't worry, I'm fine. I love blogging. I love my friends here. I love the inspiration I gain from visiting you and from your feedback. I love being a sunny spot in anyone's day that may stop by to see me ~

Wishing you a great Friday dear friends!

xxoo, Dawn

The beginnings of a journal tutorial ~

I am so excited about the tutorial I'm working on now . . . you can see the beginnings of it in the photo below! It's a handmade, from scratch, nature journal ~ and the neat thing is, I'm learning too as I make it!

The nature journal that I finished a few weeks ago was created inside of the complete cover of a small music book. It was really wonderful to work with but the chances of finding another is slim to none. Soooo....I thought, why not construct one myself! And believe it or not, the method that I've used is not hard at all ~

I'm still shooting step-by-step photos of the embellishing process and hope to have it in my store, The Little Speckled Egg by tomorrow evening.

I just get the biggest thrill making things! What is that??!! The neat thing about these small journals (and I'm finding that I'm becoming more and more "green") is that they can be constructed out of simple things that are around your home.

Plus, they don't have to be "nature" journals, you could make one to take on a special vacation or trip. How about creating one to give to a sweet mom-to-be to jot down her thoughts while in the hospital having her baby and after she's met her sweet angel? It would be a treasured keepsake ~ Boy this is starting to sound like a serious sales pitch but I'm just excited about the possibilities!

A spare copy of the sheet music cover printed on thin muslin, hmmmm.....I've got to think of something neat to do with this ~ I love looking at it!! I've got it pinned to the back of the advent calendar so I can stare at it ~

On a totally different note, I've had this crazy idea and some of you may have already tried this. I've always loved this precious, chubby bluebird and I bought some molding compound at Michael's a few weeks ago. I would like to attempt to make a mold of this sweet baby and make some from plaster! Have any of you tried this? Should I use plaster of paris? Who knows, I may not be able to create a decent mold but I want to try!

Can't you see a chubby, cream colored, slightly antique-washed little bird??

Today it was absolutely GORGEOUS here in Georgia.....it's like you have to soak in each and every beautiful fall day before they all vanish ~

Wishing you a wonderful Wednesday sweet friends!

xxoo, Dawn