Watercolor painting and sprucing up a bit!

Where do I begin?
It's been WAAAAY too long since my last post for sure!

Things have been pretty good around here.

I sold my very first watercolor paintings!

I've been painting more and getting some packaged

to sell in our local antique store.

Hopefully I will get a few listed in my Etsy store too!

Here's a sampling of what I've been working on:

The peonies below are what I recently sold!

They were huge!!! 18" x 24"

They were a bit rippled when I finished with them

but was able to get them flattened out nicely.

And here they are matted and framed in my client's home!

I've even painted some teeny watercolors to fit into these sweet little frames!

We've been working on planting a small garden,

potting pretty plants and best of all?

Bringing our old, in-ground pool back to life!

We moved here last year and let the old pool remain covered,

especially for safety's sake.

You could hear the frog's croaking at night

as they basically called it home!

It's now been pumped out, cleaned up and we are waiting

on the new liner to arrive and be installed.

We've never had a pool in our entire lives so

there will be a learning curve. Wish us luck!!!

We gave the retaining wall behind the pool

a bit of a face lift!

The cap blocks on top were old and crumbling away.

Well, we purchased some decorative pavers

that looked good with the wall and my sweet dad

chipped all the old off and added the pavers!

It's a simple change but sure makes a huge difference.

The photo below is before the pavers and before pressure washing the concrete!

You can barely see it but the wall was crumbling on top.

Here are the simple pavers. They were only 25 cents each!!!

You can see our teeny garden too.

Spring is all about beautiful, new plants!

I so hope you are enjoying your spring!

It will be scorching hot here in middle Georgia in just a few weeks

and I won't be able to tolerate it.

If you're looking for me,

I'll be indoors or in the pool!!!

Hugs and love always,

Dawn

I'm getting there!

 
Our den is slowly but surely coming along.
I envisioned in my mind how I wanted it to look
and I really think it's getting there!

If you are a minimalist, this look is NOT for you.

I love the collected look.

Shelves filled with sweet treasures to enjoy.

Not tucked away in a drawer or box.

I special ordered two shades for the huge French doors

that are in our den.

I wanted something natural looking so

I went with bamboo!

They arrived today and my dad got busy

installing them.

I'M IN LOVE!!!

They may seem dark but with this blistering,

middle Georgia heat, we needed them.

The look is exactly what I wanted!!!

For those who love bright and white,

this is the polar opposite.

This is not a sponsored post (I wish it was!)

but I found them on Blinds dot com and ordered

2 woven bamboo shades in Hatteras Cocoa.

No cords either! Just lift up or pull down.

It takes a few weeks as them make them to order

but they are certainly worth the wait!!

@blindsdotcom

Here are a few more photos of our small but cozy den.

I'm finally getting things up on the walls!

Yes, I still have more to hang but there's more

empty walls in the house thank goodness!

I'm thankful for the good days.

When my mind is distracted from grief.

I know my sweet mama

sees our improvements and is smiling!!

Thank you always for visiting me,

Hugs and love always,

Dawn

A new chapter for us!

 

We have finally moved into our new home!!

Yes, that was almost two months ago but at this age, I'm slow.

Moving is ROUGH STUFF!!!

It is one hour south of where we used to live but we all just LOVE IT!

I've been wanting to post but have gotten distracted.

There's been SO much to do.

With a bad back, legs and knees now I'm having to take my time.

It's okay though, it will all eventually get done!

I moved a few peony plants with us and one decided to bud out

while it was still in it's moving pot.

I salvaged one bloom...WOO HOO!

It was absolutely gorgeous and drying now.

I discovered this neat succulent on FB Marketplace!

It's call String of Pearls.

The seller sent me cuttings so I'm hoping they root!

My parents have a large living room on the front of the house

and our living space is a den on the back.

It features a fireplace and had a huge but ugly mirror over it.

Our son removed it and it was a piece of drywall that was stained.

Anyway, I had the idea to cut a piece of luan to cover the space.

I had saved a roll of wallpaper from Goodwill that looks like grasscloth

in a pretty shade of sage green.

I covered the wood and am SO please with how it turned out!

It's held up by three pieces of trim mold.

If I ever get crazy to change it, it will be super easy to wallpaper

over it again!!!

And here's the "after"!!!

I will dress the mantle soon and of course share with you!

Also, we added a precious member to our family this month!

A little female Chi-weenie named Mini!

She's only one year old and so very sweet.

If our dear Ellie had a baby sister

it would surely be Mini!

Our son Brent and his wife Emily came with the kids

a week or so ago and helped place furniture in my new studio!

I hope to start unpacking in the next week or so!!!

Of course I'll share photos too....

I hope all is good in your little corner of the world!!

Hugs and love,

Dawn

BIG Changes are going on around here!!!

 
My precious 80 year old parents who have lived in Hiawassee, Georgia
for years now have finally decided that it is time to move back down south
to be near our family.
SO....we've have been searching for the perfect home
that my husband and I can share with them!

Well, we finally found it!
It's an hour south of where all of our boys live but
with the market being so hot and active
we had to look a little further out into the country.
The house is a rambling brick ranch waaaay down
in South Georgia!

BUT listen to this!
It has a living room for my parents and a den for us.
It has a large Master Bedroom and bath for my parents.
It has a large bedroom for us.
AND a guest room too!!!
The icing on the cake?
It has an in ground pool!!!
AND a pool house that will be my studio!

Yes, we need to make a few alterations and updates
but it will be just fine.
I'll share just a few photos but please stay tuned!!!
I'm so excited!
It needs a lot of love but we are all ready to give it!

My new studio!!! My dad is repairing a few pickets on the railing.

I promise to share more soon!
I'm finishing up packing for the next few days
and we will be moving in this coming weekend!

Thank you always for checking in on me here,
Hugs and love, Dawn

Spring is here in Georgia and I love it!!!!

Isn't it so wonderful how the spring of the year feels like a beautiful renewal???

We moved to our new home in the fall and

as it was pretty with all of the fall colors but

things changed fast with all the leaves falling

and the cold weather approaching.

I haven't shared this before but we have moved in with 40 year old friends and

are now sharing their home and ALL of the expenses!!!

They too are empty nesters and invited us to share their home with them.

They lost their youngest son (one year older than our Noah) in a tragic car accident

four years ago and the older daughters have moved away.

They have a huge home with an in-law suite that they occupy and offered

us the rest of the house as our own.

I met these precious souls, James and Tammy at my first day at art college.

Long story short, they fell in love...

Dennis and I fell in love and married a year before they married and

I was pregnant with our first son Brent at their wedding!

Dennis and I were the best man and matron of honor at their wedding.

And we've been friends for soooo many years now!

Dennis and James went to school together and were even co-workers too.

Oh, and they are both true artists!!!
And now, in our new home we have a gorgeous studio!!!!

Perfect for all creatives and of course I brought all of my supplies!!!

Anyway that is the backstory.

It has been a beautiful thing for us.

We have dinners together, laugh and reminisce then we all

retire to our separate living spaces to watch a little TV before bed.

So now to making things beautiful!!!!!

Our sweet deck is in dire need of new floor boards

so understand they'll be replaced soon.

But I couldn't help but do some spring planting today!

Mint!

Basil!

Just a random found nest that I placed a river rock inside...that kind of looks like an egg!

And one more ~

A few asparagus ferns with sedum in between!

A little rosemary ~

And chives!

The ferns have been planted and are ready for the front porch too ~

Different varieties of sedum have been planted in the old birdbath too!

Yes, it's rachet, and has been broken but glued back together.

I think that's why we love it so much!

Happy Spring precious friends!!!

Thank you always for following me and my journey through life.

Hugs and love,

Dawn