A fairy portrait.....

I started sketching after wanting to attend Suzi Blu's online school. So I've been practicing and am getting better ... I think anyways :) The first image is how the painting looks head on but when you tilt it or look at it from the left or right it looks almost ethereal. She glows!!! Hopefully I will be able to attend Suzi's school in the future and learn some new things :)

Bird's of a Feather.......

To me there is nothing better then good Friends and Family to make me happy. On my birthday last month my Dear Friend Dawn Gold sent me something for my Birthday much to my surprise, as an adult I don't expect gifts. I wanted to buy something that would be a token of our friendship and to remind me how lucky I am! I found this ring, its sterling silver with 2 birds on it and with an Australian Crystal in the center. I was elated as it spoke to me, Bird's of a Feather Flock Together and that is exactly how i felt when I spotted this. We are both Artists and enjoy the same things and although a world apart are close at heart. My Friends mean alot to me, just as much as my family does and for them I am forever Greatful!

Shhhh Sleeping baby dragon......

I created this by hand out of light polymer clay. This is only the second one i've done and I like the light clay better for jewelry.
His little face is so cute ! He's adorned with crystals. I used semi-precious stones on the chain and the metals are all sterling silver.

A Buck In the Basement!!

This is my hubby's and his name is Edward, not my hubby the deer! Oh my vintage birdcage is over there to! I am in the process of making this guy some kind of hat. I was told NO bonnets, NO Jewelry but perhaps I could give him a nice vintage looking hat?? I'm welcome to ideas.......

Amazing Grace how Sweet.......

This is another old into new jewelry art piece. The vintage crystal is not yellow but clear. I LOVE the way it hangs on your neck!!
xoxo Dawn Marie

Sometimes Less is More....

Some thing old, something new

For a Friend

This is my Panic Fairy, I drew her while trying to ward off a panic attack and it worked!!!
So..... She is the Fairy of Bliss!!
I wish the twinkling and sparkle showed up in the scan as I used the twinkling water colors and when you turn the picture she glows!
Her eyes look magical! I will be making prints to offer ! If your interested please email me :) The original is 5"x5". I can have them made larger or the same size as the original. I am so proud of myself and have been trying to make some kind of art each day :) It is really therapeutic to create something even small every day! I am really tempted to open a shop on Etsy!
My recipe for warding off panic or anxiety is to light some sage with lavender in it,fan it around the room. Light a candle that is relaxing like Lavender, put in a cd that is for relaxation, get into some small project that makes you happy. If you feel more stressed then perhaps a nap would do. Creating some kind of art keeps your mind off of everything except the joy of creating. I hope you find some way of finding your bliss!
xoxo Dawn Marie

Dixie Mae In Living Color!!!

A wee Birdie I spotted on the day I went to work with DH.
Road-Trip!

Time flew , where was I you wonder??

My dear Hubby found this web sight while trying to find something to make me smile! Smile I did and jumped up and down!!! The web sight by Gail Wilson . She creates reproduction dolls and is a professional doll maker! DH ordered the whole kit for me which included already molded parts to start while your waiting for your own poured parts to dry. I have the molds for the basic head, bust arms and legs. It comes with the liquid paper mache and paper clay to make your own hair, patterns for clothing and the body and all instructions to start your own doll making experience. I was quiet excited to get started and this is the head with the hair I formed for her. It is all basic parts and you have to use your imagination or look at photos of old dolls for inspiration. I will be purchasing the lisence to sell the dolls I make as required. It was so much fun, I had been collecting antique and vintage fabric and trims and what fun to finally put them to use! I used one stpe crackle to get crazing just like a very old doll would have. The directions are complete and you should have some experiance in sewing or using patterns as you cut the patterns out and there are no step by step directions. I stuffed her with real cotton stuffing or you could use wool roving, but I wanted her to be as exact as I could be on reproducing a Izannah Walker doll. I am happy with the results and hope you like her to:) Nothing is glued it is all sewn!




all of her clothing is hand sewed and she is hand painted and her hair is hand molded .


all of the clothing materials is from the 1800's I have been collecting at yard sales and antique stores in the past. her shoes are hand made using wool felt, I want to make her a whole wardrobe and leather shoes but was excited to just finish her underclothes and some soft shoes for roaming the garden.


This is my very favorite tea cup given to me by Catherine Moore of Character Constructions. It came with tea flowers and was such a delight to watch the flowers open in the hot water and Oh so good it was , a bit of heaven! Thanks Catherine, I cherish my gifts!!!


Some days I like to just sit in the recliner and have my paints near me and just create some art, this is the result of such a time!

I created this necklace using sterling silver wire and made a nest with fresh water pearls as eggs and attached it so that the nest sits like it would naturally, then added a photo of a little girl whom I thought perhaps was curious of what wwas in the nest and named it "her nest" it is now in a private collection

I created this using bits of vintage jewelry that i disassembled and using new old stock added this art piece was born! I loved it so much and didn't want to let go of it but the day after I brought it to the gallery it sold!!! I hope whoever owns it now loves it as much as I did!
I have been a bad blogger! I get to involved with life's problems that I dont take the time I should for myself.

What's New...

I have been trying to use some of the "panick energy" to good use and what came of it on a particularly rough day was this water color and charcoal painting. I was so moved by what I had done that I wanted to share it with you! I have little time to create art now a-days and decided to create a healing journal out of my original art painting! I now use my new journal for when I am trying to get rid of anger,sadness etc when I dont feel I want to ruin my usual journals by writing some of my more personal feelings that some may veiw as very sad or moody or just not understand why I would write about "stuff like that". So here it is in all its glory, The naked truth to my feelings which are raw and un-edited, quickly written down so to get rid of the feelings I dont like to have. I then will doodle or create art on the page and if I am affraid of someone seeing what I have written for fear it might be taken wrong, I do art over the writting. This is a place for me to get it all down and get rid of it and not let it eat me up and it works for me and hopefully it will work for you! If you are NOT in the USA, Please email me and I will do my best to get one shipped to you at a reasonable cost. Life is a journey and for me its been full of ups and downs and in's and outs and somehow I seem to plow right through it and come out on top! Tomarrow is another day ,I say and for me it helps to look forward to the bad day ending and a new good day to start in the morning and it usually happens. You are responsible for your own day and how you choose to live it. It can be either "good morning God!" or "Good God, morning!" both happen to me and I try rerally hard to change it around when its not lookin so great :) Remember I am always here to lend an ear and I choose to live to help others and in that I help myself by feeling good about doing so! I have some really awesome flowers in the garden and will post some photos of them in the following days,weeks, month :) Always remember I will come back and I'm not gone for long.
Lots of Love and Hugs,
Dawn Marie
xoxoxo

Long Time........

This is one of the "recycled material" charms I made for a swap I am in. I used a paint chip for the tag to attach the charm to. The charm is made using silver wire that was crinkled and was perfect for the nest and the eggs inside are wood vintage beads from a necklace i got from a garage sale a couple years ago. I keep telling my mom that there IS a reason to keep gathering "stuff" as I recycle it! She is excited when she gets to have one of the creations to :) I must say that my mom is my biggest fan and biggest collector of my art :) that pleases me just fine to! She was the one who kept encouraging me to pursue art even though I was a single mom and working a full time job. To have some fun and do what I like to do most! So most of all I thank my dear mother for making me push to make my dreams a reality!

Here is the front of my journal I made from scratch for the "promt a day" workshop by Kelly Kilmer. It is MOST fun and it is so healing to just write freely! we are given a journaling promt, a collage promt and a paint/color promt each day. The whole experiance is quite rewarding! you should sign up for a month and try it!! It is only a mere $25.00 a month and you dont have to continue after the month if you dont want to. The pages below are just a couple from my journal and when I get more time I will post more!!

Hugs xoxox,
Dawn Marie

Oh Me Oh My!!

This is a sketch I drew and colored in with colored pencils, I Love to doodle and have been creating art all day!

I am shocked at myself! I have made it here with something to post 3 days in a row now!!! I do feel guilty though as my mom is back in the hospital and cannot walk, she hurt her hip in a fall. So it's back to the nursing home for her for therapy to walk again.

A little angel on a 3x3 canvas. I was experimenting with crackle gel........

I have to say I am proud of this canvas! I Love how it turned out. I was playing and had no real idea in mind except I altered the image in photoshop ( the little i know about it) and tore out a book page and went to town, again doodling with the flowers, I painted her head to be a flower fairy. I added a poem around the sides of the canvas: "Pretty little flower fairy come out to play, Watch for them in your garden on a sunny day!"

here is a close up of the scarf from the previous post of my head. (below)

the scarf goes around my head twice and I tie it to the side on top, It's pretty long. FUN to make!!

Me in all my glory!

OMGosh I am here 2 days in a row!! This is a self pic as I was standing in front of the mirror so I could see to shoot! Funny hair you say?? My hubby agrees! I always get hot with hair on my neck so I grab something to keep it off my neck and face. I started to make the scarves that is on my head with my sewing machine and odd strands of yarn and that wash-out stabilizer. It was really fun and I went out and got a whole bunch of yarns and ribbons to make more. I looked in the clearance section of the stores. You don't need pricey yarns or ribbons to make one, just use what yu can find and anything goes! First i cut a piece of the stabilizer and laid it on the table, then I started to pick out yarns and ribbons to lay on it as wide as I wanted. I layed them to one side of the sheet so I could fold over the other side and sew like a mad woman!! I used that crazy thread that has differant colors on one spool but anything will do. You have to really sew up and down and all over to make sure that when you wash out the stabilizer the yarns/rtibbons stay together. Then you wash the stabilizer out and let the scarf dry on a towel. You can make them as long or short as you want. use them for wall hangings, headbands, decorative scarfs for around your neck etc. I used thick yarn and fun fur yarn anything that was on clearance. You can make them to match outfits or monochromatic or rainbow or anyways you want. The most important thing is to have fun!!! You really don't need sewing skills to make these . Now GO to your studio and create ART!!!

I received some "frozen Charlottes" and wanted to show then off! I do prefer the ones from Germany and believe the ones with moving arms are from Germany and maybe aren't "frozen" as they have moving arms.... You tell me :)................................

A Favor Please :)

Well see I am so inspired now I am back again twice in one night!!! I am here this time for a request I'd like to ask you.... I have posted a photo of my dear Black Lab, Dixie Mae on Martha Stewarts web site for her pet contest for spring :) would you Please go check her out and rate or comment on her photo ? Go look at all the pretty pets dressed up for Spring!!! Or you could add your pet's photo!! It's fun!! This is the photo I submitted :) Thanks !!! Hugs to all!!!
xoxo,
Dawn
I've made it easy and just click on the link below and Look for Dixie Mae! Thank you !

Dixie Mae on Martha!

Oh How Time Flies!!

Here is the pendant part of the necklace below made entirely from steel wire and old book pages!

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post! Taking care of my mom takes allot of my time and I don't like to leave her sit alone while I sit on the computer. She is doing allot better since her surgery on Dec 10Th! She washed a bit of dishes the other day and her energy is increasing! We can already see a difference as she is not so out of breath just from taking a shower or walking down the hall. Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers they helped allot!

I hand made the chain using vintage glass beads from an old necklace that was falling apart. This is really comfortable to wear and lite weight and rests nicely around the collar! It was much fun to make!! I've gotten alot of compliments on it so far while wearing it out!


Here it is!! The charm bracelet I created from the Charms I received from the swap I was in at Hannah Grey. I LOVE all the charms and was so excited to put them on a bracelet to wear for all to see!!!

I am in another charm swap for another group and the swap theme is "Green" as in recycling, re purposed etc. So I found some paint chip sample cards I got while trying to decide which color to paint my studio (which isn't done yet,but I think I've decided on celery green) Then I had some wire I had gotten all kinked up , but I saved it "just in case" so this was perfect to make the bird nest charms out of. The wire is sterling silver and the small blue washed out wood beads are vintage from a garage sale last year,the leaves are from an old flower brooch that was a mess so I used the leaves and the sheet music is also from a garage sale. It was loads of fun to create these and I hope who-ever receives them likes them :)

I will be posting more photos as I got a new digital camera from my hubby :) and am learning to use it( just when i got used to the old one ) I am going to get differant lenses for it like my other one so I can do more photography this summer. I took a class while in grade school and in High school for photography and LOVED it, so I want to do more as the snow melts and the spring flowers come. I should hopefully have more time to post as my hubby went back to school for graphic design and he now has his own laptop which frees mine up :) I am so proud of him for going back to school!!! Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog!
Hugs,
Dawn Marie