The Artists Muse...

Ok so i have some time right now as everyone is sleeping!! I got a book from amazon and this is what transpired from one of the techniques in it! I used acrylic watercolors and a coffee filter,a scrap of lace and some drops of the pearl alcohol inks. This was fun to do and I love the colors and the way they blend together and make differant colors. The book I used for technique is called The Artists Muse. It comes with cards that you can pick if your stuck for ideas or if you want to try something new.There are 3 sets of cards that come with the book and its got lots of eye candy and good info! I love amazon for books and most the time I buy used and in new or great condition and they come to me brand new in gift giving condition and for alot less then the price on the book! I am trying to learn my way around Photo Shop CS and I've gotten several books to learn from and all come with disks so that you learn by doing not only by reading. I'm very hands on, I learn more by doing or trying. Thanks for stopping by :) come again soon....

Where did the time go???

I guess time has slipped by on me again! I'm so greatful this is a choice to blog and not a requirement with deadlines!! I read from cover to cover the Artful Blogger by somerset and I'm so inspired!!! WOW what a bunch of creative people! I'm not surprised, I'm impressed!!! I've wanted to start a blog link spot on my blog,so if you'd like to leave me a comment and your blog link,I will add it to a list and add as I'm able! I've got some new art to post,just need to find time. Tomarrows lookin good so far , But we all know how that can change in a second. I've stopped smoking and I hope that by blogging more it will help over come the tad bit of cravings I have only when I think about it. The Dr. prescribed both DH and I some meds to aid in the fight of addiction, so far so good!! I hate smoking and it's only become a nasty habbit and one I'm so happy to drop! I don't smoke while I do Art for 2 reasons, 1. I dont want my work to reak of smoke and 2. it's my healthy time, as I do art most the time as therapy for the soul. Thus drinking lots of water and not smoking and eating good food while i am in my Art mode kinda forces me to be healthier! So thats my goal and i'm stickin to it!! I've browsed so many awesome blogs, I stated to book mark and the list got so long I had to stop adding or DH wouldnt be able to find his own bookmarks. So I'd really like to add your blog links,as with alot of bloggers and artists I find i jump from one blog to the next just by links! How awesome it that??
have a Great day, come back soon as I will be adding new Art soon!

Whimsy and fact

It's been awhile since my last entry Due to my own illness I will be in and out as I am able. Dean and I celebrated our B-days on the 29th, He took me to dinner at our fav Mex. place. It felt good to get out and let the cool Fall air blow on me! I will update the facts as they come and try to keep up. I thought I was having Hot Flashes and then we thought meds, tomarrow I go to see about my heart, I'm really scared as I was adopted and don't know if heart disease runs in my Bio. I've been praying really hard for everyone and myself to. I hate being sick and when I do get sick I really get sick! I can't be up and running around like I had been and don't fret I'm only up at this hour because i've been in bed most the day and sleeping. I guess my trying to do it all and not in moderation is having it's toll on me. Ok so now on to the fun stuff!!!
LOOK at Baby Rudy!!! I created him while watching tv laying on the couch (coz DH wont let me run around ). He's made out of paper clay and wire! he was so much fun to create and I could see him come to life as soon as I molded his lil face in my hands! He is not a big guy, he's small. Its gona be his first Halloween and he's excited, he grabbed a lil bag he found on my tray and is ready to go!!! He stands watch over me on the night stand and my mom wants me to make him a sibling for her to have so i will have to see what i can come up with! I also created a little round paper mache box (why do they call round containers with lids box's?) and he has a paper clay head and a fluffy white polka doted collar and a spiffy party hat. His name is Charlie in the box, but I havn't taken his picture yet, but hope to tomarrow . Dean took a picture of me during our dinner date and I've lost more weight but i don't think i aged any LOL. and i set the camera up on the booth behind dean and had him come sit with me and turned the timer on and I love this pic of US!!! This was a monumental picture and time for me as I've NEVER been away from my son to eat diner alone with DH. I always worried he'd get upset or be lonly or feel bad, but he told me he would watch grama for me and I was so thankful. He's such a good guy, I love him dearly!! Hope you enjoy the pics. Hugs to you all!!
Dawn and baby Rudy :) ( I'm so attached to him already!)

Magical Fairy Orb

Here is the fairy orb I created. The directions for this are in a couple posts below. This is a close up of the FO and the post under this one is the way it looks hanging,But wait theres more.....:) when i hung the orb by a window and the view came thru the orb, I was to say the least very excited!!! The trick is to not put to much ink on the glass and to dab it not smoosh it around , unless oyu want to of course:) Go for it....enjoy
Fae Hugs,
Dawn

The Sun was upon us!!

today was a much better day :) Thanks for the well wishes and prayers they all helped more then you know! Mom was put thru some therapy today to get her on her feet. she can walk with the aid of a walker. She can talk and she doesn't remeber much of last night and swears half of it never happened! Thank goodness DH was with so I know i'm not crazy!! they are keeping her in the hospital for observation and untill they get her blood to thin. They believe that her stroke was due to her thicker blood which her ins # was way down 1.9 and its sposed to be 2.5-3.5 so she's got to relax as it is hard for her sweet heart to pump thick blood ! She misses the dog's:) imagine that lol. I called her this morning and she was going to be having more tests done and therapy and then shower/bath and then lunch and nap WOW i'm not sure i'd be up for all that!!! poor mom. anyhoo she told us to go to the fall festival in our town and then have dinner and call her, as she would not be in her room most the day and then she'd be resting. SO hard as it was not to rush there anyways i listened(oooo thats new for me LOL) we went to the fall fest. It was not as much fun without my mom but she wanted us to be there and have fun and if we cud sneak her some ribs, well NO ribs for momma sorry ma. I got a hand knit bolivian wool sweater from DH and DS for my B-day early :) oh and with losing so much sleep i'm a bit chilled now, so it felt good to wear even tho it was a BEAUTIFUL day today! I went to bed with a positive thoughts and woke up to sunshine and warmer weather which was well received! I at first i wished i had put a tent booth up, but now with mom not well i would have lost my money on the booth so there is a reason for everything. I am going to add some pics to my flikr and maybe i will post a teaser here :) my latest work. hope you enjoy!! And many blessings and good vibes are being sent to you all right now!
lov n hugs,
Dawn

Tonight my life changed...

Tonight was not as much fun as i had planned. My mom had been acting kind of strange today and having a hard time walking and staying awake. I kept checking on her all day and she seemed to get worse with time. My Hubby came home and i asked him to come with me pls to "interview" mom as at times i feel as though i am crazy, coz mom will act out of sorts and when i tell Dh about it she denys it, thus making me feel as tho i was overreacting.
God has plans for us and I'm so very sure of this now... We managed to get mom in the car after being threatened that 911 would be called if she did not come on her own. By this time she could hardly walk. I had to practically carry her to the car, DH drove as i was turned around in the seat watching over my mom, well she had a stroke in the back seat while i was watching and it's the worst thing i've ever witnessed ! Worse then that, there was NOTHING i could do as we were half way to the hospital ER. I have no idea how i got to the hospital without totally flipping out. I guess survival instincts kick in and you concentrate on helping and getting the job done untill its safe to break down. By the time we got to the hospital, she could not talk other then babble some senceless words and she just kinda slumped over in the seat and she looked as though she was looking thru me. I prayed so hard that God please keep her safe and to please let me have more time with her. I've lost my dad and she is the only parent i have left and she's a young 79 most the time. Well the thought entered my mind "what if".... what if she was paralized and couldn't function, what if she was in pain and couldn't tell us.,alot of what if's went thru my mind that were not so pretty nor would i wish to live like that in any of those "what if "cases... so I asked God to please do what is best for her and please dont let her live in pain and please make the best decision for her, and if it was her time I wouldnt be selfish. Sure i got kinda angry, hurt, all kinds of emotions started flowing while we waited for the ER DR to assess her. Now anyone who knows me knows how attached to my mom i am, we've been living with and caring for her for 5 years now and we were close before and now she's like half the time my mom and half time my second child. I was so scared of what the Dr would tell us when we could go in the room. So finally they opened the door, i was crying and so panicked and scared. The dr told us she had a stroke and when they were hooking her up to all the monitors, DR. asked if she had a recusatation wishes and she said " yes, do it".. OMG i'm still crying!! this is so hard but if i dont write it out i can't get past it. I truely believe that by letting God make the decision and my not being selfish gave us more time together. I hope she lives a long long time, but if its going to be in agony , then i dont wish her to live that way. I have no clue what tomarrow holds but i am going to wake up positive ! Tonight i think i learned that life is so very short and it is so worth living and living to the fullest! Tonight has changed my life in big ways and in positive ways. would i want to go thru that again ? I'd rather not. But i am so thankful for my family and friends. You all make life worth living and I know when it's time you will be here for me to cry on your cyber shoulder and help me through it. Mom needs prayers, good vibes whatever you believe in thats positive and good energy. Thanks for reading this far, knowing your a true friend is a blessing.
lots of hugs and love to you all,
Dawn xo

Where to begin?........

I have learned so much in the past couple days and i will pass it on to you ......Grab a pen and paper and if you get a grand idea while your writing by all means write it down!!!
I've created some pretty cool things last night. One being a teeny tiny faerie in a teeny bottle! she's about an inch tall! I had to make her living environment with a tweezers! I will be adding pics in a bit to show you! The faerie is 3D she has a front and a back and her wings stick out of her back! she's adorable.... Her name you ask? I have to think about that and in time she will let me know the name she wishes to be called!
I then created a faerie Orb... my safe place when i get scared is in a lavender bubble kinda irridecent with pinks, blues .... imagine....... So my magic mind went to work and i gathered my materials i would need ..
a glass ball ornament
some alcohol inks
glue (my fav is crafters pick The ultimate) and super glue
fishing line
scotch tape
some fun fur fibers to add to the top
printed images of a fairy or yu could put wings on one of your favorite people, just make sure they will fit in the ball with room above and under the fairy .
some book pages (i used photo copied vintage book pages copied on cardstock)
A seed bead or other small holed bead to use as the stopper when tieing the fishing line off.

First i took the image of the fairy and glued her to the wrong side of the book print. I cut her out and laid her aside.
next i inked the ball, with the exception of the front which i left an oval blank spot and go lite on the ink for a dreamy effect.
I then set the glass ball on a cup to dry while i took and added some glitter on the fairys wings and where you think you'd like it. let dry or MAKE it dry by using a heat gun from a distance you dont want to burn the glitter or the paper! Sometimes i turn my oven on low and let things dry in there for a few minutes.
After your glitter is dry take the fairy and cut some fishing line so that it will go far beyond the ball when she's put in the ball, thus making room for error:)
attch the fishing line to the center of the fairy's BACK and i poked a hole thru the center of the metal cap for the glass ball so she wud hang in the middle!
Ok now is the time your gona ruff up the fairy a bit, but no worries she will recover if your not to ruff! BE CAREFUL NOT TO BREAK THE GLASS! DO NOT SQUEEZE OR FORCE, THE BALL WILL BREAK!
ok now that we have that settled :) carefully bend the wings to the back of the fairy and kind of roll her towards the back to get her in the hole at the top of the ball.
Next string the fish line thru the center hole you poked
and take a teeny piece of tape and after you decide how far down or up you want her to hang , tape the line at the hole and put the seed bead on. Tie the line so your going thru the bead and making it part of the knot, once you knot it several times put a tad of super glue if oyu have it so that it wont slide.
once your happy with the placement, making sure she is facing out where you left the blank spot on the ball for her to look out,carefull life the metal cap and stick the ultimate glue around the top of the glass opening so that it will seal when its dry. Don't worry there are air holes in the cap for her to breath. I'm a member of PETA! and also PETFairys!!!!
fond some vintage ribbon or take some brown ink and kind of lightly make it look old and string that thru the loop to hang.
Then you can use fun fur or some fancy edging around the top under the bottom of the cap for the ball to hang. you can add any fun things you'd like and there ya go! Don't forget to hang her where you will see her and talk to them often, they get lonly!
i will post pics in a bit, need to see if they are charged!
Ok another thing i learned today was to make your own alcohol inks.. using any fabric dye and rubbing alcohol! yep thats easy peezy! you should be able to find some small bottle for applying in and art store or where they sell fabric paint.
If you'd like to make some awesome transparent embossing powders mix a couple drops of alcohol ink in a small measuring cup for like medicine and the embossing powder and oyu will have rich colored transparent embossing powder. just mix untill the clumps are gone and your set!
ok i've given you some amo NOW GO MAKE ART!
FAE HUGS<
DAWN M