Creative Dawn

I try to do my share and not use too many plastic bags from stores and use reusable totes when possible.  Most of the bags are a larger size and are very handy but at times it is necessary to have a smaller bag.  I couldn't really find any so of course had to make one!  The fabric is from Hancock and was from the marked down area to save a few pennies.  The handle and trim are just ribbon that was on hand already.  The little bag is about 10 x 12 and a perfect tiny tote. The fabric has a Snoopy print, a favorite of mine!  My first ever art contest was a picture of Charlie Brown that I sketched so there is a special place in my heart for Peanuts in general.  The size of the bag is also perfect for a lunch bag so that you don't have to use a paper sack.  

Another discovery with the blog, I really enjoy making things with an owl theme.  Today, the owl is painted on a cutting board.  This is from my favorite thrift store and was 1.91.  The simple shape and the big eyes are just so fun!  This owl is painted in a muted citrus palette and is a great addition to my kitchen decor.  So far there are pigs, owls and coffee cups adorning the walls of the kitchen what an interesting mix.  All of these items do look good together if you can believe it.  I'll post pictures of my walls after the 365 days are over so that you can see how it all works together. Have a great day!  The sun is shining and the weather is perfect for a walk by the lake, until tomorrow!

Can you believe that over 300 posts have been made on Creative Dawn?  I just realized this today!  This has been a fun and challenging goal to complete and I have learned a lot about myself and found a few new creative outlets as well.  Today's post was kind of an accident.  This cute black top is a favorite of mine but the trim was always falling off.  The solution was to just remove them all and put them in my button/trim container.  After I snipped them all off I got the idea to add them to this green silk frame.  In the frame is a great picture of my Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day.  After the new trim was sewn to the frame it gave it a bit more personality.  The frame is a purchase from a few years ago, it was in a clearance bin.

Hello all!  Here is part two of my coaster post.  Makes you want to have a fruity umbrella drink doesn't it?  All that I really have to do is add a coat of sealant so that they don't get ruined.  I also couldn't decide whether or not to add the drink names on the coasters.  It is nice that they are simple but after looking at them, something is missing.  Suggestions are welcome!  Unless an idea strikes, they will remain as is.  

  What a beautiful day!  Read the Sunday paper, went for a walk, relaxed and painted.  I actually painted outside to fully take advantage of the weather.  Since tropical things are on my mind because of yesterday, the project for this post is featuring refreshing summer beverages.  This set of coasters is from a great thrift store and cost 1.91, what a bargain.  The original style is definitely from the seventies.  At first the plan was to make each coaster a different color, but that just didn't work.  A neutral color worked much better with the colorful cocktails.  With the distraction of the weather only three and the holder were finished today.  The others should be done for tomorrow. Hmm...why does a margarita sound good right now?

Today, Jimmy Buffett is performing at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin.  We usually go every year, but the funds were not available this time.  It is a bummer because in a few days my hubby will be 40 and it would have been a perfect way to celebrate but we made the best of it and had fun hanging out at home.  Yes, I am a dork, but at least I am fun and creative.  We dug out all of our Parrothead decor and put it up in the garage and on our vehicle.  Dinner was cheeseburgers on the grill in our own little paradise.  Of course the music was Buffett and we had a few Landshark beers.  Yes, the festivities of the concert would have been awesome, but it was still fun with just the two of us. The weather here is a bit unseasonably chilly so you have to think warm!  My artwork for the day is of the tropical nature and also great way to get into the spirit of the day. Fins up!  

So, I cannot find the original picture of this horse, but he was off white with little red flower decorations.  This wooden statue is about 14 inches tall.  At first, this horse was going to be black with bright colored accents but it just wasn't working so I set it aside waiting for a creativity to strike.  He has been sitting in my to do pile for a few months.  Then a few days ago this idea came to mind.  I really love this style inspired by Van Gogh, it is fun to do and the results are always interesting.  The tail on the horse didn't work with my painting style so, I cut it off used a piece of artificial wreath instead.  How's that for creativity?! I think that carousel horses are beautiful and each one has it's own personality.  There is a wonderful carousel near my home.  I had the opportunity at one time to see some of the horses as they were restored.  If you ever have the chance to really look at these works of art, I highly recommend it.  Check out this w

I didn't originally buy this wall hanging for two posts, but that is what happened.  I used the small wooden heart from this Goodwill find to make a fun necklace on 6/14/11.  Today, I painted the other part in black and cream design. Sometimes after things are painted or drawn, I wonder how the design would look as fabric or wallpaper patterns.  It would be interesting to be able to see them in that way.  Remember the post about dream jobs?  That was a listed idea and it is still something I think about.  What if? It's good to have dreams and ambitions no matter what.  To quote John Lennon, "You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one"...    

Black and white is a favorite combination of mine.  This is a great fabric that I found a while ago at Hancock Fabrics.  It has a girl power decade motif from the 50's to the 2000's.  From the moment I saw it, it was meant to be!  For a few months now, it has resided in my fabric bin until today when this idea came to mind.  The smaller of the two had almonds in it originally and the taller was just an empty canister bought at the Goodwill.  For the smaller one, I covered it in a circle design fabric and then added the decade black and white motif as a pincushion topper.  The tall canister was first covered in a black and white polka dot print and then I cut out the decade motifs and adhered them to that fabric.  At this point in time the taller canister has no specific purpose other than general storage but the smaller one is my new safety pin holder.  I did add a fun black and yellow taste to the one canister for a bit of interest. 

  Another frame!  This one I didn't change because it was cool to begin with.  The person who originally had this added cabinet handles to the sides to make a nifty little serving tray.  What a great idea, why didn't I think of that?  Since the frame was ready to go, I just removed the picture and replaced it with my own.  This drawing came together quickly, the hardest part was deciding which words to use.   They are hope, imagine, create, dream and give.   It would be great as a tray but it also works as a wall hanging or I could just hang it on the wall until it was needed for serving.  Oh, by the way this is another Goodwill find, this was 1.99 and it is an 8 X 10 frame. 

I love coffee, any style, any flavor and the smell, it doesn't get any better than that.  Most of the time we just brew it at home, it is more economical but occasionally I treat myself to some Caribou.  YUM!  When you get coffee at a shop they give you the little cardboard sleeve to keep your hands from getting too hot.  This is my homemade version out of felt.  It is not an original idea, but this is my take on it.  Actually these are going to be Christmas gifts for my family and friends.  They are quick, easy and cheap to make and you can personalize them.  I know, Christmas already, but when you make a lot of gifts, you need to start early.  My list is already started in preparation for the hand made items.  It sounds crazy to some people, but this is something I do every year in June or July.  Yes, there will be Christmas in July posts for everyone to look forward to.  If you can believe it, my Halloween costume is already planned for this year!  When the holidays roll aroun

Today's post is funny. :)  My grandmother created this many years ago for a wedding shower gift.  It is OK to laugh because it is really silly and fun.  This is the Carol Burnett Doll.  For those of you who watched that show you will remember the cleaning lady character that she played that is the basis for this.  I loved this show soooo much!  My Halloween costume a few years ago was inspired by her Scarlet O'Hara outfit. My grandma decided to make a fun gift using various cleaning and home products for the new bride.  This 'doll' is made of a laundry basket, dust mop, broom, pillow, apron, fly swatter, toilet brush, paper towels, toilet paper, mop bucket and few dish towels.  The face is a paper/foam plate with a face drawn in marker.  To assemble it, a few safety pins and packing tape were used.  From the bottom up is the best way to assemble her.  Using a four pack of toilet paper is best, cut it in half lengthwise and place in the basket.  Put two rolls of pape

Yesterday I posted the larger of the two wooden plates painted in a stained glass style.  This is the smaller of the two.  The same technique was used but the design is different and so is the color scheme.  When painting these I used three different main colors and then added white to get the lighter shades of each of them.  This has inspired a few more ideas for future projects.  It would be fun to paint a window sized piece in this fashion.  It would probably take at least a week to do something like that, but the results would be awesome!

I bought two wooden plates at the Goodwill recently.  This is the larger of the set, tomorrow the other one will be posted.  Sometimes when I get an idea it gets stuck in my head I feel the need to create a few items in that style or design.  That is probably true with most artists and creative people.  Picasso had his blue period and if you look at a lot of artists they do seem to have times when certain styles or themes dominate their work.  So, both plates are painted in a stained glass style and both are flowers.  I remember mentioning way back when this blog was started that flowery designs were not a preference of mine and now there are many posts with flowers.  Maybe I should clarify, the girly pastels and foo foo floral do not appeal to me.  The ones in this blog are more stylized. It's a rambling kind of day, sorry!  Hope you like the post for today.  Have a great Friday!

Recently, my niece was at my house with a friend to paint.  I got lots of fun kid stuff at Michael's including this elephant.  Well, I liked it and decided to paint/decorate it myself.  Yesterday, it was bright pink with black designs on it.  Today after looking at it, I changed my mind because for some reason I was dreaming of buttons last night.  It could have to do with the fact that my current job is in a fabric store, hmm... This little guy is paper mache and only a few inches tall.  After gluing on all of the buttons my new friend is definitely heavier and may work as a paper weight.  My other option would be to give him to my aunt, she loves elephants.  The pictures unfortunately didn't turn out as well as I would have liked, but you get the idea. 

These two were too cute to pass up at the Goodwill and only .49 each.  What a bargain!  The teapot is about two inches tall and the coffee is about four.  The original design was a decal of a poinsettia so it must have been a Christmas decoration.  The idea for the design was just random.  The green was the first color and I was going to do red or orange as the second color but ended up with the turquoise instead.  I am really not sure if they were intended only for decoration or some other use.  The lids are removable on both and have tiny wooden dowels to keep them in place.  The sure are adorable and should go nicely with the other coffee inspired art that is in my kitchen.

It has been a while for a jewelry post and this one wasn't really planned.  I decided to stop at the Goodwill and see  what they had, it is 1.49 Tuesday!  I got a few things to paint, one of them being a long wooden plaque with a heart at the top.  As with most things like this I took it apart and started painting.  My original plan was to do the plaque and set aside the heart but soon an idea came to me.  Digging through my miscellaneous box I came across this empty cord and decided to make the heart into a necklace.  After coating it in black the designs were added in gold and cream.  Both sides are painted with different designs so it is reversible, two necklaces in one!  The heart is really thick so it makes a fun chunky necklace.