Creative Dawn

Owls are everywhere.  There is a resurgence in this popular Seventies design.  At work there are quite a few fabrics and kits with an owl theme.  I have to admit that even though trendiness is not my thing, the owls are a favorite of mine so here is a uniquely painted owl.  This small wooden plaque was a bargain find at the Goodwill and until it was painted in a harvest gold shade the design wasn't in my head.  After painting it the first thing that came to mind was this little guy.  The pattern also wasn't planned.  The paper that was used for the stencil had a pencil sketch of something that I posted a few days ago, the circle design.  When outlining the owl, I pressed down to be sure the paper didn't move and transferred a bit of the pattern.  The way that the circles ended up was perfect for the eye and it was visually interesting with the asymmetry. 

I have a quick small project right now because I am also working on two larger designs.  The frame used for this was only a few dollars from a thrift store.  It had a tulip pattern that I didn't really like, so with a bit of paint I was able to cover it up.  I cannot find the original picture for the frame, but it had tulips carved into it and was green.  If you look close you can see bits of the tulips that are now somewhat covered up.  For the picture I just drew a cute little owl.  This is going along with my recent interest in 70's design.  Owls were a huge influence in everything from jewelry to fabric to pottery back then.  This design could transfer easily into other things.  Possibly some kind of felt project or even a cute set of note cards.  Time will tell, you never know how inspiration will hit you.

I took all of the pieces from yesterday and debated whether or not to make them into a wall hanging, but finally decided on a pillow.  The colors and pattern really remind me of something from the 70's.  As a creative person, sometimes you get a streak of inspiration from different things.  I have the 1970's in my brain right now and have been looking on the Internet for inspiration from that era.  Keep reading and you will see my retro designs soon.  Actually, while trying to find the Seventies decor and patterns, it made me realize that some of my style of drawing is definitely influenced by this decade and also by the late Sixties.  I won't be using any avocado green or harvest gold, the brighter colors are more of my preference and of course black and white.  Keep on truckin'

Every now and then I get the urge to make things with felt.  It is easy to use, economical, and versatile.  I went to Hancock Fabrics the other day and spent five dollars on felt in various colors.  I have a lot of ideas in my head for felt right now, so you will be seeing quite a few in the coming weeks.  Today, I cut out different colored circles using quarters and half dollars as guides and made twelve flower patches.  This is step one and took a lot of time.  For tomorrow, the finished project will be posted.  I just used a blanket stitch to sew the flowers.  Contrasting colors was the key to making this more fun.  I think it kind of has a 70's feel to it.