Creative Dawn

This is an extremely fast project.  I always have baskets around my home, they make it easy to transport things, are great for storage and are wonderful for gifts.  Throughout the year you can get baskets to suit your holiday needs.  Some have painted on designs and others are shaped for specific holidays but just because it has a theme does not mean that you can't use it year round.  This basket was part of a Christmas gift that I received and it is a great size.  It is actually the perfect size for dinner rolls for a large group.  I used it for Easter this weekend for that purpose.  This basket was very easily transformed into a general design.  The first step was to paint over the snowmen with a cream paint, two coats was perfect to cover them up.  Once it was dry I hot glued the ribbon around the top and there you have it.  You could even add a bit more interest by painting a small design on where you covered the original decoration...

Can you believe I got this Halloween decoration at a video store?  It was fifty cents!  The store was going out of business everything was for sale.  You never know what you will find at a sale like this.  It was kind of cute for Halloween, but it's even cuter now for spring.  It was not easy to rip off all of the leaves and raffia they were held on with some sore of super glue and because of this some bits were left behind.  For this reason I decide to add the flowers on top of the chick.  There was also left over glue on what was the front so I used the other side for my project.  It was simple to do, paint on eyes and a beak and flowers.  It took longer for the paint to dry than it did to put it all together.  It will hopefully help to inspire a feeling of spring since tonight we actually have snow predictions.  YUCK!  

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!  Ice and snow made for a great start today, but things got better.  I had some odd customers at work, but also some very nice and that is what made today good.  Any time that you can smile is good and I was able to do that quite often today.  On my recent trip to the thrift store I bought this wooden apple container.  It was too good to pass up and was only $2.80.  The before looks a bit rough because of the tape and chipped paint but it was quick and easy to remedy.  I painted the inside a pretty shade of green and then added a fun decorative design.  The outside was painted in red but I cannot take the credit for the pattern.  The flower and butterfly design was already there, I just accented it with the black paint.  The only thing left to do is to paint on a glossy finish.  This was a case of someones trash being turned into a cute treasure.  I don't know what to use it for yet bu...

I saw this project in a painting magazine quite a few years ago.  I really liked the idea of having chairs painted in all different styles.   So, I did it!  Here is my orange theme chair.  You can find old wooden dining chairs at most thrift stores for less than $5.00 each.  Garage sales are another option when the time of year permits or if you know friends that are moving, offer to take that extra "junk" out of their way.  Basically, I sanded the chair lightly and came up with my color/motif idea.  This one reminds me of the fall colors.  Be sure to put a finish on things like this.  Chairs get a lot of abuse, so the paint needs to be protected. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend of partying and trick or treating.  Here is my costume.   I am Frida Kahlo.  I am part of her painting the Two Fridas.  I don't think anyone else would have this idea.  It definitely goes along with the Halloween vibe with the bleeding arteries.  The total cost was 13.00 a great bargain!  The skirt was 4.99 at the Goodwill, I just added the red paint for a blood effect.  The top was actually sleeveless and I have it on backwards it cost 2.00.  The sleeves are some lacy curtain panels that I tacked on with a little extra lace at the top they were 1.99 each.  The collar is popped up and a lace trim was also sewn on there.  The heart is a textured felt with a plastic cording for the arteries the felt was 1.00 and the cording .99.  Draw on a uni brow with eyeliner and add some bronze for my face and then I braided my hair and bobby pinned it to the top of my head. Now, it's time to re...

                                                          I bought this for .89!  The legs were slightly wobbly, but all I had to do was tighten the screws.  It was marked at .99, but at the Goodwill, if you carry out your own furniture you get 10% off.  My inspiration was a mirror that I love and had painted years ago and also, the wall hanging tray from 9/29/2010.  The designs are different, but the blocked motif is the same.  I really like the idea of several designs in various colors in one project.  The options are limitless!  My table now resides in the entry way of my home welcoming everyone and it is also by the mirror that helped inspire it....

Let's face it, everyone has to eat and most people enjoy sweets, so giving gifts that are food related are always welcome.  As the holiday season approaches, I will share some of my favorite food gifts, but for now, I will show you what they will be packaged in.  I got this cute little crate at a thrift store for less than $2.00.  It wasn't bad, but I had to make it my own.  I just painted it a cream color and then decided on an apple motif.  It's fall right now so the apple idea was inspired by the season.  All I need to add to it for a total gift is the food.  So there you have it, two gifts in one, a decorative container and whatever I bake to put inside.

This is a great way to relax and still do something creative.  I love to embroider and watch TV especially on a rainy or snowy day.  Flour sack dishtowels are practical and make great gifts.  Everyone can use more towels!  This set is going to my husbands grandma for their family cabin, hence the cabin theme.  The iron on templates are at most craft and fabric stores for a few dollars.  You can use them multiple times and even if they wear out, you could still use them with fabric tracing paper.  I use a basic back stitch and keep it simple since the towels will be used a lot I don't want to get to fancy.  To the left is my recent findings at the Goodwill and to the right is the amount I spent.  It was half off all blue ticket items and the table was marked at .99.  I got 10% off the table for carrying it out myself.  What a deal!  Look for these bargain finds in upcoming posts.

My favorite holiday is this month, Halloween!  I am a big kid, I love to dress up and just have fun.  You will see quite a few Halloween projects this month.  A few have already been posted.  Here is my latest.  Sometimes creativity is seeing potential in an item that no one else would ever imagine. This little guy was started with a base of green paint.  A large white button painted to look like an eye was hot glued on.  The hair is purple and black yarn that is actually stuffed into half a toilet tissue tube and glued in the center.  A fun quick project made out of a odds and ends and in the end probably cost less than a dollar to make!

Creativity starts with an idea. Many times because of an event, birthday, wedding, christmas, etc. I start to think about what I can make for a specific person that they would enjoy. The most important thing is personalization, not a monogram, but an interest or a color scheme enjoyed by that person. My first project involves my uncle and is for him from my mom. She bought a chair at a garage sale for about a $1 and asked if it could be made into something he would like. My uncle is mentally handicapped and loves superheroes, wrestling and Elvis. I made my way to the fabric store and found fabrics matching many of his likes, but after a quick call to my mom, settled on the Elvis fabric. As you can see, the chair had seen better days. I removed the seat, tore off the old fabric and stapled on the new Elvis panel, painted the chair bright red and refastened the seat. Project number one done & a great bargain gift for my Uncle! Today, I am starting my journey, hello world! Let's ...