Creative Dawn

Happy Easter to one and all!  The sun is shining and the weather is beautiful!  Today I have a few quick ideas before it is time to head to my mother in laws.  Last night I dyed a few eggs for the kids/teens at today's festivities.  Most were plain, but three have initials that I made by cutting out masking tape letters and applied to the eggs before dipping them.  The one that is supposed to be an 'A' ended up looking like a four because the tape peeled off.  Instead of baskets, I used colorful lunch bags and glued the initial on each of them.  This is a last minute gathering so the bags have eggs and homemade chocolate chips cookies in them. The card is the last item and is for my mother in law.  I have a couple of trees that were freebies from work in honor of Earth Day and those with the card are her gift today.  She lives on a huge lot so there will be plenty of room for them to grow.  This is one of the cards that I cut out t...

I was just relaxing and watching TV the other day when an idea struck me.  It was partially inspired by that awesome craft book from the library, but my final project is much much cooler!  The book had used puzzle pieces to make jewelry.  I thought that the idea itself was good, but the end result was too cheesy for my taste.  I still had left over pieces from a past project, the Peter Maxx frame and puzzle.  Since his artwork is so colorful the pieces were perfect.  I grabbed the jewelry findings that I had and went to work.  It was really easy and didn't take very long at all.  I poked holes into the parts that I liked and used jump rings to attach the pieces together.  The chain was from a necklace that I haven't worn in a while.  With the star design and the fun bright colors it really makes for cool jewelry.  Now to find a place to wear it. 

Earlier today, I made note of the project from yesterday falling off of the wall.  After I set it on my table another idea came to mind from the mishap.  Place mats or table centerpiece for theme gatherings would also work for the Cd cases.  It took six Cd's to make this and you wouldn't even have to use empty cases, just temporarily remove the front booklet or info sheet and replace with the appropriate theme for the day.  They are assembled with duct tape, so it can be removed after the event is over.  I did a few mock ups as examples.  Valentines Day is approaching so I cut out some hearts from felt and paper and slid the designs into the covers.  I also save Christmas cards, you never know what you can use them for so after finding the pictures that I liked, they were cut to size for the place mat.  The last one is an old calender of MC Escher pictures that I had kept because I love his art.  The ideas are endless!  Spring or F...

Every year I have trouble trying to figure out what to get for my brother for Christmas.  This year I had originally planned to give this to him for his 40th birthday, but I ran out of time.  Since it still is the year of this milestone birthday, the present is going to be for Christmas instead.  Through a lot of Internet time and with the help of my husband, we compiled 40 songs starting with 1970 to make a 3 disc set for him.  A song for every year.  My brother enjoys more of the hard rock and metal genre of music, so that is what we did for much of the Cd's.  Metallica, Led Zepplin and AC/DC to name just a few of the artists that we used.  I also gave a similar gift to my sister in law a few years ago for her birthday, but her CD was more pop music and top songs from the various years.  This is a great idea for the people on your list that are a bit more difficult, but it is still creative and personal.  Another idea would be to compile a ...

This is something I painted for my friend Lynn. She brought me this small table and wanted something for her mom, Diane, Lady Di as we call her. She is one of those great older ladies, meet her once and she will forever remember you. Chipper, big smiles and no matter what a glowing example of vibrancy. I painted 'Lady Di Vineyards' to add a personal touch. This was a fun one because most of the time people want tropical or their favorite team when they ask for a custom piece. Lynn told me her mom had a Tuscan decor, so this was perfect. After painting, I put a coat of stain over the top for a more rustic look. She loved it! Sometimes the look on someones face when they receive a hand done item is even more satisfying than painting the object.

This past Saturday, my husband's cousin got married. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it because of my 'real' job. Working in a restaurant can get in the way of doing things on the weekends like weddings and other gatherings. The good thing about not being able to go was that I had a few extra days to finish the gift which I did today. I got a cute frame that says 'with this ring' and drew the picture. I love to personalize gifts, even though making it myself is budget friendly it is always appreciated that you spent time making a gift specifically for the couple. Congrats Tori & Jason !

I love the craft store, so many possibilities! I look through the aisles, rummage the clearance area and always find something to make. I've been on a painting kick so let's keep it going for now. People enjoy personalizing and monogramming things. It's a great gift that means you specifically thought of a certain person. This a wooden letter 'D' that was bought at Joann Fabrics for about five bucks. It's about a foot tall & will soon grace my bedroom wall. The design is not groundbreaking, but it is my style. The designer D for Dawn :)